The Hall of Supreme Harmony.
"Ling'er, is there any news from the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence?" Gu Heng's voice was extremely weak. Gu Qingling set up a small table next to Gu Heng's bed and began to review memorials.
"The Empress Dowager has already gone to the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence." Gu Qingling put down her vermilion brush upon hearing this. "Father, Uncle seems to be seriously injured."
Gu Heng struggled to turn over. "If Marquis Dingyuan dies from his injuries, Ling'er, let the Bai family lead the troops."
"You must remember that a ruler must be ruthless."
"Heartless?" A dark glint flashed in Gu Qingling's eyes. "This child does not understand, Father. How can one be heartless?"
"We must be ruthless towards the Jiang family."
Images from that year flashed before Gu Heng's eyes; he had overheard his father's words.
“But not now. We have to wait until the next Marquis of Dingyuan of the Jiang family grows up. At that time, Jiang He can retire gracefully.”
Even Gu Qingling's pupils couldn't help but dizzy.
So it turns out the Jiang family... has been being schemed against all along.
"And what about Mother?"
Gu Qingling suddenly felt like she didn't recognize the man in front of her. He knew about the feud between the royal family and the Jiang family, yet he still issued an imperial edict to make his mother Empress after ascending the throne.
Gu Heng suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
"Back then, I truly only wanted to marry her and make her my empress."
Gu Qingling nodded. "I understand."
He wanted to marry his mother, yet he mistreated her, preventing him from becoming the true heir of the empress.
"I will do my best to get someone to cure my uncle."
Reassured by this, Gu Heng closed his eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Only the sound of vermilion brushes and folding paper rubbing together remained inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
"Your Highness."
Qingyu's voice rang out, and Gu Qingling glanced at Gu Heng, "Speak softly."
"Consort Yi said she had abdominal pain, and the imperial physician has been summoned."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingling's lips curled into a cold smile. "After all, he is my unborn younger brother. Let's go and take a look at Jinwu Palace."
Father said that if you want to be emperor, you have to be ruthless. Isn't he listening to Father's words now?
Jinwu Palace.
A painful groan came from Consort Yi, and Gu Qingling stopped in her tracks. "How is Consort Yi's mother?"
"Your Highness, Consort Yi is overthinking things. If this continues, she will definitely have a premature birth."
The imperial physician was also covered in sweat. Consort Yi was almost seven months pregnant and should have been able to give birth, but looking at Consort Yi's increasingly rounded waist, the imperial physician felt a strange feeling.
"Understood, take good care of Consort Yi."
On the way back to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Qingyu said softly, "Your Highness need not worry."
Why shouldn't you worry?
"There is a saying among the people that seven out of ten babies will live and eight out of ten will not. Even if Consort Yi goes into labor first, the fetus should be fine."
"Seven out of ten live, eight out of ten don't?"
Then don't live.
A strange light flashed in Gu Qingling's eyes. As she walked, she stopped and raised her eyebrows. "Yao'er."
"Now you're still pretending to call me by my name. I find it disgusting, even if you don't."
"We are siblings born of the same mother."
Gu Qingling emphasized the words "siblings from the same mother" very heavily.
"I'm here today only to warn you not to harbor any ill intentions toward the Empress Dowager or the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion." Gu Qingyao's pretty face was icy. "Don't forget, it was my third brother who went to Daning to bring you back."
Gu Qingling's expression also changed, and she approached Gu Qingyao step by step.
"Then I'm warning you, don't keep testing my limits."
Gu Qingyao was so frightened by Gu Qingling that she took a step back. A look of madness appeared on Gu Qingling's face. "Also, Yao'er had better take care of this body and not lose weight."
......
With Mei Chu's help, none of the several groups of imperial physicians who came to the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence noticed anything unusual about Jiang He.
News of Jiang He's serious and incurable injuries spread rapidly.
Jiang Yu decided to stay at the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence for a while, which Gu Qingling was happy to see, wishing that Jiang Yu could stay there longer.
The Marquis of Dingyuan's residence.
After reading the witness's testimony, Jiang Yu and Jiang He almost simultaneously clutched their chests.
"Gu Heng has about six months left to live."
Jiang Yu spoke softly, "Gu Heng's condition was already very bad before I left the palace. It must have been Gu Qingling who was continuously poisoning Gu Heng."
Gu Lin glanced cautiously at Jiang Yu and Jiang He, "What do you two plan to do next?"
"Do you think Consort Yi's baby will be able to be born safely?"
Jiang Yu's words caused both Jiang He and Gu Lin to fall silent for a moment.
"If Consort Yi suffers a difficult childbirth due to Gu Qingling's scheme, then we should tell Gu Heng about the poisoning together." Jiang Yu's eyes flashed with intense hatred. After suppressing her anger for so long, this day was finally coming.
"At that time, father and son will break off relations."
Jiang He fully understood what Jiang Yu was thinking: "Once the father and son break off their relationship, the truth about the substitution of the crown prince will be revealed to the world."
When the time is right, my Dingyuan Marquis's mansion will break with the Daqing imperial family.
Jiang Yu's body trembled slightly; she had waited far too long for this day.
Having been schemed against by the Gu family to this extent, she finally has the opportunity to fight back completely.
"And then what?" Gu Lin stared intently at Jiang He. "Where will the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion go after the breakup?"
A map was laid out, and Jiang He gave a bitter smile. "Go here."
Following the direction Jiang He pointed, Gu Lin's heart trembled slightly. It was Lingzhou, the Lingzhou where the old Marquis and his wife had died in battle.
“Ayu.”
Jiang He continued, "These past few days, I've thought about many, many things."
“Ayan is your child. Even though he is exceptionally talented now, he was a pitiful child without parents for the first nine years.”
Jiang He looked into the distance. In this scheming that has lasted for generations, each of them was a victim.
He had no choice before, but now Gu Lin gave him a chance to choose and uncover the truth.
“I will move the ancestral graves to Lingzhou, and then stay there.”
"Brother." Jiang Yu opened her mouth, but what about her brother? Was the war over?
“Ayu, give the best to Ayan.” Jiang He revealed a hint of composure. “Ayan also has the blood of the Jiang family in his veins. If one day the world is unified, the Jiang family… will not lose its reputation.”
"Don't let me hold Ayan back."
After saying that, Jiang He staggered back into the house.
In the courtyard, Jiang Yu looked at Gu Lin and revealed a smile that was more like a grimace. "A military general guarding Lingzhou like a tomb keeper, what difference is there between him and someone who is dead?"
His elder brother said, "Don't let him hold Ayan back..."
“Find a time for Marquis Yongyi to meet him. Ayan wrote that Marquis Yongyi wants to meet Jiang He. Ayu, some things can only be left to time.”
Gu Lin knew Jiang He too well. If it weren't for the long-standing feud between the Gu and Jiang families, Jiang He would have been willing to die for Daqing.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com