Gu Moli pressed the tip of her tongue against her cheek, which had been slapped.
She raised her hand and straightened the crooked hairpin.
Noble Consort Chen saw this action, the fire burning in her chest intensified.
" Gu Moli, listen to me clearly."
"Your subject is listening."
Gu Moli turned her face away.
Her left cheek turned red very quickly, but her eyes and brows remained innocent, so innocent that it made one's heart ache.
Noble Consort Chen stared at her.
"If even half a word of what you just said were to slip out, Ran'er would be killed by you."
Gu Moli lowered her eyes, her fingertips smoothing the wrinkles on her sleeves that were damp from the rain.
"Does Mother think I should let others hear this?"
You think you're so smart?
Noble Consort Chen took a step forward.
The medicinal fragrance in the hall was suppressed by the rain, making it stuffy and difficult to breathe.
"You spent two years at Ganye Temple, did you really think the Imperial City Bureau was just for show?"
Gu Moli looked up.
" The Imperial City Bureau has investigated me three times."
Noble Consort Chen's fingertips stopped.
Gu Moli continued, "During the first investigation of the temple's worshippers, my son had them find a nun who was delivering messages for the Crown Prince's Residence."
"During the second inspection of the imperial kitchen's procurement, my son had them uncover a steward who was secretly selling grain from temple farms."
"During the third investigation of Qingwu, your son discovered that Qingwu has a cousin who gambles."
She paused for a moment, then put on that obedient look again.
"Mother, the Imperial City Bureau always returns with their merits and rewards; how could they possibly keep an eye on me?"
Noble Consort Chen looked at her, her palms growing colder and colder.
"You're quite pleased with yourself?"
Gu Moli nodded.
"At least I didn't cause any trouble for my elder brother."
You're just causing trouble now.
Noble Consort Chen lowered her voice.
"You said you'd help him get to power, and that's a huge problem."
Gu Moli looked at her.
"But my elder brother should have been sitting in that position all along."
Who told you that?
Do I need anyone to tell me?
Gu Moli took half a step forward.
"His mother has protected him all these years, and his father has indulged him all these years. Everyone in the court calls him a playboy, but how many people actually dare to touch him?"
Noble Consort Chen's eyelids twitched.
What exactly are you trying to say?
"Father is not unaware of my elder brother's mischief."
Gu Moli pressed down on the words one by one.
"But Father always punishes me lightly and rewards me handsomely."
"His mother scolded him for being useless, but behind his back, she gradually spread people from the Hanzhang Hall to Prince Yi's Residence."
"With Uncle Fu guarding him and Eunuch Zhang relaying messages on behalf of Mother Consort, even if the palace treasury's accounts go through two channels, they can still reach the Emperor's hands."
Gu Moli looked up.
That layer of demureness faded away.
"Mother, you are all waiting for him to wake up."
Noble Consort Chen's face darkened.
"Shut up."
Gu Moli didn't stop.
"He's awake now."
He married Su Yao, Shen Ling'er, Murong Xue, Liu Ruyan, Lin Qingdai, and Xie Wanqing.
" The Chancellor's Residence, the Imperial Medical Bureau, the Northern Territory, the Flower-Between Pavilion, the Grand Commandant's Residence, the Imperial Academy —they're all under his control."
Noble Consort Chen pointed at her.
"Try uttering another word of those words."
Gu Moli glanced at that hand.
The numbness from the slap was still lingering on her face, and she didn't back down.
"Your subject will not tell anyone."
"Your subject only asks about Mother Consort."
What's wrong with my brother?
Noble Consort Chen's chest heaved slightly.
"Because those six in-law families are not puppets."
Gu Moli softly replied, "Of course not."
Su Wenyuan loves power.
" Lin Zhenshan's heavy army."
" The Shen Family needs to remain stable."
Behind Murong Xue lies the Northern Territory.
Xie Huai'an desires a refined and noble life.
"Has Mother still not fully investigated the powerful figure behind Liu Ruyan?"
Noble Consort Chen lowered her gaze.
Gu Moli took in her reaction.
"Look, even Mother Consort hasn't figured it out."
Noble Consort Chen said coldly, "That's why you shouldn't have touched it."
Gu Moli smiled.
"Your subject did not touch it."
"You've already touched it."
Noble Consort Chen enunciated each word clearly.
"The person you sent to the Flower-Between Pavilion delivered a portrait of Liu Ruyan to you."
Gu Moli's smile faltered slightly.
Only the sound of rain remained in the hall.
Noble Consort Chen stared at her.
"You think I don't know?"
Gu Moli raised her hand and pressed it against the old scar on the web of her right hand.
The pain there is more intense than a slap on the face.
"Mother even knows this, so I am relieved."
What are you worried about?
