Chapter 488.1: Black-Bellied JiaoJiao
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S T E L L A R C L O U D
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O R A N G E S T A R
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R A I N B O W S T A R
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T H E S U N
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[Michelle K.] [onepiece] [Scorpion Princess] [Smurfinbatik] [Sophia W.] [Sweetlove]
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Gu Jiao never expected to encounter Tang Yueshan, who had been missing for several days, here.
So, was the owner of that cabin actually Tang Yueshan?
Was the reason why the remnants of the previous dynasty and the State of Chen's army couldn't find him because he was hiding deep in this forest?
In just an instant, Gu Jiao's eyes were filled with numerous questions, including whether Tang Yueshan had recognized her.
Gu Jiao was still wearing the night clothes from the previous day and had a mask on her face. Due to the hurried galloping, the peacock feather on the mask was blown away by the cold wind, leaving only a bare silver mask.
Tang Yueshan stared at this mask for more than ten seconds, or at least that was how long Gu Jiao counted in her mind.
Gu Jiao's first thought was that he recognized her.
Then she recalled something, and thought to herself again that he might as well recognized “her”.
That's right.
Tang Yueshan didn't recognize Gu Jiao as Empress Dowager Zhuang’s beloved Marquis Estate's daughter, but he thought of the little assassin who had once infiltrated the Supreme Commander Estate and left Tang Ming crippled!
Tang Yueshan had never formally engaged with that little assassin, but when Gu Jiao appeared in front of him like this, his first instinct was to think of the night when Tang Ming was tormented!
This was a father's instinct when encountering the perpetrator.
Gu Jiao admitted that after taking revenge on Tang Ming at the Supreme Commander Estate, she hadn’t come face to face with Tang Yueshan at such close range.
They might have seen each other from afar, but she was in women's clothing, revealing the birthmark on her left cheek.
It was very difficult for someone to connect her to the assassin of that night, not to mention that this assassin, along with Gu Chengfeng, her accomplice, had "died" in the hands of Empress Dowager Zhuang.
Tang Yueshan had no further reason to suspect her.
But lies were still lies, and they couldn't overcome a father's instinct.
Just by looking at Tang Yueshan's eyes, Gu Jiao understood that he recognized her as the little assassin from that night.
That was why Gu Jiao said he might as well recognize “her”. If he had recognized her as the Marquis Estate's daughter instead, it meant he didn't have that intuition regarding the assassins.
The atmosphere between the two suddenly became tense.
In that moment, not only did Gu Jiao's mind race with countless thoughts, but Tang Yueshan also considered many things.
He had personally witnessed Eunuch Qin, Empress Dowager Zhuang's trusted eunuch, taking the two assassins into the woods for execution.
Afterwards, Eunuch Qin had come to report that the assassins had been put to death.
He hadn't gone to inspect the bodies because he trusted Empress Dowager Zhuang. He didn't believe she would cover up for two assassins who had caused trouble in the Supreme Commander Estate.
He was, after all, Empress Dowager Zhuang's trusted official, and he simply wanted those two assassins dead. For what reason would Empress Dowager Zhuang go so far as to fake their death and trick him?
But now, this little assassin appeared alive right before his eyes!
Except for the mask, everything else was the same!
The figure, demeanor, gaze, and clothing...
Gu Jiao: What a dog luck to be wearing night clothes again at this moment...
Tang Yueshan understood everything.
That night, Empress Dowager Zhuang hadn't actually killed those two assassins. She had deliberately had Eunuch Qin take them into the woods for an "execution," with the sole purpose of putting on a show for him!
Since he didn't know what they looked like, they could continue to live openly in this world.
His poor Tang Ming had suffered so much, and yet the culprits were still at large!
Why?
Why did the Empress Dowager lie to him?
If this matter was all a lie, then what about the other things the Empress Dowager had told him... How much of it was a lie?
Empress Dowager had said that someone wanted to sow discord between the Supreme Commander Estate and Marquis Ding'an Estate, so they separately drugged Gu Changqing and Tang Ming, leading to Tang Ming's mistreatment of Gu Yan and Gu Changqing dealing a severe injury to Tang Ming.
The Empress Dowager had also said that the mastermind behind this was Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing, who was connected to the remnants of the previous dynasty.
In order not to let close ones suffer and enemies thrive, he had spared Gu Changqing. He had buried the hatchet with Gu Chao, and he had come here with ten thousand soldiers and a thousand archers to seek revenge for Tang Ming. But what was the result?
It was all Empress Dowager telling him lies!
Before him stood the assassin that the Empress Dowager had supposedly executed!
Empress Dowager Zhuang did indeed lie to Tang Yueshan, but only partially. For example, Tang Ming and Gu Changqing were not drugged, and Tang Ming truly intended to mistreat Gu Yan, while Gu Changqing genuinely aimed to destroy Tang Ming in the military arena.
However, regarding Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing being connected to the remnants of the previous dynasty and her attempt to sow discord between Tang Yueshan and Marquis Ding'an Estate, every word spoken by Empress Dowager Zhuang was genuine and not a falsehood.
But the moment a person told even one lie, their entire trustworthiness was cast into doubt.
Tang Yueshan's mind was filled with countless doubts and raging anger. He hadn't personally witnessed Tang Ming mistreating Gu Yan, and though Tang Ming's servant had admitted to it, what if the servant had been bribed by Empress Dowager?
On the other hand, he had personally witnessed Gu Changqing injuring Tang Ming in the military arena, as well as this little assassin turning Tang Ming into a cripple!
And yet, Empress Dowager Zhuang had protected them!
Empress Dowager Zhuang... Empress Dowager Zhuang was no different from them!
They were all the perpetrators who had harmed Tang Ming!!!
"Who are you?!"
Tang Yueshan's eyes erupted with a murderous intent that could annihilate the world!
He had originally been holding the prey he caught, but now he didn't care about it anymore. He threw it aside and reached out directly to strangle Gu Jiao's throat!
Gu Jiao wouldn't just surrender. She used a dead branch to block his hand, but she hadn't anticipated that this guy had iron-like strength; he pierced right through the branch.
Tang Yueshan had been appointed as the Supreme Commander of the military not only because of Empress Dowager Zhuang's favor and support but also due to his formidable abilities. His internal strength was profound, not weaker than the Emperor's Dragon Shadow Guards in the slightest.
Gu Jiao had been busy for a day and night, and her physical strength was already depleted. She was unable to withstand this blow.
However, at this critical moment, there suddenly came the sound of soldiers conversing in the woods.
"Leader! There's a small cabin over there!"
"Let's go and check it out!"
It was the army of the remnants of the previous dynasty!
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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