Male Lead Is Always That Heartless

Chapter 31

Unaware that she has been categorized as the ‘vixen,’ Gu Yi returned to the Heluo Hall, thinking she could take a breather. But in the afternoon, the entire Heluo Hall was full of visitors. Once Lady of Fairness Wang left, others came after her. Even Beauty Zhou and Beauty Chen, who usually had little contact with her, came to Heluo Hall to greet her.

Despite tiredness in her heart, Gu Yi had to deal with it energetically. The concubines came to greet her and talk in circles. Still, in the end, they only wanted to know how the emperor conferred Talent Lady Zhao in Wu Shan Palace, why she stayed in the Heluo Hall, and whether Lady of Fairness Gong or Gu Yi had angered the emperor. Perhaps Lady of Fairness Gong relied on this servant girl to fight for a favor, but she reaped the benefit instead.

Blah, blah, blah.

Gu Yi smiled and snorted, “His Majesty may have taken a liking to Talent Lady Zhao. Aside from that, I don’t know. Why don’t we go ask His Majesty?”

Only after sending Beauty Chen away did Gu Yi have time to rest.

“When will the hotpot for the evening meal be delivered?”

Tao Jia: “Someone has already been sent to the dining room to pick up the meal. I think it will arrive in a few moments.”

Gu Yi smiled, “Nice. Have the game regulations sent by Consort De given to Talent Lady Zhao?”

Tao Jia nodded, “As soon as it arrived, someone sent it to Talent Lady Zhao. You were talking to the Beauties, so I didn’t report it. Talent Lady Zhao flipped through the game regulations and went to the Shanggong Bureau to find palace staff good at making balls and sticks.”

Gu Yi reminded Tao Jia, “You are familiar with the personnel in the palace. Help Talent Lady Zhao to prepare for the games.”

Seeing Tao Jia want to argue, Gu Yi interrupted, “This is Consort De and Heluo Hall’s task. If something goes wrong and others take advantage of it, it will be bad.”

At that time, everyone will be a scapegoat!

Tao Jia beamed, “I understand!”

“Noble Lady Gu, you’re just throwing it like this?”

It was Xiao Yan’s voice.

Gu Yi turned back to look; it was indeed Xiao Yan. She quickly swept over the palace staff outside the hall. They were already kneeling on the ground, but there was no report, and she didn’t know how long Xiao Yan had been standing outside the hall.

She bowed and said, “Greetings, Your Majesty.”

Xiao Yan raised his hand, signaling her to get up, and his gaze fell on the two remnants of tea lying on the table.

Gu Yi explained, “Beauty Chen came here to catch up with me and left not long ago.”

Xiao Yan said an “oh” and lifted his robe to take his seat.

Gu Yi did not know why Xiao Yan came at this hour. Did he want to meet Zhao Wan and stop by to see her?

Xiao Yan saw Gu Yi standing still, “Noble Lady Gu has not returned to your hall for a long time. Is Heluo Hall not even willing to serve a cup of tea?”

Gu Yi returned to her senses and looked at Tao Jia.

Tao Jia immediately bowed: “Your Majesty, forgive me. I’ll ask someone to serve tea.”

“Your Majesty, I’m sorry.”

After Gu Yi said this, she paused and asked, “Your Majesty, do you have something to order me?”

Xiao Yan frowned slightly, not knowing why her tone was so distant today. A few displeasure points arose in his heart: “What, Noble Lady Gu, if I have nothing to do, I can’t come to the Heluo Hall?”

Gu Yi was abashed and laughed dryly, “Your Majesty, what kind of words are these? I look forward to Your Majesty coming all day long!”

Xiao Yan’s expression eased a bit, “Glib-tongue.”

Raising his eyes, he saw she was still standing straight in front of the table, not sitting down. In his heart, he suddenly remembered the time he admonished her at Wu Shan Palace. He slowly said, “Sit down.”

After Gu Yi took her seat, she respectfully said, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for giving me a seat.”

When Xiao Yan heard the words, his eyebrows jumped. An unknown annoyance roamed his heart, and he raised his eyes and said, “Gu Yi…”

Gu Yi waited quietly for the following words, to no avail.

“Your Majesty?”

Finish your sentence!

Instead, Xiao Yan said, “Have you ordered your dinner?”

Gu Yi nodded, “I ordered beef hotpot today.”

The two were silent for a moment.

Gu Yi couldn’t figure out if he would find the female lead, but Xiao Yan’s expression of staring and silence was a bit scary, so she hesitantly asked, “Your Majesty, do you want to stay for dinner?”

Xiao Yan listened to her reluctant and careful tone, and the unhappiness in his heart grew.

Gu Yi, how do I usually treat you? I only admonished you once, and you are so afraid of me? Moreover, what I grant you is what you ask for.

Xiao Yan did not say a word, got up, and whisked his sleeve away.

Gu Yi was at a loss.

Tao Jia returned after making tea and saw that the room was empty, “Noble Lady, where is His Majesty?”

Gu Yi: “Hehe.”

A few days later, the Palace Officer sent Gu Yi a map of the palace courtyard for the Cuiwan Games.

Cuiwan Games involved hitting the ball with a wooden stick to enter a hole dug in the ground in advance, similar to modern golf. The place chosen on the map was from a part of the imperial garden, which did not have the undulating terrain as contained in the game regulations. Still, there were rockery, flowers, trees, and stone paths with five ball pits built in the garden and flags beside them as markers. The pits, flags, and the pole’s approximate location were all marked on the map.

