The guards were taken aback at first, then quickly lowered their heads.
"Come in, come in and see if there are any assassins hiding in my room," Atuo Jianghua said readily, seemingly oblivious to their strange behavior.
"Your Highness, your clothes..." At this moment, a palace maid exclaimed and whispered a reminder.
Atuo Jianghua looked down and, as if only now realizing it, became extremely angry. She raised her hand and slapped the guard in front of her. "How dare you! You even dare to spy on me, the Imperial Concubine!"
The guard was startled and immediately knelt down. "Your Highness, please calm down. This humble servant did not spy on you."
"How dare you talk back? This Imperial Concubine will definitely report this to the Emperor." A-Tuo Jiang Hua said angrily while adjusting her clothes.
"This humble servant dares not, please forgive me, Your Highness." The guard cried out in despair and could only beg for mercy.
"I'm so angry! Not only did they disturb my peaceful sleep so early in the morning, but they also dared to spy on me, the Imperial Concubine!" Atuo Jianghua seemed extremely angry, and kicked the guard to the ground. "Get out of here! All of you, get out of here!"
After this incident, the guards dared not linger and quickly withdrew.
Once everyone had left, Atuo Jianghua finally breathed a sigh of relief.
That was close!
As dawn broke, Empress Dowager Guo was finally saved, but...
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager's life has been saved for the time being, but we cannot guarantee when she will wake up," the imperial physician said tremblingly.
Empress Dowager Guo's injuries were severe, with the sword only half an inch away from her heart. Although it did not damage her heart, it still severely injured her, as the entire sword pierced through her chest.
Although her life was saved, no one can guarantee how long she will live. She may spend the rest of her life lying in bed like this, or she may die soon.
But how could the imperial physicians dare to say these things?
They could only say, conservatively, that they wouldn't die anytime soon.
Gu Heng breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
Being in a coma is better than being dead.
In this way, his plans won't be delayed.
"Take good care of the Empress Dowager. If anything happens to her, I will hold you all responsible," Gu Heng ordered the palace servants in a deep voice.
"Yes." Qinglian and the other palace servants quickly and respectfully replied.
Afterwards, Gu Heng ordered the news of Empress Dowager Guo's assassination attempt to be suppressed, and then went to court as if nothing had happened.
Having just returned from court, Si Luo rushed in to report, "Your Majesty, we searched all night, but still found nothing, however..."
"But what?" Gu Heng asked, a hint of impatience in his expression.
“However, I discovered something suspicious at Consort Liu’s residence,” Si Luo said.
"Wen Ruyi?" Gu Heng was taken aback. "You suspect she's harboring an assassin?"
“Your Majesty, I have already led men to search her bedchamber. We did not find any assassins, but we did find some bloodstains on the window of her bedchamber. However, Consort Liu denied it, claiming that she did not know the origin of the bloodstains,” Si Luo said.
Upon hearing this, Gu Heng frowned and instructed Hao Fulu, "Summon Consort Liu."
"Yes." Hao Fulu accepted the order and left.
Soon, Wen Ruyi was brought over.
No matter how calm Wen Ruyi was, a hint of paleness appeared on her face.
"Wen Ruyi, what happened to the bloodstains on your window?" Gu Heng asked in a deep voice as soon as she arrived.
Wen Ruyi felt a tightness in her chest and a sense of unease. He used to call her Liu'er, but now he called her Wen Ruyi directly.
Indeed, emperors are all heartless.
"I don't know what happened either?" She frowned, looking bewildered. "If it weren't for Deputy Commander Si leading people to search for the assassin, I wouldn't have known there was blood on the window at all."
"It was right in your room, how could you not know?" Gu Heng's brows furrowed with malice as he spoke in a deep voice, "Wen Ruyi, harboring an assassin is a crime punishable by law. Do you want to be banished to the Cold Palace again by me?"
Wen Ruyi was startled and knelt down, supporting her belly. "Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly. Even if I had a hundred lives, I would never dare to harbor an assassin! I am about to give birth and have been on the safe side every day. How could I dare to be in the same room as an assassin?"
Towards the end, she broke down in tears, looking quite pitiful.
"I have always been well-behaved and would never dare to do anything to disrespect Your Majesty. Please do not listen to the words of petty people."
Si Luo frowned slightly, barely perceptible, upon hearing her sobbing.
He really underestimated Wen Ruyi.
Sure enough, the next moment, she continued to sob, "The Deputy Commander's sister is the future Empress. Although I am pregnant with the Emperor's child, I can never surpass the Empress."
Even if I give birth to a prince in the future, I will absolutely behave myself and not compete or fight for anything..."
After saying that, she gave a self-deprecating laugh, "I am just a helpless and weak woman, and I will not be a problem for anyone."
Si Luo's heart sank. Wen Ruyi was feigning weakness while implying that he was deliberately framing her for his sister's sake.
This woman is really cunning.
Just as he was thinking this, he saw Gu Heng looking at him scrutinizingly.
Si Luo frowned. "Your Majesty, I have not uttered a single falsehood, nor have I ever deliberately targeted anyone."
Upon hearing this, Gu Heng's expression softened slightly. "I know your character perfectly well."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Wen Ruyi, and he couldn't help but glance at her belly.
If she hadn't reminded him, he would have overlooked something.
The Empress hasn't entered the palace yet, but the concubines are about to give birth. The Si family certainly won't be comfortable.
So, is Si Heng dealing with Wen Ruyi on behalf of his sister?
Thinking it over, he softened his voice, "Si Luo, I will give your Si family an explanation."
His words came as a surprise, and Si Luo was stunned for a moment before she understood what he meant.
Wen Ruyi was not stupid either, and immediately understood the meaning behind Gu Heng's words.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but place her hand on her stomach.
"The assassin has not been caught yet, Si Luo, you continue to lead men to search." Gu Heng said again at this moment.
Si Luo hesitated for a moment, but ultimately said nothing and turned to leave.
His younger sister admired the emperor and would soon become his empress. Naturally, he hoped that his sister would have a smooth journey into the palace and that no one would get in her way.
He originally had no intention of getting rid of Wen Ruyi; it was she who was clever enough to use this incident to make the emperor suspicious of him.
But she forgot that between her and the Si family, the Emperor would naturally choose the Si family.
She essentially dug her own grave.
Wen Ruyi had already realized this, and cold sweat slid down her forehead.
After a moment of silence in the study, Gu Heng suddenly asked, "How many months old is the baby?"
Wen Ruyi quickly replied, "It's been over seven months, almost eight months now. The baby will be born soon..."
She hoped that Gu Heng could spare her and her child, considering that the baby was about to be born.
Thinking about it, a glimmer of hope rekindled in her heart.
However, Gu Heng suddenly said, "After more than seven months, it seems that she can still live after leaving the mother's body."
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