Male Lead Is Always That Heartless

Chapter 53

Currently, Chenshi (7–9 am) has just passed.

There was no sound outside the palace; only a few birds chirped and fluttered their wings to fly into the sky. The shadows of the birds hurriedly passed by the window, leaving only the branches and leaves slanting.

Gu Yi took another long breath, trying to clear the chaotic air in her chest. After waiting briefly, she decided to sit up.

“Of course, we have to do something!” After saying that, she angrily took a sachet under the pillow and handed the golden peanut to Tao Jia, “Order it quickly!”

Tao Jia smiled sweetly, took it with a nod, and said: “En.”

“Beauty is wise!”

Gu Yi tore open the layers of the cascading bed curtain and cheerily said: “Help me freshen up!”

Come on, June 15, let’s do it!

At Sishi (9–11 am).

Eunuch Gao Gui led Director Xu and Dr. Gao from Imperial Hospital to the Tianlu Pavilion.

The Emperor had just left the court and had yet to remove his court robes. He wore a dark yellow robe with a round collar, narrow sleeves, a jade belt around his waist, and a black gauze cap on his head. His eyes looked straight at the visitor; his face was horrible, as frosty as snow.

Director Xu and Dr. Gao kneeled and said: “Greetings, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor remained silent.

Cold sweat drenched Dr. Gao’s back, and his hands shivered gently. The sound of footsteps approaching and his heart beating like a drum almost jumped out of his throat. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed, and his right hand suddenly felt a sharp pain!

He screamed, “Ah!” Sweat beads emerged on his forehead. He raised his eyes and saw that a long sword had pierced his right hand. Its tip pierced his palm to the ground, split open the skin, and blood gushed into beads, instantly staining a small square of green brick.

Dr. Gao’s face turned green and white, shaking like a sieve, hurriedly kowtowing: “Your Majesty, please calm down. I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness!”

The Emperor’s cold tone came to his ears, “Dr. Gao has prepared Liumuzhu and poisoned Consort Dowager Liu of Tanyuan Hall. He must be punished –” His voice was chilling.

Dr. Gao’s remaining fluke was shattered. His right hand could not move, so he could only kowtow his head, “Your Majesty, forgive me, spare my life, Your Majesty, forgive…”

Xiao Yan withdrew the long sword, and Dr. Gao raised his head as if he had been pardoned. The next moment, blood splashed three feet from his throat, and he could no longer speak.

Director Xu, kneeling on Dr. Gao’s right side, had blood stains on his green sixth-grade official uniform, face, and arms. The smell of blood was strong and pervasive. He fell to the ground, his back stiff and motionless.

The Emperor dragged the long sword and slowly walked before him, asking: “Based on Director Xu’s poor supervision, did you feel guilty just like Dr. Gao?”

Director Xu banged his head on the ground and tried to explain. “I know nothing about what Dr. Gao did… Your Majesty, spare my life, Your Majesty, forgive me!”

The room was silent, leaving only the sharp rustling sound of the iron sword scratching the blue bricks.

Director Xu knocked his head until his forehead hurt, and he felt dizzy. He almost vomited, but the boundless fear made his limbs cold.

Only then did the Emperor say, “Director Xu has been in the Imperial Hospital for many years; perhaps it is time to find a place to retire ……”

In the middle of Tianlu Pavilion’s side pavilion, Lu Chao sat motionless on a round stool and finally waited for Eunuch Gao.

“Master!” He turned to see Eunuch Gao’s face was slightly pale, and his blue robe was full of blood stains.

Lu Chao swallowed a mouthful of saliva, shakily got up, and poured a cup of tea for him, “Master …… drink …… drink tea.”

Eunuch Gao waved his hand. He had no appetite and only signaled Lu Chao to put things down.

Lu Chao didn’t dare say much. He poured the golden ingot, a few gold leaves, and a gold peanut onto the long rosewood table before Eunuch Gao.

“Master, then …… I’ll leave first.”

Eunuch Gao furrowed his brows and waved his hand, “Get lost.”

The Emperor’s mood recently worsened, and the hours he spent awake at night were much more than those he spent asleep.

Ai.

Eunuch Gao sighed quietly in his heart.

At Sishi (9–11 am), Gu Yi and the female lead met again outside the Laundry Bureau’s gate.

Zhao Wan walked towards her in her Barbie Pink palace dress. When Gu Yi looked at her face, a sour sense of frustration struck her.

Zhao Wan bowed, “Greetings to Beauty.”

Gu Yi handed the silk to Zhao Wan while the white rabbit jade pendant at Zhao Wan’s waist slipped to the ground.

Gu Yi took a step ahead of her, silently picking up the white rabbit jade pendant, and said coldly, “Why would you, a small servant of the Laundry Bureau, have this jade?”

When Zhao Wan heard this, probably shocked by her aura, she knelt and said, “It’s my family heirloom, so I hope Beauty will return it to me.”

Gu Yi felt uncomfortable, but her voice turned colder. “This jade is an extraordinary product. You are a maid. How can it be your family heirloom? You don’t need to say more. This jade—you can never take it back.”

Zhao Wan bit her lips and kowtowed, saying, “Please forgive me, Beauty. This jade is indeed something I cherish very much, and I beg you to spare me…”

Gu Yi was silent momentarily, blinked, and said, “Come to Xiuyi Hall with the silk in two days. Not too early or too late, maybe — I will change my mind.”

Zhao Wan’s eyelashes trembled, “I… I obey your order…”

Gu Yi turned around and left with the white rabbit jade pendant, exhausted physically and mentally. She returned to the Xiuyi Hall’s side hall, took the storybook manuscript, and went straight to find Beauty Qi.