Gu Yi looked at the map several times, fearing that she might make a mistake. After reading it, she asked Tao Jia, “Did the invitations have been sent to all the palaces? Have the equipment for Cuiwan Games made by the craftsmen under the supervision of Talent Lady Zhao been shown to Consort De?”

Tao Jia nodded, “Talent Lady Zhao sent all the equipment to Luoying Hall yesterday. Consort De must have already seen it.”

Gu Yi: “When the equipment returns to the palace for the day of the games, you quickly take people to check it once, especially the balls. Each wooden ball must be carefully weighed to ensure nothing is wrong.”

Tao Jia frowned, “Noble Lady, are you afraid that someone will tamper with it?”

Gu Yi nodded, “Exactly. Consort De held the Cuiwan Games to enjoy the autumn. It’s such a good thing that they play ball to have fun. Also, the emperor will be present. It would not be good if some people have bad intentions.”

Tao Jia: “Noble Lady is wise! I will go tomorrow!”

Gu Yi put her heart down. Tao Jia’s business ability was unquestionable. Although her temper was rough externally, she could hold her ground. According to the book’s plot, during this autumn Cuiwan Games, the female lead dominated the scene and won first place. Still, Consort De asked to test the balls and found that the ball used by the female lead was slightly heavier than the others, which was more advantageous for hitting the ball on the slope and the wind wouldn’t blow it on the flat ground. So she accused her of being treacherous, cheating, and seeking favor. Because the female lead was the one who prepared the Cuiwan Games, she was even more condemnable. The female lead got punished, and she knelt for two hours outside the Luoying Hall, but it was raining heavily, so she fell seriously ill.

It was so tragic. Later, it was revealed that Consort De directed all of this. And now, Gu Yi has become the person who prepared it; she surely doesn’t want to be the scapegoat. Besides, whether the female lead is humiliated this time should not affect the main plot, right?

Tao Jia saw Gu Yi staring deep in thought, turned to make a cup of tea for her, and turned the conversation around: “Noble Lady, tomorrow is the day of the flip. Do you want me to find Eunuch Gao?”

Since the trip to Wu Shan, Tao Jia has already spoken to Eunuch Gao, and there was no need to find Lu Chao, the middleman.

Gu Yi heard this and felt a headache. She was still confused about why Xiao Yan left in anger last time. Besides, according to the plot, Xiao Yan must have flipped the female lead’s plaque.

Gu Yi shook her head, “No.” She hesitated, “Hang the red sign.”

Tao Jia counted the days, “Isn’t…… not here yet?”

Gu Yi waved her hand, “It’s almost …… here.”

Tao Jia only had to act according to the words.

The Tianlu Pavilion was as quiet as a barren grave. The two courtiers standing in the pavilion all hung their heads in silence, hating that they couldn’t hold their breath.

Eunuch Gao slowly stepped into the pavilion and placed a teacup on the long rosewood table, “Your Majesty, have a cup of tea.”

The serving tea eunuchs mainly did this serving tea work, but yesterday, the tea eunuchs wetted the tray and were sent out of the Tianlu Pavilion. Usually, the emperor wasn’t harsh toward the subordinates. Wetting the tray was a small mistake; he may not even notice. However, yesterday, the person was sent out.

Even if Eunuch Gao used his toes to think, he knew the emperor was in a bad mood. The more silent he was, the worse his mood was. The matter of the former dynasty has progressed recently, so Eunuch Gao guessed the problem might be in the harem. But thinking of the harem, the one who could trouble the emperor this time, naturally, only Heluo Hall’s Noble Lady Gu.

Eunuch Gao gave the Noble Lady a thumbs up in his heart. Impressed!

Xiao Yan was still reviewing the dossiers. He glanced at the teacup and did not move. Some faint sounds came from outside the pavilion, and he could not help but frown.

Eunuch Gao immediately said, “I will go and see what the commotion is!”

Eunuch Gao Gui went out and saw that it was Consort De’s maid, Dongcao.

Dongcao obediently bowed, “Eunuch Gao, our master sent me to deliver a snack to His Majesty. It’s a newly baked persimmon cake; please trouble Eunuch Gao to pass it on.”

Eunuch Gao Gui’s heart was in a difficult situation. Here we go again!

These days, the emperor just returned to the palace, and the palace concubines come to send things all day long. Didn’t you all see that the emperor is in a bad mood?

He smiled, “Consort De has the heart. I’ll bring it.”

Eunuch Gao took the tray and entered the pavilion. When he saw the emperor looking up at the tray in his hands, his face seemed to show hidden expectations.

Gao Gui sighed again in his heart, smiled, and said, “Consort De has sent His Majesty a snack; it is freshly baked persimmon cake. Eat it this time of the year; it must be sweet.”

The emperor lowered his eyes, “Put it there.”

Eunuch Gao gently placed the tray on the side.

In these few days, the silk handkerchiefs sent by Lady of Fairness Wang, the snacks sent by Lady of Fairness Gong, the brush and ink sent by Noble Lady Tian, and the ink stone sent by Beauty Zhou were all piled up here.

Noble Lady Gu, you’ve angered His Majesty but still haven’t come to surrender. Admirable!

But tomorrow is the flipping day, and Eunuch Gao resolved that even if the He Luo Palace doesn’t come to send silver money, he will still place Noble Lady Gu’s cards in a prominent position.

Unexpectedly, the jade plate of Noble Lady Gu of Heluo Hall sent by the Ceremony Room on the following day had a red sign hanging on it.

Good heavens!