The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 760 - 760 352 Incident at the East Window (First Update)

Chapter 760: 352 Incident at the East Window (First Update) Chapter 760: 352 Incident at the East Window (First Update) The Old Marquis moved too quickly, Imperial Concubine Jing didn’t have time to react before she was brought to the doorstep.

Of course, the main reason is that she never expected the Old Marquis to act so abruptly, it caught her off guard.

But the person who was the most caught off guard was the Emperor.

The Emperor saw the Old Marquis, dressed in his dark night clothes, and his hand clasping Imperial Concubine Jing’s wrist, and his mind practically exploded!

He heard a buzzing sound and then his mind went blank!

The shock of the scene before him was too great, so much so that he was speechless!

The Old Marquis paused in his steps.

Apparently, he hadn’t expected to encounter the Emperor; when he passed the Imperial Study Room, he saw that the light was still on and assumed the Emperor would be reviewing documents for a long time.

Imperial Concubine Jing was the first to react, withdrawing her hand sharply.

The Old Marquis subconsciously grabbed her hand back, only realizing his mistake after the deed was done, but by then the damage was irreversible.

The Emperor was furious, thundering: “Gu Chao!”

The Old Marquis’s body jerked, and he released Imperial Concubine Jing’s hand.

The one awakened by the Emperor’s stern shout was Madam Cai, who had just returned from the Greeting Room.

Seeing Imperial Concubine Jing and the Old Marquis inside the doorway, and the Emperor’s livid face outside the doorway, what else was there to misunderstand?

She quietly cursed. How could there be such a big mess in the short time she had left?

If she had known this would happen, she would have held back!

The Emperor clenching his fists tightly, he had to use all his might to suppress the impulse to order the Old Marquis beheaded, he gritted out word by word, “Gu Chao! What the hell is going on? You better explain it clearly to me!”

If the old altar master was here, he would have enough smooth talk to cover up this matter, whether the Emperor believed it or not, he must deny it under all circumstances, insisting that “the relationship between the minister and the Imperial Concubine is purely one of loyalty and devotion!”

Unfortunately, the Old Marquis was not that kind of person. On the battlefield, his strategies were like magic, cunning and deceptive, yet off the battlefield his brain seemed to stay there.

Privately, he was a straightforward person, completely lacking the cunning and shamelessness of the old altar master.

Had the Emperor not caught him, he could comfortably not explain anything to the Emperor, but now that the Emperor had seen it, there was no point in sophistry.

He knelt down with a thud, the floor almost cracked due to the heavy impact.

“Your Majesty!” He lifted his head, speaking with profound sorrow, “This minister has sinned!”

Madam Cai seized the opportunity to point at him and say, “Of course you’re guilty! As your majesty’s servant, the Emperor trusts you so much, but you snuck into the Imperial Palace in the middle of the night to kidnap the Imperial Concubine!”

Admit it, admit it, Old Marquis. Just carry this black pot yourself, don’t get our lady involved!

Not far behind a large tree, an inconspicuous little eunuch quietly slipped away and ran all the way to Renshou Palace to report the news of Huaqing Palace to Eunuch Qin.

Ah, missing out on such lively drama would be a shame!

Eunuch Qin happily reported to Empress Dowager Zhuang.

“What’s so interesting about this?” Empress Dowager Zhuang was not interested in the amorous affairs of Imperial Concubine Jing.

But Eunuch Qin wanted to watch!

It was maddening!

Eunuch Qin pleaded, “Watching it won’t cost you a thing, after all the drama you’ve put on with His Majesty, it’s time to see some results! Once you’ve put her down, you won’t have to keep acting, right?”

Empress Dowager Zhuang considered the idea, put down the documents in her hand, and went to the Huaqing Palace.

The atmosphere in the Huaqing Palace was so tense that everyone was suffocating, all the palace maidservants were kneeling on the ground, trembling in fear!

“The Empress Dowager is here…”

Accompanied by Eunuch Qin’s announcement, everyone bowed even lower.

Imperial Concubine Jing and Madam Cai exchanged a glance at this sudden development. The clothes Empress Dowager Zhuang wore were magnificent and luxurious, embroidered with a phoenix about to take flight on the gown’s body and wide sleeves. As she slowly walked over in the darkness, she strangely imparted an intimidating sense of judgement.

The Old Marquis and the Emperor remained silent, facing off against each other, and did not look over at Empress Dowager Zhuang. Even so, both men still felt the aura radiating from her.

Eunuch Wei paid his respects to Empress Dowager Zhuang.

Empress Dowager Zhuang ascended the steps, scanned the crowd with a glance and asked lightly: “Oh, it’s so late already, yet Huaqing Palace is still so lively? Even Old Marquis Gu is here. Why is he kneeling? In the Meditation Room of Imperial Concubine Jing no less.”

Upon hearing this, the Emperor recalled that Gu Chao was kneeling in the wrong place, and snapped: “Kneel outside!”

Old Marquis knelt in the courtyard.

Empress Dowager Zhuang slowly asked, “What happened? Why is the emperor making him kneel?”

