Chapter 464 - 333: Offering Up a Scapegoat
Just before Dingyuan Marquis Mansion was surrounded, an imperial edict arrived from the palace, taking away Rong Miaoyan who was attending the birthday banquet at the Marquis Mansion.
In her haste, Miaoyan left a note for Gu Lan, indicating that something might happen.
Gu Lan immediately realized that only Rong Jing, who wanted to act against Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, would call away Miaoyan in advance to prevent her from getting involved.
Since Rong Jing considered the relationship between Miaoyan and Gu Lan while surrounding the Mansion, how could he not be wary of Miaoyan’s subsequent actions?
Therefore, Rong Miaoyan could not possibly sneak into the Imperial Court simply by bribing a guard like Cheng Yu.
The fact that she was able to meet her was a deliberate act by Rong Jing.
By letting Miaoyan meet her, Rong Jing could both probe into her background and test Miaoyan’s loyalty to the Emperor.
Gu Lan’s original plan was to have Miaoyan inadvertently reveal the incident of "Young Master Gu actually making the Princess prepare a menstrual belt" after leaving the Imperial Court to arouse Rong Jing’s suspicion about her identity, thus leading to a search. However, Miaoyan was more straightforward, pretending to be a lovestruck girl turned spiteful by harm and ran to Rong Jing to inform, so that Rong Jing only needed a simple confirmation.
The only accident was Cheng Yu.
Rong Miaoyan, as Princess Ning’an, was Rong Jing’s most beloved daughter; a private meeting with "the guilty Gu Lan" was understandable. But Cheng Yu, as a member of the Inner Supervision, assisting the Princess in such a forbidden act, was a betrayal both to the Inner Supervision and to the Emperor...
After the bathing, Young Master Gu was already confirmed by the palace maids and the Imperial Physician arranged by Rong Jing to be female.
After all, she indeed needed to use the menstrual belt, which the palace maid found on her when she voluntarily removed... the precious belt.
The palace maid who searched her was clearly a death warrior skilled in martial arts. Even though she was cold and unfeeling, upon seeing the incredibly realistic craftsmanship of the belt, she momentarily blacked out and a twisted expression appeared on her face.
A death warrior might have encountered females disguised as males during their career, but never anything as outrageous as this.
Gu Lan had not taken the medicine that could alter her pulse for quite some time, so her pulse now indicated she was female.
The old Imperial Physician, who was an acquaintance of Gu Lan, had seen her during a flood last year, and after taking her pulse again thoroughly examined her. Upon confirming that the person in front of him was indeed the Young Master, he almost fainted, his eyes flipping white.
A Palace Attendant went to report to Rong Jing, and the old Imperial Physician was also helped out.
Gu Lan dried her hair, barefoot, stepping on the white stone blue brick floor.
Underneath should be a floor heating system, the charcoal fire in the hall burning vigorously, making the temperature just comfortably warm.
On the nearby desk lay freshly brewed hot tea and several plates of exquisite refreshments. Gu Lan picked an Osmanthus Cake and put it in her mouth, its clear sweet and soft taste made her, who had been eating only steamed buns and pickled vegetables for half a month, let out a sigh.
—Rong Jing wouldn’t poison this, as he was in need of a reason to convict Dingyuan Marquis Mansion at the moment, and she had just handed him that reason.
A few damp strands of hair fell on her brows. After finishing two pieces of Osmanthus Cake, Gu Lan cleaned the crumbs off her fingertips and lazily leaned against the soft bed.
She wore a thin, plain long robe, with a vermilion headband tied above her brows, still dressed as a man.
The dagger previously hidden in the leg bindings was secretly slipped by Gu Lan under a soft pillow, the only item not found during the search.
Gu Lan squinted her eyes, gazing at the light red curtains before her, but her thoughts wandered far away.
She wondered if Cheng Yu would be in trouble.
Logically, Cheng Yu was certain to die.
But Gu Lan speculated that with Miaoyan’s resolute character, she should take the initiative to "confess in full detail" to Rong Jing, using the intelligence of her identity to exchange for a slim chance of survival for Cheng Yu; if Rong Jing was merciful, that little eunuch might live.
It all depends on whether Rong Jing agrees or not...
Footsteps approached. Gu Lan glanced sideways, seeing the eunuch Zhong Liang, whom she extremely disliked, leading two palace maids and two eunuchs into the room.
Was it not Zhang Fengcai?
A vague idea arose in Gu Lan’s mind.
The two eunuchs behind Zhong Liang had deep and profound presences, likely possessing martial arts skills. The palace maids woodenly holding the wooden trays showed no trace of human expression, a standard combination of Inner Supervision and death warriors.
Zhong Liang stopped a few meters in front of Gu Lan, his eyes cold and like those of a venomous snake, measuring the young figure before him with a hint of interest.
Nobody expected the famous Young Master Gu to actually be a woman. Upon learning of this, Zhong Liang could not help but feel excitement welling up within him.