Chapter 187: Royalty is Deeply Scheming
"In that case, Grandfather, you should bother her less." Gu Shuo felt a twinge of regret, but at least the little girl had a home now.
"Absolutely not. That little girl has completely won me over. If she’s on guard, so be it. I’m sure that one day, she’ll open up to me and accept me as her honorary great-grandfather." The old man was nothing if not persistent.
Seeing his grandfather’s determination, Gu Shuo didn’t dare mention the connection between the little girl and the four of them. He was already this entangled without knowing the full story; if he found out, he’d surely raise hell.
"Grandfather, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now."
"Where are you going?"
"Business."
"You brat, whatever you do, don’t go to Yu State," the old man cautioned.
Gu Shuo turned and got into the carriage.
"Don’t you dare give me a half-hearted answer! If you go, I won’t acknowledge you as my grandson anymore!"
"I know."
Watching the carriage pull away, the old man sighed. ’That brat definitely didn’t take my words to heart.’
’Being a Royal Merchant seems prestigious, but it’s really a hot potato. It’s nothing like the freedom of running our own family enterprise. I’ll have to find an excuse to bring him back to the Gu family to take over our businesses. The Emperor can’t possibly let the heir of the Gu family manage the Royal Merchants, can he?’
「The General’s Manor.」
Ye Qianning returned to the General’s Manor and went straight to the Yuehua Small Building. Madam Liu and the eight concubines were all there, and they rushed to greet her the moment she walked in.
"You were gone all night! You had us worried sick." Madam Liu’s eyes were rimmed with red.
"I’m perfectly fine. Has Fourth Granny woken up?" Ye Qianning walked toward the bed.
"She woke up just before dawn and even had half a bowl of porridge."
"Pangtuan, look! Fourth Granny’s color is so much better than yesterday. It just goes to show that good people are watched over by heaven. Don’t you worry, she’s definitely going to be alright."
Ye Qianning took Fourth Granny’s hand. Her palm felt as warm as a healthy person’s, and her pulse had stabilized.
"Pangtuan, where did you go yesterday?" Peony asked.
"I made a trip to the Prime Minister’s Manor, and then I was summoned to the palace. I had a late-night snack there, and since Father had to attend the morning court at dawn, he had a eunuch escort me back," Ye Qianning explained, not wanting the women, who lived secluded in the inner courtyard, to know too much.
’They can’t keep secrets well, and knowing too much would only make them anxious.’
"You went to the palace? What’s it like? Is it incredibly glamorous?" Shaoyao’s eyes lit up.
"It was late at night when I got there, so the palace was pitch-black. I didn’t really see anything."
"Did you see the Emperor, then? I hear he’s very majestic."
"He seemed quite kind," Ye Qianning said, thinking of the Beili Emperor. ’On the surface, he looks refined, but the narrow space between his eyebrows is a sign of a fierce nature.’
’People like that are usually deep thinkers, incredibly calculating.’
’Even I was almost fooled by his appearance at first glance. Dealing with people like him is exhausting. One moment of distraction and you could end up utterly destroyed.’
"Kind?"
"Yes. Aunts, I didn’t sleep all night, so I’m getting a little tired." Ye Qianning yawned.
"Oh, of course! I completely forgot you’ve been up all night. You should hurry back to your room and get some sleep. We’ll watch over Fourth Granny for you."
"No, it’s fine. I’ll just sleep on the daybed here. That way, Fourth Granny will see me as soon as she wakes up."
"Alright, then. I’ll have someone bring over a blanket. Be careful not to catch a chill," Madam Liu said.
Ye Qianning nodded. She’d managed a short nap in the carriage, but now her head was incredibly groggy. Her eyes ached, and she could barely keep them open. For a child, her energy was at its absolute limit; she couldn’t hold on much longer.
Ye Qianning had just laid down when a commotion erupted in the front courtyard.
Xiang Mingli had waited at the palace gates late into the night, but Xiang Minghou never emerged. So, he’d turned around and spent the night in the red-light district. Early the next morning, he overheard some gossip, and upon asking around, he learned that the tragic state of the Prime Minister’s Manor was the talk of the town.
Scarcely believing it, he ran to the Prime Minister’s Manor to see for himself. One look was all it took for his face to turn ghostly white before he scrambled to run back home.