jdhmnovel Chapter 583 Li Xi's Unusual Behavior
Chapter 583 Li Xi's Unusual Behavior
Sure enough, there were people secretly monitoring the Chu Prince's residence. However, those people only noticed that Dugu Moyan came to the Chu Prince's residence and left with Li Chu and Dugu Jingyao not long after. They did not notice that there were many more people around the Chu Prince's residence, since there were several taverns, teahouses and inns nearby.
Those who were keeping watch only reported what they had noticed to the Prince of Zhao's residence.
Inside the Zhao Prince's residence, Li Xi had just returned home after escorting Empress Shude to the imperial mausoleum and changed his clothes. Soon after, news arrived that Li Chu and Dugu Jingyao had entered the palace.
Upon hearing this, Li Xi revealed a sly smile and said to Li Yuan, "Go and send a message to the palace, asking Consort Du to find a way to keep Li Chu and Dugu Jingyao in the palace. I'm going to Yuhe Hall." Li Yuan agreed and left, while Li Xi went to Yuhe Hall alone.
Gu Shiyi was surprised that Li Xi came to her first place after returning to the mansion, bathing and changing clothes. She was delighted and dressed herself up, and also dressed up Li Yu. Just then, Li Xi arrived at Yuhe Hall.
Gu Shiyi led everyone forward to pay their respects: "Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, greet you."
However, Li Xi did not let her perform the full curtsy. Instead, he walked up to Gu Shiyi and said, "Your Highness, you may rise as well!"
However, Li Xi's unusual attitude towards her today left Gu Shiyi somewhat puzzled. She knew this man didn't like her, so there must be something going on, though she didn't know why. With this question in mind, Gu Shiyi stood up.
However, Li Xi did not get straight to the point. Instead, he stepped forward and hugged Li Yu, a smile appearing on his face. He said, "It seems that I haven't seen Yu'er for a long time. You've gained quite a bit of weight."
Gu Shiyi also sat down to the side and said, "Your Highness has been busy these days, and I am aware of that. But now Your Highness has come to see me and Yu'er, and you can see how happy Yu'er is."
Then, Li Yu, who was in Li Xi's arms, started to giggle. The wet nurse and maids in the hall were also beaming with joy, and the atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
However, this warm feeling did not last long. Li dismissed the servants, leaving only him and Gu Shiyi in the hall.
It had been so long since Gu Shiyi had spent time alone with Li Xi that she felt a little uncomfortable. She poured Li Xi a glass of water and said, "Your Highness, please have some tea."
Li Xi took the tea, took a sip, and asked, "Why is the Princess so distant from me?"
Gu Shiyi couldn't help but roll her eyes at the question: "How dare you ask? How long has it been since you last came here? If you don't come soon, Yu'er won't even recognize you as her father."
Seeing that Gu Shiyi did not answer, Li Xi was not angry. After all, he had been too busy lately and had not even returned to the Prince's Mansion. When he came back, he only went to Yalan Garden a few times to visit Tinglan, who was pregnant.
So he said, "Indeed, I have been visiting Yuhe Hall less often lately. Once I have accomplished my goal, I will definitely come to see you and Yu'er more often."
Upon hearing this, Gu Shiyi roughly understood that the Li faction wanted to take advantage of the chaos while the Emperor Emeritus was preoccupied with his passing and unable to attend to him.
Gu Shiyi smiled slightly and said, "Then I wish Your Highness all the best and swift success."
Li Xi said, "Thank you for your kind words, Shiyi, but I still need your help in the process."
Gu Shiyi looked puzzled. What help could she possibly offer? So she said, "I wonder how I can help you?"
Li Xi gestured for her to come closer and whispered a few words in her ear. Gu Shiyi's pupils dilated instantly. She tried to run away, but Li Xi grabbed her and said, "What's the use of running away? You are my queen. If I fail, you will not be spared either, including our Yu'er."
Upon hearing Li Yu's name, Gu Shiyi composed herself and said resolutely, "I can talk to my brother, but I don't know if he'll help me."
Li Xi said, "You are his own sister, born of the same father and mother. He is where he is today because of you. If things succeed, you will be the Empress, Yu'er will be the Crown Prince, and he will be the Emperor's brother-in-law. Your aunt and your brother's status at home will also be elevated. Why wouldn't he want that?"
Gu Shiyi said, "I will explain the pros and cons to my brother. However, he takes after my father in temperament. If he refuses to help, I will find someone to interpret for him so that you can prepare in advance."
Li Xi said, "Very well, then I will wait for Shi Yi's good news."
Gu Shiyi thought for a moment and then said, "I have another request."
Li asked, "Tell me about it?"
Gu Shiyi said, "If Your Highness succeeds, can I handle the matter of Dugu Jingyao and Zheng Wan afterward?"
Li Xi smiled slyly: "If I succeed, they can be left to you to deal with. Just don't go too far, or people will say that I am a foolish and tyrannical ruler who has harmed my brother and sister-in-law."
Gu Shiyi bowed and said, "Your Highness, rest assured, I know what I'm doing."
Li Xi was satisfied and left Yuhetang for Yalan Garden.
Gu Shiyi slumped into her chair. She said that it must be more than just a matter of Li Xi being the first to come to Yuhetang. She just didn't expect it to be so complicated. Well, since she had already agreed, she had to do it. Otherwise, if Li Xi started a rebellion and succeeded, that would be fine, but if they failed, they would all suffer.
Gu Shiyi drank a cup of tea, as if she had made a great decision, and asked Ling'er to find out the whereabouts of her father and brothers.
After making inquiries, she learned that her brother happened to be off today, and her father was not at home. So she asked Ling'er to send someone to prepare some items, and then took Li Yu with her to the Gu residence.
Gu Shiyi's biological mother and brother were naturally happy, but Madam Gu was not so pleased. After all, she hadn't expected that this little slut, Gu Shiyi, would become a princess through such despicable means, and even give birth to the heir of the Prince of Zhao. Most importantly, her brother was promoted, and her status in the Gu family rose accordingly. Now, she had returned to flaunt her power. If it weren't for Lord Gu's upright character, Madam Gu would probably have to abdicate!
However, since they were already there, they had to maintain a proper facade. After some pleasantries, Gu Shiyi's gifts happened to be exactly what Madam Gu wanted, and she treated her with great respect, leaving no room for criticism. So Madam Gu let her off the hook.
The main reason was that Madam Gu didn't want to share a room with Gu Shiyi, so she allowed her to go find her aunt and brother.
Aunt Ye waited anxiously, pacing back and forth. A maidservant beside her advised her not to be impatient, as Gu Shiyi was now a princess and Madam Gu would not dare to do anything to her. Only then did she sit back down.
Not long after they sat down, Gu Shiyi and her brother arrived at Aunt Ye's courtyard. Although Aunt Ye was excited, she did not forget to observe proper etiquette.
Gu Shiyi naturally told Aunt Ye not to bother with such formalities. She chatted with Aunt Ye for a while, then asked Aunt Ye to help take care of Li Yu. She then took the opportunity to find Li Yu's brother.
At first, her brother was unwilling, but later, in order to prevent others from becoming suspicious and to ensure that Gu Shiyi could get what she wanted, he reluctantly agreed not to help either side. This was the maximum he could do. Although he wanted to think about his sister, he couldn't let his brothers suffer because of him.
Seeing that he wouldn't make things difficult for the Li family, Gu Shiyi was able to report back safely. So she got up, asked Ling'er to deliver the message in advance, and then went back inside to chat with Aunt Ye for a while before leaving the Gu residence.