The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 748 - 748 346 Lure the Snake Out of the Hole (Eleventh

Chapter 748: 346 Lure the Snake Out of the Hole (Eleventh Update) Chapter 748: 346 Lure the Snake Out of the Hole (Eleventh Update) The days in July darkened earlier than they did in June.

As the Emperor emerged from the Imperial Study Room, there was nothing but the last hint of grey-blue in the sky. By the time he slowly made his way back to the Huaqing Palace, even that was gone.

Night fell, and the stars flickered in the vault of the heaven.

When the Emperor entered the Huaqing Palace, the palace maids paid their respects.

He asked, “Has the Dowager Empress retired to bed yet?”

A young eunuch replied, “No, your majesty.”

The Emperor said to Eunuch Wei, “I will visit the Dowager Empress. You may return.”

The old servant is not tired.

Sigh.

With some reluctance, Eunuch Wei affirmed, “Yes.”

The Emperor went to the sleeping quarters of Dowager Empress Jing, who was kneeling before a Buddhist shrine, with a Buddha bead in one hand and a wooden fish in the other. She was chanting Buddhist scriptures with her eyes closed.

The Emperor did not interrupt, quietly waiting for her to finish her chanting.

Once Mother Cai helped her up, she seemed to notice the shadow on the ground. Turning her head, she asked with a wry smile, “Your Majesty, when did you arrive? How long have you been here?”

The Emperor replied, “I’ve just arrived, I listened to you recite the scriptures. It brought peace to my mind.”

Dowager Empress Jing asked, “Does your Majesty have any concerns lately?”

Naturally, he did have many concerns. Torrential rains, banditry, the stirring of instability at the border of Chen Country, and the conspirator who had attempted to assassinate the Dowager Empress Jing still remained undiscovered.

There were civil and military officials from Zhan Country to deal with the previous issues, but the Emperor was at a loss for the last one.

“Nothing much, just some state affairs, which makes me feel a bit tired.” The Emperor decided not to worry the Dowager Empress Jing.

“Mother Cai, go to my room and fetch the Calming Incense.” Dowager Empress Jing ordered.

“Yes.” Mother Cai responded and left.

The Emperor and Dowager Empress Jing went to the Qiuhua Pavilion.

They seated themselves on a chair.

A palace maid served them snacks and flower tea. Dowager Empress Jing loved this tea while the Emperor preferred Longjing tea, but he could not drink a strong tea at night.

“Go and fetch some fruits.” Dowager Empress Jing said.

“Yes.” The palace maid brought a dish of fresh grapes and some delicious pears.

Dowager Empress Jing was about to peel a pear for the Emperor, but as soon as she picked up the dagger on the table, the tea cup in the Emperor’s hand fell with a crash.

Dowager Empress Jing was taken aback, “Your Majesty, what’s wrong? Have you burnt yourself?”

“No, I just did not hold it well.” The Emperor said, breaking into a cold sweat.

What was wrong with him?

Dowager Empress Jing was merely peeling a pear for him, but the scene of her stabbing him with a knife in his nightmare flashed through his mind.

He must have been too tired recently, his mind was not as sharp as usual.

Dowager Empress Jing put down the dagger and the pear, took a cloth to wipe the tea from his robe, but the Emperor unconsciously leaned back.

Dowager Empress Jing froze, her hand hung in mid-air as she stared at him.

The Emperor realized his gaffe and cursed himself for his unfilial behavior. His mother was concerned about him; how could he hurt her feelings?

He took the cloth from Dowager Empress Jing’s hand and said, “Don’t wet your robe, I’ll do it myself.”

Dowager Empress Jing smiled and said, “Alright.”

Thankfully, there were no further mishaps. The mother and son chatted congenially until Eunuch Wei came to report that Elder Jiuji was asking for an audience. Only then did the Emperor rise and bid farewell to Dowager Empress Jing.

Dowager Empress Jing said, “I will have someone send the Calming Incense to your sleeping quarters.”

The Emperor smiled and said, “Thank you, Mother.”

The Emperor went to the Imperial Study Room.

Elder Jiuji bowed and paid his respects, “Your servant, greets Your Majesty!”

The Emperor went behind his desk and sat down, coldly saying, “Enough with the formalities. What brings you to the palace so late at night?”

“Your Majesty, Jiaojiao has been assassinated!”

“What!” The Emperor abruptly stood up, “How could she have been attacked? Where is she now? Was she hurt?”

Elder Jiuji sighed quietly, appreciating the Emperor’s concern for Jiaojiao.

“Your Majesty, please don’t worry. These incidents happened a few days ago, her injuries are not serious.”

The Emperor let out a sigh of relief, but his brow soon furrowed again, “These? How many assassination attempts have there been?”

Elder Jiuji replied, “Three times.”

In fact, there have been two attempts on Gu Jiao’s life. The first time was during a clinic visit to the nunnery with the lovely wife of King Rui, where she got saved by King Ning. The second incident happened not long ago when she encountered the Dragon Shadow Guard with Gu Changqing’s assistance.

