Gu Jianli was both carefully considering her plan and anxiously waiting for Concubine Li to return. She paced back and forth inside the room, finally stopping. She raised her trembling hands, which she had tucked inside her sleeves, to her eyes.
Fear, how could she not be afraid?
But she could only hide her timidity and fear deep in her heart, not showing a trace of it. If she showed fear, Chen He would just laugh at her, calling her a weak woman, a child, and might not cooperate with her. Showing fear would also unsettle her aunt’s mind.
Hearing footsteps coming up the stairs, Gu Jianli hurriedly steadied her emotions and went to greet her.
Concubine Li’s face was pale, one cheek red and swollen, her hair newly combed, and even the clothes she wore were different from when she left.
Gu Jianli’s heart sank. Without asking about the plan, she first asked, “Aunt, are you okay?”
Concubine Li forced a tired smile and nodded, saying, “Aunt is fine.”
Anyway, she was used to it.
“I did as you said, agreed to try to persuade you. I asked for a bit of time, but it can’t be delayed for too long.”
“I know. Each day we can delay is precious. We need to buy time for Supervisor Chen. Alright, let’s not talk about this today. Aunt, have a good rest.”
Concubine Li nodded wearily. She ordered the maid to bring hot water and took a long bath. After leaving the bathhouse, she did not return to her bedroom but went to a small room in the corner. There stood the memorial tablet of Li Yunyan.
She knelt before her sister’s tablet, tears streaming down her face.
“Sister, am I really so bad? So filthy and wretched…” She prostrated herself, her forehead touching the ground, tears falling like rain. “I harbor someone I shouldn’t in my heart. I’m sorry, sister, I can’t face you in death. My sins are too great; the God of Lilan will not forgive me… I can control my words and actions, but not my heart. Do I need to gouge out my heart to be free…”
Emperor Chang feared Gu Jingyuan’s extraordinary martial skills and resistance to drugs, so he added an extra dose of hallucinogens. Because Li Yunwan resembled her sister, she was chosen among the concubines.
Afterwards, Li Yunwan broke down in tears, feeling she had wronged her sister and blasphemed against the God of Lilan, attempting to end her life with a white silk ribbon. After Emperor Chang saved her, he realized she had feelings for Gu Jingyuan.
“I know I will never be as good as my sister. I was timid and weak, always needing her protection. Now I’ve made an even greater mistake. Out of all the men in the world, I had to fall for the one person I should never have…”
Li Yunwan sobbed, revealing the unbearable secret she had kept for over twenty years.
The sound behind her startled Li Yunwan.
“Who?” She turned around and saw Gu Jianli, her eyes red from crying.
After the initial panic, Li Yunwan’s eyes quickly dimmed.
“You heard everything.” She smiled self-deprecatingly, feeling utterly exhausted.
Gu Jianli rushed in, knelt before Li Yunwan, and hugged her tightly, gently patting her back. She cried, “The God of Lilan won’t blame you, Mother won’t blame you. You haven’t done anything wrong! When I was young, I also thought I could never compare to my sister. It was Aunt who told me that I had my own strengths. How could Aunt forget this herself? Mother had her good qualities, but I know Aunt is also wonderful! Jianli and Sister both miss Mother, and we also regard Aunt as the dearest person!”
Li Yunwan’s eyes filled with tears as she slowly closed them, gently stroking Gu Jianli’s head as if she were still the little girl she had watched grow up. She forced a smile, tightly gripping Gu Jianli’s hand, and said, “Tomorrow is uncertain, we may not leave the palace alive. There is something I must tell you. Do you remember how your mother died?”
Gu Jianli turned her head, looking at the memorial tablets on the table, her vision blurred by tears.
“I remember. She died from complications after giving birth prematurely, bedridden for less than a year.”
This was a scar in Gu Jianli’s heart.
When she was very young, she felt she was not as outstanding as her sister. She thought that if her parents already had such an excellent sister, her mother wouldn’t have died so early if she hadn’t been born. Without her unnecessary existence, her father, mother, and sister would have lived happily together. It was her existence that killed her mother.
Li Yunwan smiled bitterly, “Your sister was in good health. At that time, your father was not in the capital, and Emperor Chang, after drinking, inadvertently revealed his thoughts, even hinting that your father’s assignment was dangerous. This frightened your sister, causing her to go into premature labor.”
Gu Jianli looked at Li Yunwan in disbelief, enunciating each word, “Are you saying that Emperor Chang’s threats led to my mother’s death? Is that what you mean?”
Li Yunwan nodded with difficulty.
“Then why didn’t Father…”
“Your father didn’t know. Your mother believed that if your father knew, he would surely seek revenge. At that time, your sister was four years old, and you had just been born. It was too dangerous. Knowing she didn’t have much time left, she decided to take this secret to her grave and forbade me from telling anyone…”
Overwhelming anger made it hard for Gu Jianli to breathe. All her timidity and fear vanished, leaving only the determination to kill this wretched emperor.
•
At noon the next day, Chen He quietly slipped into Yongli Palace and informed Gu Jianli that the edict in Emperor Chang’s bedchamber, naming the heir apparent, designated the Second Prince, who had been exiled to the northern frontier. The edict, likely drafted before the Lantern Festival banquet, had yet to be amended.
Hearing this, Gu Jianli breathed a sigh of relief.
“That’s wonderful…”
Initially, she wasn’t sure who the edict would name as the heir. If it were the Third or Fourth Prince, she would have to resort to tricks similar to those used by the Guangping Marquis’s household when her marriage decree was issued. But if it was as she wished and it was the Second Prince, there would be fewer risks and difficulties.
“Wonderful?” Chen He looked at Gu Jianli’s expression thoughtfully, “Why is it wonderful?”
