The Cannon Fodder and Villain’s Happy Ending

Chapter 309

Qin Jiu subconsciously took one of his hands.

His palm was warm and dry, with thin calluses left from practicing martial arts, it was also slightly rough, but it made Qin Jiu feel a lot more at ease.

Gu Zezhi: “???”

Seeing that this good luck has fallen into his lap, Gu Zezhi also held Qin Jiu’s hand in turn and led her to walk along the lakeshore at a leisurely pace.

Qin Jiu looked at their intertwined hand and pursed her lips into a smile, feeling that his palm was like a warm sun, ironing her heart with indescribable warmth and joy.

Her eyes were as bright as the stars as she continued to hold his hand and walked forward freely and openly before she asked with concern, “Brother, how is the emperor?”

Gu Zezhi replied succinctly, “Doing good.”

Over the years, the emperor’s dragon body has been in poor health. The empress dowager asked the emperor to take an elixir, and even turn to any physician one could find but not only it failed to regulate the emperor’s dragon body but because of erysipelas in the elixir the current emperor was like a decayed beam, full of holes.

It was because of this that the emperor fainted, which added to the sudden death of Princess Yongle.

While talking, the two came to the entrance gate of the imperial garden.

Gu Zezhi rubbed the top of Qin Jiu’s hair and said as if coaxing a child, “You will stay in the palace for the time being. I will go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation now and I will see you tomorrow.”

As Gu Zezhi left, Qin Jiu watched him leave from where she was while the well-behaved white dumpling in her arms started to make a fuss again, twisting its round body restlessly.

Qin Jiu stretched her finger and gently flicked the white dumplings head. “Do you want to run again?”

The white dumpling aggressively “whimpered”, but, Qin Jiu didn’t soften her heart, and walked towards Fengluan Palance with it in her arms.

Qin Jiu actually knew in her mind that the emperor’s life was indeed not in danger, but although Gu Zezhi said that the emperor was doing fine his illness was not that simple.

It was on the fifth day that Empress Wei returned to Fengluan Palace.

Slight fatigued was evident on her face, she also lose a lot of weight but her expression was very relaxed, there was even a hint of a smile lingering on her lips. Seeing this, Qin Jiu knew at a glance that the emperor should be fine.

Qin Jiu greeted her with a smile and said, “Aunt.”

“Were you bored these days?” Empress Wei looked at Qin Jiu with a loving smile.

“Not bored.” Qin Jiu took her arm affectionately and together they walked towards the main hall, “Aunt, you go and rest first and then we can talk about anything you want to talk about when you wake up from your sleep.”

With that, she gave Empress Wei a playful wink.

These days, from time to time, concubines have come to Fengluan Palace to pay their respect to the empress. On the surface, they were ostensibly paying their respect but in fact, they were just inquiring whether the empress has come back so as to speculate on the emperor’s condition. And now that Empress Wei was back, she was afraid all the concubines would soon come.

Qin Jiu felt that instead of dealing with them, it was better for her aunt to rest. Her aunt had just recovered from her illness!

Empress Wei understood and since she was too lazy to deal with the concubines, she said with a smile. “Xiao Jiu, then this empress will go rest first.”

Empress Wei patted Qin Jiu’s hand and went back to her chambers by herself.

Qin Jiu then instructed the palace servants not to disturb Empress Wei and told the momo to keep an eye on her, and if any concubine came over, she would say that the empress had already rested.

The whole Fengluan Palace was quiet and peaceful, no sound could be heard at all.

Empress Wei slept until the morning of the next day, and when she woke up the fatigue of the past few days was gone and she felt refreshed.

And just like usual, Qin Jiu accompanied Empress Wei for lunch. The Empress didn’t mention the emperor’s condition, and Qin Jiu didn’t ask either but only told some interesting things about Gu Zhen which made Empress Wei smile.

A lively atmosphere envelops the hall, occasionally accompanied by the bark of the small dumpling which sweeps away the gloom of the previous days.

After lunch, Empress Wei said while drinking tea, “The monk from Bogo has been escorted to the capital the day before yesterday.”

Qin Jiu was stunned for a moment and immediately realized that Empress Wei was referring to the clan monk who offered the “Nine Harmonious Incense” to Madam Xiao.

Empress Wei continued, “The emperor ordered a joint trial by the three divisions in a few days, and then the truth will be clear by then.”

Qin Jiu nodded, as she quietly picked up the teacup, and a trace of doubt appeared in her almond-like eyes.

She remembered that shortly after the Lantern Festival, Gu Zezhi said that he had someone escort the monk to the capital, however, why did he just arrive in the middle of March?

Empress Wei naturally saw Qin Jiu’s doubts and explained, “This empress heard from the emperor that their party was ambushed on the way to the capital, and the monk was seriously injured and nearly died. At that time, they were afraid that someone would accidentally die on the road, and there would be no proof of death, so they took a different road and cause delays for a while.”

Qin Jiu: “….”

She didn’t know what to say.

It was too obvious who did this ambush.

Empress Wei laughed mockingly and said, “It’s just that Duan Wangye still can’t see it.”

She put down the teacup, pressed the corner of her lips with her handkerchief, and said, “When the witness and physical evidence are put in front of him, this empress will see if he will still deceive himself!”

Qin Jiu shook her head and said firmly, “He will.”

***