GBP Chapter 142: Leave or Stay
Chapter 142: Leave or Stay
That night, Xiaoyao and Xiaoshunzi stayed up all night. At dawn, they could no longer bear it, so they closed their eyes and fell asleep in a small pavilion in the yard.
When I opened my eyes again, it was already past noon. Besides the birdsong, I could also hear human voices.
Xiao Yao raised her head and subconsciously looked towards the bedroom of Concubine Baogui in front of her.
The door was ajar, and it looked normal. Several maids came out with trays in their hands. It seemed that Concubine Baogui had just had lunch. Xiaoyao's eyes met those maids, but they all walked away silently, as if they hadn't seen her.
It’s really strange. If it were a normal day, I would definitely be woken up if I was still sleeping in broad daylight. But why did no one seem to notice me today and let me sleep until noon?
Waking up Xiao Shunzi who was sleeping soundly, Xiao Yao asked in panic, "Xiao Shunzi, it's dawn now, what should we do?"
Xiao Shunzi was still asleep and drowsily replied, "What's wrong..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly realized that he was in the West Palace. The events of last night suddenly emerged clearly in his mind. The sleepiness on his face disappeared in an instant, leaving only the same nervous panic as Xiaoyao. He subconsciously murmured, "Where is the Imperial Master? Where is the Imperial Master?"
Xiao Yao shook her head at him, biting her lower lip tightly.
At this time, an older palace maid came up behind them and said calmly, "Xiao Shunzi, why don't you go back to your Xianke Pavilion? Are you waiting for the Imperial Master to send someone to look for you?"
"Auntie!" Xiaoyao and Xiaoshunzi called out in unison.
The other party was none other than an aunt who was in charge of the miscellaneous affairs of the West Palace. Her authority in the West Palace was second only to that of Concubine Baogui.
"Has the Imperial Master gone back?" Xiao Shunzi asked subconsciously.
My aunt's face darkened for a moment, and she said softly, "I went back a long time ago, before yesterday evening."
Xiaoyao and Xiaoshunzi were both stunned and looked at each other.
Everyone knew that the aunt was lying, but it was that obvious lie that conveyed to them a very important message - as if they were speaking with one voice - the Imperial Master had gone back before evening last night.
No matter what happens, stick to this point.
Only then did Xiao Yao finally understand why everyone ignored her and Xiao Shunzi when they saw them sleeping in the pavilion. Perhaps everyone in the West Palace knew what happened last night, and knew that she and Xiao Shunzi had been keeping watch all night, so they didn't have the heart to wake her up.
Everyone seemed to have a common belief in their hearts - what happened last night must not be mentioned.
Treat everything as just an absurd dream and keep this secret strictly.
However, there is no paper that can cover fire. Can this huge secret really be kept?
At that moment, Xiaoyao's eyes revealed deep uneasiness.
As if she was trying to end this conversation, the aunt said stiffly, "Xiaoyao, don't just stand there. There are a lot of things to do in the palace. Go and help. If you keep being lazy, it will be dark soon."
Xiao Yao finally came back to her senses, murmured a response, and turned to leave.
Xiao Shunzi also said goodbye in a hurry and trotted back to Xianke Pavilion.
Everything seemed to be the same as usual, except that the seeds of unrest seemed to be planted in everyone's heart, growing at an alarming rate in this sunny, peaceful and calm environment.
***
Only the people in the West Palace and the Xianke Pavilion knew that Yun Zhen stayed overnight in the West Palace, and no one said anything about it.
When Xiao Shunzi returned to the Xianke Pavilion, Xuanjizi was the only one in the pavilion.
When asked about the whereabouts of the imperial teacher, the other party only said that he went to the right courtyard.
The right courtyard was where Soji lived. The day after this incident, the first person the national teacher visited was Soji. This is really strange.
Xiao Shunzi did not ask much, but he vaguely felt that there seemed to be some deep connection between the national teacher and Zhao Ji that was unknown to outsiders.
At that time, Xiao Shunzi would never have thought that the connection between Yun Zhen and Ji Anni was a secret.
A secret about Ji Anni's true identity.
***
In the right courtyard, Ji Anni happily welcomed Yun Zhen who came to visit.
Although she was very happy to see Yun Zhen, Ji Anni was still worried about Concubine Bao Gui’s pregnancy. She asked worriedly, “Yun Zhen, how is Concubine Bao? I wanted to visit her at the West Palace last night, but when I got to the door, I couldn’t get in. Xiaoyao said it was because you were inside… Judging from Xiaoyao’s expression, is Concubine Bao not in good condition?”
"Let's not talk about Empress Bao's situation for now." Yun Zhen's voice was lower than usual, showing a bit of seriousness and caution, "I came here today to talk about your affairs, Empress."
"My business? What do I have to talk about?" Ji Anni was completely confused.
"Empress, maybe I shouldn't have brought you into the palace..." Yun Zhen said solemnly, avoiding Ji Anni's gaze. Perhaps he felt a little guilty and couldn't face Ji Anni's surprised and puzzled eyes.
Ji Anni couldn't bear to see Yun Zhen was uneasy, and hurriedly comforted him: "There is no right or wrong. Anyway, you didn't force me in the beginning. I decided to enter the palace on my own."
"But, I may not be able to fulfill my responsibilities anymore..." Yun Zhen paused before finally saying the following words, "I may not be able to... take care of you anymore."
Ji Anni was still a little dazed, unable to guess the deep meaning of Yun Zhen's words, and only replied blankly: "It doesn't matter to me. Anyway, I have been in the palace for almost a month, and I can take care of myself... Yun Zhen, now that Baogui Concubine is pregnant, you should take care of her more. It really doesn't matter to me..."
Ji Anni thought Yun Zhen wanted to tell her that she would have to spend most of her time taking care of Bao Niangniang and would not be able to visit her often. Unexpectedly, she heard Yun Zhen say, "I might leave the palace."
"Leaving the palace?...To visit relatives?" For a moment, this was the only candidate answer that came to Ji Annie's mind.
Yun Zhen shook his head and said, "After leaving the palace this time, I may never come back."
"Why?" Ji Anni suddenly became serious, "Don't you miss Bao Niangniang?"
"Bao'er..." Yun Zhen paused for a long time before slowly raising his head and saying, "Come with me too."
It was like a bolt of thunder suddenly exploded overhead.
It was not until this moment that Ji Anni realized what Yun Zhen really wanted to say.
Leaving the palace... with Empress Bao... and never coming back...
Adding these few simple words together, perhaps... it would be a very remarkable declaration.
"Are you serious, Yun Zhen?" Ji Anni knew that she should bless them, but she couldn't be happy. Firstly, it was because of worry, and secondly, it was because of the inexplicable pain in her heart.
"Seriously." Yun Zhen nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I'm sorry... I promised to accompany you, but now I have to leave... This palace is very dangerous, I know I can't leave you alone in the palace. I thought about taking you with me, but I'm afraid that if the matter is exposed, it will implicate you. I really don't know what to do... Your Majesty, do you want to leave or stay? Can you give me an answer as soon as possible?"