“You…” Jia Yinger was at a loss for words, never expecting to be toyed with by Jiang Yiyun.
“Elder sister, stop joking around. Let us discuss the important matter instead.” She suppressed her emotions and spoke solemnly.
Jiang Yiyun sneered. This person had gone around in circles before finally getting to the point—truly pretentious.
The two sat together in an extremely secluded pavilion. Before they had exchanged more than a few words, Jia Yinger had her maidservant Huanyu pour the tea.
The pot was a mother-and-child pot with a mechanism inside. Once the mechanism was pressed, the tea in the smaller pot would pour out.
How could Jia Yinger have known that Jiang Yiyun was an old hand of the Jianghu? Her little trick had long since been seen through.
“Elder sister, Your younger sister will use tea in place of wine to apologize to you.” She drank, and when she saw the other party drink as well, she felt relieved.
Before they had chatted for long, Jiang Yiyun’s eyes became unfocused, and Jia Yinger knew it had worked. She called out “elder sister” a few times, and when the other party slumped over the table, she smiled and said, “Huanyu, stand guard here. I will be right back.”
Jiang Yiyun, today is the day you die!
Jia Yinger’s eyes were filled with smugness before she quietly left.
At this moment, Consort Chun sat beside the emperor, speaking in a gentle, soft voice, while he merely responded occasionally.
Jia Yinger returned to her seat and gave Consort Li a signal. Consort Li nodded in understanding.
Their little movements were all seen by Gu Hanjue, earning only a look of disdain from him.
Just then, someone came to Gu Hanjue’s ear and whispered a few words. He gave an alluring smile, then gestured for his subordinate to withdraw, continuing to enjoy the singing and dancing while calmly anticipating the arrival of a scene even more spectacular than the performance.
Before long, Lier, consort li’s maidservant, hurried over to report, “imperial consort, this is bad. Something went wrong with the lock on the birdcage, and the chinese hwamei inside flew away.”
Upon hearing this, Consort Li hurriedly said, “emperor, I am very fond of that chinese hwamei, but now it has flown away. What should I do?”
Chu Yinheng was not particularly nervous, but he still showed some concern in his words. “Someone, quickly find that chinese hwamei for Consort Li.”
Seeing this, Jia Yinger said, “I have heard that the Embroidered Uniform Guard under Prince Bianjian is highly skilled in qinggong. I truly cannot bear to see Younger Sister Consort Li saddened, so I boldly beg Prince Bianjian to lend us his assistance.”
Consort Li chimed in, “No matter how long the bird-catching pole is, it cannot compare to how high a bird can fly. With such peerless qinggong, he should surely be able to capture that chinese hwamei as quickly as possible.”
Gu Hanjue looked at the two women singing the same tune. His phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and he gave a gentle smile that caused everything around him to pale.
“It is my honor to serve the imperial consort.”
Consort Li had not expected such a considerate and gentle response from him, and was even dazzled by that smile.
Watching Gu Hanjue carrying his people away alongside consort li’s maidservant, Jia Yinger merely waited for the grand show to begin.
Jiang Yiyun removed her disguise once again and put on another face—the same appearance she had used on the night she attempted the assassination of Gu Hanjue.
She had already made all the preparations, waiting only for the enemies to take the bait.
An Luo had thoroughly investigated Jia Yinger and Consort Li’s scheme, so dealing with them was not difficult.
Thinking that she could also take the opportunity to curb Gu Hanjue’s arrogance this time, Jiang Yiyun was deeply grateful to Jia Yinger.
Huanyu, who had been guarding her, had long since fainted and was taken to another place where an exciting grand show was about to unfold.
“Miss, long time no see. This seat has missed you dearly.” An ethereal male voice sounded behind her.
Jiang Yiyun’s pupils contracted sharply, and she turned around at once.
Gu Han’s peerlessly beautiful face appeared before her. Like her, he was standing on the rooftop, while before long a group of embroidered uniform guards arrived on the ground below.
Gu Hanjue waved his hand, signaling everyone to withdraw and not disturb him. “Miss, so you are someone from inside the palace. How have I never seen you before?”
“Hmph, corrupt official.”
Gu Hanjue chuckled softly. “After all, you and I have shared skinship. Why hurt me so harshly the moment we meet?”
Jiang Yiyun became angry from embarrassment upon hearing this. “Shut up… you shameless scoundrel.”
Gu Hanjue shook his head. “That night, I originally had no intention of doing that, but you forced me to.”
“Shut up! You were deceiving the emperor, clearly a false eunuch. If it were not for you, I would not have…” She found it difficult to speak of it at the end.
