Let Me Go, I’m Not Pregnant - Chapter 5

“Changxin!”

 

Emperor Luo Shen called out to her.

 

Changxin halted her steps and turned around, her eyes filled with reluctance. “General Gu offended Your Majesty. I only wanted to share Your Majesty’s worries!”

 

Emperor Luo Shen sighed.

 

Changxin had entered the palace at a young age and was about the same age as him. Due to her status, she had learned the skills of a palace guard when she was a child. However, he couldn’t bear to see her go down that path, so he removed her from the palace guard and had her learn about the world outside. He treated Changxin like a companion and didn’t want her to get involved in these matters. He had hoped to wait until she grew older and then secure her freedom.

 

Furthermore, Changxin, while skilled, hadn’t had the opportunity to refine her skills in the palace. The person they were dealing with, Gu Xingzhi, had lived in the frontier and honed his abilities for over a decade. While Emperor Luo Shen did want to give Gu Xingzhi a piece of his mind, if they were to fight, Changxin might not fare well against him.

 

“He is an official appointed by the court. We can’t harm him.”

 

Changxin bit her lip, her eyes filled with frustration as she glared at Chang’an.

 

Chang’an blinked in confusion. “Why are you glaring at me?”

 

Changxin couldn’t confront Gu Xingzhi directly, and she couldn’t bring up Emperor Luo Shen’s heartache, so she vented her anger on Chang’an. She angrily asked, “You went to investigate, what did you find out?”

 

Chang’an hesitated, and when Changxin waved the long sword she held, he hurriedly said, “That eunuch was from the Empress Dowager’s palace. After the Empress Dowager passed away, he had been confined in the Cold Palace and hadn’t come out…”

 

At this point, Chang’an couldn’t help but glance at Emperor Luo Shen.

 

When they were younger, Emperor Luo Shen had been deceived by that eunuch into visiting the Empress’s palace, claiming to play with his younger brother. However, the Empress and Luo Shen didn’t pay him any attention, leaving him to play on his own. When it was time, or if he was discovered by the Emperor, the eunuch would take him back.

 

After that incident, the Empress was executed, leaving behind a palace full of servants. At that time, Emperor Luo Shen had been furious but feared that others would discover his secret. He had considered executing them all, but due to the unrest in the border troops at that time, causing turmoil and instability, he refrained from executing too many people, as it would affect the overall situation. Thus, they were all quietly confined to the Cold Palace.

 

In the following years, the sick became ill, and the dead passed away, leaving only a few people in the Cold Palace.

 

Unexpectedly, that eunuch had managed to escape.

 

Chang’an’s expression darkened. “That eunuch took his own life with poison last night.”

 

Emperor Luo Shen’s hand paused for a moment, and he raised his gaze, momentarily bewildered, then cleared his mind and said, “Very well, I understand.”

 

“Your Majesty, I have ordered them to investigate the recent movements and interactions of the Cold Palace’s inhabitants, to find out who helped that eunuch escape. But the former Prime Minister’s family…”

 

During the previous Emperor’s reign, due to the Empress’s incident, the anger had been directed at the Prime Minister, and he had been executed for bribery and corruption. Then a new Prime Minister had been appointed, and everything had gone silent afterward…

 

But there might still be remnants lurking somewhere. If those people are still around, they would undoubtedly have their sights set on Prince Luo Shen. Although they couldn’t locate these remnants yet, there was one thing they could be sure of: those individuals would definitely try to find Luo Ming.

 

Chang’an said, “I’ve already arranged for a few palace guards to watch over Prince Qin. If there’s any news, they will report immediately.”

 

Luo Shen nodded. “Good.”

 

After having a simple meal, Luo Shen felt tired again. Changxin, noticing his exhaustion, promptly brought him some medicinal soup. Her eyes held genuine concern.

 

Luo Shen’s heart warmed at her care. He took the soup and drank it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of white light behind her.

 

Luo Shen: “…”

 

Luo Shen: “…Changxin, promise me, don’t go looking for trouble with Gu Xingzhi, alright?”

 

Changxin’s eyes held a hint of confusion. “Why?”

