Dressed As a Consort in Ancient Times - Chapter 88

Gu Yun knew the worries in Jiang Libai’s heart, so she decided to enter the palace tonight to confirm whether the Emperor and Noble Consort Yuan were safe. If there was still time, she also needed to discuss with Noble Consort Yuan how to handle the current situation…  

Late at night, when everything was silent, Gu Yun lifted the gauze curtain by the bed and glanced at the sky outside the window. “It’s almost midnight.” She sat up from the bed, picked up the night-walking attire at the foot of the bed, and put it on.  

Jiang Libai propped herself up, covering Gu Yun’s hand with hers. She wanted to say something, opened her mouth, but in the end, nothing came out. Only her heavy and anxious breathing sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet room.  

Gu Yun reversed her grip, lifted Jiang Libai’s chin with precision, and lightly kissed the corner of her lips. Then she pressed her forehead against hers, looking into her already teary eyes under the dim light.  

“Don’t cry.” She kissed away the teardrops at the corners of her eyes one by one and gently pinched her small face. “I will return unharmed and bring you news of the Emperor and Noble Consort Yuan. So, don’t worry about me, alright?”  

Hearing Gu Yun’s assurance, Jiang Libai bit her lip without saying a word. Her tearful eyes welled up even more, like a calm lake rippled by a thrown stone, stirring up indescribable emotions…  

“Before dawn, I will definitely be back.” Gu Yun sighed lightly and hugged the Seventh Princess tightly in her arms. Feeling the dampness of her chest where Jiang Libai’s tears had soaked her clothes, she gently stroked her soft, long hair. “Princess, trust me.”  

The hazy night always made people lose their sense of proportion. Jiang Libai struggled internally for a long time. After closing her eyes briefly, she pushed Gu Yun away. A few moments of silence allowed her mind to clear a little. She raised her hand and began adjusting Gu Yun’s night-walking attire.  

“Come back soon.” Fastening the last button, she stared at Gu Yun’s face intently. “Don’t get hurt.”  

Perhaps the deep night was too enchanting—Gu Yun smiled faintly and lowered her head. After a brief, dragonfly-like kiss, she slowly stood up and then disappeared silently into the inner chamber.  

In the dark and quiet room, only Jiang Libai remained in a daze. It wasn’t until she gradually felt the coolness on her skin that she withdrew her gaze from the door.  

Lying back on the bed, she wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, as if this way, she could drive away the heart-wrenching anxiety inside.  

Gu Yun had done as she wished and left for the palace overnight. Yet, her heart felt even heavier.  

The capital was already under Jiang Ying’s control, making every place dangerous. But for the sake of her father and mother, she had still let Gu Yun take the risk…  

Now, all she could do was hide under the blanket and pray that Gu Yun, as a celestial being, wouldn’t be discovered by Jiang Ying’s people and would return unharmed.  

Tonight, there was no moonlight. Thick clouds covered the sky, shrouding the entire capital in darkness, where even the slightest sound was distinctly audible.  

Gu Yun, with agile movements, avoided wave after wave of guards as she slowly approached the perilous palace.  

Fortunately, she had often entered and exited the palace in the past, carefully observing the surroundings each time. She bypassed the main gate and arrived at a section of the palace wall that was unguarded.  

Looking at the towering wall, she took a deep breath and stepped back a few paces. Then, she released her mental power to scan beyond the wall, confirming that there was no one within a radius of a mile. Lightly and swiftly, she leaped onto the wall.  

In less than a second, she landed on the ground.  

Following the map in her memory, she first headed toward Changchun Palace, which was relatively close.  

Hiding in the darkness, she took nearly half an hour to reach the palace. However, upon seeing the large number of guards stationed outside, she felt a headache coming on.  

After waiting for a long time, she finally caught the perfect moment during the guards’ shift change.  

Taking advantage of the lack of attention, she slipped into Changchun Palace like a gust of wind, swiftly evading the guards’ line of sight.  

