Chapter 297: Chapter 297: Troubles of the Jiang Family
When Xiao Yunjing saw the confession presented to him, which did not implicate the Jiang Family, he frowned. He put down the document, pinched the bridge of his nose, and went to Fengqi Palace.
The carriage was still there; only the horses had been led away. He had the carriage itself moved into the palace hall, then sat beside it, waiting.
Meanwhile, in the Space, Gu Qingli was performing surgery by herself. She had only completed half of it and was now resting. Even with her excellent physique, her body could no longer endure such high-intensity operations daily.
Outside, Xiao Yunjing waited for a long time, but Gu Qingli did not emerge. He returned to the Imperial Study, finished his work, and then moved into Fengqi Palace to wait.
He stayed there for ten days, much to the bewilderment of the eunuchs attending him. What kind of strange hobby was this? Moving a carriage into a bedchamber, and the Empress’s bedchamber at that! Could there be something inside it?
Fortunately, they all knew this Emperor was formidable and dared not gossip idly within the Imperial Palace.
One day, while Xiao Yunjing was asleep, he suddenly heard a sound from inside the carriage. He immediately sat up and quickly lit a lamp.
He could see in the dark, but Li’er couldn’t.
“Yunjing,” Gu Qingli called from the carriage.
“Li’er, I’m here.” After lighting the lamp, Xiao Yunjing immediately went to the carriage and lifted Gu Qingli out, holding her in his arms.
Gu Qingli looked around and chuckled, “Yunjing, why did you move the carriage into the room?”
To bring it into the bedroom, of all places! That’s hilarious!
“You little ungrateful thing,” Xiao Yunjing said, then immediately kissed her lips, once, twice, very gently. “Wasn’t this all to wait for you to come out?”
Gu Qingli returned his kiss with one on his cheek before storing the carriage back into the Space.
A carriage in the middle of the room really did look quite strange.
Once she had stored it away, Xiao Yunjing carried her to the bed and gently laid her down.
“Li’er.”
Xiao Yunjing called Gu Qingli’s name in his magnetic voice, caressing her cheek. He noticed she had lost more weight; her already small face was even smaller now. The faces of their three little ones were nearly the size of hers.
“Mm,” Gu Qingli hummed softly, enveloped in Xiao Yunjing’s warmth. She snuggled into his embrace, her arms holding him tightly.
The past few days had been incredibly tense for her. Seeing Xiao Yunjing now, Gu Qingli felt herself relax completely.
Xiao Yunjing smiled softly. His Li’er had missed him. He lowered his head and gently captured her lips.
As dawn approached, they found themselves wide awake. Only then did Gu Qingli ask Xiao Yunjing, “Yunjing, who sent people to assassinate us?”
Xiao Yunjing, one arm around her, the other pillowed under his head, gazed at the bed canopy. “Old General Liu,” he said.
“Old General Liu? Did my father have a grudge against him?” Gu Qingli was confused. Other than this reason, she couldn’t understand why a general from Daqian would try to kill her.
If it were someone from another country trying to cause trouble for Xiao Yunjing, that would make sense.
But why this?
“No. His daughter is Jiang Lile’s mother,” Xiao Yunjing said, his eyes darkening. “That Old General Liu confessed to his own actions but said nothing else. He didn’t implicate Jiang Lile.”
He shouldered all the blame himself.
“Ah!” Gu Qingli exclaimed in surprise. “So Jiang Lile still hasn’t given up on you.” She rolled over to lie atop Xiao Yunjing, poking his cheek with her finger. “Where does all your charm come from?”
Jiang Lile had deep-rooted feelings for him even when he was just a commoner. Now that he’s the Emperor, it’s no wonder she’s acting so desperately.
“I only want to bewitch my Li’er,” Xiao Yunjing said with a grin. As for other women, they can get lost.
Gu Qingli shot him a glare. This fellow’s words are getting smoother and smoother. Not like before, when he’d even sound a bit flustered talking to me.
“So, how did you deal with him?”
“He confessed to his crimes and didn’t implicate Jiang Lile. As for his punishment, execution, of course. It was also a good opportunity to reclaim the military authority he held.”
Allowing others to hold significant military power is out of the question for me; military authority must be firmly in my own hands. He had seen too many instances of subordinates amassing power through military command. Old General Liu thought he could bear the crime alone and help his family escape to Jiangnan. Little did he know, Jiangnan was already under my control. That Liu Biwu was also brought under my control long ago; I started planning for this last year. For Old General Liu’s family to go there was simply walking into a trap.
“Jiang Lile truly has a good maternal grandfather,” Gu Qingli remarked, a little regretful. We couldn’t deal with her this time, letting her slip away again.
“Li’er, don’t be disappointed. She didn’t succeed this time, and she’ll make other moves. We just need to wait. However, because of the relationship between the Jiang Family and my maternal uncle’s family, it’s not easy to move against the Jiang Family,” Xiao Yunjing said, patting her back.
Gu Qingli rested her chin on her hand and nodded. “Mm, this matter is indeed a bit tricky.”
Handling these connections through marriage improperly could easily invite criticism. Xiao Yunjing has just ascended the throne; it wouldn’t be good for him to be censured by the court.
Xiao Yunjing took a deep breath. “Yes. Actually, I intended for them to go to Beijiang, but unfortunately, they didn’t.”
I had the Ministry of Punishments delay Old General Liu’s case for a few days, precisely to give the Jiang Family a chance to leave on their own. But they remained as steadfast as a rock. Well, so be it. If they stir up trouble again in the future, I’ll deal with them then. After all, Li’er and our sons are my untouchable reverse scale. Anyone who dares to touch them will pay with blood.
“Actually, they really could go. The Beijiang Kingdom is in dire need of talents like Old Master Jiang,” Gu Qingli mused. “A former Dean of the Imperial Academy would be very much needed in Beijiang right now.”
“I’ll write a letter to my maternal uncle later and ask him to find a way to get them all sent there,” Xiao Yunjing decided. It’s better to send away people I can’t use.
“That’s a good idea.” Gu Qingli gave him a kiss on his cheek.
“Li’er, now that you’re here, I plan to choose an auspicious day for my formal ascension to the throne and your instatement as Empress. We can do both together. What do you think?” Xiao Yunjing asked.
“I think that’s fine,” Gu Qingli grinned.
“Then I’ll have the Qin Tianjian begin preparations.”
“Alright. Today, I want to leave the Imperial Palace to see Mother and the others. Is that okay?” Gu Qingli asked, blinking her eyes at him.
“Of course. We’ll go together this afternoon and bring our sons back as well.” Xiao Yunjing continued, Your sudden appearance alone in the Imperial Palace wouldn’t attract too much attention; we can easily come up with an excuse for that. But if the three little ones, Wuqing, the four young women, and the three nannies all appear at once, it would definitely cause a huge stir. So, it’s much more natural for everyone to enter through the main palace gates.
“Okay.” Gu Qingli nodded. She had been planning to visit the Gu Mansion anyway.
“You get some more sleep. I have to get up now. Those few old officials arrive at the Imperial Study very early every day.”
A few Imperial Censors from the Ministry of Personnel, afraid I might neglect state affairs, come to the Imperial Study every day to wait for me, supervising me. They keep urging me to ascend the throne and formally begin holding court as soon as possible. I’m about fed up with their nagging. Well, when I go today, I’ll grant them their wish.
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