The Transmigrated Princess - Chapter 27

The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Xie Zhili turned around to see Gu Qing clad in silver armor, faintly stained with blood so much so that one could almost smell the metallic tang of it. Her waist-length hair was tied into a high ponytail, giving her a heroic and valiant appearance. She held a longsword in her hand, its silver blade reflecting dazzling light. Her gaze was sharp as fire, her lips curled into a smirk, exuding an aura of fearless grace. Though a woman, she was no less formidable than any man.

Behind her stood a troop of soldiers, tall and imposing, lined up in two rows, their presence as mighty as mountains and rivers.

The fact that Gu Qing could appear in the imperial study like this, coupled with the blood on her armor, made Xie Zhili realize in an instant that something was terribly wrong. He immediately moved to seize the emperor, and the Grand Tutor did the same.

However, the moment they made a move, the two soldiers who had previously obeyed Xie Zhili’s commands swiftly retreated, dragging the emperor and Eunuch Li with them.

Xie Zhili met the soldiers’ eyes and inwardly cursed this was bad!

The Imperial Guard commander drew his sword and hurriedly positioned himself in front of the Grand Tutor. “Men! Escort the Grand Tutor out!”

Almost instantly, several shadow guards leaped down from the roof, surrounding the Grand Tutor. Xie Zhili glanced at Gu Qing blocking the doorway, the Imperial Guard commander encircling the Grand Tutor, and the soldiers protecting the emperor and Eunuch Li. His eyes reddened with fury. “What are you doing?! I am the prince no, I am the emperor! I am the one you should be protecting!”

But the Imperial Guard commander and the shadow guards were the Grand Tutor’s men. In such a critical moment, who would care about him?

In this situation, he was practically a discarded pawn.

The Grand Tutor glanced at the soldier protecting the emperor, then at Gu Qing and the troops behind her, and quickly issued an order. “Seize the emperor!”

Gu Qing had already surrounded the imperial study. To escape safely now, capturing the emperor was their only chance of survival.

The shadow guards obeyed, leaving two to protect the Grand Tutor while the other two brandished their swords and charged at the emperor. But the soldier guarding him was no pushover, swiftly countering their attacks.

Gu Qing’s eyes flashed coldly as she raised her sword to intercept the shadow guards. The soldier, catching her signal, immediately retreated with the emperor, leaving Gu Qing to deal with the two assailants. In the flurry of blades and shadows, blood spilled from slit throats, staining her silver sword crimson. The scarlet liquid dripped from the blade onto the floor as the two shadow guards fell one after another.

Once the emperor’s safety was confirmed, Gu Qing raised her hand and commanded, “Capture the Grand Tutor and the Sixth Prince alive!”

With only two shadow guards and the Imperial Guard commander left by the Grand Tutor’s side, and the outside forces already cleared out, the situation was like catching turtles in a jar effortless. Soon, both men were apprehended.

Seeing the Sixth Prince and the Grand Tutor captured, the emperor knew his life was no longer in danger. A wave of relief washed over him, but the moment his tense nerves relaxed, a splitting headache struck, followed by darkness before his eyes.

When the emperor awoke, he saw Consort Shu sitting by his bedside. Her usually immaculate makeup was now replaced by a weary pallor, and the simple dress she wore reminded him of the ethereal beauty she had been twenty years ago.

The moment she noticed he was awake, Consort Shu leaned in closer. “Your Majesty, you’re finally awake.”

The emperor’s voice was hoarse as he spoke. “How long have I been unconscious?”

Consort Shu quickly motioned for Su Ye to bring a cup of tea to moisten the emperor’s throat. Only after ensuring he drank and felt somewhat better did she reply, “You’ve been asleep for a full day and night. The children have been terribly worried about you.”

At the mention of his child, the emperor immediately recalled what had happened before he fainted, and anger surged within him. “Where is that unfilial son?!”

Seeing the emperor question Xie Zhili, Consort Shu lowered her head, a faint smirk curling at the corners of her lips. “General Gu has already thrown him into the dungeon, awaiting Your Majesty’s decision upon waking.”

Her words redirected the emperor’s thoughts to Gu Qing, the valiant young woman who had led her troops in bloodstained armor, her heroic bearing undeniable.

Remembering how he had repeatedly opposed her marriage to Xie Zhixing, yet it was she who had saved him, the emperor felt a twinge of guilt. “Summon her to the palace.”

Since the rescue, Gu Qing had remained at the Gu residence, awaiting the emperor’s summons.

Xie Zhixing was equally anxious, torn between her worries over their situation and her genuine concern for the emperor’s well-being.

Though he had always stood in the way of her and Gu Qing, he was still her father, the man who had doted on her since childhood, second only to her aunt, Gu Qing, and Xie Zhibai in closeness.

She had already spent the previous night tending to the emperor at his bedside. Her aunt, fearing she would exhaust herself, had insisted she rest in a side chamber of the Qianqing Palace.

The moment Gu Qing entered the palace, a maid serving Consort Shu hurried to inform Xie Zhixing, urging her to prepare.

“Your humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty!”

The emperor looked at Gu Qing kneeling by his bedside. Clad in dazzling red robes as striking as they had been two years ago, her back straight and unyielding, she was a woman who had risen from nothing to the rank of deputy general in just two years, earning illustrious military achievements on the battlefield and ascending to the position of general.

Upon learning that Gu Qing was Deputy General Gu, the emperor had thoroughly investigated her. Though she was the granddaughter of the Guardian General, every rank and honor she held in the military had been earned through her own merit.

“You have rendered great service in rescuing Us. What reward do you desire?” The emperor had already decided that, in light of her deed, he could reluctantly promote her to the rank of grand general, a position no woman had ever held in history. If she sought a noble title, that too could be considered. “Think carefully. The merit of saving the throne could earn you titles and ranks. We would not deny you that. But do not presume to ask for what you should not.”

Gu Qing raised her eyes, her gaze resolute. “Other than her, I seek nothing else.”

For a moment, the emperor was unsure whether to be pleased or angered. On one hand, Gu Qing’s unwavering stance proved the depth of her feelings for Xie Zhixing. As a father, seeing someone love his daughter so deeply naturally brought him joy.

Yet on the other hand, he found her ungrateful. He had dangled the temptations of rank and title, all but spelling it out, yet she remained stubbornly unyielding!

Gu Qing lifted her head, confronting the emperor directly for the first time on this matter. “Your Majesty, though I am a woman, I believe myself inferior to no man. And I am confident that no man in this world could treat Zhixing better than I not even you.”

Her words left the emperor silent.

Because he knew she spoke the truth. Even he could not have done for Xie Zhixing what Gu Qing had.

Perhaps it was due to her act of saving him, but the emperor began to reflect had he truly been wrong?

“Leave Us for now. We need to think further on this.”

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