Chapter 328: Don’t Be Afraid!
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
In front of the study, Gu Xiaonan and Feng Yuanxi were stopped by palace servants.
“Miss Gu, His Majesty has summoned you alone; the others cannot enter.”
The two children immediately held onto Gu Qingluan’s hands tightly.
Gu Qingluan smiled faintly and said, “Very well, please convey my apologies to His Majesty.”
With that, she turned and left with her son.
Eunuch Qin, witnessing this, was alarmed. “Miss Gu, you mustn’t! If you refuse to meet His Majesty’s summons, it could be seen as defying his order!”
Gu Qingluan paid him no mind.
She had arrived at the door, and if she were to leave now, she might lose her head if His Majesty became displeased.
Eunuch Qin hurriedly advised, “Please wait a moment, Miss Gu. Allow me to inform His Majesty of the situation. Could you please wait a short while?”
Gu Qingluan turned back with a faint smile and said, “Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch.”
Eunuch Qin wiped the sweat from his forehead and then hurried into the study.
After a while, he returned and informed Gu Qingluan, “His Majesty has granted you permission to enter, but Duke Dingbei and the Grand Marshal are present as well. If they spot your son, it might stir strong emotions in them. His Majesty advises that it would be wisest for you to enter alone.”
Duke Dingbei?
The Grand Marshal?
Gu Qingluan took a moment to recall.
Oh, they were the maternal grandfather and uncle of the Fifth Prince, Qitian Yu.
Duke Dingbei had a military background and had earned numerous battlefield achievements. He had trained the formidable Dingbei Army, which was renowned throughout the Three Realms. Even the Emperor had to show some deference to him.
Gu Qingluan thought, “Emperor Xuanzong appears to be quite restricted. With this person and that person requiring deference, it seems he has lost some of his imperial dignity.”
She finally understood why the Emperor had summoned her so suddenly.
Based on logic, when she met Prince He and the Crown Prince at the Fifth Prince’s residence, if they had returned to the palace to report, the Emperor should have been sufficiently outraged to dispatch someone to arrest her much earlier, without the need to wait until today.
It appeared that Duke Dingbei and the Liu family learnt about the situation and exerted pressure on His Majesty, compelling him to summon her.
Gu Qingluan hadn’t considered so many factors when she killed the Fifth Prince. If the other party wanted to harm her son and herself, she wouldn’t hesitate even if she knew the opponent was Duke Dingbei’s residence.
Even if she were to recall that the Fifth Prince’s maternal family was Duke Dingbei, she… would still have chosen to take action.
She even dared to confront the Gu family, the top noble family, so what is stopping her from doing the same to Duke Dingbei’s family?
She was truly fearless!
Thinking about the potentially inappropriate violent scenes that might occur later, Gu Qingluan decided that it would be best for her two sons not to witness them. She lowered her head and said to her two treasures, “Xiaonan, Yuanxi, would you mind waiting for me outside?”
Gu Xiaonan frowned, about to protest.
Feng Yuanxi nodded and said, “Sure, Mother, please be careful. We’ll wait for you outside.”
“Good boys.”
Gu Qingluan patted her little son’s head gently, then followed Eunuch Qin into the study.
As Gu Qingluan’s figure disappeared behind the door, Gu Xiaonan asked in confusion, “Yuanxi, why didn’t you let me go inside? Those Duke Dingbei and the Grand Marshal that Eunuch Qin mentioned must not be good people. We should go in to protect Mother.”
Feng Yuanxi replied, “I know who Duke Dingbei and the Grand Marshal are. They are here for revenge on behalf of the Fifth Prince.”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier? How can we let Mother go in alone? They must be trying to trap her!” Gu Xiaonan exclaimed, eager to rush inside.
Feng Yuanxi held him back and said, “Calm down. In terms of martial strength alone, they are not a match for Mother. There is only one Saint in the palace, Prince He. I’ve met him before, and he didn’t seem to have any intention of harming Mother. So, these people cannot capture Mother through force. If they genuinely intend to harm her, it would be through treachery. In that case, it’s better for us to hide in the shadows and observe. If we discover they are plotting against Mother, we can intervene then.”
Gu Xiaonan patted his shoulder and said, “Hey, you’ve thought this through quite well. Let’s quickly find a place to hide and see what they’re up to!”
Feng Yuanxi nodded in agreement.
The perfect place for eavesdropping, of course, was the roof.
The two of them smoothly flew up to the rooftop.
Xiao Bai wriggled out of Gu Xiaonan’s arms.
Gu Xiaonan raised a finger to his lips and whispered, “Shh, Xiao Bai, don’t make any noise, or they might discover us.”
Xiao Mei was too noisy, so Gu Xiaonan left her at home and brought only Xiao Bai.
Xiao Bai nodded with its fluffy little head, indicating understanding.
“Xiao Bai, please watch out for us. If anyone notices us, give us a signal right away, alright?”
Xiao Bai nodded solemnly.
Understood, young master.
Gu Xiaonan patted its head satisfactorily and then joined Feng Yuanxi on the rooftop. They peered inside through the gaps in the glazed tiles.
Oh my!
There were quite a few people inside..