The Treacherous Concubine’s Guide To Whitewashing

Chapter 4, Pt 1 - Empress

Gu Yi felt sore and weak throughout his body. He knew that he was feverish and the vitality in his body was eroding bit by bit. Gradually, his perception of the things around him became more and more sluggish. Only on his back, because of those cruel medications, was he stabbed to the bone. He was even somewhat grateful for the pain. It at least helped him to stay awake.

He doesn’t want to die, even if he had fallen to this point, even if every moment of his life was pain that was worse than death.

The injustices suffered by his family, the tragic death of his father and elder brother at the border, and also the countless comrades-in-arms who shared joys and sorrows… His eyes were full of red blood.

He distinctly remembered that day. He was personally leading two thousand elites and waiting for the orders from the front to step onto the battlefield to provide support. They waited for three full days, but he only saw a messenger covered in blood, who was sending news that the main force had been ambushed and the entire army was annihilated.

His blood and qi surged. He was burning with impatience and itching to immediately lead his troops and horses to attack at the front and rescue his father and elder brother, but what followed was the Beirong cavalry as far as the eye can see.

In that battle, they killed in a state of chaos. In the end, he took a cavalry of less than a hundred men to break through the encirclement and several cities in the north fell.

Soldiers and horses were urgently transferred to the rear to take over the defense. As a general of the defeated army, he had no other choice but to leave the border without stopping to rest, heading south toward the capital, and to wait to be dealt with.

He was unwilling to die like this, bearing the grievances of his father and elder brother and the blood of his comrades-in-arms.

If he were to die, he would rather that day to have die on the border with his father and elder brother in a magnificent battle, not in this sullen place where the final days of his life were slowly being extracted.

That woman… was only hateful. That day, the opportunity had undoubtedly presented itself, but in the end he had fallen short and failed.

The high fever made his mind muddled.  It seemed as if the door to the room opened and an unknown person had entered. In confusion, he felt a hand touch his forehead and then his neck. It was cool and very comfortable. He groaned reflexively.

Yuan Luo was in a complicated mood.

The place where Gu Yi was placed was in a small hut at the far northwest corner of the Zichen Palace. It had originally been the residence of the sweeping servants, but it looked as if it had been abandoned a long time ago.

Fortunately, the room is quite spacious, but the internal facilities are a bit primitive.

Seeing the young man lying on a bare wooden bed without any bedding in the cold weather, Yuan Luo felt a little sad.

She reached out to test Gu Yi's forehead.  It was frighteningly hot. She lowered her hand. Remembering the ‘favorability’ thing, she touched his neck with her hand again.

Favorability -54.

Inwardly, she chuckled derisively. Sure enough, it once again declined. Yuan Luo remained silent and lowered her hand.

But she didn’t know how much her simple actions had shocked Si Xi and Tian Pan.

Concubine Empress, this is...

Yuan Luo was self-contained and rarely had any contact with others, however, she touched this little General Gu who was lying on the bed.

The two of them felt as if they had a clear understanding of an incredible secret and they bowed their heads at the same time.

Yuan Luo didn't notice the inner thoughts of the two of them. She turned around and said sternly: "Take care of his injuries.  This palace doesn’t want to see anyone killed in Zichen Palace. If he unexpectedly has a fatal accident, only from you two will I be inquiring!"

Due to his subtle way of thinking, Tian Pan expressed his precise understanding of the instructions from his superior.

The next day, when Yuan Luo came to visit the patient again, she found that the simple and crude hut’s appearance had change considerably.

The entire room was cleaned spotlessly, the bed was covered with clean, refreshing bedding, and a copper stove was burning in the corner of the room. It was finally considered a suitable place to recuperate.

Even the young boy, who was half-dead on the bed yesterday, had energy today.

Tian Pan's medical skills and abilities are still worthy of recognition. Yuan Luo nodded repeatedly.

At this time, she saw Gu Yi's face clearly for the first time. He was an extremely beautiful boy with fair skin and delicate facial features. When his eyelashes were drooped and he didn't speak, he was as cute as a doll. Yuan Luo vaguely remembered that Gu Liang Yong was a poor boy from the border regions, and that he was of Western descent. Gu Yi could be considered a mixed race. No wonder he was so beautiful.

