Chapter 10

Within the waterside pavilion of the Jianglin traveling palace, the Emperor looked down at the kneeling Second Prince Gu Jing, his expression icy.

[TN: Not sure if I’ve added a note previously but a traveling palace is like a vacation villa. Basically, the Emperor would reside in this place when he goes traveling, hence why it’s calling traveling. It doesn’t mean that the palace is moving LOL.]

“Father Emperor,” Gu Jing kept his back perfectly straight as he defended himself, “your son is innocent!”

Gu Jing had been summoned here earlier, around the time it took for a stick of incense to burn (15-30 minutes). As soon as he arrived, the Emperor threw a token in front of him—it was the token of the Heir Apparent (Shizi) of Prince Duan’s household. At the time, the Commander of the Imperial Guards (Jinyiwei) was reporting the results of the interrogation: the captured culprit had confessed that he had been ordered by the Heir Apparent of Prince Duan to assassinate Gu Zezhi.

[TN: Call me willy-nilly but I hate that I used Shizi earlier. Going to use Heir Apparent going forward.]

After the commander finished his report, the Emperor dismissed him. From that moment on, Gu Jing had been kneeling there until now.

Gu Jing knew he had caused trouble.

The Heir Apparent of Prince Duan had indeed made a move against Gu Zezhi in the end, but Gu Jing had “accidentally” exposed it to the Emperor.

Now the problem was no longer whether the Heir Apparent of Prince Duan could succeed or not, but what the Emperor would think.

Would the Emperor believe that he intended to interfere in the struggle between the legitimate and illegitimate sons within Prince Duan’s household?!

“Father Emperor, today I accompanied Second Miss Qin to Qingyun County. Her personal jade pendant was stolen by a petty thief, so this son thought of asking the local magistrate to help search for it,” Gu Jing said with an expression of sincerity. “This son truly didn’t know that Third Uncle from Prince Duan’s residence was also in the county. I…”

No matter what, Gu Jing had to grit his teeth and refuse to admit anything.

He secretly felt relieved. Fortunately, Qin Xin had come up with a fairly reasonable excuse at the time.

“Gu Jing, you dare to deceive Me?!” the Emperor stared straight at him. When he was angry, the majesty of the Son of Heaven radiating from him made people afraid to even look at him, “What trick are you trying to play?”

“Father Emperor,” Gu Jing shuffled forward on his knees and heavily knocked his head against the ground, “you have misunderstood your son. This son would not dare to utter even half a word of falsehood!”

The Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly. He remained silent, offering neither assent nor dissent.

The silence stretched on, making Gu Jing even more uneasy.

“Father Emperor…”

At last, Gu Jing was unable to suppress the anxiety in his heart and wanted to raise his head to offer further defense, but the Emperor no longer wished to listen. He waved his hand to dismiss him, saying: “From today onward, you are not to leave the traveling palace.”

Gu Jing felt his scalp go numb. In a dull voice he replied, “Yes, Father Emperor.”

He withdrew with his head lowered.

The chief eunuch serving in the Linglong Water Pavilion, Zhou Xin, handed the Emperor a cup of tea and tried to soothe him, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger first.”

The Emperor looked at the slightly swaying curtain in front of him. A mocking, cold smile appeared at the corner of his lips. He asked, “Zhou Xin, do you believe what he said?”

“…” Zhou Xin did not dare answer.

The Emperor wasn’t really expecting an answer from him anyway. He curled his right hand into a fist and tapped it twice on the desk.

He had only just issued an imperial decree summoning Gu Zezhi to the capital to study and train in martial arts. The decree did not even mention any intention of replacing the heir of Prince Duan’s household, nor had he revealed the slightest hint of such an idea to Prince Duan himself. Even in court, none of the officials knew of this thought.

So how had the Heir Apparent of Prince Duan become so impatient that he would send people to pursue and assassinate Gu Zezhi along the way?!