"Don't worry, Mother is still protecting my brother."
Noble Consort Chen was so angry she laughed.
"You're trying to make yourself look innocent by blaming everything on Ran'er?"
Gu Moli looked at her.
"Your subject has never claimed to be clean."
Noble Consort Chen's hand froze in mid-air.
Gu Moli raised her head, her cheeks still flushed, and spoke each word clearly.
"But I don't understand. I was clearly doing this for my elder brother's good."
"For his own good?"
Noble Consort Chen took a step closer.
" Gu Moli, you're doing this for yourself."
Gu Moli's eyelashes fluttered.
Noble Consort Chen suppressed her anger, each word piercingly directed at her.
You're afraid he'll get married.
You're afraid he has someone else around him.
"Are you afraid he'll forget the old jade pendant?"
"You're more afraid of Liu Ruyan's face replacing you."
Gu Moli pressed her fingertip into the old scar on the web of her hand.
The pain crept up her palm, and her shoulders and back tensed.
Noble Consort Chen saw it, but she did not soften her heart.
Some things, you can keep to yourself, and no one can do anything about it.
But you can't say it.
"We absolutely cannot do that."
Gu Moli remained quiet for a while.
The wind outside the hall made the window paper rustle.
She suddenly asked, "Did Mother think about that back then?"
Noble Consort Chen's eyes darkened.
What have you been thinking about?
"Think about it: if Father hadn't ascended to that throne, you wouldn't have needed to enter the palace."
Noble Consort Chen's expression changed.
Gu Moli.
Gu Moli looked up.
"Mother, was Father's throne obtained with honor?"
Smack
The second slap landed.
It's heavier than before.
Gu Moli took a half step back, her lower back bumping against the corner of the table, causing the teacup on the table to wobble and spilling cold tea onto her sleeve.
Noble Consort Chen's hands were also going numb.
Her throat tightened as she looked at the blood seeping from Gu Moli's mouth.
Do you even know what you're saying?
Gu Moli raised her hand and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with her fingertips.
She looked at the red dot and chuckled softly.
"Know."
Noble Consort Chen angrily retorted, "Back then, the four families supported your father's ascension to the throne because the late emperor was seriously ill, the crown prince suddenly fell ill, and the court was already in chaos."
"And now?"
"The Crown Prince is still alive."
"The Second Prince is also here."
"Your elder brother has just crawled out of the mud; the whole capital still laughs at him."
"What will you use to help him up?"
Gu Moli raised her eyes.
The Crown Prince has no son.
Noble Consort Chen stopped pointing.
Gu Moli continued, "The Second Prince is greedy for profit; his circle is full of merchants."
"As the Emperor grows older, the senior officials in the court have begun to choose sides."
"The Crown Prince cannot wait."
"Even the Second Prince can't wait."
"My elder brother used to be the safest, because no one considered him a rival."
She took a step forward, speaking even more softly.
"But after he married six women, he could no longer hide it."
Noble Consort Chen stared at her.
"So you want to put him in a dangerous position?"
"Mother, the blade is already at his neck."
Gu Moli's eyes were still curved at the corners.
Her left cheek was swollen and red, and her right cheek was also red, yet she still maintained her princess-like demeanor perfectly, without a single flaw.
"Your subject simply doesn't want to wait until the sword falls before weeping."
Noble Consort Chen sneered.
"Do you think you can influence the court with your few temple worshippers, palace ladies, and noblewomen's private accounts?"
Gu Moli said softly, "Not enough."
"You still know that's not enough?"
"So we still need Mother Consort."
The anger in Noble Consort Chen's eyes paused for a moment.
Gu Moli looked at her.
"After all these years, Mother Consort wouldn't have left only Uncle Fu for my elder brother."
"Former residents of the Hanzhang Hall."
"The emperor's attendant."
"The accounts of the internal treasury."
"Mother, I am a junior and dare not speculate too much."
Upon hearing this, Noble Consort Chen could no longer suppress the chill in her chest.
This daughter was more terrifying than she had imagined.
Gu Moli took her silence as an answer.
"And then there's what I've done these past two years."
Why not?
Noble Consort Chen gritted her teeth.
"Because you will all die."
Gu Moli didn't speak.
Noble Consort Chen walked up to her, pinched her chin with her fingertips, and forced her to look at her.
"Ambition is acceptable."
"But you can't risk your life by crashing into it."
"Behind the Crown Prince is not only the Consort Xian, but also the Empress who has no heir, the Eastern Palace, and half of the Ministry of Rites."
"Behind the Second Prince are purses of money, trade routes, and a group of officials waiting to place their bets."
Your father is still alive.
"If he doesn't give his approval, anyone who reaches out will die."
Gu Moli asked softly, "What if Father Emperor doesn't agree?"