The Grand Secretary's Pampered Wife

Chapter 694.1: The Imperial Advisor Returns

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S T E L L A R C L O U D

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O R A N G E S T A R

[Alma S.] [Christine G.-L.] [Fazzienaz] [K.Rom]

[Onepiece] [Suong D.] [Tori D.] [Ziana K.-P.]

Y E L L O W S T A R

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G O L D S T A R

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R A I N B O W S T A R

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T H E S U N

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"I didn’t."

Gu Jiao denied it.

Mu Qingchen looked at her coldly, trying to detect even the slightest hint of guilt or a flaw in her expression, but to his disappointment, he found none.

If Gu Jiao were to act out some love-hate drama, she could probably blind people with her performance. But when it came to not showing guilt, that was just her natural state.

A flaw?

Impossible.

However, whether Gu Jiao felt guilty or not was one thing; whether Mu Qingchen believed her was another. Mu Qingchen wasn't as easily fooled as Li Sande. His mind wasn't susceptible to logical blind spots that could be easily manipulated.

He had his own deductions and wouldn't be swayed by Gu Jiao.

He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his gaze as cold as ice. "You wouldn't save Nangong Li. The only possibility for you being at the scene is that you killed him!"

Mu Qingchen had been around this classmate of his for quite a while now. Although he couldn't say he knew her inside out, he could at least tell that she wasn't the type to repay evil with kindness.

Given that she had a past grudge with Nangong Li, how could she risk being seen as the murderer just to save him?

The fact that she didn't finish Nangong Li off with another stab was already a sign of her mercy.

Gu Jiao spread her hands. "If you say so."

Mu Qingchen kept tightening his grip on the hilt of his sword. His anger had clearly reached a certain peak. In fact, he couldn't even pinpoint exactly what he was angry about. Was it purely because of the chaos she caused in Shengdu, assassinating a famous general of the State of Yan?

Or was it the long-standing frustration of being kept in the dark, never being treated with honesty?

"Who exactly are you? What is your purpose in coming to the State of Yan?"

Gu Jiao said nothing.

Mu Qingchen grew even angrier. More infuriating than having a heated argument or being questioned about his lack of trust was this attitude of not wanting to say anything at all.

Through gritted teeth, Mu Qingchen asked, "Why aren't you speaking? Are you admitting to it?"

Gu Jiao glanced at him and calmly said, "If there's nothing else, I'm going inside now. If you want to fight, let's do it another day. I don't want to brawl right at my doorstep."

With that, Gu Jiao didn't even spare a glance at the sword hovering at her neck. She turned around, raised her hand, and reached to push open the courtyard gate.

Mu Qingchen's voice turned icy, "Stop right there! If you don't explain yourself today, don't blame me for taking action against you!"

Gu Jiao ignored him. The courtyard gate was already pushed open by her.

Seeing Gu Jiao completely indifferent to his threats and fury, a surge of nameless anger welled up in Mu Qingchen's heart. He swiftly raised his sword and stabbed toward Gu Jiao's back.

Gu Jiao didn't want to fight Mu Qingchen, so she merely dodged to the side slightly.

But Mu Qingchen was determined to force Gu Jiao into action, quickly launching a second strike.

At that moment, a series of hurried, small footsteps came from within the courtyard, rapidly approaching the entrance.

"JiaoJiao, is that you?"

Creak——

The courtyard gate opened, and Little Jing Kong's small head popped out!

Mu Qingchen's gaze trembled, and he swiftly pulled back his sword!

But there was still a sliver of sword qi that couldn't be retracted in time.

The courtyard gate was only slightly ajar. Pulling the person out would result in injury; pushing them back in would make them fall.

In a flash, Gu Jiao darted forward, bent down, and shielded Little Jing Kong, blocking that remaining sword qi.

Mu Qingchen hadn't intended to kill, and he had already retracted most of his attack. It was just a trace of residual sword qi. Even so, it still left a cut on Gu Jiao's back.

Her clothes tore, revealing a small patch of her jade-like skin and a strip of cloth tightly wrapped around her chest.

Mu Qingchen was momentarily stunned. He only felt that the small patch of skin was so bright it dazzled his eyes, and he didn't even stop to consider what the strip of cloth around Gu Jiao's body was.

He turned around, his mind buzzing for some inexplicable reason.

Little Jing Kong didn't notice Mu Qingchen outside the gate. Thinking it was only Gu Jiao who had returned, he was about to call out "JiaoJiao," but Gu Jiao lifted a finger and gently pressed it against his small mouth.

