Meanwhile, in Consort De's palace.
"Clang—crash!"
With a violent sweep of her hand, Consort De sent a fine tea set shattering against the floor. Scalding water and tea leaves sprayed everywhere.
"Fine, just fine!"
With a face dark with rage, Consort De paced the room. "That vixen Empress did this on purpose! She used her status to humiliate me, shooting down everything I said. She's just jealous that our Gu family is rising lately, so she egged on that idiot Princess Zhaoyang to start this mess."
"And the Emperor used it as an excuse to pressure us!"
With a mix of anger and anxiety, she turned to Gu Qingyu. "Qingyu, you said that slave named A Nu would be useful later. What did you mean by that?"
Gu Chengyang looked confused. "Sister, A Nu is just a slave I bought from the arena. He's a mute. How could he be useful?"
With a sharp glare, Consort De snapped at him. "Shut up! If it weren't for you, A Nu would still be at our manor and we wouldn't have annoyed the Emperor today. From now on, you stay quiet. Stop bothering Princess Zhaoyang. If you cause any more trouble for the Gu family, don't expect me to look out for you just because you're my nephew."
With a shrunken neck, Gu Chengyang didn't dare speak again. "Yes, Aunt. I understand."
He was fuming inside, though. He'd taken a beating for nothing, and that runaway slave was right there in Prince Duan's Manor. If the Emperor hadn't played favorites...
Consort De ignored his grumbling and looked back at her niece. "The Emperor didn't punish your brother today probably because you saved his life at the hunting grounds. Otherwise, the officials would be attacking the Gu family right now for that fight at the manor gates."
Gu Qingyu lowered her head. She thought of how Princess Zhaoyang had acted so brazenly before the Emperor and Empress.
In her past life, Princess Zhaoyang was the one who took the arrow for the Emperor. Gu Qingyu was the one kicked by a donkey and lost her memory. The Princess had been showered with rewards, even receiving a Death-Exemption Gold Plaque. But the amnesiac Gu Qingyu had forgotten her true love and ended up married to that hypocrite from the Chen family.
Two weeks ago at the royal hunting grounds, she had lured Princess Zhaoyang toward the path with the wild donkey and saved the Emperor herself. Yet, she only received the title of County Lady. Meanwhile, the amnesiac Princess Zhaoyang was still pampered and loved.
With a darkening look in her eyes, she thought that since heaven gave her a second chance, she wouldn't let that useless Princess have anything. She would take it all and pay back everyone who had wronged her.
"Qingyu, what's wrong?" Consort De asked with a frown.
The girl had been staring at the floor. Was she scared by the Emperor?
With an apologetic look, Gu Qingyu looked up. "Sorry, Aunt. I was lost in thought. What were you saying?"
Consort De glanced at Gu Chengyang and sent him home before continuing.
"Qingyu, how exactly is that A Nu useful?"
With her eyelids lowered to hide her thoughts, Gu Qingyu replied, "I'm not entirely sure, but I have a feeling. My instincts haven't been wrong lately, Aunt. A Nu was our servant. I wanted to get him back from Prince Duan's Manor and treat him well. If he really is destined for greatness, he could become a powerful ally for my cousin."
She remembered how A Nu had escaped her brother in her last life. Years later, he became the invincible general under General Qin, winning every battle and earning the Emperor's highest favor. If her brother had treated him well instead of humiliating him, the Gu family wouldn't have fallen.
Consort De grew anxious at the thought of helping her son. "A Nu is with Princess Zhaoyang now. We might need your older brother to step in, but he hates her so much..."
"Aunt, even if he hates it, I'm sure he'll find a way to get A Nu back for the sake of my cousin."
"Your brother is sacrificing a lot," Consort De said with a look of relief. But she still worried. "I heard the Princess lost her memory. Will she even remember him?"
Gu Qingyu wasn't sure. "She loved him so much. I doubt she'd forget him just like that."
In her past life, she had forgotten her love for General Qin after losing her memory. But when he returned from the border years later, her heart raced again, and her memories came flooding back.
With the A Nu issue settled, Consort De relaxed slightly, but her anger toward the Emperor remained.
"As long as the Crown Prince is around, the Empress's position is unshakable," she spat.
"Aunt, be careful. Walls have ears."
Gu Qingyu leaned in close. "The Crown Prince has always been sickly. I heard the doctors say he won't live long. Instead of focusing on the Empress, why not look elsewhere?"
She remembered the Crown Prince dying in three years. The Empress died shortly after from grief. The Crown Princess sent the young grandson to the palace to be raised by the Emperor. That child rarely spoke and stayed locked in his room. Everyone ignored him. Yet, after the Emperor died, that ignored child was the one who took the throne.
She looked at Consort De. "The Crown Prince is weak, but he has a healthy son."
Consort De paused, her fingers tightening on her tea cup.
With a dismissive scoff, she said, "That little grandson? He has that strange illness. He's as silent as a block of wood. What use is he?"
"What if he gets better when he grows up?" Gu Qingyu asked quietly.
With a darkening expression, Consort De stared at the palace pillars for a long time. She realized that even the smallest threat could become fatal if allowed to grow. With a cruel glint in her eyes, her thoughts turned cold.