Thinking of Qingchen’s thods, Concubine i trembled. It was genuine fear, for she knew the Red ssenger’s warning tonight ca directly from her master.
She truly couldn’t control her own heart.
Perhaps it was because she had lived in the Imperial Palace for so long, and Chu Xiong had recently been treating her like a treasure. This taste of being high and mighty had made her conceited and lose her sense of proportion. She had started to see herself as soone truly important.
Tonight’s harsh wake-up call had sobered her.
Concubine i imdiately scrambled to her feet, knelt before the Red ssenger, and said sincerely, "Red ssenger, please tell Master that I will certainly abide by my duty and complete the tasks assigned by Master."
"Hmph. Seeing that you’re sensible enough, I won’t make things difficult for you." The Red ssenger noted her genuine fear, though what Concubine i was truly thinking, the Red ssenger couldn’t be sure.
But the necessary warning still had to be delivered. She continued, "Rember our mission. Do not provoke Master. Without you, Concubine i, there could be a Concubine Flower, a Concubine Grass—any number of others. In short, you are not irreplaceable. You’d best watch yourself."
With that, the Red ssenger left a packet of dicinal powder and departed.
Teary-eyed, Concubine i struggled up from the cold floor where she had slumped. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she gazed at Chu Xiong on the bed.
A thought flashed through her mind, but the mory of Qingchen’s far-reaching and ruthless thods made Concubine i shake her head, dismissing the impractical idea.
At this juncture, helping Chu Xiong confront Qingchen is out of the question.
However, after today’s events, the deep-seated affection she held for Qingchen had been sowhat dislodged. At the very least, she wouldn’t be reckless enough to sacrifice everything; she had to consider her own future.
「That day,」
Gu Qingli was eating lunch when Jiang Lile arrived again. Upon entering the room, Jiang Lile saw Gu Qingli eating alone.
She greeted enthusiastically, "Cousin-in-law."
Gu Qingli had grown accustod to Jiang Lile’s uninvited appearances. She gestured to a stool. "Sit. Have you eaten?"
Jiang Lile sat down. "Not yet," she said with a nod. "I’ll eat with Cousin-in-law today. In a couple of days, my brother and I will be heading back to the Capital City. Grandfather sent a letter; he said the people escorting us will arrive in a day or two."
"Oh?" Gu Qingli genuinely hadn’t known Old Master Jiang had sent a letter to recall them.
They don’t think this matter is over just because Qingchen was enfeoffed as a king, do they? Don’t they realize the real war hasn’t even begun? Didn’t Mr. Xiao inform them?
Jiang Lile nodded again.
Gu Qingli said nothing more. It wouldn’t be appropriate for to comnt on their decisions now.
So, she asked Wuqing to bring Jiang Lile so food.
Once the food was served, Jiang Lile began to eat quietly.
However, as she was picking up food, her chopsticks inconspicuously passed over Gu Qingli’s bowl.
Seeing Gu Qingli finish the food she had doctored, a flicker crossed Jiang Lile’s eyes. She ate a few more bites distractedly and then departed.
Back in her room, Jiang Lile’s heart pounded relentlessly. She was restless, unable to sit or stand still.
"Miss, what’s wrong?" her maid, Xiaocui, asked, noticing her distracted state with a puzzled look.
"It’s nothing. You may leave. I’ll call you if I need anything." Jiang Lile closed the door, sat on the stool, and replayed her recent actions in her mind.
「That morning,」
She had been bored and decided to take a stroll alone. As she wandered into a deserted alley, soone had suddenly pulled her in.
Initially, she thought she had run into bandits and was about to scream for help when a hand clamped over her mouth.
It turned out the man had brought sothing for her, instructing her to put it into Gu Qingli’s bowl for her to ingest.
She had been terrified then, but the man had asked her, "Don’t you want to marry your cousin?"
Jiang Lile gulped. Yes, I do, she admitted to herself. But she had never contemplated killing Gu Qingli. After all, she was from a respectable literary family, raised on principles of virtue and grace.
While every prominent family had its share of sordid dealings, the Jiang family supposedly had none. The most she knew ca from the gossip exchanged among the young ladies of the Capital City about the goings-on in other households’ inner courts.
She was of marriageable age, and Third Lady Jiang had instructed her on the affairs of the inner court. These lessons mostly revolved around being cautious and recognizing the kinds of things that could happen. But insidious plots, let alone murder, were never ntioned.
At this thought, Jiang Lile shook her head vehently. "I do want to marry him, but if it ans killing Cousin-in-law, I’d rather not marry him at all!"
The man replied, "Who said anything about murder? This substance will rely cloud her mind and make her muddled. It’s not fatal."
"Really?" Jiang Lile hesitated. If that’s true, then I could consider it. Cousin always listens to Cousin-in-law. If Cousin-in-law beca a fool, wouldn’t she stop getting in Cousin’s way? Besides, I truly detest that woman, Gu Qingli. Perhaps, if this works, once I return to the Capital City, I can beg Grandfather to let marry Cousin. A foolish Gu Qingli would only be a disgrace to Cousin, a dead weight holding him back. Maybe, if he considers all this, Cousin might actually agree to marry . And then, Father would wholeheartedly support Cousin’s ambitions.
Jiang Lile began to waver.
The man, seeing her continued hesitation, pressed on, "If you’re uneasy about it, we can take her away imdiately after it’s done. Rest assured, we’re only using her to threaten soone; we won’t kill her. She’s very valuable to us."
The man then explained their motive.
This girl was utterly naive. A smarter person would have been suspicious long ago and wouldn’t have divulged so much to a complete stranger. However, it was precisely her foolishness and infatuation that made her the ideal pawn for them. They knew they couldn’t overpower the two n and two won protecting Gu Qingli, let alone dream of abducting her. That’s why they had gone to such lengths to concoct this sche. As long as Gu Qingli succumbed to the Sleeping Cursed Insect and didn’t vanish inexplicably, they could exploit the ensuing chaos to spirit her away. They had also ascertained that Xiao Yunjing was absent during the dayti, which presented them with a golden opportunity.
"I see. But who could Cousin-in-law possibly threaten? You’re not planning to use her against my cousin, are you?" Jiang Lile’s mind sharpened for a mont, and this question surfaced. A re peasant woman like Gu Qingli, who could she threaten? The only one could be Cousin.
The man sneered inwardly. This dimwit actually managed to use that pig brain of hers for a second. He said, "You don’t know your cousin-in-law’s true identity, do you?"
"What real identity? Isn’t she just a peasant woman?" Jiang Lile said disdainfully.
The man stated coldly, "A peasant woman? She is the legitimate daughter of the Senior Grand Secretary, Gu Xicheng. I’ve told you the unvarnished truth. So, are you in or out? If you’re in, do as I say. If you’re out... now that you know our objective, do you really think I’d let you walk away?"
Jiang Lile’s eyes widened as she stared at the nondescript man before her. A sudden wave of murderous intent radiating from him sent a chill down her spine.
She stumbled back several steps and spun around to flee, but the man, moving like a phantom, instantly blocked her path.
She darted left; he was there. She veered right; he was there too. In short, like an inescapable specter, he thwarted her every attempt to escape.
True fear finally gripped Jiang Lile.
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