Chapter 386

In the morning, Gu Xixi and He Jinglan were preparing for the opening.

But at that moment, someone came from the palace; two eunuchs holding tokens conveyed the emperor's oral decree.

They did not reveal what exactly, only saying to summon the Miss Gu of Qing Tian County in Xi Bei, and Boss Gu, to enter the palace for an audience.

The carriage specially prepared for Gu Xixi was waiting outside Sweet Rain Residence.

He Jinglan felt uneasy, she took Gu Xixi's hand, and looked anxiously into her eyes.

For this imperial summons, neither He Jinghui nor Mu Nan Zhao had been informed beforehand.

So He Jinglan inevitably worried whether this trip would bring good fortune or misfortune.

Gu Xixi saw He Jinglan's worry; as she smiled and withdrew her hand, she pinched He Jinglan's hand without leaving a trace.

"I know the opening is soon; we had agreed to unveil and cut the ribbon together."

"But now the emperor has summoned me; imperial grace cannot be delayed."

"I believe you can handle all this on your own; there's no problem."

With the two eunuchs present, Gu Xixi could only say these words.

Believing that He Jinglan would understand her meaning.

The imperial command cannot be defied; she will go and handle things carefully, letting He Jinglan rest assured.

He Jinglan and Gu Xixi gazed at each other for a moment, she took a deep breath, and showed a relaxed smile.

"It's just the store's unveiling; this small matter I can certainly handle."

"I just feel regret for you; we planned this for so long, yet in the end I myself missed it."

"But of course, entering the palace for an audience is the priority."

He Jinglan turned to the two eunuchs and said politely, "Not only have I delayed your duties, I didn't even offer you tea."

"This small token is just to ask the two of you to have tea."

Zi Yan took out a prepared reward pouch and presented it with both hands to the chief eunuch.

The blue pouch was of the highest grade.

Inside usually lay a small handful of melon seeds, weighing about three or four taels.

The chief eunuch was not polite either, he thanked openly and put the pouch into his sleeve.

"Thank you, Miss He, for the gift; we shall not stand on ceremony."

He Jinglan saw him accept it, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, she said to Lü La, "Last time it was you who followed Boss Gu into the palace."

"Today you still need to be more attentive, serve well, understand?"

The key is "to be more attentive."

Lü La's eyes darkened for a moment, she lowered her head and said, "Yes, I will remember, servant."

It has always been normal for ladies entering the palace to be accompanied by their personal maidservants.

The chief eunuch glanced at Lü La, and did not object to her following Gu Xixi.

He only gave a faint smile and bade farewell to He Jinglan, "Indeed, as Miss He said, we must hurry back to the palace to report, so we will not disturb you further."

Thus He Jinglan watched Gu Xixi board the carriage and depart.

Because her mind was elsewhere, the long-awaited opening ceremony had become utterly dull.

She managed to finish the unveiling, then handed everything over to Manager Tang, and returned to the carriage to wait for Mu Nan Zhao.

Just now He Jinglan had finished explaining the situation, seeing Mu Nan Zhao about to leave, she said, "You must absolutely not act impulsively."

"I have also sent someone to notify my brother about this."

"He should be arriving soon; let's then discuss what to do."

Mu Nan Zhao didn't turn his head at all, as if he hadn't heard a word.

He Jinglan grew anxious, "What are you going to do? You wouldn't really..."

"I'm going to pick her up." Mu Nan Zhao threw down those words and walked away.

"Ah!" He Jinglan reached out uselessly from the carriage window, afraid of being seen, she could only retract her hand.

Now what are we to do!

Why did the emperor suddenly summon Xixi into the palace?

Xixi relies on her own abilities to make her way, not on beauty or family background.

Before, the emperor had made his attitude clear: he wanted to take Gu Xixi into his service for the nation.

Thinking this way, this trip is most likely for official business.

As for Mu Nan Zhao...

