A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

He Jinglan was quite satisfied. Now that Mu Nanzhao had already put the situation under control, she could go to the inner palace with peace of mind.

Although I'm not close to my cousin, I still have to go through the motions.

Gu Xixi followed the young eunuch and continued walking eastward.

The young eunuch led the way, occasionally turning back to check if Gu Xixi was keeping up.

After this happened several times, the little eunuch noticed that Gu Xixi was looking at him, and he felt both shy and apprehensive.

He thought for a moment and then said, "This is Mr. Gu's first time entering the palace. You can ask this servant any questions you may have."

"I will tell you everything that this servant knows."

"And... it won't reach a third person's ears."

Gu Xixi was waiting for these words. She smiled and chatted casually, "May I ask your name, Father-in-law? Your accent doesn't sound like that of a northerner."

The young eunuch was taken aback.

Unlike the eunuchs who served the emperor closely, he only served outside the imperial study and had not yet had the opportunity to appear before the emperor.

Those who usually frequented the palace were either rich or noble; who would care what a lowly eunuch was called?

The young eunuch habitually lowered his head and looked down, but his eyes were bright.

"Originally surnamed Yan, he was from Lingjiang in Jiangnan."

"I just ended up in the inner court. I dare not use my original surname to disgrace my ancestors. My current name was given to me by my godfather. It is Jingdong."

Jingdong? That name...

Gu Xixi suppressed her smile and asked, "Who is your godfather? Oh, if it's inconvenient to say, then never mind."

Jing Dong smiled, his eyes somewhat dim, "My godfather was the Grand Eunuch by the side of the late Emperor."

"The late emperor has passed away, and my godfather loyally died for his master..."

Gu Xixi sized up Jing Dong's expression and thought to herself, "No wonder they sent him to do this job that requires a lot of physical labor but doesn't pay well."

The godfather is the former manager, and the current manager may not take care of him. He might even be sidelined out of fear.

Jingdong seemed lost in thought, as if remembering something.

As they turned the corner, Gu Xixi suddenly asked, "Besides your duties at the palace, did anyone else instruct you to come pick me up?"

Jingdong was startled and hurriedly looked around.

After confirming that no one was around, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Yes."

Gu Xixi looked at Jing Dong with some sympathy and sighed, "So he really was threatened."

She continued walking and said, "Actually, you don't need to be too afraid."

“You haven’t done anything to wrong me, and I won’t make up stories to complain to him.”

“Besides…” Gu Xixi’s eyes flickered, and she said, “The man I know is definitely not the kind of person who treats others like dirt and abuses his power.”

Jing Dong paused for a moment, then hurriedly waved his hands, "No, no, Boss Gu has misunderstood!"

"Your Highness did not threaten this servant, yes, yes..."

He stammered, clearly having something difficult to say.

Gu Xixi said seriously, "I understand what you mean. As for the reasons... this is not the place to talk about it, so I won't go into them."

Ahead lies the last path leading to the Imperial Study.

Jing Dong glanced at Gu Xixi with some gratitude, then suppressed his extra expression and, as always, focused on leading the way with a blank face.

No one would notice anything amiss if they encountered it.

Just then, several ministers came out of the Imperial Study.

Jing Dong immediately blocked Gu Xixi and stepped back to the side of the main hall.

Because Jing Dong was standing in front, and the pillars and shadows blocked his view, none of the passing ministers noticed Gu Xixi's presence.

Gu Xixi glanced at Jing Dong secretly and gained a new understanding of this little eunuch.

When we first met, he seemed timid and hesitant.

But looking at it now, it exudes a kind of composure born of skill and daring.

Jing Dong watched the group walk away, then nodded slightly to Gu Xixi, signaling her to follow.

The two then walked to the front of the main hall.

Jingdong stepped forward and said a few words to one of the eunuchs.

The eunuch glanced at Gu Xixi from a distance and quickly entered the hall.

Gu Xixi saw the relaxed smile on Jing Dong's face as he walked over, and knew that she would be able to meet the emperor soon.

She took a deep breath and focused all her attention.

Jing Dong smiled and said, "Mr. Gu, please wait here for the summons."

Gu Xixi nodded, "Thank you, Eunuch Jing."

Jing Dong bowed and slowly retreated.

While waiting, Gu Xixi carefully examined everything within her sight to keep herself alert.

But just as she saw the fifth window on the west side, she heard the door open.

At the same time, the eunuch announced in his distinctive voice: "Summon! The daughter of the Gu family, a local gentry family in Qingtian County, Northwest China, is here to pay her respects!"

This was the first time Gu Xixi had ever heard herself addressed in such a long way.

She lowered her head and stepped forward to answer, "I am Gu, a commoner."

The eunuch glanced at her and said, "Please come in with me, young lady."

Gu Xixi thanked the eunuch and followed him inside.

She walked slowly, glancing down at the ground as she stepped over the threshold, her feet resting on the vine-covered carpet, always keeping a distance of three steps from the eunuch in front of her.

This is the etiquette training He Jinglan conducted overnight last night.

Fortunately, Gu Xixi learned quickly, and today's on-the-spot practice allowed her to perform normally.

Seeing the eunuch in front of her stop, Gu Xixi also stopped. Glancing upwards out of the corner of her eye, she saw the bright yellow figure and immediately knelt down to pay her respects.

"This humble woman, Gu, greets Your Majesty."

The emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, speaking in a kind tone, "No need for formalities."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Gu Xixi breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and still kept her head down.

As a soul from the modern world, she was naturally unaccustomed to this way of meeting.

But there was no other way; under imperial power, not bowing down meant certain death.

She could only tell herself to do as the Romans do.

Then the emperor said, "Give Miss Gu a seat."

Soon, two eunuchs quickly brought over a chair and placed it next to Gu Xixi.

Gu Xixi thanked him again, and only looked up when she sat down.

She saw Mu Nanzhao sitting right opposite her.

However, Mu Nanzhao did not look at Gu Xixi; he remained indifferent, seemingly lost in thought.

The Emperor smiled and said, “Miss Gu, there’s no need to be so formal. You are an old friend of the Regent and also acquainted with Minister Huo. You are not an outsider. Today, it’s just the three of us here. Let’s just treat this as a casual reunion.”

Gu Xixi sighed inwardly; the emperor was clearly targeting her.

This shows that he knows everything, so don't try to hide anything when we ask him questions later.

However, since the emperor said it was just a casual reminiscing,

Gu Xixi looked up frankly and replied, "Yes!"

The emperor began to chat casually, but in reality, he was throwing out one question after another.

Among the most important questions are: What were the circumstances of Mu Nanzhao's poisoning? How was he detoxified?

How did Huo Jiang find Gu Xixi? Who first proposed reclaiming land on the northwestern border?

Gu Xixi answered truthfully.

Because she hadn't rehearsed her lines with Mu Nanzhao beforehand, her reaction seemed even more genuine.

The emperor seemed quite satisfied and said with a smile, "To have the soldiers cultivate the land in their spare time to replenish the army's food supplies is such a brilliant idea. When Minister Huo first said that it was proposed by a peasant woman, I thought he was joking."

"Having met you in person yesterday, I was impressed by your courage, resourcefulness, and quick thinking. It's no surprise that you have so many skills."

Gu Xixi knew the emperor was still probing her, so she simply looked directly at him without flinching.

"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. I am unworthy of such praise."

The questions just now seemed to be nothing more than gossip about the past.

In reality, any question that is not answered well can turn into a fatal question.