Dressed As a Consort in Ancient Times - Chapter 28

Gu Yun held onto the Seventh Princess’s hand. “You’re pregnant, and the snow is falling heavily outside. It’s better if you don’t go.”

Seeing that the Seventh Princess still hadn’t abandoned the idea of accompanying her, Gu Yun smiled gently, following her instincts to ruffle her hair lightly. “They’re just calling me in to ask some questions. Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”

Jiang Libai seemed annoyed, as if Gu Yun had directly exposed her inner concerns. She tilted her head angrily to avoid Gu Yun’s hand. “I’m not worried about you! I just don’t want others to think they can trample over me!”

“Then you go by yourself,” Jiang Libai retorted and turned away from Gu Yun. She then instructed Muzhou, “Go with the Prince Consort. Don’t let anyone think the Princess’s mansion is an easy target, understood?”

Muzhou bowed and responded, “Yes.” 

Seeing the Seventh Princess avoid looking at her, Gu Yun pressed her lips together before following Muzhou out.

Seated in the carriage leaving the residence, Gu Yun inquired with Muzhou, who was driving, “Do you know when the young master of the Anyang Earl household was possessed?”

Muzhou recounted what he knew. “It was last night. It’s said that he was only a little muddle-headed initially, but something happened last night. Suddenly, he began foaming at the mouth and nearly rolled his eyes back…”

Hearing this, Gu Yun tapped the window lightly with her fingers.

In truth, on that night in the outskirts of the capital, she had indeed acted against Zhou Yan, the young wastrel. Using her spiritual energy, she had stimulated his mind, gradually causing him to lose his senses.

Zhou Yan, one of the indirect culprits behind the original owner’s death, hadn’t been killed outright. Gu Yun didn’t want to stain her hands with blood again. From the start, her plan had been to turn him into a fool.

She hadn’t taken Zhou Yan’s life, yet now, he was dying.

Was it just his fate, coincidentally aligning with the circumstances? Or had someone deliberately taken Zhou Yan’s life to frame her?

She thought the latter was highly likely. Otherwise, no one would have come forward to accuse her of harming Zhou Yan.

But who in Yu Nation would design such a trap to target her?

Half an hour later, the carriage stopped outside the Magistrate Prefecture office.

Stepping down from the carriage, Gu Yun saw that the entrance was already surrounded by many onlookers. Clearly, this matter had been widely spread.

With one hand behind her back, she walked into the Magistrate Prefecture.

Under the imposing plaque, the magistrate Zheng Zheng looked at the young master and steward of the Anyang Earl household, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

The moment he heard about their accusations earlier, he had gasped audibly.

On one side was a noble family; on the other, a royal consort. He couldn’t afford to offend either party!

While waiting, the constables outside reported that the Seventh Princess’s consort had arrived.

At this point, Zheng Zheng could only brace himself and have him brought in.

The person entering wore a black brocade cloak, his dark hair tied high on his head. His long, narrow eyes exuded a faint coldness, and his noble bearing made him seem unapproachable.

Zheng Zheng followed protocol, slamming the gavel. “Who stands before this court?”

Gu Yun lifted her eyelids. “Gu Yun, consort of Princess Jia Ning.”

She ignored Zhou Ran’s murderous glare and addressed the magistrate directly. “Why has Magistrate Zheng summoned me?”

Zheng Zheng hadn’t expected the consort to seize the initiative before he even began questioning. He turned to look at Zhou Ran, the young master of the Anyang earl household, and solemnly stated, “This is Zhou Ran, the young master of the Anyang Earl household. His younger brother, Zhou Yan, fell gravely ill last night and is on the brink of death. Someone has accused you of harming him. What do you say to this?”

Gu Yun’s expression remained unchanged. “Your Honor, I do not know Zhou Yan, nor have I ever done anything to him.”

Zhou Ran, already displeased with Gu Yun, clenched his fists and growled, “Stop lying!”

He turned to Magistrate Zheng and elaborated on Zhou Yan’s past conflict with Gu Yun. “Before he became the Seventh Princess’s consort, my younger brother, who was mischievous and ignorant, played a prank on him along with some other boys. They had a dispute and ended up roughhousing with him.”

“However, it was just childish antics. My brother and the others didn’t cause him any harm. But he harbored a grudge, his heart filled with malice, and schemed to harm my brother!”

His voice filled with rage, Zhou Ran trembled with hatred, his words so vivid they seemed convincing to the onlookers. 

Magistrate Zheng coughed and asked Gu Yun, “Do you admit to these claims?”

“I did not do it,” Gu Yun replied calmly.

“I have witnesses!” Zhou Ran pressed on.

Magistrate Zheng raised a hand. “Bring in the witnesses.”

Hearing approaching footsteps, Gu Yun turned her head slightly.

A somewhat familiar young boy and a slender girl entered.

Zhou Ran pointed to the boy. “He is close to my brother and knows about the conflict between my brother and Gu Yun.”

The boy quickly nodded. “Yes! I remember that Brother Yan saw how pitiful Gu Yun looked before and invited him out to treat him to some good food. But Gu Yun didn’t appreciate it, saying we were looking down on hm.”

“He cursed at us so horribly we couldn’t stand it, so we hit him a few times. Brother Yan tried to mediate, but he kicked him a few times.”

“Brother Yan didn’t want to escalate things, so he advised him to calm down and left with us. Later, Brother Yan still thought about Gu Yun and didn’t hold a grudge, even visiting his place with us.”

