“What? Her Highness the Crown Princess has been severely injured?!”
Xiao Wan stood up abruptly, her exquisite feet pacing back and forth across the palace carpet. Her dark eyebrows furrowed, and she fell silent for a moment.
Seeing the sultry Aunt Wan instantly transform into the cold Empress Dowager, Gu Wangchen couldn’t help but ask, “Aunt Wan, the Crown Princess is severely injured. Shouldn’t you pay her a visit? After all, you are her mother in name.”
Xiao Wan looked up at Gu Wangchen, regained her smile, and said softly, “Chen, you’re right. I should indeed visit the Crown Princess, but — not right now.”
She waved her hand to dismiss Xiao Qin and sat back down on the phoenix couch, her knees curled and her feet tucked to one side. She tapped her jade-like fingers on the table. After a moment, she subconsciously raised a finger to her mouth, her crimson lips parting slightly as she slowly bit the bright red polish on her fingertip.
Li Zhaoning was severely injured at a time like this, and by military resources like black fire oil. This was definitely not a simple terrorist attack on the surface. Just yesterday during the morning court, her people had impeached Zhao Lihong, and today she was bombed?
‘Aunt Wan, are you very worried?’ Seeing Xiao Wan constantly biting her finger, Gu Wangchen raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, ‘This Empress Dowager is acting just like a little girl.’
However, it was quite cute.
Xiao Wan instantly snapped out of her thoughts. Her beautiful eyes lowered as she realized her lapse in composure. She quickly lowered her finger, hiding it in her sleeve, and gave a light cough to mask her embarrassment.
“Ch — Chen, I am indeed worried,” she said, looking at Gu Wangchen’s face full of sincere concern. After a moment of thought, she spoke, “You are aware that there are some conflicts between the Crown Princess and me. This matter…”
“I understand. You’re afraid that if this isn’t handled well, the outside world will think you’re intentionally retaliating against her, right?” Gu Wangchen nodded, finishing her thought.
“Yes, exactly.” Xiao Wan clenched her hands, saying indignantly, “I don’t know who is so audacious as to publicly attack the Crown Princess. I must catch them!”
Having said that, she glanced at Gu Wangchen and subconsciously wanted to bite her finger again. Fortunately, she restrained herself this time.
Xiao Wan clasped her hands in front of her, rubbing them as she spoke, “Chen, do you believe me?”
“Of course I do,” Gu Wangchen replied firmly. “Based on what I know of you, Aunt Wan, even though there are minor conflicts between you and the Crown Princess, you are still mother and daughter. You would never do such a thing.”
“This is definitely someone else’s conspiracy!”
“Oh, Chen, I knew you understood me best!” Xiao Wan smiled elegantly and couldn’t stop herself from reaching out to rub Gu Wangchen’s head.
After a moment, she withdrew her hand and continued, “But many people won’t believe it. Or rather — even if they believe it wasn’t me, they don’t care. They only care about whether they can use this incident to attack me and force me to give up what they want.”
At this point, Xiao Wan looked into Gu Wangchen’s eyes, her expression moving as if she were on the verge of tears. “I am but a woman in the deep palace. Facing those fellows, how could I be their match?”
“…”
‘A Level 9 peerless expert who could destroy half the harem with a single palm strike is saying she’s just a woman in the deep palace? Not their match?’
Gu Wangchen scoffed inwardly. If he didn’t have the memories of his past life, he might have been moved to “rage for a beauty” upon seeing her like this.
However, this matter was indeed strange. This segment didn’t exist in the original plot at all! He carefully sorted through the recent events and compared them with the original storyline.
‘Oh no, did the world line change significantly because I intercepted Li Zhaoning’s messenger?’
It was very likely! If that was the case, it meant there was another force that didn’t want the Empress Dowager and the Crown Princess to call a truce. They wanted them to continue tearing each other apart according to the original plot — preferably until one of them died.
‘Was it my father?’
That wasn’t right either. Although his father would be happy to see the two factions fight, he would never use such a low-level method that threatened the personal safety of a faction leader. If Li Zhaoning actually died, the entire court would suffer an earthquake. It didn’t align with the interests of the Chancellor’s faction.
In other words, the perpetrator was likely not one of the three major political groups in Sheng’an, but…
‘The Northern Desert people, the Dragon Overthrowing Sect, or the regional governors of those northeast towns?’
No, in the original plot, none of those forces should be interfering in Sheng’an’s affairs at this point. The probability was extremely low. Gu Wangchen frowned, realizing his past-life memories were completely useless in the face of this sudden situation.
After a moment of thought, he spoke, “Aunt Wan, regarding the attack on the Crown Princess and the potential fallout for you, I’ve thought about it and found only one way to solve it perfectly.”
“Oh? Tell me,” Xiao Wan said with interest.
“Naturally, it’s to find the real culprit as quickly as possible to clear your name. That way, those who want to use this to attack you will have no excuse!”
“You’re right, Chen.” Xiao Wan nodded in agreement, her gaze fixed on Gu Wangchen’s face. “But if I personally send people to handle this, those fellows might not believe the results. And if the Crown Princess’s side handles it…”
“The prime suspect or the victim — neither side’s conclusion would be convincing?” Gu Wangchen immediately voiced Xiao Wan’s true concern.
“Precisely.”
Gu Wangchen took a deep breath. Wasn’t Xiao Wan just asking for him, or rather, the Chancellor’s faction, to intervene? It was indeed the best choice right now. And given the persona he had just displayed, he would likely agree.
This Xiao Wan… she really had good luck. If he hadn’t come to the Cining Palace today, she might not have even had anyone to use. The situation might have spiraled into the life-and-death struggle of the original plot instead of being contained like this.
Thinking of this, he sighed softly, looked up at Xiao Wan, and said clearly, “Aunt Wan, although I, Gu Wangchen, am Sheng’an’s number one playboy, I am not heartless. I know how to be grateful, especially toward a senior I respect as much as you.”
“Oh? What do you mean, Chen?” Xiao Wan’s lips curled slightly, her finger moving to her mouth.
“Neither my father nor I belong to your side or the Crown Princess’s side. Therefore — I volunteer myself to help you find the real culprit who attacked the Crown Princess!”
“Chen…” Xiao Wan reached out to place her hand on Gu Wangchen’s arm, her voice filled with emotion.
“Aunt Wan, it’s what I should do. For you and for Sheng’an, I will not back down!”
“It’s enough that you have this heart.” Xiao Wan took a warm golden tablet from her bosom and handed it to him. “Chen, this is my waist token. With it, you can mobilize any member of the Jingting Guard’s Demon Suppressing Division or even the Pacification Division.”
Gu Wangchen’s heart skipped a beat. He took the golden tablet, which was engraved with a soaring dragon and a flying phoenix and adorned with a jade buckle and a red tail tassel. His eyes fell on the character “Wan” written in Large Seal script, and he tucked it away solemnly.
“Aunt Wan, I will definitely find the culprit as soon as possible and prove your innocence!”
“Mm~” Xiao Wan rubbed Gu Wangchen’s head again, her expression gentle and her words kind. “Chen, although I don’t want to place demands on you… you know that the morning court the day after tomorrow is when those fellows will strike. Combined with the time for the triple-judicial inquiry, that means…”
“I only have 1 day?”
“Yes, at most 12 double-hours. If you can find the culprit within 12 double-hours, the situation might still be controllable.”
Gu Wangchen nodded and said, “Don’t worry, Aunt Wan. I won’t sleep. I will definitely find the culprit within these 12 double-hours!”