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"Who are you? How dare you block the Empress Dowager’s path! Get out of the way this instant!"
The head eunuch of the Empress Dowager’s palace surnamed Qin looked at Gu Jiao and rebuked in a stern voice.
Judging by Gu Jiao's attire, she didn’t look like a noble personage within the palace, but she didn’t look like a palace maid either. Her clothes were obviously not luxurious, and her temperament seemed very cold.
Gu Jiao didn't move aside. She fixed her gaze at the swaying golden tassels of the phoenix palanquin about ten paces away in front of her. The huge golden phoenix embroidery shone under the brilliant sunlight, truly dazzling to the eye.
Two figures were vaguely visible behind the long muslin curtains. The figure sitting in the center was wearing a black dress embroidered with golden phoenixes, sitting still and upright. She looked familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time.
"Grandaunt!"
Little Jing Kong finally dug himself out of the ground. Holding back the slight pain in his body, he clamored and jumped toward the Empress Dowager's palanquin.
He came from behind the palanquin to the front and suddenly saw Gu Jiao standing in the middle of the pathway. He called, "JiaoJiao?"
JiaoJiao?
Empress Dowager Zhuang's heart shook faintly.
Little Jing Kong, covered with dirt and grass clippings all over, jumped over, causing the grass clippings to drop off his body. He said solemnly, "Jiaojiao, I didn’t run around!"
Gu Jiao returned to her senses. Yes, you didn't run around. You just skipped around.
Gu Jiao raised her hand to remove the remaining grass clippings on the little guy's head and body, then took out a handkerchief to wipe the dirt on his face.
Eunuch Qin planned to drag away the two people who didn’t know the rules, but when he looked back at the palanquin, he caught a glimpse of Empress Dowager Zhuang's expression from the gap of the curtains which didn’t have any sign of displeasure at all.
Not only that, but the Empress Dowager Zhuang was also a little entranced.
Empress Dowager Zhuang never liked children, which was a common knowledge within the six palaces. Even Ning Wang’s two daughters rarely went to visit Empress Dowager Zhuang. But now, Empress Dowager Zhuang didn't look the slightest annoyed as she watched the little girl and the dirty little bald head before them.
She couldn't even take her eyes off them.
Out of nowhere, Empress Dowager Zhuang felt an indescribable emotion rising from the bottom of her heart, and she herself had no idea what exactly it was.
Zhuang Yuexi, who sat next to the Empress Dowager, observed the Empress Dowager's expression, and a trace of tension flashed within her eyes.
Gu Jiao was nearly done wiping Little Jing Kong clean when Little Jing Kong tilted his head at the phoenix palanquin. He pondered for a moment before calling out, "Grandaunt?"
Eunuch Qin's expression changed. He strode forward and said, "Audacious! Who are you calling Grandaunt?!"
Little Jing Kong pointed at the Empress Dowager’s direction and replied in all seriousness, "Her!"
Eunuch Qin felt his temples throb, "That's the Empress Dowager!"
"Right, that’s Grandaunt." Little Jing Kong looked at the phoenix palanquin and asked in confusion, "Grandaunt, why did you come here to be the Empress Dowager? Are you not going back with us?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang suddenly felt stumped by the question.
She clearly did not know this child, so how come it was so difficult for her to answer the child's question?
Furthermore, that unexplainable feeling was getting stronger.
She was the Empress Dowager, but looking at these two children, her heart suddenly felt a bit confused.
She lifted the curtain and wanted to take a closer look at them.
……
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Something big has happened!" Eunuch Wei entered Huaqing Palace in a panic.
The Emperor cast him a sidelong glance and asked, "Why are you in such a panic?"
Eunuch Wei exclaimed, "Young Miss Gu and her younger brother have been stopped by the Empress Dowager on the way!"
"What?" The Emperor swiftly stood up and walked out with big strides.
"Imperial mother!"
Empress Dowager Zhuang had just held the curtain when the Emperor arrived, panting. He quickly stood in front of Gu Jiao and Little Jing Kong and said breathlessly to Empress Dowager Zhuang, "These two are guests that Zhen has summoned into the palace. If they have offended imperial mother in any way, Zhen also hopes that imperial mother can be magnanimous enough to pardon them."
Empress Dowager Zhuang almost instantly lost interest as soon as she heard that they were the Emperor's people.
Her eyes grew cold as she put down the curtain and said indifferently, "Since they are the Emperor's people, then the Emperor should take them away."
In fact, she had no intention of punishing the two of them, but who would believe it? In everyone's eyes, she was the vicious, merciless and unscrupulous demon empress who had no regard for human life.
Empress Dowager Zhuang did not bother to explain.
"Seeing imperial mother off." The Emperor said.
"Set off." Empress Dowager Zhuang ordered in an aloof voice.
