Gu Moli looked down at the white jade hairpin on the ground.
I can't accept this fact.
The hairpin's end chipped into a crack in the brickwork, the tassels unfurled, and the osmanthus powder was stained with dust.
She crouched down to pick it up, but her hand stopped in mid-air just as it touched the hairpin.
"Is Liu Ruyan really my biological sister?"
Noble Consort Chen stood in front of her, without helping her up.
"Wipe off your makeup."
Gu Moli raised her face.
"Mother, answer me first."
"Is there anything else you want to ask?"
"If she's my older sister, then why was she allowed to marry my brother, the Emperor?"
Eunuch Zhang subtly tucked his fingertips into his sleeve.
Noble Consort Chen looked at her, almost driven mad with anger, her lips pressed tightly together.
"After hearing all that, is this all you care about?"
Gu Moli put the hairpin back in her palm and stood up.
"Is it wrong for me to care about this?"
Noble Consort Chen walked to the dressing table, took a handkerchief, and soaked it in water.
The sound of water falling into the hall made one's chest feel heavy.
She and Ran'er are not related by blood.
Gu Moli's eyes lit up, and she almost couldn't suppress the urge to smile.
"Ah, I understand now. So my brother and I aren't related by blood."
Noble Consort Chen turned around, and the sight of her made the rest of her sentence catch in her throat.
No, you are different.
Gu Moli bit her lip.
What's different?
Noble Consort Chen threw a wet handkerchief to her.
"You share the same surname as Ran'er, Gu, and you are a princess."
Gu Moli took the handkerchief, but didn't wipe her face, hoping to speak.
"Mother, I'll pretend to disappear right away. And please help me change my identity; I don't want to be surnamed Gu anymore..."
"Shut up."
Noble Consort Chen had already raised her hand, but then pressed it back down.
"Say such words again, and I will personally escort you back to Ganye Temple, and you will never be allowed to return to the capital in this lifetime."
Water dripped from the handkerchief in Gu Moli's hand and landed on the tip of her shoe.
"Mother, you don't care about me at all, and you don't care about Liu Ruyan either. You are so cruel."
Noble Consort Chen looked at her.
Gu Moli took a step forward.
Did I say something wrong again?
Eunuch Zhang said, "Princess, please stop. Her Majesty is protecting you and His Highness."
Gu Moli turned to look at him.
"And what about you? Whom will you protect?"
Eunuch Zhang bent over.
"This old servant is guarding the Hanzhang Hall."
Gu Moli stared at Eunuch Zhang, not letting him off the hook.
" Eunuch Zhang, so you also know how Liu Ruyan has been living in the Flower-Between Pavilion all these years?"
Eunuch Zhang's throat moved.
"Miss Liu has not suffered any injustice over the years."
"You weren't wronged?"
Gu Moli chuckled, tears still clinging to her eyelashes; the laughter was unsettling.
"My mother has two daughters. One grew up in the Flower-Between Pavilion, and the other recited scriptures at Ganye Temple."
Mother, you've really learned how to take care of your children all these years.
Noble Consort Chen's face turned pale.
" Li'er."
I didn't say anything wrong.
Gu Moli clenched the handkerchief tightly; the osmanthus powder dissolved in the water and dripped down between her fingers.
"When I was at Ganye Temple, everyone said I was the most beloved daughter of the Imperial Concubine. But I never even saw spring in the capital."
She raised her hand and wiped the powder off her face.
Liu Ruyan's gentle features were disheveled by the water, revealing Gu Moli's original sharpness.
"And what about my sister, Liu Ruyan? She lives in the Flower-Between Pavilion, where everyone calls her 'Miss,' praises her for her beautiful pipa playing and calligraphy, but she doesn't even know who she is."
Noble Consort Chen closed her eyes briefly, her hands resting on the edge of the dressing table.
Gu Moli wiped her lips a second time, but the color was wiped off, leaving only watermarks on her face.
"Mother, you are so cruel to your daughters, you tell me to stop making trouble."
"But you've been hiding for so many years, what good has come of it?"
Eunuch Zhang whispered, "At least they survived."
Gu Moli looked at him.
"His life has been saved, but now my brother is being watched by the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and Father."
"You all hid it all until the end, but in the end, he still had to carry the burden himself."
Noble Consort Chen raised her eyes.
"What exactly are you trying to achieve by saying all this?"
Gu Moli tossed the white jade hairpin into the dressing case, making a sound.
"I said I would definitely help my brother."
What gives you the right to help?
"Because my surname is Gu, and because all the noble ladies in the capital are willing to listen to me."
Noble Consort Chen lowered her brow.
Gu Moli wiped off the last bit of makeup and threw the handkerchief into the copper basin.
