Some differences
Xiao Chengyan held a high position of power and commanded a large army; he was also exceptionally handsome. What kind of woman couldn't he have? She was readily available and at his beck and call.
Yet for over a decade, he remained celibate and alone, refusing to be near women. Even as the entire capital speculated that he was ill, he disregarded this, building an insurmountable wall for the sake of his beloved, who had passed away too soon.
At first, Gu Jinghong thought it was just a pretentious display of affection by the royal nobles, or an excuse to refuse a marriage alliance. In short, like her senior brothers, it was nothing more than scheming and manipulation.
Until just now...
In the throes of the drug's effects, utter loss of reason, and the roar of desire like a raging beast, he saw the butterfly mark on her collarbone. The agonizing struggle between hazy clarity and lucidity in that instant, the kiss that ultimately fell softly with immense restraint, and now, how he was willing to torment himself to this brink of death to hold onto that perhaps already blurred illusion in his heart…
This is not a pretense; it is an unwavering dedication etched into one's very bones, a breathtaking expression of emotion written with over a decade of solitude and a body on the verge of collapse!
Looking at the pale, fragile face in the water, and the furrowed brows caused by pain, Gu Jinghong felt for the first time so clearly that beneath his shrewd and ruthless "Grand Secretary" mask, there was still a trace of "compassion".
Changfeng reached out and placed her hand on Xiao Chengyan's shoulder, gently shaking him. Her voice trembled as she uttered, "Your Highness, Your Highness! Wake up..."
Xiao Chengyan did not react.
Changfeng's eyes reddened with anxiety: "Your Highness, Your Highness!"
After thinking for a moment, Gu Jinghong said, "I'll go find a doctor."
Changfeng draped a clean cloth over Xiao Chengyan, gently picked him up, and walked toward the bedroom, her voice icy: "No need."
Gu Jinghong was left standing there, stunned.
Watching Changfeng's departing figure, Gu Jinghong straightened her clothes, took one last look at the bathtub with weariness and confusion, and then turned and walked towards the west wing.
Gu Jinghong tossed and turned in bed—was all of Xiao Chengyan's actions because of that mark? What exactly did that mark mean to him, that it was worth risking his life to protect?
As Gu Jinghong was thinking, she suddenly noticed that the sky outside the window was beginning to lighten, and another night had passed.
Suddenly, "Bang—"
The door to the west wing was violently kicked open, and several guards dressed in black armor, with cold and serious expressions, walked in.
"Gu Jinghong, the Empress Dowager summons you! Proceed to Chen'an Residence immediately!"
What's meant to happen will happen eventually.
Gu Jinghong took off her cloak and put it on, her face showing a submissive numbness.
Seeing this, Zhixin, who was unaware of the situation, couldn't help but ask, "I wonder what Miss Gu has done to disturb the Empress Dowager?"
Gu Jinghong looked at Zhixin, momentarily stunned. She hadn't expected that anyone in the Prince's mansion would still worry about her…
The guard glanced at Zhixin: "How dare you! You're just guessing what the Empress Dowager's decree is?! Hurry up!"
Gu Jinghong patted Zhixin on the shoulder, then silently followed the guard away.
...
Inside Chen'an Residence, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt like it was frozen.
Chief Physician Tan of the Imperial Medical Academy sat to one side, taking pulses with a solemn expression.
The chief steward of the Prince's mansion and Changfeng, along with a group of guards, stood on either side, heads bowed, like clay or wooden sculptures, deliberately keeping their breathing soft, lest they disturb the suffocating solemnity.
On the soft couch, Xiao Chengyan was wrapped in a thick brocade quilt, his face as pale as fresh snow, his lips so pale they were almost transparent, and his breath was so weak it was barely audible. The life-or-death ordeal of ice and fire yesterday had almost drained him of all his energy, leaving him only a fragile shell that had been forcibly pulled back from the brink of death.
The Empress Dowager, seated on a rosewood armchair beside the couch, wore a deep purple robe and a kingfisher feather phoenix crown, exuding an air of elegance and nobility. Yet, her face was frosty, and her phoenix eyes, honed by the years and capable of seeing through people's hearts, were sharp as knives. When she swept her gaze over the woman kneeling on the cold floor tiles, she seemed ready to tear her to pieces.
Gu Jinghong was pinned down by the shoulders of two burly black-armored guards and slammed to her knees. The pain from her knees hitting the ground made her groan, and her body swayed uncontrollably, but she still stubbornly straightened her thin back.
"Raise your head! Let me see what kind of viperous and venomous servant dares to plot against a prince!"
Gu Jinghong slowly raised her head.
The warm yellow candlelight illuminated her pale and delicate face, with bruises on her forehead from being pushed and bumped the night before. Her clothes were torn at the shoulder, revealing some skin and a dark red tear. She looked disheveled and vulnerable.
The Empress Dowager's gaze swept over Gu Jinghong's face and body—even in this disheveled state, the cold, broken look in her eyes, and the striking red mole at the end of her brow, still exuded a breathtaking, bewitching beauty. So, such a femme fatale was hidden beside Yan'er!
"Gu Jinghong!"
The Empress Dowager's voice was icy cold, "Imperial Physician Zhang has diagnosed it: Prince Jin was given a potent drug last night, its effects so strong it nearly destroyed his heart! If it weren't for the Prince's exceptionally strong constitution, which allowed him to withstand the attack, he would already be... Last night, you were the only one by Prince Jin's side until his illness flared up. Tell me, did you administer the drug?! Who instructed you?! To plot against a prince, even the extermination of your entire clan wouldn't be an exaggeration!"