Gu Hanjue drew out the bloodstained silk handkerchief once again and said leisurely, “Why are you being so unreasonable, miss? You know that if you had not used the drug then, that night would never have happened. Besides…”
Before he could finish, Jiang Yiyun, already furious, drew her sword and thrust it at him, striking directly at his vital point.
As Gu Hanjue dodged, his fingertips occasionally brushed against her body, carrying a hint of teasing.
Yet his face remained utterly serious, making him look every bit like an upright gentleman.
“You shameless brute, sooner or later I will kill you.” Jiang Yiyun cursed as she attacked.
But she knew she was no match for him, so after making several feints, she attempted to escape.
How could Gu Hanjue give her the chance? He clung tightly to her, and after several exchanges, he pulled her into his arms.
“Let go, let go!”
The man behind her held on tightly and continued to radiate masculine warmth. He whispered beside jiang yiyun’s ear, “I have not finished speaking, and I never expected you to be pure either. As it happens, I am pure as well. We are even.”
This movement, these words, and the breath teasing her ear caused Jiang Yiyun’s cheeks to flush crimson.
Jiang Yiyun struggled with all her might but to no avail, so she stopped struggling. Thinking of the miserable circumstances that night and comparing them with her helplessness today, her heart turned to ashes, and tears fell before she realized it.
Gu Hanjue noticed the change in her. Seeing the sorrow and pain at the corners of the woman’s eyes in his arms, he froze slightly, and the force of his hold weakened considerably.
Jiang Yiyun sensed that the strength restraining her had weakened somewhat. She struggled free with all her might, turned around, and swept her sword horizontally, nearly slicing Gu Hanjue’s throat.
Gu Hanjue dodged the sword. Before he could steady himself, Jiang Yiyun had already transformed into a streak of light and fled, her graceful figure leaving behind a lovely silhouette…
Jia Yinger and Consort Li waited for a long time and finally received news. The junior eunuch they had arranged hurried over to report, “emperor, there is… someone engaging in illicit relations in the Imperial Garden.”
“What?!” the empress dowager and Chu Yinheng exclaimed in unison.
Everyone was shaken as well. Who could be so bold as to do such a thing at a time like this?
Chu Yinheng was furious. “I want to know who is so bold!”
The junior eunuch stammered, “This… there is more than one person. And… Servant cannot make the decision.”
“More than one person!” Those words enraged the imperial countenance.
The words “cannot make the decision” indicated that the other party’s origins were far from ordinary.
“Bastard! This dowager will see who dares to be so bold. Lead the way.”
The matter had grown serious, and everyone followed the guiding junior eunuch toward the “scene of the incident.”
As Jia Yinger walked, she suddenly seemed to realize something and exclaimed, “Oh dear, where did elder sister empress go? Why can I not see elder sister empress?”
At this, everyone noticed that the empress was not there. Recalling that the junior eunuch had said he “could not make the decision,” it was clear that the person involved was most likely the empress.
Chu Yinheng was furious beyond measure. The empress! It was actually the empress. An inexplicable, extreme anger surged within his heart.
Thus, he quickened his pace. Behind him, Jia Yinger gave an insidious smile. Jiang Yiyun, let us see how you extinguish this raging fury.
As they approached a set of palace chambers where people could rest temporarily, indescribable sounds continuously reached their ears. Anyone who heard them knew what was happening inside.
From the sounds, it seemed there was more than one person. Clearly, the woman inside was utterly shameless.
Before they even saw anyone, the group had already begun muttering curses under their breath.
Chu Yinheng kicked open the door and entered. Inside the spacious palace chambers, more than a dozen embroidered uniform guards stood in a circle, most of their clothes already removed, while the low moans of a woman could also be heard.
None of them noticed that anyone had entered. They were still immersed in the pleasure, unable to extricate themselves.
The empress dowager’s staff struck the floor heavily. “Bastards, bastards! Someone, throw cold water on them!”
Gu Hanjue arrived at the scene calmly. At this moment, the embroidered uniform guards and the two women were all kneeling on the floor.
“Oh! What is going on? Such a grand commotion.”
Jia Yinger and Consort Li entered with smug expressions, but the triumphant smiles on their faces instantly froze when they saw the scene before them.
The two women kneeling on the floor were Huanyu and, unexpectedly, Lier, consort li’s maidservant.
“My two beloved consorts, Minister Gu, what exactly is going on here?!” Chu Yinheng demanded angrily. Much of his anger had already faded, however, simply because the woman who had violated propriety was not the empress.
Jia Yinger stammered, “No, no, this is impossible. Clearly it was…”