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"Turns out Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing is also mentioned in the imperial decree." Gu Jiao suddenly realized. "No wonder she stole the imperial decree and hid it."
Xiao Liulang nodded his head, "One reason is to save her own life, and the other is to hold onto her last trump card."
Gu Jiao rested her chin on her hands, deep in thought. "Grandaunt won't be blackmailed by anyone. Even if she really took out the imperial decree and said, 'If you don't agree to my conditions, I will make the decree public and we'll all perish together,' Grandaunt wouldn't yield. So..."
Xiao Liulang nodded again. "So her most dangerous move is to truly perish together with Grandaunt."
Gu Jiao slammed her hand on the table, "That wicked woman!"
Xiao Liulang looked at her angry appearance, and though it was a bit inappropriate, a hint of amusement flashed within his eyes.
Of course, when he thought about Grandaunt's situation, the amusement faded away.
Seeing the imperial decree was something that happened in his childhood, and it wasn't something he cared much about at the time. Hence, that memory had long been buried in the river of his memories.
If Gu Chengfeng hadn't brought it up this time, he probably would have never revisited that memory in his lifetime.
"We have to steal back the imperial decree." They couldn't let Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing hold such a time bomb in her hands. Whether Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing lived or died didn't matter to Gu Jiao, but Grandaunt shouldn't accompany her to the underworld.
Xiao Liulang said, "Before that, let's not push her too hard, in case she impulsively destroys herself and Grandaunt."
"Okay." Gu Jiao finally understood the meaning behind her husband's note, advising her not to take impulsive actions. Considering Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's current condition, they indeed shouldn't provoke her further.
If this woman went mad, who knew what she might do in a fit of rage.
"En." Gu Jiao let out a sigh.
She folded her hands over the table, her small head drooping and resting on her hands.
Unable to resist, Xiao Liulang reached out and gently touched her fluffy head, "We won't wait too long."
"Okay!" Gu Jiao nodded.
She trusted him.
She trusted him to the extent that she didn't need to ask about his plans.
"By the way..." She pondered and sat up straight.
Xiao Liulang calmly withdrew his hand, still feeling the soft touch of her hair on his palm. He lightly rubbed his fingertips.
Gu Jiao didn't notice his subtle indulging gesture. She looked at him with confusion and asked, "What kind of person was the late Emperor? Why did he want Grandaunt and Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing to be buried with him?"
Xiao Liulang paused. His initial thought was ‘to get rid of the mother and keep the child’, but he wasn't sure if that was really the case.
It was difficult for him to describe what kind of Emperor the late Emperor was. The late Emperor had passed away before his birth, and all his knowledge about the late Emperor came from the imperial records and some hearsay.
However, judging from the series of arrangements made by the late Emperor before his death, he was a man of means.
Having Empress Dowager Zhuang and Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing buried with him might have been due to recognizing their influence on the new Emperor. It could be a concern about the dominance of the imperial relatives or the sidelining of power in the court. Or perhaps the late Emperor had other plans.
The thoughts of an Emperor were as deep as the sea; who could truly understand them?
For example, he couldn't understand why Princess Xinyang also had Dragon Shadow Guards in her hands.
In the end, Xiao Liulang could only say to Gu Jiao, "There will come a day when the entire truth will be revealed."
He didn't say he didn't know. Of course, he really didn't know. But if she wanted to know, he would find the answer for her.
Xiao Liulang looked at the endless night sky and said, "It's getting late. You should go back and rest."
Gu Jiao nodded. "Okay, then I'll come to see you again tomorrow night."
Xiao Liulang watched her leave without refusing, "Alright."
After Gu Jiao left, Xiao Liulang turned off the light and lay on the somewhat thin bed. The food box Gu Jiao had Gu Chengfeng brought over was quietly placed on the bedside table.
The night was quiet, but his thoughts were far from calm.
Someone stubbornly roamed around in his mind, and he had to make a considerable effort to regain control of his own thoughts.
He began to contemplate the matter of the imperial decree.
The imperial decree was left by the late Emperor, even the current Emperor couldn't disobey it. Although Empress Dowager Zhuang and the Zhuang Family held immense power, they hadn't reached the point where they could challenge the late Emperor's posthumous decree.
As a woman in the imperial harem, Empress Dowager Zhuang had done many things that society did not approve of, especially when it came to interfering in politics, governing behind the curtain.
The old subordinates of the late Emperor didn't confront Empress Dowager Zhuang for two reasons. Firstly, Empress Dowager Zhuang indeed had the means to suppress them, and secondly, during the final days of the late Emperor's reign, he was too ill to attend court, and the Liu Family was too ambitious. Hence, with no other alternative, the late Emperor resorted to summoning the tiger to drive away the wolves—— appointing Empress Xiande as the regent.
The late Emperor didn't have the chance to revoke the regent's authority before passing away.
Xiao Liulang speculated that the late Emperor might have thought that since he left an imperial decree for the regent to be buried with him, whether or not he revoked the authority didn't matter anymore.
Unfortunately, it was one move short. The imperial decree was actually stolen by Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing.
Empress Xiande was someone the late Emperor placed in power, so even if she continued to govern behind the curtain after the new Emperor ascended, the old subordinates of the late Emperor wouldn't resent her as much.
However, once the imperial decree was revealed, the old subordinates of the late Emperor would undoubtedly pounce on Empress Dowager Zhuang like hungry wolves, dragging her into the imperial tomb.
Therefore, Gu Jiao was right. The imperial decree couldn't remain in the hands of Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing. They needed to find a way to steal it back and destroy it.
But with the Dragon Shadow Guard present, it would be challenging to succeed.
"Dragon Shadow Guard." Xiao Liulang murmured in the darkness, his eyes narrowing slightly.
The next night, Gu Jiao indeed came, bringing Xiao Liulang's favorite spicy beef skewered with bamboo sticks and placed in containers. The two of them sat in the room, enjoying the barbecue together.
"Should I come tomorrow?" Gu Jiao asked as she was about to leave.
Xiao Liulang chuckled softly, "Tomorrow, the exams will be over, and I'll be able to go back, so there's no need for you to come."
Gu Jiao replied, "Oh."
But she actually wanted to come.
Having a secret late-night barbecue session with him was fun.
Xiao Liulang was an invigilator and didn't participate in grading the exams. After the examination ended, he packed up and left the examination compound.
It wasn't too late, so he first went to the Hanlin Academy to handle the pending official duties from the past three days.
Ever since his direct confrontation with Grand Preceptor Zhuang outside the Hanlin Academy, not many people dared to openly challenge him anymore. Everyone knew he was there for invigilation, not to fool around, so they didn't assign him many tasks, mainly just organizing some classics.
He diligently spent the afternoon completing the organization of the classics and then sent them over to Chancellor Han.
When he returned from Chancellor Han's office, he saw Ning Zhiyuan poking his head around his office.
"Is something the matter?" He approached and asked.
Ning Zhiyuan turned around at the sound of his voice and said, "I heard you came back just now. So, how did the invigilation go? Was it smooth?"
Thinking of the scene of him secretly having a barbecue with someone at night, Xiao Liulang couldn't help but suppress his smile and replied, "It went smoothly."
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