Changfeng immediately stepped forward, pointing to a tray on the ground containing pale pink powder residue, his voice stern: "This powder residue was found in the warm pavilion last night, and it's from the same source as the medicine the Prince was given. Gu Jinghong, what else do you have to say?"
All eyes were fixed on the kneeling woman like sharp arrows.
Gu Jinghong's mind was as calm as still water: "This was not done by me, I am innocent..."
The Empress Dowager was furious and slammed her hand on the armrest. "Still dare to talk back! A vixen like you, who bewitches the emperor and has a vicious heart, is a source of disaster if left in the Prince's residence! Guards! Drag her out and beat her to death!"
Upon receiving the order, the guard stepped forward, his iron-like hand about to grab Gu Jinghong's slender arm again.
At this critical moment, Gu Jinghong suddenly chuckled softly. The laughter was initially very soft, with a hint of brokenness, but gradually it revealed a touch of shrill mockery: "Heh...heh...so the illustrious Xiao family of the imperial court, who prides themselves on strict laws and clear judgment, is nothing more than this kind of mind-based speculation and torture to extract confessions when it comes to judging cases?"
These words shocked the entire hall! Even the Empress Dowager was stunned, never imagining that a lowly maid would dare to so directly offend the royal family!
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's anger intensified: "Fine! What a sharp-tongued, vile maid! Today, I will make you die willingly! I ask you, the Snow Plum Garden, the royal villa, is heavily guarded, and its west gate is a closely guarded secret, unknown to ordinary people! How did you, a lowly maid, 'coincidentally' appear in that secluded place at the same time as a man? If you weren't deliberately trying to get close to Yan'er with ulterior motives, how do you explain this?!"
The fatal question plunged Gu Jinghong's heart into despair.
Before yesterday, with Zhuangmu Gefu's intelligence, she could easily weave countless seemingly reasonable excuses—that door was opened by Changfeng on orders, and although the west gate was secret, she could also claim to have entered by mistake… She could always find a loophole.
But after last night... witnessing firsthand how that man, consumed by lust, forcibly restrained himself and even self-destructed because of a phantom mark... faced with this accusation pointing at Xiao Chengyan, Gu Jinghong felt a bitter taste in her mouth and could no longer utter a lie.
Because no matter how perfect the excuse, it couldn't conceal the fact that she had meticulously planned to get close to him. She could deceive everyone in the hall, so how could she deceive herself?
The Empress Dowager looked at Gu Jinghong's suddenly silent and expressionless face, a hint of smugness in her mind as she thought she had the upper hand: "What? Speechless now?"
At this critical moment—
“Grandmother…” a very weak voice rang out.
On the soft couch, Xiao Chengyan, who had been silent with his eyes closed, slowly opened them. His gaze swept over everyone and landed on the disheveled and silent figure kneeling on the ground, his expression complex and unreadable.
"Yan'er?"
The Empress Dowager suppressed her anger and looked at her grandson, "You're awake? Don't worry, no matter who plotted against you, I will definitely..."
Xiao Chengyan interrupted the Empress Dowager, his voice low and hoarse yet exceptionally clear, "It is my grandson."
What? !
“It was my grandson… who sent her to Xuemei Garden.”
Everyone stared at Xiao Chengyan in astonishment, including Gu Jinghong, who was kneeling on the ground. She suddenly raised her head and looked incredulously at the pale-faced man on the soft couch.
The Empress Dowager was stunned for a moment, her eyes filled with astonishment: "You sent her?"
"yes."
Xiao Chengyan nodded slightly, his face pale and calm, but his expression was languid, as if he were talking about a trivial matter: "I heard that the green calyxes in the plum garden are blooming very well, so I wanted to find someone to go and see them and draw a picture... to cheer me up."
The excuse was so clumsy that even he found it laughable, but he glanced at Gu Jinghong and continued, "Gu Jinghong has some knowledge of painting, so I had someone take her in to have a look along the way."
He emphasized the word "on the way" slightly, trying to blur the focus.
"You sent her there? Just to paint plum blossoms?"
The Empress Dowager's suspicious gaze swept back and forth between Xiao Chengyan and Gu Jinghong, clearly disbelieving this far-fetched reason. A mere maidservant—why would he go to such lengths to arrange for her to enter the royal villa?
The Empress Dowager continued, "Yan'er, you were poisoned by that vile drug yesterday. Even if you arranged for Gu Jinghong to go there, you can't be sure she's malicious and has designs on you! Could it be that those blind fools in the court deliberately sent her to your side? I think her appearance is just like..."
“Grandmother,” Xiao Chengyan’s breath was still weak. His beautiful phoenix eyes blinked at the Empress Dowager, then looked at Gu Jinghong, and continued in a strained voice, “Grandson knows you have always worried about me… that I am all alone…”
Regardless of Xiao Chengyan's previous preparations, these words, once spoken by the King of Jin, truly touched the Empress Dowager. She sat there quietly, waiting for Xiao Chengyan to continue.
Xiao Chengyan's eyes held a tenderness reminiscent of someone gravely ill as he looked at Gu Jinghong again, his tone tinged with an indescribable bitterness: "Jinghong, she... she is ultimately... somewhat different from her grandson."
The words “somewhat different” struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, leaving the Chen An Residence so quiet you could hear a pin drop!
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