 

Luo Shen: “He’s an official appointed by the court, and he’s more skilled than you. If you were to be caught…”

 

Before he could finish his sentence, Changxin interrupted him. “Then I’ll end my own life, I promise not to let anyone trace it back to Your Majesty!”

 

Luo Shen’s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively slammed his hand on the table. “Changxin!”

 

Changxin knelt down immediately. “I’m here!”

 

His palm felt slightly numb, and his emotions were running high. He felt a headache coming on, but he forced himself to remain composed. “I… I forbid you from going.”

 

Changxin lowered her head, exposing her fair neck. Her voice sounded a bit aggrieved. “Alright.”

 

Luo Shen let out a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to divert some of his attention to support his aching head, he saw Changxin raise her head, looking perplexed and doubtful.

 

“?” Luo Shen asked, “What’s wrong?” 

 

Then, Changxin, still confused, turned her gaze towards Chang’an. “Chang’an, is your drug not working? Isn’t this the most potent one in the capital?”

 

Luo Shen: “!!!”

 

Luo Shen was in a daze, and it was a complete daze. Right before he lost consciousness, he saw Changxin holding the long sword with a satisfied expression and continuing to polish it.

 

He felt a bit panicked, fearing that Changxin might really seek revenge against Gu Xingzhi. However, the next moment, everything went pitch black, and he lost all consciousness.

 

Chang’an moved the unconscious man back to the bed, checked his breathing, and once he was sure that Luo Shen was asleep, he promptly picked up a longboard from the table and struck Changxin on the head.

 

Startled by the sudden blow, Changxin held the long sword and quickly took three steps back, alert and angry. “Why did you hit me?”

 

“You stole my medicine and dragged me into this?” Chang’an had a splitting headache. He hadn’t expected Changxin to be so stubborn; if she wanted to fight, she would even go after the mastermind behind it.

 

If Luo Shen woke up and found out that Gu Xingzhi had died, there was a good chance that Changxin wouldn’t be able to save her head, and Chang’an’s own head might be in jeopardy too. When there was no one left in the palace who could speak to him, what could be done?

 

Chang’an massaged his temples, feeling that he might as well faint along with Luo Shen.

 

He gave Changxin a stern look and said, “You’re the most cunning one!”

 

Changxin giggled and replied, “If I don’t drag you into this, I might lose my head for real.”

 

Chang’an was furious and said, “If you really harm someone, I won’t be able to protect you. Forget about me; even my own life would be in danger.”

 

Changxin assured him, “Don’t worry, I won’t kill him. He’s an official appointed by the court, and officials can’t be killed.”

 

Chang’an looked at her strangely and asked, “Then why are you cleaning your sword? Are you planning to invite him for a duel?”

 

Changxin suppressed her smile, turned around, and walked toward the door with determination. She said, “Once you serve as the emperor’s person, you’ll be his person for the rest of your life.”

 

Chang’an’s legs trembled as he realized her intentions. He tried to chase after her, but he couldn’t catch up with someone skilled in martial arts. Just as he reached the door, she had already disappeared from his sight.

 

He shouted to the sky in frustration, “Don’t do anything foolish!!!”

 

On the other side, Gu Xingzhi had just walked out of the main hall. After his return to the city, the veteran general had handed over his position to him, saying that he wanted Gu Xingzhi to venture on his own, and he didn’t want to pick up Gu Xingzhi’s mess in the court.

 

However, news always found its way to him, and they had naturally heard about the “young lady” incident. They pulled Gu Xingzhi aside and inquired about it.

 

Gu Xingzhi couldn’t recall much about the other events, but suddenly, he remembered something. He asked the veteran general about a valuable item he had obtained as spoils of war—a scented balm. He wanted to know if the Emperor had given it to someone.

 

The veteran general pondered for a while and finally shook his head. He said, “This item was exceedingly precious, and even the Prince of Qin couldn’t get his hands on it. It was a gift from the late Emperor to the then Crown Prince. As for the current Emperor, I’m not sure. However… there’s a chance it might be related to the Empress.”

 

Naturally, no one would dare to trespass into the royal mausoleum. So, it was highly likely that the person involved was someone close to the Emperor. 

 

Gu Xingzhi emerged from his thoughts and gazed at the bright moon in the sky, his brows slightly furrowing. 

