Chapter 61: Stepmother and Empress Dowager
Shao Jingzhou unconsciously exerted more force. He didn't know what she used to bathe, but there was a faint floral scent on her body.
Gu Wan stretched out her hand between them and tried to push him away, but the woman was too weak.
Shao Jingzhou saw how anxious she was, and a light layer of pink covered her ears and neck.
Gu Wan raised her little face and looked at him angrily, "What does the emperor want to do? I, I am the empress dowager." After saying this, she looked around worriedly, afraid that someone would see her.
Shao Jingzhou chuckled, finding it genuinely amusing, "Didn't the Queen Mother say that I and her had a deep mother-son relationship?" He leaned close to Gu Wan's ear and spoke softly, the hot air he exhaled tickling her like feathers.
Gu Wan tried her best to dodge and reached out to grab Shao Jingzhou's clothes on his chest.
"Your Majesty, respect yourself."
Shao Jingzhou saw that a thin layer of sweat had already seeped out of her plump forehead and her eyes were very flustered. This was how a sixteen-year-old girl should look, so he slowly let go of her hand.
Gu Wan quickly took two steps back to distance herself from him.
Shao Jingzhou raised his eyebrows and looked at her with a half-smile, "You like me." His tone was very firm.
Gu Wan was originally still feeling embarrassed and angry, but she seemed a little shocked when she heard this. Then she frowned and said, "Has the Emperor been drinking? He's talking nonsense."
After saying this, he strode away.
Shao Jingzhou stood still. He was really bad at hiding his feelings, but for some reason he felt a tug in his heart. He didn't like the feeling of being out of control.
A cool night breeze blew.
The heat and shyness on Gu Wan's face disappeared the moment she left. In this psychological game, whoever falls in love first will lose.
Thinking that her steps seemed to be a little easier, she accidentally bumped into someone. She rubbed her forehead with her hand and looked up to see Shao Sui.
Shao Sui held Gu Wan's arms with both hands to prevent her from falling.
Gu Wan took a step back, "Your Majesty."
Shao then let go of his hand and just nodded.
Gu Wan turned sideways and was about to leave, but the person in front of her blocked her way.
Gu Wan looked at him puzzledly.
"What does your Highness mean?"
Shao Sui looked at Gu Wan, then looked at the direction she had just come from, and shook his head slightly.
Gu Wan knew what he meant. He must have seen what happened between her and Shao Jingzhou just now, but what was the point of him stopping him?
"What does Your Highness want?" She looked indifferent. None of the princes who grew up under the imperial power were simple. They had to say what they wanted to the people they said. This was a truth that Gu Wan had understood a long time ago. Facing Shao Sui, since he already knew what his true nature was, there was no need for him to pretend. The most important thing was to solve the problem quickly.
Shao Sui just shook his head slightly, but seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Gu Wan noticed that Shao Sui's eyes were very complicated, but he didn't get angry when she questioned him like this.
"In that case, Your Highness should go to bed early. I am also tired."
Shao Sui just turned sideways to make way for Gu Wan.
Gu Wan returned to the tent, half asleep and half awake, and had a restless sleep all night.
The next day, I was woken up early by the noise outside.
We didn’t arrive at the villa until the hour of You.
Zhuxiang had come here with the late queen a few years ago.
Zhao Jiukuang arranged the palaces according to the palaces allocated previously.
Shao Jingzhou took it and took a look at it, "Change the place for the Queen Mother, in Youhua Palace."
Zhao Jiukuang bowed and said, "I obey your order." In this way, the empress dowager's palace was only separated from the emperor's by a wall.
Of course, the Summer Resort cannot compare with the luxury of the imperial palace.
When Zhuxiang heard what Zhao Jiukuang said, she suppressed her surprise. Is this the same as what the Empress said?
She walked in and reported.
Gu Wan just stood in front of the desk and practiced calligraphy.
