The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1188 - 1188 576 Settling the Final Accounts (Second Update)

Chapter 1188: 576 Settling the Final Accounts! (Second Update) Chapter 1188: 576 Settling the Final Accounts! (Second Update) At the Marquis Residence, Gu Chengfeng had just finished bathed, his body beading with sweat. Logically, he should have felt very hot, yet he inexplicably shivered with cold!

“What’s wrong?” Gu Chenglin asked him.

Gu Chengfeng scratched his head, puzzled: “I don’t know, suddenly my back felt chilly.”

The Emperor had awoken, and naturally, Princess Xinyang needed to visit him at the palace.

Xiao Hen and Gu Jiao also stood up, but Princess Xinyang glanced at the two of them and said indifferently, “You two should not go. Wait for the news at home.”

After all the things she had done, even fabricating an imperial edict, who knew what the Emperor was thinking, or whether he would vent his wrath on them?

Princess Xinyang decided to take the lead and assess the situation herself before calling the younger ones to the palace.

Princess Xinyang took Yujin with her and got into the carriage.

Xiao Hen escorted her to the door and asked, “Aren’t you bringing Long Yi?”

Princess Xinyang replied indifferently, “No, he never listens to the whole message.”

The Emperor had just been unconscious for several days and looked extremely haggard. When Princess Xinyang arrived at Huaqing Palace, Empress Xiao had just fed the Emperor some porridge.

The Emperor said to Empress Xiao, “There’s no need for you to stay here, go take care of Xiaoqi. I have things to discuss with Xinyang.”

“Your servant will leave now.” Empress Xiao set down the bowl of porridge and walked out.

Princess Xinyang gave a slight bow to Empress Xiao.

The Emperor felt weak all over, without the strength even to lift his arms. He sighed and ordered Eunuch Wei and the others, “Everyone, leave us.”

“Yes!” Eunuch Wei cast a surreptitious glance at Princess Xinyang, curious. Had she shaved her arms today? The Adam’s apple wasn’t visible either… And her facial rashes had completely disappeared…

While Eunuch Wei was muttering to himself, he swept a look over Princess Xinyang’s clothing near her chest.

Yujin’s gaze darkened, “Eunuch Wei!”

Eunuch Wei, as if struck by a blow, hastily rolled out!

“What’s the matter?” Princess Xinyang asked.

Yujin hesitated, finding it somewhat awkward to speak, as she had never noticed before that Eunuch Wei was so improper!

In a low voice, Yujin said, “Never mind, I’ll tell you later. You should see His Majesty first.”

Princess Xinyang approached the Dragon Bed and gave a slight bow, “Your Majesty.”

This was the difference between Princess Xinyang and Princess Ning An; Princess Xinyang never called him ‘brother Emperor.’ Even when he was a prince, Princess Xinyang had always addressed him formally as ‘Sixth Highness.’

The Emperor glanced at the stool beside him and said, “Sit.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Princess Xinyang sat down as instructed.

With the Emperor having sent the palace maids away, logically, Princess Xinyang should have also dismissed Yujin.

Princess Xinyang didn’t do this because she was not accustomed to being alone in a room with a man, except for Xiao Hen and Long Yi.

The Emperor was unaware of her habits but didn’t mind her keeping Yujin at her side.

Princess Xinyang said, “The royal physicians said Your Majesty would remain unconscious for several more days. I hadn’t expected you to wake up so soon.”

The Emperor gritted his teeth, “I really owe it to that Gu family youngster!”

“What?” Princess Xinyang failed to understand.

“Never mind.” The Emperor coughed lightly and said, “I’m mostly aware of the recent events in the palace, and the Empress has also informed me of Guang Lang’s situation.”

Princess Xinyang looked at the Emperor, “Now that Your Majesty is aware, what do you intend to do?”

The Emperor sighed with a complicated expression and said, “I’ve decided not to pursue the matter of the forged imperial edict.”

Princess Xinyang’s brows furrowed, “You’re not going to pursue it?”

The Emperor nodded, speaking earnestly, “Yes, I’m not going to pursue it. All those things she planned, I won’t hold her accountable at all. After all, no matter what, she is my…”

“Your Majesty, what is that!” Princess Xinyang interrupted him, pointing behind the Emperor.

The Emperor turned to look.

Princess Xinyang swiftly grabbed the jade pillow on the Dragon Bed and smothered the Emperor into unconsciousness!

Yujin was shocked, “Princess! Why did you knock His Majesty unconscious?”

Princess Xinyang fumed with uncontrollable anger, “If I didn’t knock His Majesty out, should I wait for him to pardon that woman? After all the heinous things she’s done, His Majesty actually isn’t going to hold her responsible at all! It’s better if I deal with her first! Execute first and report later! Let His Majesty deal with it however he wishes afterward!”

“Princess…”

“What do you want to say?” Princess Xinyang asked.

Yujin awkwardly said, “I think His Majesty wasn’t referring to her, but to him!”

Yujin pulled her hand and wrote the character for ‘he’ in her palm.

Princess Xinyang said oddly, “He?”

Yujin said, “Yes! Before asking His Majesty what he plans to do, do you remember what His Majesty had said?”