Mu Qingchen wanted to turn back but inexplicably held back. He squeezed the hilt of his sword and said in a low voice, "I will find out the truth, gather the evidence, and if it really is you, I won't show any mercy!"

After speaking, he gripped his sword and, with a heavy gaze, stepped into the night.

Gu Jiao closed the courtyard gate, not letting Little Jing Kong see her back; otherwise, the little one would start worrying again.

Little Jing Kong tilted his head and asked, "JiaoJiao, who was that outside just now? I didn't understand what he was saying."

"Nothing much, just a classmate who escorted me back." Gu Jiao patted his little head. "Why are you here?"

Little Jing Kong replied, "The academy is on break, and brother-in-law brought me over!"

Gu Jiao asked, "Your brother-in-law’s here too?"

Little Jing Kong shook his head and spread his hands, "He was here at noon, but then he left. He said he'll come pick me up tomorrow, or Big Brother Chengfeng will come get me!"

Xiao Heng specifically brought Little Jing Kong here because he probably had something important to take care of.

Gu Jiao guessed correctly——Xiao Heng indeed had some business to attend to.

Gu Chengfeng was also involved.

Xiao Heng first brought Little Jing Kong to Gu Jiao, handing him over to Lady Nan and Master Lu, and then went to Tianxiang Pavilion, returning to the inner city with Gu Chengfeng.

Gu Jiao hadn't actually told anyone about her plan to assassinate someone in the imperial palace, but Xiao Heng could figure it out.

The two people who knew Gu Jiao best in this world were Gu Yan and Xiao Heng.

From the moment Nangong Li left the inner city to find Gu Jiao, the two of them had already set their sights on him.

Gu Chengfeng followed Nangong Li's carriage, while Xiao Heng first delivered Little Jing Kong to Lady Nan and Master Lu.

After leaving Tianqiong Academy, Nangong Li headed straight for the imperial palace.

Gu Chengfeng and Xiao Heng didn't dare follow too closely, but fortunately, Nangong Li, not wanting to be detected, didn't park his carriage too close to the imperial palace.

Nangong Li contacted a eunuch within the imperial palace and secretly entered by hiding in a box used to transport food supplies.

Nangong Li's trusted guard stayed behind in the carriage to wait.

The news of Nangong Li's death didn't spread immediately. It wasn't until evening that the trusted guard overheard from a passerby that General Nangong had been killed inside the imperial palace.

Others might not know the details, but the trusted guard certainly did.

Nangong Li had gone to kill that student from Tianqiong Academy, so if something had happened to Nangong Li, it must have been that student who killed him!

The trusted guard quickly drove the carriage to report to the Nangong Family.

It wasn't suitable to make a move on the busy streets.

Xiao Heng spread out a map of the inner city and said to Gu Chengfeng, "Head east."

Gu Chengfeng drove the carriage and said, "You'd better not be mistaken!"

Xiao Heng replied, "I won't be."

They went east through an alley and happened to run into the trusted guard's carriage head-on. The trusted guard seemed to realize he was being tailed and turned into another alley.

Xiao Heng looked in the direction of the alley and said, "Turn around and head to Nanyu Street."

Finally, they cornered the trusted guard at the corner of Nanyu Street.

Once he was taken care of, no one would know why Nangong Li entered the imperial palace today.

......

Nangong Li's death caused an uproar in Shengdu, with three major points of suspicion. First, why was Nangong Li in the imperial palace? There was no record of his entry at the palace gates, which meant he entered secretly.

The Nangong Family's servants said he had left the residence with a guard named Liu Dong.

The Ministry of Justice immediately sent people to search for this guard named Liu Dong, only to find that Liu Dong had been killed on the street.

He had been struck in a vital point by a concealed weapon, dying instantly.

The killer clearly possessed strong anti-detection skills, leaving no traces at the scene, and no witnesses were found nearby.

Just as the case seemed to have a breakthrough, it hit a dead end.

The second point of suspicion involved the three eunuchs who were killed at the scene.

Two of these eunuchs were from the Office of Imperial Dining, while the other was from Zhonghe Hall. These three had no private connection and were not close publicly either, so it was unclear why they were all present there.

They were found with burlap sacks and ropes, appearing as if they were about to capture something.

Raz P.'s Thoughts

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Description:

In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.

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The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.

From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.

***

Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.

After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"

Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"

Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”

Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

He hasn't finished his lines yet though…