FDPBCT 06

Chapter 06

A-Nu Will Be of Great Use in the Future (Page 1/2)**

Just as the topic was gradually veering off course under Princess Zhaoyang’s nonsensical ramblings, Gu Qingyu stepped forward and gracefully curtsied to the Emperor and Empress above.

“Your humble subject pays respects to Your Majesty, pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress.”

“This matter was likely a misunderstanding caused by my younger brother’s youthful rashness.”

“That A-Nu was indeed bought by my brother in a moment of poor judgment from the outside. However, that person’s identity was unclear, so my brother intended to hand him over to the authorities. But upon hearing this, A-Nu fled in terror from our manor.”

She paused, then turned to Ye Qiong. “Your subject dares to speak a few words in defense of my younger brother. He absolutely did not intend to offend Her Highness the Princess.”

“He had heard that the runaway slave was at Prince Duan’s manor and feared he might pose a threat to Her Highness. In his urgency, he lost his composure.”

“This entire matter arose from my brother’s lack of consideration. I beg Your Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress to see the truth, and I also beg Her Highness the Princess to be magnanimous and not take it to heart.”

Gu Chengyang immediately caught on and swiftly followed the lead, begging for forgiveness. “Yes, yes—I was too rash. I beg Her Highness the Princess to forgive me!”

Consort De, seeing her niece turn the situation around in just a few words, nodded with satisfaction. She then turned to the Emperor.

“I heard that Her Highness the Princess accidentally injured her head at the hunting grounds half a month ago, and after waking up, she could no longer remember many things. If it was due to her physical discomfort that the management of her household servants became lax—or perhaps she simply couldn’t recall whether a person of unknown origin had appeared in her manor—but as Qingyu just said, that runaway slave’s identity is unclear and he might pose a danger to Prince Duan’s manor. To ensure Her Highness’s safety, I beg Your Majesty to allow Her Highness to hand this person back to the Gu family for disposal.”

On the way here, that child Qingyu had grabbed her sleeve anxiously, saying that this servant named A-Nu would be of great use in the future and that they absolutely had to bring him back to the Gu family.

Though filled with doubts—completely unable to understand why her niece placed such importance on a servant of unknown origin—Consort De was still willing to trust her.

After all, ever since the child had saved His Majesty at the royal hunting grounds half a month ago, she had been granted the title of County Princess, and the Gu family’s status had risen along with it.

Even more astonishing was that in the days that followed, every word she spoke, every decision she made, turned out to be precisely correct—as if she could foresee the future.

She had not only helped the Gu family avoid several potential disasters but also earned Consort De considerable favor and praise before His Majesty.

Her niece’s words now carried far more weight in her heart than they once had.

[Host, she’s saying you’re not right in the head!]

The System fanned the flames.

Ye Qiong touched her forehead where she’d been kicked by a donkey.

Her acting skills came on command.

She immediately ran to the Empress, threw her arms around Her Majesty’s legs, and began wailing at the top of her lungs.

“Wahhhh, Imperial Aunt! That Gu Chengyang blatantly blocked the gates of my Prince Duan’s manor with his attendants, declaring he was going to beat up my father! The manor guards were dodging the whole time and didn’t dare fight back! If Eunuch Fu hadn’t arrived in time, they would have beaten me to death!”

“All three of them are ganging up on me! Not only did they say I have no upbringing, but they also said I’m not right in the head, and now they want to take away the servants from my own manor!”

“Wahhh~ I’m so pitiful! I’m a child without a mother, without an elder sister, without an aunt—I only have my Imperial Aunt to rely on. Unlike their Gu family, they have relatives all over the capital!”

“Wahhh~ Where’s Grand Empress Dowager? I want to go find Grand Empress Dowager…”

“… …”

High-level palace intrigue meets low-level, straightforward tactics.

The Emperor, watching this scoundrel go through the whole routine of crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide, couldn’t help but twitch his mouth.

What did she mean by “I only have my Imperial Aunt to rely on”?

Hadn’t he been cleaning up her messes for all these years?

This ungrateful little wretch!!

“With me here, no one dares bully you. Besides, it’s just a servant—why are you crying so hysterically over it?!”

The Empress, however, didn’t share the Emperor’s sour thoughts. Seeing Ye Qiong clinging to her legs and wailing pitifully, she felt a pang of sympathy.