Princess Xinyang recalled, “He more or less knows what has happened in the palace recently, and the Empress has also spoke to him about the sixth brother’s issue…”

Yujin said, “What else could the sixth brother’s issue be? It’s about the young Marquis’s identity! What His Majesty referred to about forging the imperial decree was about the young Marquis forging the decree that allowed you to act as regent, as well as someone impersonating you to enter the palace, along with the secretly planned actions. His Majesty meant that he would not pursue any matter concerning what the young Marquis had done.”

Having been bitten by a snake once, Princess Xinyang was scared of straws near wells for ten years; the Emperor was completely smitten by that mother and daughter duo. She had lost her basic trust in His Majesty, and that was why she thought what he said was about not pursuing Ning An.

Gazing at the Emperor, who she had smothered into unconsciousness with a pillow, Princess Xinyang felt a dull pain in her teeth: “…Hasty indeed!”

Sky Prison was a place for detaining felons, guarded thoroughly and with numerous traps.

In the most heavily guarded cell, Ning An, with her legs broken, clutched a filthy wooden board, roaring hoarsely, “Let me out! I want to see His Majesty! I want to see the Empress Dowager! I am His Majesty’s most beloved sister! How dare you lock me up here, once His Majesty and the Empress Dowager find out, they will mete out the death penalty on you!”

The jailers were cold and hard as iron, not one moved by her cries.

She picked up a steamed bun that had been brought in and tossed it violently at one of the jailers.

The steamed bun had already hardened like a rock, hitting the back of the jailer, who didn’t flinch at all.

“Are you all dead? I’m Princess Ning An! I want to see His Majesty!”

“I want to see His Majesty!”

“The Emperor won’t come to see you, give up on that hope.”

A commanding and domineering voice rose slowly from the other end of the corridor, instantly filling the narrow prison walkway with an overwhelming aura that demanded submission.

The jailers bowed down in unison to pay their respects.

Princess Ning An stared in a daze at the Empress Dowager Zhuang clad in a black and gold phoenix robe, approaching her with a cold expression.

Empress Dowager Zhuang looked at her, covered in blood, without a hint of pity in her eyes.

Ning An’s heart skipped a beat, “Mother…”

Empress Dowager Zhuang said expressionlessly, “I’ve said it before, don’t call me ‘mother’.”

Ning An said grievously, “Mother… I am your Ning An… If I don’t call you mother, what should I call you…”

Empress Dowager Zhuang said indifferently, “Enough, call me whatever you like, it won’t be for much longer anyway.”

With tears in her eyes, Ning An lifted her head, “What do you mean by that, Mother?”

Empress Dowager Zhuang looked down at her and said, “You are so clever, don’t you understand what I mean?”

Ning An cried plaintively, “Mother! Xinyang is framing me! They are all framing me!”

Empress Dowager Zhuang said coldly, “What did they frame you for? Did they force you to abandon your husband and return to the capital for revenge, or did they make you inherit Lady Jing’s power and collude with the people of Yan Country to harm the heroes of Zhan Country? Or did they force you to assassinate His Majesty and ultimately frame everything on me?”

A flash of panic crossed Ning An’s eyes, “Mother… don’t believe them…”

Empress Dowager Zhuang looked at her coldly, “At this point, there is no need to feign innocence. I am not here to hear you admit the truth. Whether you admit it or not, I don’t care. If I say you are guilty, then you are guilty.”

Grinding her teeth, Ning An choked out her complaint, “Mother is obviously biased! You were not like this before… You used to love Ning An the most… Ever since that girl appeared… You’ve had no place for Ning An in your heart!”

Empress Dowager Zhuang stated sternly, “So what if I am biased? Do I need your permission?”

Ning An’s heart was struck!

She had never expected Empress Dowager Zhuang to be so direct, so candid, so unmerciful!

Tears fell from Ning An’s eyes, “But mother… I am your Ning An…”

Empress Dowager Zhuang looked at her coldly and asked deliberately, “Are you truly Ning An?”

Princess Ning An’s pupils shrank sharply!

Gu Jiao didn’t need to enter the palace; after leaving the Medical Hall, she returned to Bishui Alley with Xiao Hen.

Huangfu Xian had awakened and was currently sitting in a daze in a wheelchair in the west room.

Xiaoqi had stealthily glanced at him several times.

“What’s wrong with him?” Gu Jiao stood in the front courtyard, peering at Huangfu Xian through the half-opened window.

With the air of a little adult, Xiaoqi sighed, “Big Brother is thinking of his mom. Big Brother’s mom wasn’t nice to him, even hit him, but he’s still very worried about her. I thought about it just now, even if Jiaojiao hit me, I would still like Jiaojiao very much.”

If Ning An were to be convicted, Huangfu Xian would be the one to suffer the most harm.

“I’ll go have a look at him,” Xiao Hen said.

“Never mind, I’ll go. I’ll check on his injuries.” Gu Jiao handed Xiaoqi over to Xiao Hen and stepped into the west room.

The sun had already set, and darkness filled the west room.

Gu Jiao took out a fire striker.

“Don’t light the lamp,”

Huangfu Xian said.