The Prime Minister’s Darling-Chapter 1658 - 801 second watch

He saw a man in a black robe descend from the sky and knock the king unconscious with one palm strike.

He was not the kind of person to flee when his master died, but rushing to his death knowing he wasn’t a match wasn’t loyalty, it was madness.

So he ran for his life!

Perhaps it was by the grace of heaven, as high-ranking martial artists on patrol nearby sensed the energy fluctuations and used their lightness skills to investigate the Cold Palace. They probably got entangled with the assailant, giving him the chance to escape.

He initially planned to return to the king’s Sleeping Palace to call for reinforcements, but was shocked to find all the guards there had been killed.

He boldly guessed that it was during the king’s visit to the Cold Palace to see Consort Han that someone had sneaked in to kill them.

Afterward, the killer went to the Cold Palace to report to Consort Han and knocked the king unconscious.

He had never had good luck in his life, yet tonight, he’d narrowly escaped death twice.

He knew the Imperial Palace was no longer safe and fled the palace in the dead of night.

He didn’t go to the National Master Hall because he feared that once Consort Han noticed his absence, she would guess he had gone to seek help from the National Master Hall, the Third Princess, and the Grand Duke.

He then remembered that Lord Xiao had moved to the Duke Residence, so he decided to try his luck there.

He fainted after saying this, leaving Steward Zheng baffled: "Hey, Eunuch Zhang, what exactly happened to His Majesty?"

Gu Jiao remained silent.

Could it be what she was thinking?

Steward Zheng asked Gu Jiao, "Young Master, what should we do with him?"

Gu Jiao checked his pulse and said, "He’s fine, just exhausted. First, carry him into the residence. I’ll go to the National Master Hall."

"Ah." The Grand Duke uttered, opening his mouth.

Gu Jiao turned to look at the Grand Duke.

The Grand Duke wrote on the armrest: "It’s better if I go. You should proceed to the Military Camp as usual, as if you never saw Eunuch Zhang. If anything happens, I’ll have someone contact you."

Gu Jiao thought for a moment, "Alright."

Steward Zheng hurriedly instructed people to carry the unconscious Eunuch Zhang into the residence, repeatedly warning the guards: "No one is allowed to speak of today’s events!"

"Yes!" the guards responded in unison.

The Grand Duke made a trip to the National Master Hall and discreetly brought Xiao Hen onto his carriage.

When Xiao Hen arrived at the Feng Courtyard of the Duke Residence, Zhang Dequan had already been revived by Granny Nan’s acupuncture. Xiao Hen went to the side room to see him.

In the neighboring room sat Gu Chengfeng’s aunt, the old scholar, and Gu Chengfeng and Gu Yan, who were eavesdropping.

Granny Nan was drying herbs in the courtyard. Gradually, she drifted closer to the side room’s window.

Master Lu was working on a crossbow, and he, too, gradually made his way to the window.

The couple exchanged glances: "..."

Zhang Dequan recounted the events of the previous night in detail, not omitting his thoughts, "... At the time, this servant felt it was wrong, but the king’s nature, as Your Highness Changsun knows, when it comes to Empress Xuanyuan, the king could not possibly refuse to go."

This was hindsight talking.

He had not expected Consort Han to be so bold as to plot to harm the king within the palace.

"Did you hear what they said?" Xiao Hen asked.

"This servant did not dare eavesdrop... just..." Zhang Dequan carefully recalled and said, "There were a few words they said quite loudly. This servant heard Consort Han say, ’I didn’t want it to come to this, Your Majesty. You forced me!’"

Xiao Hen paused and then asked, "Anything else?"

Zhang Dequan scratched his head and responded, "The king then said, ’Is it you?’, ’I will kill you!’ but after that, nothing more."

It sounded like the king and Consort Han had a confrontation.

"What does Aunt think?" Xiao Hen went to the neighboring room.

Empress Dowager Zhuang held a jar of candied fruit, grunting with her nose, "Love that couldn’t be, turned into hatred out of jealousy."

Another case like Consort Jing, but more vicious.

Consort Jing also loved the former emperor unable to win his love, harming Emperor Xuanzong’s women and children instead.

People call it picking the soft persimmon; she just didn’t realize Empress Dowager Zhuang wasn’t a soft persimmon but a cactus.

Empress Dowager Zhuang popped a candied fruit into her mouth, "Humph, dealing with scumbags should be this way."

Xiao Hen: "..."

Aunt, which side are you on?

Gu Chengfeng asked, "Since Consort Han had such a powerful expert by her side, why didn’t she act sooner? Why wait until both she and her son were deposed before making her move?"

As a straightforward man, Gu Chengfeng could not understand Consort Han’s actions.

But Empress Dowager Zhuang, who had navigated the intrigues of the harem for years, somewhat understood Consort Han’s state of mind.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