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Old Chief explained, "It’s that girl who didn't tell this official! If this official hadn't noticed a new scar on her hand today, this official wouldn't have known about all she went through. Commandant Gu is also muddleheaded for helping her keep this matter from this official!"
Keeping things to themselves, it was indeed something the siblings would do.
The Emperor furrowed his brows.
Old Chief continued, "Your Majesty must have heard about the time when Ning Wang saved JiaoJiao."
The Emperor did know about it, but he didn't think Gu Jiao was the target; he believed the assassins were after the Rui Wang Residence.
Old Chief added, "The second time was a few days ago. A servant lied that someone in their family was sick and asked JiaoJiao to come for a house visit. On the way, they were ambushed, but luckily Commandant Gu arrived in time, and JiaoJiao's concealed weapon also helped scare off the assassins."
The Emperor was surprised, "Even Gu Changqing couldn't handle the assassins?"
"Correct. One of them was a highly skilled assassin, and we don't know where they came from." Old Chief said calmly. "As for the third time, it happened just now while we were on our way to the palace. Fortunately, there was no skilled assassin this time, otherwise we might not have made it here."
That was made up of course, just to add to the tension.
"Why did you enter the imperial palace so late?" The Emperor asked.
Old Chief let out a sigh, saying, "This official was bringing her to report the assassination attempts to Your Majesty, who knew we would be ambushed by assassins again? Luckily, we're fine."
"Where is she now?" The Emperor asked anxiously.
"She..." Old Chief looked hesitant and said with an awkwards smile, "She said Your Majesty hates her now and won't stand up for her, so she decided to go to Empress Dowager."
This tactic worked, and the Emperor was properly enraged. He slammed his hand on the table, "Who said Zhen won't stand up for her?! Is Zhen so untrustworthy in her eyes?!"
Wasn't that your doing?
Ahem.
He said too much.
He was a subject and should not have harbored such negative thoughts about the Emperor.
Ever since he became a "father" to His Majesty, he couldn’t help but be a little bold.
This wasn’t good, so dangerous!
Old Chief adjusted his expression and said, "Your Majesty, this official dares to speculate that the person who had attacked Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing and the person who attempted assassinations on JiaoJiao are the same group of people."
The Emperor asked suspiciously, "Why do you think so?"
Old Chief looked at the Emperor daringly and said, "Your Majesty, if something were to happen to Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing, who would you suspect first?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang.
The answer was almost self-evident.
Last time, the assassin attempted to assassinate Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing while disguised as Gu Jiao in an attempt to shift the blame onto Empress Dowager Zhuang. Unfortunately, the Emperor saw through their plot.
The Emperor still felt a lingering fear when he remembered the incident. He clenched his fists and asked, "But what does this have to do with JiaoJiao? If a mishap happened to her, naturally Zhen wouldn't suspect the Empress Dowager. Are you telling Zhen that the Empress Dowager would suspect me?"
Old Chief shook his head and replied, "That isn’t the case. However, it is an undeniable fact that because of JiaoJiao, the relationship between His Majesty and the Empress Dowager has improved a bit.”
The Emperor said mockingly, "Who has improved their relationship with her?"
Old Chief ignored the Emperor's insincere expression and said solemnly, "This official won't say anything about what Your Majesty thinks. But JiaoJiao is the only one who has received both Your Majesty's favor and the Empress Dowager's affection. If she dies, there will no longer be a chance for reconciliation between Your Majesty and Empress Dowager. All of this is aimed at driving a wedge between Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager!"
The Emperor fell silent.
Upon reflection, there was some truth to what Old Chief had said.
Seizing the opportunity, Old Chief continued, "Liulang told me about the incident where Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing was thrown into the Taiye Lake by the assassin. Your Majesty must also be investigating the whereabouts of the assassins. Has Your Majesty found any leads?"
"Not yet." The Emperor was frustrated when it came to this matter.
Old Chief looked up at the ceiling and sighed again, "It seems that the assassin is aware of their actions and has gone to great lengths to conceal themselves. They are very cunning and have left no trace. But Your Majesty, are you really going to sit back and do nothing? As long as those assassins are at large, the lives of Imperial Concubine Dowager and JiaoJiao are at risk!"
This statement hit a nerve within the Emperor.
Aside from his biological sons, the person he cared about the most now was Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing and Gu Jiao, wasn’t that the case?
He couldn’t let anything happen to them!
The Emperor looked at Old Chief and asked, "So what do you suggest we do?"
Old Chief raised his eyebrows and said, "Lure the snake out of its hole! As long as Your Majesty is willing to cooperate, this official has a way to expose the other party’s true form!"
......
"No way!"
"Aijia won't listen!"
"That won't work!"
"Unless Aijia dies!"
In the bedchamber of Renshou Palace, Empress Dowager Zhuang refused without hesitation after listening to Gu Jiao's suggestion, leaving no room for negotiation.
Gu Jiao let out a strange sound.
She had known her Grandaunt for so long, but this was the first time she had rejected her so thoroughly.
In fact, she hadn't done anything wrong. She just conveyed her Granduncle's message, which was to ask Grandaunt to temporarily put aside her prejudices and work with the Emperor to expose the mastermind behind the scenes.
But it seemed that Grandaunt wasn’t very satisfied with Granduncle's proposal.
"You can eat three more pieces of candied fruits every day!" Gu Jiao threw out a sugar-coated cannonball.
"Humph!" Empress Dowager Zhuang remained unmoved.
"Four pieces? Five pieces?" Gu Jiao counted with her fingers.
However, Empress Dowager Zhuang remained steadfast, seemingly determined not to give Gu Jiao any chance to break through her defenses with her sugar-coated cannonballs. She went to her study without looking back.
"Alas." Gu Jiao let out a sigh.
Gu Jiao walked out to the courtyard in front of the main hall with slow steps and sat down on the lonely swing.
When Little Jing Kong was here, this place was so lively, but when he was away, it felt so deserted.
Nights during the seventh month didn’t carry much coolness. It was still full of heat, but because of the continuous rain, it wasn’t as stuffy as it was a few days ago.
Gu Jiao sat on the swing, swinging back and forth with boredom, sighing every now and then.
Eunuch Qin walked over holding his horsetail whisk, "Young Miss Gu."
Gu Jiao stopped the swing by pressing her toes on the ground and greeted him, "Eunuch Qin."
Eunuch Qin stood next to the swing, his gaze landing on Gu Jiao before shifting to the boundless night sky.
References
1. — 糖衣炮弹: This idiom is often used to describe situations where someone is being deceived or misled by something or someone that appears to be good on the surface but is actually harmful or dangerous. It can also refer to a situation where someone is using flattery or sweet talk to conceal their true intentions.
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