Chapter 316: Pleading for Mercy

The Empress’s once-cold heart felt as though it had been soaked in warm water, softening completely.

In her joy, she ordered the female official to distribute rewards.

She also sent for Tingyuan, the Grand Secretary, and the Minister of Rites to come at once, intending to discuss holding a formal ceremony for Gu Jingyun to recognize his ancestry and be officially recorded in the imperial genealogy.

Gu Jingyun watched as the Empress gave out one instruction after another, tending to all the tedious matters herself. The smile on her face never faded—it was clear that she was genuinely happy, all because of that one word he had called her: Mother. Her illness even seemed to have lifted. She hardly coughed anymore and appeared full of vitality.

He pressed his lips together, unable to help but think—it wasn’t so bad, really. Aside from missing his mother and the others.

His gaze drifted toward the wooden box with the winding floral pattern on the table—the gift from the Empress Dowager.

“Jing’er, be careful with the Empress Dowager,” the Empress warned softly. “Don’t touch anything she gives you. If there’s anything you want, just tell the eunuchs who serve you.”

The Empress gave a subtle glance to a palace maid, signaling her to take the box away. Then she took a key from the female official and placed it in Gu Jingyun’s hand. “There are many things in Mother’s storeroom. Whatever you like, feel free to take it.”

Gu Jingyun pushed the key back. “I can’t take it.”

After a pause, he flashed a toothy smile at the Empress. “If I want something in the future, I’ll just ask you for it.”

“All right,” the Empress agreed with a gentle smile.

——

Cao Residence…

The entire family had gathered in the courtyard of Madam Cao’s quarters.

Cao Guangyi had been imprisoned in the Imperial Prison, awaiting exile.

The news had struck them all like a thunderbolt, leaving them utterly stunned.

Madam Cao’s vision went dark, and she fainted on the spot.

Madam Cao, the main wife, was deathly pale, as if all strength had drained from her body. She slumped weakly in her chair.

“Elder Sister, what should we do? If the master is exiled, will the entire Cao family be implicated?”

“Elder Sister, go to your maiden family and ask for help. See if they can pull some strings and find a way to get the master out.”

“Eldest Sister-in-law, I heard that Eldest Brother used to be on good terms with Gu Huaizhi. This incident happened at the Gu residence—why don’t you go there yourself and plead for mercy? Ask the Gu family to speak a few words on Eldest Brother’s behalf. We can offer a generous reward.”

A few of the concubines and Cao Guanglin all spoke at once, turning to Madam Cao for direction, each offering their own opinions.

Cao Suxue stood quietly in a corner, trying to make herself invisible. The public humiliation dealt by Princess Yongfu and County Princess Lin’an had already frightened her into submission. She now wished she could shrink away and live with her tail tucked between her legs, terrified that Su Wan might come after her for revenge.

Now that even her father had been dragged down by the Gu family and the future of the Cao family was uncertain, she didn’t dare draw attention to herself. If she offered some misguided advice and it led to a major blunder, the rest of the Cao family would never forgive her.

Cao Wanqing stepped forward to support Madam Cao, taking out a medicinal pill and slipping it into her mouth. She glanced around at the crowd and said, “My mother is just a woman—she has no say in court affairs. All of you, step back a bit. If she falls ill from the stress, there won’t be a single person left in this household to take charge.”

Most of the people in the room were her elders, and none of them looked pleased to be spoken to like that.

Cao Guanglin said with a mocking tone, “Aren’t you on good terms with Su Wan? Why don’t you go plead with her yourself?”

Cao Wanqing sneered. “Compared to Su Wan, who holds no power or influence, hasn’t Second Uncle spent years in court building countless connections? Instead of pushing me to do something useless, why don’t you hurry up and pull some strings to see if Father can be rescued?”

Cao Guanglin’s face turned livid with rage. He shot her a fierce glare and stormed out, flinging his sleeve as he went.

“You should all disperse,” Cao Wanqing said, addressing the concubines and the illegitimate sons and daughters. “Go back to your rooms and wait for news. If this matter ends up implicating the entire Cao family, word will reach us soon enough. There’s no need to stay here stirring panic and adding to the chaos.”

At a time like this, no one dared to compete for attention or assert themselves. One by one, they quietly withdrew.

Cao Wanqing walked up to Madam Cao and pinched her philtrum. Slowly, Madam Cao came to, but before she could speak, tears were already streaming down her face.

“What a sin! I warned him before, told him not to be so reckless, but he wouldn’t listen! He refused to heed my words, and now he’s dug his own grave!”

