TLDPCRM 30: Extremely Cunning (Patreon)

Chapter 30: Extremely Cunning


"The prince has arrived at Xuanwu Gate."

The carriage driver at the door crouched down as a makeshift stool for the two to step on. Gu Yunru felt a little embarrassed and simply jumped off from the side. Unfortunately, she underestimated the height of the carriage and almost fell off. Just as she panicked, a big hand reached through her waist and firmly held her to his chest.

Rong Zhen saw her face veil and lifted a corner, but there was no flaw at all. It seemed that this woman had been deceiving him all along, but he was not angry and pretended not to notice.

"Are you okay?"

Gu Yunru lay in his arms, her heart pounding. Looking into his extremely deep eyes, she felt like she was about to lose her breath.

"I...I'm fine, please put me down." Gu Yunru struggled with her feet, not expecting his arms to be so strong. Falling into his embrace, she felt a sense of security.

"Next time, be more careful. If you don't want to step on someone's back, I can have someone prepare a stool for you."

"Oh." Gu Yunru frowned, was this supposed to be a lesson for her?

"After we enter the palace, don't wander around or believe in anyone's words easily. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

Gu Yunru obediently followed behind him, not leaving his side. She couldn't help but raise her eyes to look at the palace. This was likely the only time in her life that she would visit the palace, and being so close to it made her excited and a little dizzy.

It seemed that Rong Zhen had noticed how happy she was, and he cleared his throat and muttered to himself, "She's supposed to be the young miss of the Gu family, but why does she look like she's from the countryside?"

Gu Yunru heard this and became unhappy. She pouted and said, "It's my first time in the palace, you know. I didn't expect it to be so grand."

She looked around eagerly, regretting that she hadn't brought her phone to take pictures.

"Alright, don't act like that. I don't want you to embarrass me," Rong Zhen said.

"Whatever," Gu Yunru said, stopping in her tracks and making a face behind his back.

As they walked, an eunuch in a dark blue robe approached them. From his attire and courteous smile, Gu Yunru could tell that he was a eunuch.

"The servant Xiaoding greets Your Royal Highness, the Prince Zhao. His Majesty has heard that you are here and has already prepared the chessboard in the Yangxin Hall to play a game with the prince," the eunuch said.

Rong Zhen put his hands behind his back and looked back at Gu Yunru, seeming a little uneasy. He then exchanged a few words with the eunuch before leaving.

Gu Yunru breathed a sigh of relief when he was gone. She was finally free to go wherever she wanted, as she had long legs.

"You must be Miss Gu from the Gu family. I've heard about you before," the eunuch said as he led Gu Yunru around.

Gu Yunru imitated Rong Zhen's posture, placing her hands behind her back, and replied seriously, "Yes, that's me."

"Hehe, Xiaoding is my name. Do you have any companions named Xiaozhuo or Xiaoyi?" the eunuch asked.

Gu Yunru raised an eyebrow and said, "I'm just guessing, but yes, do you have brothers named Xiaozhuo and Xiaoyi?"

Xiaoding's eyes widened in surprise. "Miss Gu, you're so smart! How did you know that I have an older brother and a younger brother?"

"I guessed. By the way, where is the Imperial Garden?" Gu Yunru asked.

Gu Yunru wanted to go flower viewing and heard that all the rare and exotic flowers in the world were in the Imperial Garden, and that they never withered.

"Come this way, Miss," said Xiao Dingzi. "The Prince will take you into the palace today. It's quite a novelty, I must say."

"What do you mean?" Gu Yunru asked, puzzled.

"Wangye used to go into the palace alone. It's the first time I've seen a woman with him. The Emperor will be thrilled when he finds out," Xiao Dengzi replied, with a fawning expression.

"I have nothing to do with him, so don't talk nonsense," Gu Yunru said, clearing her throat.

"Of course, how could I dare," Xiao Dingzi said with a smirk. Gu Yunru felt uncomfortable and quickened her pace.

The Yongxin Palace was magnificent. The Emperor and Prince Rong were playing chess. Seeing that Prince Rong's complexion had improved significantly in the past few days, the Emperor smiled and said, "You haven't been in the palace for a long time. You seem much more energetic today, and the sharpness in your eyes has diminished somewhat."

"Your Majesty is joking. Your servant has just had a good night's sleep these few days," Prince Rong replied absent-mindedly, not even noticing that he had lost all his chess pieces.

"You lost again. What's going on today? Are you thinking about someone?" The Emperor laughed. He had heard about the relationship between Prince Rong and Miss Gu, and heard that he had stayed out all night looking for her. When had he ever been so nervous about a person before? The Emperor was increasingly curious about Gu Yunru.

Prince Rong became even more uncomfortable and lowered his head, saying, "Please don't tease me anymore, Your Majesty. I heard that the eldest princess is about to marry to a distant tribe, so today's banquet will surely be lively."

"You know your elder sister's temper. I had to persuade her for a long time," the Emperor said.


"The journey from the border to the capital is long and difficult, so it's not easy to return to the capital again," said Rong Zhen, thinking of his own experience in the border for many years.

"Alright, it's still early for the banquet. Since your heart is not here, go find her," the Emperor said, putting away the chessboard. Rong Zhen was surprised, did he show it so obviously?

"Your Majesty, there is one more thing I must remind you of," Rong Zhen said. He couldn't sleep at night because of the many doubts he had about the assassination attempt.

"I've heard about the assassination attempt. I'll increase the number of guards to ensure your safety and I'll also place spies in the six ministries. I've been on the throne for years without any major turbulence, and if there is any, I'm not afraid," the Emperor said.

Rong Zhen understood and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty knows the greater good. There are some things I don't need to say, and you understand."

The Emperor turned to look at him, about to say something but hesitated. He took a deep breath and said, "Go see the Empress Dowager. You've finally entered the palace, and she must miss you very much."

Everyone knew about the fragile relationship between Rong Zhen and the Empress Dowager, like a glass bottle that could break at any time. It was best that they didn't meet, otherwise both sides would suffer.

"No need, I'm afraid that girl will break the rules of the palace. I'll find her quickly," Rong Zhen avoided the topic and used Gu Yunru as an excuse.

Meanwhile, Gu Yunru, who was walking on the other side, suddenly sneezed. The little stool beside her panicked and asked, "Miss, why do you always wear a veil?"

"Because... it looks good. Don't you know that women on the streets nowadays are full of mystery? They all wear veils when they go out," Gu Yunru said, tightening her veil, afraid that a sneeze would blow it off.

"What happened up ahead? It's so lively," Gu Yunru looked ahead, where many palace servants had gathered at the gate.