Unless he knew that once Gu Zezhi entered the capital, his own position as heir would no longer be secure.

The Emperor remembered that he had only casually remarked once that “the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate sons in Prince Duan’s household must not be confused; the legitimate son should inherit the title.” At the time, aside from Zhou Xin, the only other person who had heard him say this was Gu Jing, who had happened to come to pay his respects.

Nine times out of ten, Gu Jing had taken the opportunity to “curry favor” with Prince Duan’s Heir Apparent.

“Cough, cough, cough…”

The Emperor suddenly began coughing violently, again and again, coughing so hard he could barely catch his breath.

The chief eunuch Zhou Xin quickly patted the Emperor’s back to help him breathe and was just about to call someone to summon the imperial physician when the Emperor raised his hand with difficulty to stop him.

“Cough, cough, cough!” The Emperor continued coughing without pause.

Helpless, Zhou Xin hurried to fetch a secret pill prepared by the imperial physicians and assisted the Emperor in taking it.

After a long time, the Emperor finally recovered a bit. His face was pale, and he looked weak and exhausted.

“Don’t tell the Empress lest she worry,” the Emperor placidly said.

Zhou Xin hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself. As the attendant who served closest to the Emperor, he was one of the few people who knew about his true condition.

Recently, the Emperor’s health had been deteriorating day by day, yet the matter was kept strictly secret.

Zhou Xin knew it was all for the sake of the Sixth Prince.

If the court officials learned that the Emperor’s health had already declined to this extent, the entire court would once again begin “pressuring” him to establish a crown prince.

Rumbleee!

Thunder rolled outside the window. Layer upon layer of dark clouds filled the sky, carrying the ominous feeling of an approaching storm.

Rain began to pour down with a rushing sound, falling like a curtain.

Inside an inn in Qingyun County, Qin Jiu looked at the sudden downpour and casually asked Xiao Ze, “You’re leaving?”

Xiao Ze nodded and gave a quiet “Mm.”

Qin Jiu felt greatly relieved inside, but on the surface she put on an expression of reluctant farewell and blessed, “Have a safe journey, and don’t get chased by assassins again!”

Inwardly she added: Even if you do get chased, absolutely don’t come looking for me again!

Her thoughts were practically written across her face, and Xiao Ze saw right through them at a glance. His sword-like brows lifted slightly.

“So you care about me that much,” Xiao Ze said with a smile. His smile looked especially gentle and friendly. “Before I see you again, I will definitely take good care of myself.”

The young man before her had strikingly beautiful features. When he gazed deeply at someone like that, it was hard not to feel one’s heartbeat skip a couple of beats.

The smile at the corner of Qin Jiu’s lips froze. Somehow, his words felt like a curse directed at her.

Xiao Ze left that very day.

After that, the constables never came again to question them. Qin Jiu was too lazy to care about the reason behind it. Anyway, she had passed through this ordeal without danger or mishap!

Qin Jiu also told Escort Chief Xu that they should depart Qingyun County the next day.

As for Xiao Ze, Qin Jiu simply said, “He had something to attend to and left first.” Escort Chief Xu didn’t ask further. They packed up their belongings and set out early the next morning.

The caravan left the county town smoothly and traveled for another two days. When they arrived at Fenggu County in Longzhou, the escort mission was considered complete.

Fenggu County was only about half a day’s journey from the capital. It was a place Qin Jiu had chosen after repeatedly recalling the plot of the novel.

Originally, she had planned everything well: open a small shop here, later register an independent female household, and happily avoid the fate of becoming a cannon fodder. Who would have thought…

Sigh.

Qin Jiu let out a sigh. After resting for two days, she found a broker and began looking at shopfronts according to her original plan.

After wandering around for several days, Qin Jiu finally rented a small shop on the main street.

The shop had two sections, front and back. The front could be used as a storefront, while the back could serve as living quarters. There was even a small courtyard where flowers or vegetables could be planted. The yearly rent was only thirty taels of silver. It was more than perfectly suitable for her!