Apparently she had been staring at him for too long, because Gu Yi’s whole body had tensed resembling a small animal whose territory had been invaded by wild beasts. He raised his head and stared back at her. His eyes were alert with determination, or perhaps a killing intent would be more appropriate.

Without the slightest doubt, Yuan Luo knew that if the boy had not been extremely ill, he would definitely throw himself at her to bite her neck.

"How is the injury?" She turned to ask Tian Pan.

However, when she turned her head, she discovered that Tian Pan had actually retreated. Even Si Xi, who originally followed her, automatically stayed outside the door.

What was this situation?

Yuan Luo was confused, then heard a rough tone of voice ahead of her.

"I didn’t after all."

Yuan Luo turned her head. This young boy thought that she was asking the question to him just now.

Well, she wasn’t asking him.

She shrugged: "It’s good if you didn’t die, otherwise, it was a waste of this palace’s thoughts." Fearing this young boy would truly die under all that torture, yesterday after Yuan Luo returned to lie down in the palace, she ordered Si Xi to open the storeroom and find several precious, medicinal ingredients to be delivered here.

Gu Yi bit his lip and coldly looked at the woman in the beautiful dress before him. This woman tried to frame his entire family. She’s vicious and merciless. Now she ordered people to hang themselves for a lifetime. He didn’t understand such torture.

"You don’t have to be overly suspicious. Be at ease while you recover. As to the border wars, this palace has other considerations. Since your life has been saved, you will not be killed. This time this palace is considered to have spared your life." Yuan Luo simply sat on a small stool in the middle of the room.

She felt it was better to explain well, how his life, being spared by her, was also a favor.

Favor?

A sneer spread over Gu Yi face. A young boy of this age could not completely conceal his emotions.

Yuan Luo sighed deeply: "You think that the Gu family was brutally slandered, that the whole family was wiped out, and it was all caused by this palace. But have you ever considered that your father, as a foreign minister, repeatedly instigated the emperor to abolished my position as an imperial concubine. Is that not trying to kill me?"

Yuan Luo flatly said. Previously, Gu Liang Yong was a general from a poor family who was promoted to a high-ranking position by Emperor Xianning. He was loyal and devoted to the previous Emperor. It could be said that he was a staunch imperialist that supported Sikong Lin, the orthodox blood of the former Emperor and he wanted to draw a clear boundary in the imperial court with the aristocratic families as well as the East China Sea King. From this perspective, Yuan Luo and he should be of the same faction. Therefore, at the beginning the original owner had vigorously tried to entice him, wanting them to rely on each other. Unexpectedly, she was instead slapped in the face, only to get to this situation.

"The palace calculating and returns politeness for politeness, and now I’m a step ahead of the opponent to save my life. I would like to ask, if accordingly, your esteemed father’s wish was to abolish my imperial consort’s position, can my life still exist?" Yuan Luo spoke the truth. She was living in the palace with enemies everywhere. Once your position was lost, she would likely die with no bones remaining.

Gu Yi was stunned. No matter how sinister and vicious the palace was, all of these things were private matters. On top there was always a layer of loincloth, yet this woman in front of him appeared to actually be talking openly about these shameful secrets. And it seemed to make sense…bah! How was this possible. My family was very loyal to the imperial court. My father had only written the letter, because the treacherous imperial concubine was behaving ruthlessly. His interference with the imperial court government affairs was absolutely selfless.

He bit his lip: "If you were keeping to your duty, how could my father impeach you with no just cause?"

"What is duty?" Yuan Luo said bitterly. With the poor origin of the original owner, if she was not able to form a faction and dominate with power, how would she be able to keep her position among the numerous influential officials and imperial concubines of aristocratic families? She was trampled to death by those concubines.

Anyway, she didn’t expect to rely on a few words to resolve the youth's hatred.

There was one more thing. Yuan Luo stepped forward and grabbed Gu Yi’s right wrist.

In this way she examined carefully and the sound of a +1 for favorability level suddenly sounded. She was stunned.