The phoenix palanquin slowly passed Gu Jiao and Little Jing Kong.
At that exact moment, Empress Dowager Zhuang could not resist lifting the curtain, which made her see the slim and tender face of the girl in the sunlight, with a delicate countenance, porcelain-like skin, and a red birthmark on the left side of her face.
The girl’s face was cold and displayed no emotion.
However, Empress Dowager Zhuang didn’t know if it was just her illusion, but she felt that the girl seemed aggrieved.
What was she feeling aggrieved about? She didn’t even punish her.
Empress Dowager Zhuang lowered the curtain.
The whole afternoon after that, her mind was haunted by the girl's face and her grievance that seemed to tear at her heart.
The Emperor had a tense relationship with the Empress Dowager, and he had long feared that Gu Jiao might get implicated in all of this, so he was extra cautious. Unexpectedly, he still let Empress Dowager Zhuang run into her.
As a precaution, he personally asked Eunuch Wei to send people out of the palace.
After leaving the palace, Gu Jiao and Little Jing Kong got on their carriage to return home.
Little Jing Kong was a bit depressed, "JiaoJiao, does Grandaunt not want us anymore?"
Gu Jiao patted his little bald head.
To be honest, she didn't know either.
But Grandaunt really seemed to refuse to acknowledge them.
Little Jing Kong climbed onto Gu Jiao's lap, throwing himself into her arms to find comfort.
Gu Jiao embraced Little Jing Kong and stroked his tiny back until he fell asleep with sadness.
The coachman was Little San.
The carriage started to move at the wave of his whip, but they had just gone a few paces away when they were stopped by a familiar voice.
"Hold on!"
It was Zhuang Yuexi.
She caught up and called Gu Jiao's carriage to a stop, forcing Little San to tighten the reins and stop the carriage.
Little San thought the girl looked familiar, but couldn't remember where exactly she had seen her.
Zhuang Yuexi didn’t pay him any attention and simply walked to the window to tell Gu Jiao, "Young Miss Gu, Grandaunt asked me to pass on a message to you."
Grandaunt. She didn't even call the Empress Dowager this way in front of her, but she did so affectionately and intimately in front of Gu Jiao right now.
Gu Jiao slightly raised the curtain.
Zhuang Yuexi's eyelashes quivered for a moment, then she looked at Gu Jiao coldly and said, "Grandaunt hopes that today's incident will not happen again, and that you will not come to the palace to look for her again. She is the Empress Dowager, and everything that happened prior to her return was just an expedient measure, so don’t get any ideas that you shouldn’t have.”
Gu Jiao looked straight at Zhuang Yuexi.
Zhuang Yuexi felt her scalp tingle from that straightforward and sharp gaze, but she showed none of it on her face. She composed herself, took out a pouch from her wide sleeve and threw it to Gu Jiao, saying, "You can have this back!"
It was the pouch that Gu Jiao personally embroidered for Grandaunt. Her needlework was not very good-looking but was nevertheless durable. Her Grandaunt used it to store small amounts of money and had always carried it with her.
The day Grandaunt left, she didn’t take anything from Bishui Alley, except for the plain and simple clothes and this small money pouch that had never left her side.
This was the only keepsake that Gu Jiao left with Grandaunt.
Now, Grandaunt returned it back to her.
Gu Jiao smoothed out the creases on the money pouch, and without saying anything, she quietly lowered the curtain.
Looking at Gu Jiao’s abandoned appearance, Zhuang Yuexi's heart welled up with an unspeakable pleasure. The person who dragged her in the alley and threatened her that she couldn’t afford to pay the price finally had a day like this.
Her big brother belonged to her, and so was her Grandaunt!
Zhuang Yuexi headed back to Renshou Palace.
Empress Dowager Zhuang sorted out the set of coarse clothes she had worn before. She was now back to being the Empress Dowager, and such unpresentable clothes should have been thrown away long ago.
However, not only did she not throw them away, she also brought them back to the palace and kept them in a box.
Today, she took out the clothes and laid them flat on the wide and luxurious bed, rummaging through the pockets as though looking for something.
The palace maid at the side asked, "Empress Dowager, what are you looking for?"
"Aijia is looking for…" Empress Dowager Zhuang froze.
That’s right, what was she looking for?
She just had the feeling that something important was missing.
But what was it?
Zhuang Yuexi walked into the room to witness this scene, and her eyes flickered slightly. She called out, "Empress Dowager."
Empress Dowager Zhuang turned to her and asked, "Did you see anything else when you first brought the clothes here?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang stayed at the Zhuang Residence for a night. These clothes were washed by the servants of the Zhuang Family and then sent by Zhuang Yuexi personally.
Zhuang Yuexi lowered her eyes and answered, "No, there was only this set of clothes."
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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