He has always been cautious and scheming; he would hardly do the foolish thing of "rashly rushing into the imperial study and then dying together with Gu Xixi."

He Jinglan's thoughts raced.

By the time He Jinghui arrived, she had already somewhat regained her composure.

"Brother, let's go back to the mansion and talk."

the He residence

He Jinghui turned pale with shock, "You say the emperor summoned Boss Gu alone to enter the palace,"

"Mu Nan Zhao, in a fit of rage, stormed into the palace to abduct someone?"

He Jinglan no longer had the strength to roll her eyes, "When did I ever say that?"

"Things are already chaotic enough; brother, can't you stop imagining things and spouting nonsense?"

Another deaf-eared person walked past her.

"Immediately assign someone to watch the palace's movements; if anything happens, we can respond early."

Left alone, He Jinglan was instead completely calm.

Anyway, things have come to this point.

If it's a false alarm, just pass through safely.

If not.

Or if Gu Xixi runs into trouble, Mu Nan Zhao will surely go berserk unprecedentedly, and the Xiao He Residence can only risk their lives to accompany her.

Dismissal, demotion, confiscation of property, exile, imprisonment, beheading...

The worst outcome is nothing more than randomly selecting one or more items from the above.

Imperial Palace Council Hall.

This place is more formal than the Imperial Study, and its space is much larger.

Gu Xixi knelt on the shining stone floor, head lowered, feeling the vast emptiness around her, which made her panic.

The Emperor sat enthroned on the dragon throne, looking down from his high position.

"Boss Gu, no need for formalities."

Gu Xixi rose and stood ready, waiting for the emperor to reveal his intentions.

A moment later, the emperor spoke, his voice sounding quite amiable: "I have read the Ministry of Revenue's memorial."

"Your plan to eradicate the locusts has been very effective."

"The Ministry of Revenue has ordered local officials to weigh the collected insect carcasses gathered so far and make a rough estimate."

"Originally, this summer the capital region would have faced the worst locust plague in nearly fifty years."

"But thanks to you, it was basically wiped out before it could form."

The emperor smiled at Gu Xixi: "You have achieved such great merit."

"I was thinking what reward to give you."

Gu Xixi recalled the last time the emperor wanted to reward her with a marriage, and she steeled herself: "Grain is the foundation of the people's livelihood."

"As a subject of Your Majesty, doing my humble part is only natural; I dare not claim credit."

The emperor sighed: "Such modest effort? Boss Gu is still too humble."

He changed the subject: "But I always reward merit."

"Since you are acquainted with the Northwest Army, have deep ties with the He family, and also have a cousin who is the newly appointed Top Scholar..."

"If I were to make you a County Lady, you and the Regent Prince would be a suitable match."

Gu Xixi secretly felt startled.

Indeed, after the flower-viewing banquet at the He Residence, the emperor soon learned of it.

Everyone says the emperor is suspicious.

What exactly is he suspicious of at this moment?

At such times, one must not panic.

Soon, Gu Xixi replied without changing expression: "The position of County Lady is noble, but as a commoner I have no matching birth, nor any father or brother who has achieved tremendous merit; I truly cannot accept it."

"Moreover, I only like farming and know only farming; I beg Your Majesty to grant me that."

Mu Nan Zhao once mentioned that those who sit on the throne are naturally suspicious.

Fortunately, the new emperor is wise, always employing people without suspicion and not doubting those he employs.

So Gu Xixi boldly guessed: although the emperor seemed to mention many people, he was actually pointing only at her.

Perhaps he sensed that she was involved with too many key figures, inevitably suspecting her of "being unruly."

Maybe this is the final trial after the probation period, before official appointment...

The emperor gazed at Gu Xixi, his expression inscrutable: "You have talent, you just lack a good background."

"Being made a County Lady would instantly put you on equal footing with your friends."

"Such an opportunity is rare; are you sure you don't want it?"