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Empress Dowager Zhuang talked with the Zhuang Family for a while before she felt tired.
Grand Preceptor Zhuang withdrew with several children in tow. He asked Zhuang Mengdie and Zhuang Yuexi to go back to their respective courtyards to rest, then he said to An Junwang, "Come to my study."
"Yes."
An Junwang went with Grand Preceptor Zhuang to the latter’s study.
An oil lamp was lit up inside the study. The light wasn’t too dim, but not very bright either. The storm outside the house was still raging on, without the slightest sign of abating.
Grand Preceptor Zhuang waved his hand to dismiss the servants, leaving him and An Junwang alone in the room.
They finally got back the Empress Dowager, but Grand Preceptor Zhuang noticed that his grandson's mood was not as uplifted as he expected. In fact, he had been like this since the palace exam.
This made Grand Preceptor Zhuang suspect that An Junwang had lost his confidence after one failure.
Grand Preceptor Zhuang said in a serious tone, "One imperial examination is no big deal. Once you rise to prominence within the officialdom in the future, you can still beat him. To be exact, you will surely beat him!"
Life was very long, a small victory or defeat was nothing. The important thing was to keep moving forward, go to higher places and never look back.
"Empress Dowager and the Zhuang Family are behind you!"
An Junwang wasn't like this because of the result of the imperial exam, at least not entirely. In his opinion, he lost to Xiao Liulang in the palace exam because the Emperor wanted to suppress the Zhuang Family, so his loss was also kind of reasonable. But on the day of the Zhuangyuan parade, the difference in treatment between him and Xiao Liulang that Gu Jiao displayed really tore a hole in his heart.
It was just that he couldn’t talk about these things.
"Grandson knows. If there’s nothing else, grandson will take his leave first." He cupped his hands then walked out of the room.
"About the story of Empress Dowager living as a commoner old lady," Grand Preceptor Zhuang stopped An Junwang, his eyes showing profound meaning, "You should know what to say and not to say."
An Junwang asked with a numb look on his face, "What does Grandfather think should be said and shouldn't be said?"
Grand Preceptor Zhuang was dissatisfied with his attitude, and his eyes slightly cooled down, "You are still young, so you are allowed to be a little emotional, but don't go too far."
An Junwang smiled self-mockingly, "Was the Empress Dowager really controlled by His Majesty? Then why did His Majesty personally travel to Jiangnan to look for her?"
Grand Preceptor Zhuang said, "Xiao Liulang has already taken refuge in Marquis Xuanping’s camp. That man is His Majesty's trusted official. Who knows if His Majesty's trip to Jiangnan is just a trick to fool us?"
An Junwang laughed grimly, "She cured Empress Dowager's leprosy, and saved Empress Dowager's life just recently too. In grandfather’s eyes, all of these are merely for the sake of exploiting the Empress Dowager?"
Grand Preceptor Zhuang’s voice sank, "Empress Dowager didn’t have leprosy, leprosy can't be cured. Also, it’s not about saving people or not. They just needed the Empress Dowager and couldn’t let anything happen to the Empress Dowager. If it were any of the guards at the Zhuang Residence, they would do the same thing, they would all be willing to die for the Empress Dowager!"
An Junwang didn't argue with his grandfather any further. He lowered his eyes and said, "If grandfather says so, then that’s it."
After saying that, he bowed and went out.
Grand Preceptor Zhuang looked at his back and said, "Remember your identity. Don't let your emotions get in your way.”
"I know."
A soft answer came from him in the darkness of the night.
……
It was raining hard and Gu Jiao was too injured to return to Bishui Alley, so she rested in her small courtyard in the medical hall tonight.
Physician Song made a bowl of nerve-calming decoction, and Xiao Liulang fed it to her. The medicine quickly took effect and she soon fell asleep.
Marquis Xuanping stood under the eaves, and next to him was the depressed Old Chief. Meanwhile, Chang Jing was playing marbles on the floor at the end of the corridor.
Marquis Xuanping tucked his hands into his wide sleeves, his brows frowning without him noticing as he stared at the pouring rain like a silvery stream cascading downward. He said, "So it was the Empress Dowager who fainted in front of Liulang and that girl's house?"
"I heard so." Old Chief said dismally.
Marquis Xuanping asked, "Do they know she’s the Empress Dowager?"
Old Chief looked at him with cold eyes, "You’re setting me up."
Marquis Xuanping’s expression didn’t change, "I’m not."
This old man looked as though he had gone out of his mind after losing his pretend wife, and he thought he could easily obtain the truth out of his mouth.
Of course, that girl wouldn’t know that she was the Empress Dowager, and neither would the real Xiao Liulang. Only Ah Heng would know it. So long as Old Chief briefly hesitated to answer, and then suddenly blurted out a line like, how do I know? That more or less would give the truth away.
Marquis Xuanping felt a toothache.
This old man was really hard to fool!
But then again, that ugly girl was actually Xiao Liulang's wife?
The first time they met, she treated him, and he gave her the smallest piece of silver he had. The second time they met, she treated the Emperor, and he gave her the second smallest piece of silver he had.
Marquis Xuanping's teeth hurt even more when he thought of his every stingy behavior in front of his daughter-in-law.
Fuck, I’m so sloppy!
Liu Quan went home to deliver the news of Gu Jiao's situation. Xiao Liulang was taking care of her in the medical hall, and told the family not to worry and not to brave the rain to see her at the moment. Taking care of their own health was the most important.
These were the exact words of Xiao Liulang.
Yao shi was pregnant, Gu Yan had a heart disease, and Little Jing Kong was still too young, so it was best for them not to go out in this heavy downpour. Only Gu Xiaoshun was able enough, but that was why he should stay and take good care of the family.
"How did she get hurt?" Gu Yan asked.
"It's… It's raining so hard that the roof collapsed and slid down." Liu Quan found it hard to explain as it was inconvenient to talk about some things in front of the children, but he told Yao shi all the details.
It was only now that Yao shi realized that she didn't hear wrongly before. That bodyguard named Wu Yang indeed called Grandaunt ‘Empress Dowager’.
Her mood became very complicated.
On the one hand, she was shocked by Grandaunt's real identity; on the other hand, she felt deeply reluctant to let Grandaunt leave.
She was just a boudoir woman, and she had been far away from the capital during the past few years. She hadn't heard much about Empress Dowager Zhuang. The person she knew was the Grandaunt of several children, the seemingly heartless Grandaunt but always guarded everyone unconditionally.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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