"At the Crown Princess's flower-viewing banquet, and in the selection of concubines for the Second Prince's Residence's residence, which of the Xu Clan, Zhou Clan, Feng Clan, Han Clan doesn't have young ladies moving about in their chambers?"
Eunuch Zhang raised his head.
Gu Moli continued, "No matter how well a man pretends in court, there will always be leaks in the inner quarters."
"Which household has acquired unfamiliar medicinal herbs, which steward has suddenly become wealthy, which young master goes out to frolic at night—the noble ladies, though they never leave their homes, know far more than the spies outside."
After a moment, Noble Consort Chen asked, "Is this what you studied at Ganye Temple all these years?"
Gu Moli sat down at the dressing table and removed all the delicate tassels from her hair, which resembled Liu Ruyan.
" Ganye Temple also has worshippers."
She placed the tassels one by one on the table.
Pilgrims also have daughters, and daughters also want to get married.
My mother sent me away to avoid trouble, but I Gu Moli, will not stay in vain, no matter where I am."
"I am your daughter, and I resemble you in more ways than just my face."
You have your methods, but don't underestimate me.
Noble Consort Chen looked at her.
At that moment, it was as if I saw a reflection of my younger self.
Don't cry, don't kneel, don't beg for help, just reach out and grab every thread you can.
Eunuch Zhang lowered his voice.
"Princess, news among noble ladies is the hardest to gather and the easiest to harm. If you reveal your intentions, both the Crown Prince and the Second Prince will be watching you."
Gu Moli took out a plain hairpin from her makeup box and restyled her hair.
"Aren't they keeping an eye on it now?"
She turned to look at Noble Consort Chen.
"Mother, don't worry, I won't go to the Hall of Supreme Ultimate anymore, and I won't pretend to be Liu Ruyan again. But don't even think about sending me back to Ganye Temple."
Noble Consort Chen did not answer immediately.
Gu Moli walked up to her and knelt down.
The sound of her knees hitting the ground wasn't loud, but Noble Consort Chen's hand trembled slightly.
"Get up."
Gu Moli didn't get up.
"Mother, all I ever wanted was for my brother to look at me more."
Noble Consort Chen turned her face away.
"And now?"
"Now, I want him to be able to watch me whenever he wants in the future!"
Noble Consort Chen looked down at her.
Gu Moli's tears had dried, her makeup was gone, and the red marks from the beating were still visible on her face.
"If he continues to be Prince Yi, the Crown Prince can step on him, the Second Prince can bite him, and once the Emperor suspects him, the Censorate can tear him apart and make him a criminal."
Eunuch Zhang frowned.
"Princess, please be careful what you say."
Gu Moli didn't look at him.
Therefore, there is only one cleanest and safest path.
Noble Consort Chen's chest heaved for a moment before pausing.
" Li'er."
Gu Moli looked up and spoke, word by word.
"I already said it last time, let the elder brother ascend the throne."
The wind outside the hall blew against the window paper, extinguishing the last embers of the calming incense.
Eunuch Zhang immediately went to the window, and only after confirming that no one was outside did he turn back.
"Princess, those words could be fatal."
Gu Moli stood up.
"I know, that's why I'm only telling you."
Noble Consort Chen stared at her for a long time.
"Do you think ascending the throne is something you can do with a single word?"
"Of course not."
Gu Moli walked to the table and pulled out a blank sheet of paper.
When I pick up the pen and dip it in ink, my wrist is very steady.
He has six families related by marriage.
Noble Consort Chen's gaze shifted slightly.
Gu Moli wrote down Su, Shen, Murong, Liu, Lin, and Xie on the paper.
She stopped writing and looked at Noble Consort Chen.
"Mother, I've suddenly figured it out."
"Your imperial brother's sudden willingness to marry, and specifically to one of them, is this also part of your plan?"
Noble Consort Chen did not answer.
Eunuch Zhang said in a low voice, "His Highness chose this path himself."
Gu Moli continued, "Then I'll build him a path he didn't see."
She wrote down a few more names.
"The Crown Princess's younger sister, the Second Prince's wife's cousin, the eldest daughter of Xu Wenli's household, the niece of Zhou Wenyuan's family, and the granddaughter of Feng Shouzheng. They all attended Ganye Temple."
Noble Consort Chen took a step closer.
"You have contact with them?"
Gu Moli pressed the paper down.
"Some would write to me, saying that their mother-in-law was bad, their husbands were absurd, that the family accountant was embezzling money, that their elder brother drank at night and cursed the Crown Prince, and that the Second Prince's Residence's family had sent them gifts."
Why are they so close to you?
Gu Moli raised her face, her tone so obedient it sent chills down one's spine.
"Because in everyone's eyes, I am the most innocent and adorable, the only princess who receives the emperor's favor."