“The more chaotic, the better.”
Imperial Consort Li hurried upstairs and was startled to see Chen He. She looked at Gu Jianli and said, “All the wine from the cellar has been brought out. The amount is sufficient.”
Gu Jianli nodded and asked Chen He, “Superintendent Chen, is everything ready for causing trouble with the Eastern Depot tomorrow night?”
“I’ve already sent someone to deliberately cause a disturbance. Tonight, the Eastern Depot will surely retaliate. By tomorrow night, the timing will be perfect.”
“Thank you for your efforts, Superintendent.”
“No need to thank me. I’m not helping you, just that our goals align, so we are cooperating,” Chen He said slowly. However, his gaze towards Gu Jianli was no longer as casual as before.
Gu Jianli turned her head and looked out the window at the sky, hoping fervently that it wouldn’t snow in the next few days. Windy weather would be even better.
In the evening, Emperor Chang sent someone to summon Imperial Consort Li again.
Imperial Consort Li said that Gu Jianli had been crying continuously and needed more persuasion.
The next morning, Emperor Chang summoned again.
Imperial Consort Li stuck to her story.
In the afternoon, another summons.
Imperial Consort Li said, “She has stopped crying, but she still hasn’t agreed.”
As night fell, Gu Jianli sat in front of the bronze mirror, lowering her eyes to look at her neon purple attire. She had styled her hair in the falling-horse bun that Li Yunyan had liked during her lifetime and said softly, “I heard my mother liked purple when she was alive.”
Imperial Consort Li nodded, “You do look like your mother in this outfit.”
Gu Jianli smiled and said, “Please, Aunt, could you also give me the makeup my mother used to wear?”
Imperial Consort Li not only gave Gu Jianli the makeup Li Yunyan liked but also dressed herself to resemble Li Yunyan. After the final cloud pattern flower was painted, both Gu Jianli and Imperial Consort Li looked into the bronze mirror. Reflected were two stunning faces, one youthful and fresh, the other mature and graceful. Their similar appearances made them look like a mother and daughter.
As night deepened, Emperor Chang finally arrived.
When he came, the attic was filled with the sound of a soothing zither. He listened for a while downstairs and recognized that it wasn’t Imperial Consort Li playing. He slowly ascended the stairs to the third floor.
The moment he saw Gu Jianli playing the zither with her head bowed, he thought he had seen Li Yunyan again.
Imperial Consort Li, having drunk some wine, was slightly tipsy. She leaned on the desk, softly humming.
He stood silently at the doorway, watching Gu Jianli play the zither. Only when the song ended did he step inside and say, “Your zither skills are quite good.”
Gu Jianli looked up in surprise and stood, nervously saluting, “Greetings, Your Majesty…”
“Your Majesty, you’ve come,” Imperial Consort Li laughed tipsily, her neon attire slipping off her shoulder, revealing her fair skin.
With her rosy, drunken cheeks and seductive demeanor, Emperor Chang suddenly felt intrigued, not even minding that she hadn’t stood to greet him.
He walked directly to the main seat and sat down, casually pointing at Gu Jianli, “It seems your aunt is happy to have you in the palace. You should stay here permanently.”
Gu Jianli timidly glanced at Emperor Chang, then quickly lowered her head.
Imperial Consort Li giggled and drank more wine, the aroma spreading through the room.
Emperor Chang said, “Were you playing the zither for fun? Why did you stop when I arrived? Continue.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Imperial Consort Li said, putting down her wine cup and gracefully standing up.
Gu Jianli sat down again, her delicate fingers lightly touching the zither strings. The melodious tune resumed, and Imperial Consort Li began to dance gracefully to the music, her movements enchanting.
Emperor Chang’s gaze alternated between Imperial Consort Li and Gu Jianli.
Desire and memory intertwined, becoming unstoppable.
Emperor Chang’s eyes grew darker. As he admired the dance and music, he casually picked up the half-finished wine cup that Imperial Consort Li had been drinking from and took a sip.
Gu Jianli’s gentle tune gradually became more intense, her slender fingers moving more fluidly over the strings.
As the melody changed, Imperial Consort Li softly raised her arms and began to spin. The layers of her light purple dress unfolded like petals, dazzling Emperor Chang.
Before the music ended, Imperial Consort Li had already spun to Emperor Chang’s side and sat in his lap. She took a sip of wine, hooked her arm around Emperor Chang’s neck, and fed the wine to him with a seductive gaze, “Only hearing the laughter of the new and not the cries of the old. Your Majesty, is Yunwan not good enough? Now that you have Jianli, you don’t want me anymore.”
“I want you both,” he said, gesturing to Gu Jianli, “Come over here.”
The wine Emperor Chang drank contained a sleep-inducing drug. Gu Jianli noted how much he had drunk. She stood up, eyes red, and walked over.
“If you comply with me, I will give you a new identity, and you can be with your aunt every day,” Emperor Chang promised.
Gu Jianli kept her head down, silent.
“Don’t be ungrateful, child. Didn’t you see that His Majesty’s wine cup is empty?”
Obediently, Gu Jianli refilled the cup, her hand trembling as she handed it to Emperor Chang.
Is this compliance? Satisfied, Emperor Chang drained the cup. Feeling content, he announced, “Tonight, I summon you to serve me.”
Imperial Consort Li, drunk and playful, giggled, “She’s too young to know how. I will teach her personally.”
She began to unbutton Emperor Chang’s clothes as she spoke.
Two women serving him? Emperor Chang’s interest grew even stronger.
Outside, two secret guards of the Eastern Depot exchanged glances and shook their heads helplessly.
Suddenly, a small green signal flare shot into the sky. The two guards were alarmed. This was the Eastern Depot’s highest-level signal, indicating the supervisor was in mortal danger!