Her voice choked with sobs, Madam Cao was overwhelmed with anxiety, yet also gripped by a deep sense of helplessness in the face of the current crisis. “Wanqing, where is your Second Uncle? Where has he gone?”

“Second Uncle went out to pull some strings and make arrangements.”

“Shuiqin, go bring him back immediately. The court summoned Guangyi back to the capital for duty reporting—don’t they understand what that means? When something reaches its peak, decline is inevitable. Your father was too greedy for power and refused to stay within bounds. Now the court is clearly determined to deal with him. Who would dare reach out a hand to save him?”

As Shuiqin left, Madam Cao grabbed Cao Wanqing’s hand and gave her a heartfelt instruction. “Your grandfather said long ago—don’t hope for another hundred years of glory, just preserve what we have. But now… the tide has turned. Call back everyone in the family who still holds office in court. Tell them all to resign.”

“Yes,” Cao Wanqing replied, then stepped out to arrange for people to locate the others.

The door closed behind her.

Leaning against a stone pillar, she gazed up at the cloudless sky, her thoughts drifting far away as she waited for Madam Cao to come out.

Two quarters of an hour later, all the men of the Cao family had arrived. Madam Cao emerged from the house.

“Mother.” Cao Wanqing stepped forward to support her and said softly, “I want to go see Wanwan.”

“To beg her for mercy?” Madam Cao’s gaze was cold and distant.

Cao Wanqing shook her head, her voice tinged with bitterness. “My life was saved by Wanwan. What face do I have to ask her to repay injustice with kindness?”

Cough, cough… cough… Madam Cao let out a few dry coughs, her complexion growing even paler, and a trace of mockery appeared at the corners of her lips. “Your father is a cautious man, meticulous in everything he does. All the evidence he left behind was thoroughly destroyed—how could it possibly fall into someone else’s hands? If there had been even the slightest disturbance, he would have sensed it long ago. No one could get close to him.”

Cao Wanqing frowned in confusion.

“Back then, Gu Huaizhi served as a private tutor and taught your seventh brother. Your father admired his learning and talent,” Madam Cao continued.

Madam Cao was unusually calm now, a stark contrast to her earlier panic when the news first arrived. “The young prince being at the Gu residence—do you really think that was a coincidence? Even the Empress didn’t know. It was Princess Yongfu who first recognized Gu Jingyun’s identity. The Empress Dowager was the second to find out. And just as word about the young prince began to spread, Su Wan entered the palace under the pretense of treating the Empress’s illness. Then today, the young Grand Secretary personally brought the child into the palace. That means they had already known his identity for some time.”

“The one behind all of this is the Regent.”

“The Regent’s ambition is immense. He has already drawn many factions under his banner. Your father tried to play both sides with him. Outwardly respectful, inwardly defiant. How could the Regent possibly tolerate that?”

She just hadn’t expected it…

Cao Wanqing’s face turned ashen, her expression filled with disbelief.

Gu Huaizhi had deliberately placed himself by her father’s side from the very beginning?

“Mother… you knew all along? Then…”

Madam Cao slowly shook her head. “I’ve only just figured it out now.”

Now that everything was laid bare and the fog before their eyes cleared, a sense of sudden clarity finally dawned.

“Let’s go,” Madam Cao ordered the senior maid to prepare gifts from the storeroom.

“Go where?” Cao Wanqing asked in a daze, the situation still feeling unreal.

“The Gu residence,” Madam Cao said, lips curving slightly. “We must pay a visit. Only if you’ve done all you can will you be able to silence their criticism.”

Seeing her mother like this, Cao Wanqing felt a growing unease. It seemed her mother wasn’t truly concerned about the fate of the Cao family at all. That panic and helplessness she had shown earlier—had it all just been an act put on for the others?

She had always known that her parents’ relationship was distant, but she had never imagined that her mother could be so utterly indifferent to the rise or fall of the Cao family.

Madam Cao offered no explanation. She merely turned to glance at the tightly shut door behind them, her expression cold and detached.

Her health had always been frail, and Cao Guangyi had long since grown weary of her. With so many concubines in the rear courtyard, he rarely visited her chambers. The affection between husband and wife had long since worn away. All she ever did was fulfill her duties in silence.

If there was any resentment toward the Cao family, it began when Cao Suxue laid a hand on Cao Wanqing—and the family chose to shield Cao Suxue.

That was when her heart turned completely cold.

Mother and daughter arrived by carriage at the gates of the Gu residence.