The Grand Secretary’s Pampered Wife
Chapter 689.2: Death is Near!

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Gu Jiao went to Gu Yan's room.

Gu Xiaoshun was already sound asleep, but Gu Yan was a light sleeper——or rather, he hadn’t slept at all.

Gu Jiao touched his forehead, "I told you I’d be back."

"Mm." Gu Yan let out a soft nasal sound.

"Go to sleep." Gu Jiao said gently.

The next day, before dawn, Nangong Li was already awake. If it weren't for the fact that it was too late last night and the inner city gates were already closed, he might have rushed to Tianqiong Academy in the middle of the night.

As soon as the southern inner city gates opened, Nangong Li took a carriage and headed out.

Don’t be fooled by Xiao Liulang’s frail scholar appearance; he was as cunning and crafty as Marquis Xuanping. Nangong Li didn’t trust his subordinates to handle this task. He had to kill Xiao Liulang himself!

Nangong Li's carriage arrived near the academy.

The coachman was his trusted guard, disguised so no one could recognize his true identity.

"Go ask around." Nangong Li ordered.

"Yes!"

The trusted guard jumped down the carriage and approached the entrance of Tianqiong Academy. He handed the gatekeeper a string of coins and smiled, saying, "Brother, I’m from Wuyue Academy. My young master greatly admires Young Master Xiao and wishes to get acquainted with him. I’ve come to inquire, has Young Master Xiao Liulang arrived today?"

The gatekeeper accepted the coins and replied, "Young Master Xiao won’t be coming to the academy today. You’ve made this trip for nothing."

The trusted guard was slightly taken aback, then smiled and asked, "May I ask where he’s gone?"

The gatekeeper replied, "He’s gone to the imperial palace to meet the Emperor!"

The guard was shocked, "W-what? To meet the Emperor?"

"Is this true?" Nangong Li, sitting in the carriage and listening to the report from his guard, furrowed his brows. "Why would he go meet the Emperor? The Emperor wouldn’t casually agree to meet someone from a lower state."

The trusted guard explained, "That gatekeeper mentioned it seemed to be due to the polo tournament. They lost, but Canaan Academy exchanged their prize with them. Canaan Academy took the ten thousand taels of gold, while they got the privilege to enter the imperial palace and meet the Emperor."

If Xiao Liulang had gone elsewhere, Nangong Li could have waited for his return.

But Xiao Liulang had gone to the imperial palace to meet the Emperor.

Nangong Li gritted his teeth. "We can't let him meet the Emperor! Return to the inner city!"

……

Inside a luxurious carriage heading to the inner city, Mu Qingchen and the other four members of Tianqiong Academy's polo team were all present.

Mu Chuan rubbed his still aching forehead and asked in confusion, "Liulang, didn’t you say you didn’t want to enter the imperial palace? Why did you change your mind?"

"Oh." Gu Jiao lowered her gaze and looked at her hands. "I thought about it, and entering the imperial palace doesn’t seem so bad after all."

Nangong Li, if you want to kill me, then come to the imperial palace and do it!

At the same time, the trusted guard tried to dissuade Nangong Li inside the carriage, "General! That's the imperial palace! We can't act recklessly! Let's come back another day? Or, perhaps, wait until he comes out!"

Nangong Li let out a cold snort, "Wait for him to come out? Do you not know who he's meeting today?"

The trusted guard replied, "Th-this subordinate knows, it’s His Majesty the Emperor."

Nangong Li said in frustration, "If Xiao Liulang tells the Emperor about us hunting him down all these years, neither you nor I will live to see tomorrow morning!"

The trusted guard said, "The Emperor might not even believe him!"

Nangong Li responded coldly, "What if the Emperor does? In this world, you can guess anyone's thoughts, but when it comes to our State of Yan’s Emperor, you'll never figure out what he's thinking. His actions are strange, with no rhyme or reason. Some say he’s cruel, yet he can ignore a wild child from the countryside urinating on his shoes. It sounds unbelievable, but I witnessed it with my own eyes."

The trusted guard was dumbfounded.

Nangong Li continued, "However, if you think the Emperor is merciful towards children because of this, then remember he also personally ordered the execution of a young shepherd boy."

The trusted guard was left completely speechless.

There were many rumors about the Emperor, but they had always been hearsay and few dared to fully believe them. He never expected his own general to have witnessed such madness from the Emperor firsthand.

No wonder the common folk have another name for the Emperor——Mad Emperor.

Nangong Li said, "Now do you understand why I can't take that risk? Even if Xiao Liulang has just a slim chance of convincing the Emperor, I can't gamble my life and future on that possibility."

The trusted guard cupped his hand in respect, "I understand now, General. Since this mission is dangerous, let this subordinate be the one to assassinate him!"

"Dangerous?" Nangong Li smiled meaningfully, "Xiao Liulang went through all this trouble just to meet the Emperor. But does he think this guarantees his safety? He’ll soon realize that killing him inside the imperial palace is a hundred times easier than doing it outside!"

......

The carriage swayed as it entered the inner city.

The farthest Gu Jiao had ever walked in the inner city was to the Canglan Women’s Academy. Beyond that, she had never ventured, so she didn’t know what it was like.

Along the way, she made no effort to conceal her curiosity. She pulled open the curtain and openly observed her surroundings.

In fact, except for Mu Chuan, none of the others had ever been to the imperial palace, so they were all quite curious as well.

Mu Chuan was more than happy to play the guide for them. He pointed to the shops along the road, introducing which ones had the best candied fruits and which ones had overly greasy pork hocks.

"We've arrived at Changyang Street." After the carriage turned east, Mu Chuan became a little excited, "One more turn and we'll be at the Great Yan Gate!"

Although he had been to the imperial palace before, the experience of going with his family and friends felt completely different.

Teacher Wu, who was in the carriage ahead, appeared calm, but in reality, he was also eavesdropping with pricked ears. After all, it was his first time entering the imperial palace too!

"What is the Great Yan Gate?" Gu Jiao asked.

Mu Chuan explained with pride, "You’re from the State of Zhao, so you wouldn’t know. Our State of Yan’s imperial palace has five gates. The first is the Palace Entry Gate, followed by the Heavenly Mandate Gate, Upright Gate, Meridian Gate, and finally the Supreme Harmony Gate. We’re headed to the imperial audience hall, the Jinluan Hall, one of the three main halls behind the Meridian Gate. It was originally called the Taihe Hall, but its name was changed later."

Truly worthy of being a superior kingdom——its imperial palace had several more gates than the State of Zhao’s imperial palace.

Carriages were not allowed to travel too fast near the imperial palace, so they took about a quarter of an hour to reach the Palace Entry Gate.

Today's audience with the Emperor was a prearranged event, so a eunuch in his thirties was already waiting outside the gate.

Seeing the carriage stop, he approached with a beaming smile and asked, "Are you the teacher and students from Tianqiong Academy?"

Teacher Wu lifted the curtain, got off the carriage, cupped his hands politely, and answered, "I am Wu Cheng from Tianqiong Academy."

The eunuch, with a friendly expression, said, "Ah, so you're Teacher Wu. I've heard much about you. I am surnamed Li. Teacher Wu can call me Li Sande."

Teacher Wu, not taking the eunuch's courtesy for granted, smiled and cupped his hands again, "So it's Eunuch Li."

Li Sande smiled even more brightly, "Then please, Teacher Wu and several young masters, step down from the carriage. I will lead you into the imperial palace."

Gu Jiao and her group dismounted from the carriage.

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, replaces 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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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 replace 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—”

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Jiang Baiyan: ...?

He hasn't finished his lines yet though…