Madam Cai hastily said, ” Your Majesty is unaware, the Old Marquis snuck into the Imperial Palace in the middle of the night, trying to kidnap the Imperial Concubine. If the Emperor had not arrived in time, the Imperial Concubine would have been in great danger.”

Empress Dowager Zhuang raised an eyebrow, “Oh? Kidnap Imperial Concubine? I remember there are Dragon Shadow Guards left behind by the late Emperor in Huaqing Palace. Are all the Dragon Shadow Guards dead? That the Emperor himself had to come to rescue Imperial Concubine?”

At these words, the Emperor’s face changed instantly!

He was still consumed with anger just now, so he had even forgotten about the Dragon Shadow Guards he had assigned to protect Imperial Concubine Jing.

Yes, with the Dragon Shadow Guards there, how could Gu Chao possibly approach Imperial Concubine Jing?

It can’t be that the Dragon Shadow Guards were led away by someone again!

Even if a slight distraction was made, he had been here so long that the Dragon Shadow Guard should have returned by now.

If the Dragon Shadow Guard never appeared, then there was only one possibility: Lady Jing had dismissed them!

So, it wasn’t Gu Chao who was holding Lady Jing hostage!

Instead, it was the two of them…the two of them…

The Emperor forced himself not to think about those words, but they were blurted out by Eunuch Qin: “Yikes! In the middle of the night, could Matriarch Jing and Lord Hou be planning an escape from the palace?”

Eunuch Wei chimed in: “Yes, yes! Are you really planning a secret escape from the palace?”

Nurse Cai was about to go insane, glaring fiercely at Eunuch Wei, whose side was he on?!

Eunuch Wei covered his mouth, mumbling an apology for his indiscretion.

“Eunuch Qin! Be careful with your words!” Nurse Cai yelled harshly.

But what use was there in making noise? It was merely a bluff.

The truth was plain as day; no amount of sophistry could explain why the Dragon Shadow Guard hadn’t acted.

Lady Jing gazed at the Empress Dowager Zhuang beyond the threshold in the heavy darkness of the night.

Even though the Empress Dowager Zhuang had no offspring, she had stood tall in the Imperial Harem for so many years. Was this solely due to luck?

Lady Jing knew all the tricks, but there were things she didn’t wish to fight for.

Such indifference had led some to underestimate her, thinking she could do nothing more than accepting blame or breaking hearts.

Zhuang Jinse was proud.

Zhuang Jinse, so proud, wouldn’t bother participating in Lady Jing’s issues, let alone adding insult to her injury.

She disdained it.

Zhuang Jinse had changed.

She was still proud, yet there seemed to be more to her than just pride.

Lady Jing tightly clenched the string of Buddha beads in her hand.

Empress Dowager Zhuang gave a cold smile: “Throughout all these years, each time I asked if you wanted to return, you declined, saying you are well in the nunnery. I thought that you were being polite.”

As she spoke, she sent a meaningful glance at the old Marquis, “It appears that you were sincere.”

Empress Dowager Zhuang knew when to stop and left with Eunuch Qin once she had said her piece.

Nurse Cai was frantic: “Empress Dowager! You mustn’t make baseless accusations! When have you ever asked Lady Jing if she wanted to return to the Palace?!”

Had Empress Dowager Zhuang asked? Of course not.

But…

Were they allowed to make accusations against her?

In this situation, with circumstances as such, all she wanted to do was thwart their plans!

The Empress Dowager Zhuang, who would stoop low for just a few morsels of sugared fruit, exuded an ostentatious dominance!

Men are particularly sensitive to such matters, they’re prone to suspicion and doubt. Empress Dowager Zhuang’s words were the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Nurse Cai fell on her knees, desperately pleading, “Your Majesty! Do not listen to the Empress Dowager’s nonsense! Lady Jing and the Old Marquis are innocent! Lady Jing never said such words to Empress Dowager, nor has the Empress Dowager ever sent someone to bring her back to the palace from the nunnery. Lady Jing is your birth mother! You must trust her! Your Majesty! You must absolutely trust Lady Jing——”

The Emperor’s heart ached deeply.

He felt a deeper pain than when he found out that Elder Priest was his real father.

Perhaps it was because he subconsciously knew that the Empress Dowager Zhuang and Elder Priest couldn’t possibly be romantically involved. Empress Dowager Zhuang, as a woman, didn’t need any man.

She was too domineering, too powerful.

But his Lady Jing was weak and helpless, and Gu Chao had once saved her life.

When he hesitated over whether to accede to Gu Chao’s matrimonial request, it was she who spoke up for Gu Chao.

Could it be…could it be that she really had feelings for Gu Chao?

He looked at Lady Jing with sorrow, his eyes reddening: “If it wasn’t for my accidental spotting… Mother, would you have… left with him?”

In that instant, he finally understood what had been troubling him.

Even if Empress Dowager Zhuang did have a man in her life, she would never give up her power or her claim to the throne.

She would always be the aloof Empress Dowager Zhuang, his mother. No matter how much he disliked her, loathed her, or hated her, he could never escape her.

By contrast, Lady Jing had been ready to abandon him.

She didn’t want him anymore, didn’t want her own son anymore.

The Emperor felt an unbearable lump in his throat.

Turning his back, he held back his overwhelming tears: “….you may leave.”

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