 

Yesterday, when he had asked the Emperor for help in finding that person, the Emperor had indeed appeared affected, and it didn’t seem like he was unaware of the situation. 

 

But the Emperor had agreed to help him locate the person. Could someone with such a deceitful character, capable of tricking others into going to a place like the Tianxi Tower, have done something to that person?

 

A subtle change occurred in his eyes, and he was shaken. He hadn’t expected that his intention to help might have inadvertently harmed someone. He needed to find a way to extract that person from the palace. However…

 

Gu Xingzhi returned to his room and looked at the black-clad person who had been standing there for quite some time, puzzled. “Who are you?”

 

Changxin gazed at him indifferently and replied, “I’m the one sent to capture you.”

 

“Capture me?” Gu Xingzhi chuckled. Apart from being captured a few times when he had just arrived at the border, no one had dared to capture him since then.

 

He asked, “Who sent you?”

 

“Sent?” Changxin’s eyes flared with anger as she unsheathed her sword and pointed it directly at Gu Xingzhi’s neck. “I’m here to make you repay your debts!”

 

“May I ask, Miss, what do I owe you?” Gu Xingzhi was being held at swordpoint, but he still maintained a calm and casual demeanor. With just a brief glance, he had already gauged the other person’s strength.

 

He narrowed his eyes slightly and carefully examined the clothing Changxin had hastily put on. The attire seemed like that of someone from the palace. There was also a lingering scent of medicinal soup.

 

“You harmed someone yesterday, don’t you remember? And yet, you dare to demand someone’s hand in marriage?” Changxin gritted her teeth. “Hmph! Marriage? Have you even considered whether you’re worthy of it?”

 

Gu Xingzhi: “…”

 

He was the son of the Great General of the Nation; how could he not be worthy?

 

However…

 

“Do you know where he is?” he asked.

 

“Hmph,” Changxinsaid, “You’re not worthy to see him. Your presence would defile him!”

 

Gu Xingzhi furrowed his brows, feeling that something was amiss. Had he done something morally wrong without realizing it?

 

He didn’t have the leisure to continue bantering with Changxinand asked, “Are you here to take me to him, or do you want to kill me?”

 

“You’re an official of the court, so I can’t kill you,” Changxinreplied, advancing with her long sheathed sword. “But I can’t take you to see him either, so…”

 

As she spoke, she drew her sword down towards Gu Xingzhi. Gu Xingzhi instinctively moved to the side, but his footsteps suddenly faltered. He looked at Changxin with hesitation.

 

“I know you’re very capable, so I can’t reveal my true self,” Changxinexplained, stepping forward and grabbing the back of Gu Xingzhi’s collar. “That’s why I drugged your food in advance.”

 

It was just right for her to make a quick trip to the palace and return. However, she hadn’t expected the drug to take effect so slowly. When she arrived at the room, Gu Xingzhi still hadn’t lost consciousness, making her wonder if he had collapsed halfway. She had even contemplated whether to cancel the operation.

 

Fortunately, it worked out in the end.

 

Changxin hoisted the unconscious man onto her back and pushed open the door. At the entrance, Lady Gu anxiously gazed at Changxin. “Please be careful. Is everything really going smoothly?”

 

Changxin’s face twitched upon seeing the newcomer. She wasn’t sure how to deal with her, so she put on a stern expression and said, “Madam, as I mentioned before, I’m just taking him out to spar. If you don’t believe me, I can refrain from taking him.”

 

Lady Gu looked at her son, who was carelessly tied up and hanging from Changxin’s back, becoming even more worried. “After the sparring, can you really vent your anger?”

 

Changxin glanced at the rough rope binding Gu Xingzhi, then back at Lady Gu, and replied sincerely, “It depends on his performance.”

 

Lady Gu: “…”

 

“If you keep holding me back, he might wake up,” Changxin warned, and then she took a big step back. Lady Gu’s fingertips trembled, failing to catch Changxin, and in the end, she pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket and gripped it tightly.

 

“Well, you should hurry then. I’ve made all the necessary arrangements, and no one will see.”

 

Changxin finally made her move, swiftly leaving through the back door with Gu Xingzhi on her back.