As the boy spoke, a flash of genuine fear appeared in his eyes. However, Zhou Ran’s encouragement emboldened him to continue. 

“But Gu Yun bore a grudge. I don’t know what sorcery he used, but we all lost consciousness. When we woke up, our bodies were covered in wounds…”

Magistrate Zheng stroked his beard, frowning. “This only proves there was a conflict. It doesn’t directly show that the consort harmed Zhou Yan.”

Zhou Ran gestured to the slender girl. “You speak now.”

The girl raised her tear-filled eyes, looking both resentful and fearful. “I personally saw the Seventh Princess’s consort harming my cousin that night…”

Gu Yun turned to look at her, recognizing her as the woman Zhou Yan had sent to her room that night. 

In the pitch-black room filled with incense, how could this girl have seen her face?

Clearly, she was lying.

Magistrate Zheng slammed the gavel again. “What is your name, which family are you from, and how did you see the Seventh Princess’s consort harming Young Master Zhou?”

The girl’s gaze fell on Gu Yun, who stood tall and expressionless. Her tearful eyes were filled with sorrow, mixed with resentment and fear. 

Zhou Ran coughed lightly and answered for her, “Her name is Yun Yan. She is my cousin and has been living in our household.”

Hearing Zhou Ran’s words, Yun Yan wiped away her tears and confirmed softly, “Yes.”

Magistrate Zheng’s face showed a trace of impatience. “Can you clearly explain how you saw the Seventh Princess’s consort harming Young Master Zhou?”

Yun Yan bit her lip and then suddenly knelt on the ground, kowtowing. “I actually met the consort of the Seventh Princess a long time ago. We were both pitiful people living under someone else’s roof, and we sympathized with each other… Later, he said he liked me and wanted to give me a warm home…”

“I was touched and agreed to spend my life with him.”

“But later… he was chosen by the Seventh Princess to become her consort, and after climbing up the social ladder, he wanted to cut ties with me. I was heartbroken and wanted to ask for an explanation. However, I was powerless and couldn’t meet him alone anymore.”

The crowd present was stunned, including Magistrate Zheng, who didn’t expect such a complicated love story to be involved.

“Go on,” Magistrate Zheng urged.

Wiping her tears, Yun Yan continued sorrowfully, “That day, it was by chance that I heard about a banquet hosted by the An Guo Duke’s young master in the outskirts of the capital. I also heard that the Seventh Princess’s consort would attend. So, I begged my cousin Zhou Yan to take me there in secret.”

“My cousin didn’t know my true intentions and thought I just wanted to see the world, so he agreed.”

As she spoke of the most painful part, Yun Yan’s voice choked. “That night, under the cover of darkness, I finally saw the one I had longed for day and night. I wanted to ask if the promises made in the past still counted… But he… he suddenly embraced me and wanted to…”

Although Yun Yan didn’t finish her sentence, the implication was clear. The crowd’s eyes turned toward the Seventh Princess’s consort, wanting to see his reaction.

Gu Yun’s expression remained calm, gaze unwavering, causing many onlookers to feel uncertain.

Magistrate Zheng looked at his demeanor and formed some thoughts in his mind. He turned to Yun Yan and asked, “What happened next?”

Yun Yan closed her eyes as if she didn’t want to recall, but she still spoke in a low voice. “My cousin, worried about me, came looking and saw… saw me and the Seventh Princess’s consort…”

“The Seventh Princess’s consort feared my cousin would expose the matter, so he knocked him unconscious and even tried to kill him! I pleaded with hm to spare my cousin’s life.”

Yun Yan shuddered as she continued. “But at that time, he also thought I was a burden and said my heart was no longer with him. He wanted to cut ties completely, so he drugged me and… and…”

She trailed off, but the crowd had already pieced together the conclusion. The rumor about Young Master Zhou and his cousin Yun Yan spending a disgraceful night together in the outskirts had already spread in the capital. 

No one had expected such a shocking backstory behind the incident, and the onlookers couldn’t help but marvel at the revelations.

Now that a key witness had come forward to testify against Gu Yun, the suspicion against him had grown significantly.

Magistrate Zheng rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He turned to Gu Yun, who still appeared composed. “Miss Yun’s testimony—does the Seventh Princess’s consort admit to it?”

Hearing this, Gu Yun chuckled lightly. “How can I admit to something I haven’t done?”

This was indeed tricky!

Magistrate Zheng, not wanting to offend either party, looked at the sky and decided to play it safe. “It’s getting late today. This matter will be discussed further tomorrow. Since it involves the Seventh Princess’s consort, I must first report this to the emperor.”

“Why don’t both parties return home for now?”

Zhou Ran was immediately dissatisfied. “Is this how you, as the magistrate of the capital, handle matters?! Even if you don’t want to offend royal relatives, Gu Yun is the prime suspect in harming my brother. Why aren’t you detaining him?”

Magistrate Zheng looked troubled. According to protocol, the main suspect should indeed be detained. However, Gu Yun was the Seventh Princess’s consort—how could he dare to do so?

Zhou Ran sneered mockingly. “Magistrate Zheng, are you going to detain Gu Yun or not?”

As tensions escalated, a constable’s report came from outside. “The Seventh Princess has arrived—”

Gu Yun was momentarily stunned and turned around.

Dressed in luxurious attire, the Seventh Princess entered gracefully.