She had watched this child grow up and had always treated her like a daughter.

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Though her behavior was somewhat reckless, she was never one to start trouble unprovoked.

The Empress turned to the Emperor. “Your Majesty, Zhaoyang has never been one to lie. She was probably frightened by the sight of that Third Young Master Gu blocking the gates of Prince Duan’s manor with so many men, and in her panic, a misunderstanding arose.”

Then, her gaze swept over Consort De, her tone filled with authority. “Prince Duan’s manor is a proper establishment with hundreds of servants. Why would they need to steal a fugitive slave of unknown origin from your Gu family? This is most likely a misunderstanding on your part.”

Consort De’s heart burned with indignation upon hearing this.

The Empress was clearly turning a blind eye to the truth, deliberately undermining her in front of His Majesty and implying that she was slandering Princess Zhaoyang.

She could no longer hold back. “Your Majesty, whether the runaway slave is in Prince Duan’s manor or not—a simple search will reveal the truth!”

“That’s enough!”

The Emperor cut her off impatiently.

“It’s just a runaway slave—why make such a huge fuss over it?”

His gaze swept over the Gu siblings, his tone carrying obvious displeasure. “Simply because your Gu family lost a runaway slave, you want to search the entirety of Prince Duan’s manor? Do you have any respect for Prince Duan at all? And where do you place the dignity of the imperial family?!”

With that, he waved his hand, his tone brooking no argument. “All of you, withdraw!”

Seeing His Majesty’s anger, Consort De finally realized she had misspoken. Her heart tightened, and she dared not say another word. She quickly took the Gu siblings and retreated.

After everyone had left, the Emperor finally turned to look at Ye Qiong.

“Now, tell me—what really happened with that runaway slave?”

He didn’t believe a word of that nonsense about the Third Young Master Gu bringing attendants to block the gates of Prince Duan’s manor and declaring he was going to beat up Prince Duan.

However, recently the Gu family had indeed become too prominent and behaved too arrogantly, showing signs of overshadowing other noble households.

He had seen with his own eyes the contempt and disrespect in that Third Young Master Gu’s words toward Zhaoyang.

If it weren’t for the fact that this fool Zhaoyang had been infatuated with that Young Master Gu before and had gone out of her way to protect him, he would have already reined in the Gu family.

Seeing His Majesty looking at her, Ye Qiong smugly pulled a deed of sale from her sleeve.

“I really didn’t steal him. I saw that Third Young Master Gu was about to beat him to death, and I couldn’t bear to watch.”

“So I saved the man. Who knew he’d insist on staying? I could only see it through to the end and keep him in my manor.”

The Emperor frowned. “But this person’s background is unknown. Keeping him in Prince Duan’s manor might not be appropriate.”

Ye Qiong quickly seized the opportunity. “Then Imperial Uncle, why not assign me a formidable guard to keep an eye on this person? That way, I’ll be safe.”

The Empress also chimed in, “Your Majesty, since you’ve appointed Zhaoyang as the Kyoto Patrol Envoy, if she doesn’t have a capable guard by her side, she might be at a disadvantage.”

The Emperor thought for a moment and found this quite reasonable.

He then gave an order toward the outside of the hall. “Pei Yan.”

“Your servant is present.”

A deep, powerful voice came from outside, and a moment later, a man in dark-colored martial attire with a stern expression walked in.

The Emperor looked at him and slowly spoke. “Go, pick one from your men—someone skilled in martial arts and steady in temperament—and send him to the princess.”

He paused, then added, “He must stay by her side at all times and ensure her safety. If even the slightest mishap occurs, you will be held accountable.”

“Your servant obeys!” Pei Yan responded without a moment’s hesitation. He then rose, bowed once more to the Emperor, Empress, and the princess, and silently withdrew.

The Emperor finally turned back to Ye Qiong. “With a Brocade Guard watching over you, you should behave a little better. Go home now, and try not to come to the palace so often. I don’t want to see you lately.”

Ye Qiong rubbed her nose, looking somewhat bashful. “Imperial Uncle, could I have that man just now as my guard? He’s handsome.”

The Emperor: “GET OUT!”

“Right away!”

Ye Qiong promptly scrammed back to Prince Duan’s manor.