Inside the palace, only a few candles were lit, casting dim and gloomy light, like an aging person on the verge of death, lacking any sign of life.  

Gu Yun’s heart tightened as she quickly made her way to the inner chamber.  

Perhaps because the Fifth Princess had dismissed the palace maids and eunuchs serving Noble Consort Yuan, the inner chamber seemed deserted, eerily quiet.  

Using her mental power, Gu Yun detected Noble Consort Yuan’s presence and confirmed that there was no one else around her. She immediately quickened her pace.  

“Who’s there?!”  

Tonight, Noble Consort Yuan had another sleepless night. Lying on the soft couch, she was thinking about the still-unconscious Emperor when she vaguely heard a sound in the distance.  

She immediately sat up and gripped the dagger she had placed under her pillow.  

“Mother?”  

Gu Yun took two steps forward, but when she saw the gleaming blade in Noble Consort Yuan’s hand, she stopped.  

“Mother, it’s me, Gu Yun.”  

Recognizing the shadowy figure, Noble Consort Yuan’s tense body relaxed. She threw away the dagger to avoid scaring Gu Yun with it.  

“How did you enter the palace? Is Jia Ning in your residence? Are she and Xingxing safe?”  

At this moment, Noble Consort Yuan temporarily overlooked the fact that Gu Yun, her son-in-law, was actually a “man”—her heart was solely occupied with worry for Jiang Libai and Jiang Xingwan.  

On her way to Changchun Palace, Gu Yun had already wasted a lot of time, so she briefly explained the situation outside the palace in a few words.  

“…Mother, don’t worry. The Princess and Xingxing are both safe… But now the entire imperial city is under Princess Jiayi’s control, and there are many things we cannot do…”  

Hearing that Jiang Libai and Jiang Xingwan (Xingxing) were safe, Noble Consort Yuan burst into tears. “Thank heavens… thank heavens…”  

But this was no time for emotional release. Noble Consort Yuan didn’t understand how Gu Yun had managed to reach the palace through so many obstacles, but she knew he must have had his ways. More importantly, she understood that Gu Yun wasn’t just here to deliver news.  

“Mother, the Princess believes that if we want to escape this predicament, we must notify General Zhao at the border and have him lead troops to the capital… However, without an imperial decree, General Zhao cannot leave his post without authorization. So, the Princess would like to request an edict…”  

This was exactly what Noble Consort Yuan had been thinking. Previously, she had been trapped in Changchun Palace, unable to send out an edict, leaving her utterly hopeless.  

Fortunately, Gu Yun had now found a way to enter the palace!  

She hurriedly got up and began searching in the dark room.  

Opening a secret compartment under the bed, she retrieved a square box from within.  

Blowing off the dust, she solemnly handed it to Gu Yun.  

“Mother, this is…?”  

Gu Yun looked at the box, her heart vaguely guessing its contents.  

Sure enough, Noble Consort Yuan lowered her voice and revealed what was inside: “This is the imperial seal.”  

“Jiang Ying wants a decree of succession, so she has searched the palace multiple times. Luckily, I hid the imperial seal in advance when I sensed something was wrong…”  

Otherwise, if Jiang Ying had found it, she would already be sitting on the throne, and both the Emperor and herself, having lost their usefulness, would likely have met an untimely demise…  

Thus, it was better to entrust this item to Gu Yun and let him take it out of the palace. Jiang Ying would never suspect that the imperial seal was no longer within the palace.  

“I’m entrusting this to you and Jia Ning.”  

“Notifying General Zhao is urgent. Once you return tonight, immediately write an edict summoning him back to the capital to protect the Emperor.”  

With the imperial seal, General Zhao’s return would be justified, preventing any future punishment for unauthorized departure.  

Gu Yun placed the box inside her sleeve. After a brief discussion with Noble Consort Yuan, she turned and left Changchun Palace.