The old priest did not plan to tell the emperor that the attack was from the Dragon Shadow Guard. Xiao Liulang had told him that the late emperor’s Dragon Shadow Guard was not just for him alone but was also under the control of Princess Xinyang.

As for others, Xiao Liulang was uncertain.

The old priest couldn’t say definitely that there weren’t others.

The emperor seemed unaware of other Dragon Shadow Guards in the Zhan Country, but it was unsure whether or not the crafty Dowager Empress Tai was aware of them.

What if she knew, and insisted that it wasn’t her Dragon Shadow Guards? Innocent people would be falsely accused, wouldn’t they?

Upon hearing that the young doctor has faced multiple assassination attempts, the emperor’s face turned cold: “Why didn’t you inform me earlier?”

With a look of innocent victim, the old priest replied: “She did not inform me! Had I not discovered a fresh scar on her hand today, I wouldn’t have known about these many attempts on her life. Even General Gu hid all this from me!”

Just as siblings would do – both keep things bottled up.

The emperor frowned.

The old priest continued: “The first incident where Gu Jiao was rescued by King Ning must have come to your knowledge.”

The emperor was aware of the incident but had thought that Gu Jiao was targeted because of her association with King Rui’s family.

The old priest added, “The second incident happened a few days ago. A servant lied that someone in their house was sick and asked Jiaojiao for a medical examination. Midway, they were ambushed. Luckily, General Gu arrived at the right time and Jiaojiao had a powerful concealed weapon, and they were barely able to deter the attackers.”

The emperor looked surprised: “Even Gu Changqing couldn’t beat the assassin?”

“Exactly. There was a highly skilled killer among them, of unknown origin,” the priest said calmly. “As for the third incident, it was just now. We were attacked again on our way to the palace. Luckily, the formidable assassin wasn’t there this time, or our lives would have been in danger.”

This was purely fabricated, just to intensify the seriousness of the situation.

“What were you doing coming to the palace at such a late hour?” asked the emperor.

With a sigh, the old priest answered: “I brought her to report the situation to you. But who would’ve thought we’d face an attack again? Thankfully, it was a close shave.”

“Where is she now?” the emperor asked urgently.

“She…” The old priest struggled a bit, before stuttering, “She said that you must have developed a distaste for her and hence wouldn’t help her. So, she decided to seek the Empress Dowager’s help instead.”

Fueled with indignation after this rouse, the emperor slammed his hand on the table: “Who said I wouldn’t help her! Am I so untrustworthy in her eyes?”

Isn’t it because you aren’t discerning enough?

Ah…ahem.

This was a bit too much.

As an official, he should not speak ill of the emperor in his heart.

However, ever since the emperor started treating him like a “father,” he began to overstep his bounds.

This isn’t good, not good at all!

The old priest composed himself, bowed, and proposed: “Your Majesty, I dare to speculate that the people who wanted to harm the Dowager Empress and Gu Jiao might be the same group.”

The emperor looked doubtful and asked: “Based on what?”

The old priest courageously asked, “Your Majesty, if anything were to happen to the Dowager Empress, who would be the first person you’d suspect?”

The Empress Dowager.

This answer seemed self-evident.

The previous attacker, disguised as Gu Jiao, tried to harm the princess and frame the Empress Dowager. If it weren’t for the emperor’s astuteness, the plot would have been successful.

The emperor was still gripped by unease when he thought about it, clenching his fist: “But what does this have to do with Jiaojiao? If anything were to happen to her, I will not suspect the Dowager Empress. Will the Dowager Empress suspect me?”

The old priest shook his head: “Not quite. However, it’s an undeniable fact that Your Majesty’s relationship with the Dowager Empress has improved because of Jiaojiao.”

The emperor sneered: “Who has an improved relationship with her!”

The old priest chose to ignore the emperor’s pretentious remarks and said seriously: “Your Majesty knows what the reality is, so I won’t say more. Jiaojiao is the only person who is loved by both you and the Dowager Empress. If she dies, there would be no hope of reconciliation between you and the Dowager Empress. All this pointed to the fact that it’s aimed at driving a wedge between you and the Dowager Empress!”

The emperor stayed silent.

Upon thinking deeply, it made sense.

Seizing the opportunity, the old priest pressed: “Concerning the incident of the assassin throwing the Dowager Empress into Taiye Pool, Liulang and I have discussed this with Your Majesty if you’ve made any progress in tracking the assassin.”

“No.” The emperor shook his head, looking troubled.

Looking at the ceiling, the old priest sighed again: “It seems that after the assassin stirred up a hornet’s nest, he decided to lay low, remaining completely undercover. The opponent is quite cunning, leaving no traces behind. But, Your Majesty, are you really just going to wait to be killed? As long as the murderer roams free, the Dowager Empress and Jiaojiao’s lives hang by a thread!”

These words hit a nerve with the emperor.

Apart from his children, the two people he cared for the most at present were indeed the Princess and Gu Jiao.

He couldn’t let anything happen to them!

The emperor was staring at the old priest intensively: “What should I do, then?”

The old priest raised his eyebrows: “We should draw out the snake from its hole! As long as Your Majesty cooperates with me, I can definitely uncover the true face of the enemy!”