In truth, she knew in her heart that she wouldn’t be able to stay here for long, but if you were going to put on a show, you had to do it properly.

Sure enough—

Only a few days after she rented the shop, a luxurious black lacquered flat-topped carriage stopped in front of it.

At that moment, Qin Jiu had just returned from buying some ingredients. Before she even entered, she saw an elderly momo stepping down from the carriage with the support of a young maid.

Qin Jiu recognized the old momo as well. She was Xu Momo, the same one who had escorted her back to the inn in Qingyun County that day. The momo wore a dark indigo sleeveless over-vest, and every movement she made seemed as precise as if it had been measured with a ruler.

She had just steadied herself when she spotted Qin Jiu not far away. Immediately, she smiled and walked over: “Miss Qin, it’s been a long time.”

“Why have you come, Xu Momo?” Qin Jiu showed just the right amount of surprise. Then a smile bloomed on her face, “Is the young master feeling better?”

Xu Momo quickly replied, “The little master has completely recovered. He often says he wants to see you again and personally thank you. Our mistress also wishes to meet you.”

“Is Madam Gu also in Fenggu County?” Qin Jiu asked.

The next moment, a pale, slender hand lifted the carriage curtain, revealing a beautiful and dignified face. The woman looked at Qin Jiu with a gentle smile.

Qin Jiu’s eyes widened slightly. She hadn’t expected the Empress to come in person.

“Madam Gu,” Qin Jiu said happily, “what brings you here? Please come inside and sit.”

The Empress Wei stared at Qin Jiu without blinking, as if trying to imprint her face in her memory. Then she smiled and stepped down from the carriage with Xu Momo’s help.

Qin Jiu quickly led the mistress and servant into the shop.

The shop had already been mostly arranged. Qin Jiu had even hired a carpenter to build a display cabinet for pastries in the front. A faint scent of fresh wood lingered in the air.

“Madam Gu,” Qin Jiu said embarrassedly, “my place is still rather messy. I haven’t had time to tidy everything.”

As she spoke, she led them into the back room.

Behind the shop was a small courtyard, and beyond it stood a row of side rooms. Qin Jiu lived there.

The previous tenant had left behind some unwanted furniture. Qin Jiu calculated the silver she had left and simply cleaned the place instead of replacing anything. She also arranged a few pots of flowers and plants, making the place look fresh and neat.

“You’ve arranged this place quite nicely,” Empress Wei smiled and praised.

“You flatter me,” Qin Jiu replied, inviting her to sit. “I’ll go make you a cup of tea…”

Before Qin Jiu could finish speaking, Empress Wei suddenly grabbed her right wrist anxiously and pulled her tightly into an embrace.

“Good child. You… you’ve suffered so much…”

Her voice choked with emotion. She could clearly feel that the small, thin body in her arms had stiffened. Afraid of frightening the girl, she reluctantly let go.

Sure enough, the moment she released her, she saw the girl staring at her in confusion.

The Empress quickly composed herself and said, “Xiao Jiu, don’t be afraid. I’m your aunt.”

“Huh?”

Qin Jiu looked at Empress Wei in “shock”. After quite a while, she slowly blinked.

Empress Wei felt her nose sting with emotion and thought to herself: This child must have suffered terribly all these years.

Thinking about how Youbai had described the many scars on Qin Jiu’s body last time, and what Zening had learned from Jiangyu County, Empress Wei felt she could skin Zhao Aman and his wife alive a thousand times over.

“Don’t be afraid. With your aunt here, no one will dare bully you again.” Empress Wei spoke gently, her eyes slightly moist.

“You’re my aunt?” Qin Jiu asked blankly.

“Yes.”

Empress Wei nodded firmly. Inwardly, she understood: aside from the initial shock at hearing that she was her aunt, the girl had remained quite calm. Clearly, she must have already known that she was not Zhao Aman’s biological child.