Zhuxiang looked at the queen in front of her. She had changed a lot recently. Many times she couldn't guess what she was thinking. She was so deep-minded that it was scary. But it was good for the Gu family to have such a person.
"Eunuch Zhao sent someone to tell me to pack up and move to Youhua Palace, saying it's better there and the Emperor is considerate of His Majesty."
Gu Wan put down the brush in her hand and said, "Then let's move."
Shao Jingzhou needs her to fall in love with him wholeheartedly and be able to secretly bring evidence of rebellion to the Gu Mansion.
Is there any evidence that would be more convincing to the people of the world than the evidence brought in by the Queen Mother herself?
The Gu family colluded with internal and external forces with the intention of overthrowing the royal family, so naturally everyone has the right to kill them.
Gu Wan just felt that the child was innocent.
Seeing Gu Wan's calm expression, Zhuxiang had no choice but to go down and tell everyone to work.
Dinner.
Shao Jingzhou stepped into Youhua Hall.
Gu Wan had just sat down.
"I haven't eaten yet."
Gu Wan didn't say anything, and she still looked uncomfortable when she saw him.
Shao Jingzhou knew it was still about what happened that night, so he waved his hand and asked them to leave.
"The Queen Mother is still angry. I was just joking that day?" There was a faint smile in his eyes.
Gu Wan picked up her chopsticks and ate without responding at all.
Shao Jingzhou shook his head with a smile.
"It's just that I feel Wanwan has me in her heart." She didn't use "I and the Queen Mother", but "you and me".
When Gu Wan heard this, she was so scared that her chopsticks dropped to the ground and she pursed her lips tightly.
"Your Majesty, please be careful with your words. I am the Empress Dowager, so please call me Mother."
Shao Jingzhou laughed silently, then his face turned cold again.
"Today I want to change the Queen Mother's status. How about I grant her the title of Queen?"
Gu Wan stood up immediately and said, "I was already the Queen, and now the Queen Mother. The Emperor seems to be drunk again even though he hasn't drunk any alcohol."
Shao Jingzhou thought he liked him, so he thought that as long as he used some empty promises to deceive him, his plan would be realized?
"Your Majesty, please don't come here again. I don't want to spread any gossip."
Shao Jingzhou laughed in anger, stood up and walked step by step to Gu Wan, forced her into a corner, and pinched her chin with his hand.
"Do you believe that I can take you now? Huh?" His tone rose, and it was obvious that he was very angry.
Gu Wan was forced to look up at him. "You are the emperor, so you can do whatever you want. But your majesty, please don't forget that I have the Gu family behind me, and I am a soldier who has fought on the battlefield. If your majesty dares to touch me today, I will commit suicide on the city wall tomorrow, and your majesty will bear the infamy for the rest of his life."
She paid the price with her life for every word she said.
What Shao Jingzhou hated most was being forced upon by others, so he slowly moved his face closer to her.
"Do you think I dare not? Commit suicide on the city wall? I will prevent you from leaving. I will also say that it was you, the Queen Mother, who could not bear the loneliness in the harem, and deliberately seduced you during the long night."
As he spoke, he used his hands to outline the lines of her body.
"Who do you think would believe it? Or would your so-called Gu family personally come and kill their own relatives for the sake of justice?"
There were tears in Gu Wan's eyes, and her tied-up hair fell off, making her look very vulnerable.
"Your Majesty, you may give it a try."
Shao Jingzhou looked at her thin lips and kissed her directly, pressing his big hand on the back of her head.
Gu Wan made a whimpering sound and raised her foot to ignore him.
Shao Jingzhou then let go and took a step back.
Both of them had blood on their mouths, but no one knew whose it was.
Gu Wan's clothes had been torn open, revealing her chest. "During the period of national mourning, if the Emperor wants to move me, he will have to wait another half a month."
Shao Jingzhou had no intention of touching her before he came, but she had been irritating herself and she lost control and turned around and strode away.
Zhuxiang was waiting outside the door, and didn't dare to move at all when she heard the noise inside.
