Chapter 344: First Entering the Palace
He Jinglan was very satisfied. Since Mu Nanzhao had already calmed the situation down in advance, she could go to the harem with peace of mind.
Although I don’t have a close relationship with my cousin, I still have to go through the motions.
Gu Xixi followed the young eunuch and continued walking eastward.
The young eunuch led the way in front, looking back from time to time to see if Gu Xixi was following.
After several times, the young eunuch found that Gu Xixi was looking at him, and he felt a little shy and a little frightened.
He thought about it and said, "Boss Gu is entering the palace for the first time. You can ask me any questions you have."
"As long as I know something, I will tell you everything I know."
"And...it won't reach the ears of a third person."
Gu Xixi was waiting for these words. She smiled and said, "May I ask your name, father-in-law? Your accent doesn't sound like a northerner."
The young eunuch was startled.
Unlike the eunuchs who served the emperor closely, he only served outside the imperial study and had never had the chance to show his face in front of the emperor.
Ordinary people who came in and out of the palace were either rich or noble. Who would care what a little eunuch was called?
The young eunuch lowered his head and eyes as usual, but his eyes were bright.
"My surname is Yan, and I'm from Lingjiang, Jiangnan."
"It's just that I was forced to live in the inner court, and I don't dare to use my real surname to disgrace my ancestors. My current name was given to me by my godfather, Jingdong."
Jingdong? This name...
Gu Xixi lowered her mouth and asked, "Who is your godfather? Oh, if it's inconvenient to tell me, forget it."
Jingdong smiled, his eyes dim, "Godfather is the chief eunuch beside the late emperor."
"The late emperor passed away, and my godfather died for his loyalty..."
Gu Xixi looked at Jingdong's expression and thought to herself, no wonder he was sent to do this job which required little effort but brought no benefits.
The godfather is the former steward, and the current steward may not necessarily take care of him, and may even give him the cold shoulder out of fear.
Jingdong was lost in thought, not knowing what he was thinking of.
When they turned the corner, Gu Xixi suddenly asked, "You came to pick me up. Besides taking care of the palace's errands, did anyone else tell you to do anything else?"
Jingdong was startled and looked around hurriedly.
After confirming that no one was there, he breathed a sigh of relief, "Yes."
Gu Xixi looked at Jingdong with some sympathy and sighed, "Is he really being threatened?"
She continued walking and said, "Actually, you don't have to be too scared."
"You haven't done anything to offend me, and I won't complain to him out of thin air."
"Besides..." Gu Xixi's eyes flickered, and she said, "The man I know is definitely not the kind of person who treats others as worthless and abuses his power."
Jing Dong was stunned for a moment, and waved his hands anxiously, "No, no, Boss Gu misunderstood!"
"The prince did not threaten me, yes, yes..."
He hesitated, obviously having something to hide.
Gu Xixi said seriously, "I understand what you mean. As for the reason... this is not the place to talk, so I won't say it."
Ahead is the last road leading to the imperial study.
Jingdong looked at Gu Xixi with some gratitude, put away his unnecessary expressions, and led the way with a blank face as usual.
No one who encounters it will notice any clues.
Outside the imperial study, several ministers happened to come out.
Jingdong immediately blocked Gu Xixi and stood back to the side of the hall.
Because Jingdong was standing in front and the pillars and shadows were blocking the view, no minister passing by noticed Gu Xixi's presence.
Gu Xixi glanced at Jingdong secretly and gained a new understanding of this little eunuch.
When we first met, he seemed timid and cowardly.
But looking at it again now, there is a kind of calmness that comes from a person with great skill and courage.
Jingdong watched those people walk away, nodded slightly to Gu Xixi, and signaled her to follow.
The two of them then walked to the front entrance of the hall.
Jingdong stepped forward and said something to a eunuch.
The eunuch glanced at Gu Xixi from a distance and quickly walked into the hall.
Gu Xixi saw Jingdong walking towards her with a relaxed smile on his face, and knew that she would be able to meet the emperor soon.
She took a deep breath and perked up.
Jingdong said with a smile, "Boss Gu, please wait here for the summons."
Gu Xixi nodded, "Thank you, Eunuch Jing."
Jingdong bowed and slowly retreated.
While waiting, Gu Xixi looked carefully at everything within her sight to refresh herself.
But just as she saw the fifth window on the west side, she heard the door open.
At the same time, the eunuch called out in a special tone: "Announce! The daughter of the Gu family, a local gentry in Qingtian County, Northwest China, is here to see you!"
It was the first time that Gu Xixi heard her name be so long.
She lowered her head and stepped forward to answer, "I am a commoner, Gu."
The eunuch took a look and said, "Young lady, please come in with me."
Gu Xixi thanked him and followed the eunuch inside.
She walked slowly, looking down at the ground as she stepped over the threshold, stepping on the carpet covered with hanging vines, always keeping three steps away from the eunuch in front of her.
This is the etiquette that He Jinglan trained overnight last night.
Fortunately, Gu Xixi learned quickly and was able to perform normally in practice today.
Seeing the eunuch in front of him stop, Gu Xixi also stopped. She glanced upward and saw the bright yellow color. She immediately knelt down and saluted.
"I, Gu, pay my respects to Your Majesty."
The emperor sat upright on the dragon throne and said in a kind tone, "No need to be polite."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Gu Xixi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and stood up with her head still lowered.
As a soul from the modern world, she was certainly not used to this way of meeting.
But there is no way out. If you don’t bow down to the imperial power, you will die.
She could only persuade herself to adapt to the local customs.
Then the emperor said, "Give Miss Gu a seat."
Soon, two eunuchs quickly brought a chair and placed it next to Gu Xixi.
Gu Xixi thanked him again and looked up when she sat down.
She saw Mu Nanzhao sitting right opposite her.
However, Mu Nanzhao did not look at Xixi, but just looked indifferent, and no one knew what he was thinking.
The emperor smiled and said, "Miss Gu, there is no need to be so reserved. You are an old friend of the Regent and are also familiar with Lord Huo. You are not an outsider. There are only three of us here today, so we can just treat it as a casual reminiscence."
Gu Xixi sighed inwardly. The emperor was clearly trying to point a finger at her.
This shows that he knows everything, so don't try to hide anything when you ask him questions later.
But since the emperor said it was just a normal reunion.
Gu Xixi simply looked up and said calmly, "Yes!"
The emperor began to chat about daily life, but in fact he asked one question after another.
The most important ones are: How did Mu Nanzhao get poisoned? How was the poison cured?
How did Huo Jiang find Gu Xixi? Who first proposed to open up wasteland in the northwest border?
Gu Xixi answered truthfully.
Because she hadn't rehearsed the words with Mu Nanzhao in advance, her reaction seemed more genuine.
The emperor seemed quite satisfied and said with a smile, "It is such a brilliant idea to let the soldiers cultivate the land in their spare time to supplement the military rations. Originally, Lord Huo said that it was a farm girl who proposed it, and I thought he was joking."
"I saw you in person yesterday. You are very courageous, adaptable, and smart. It's no surprise that you have so many abilities."
Gu Xixi knew that the emperor was still probing her, so she just looked at him calmly without avoiding the question.
"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. I am ashamed to accept it."
The questions just now seemed to be just gossip about the past.
In fact, if you answer any of the questions incorrectly, it will become a fatal question.
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