Like last time, Beauty Qi agreed to work on the script. The task of saving money must not be slackened!

Only after the sun’s shadow dipped did Gu Yi slowly walk back to the west side of the Xiuyi Hall. She dismissed Tao Jia, lifted the curtain, and sat alone on the wooden bed. The warmth of the summer sunlight poured onto her shoulders like the embrace of an old lover. She sat motionless for a full hour, sitting until her butt was numb. Her mind was full of thoughts. She repeatedly thought about the whole thing.

The main plot has indeed deviated. Fuzhou was a branch plot outside the book. Xiao Yan’s southern expedition encountered an ambush outside the Qingzhoufu on the Luo River. According to the book, the ambusher, Bogu, was tall and lean, with a beard covering his face, and should be the same person who held the sword in the tea garden that day. But why would Bogu appear in Fuzhou, and how did he know Xiao Yan’s whereabouts and appear in Zhou’s tea garden?

The reason Xiao Yan went to Fuzhou was —

Gu Yi had to admit that maybe Beauty Gu was not dead, and Gu Changtong’s plan caused a series of butterfly effects and plot deviations.

What to do? This time, what is she going to do?

When she thought of this, Gu Yi felt depressed and uncomfortable, as if a bunch of weeds were stuffed into her heart. After working diligently for so long, anyone would be depressed if they regressed to their original state!

Gu Yi inwardly shed tears in the heart.

At three-quarters past Shenshi (3-5 pm). Eunuch Wu, the steward of the ceremony room, held the tray containing jade plaques and walked slowly into the Tianlu Pavilion, his eyebrows lowered and his eyes submissive. However, in just half a moment, he left. He shook his head at Eunuch Gao.

Sure enough, there was no overturned plaque today.

Eunuch Gao sighed, “Then come back next month and try again.”

Eunuch Wu often felt that his life was hanging by a thread since he became the vice-steward of the ceremony room. Although the Six Palaces existed, they were in vain. In addition, the center palace was vacant, and the son of heaven had no heir. Sooner or later, he, the steward of the ceremony room, would be finished!

*
The following day, just after the Chenshi (7-9 am). Gu Yi went to the main hall of the Xiuyi Hall to sit on a cold bench with Beauty Qi.

Seeing that Gu Yi perversely said nothing, only sitting on the round bench with depressed brows and slightly swollen eyelids, Beauty Qi whispered, “What’s wrong with Beauty Gu? Are you not feeling well?”

Gu Yi smiled bitterly and said, “I was just wondering how long I have to sit here?”

Beauty Qi glanced at the daylight outside the window, “I expect it’s already past half an hour. In a little while, Noble Lady Wang should send someone.”

As the words fell, a palace maid came. “Two Beauties, please forgive me. Nobel Lady is practicing writing this morning and has no time to see guests. Two Beauties, please go back.”

Gu Yi heard her speak and felt the voice slightly familiar. She fixed her eyes to measure her and saw that the palace servant was dressed in turquoise clothes, with an apple face and slightly shrugged cheekbones. She asked hesitantly, “Are you …… Huaihua?”

Huaihua didn’t know why Beauty Gu would remember her; she bowed and said, “Yes, I am Huaihua.”

Gu Yi hummed and averted her eyes.

After leaving the main hall of the Xiuyi Hall, Qi Yun rarely said, “The lotus in the ponds is in full bloom in summer, and we had nothing else to do, so why don’t we go to the imperial gardens to take a stroll?”

Gu Yi smiled, “Okay.”

They left the Xiuyi Hall and walked along the vermillion wall to the imperial garden.

Qi Yun was not talkative, but Gu Yi looked very sullen today, so she opened the box and said, “We had entered the palace for some period. Did Beauty Gu get used to it?”

Gu Yi nodded, “Used to it.” Extremely used to it.

Qi Yun, however, whispered despondently, “But …… I am somewhat not used to it……”

Gu Yi turned her head to see Qi Yun frowning and said, “Let’s not say discouraging words. Many people outside want to enter the palace but can’t…”

Gu Yi thought carefully. Miss Qi had always been quiet, didn’t fight or compete, and treated the palace as a Cold Palace. She could live more freely after leaving the palace. She just didn’t know if she would have the chance to wait for that day.

The two walked to the lotus pond in silence. The pink and white lotus flowers in the water were intertwined and graceful. From a distance, a beautiful figure was seen strolling around the lake, surrounded by palace staff on the opposite side of the lotus pond.

Noble Lady Gong wore a blue jacket and skirt decorated with white stripes. She smilingly said, “Two Beauties are so in a good mood? Come to the garden to enjoy the lotus?”

Gu Yi and Qi Yun bowed and said, “Greetings, Noble Lady.”

Noble Lady Gong’s gaze swept through them and smiled faintly: “Since two sisters entered the palace, you two have not yet seen the Emperor. It’s a pity that I heard that the Emperor didn’t turn over the plaques yesterday. It’s a pity…”

A cold-hearted Emperor, your lonely days in the harem are coming ahead.

Qi Yun looked indifferent, but Gu Yi thought, what’s the pity? It’s the flipping time tomorrow. She wondered if I could meet Xiao Yan again tonight–

Seeing the two were silent, Noble Lady Gong turned her head to look at Chunya behind her and said, “Send someone to the Xiuyi Hall later to reward the two Beauties with flowers …….”

“Many thanks, Noble Lady.”

Noble Lady Gong laughed and sighed: “Why need to be polite between sisters? It’s late; let’s go back to Zhaifang Hall.”

Gu Yi expected that she still intended to compete with the Xiuyi Hall Noble Lady Wang. She bowed again, “Farewell, Noble Lady.”