When Zhao Jiukuang saw the emperor coming out, he immediately followed.
Zhuxiang knelt down to see the emperor off, then stood up and turned to come in. She was a little surprised to see the person in front of her. His lips were a little red and swollen, his hair was loose, and his clothes were a little messy.
"The Emperor..."
Gu Wan sat down and looked at the food. "To protect the Gu family, there must be a price to pay."
Zhuxiang knew the pain in her master's heart. This kind of thing was shameful and embarrassing for a woman.
"The master will certainly understand the lady."
Gu Wan took a breath and asked, "Has the letter been delivered?"
Zhuxiang nodded, "But Your Majesty knew that the Emperor would stop her, so why did she still write like that?" There were too many disrespectful words in it.
Gu Wan was bored on the way here, so she casually wrote a letter to the Gu family.
The content of the letter mostly scolded Shao Jingzhou and reported that he was safe. "The whole letter was praising him. Do you think he would believe such a letter?"
Zhuxiang understood it instantly, but this was too bold. What if the emperor held a grudge?
Shao Jingzhou felt suffocated and couldn't figure out what he was angry about for a moment. He just gulped down a cup of tea.
Zhao Jiukuang presented the letter from the Empress Dowager that he had just intercepted.
"Your Majesty, a letter from the Empress Dowager."
Shao Jingzhou snorted coldly and took it, tearing it open to see the contents inside. The handwriting was beautiful and the small regular script was used very well, showing that a lot of effort had been put into it.
But the content of the letter was bold.
"The new emperor's personality is unpredictable, and there are many speculations. Father, you need to be more careful. He has always held a grudge against the Gu family because of my aunt's incident. I am truly worried, but the Gu family has been loyal to the emperor and patriotic for three generations. If he dares to touch the Gu family, the world will despise him. But I still hope that father will take off his armor as soon as possible and become an idle person. I have no ambitions, I just want my family to be healthy. Whoever he wants to guard this world can do it. We just want to live a peaceful life."
The following content was about asking about the family members' situation, including asking about the nephews and nieces one by one.
Shao Jingzhou looked at her and laughed. This little girl actually thought of him as such a person.
"Seal it and send it out."
Zhao Jiukuang took it with both hands and told the eunuchs to handle it.
Shao Jingzhou was still feeling depressed, and went to Shao Sui's yard with his hands behind his back.
Shao Sui liked quietness and lived in a relatively remote place. He was practicing sword in the yard and only stopped after Shao Jingzhou arrived.
Shao Jingzhou sat on the stone bench in the yard and said, "The emperor's uncle seems to be taking it easy."
Shao then wiped the sweat off his face and sat down.
Shao Jingzhou looked at the scenery in the courtyard and sighed deeply. "I read the letter sent by the Queen Mother today. She belittled me to no end in the letter."
Shao then poured another cup of tea. He didn't need to answer anything himself.
"Uncle, I just realized how cold this position is."
Shao Jingzhou didn't stay long and left.
After dinner, Gu Wan went out for a walk. It would be a waste if she didn’t appreciate such beautiful scenery.
Zhuxiang followed behind Gu Wan.
"Do you know where the prince lives?"
Gu Wan thought of what happened last time.
"The prince likes quietness. It's still some distance from here. Madam, should we go over there?"
Zhuxiang knows this place very well.
Gu Wan shook her head.
Shao Sui hid in the corner and heard the conversation between the master and servant. He came out after they left and pinched his fingers.
Gu Wan didn't see Shao Jingzhou for several days.
Until the fifteenth day, the emperor and his ministers can enjoy themselves and admire the moon.
Gu Wan was wearing a lotus-patterned double-breasted dress with large lotus leaves embroidered on the hem, which made her look fresh and elegant. There was no extra decoration on her head, just a white jade hairpin and a thin layer of lip balm.
Shao Jingzhou already sits in a high position.
As soon as Gu Wan sat down, she saw the heroine.
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