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Gu Xiaobao was a frequent visitor of Renshou Palace, and as Gu Jiao carried him in her arms, she couldn’t help but feel the subtle privilege of entering the palace without obstruction, as if simply by showing her face she had gained access.

Gu Xiaobao had drained himself of every bit of energy when searching for his elder sister at Bishui Alley, and at this moment he had reached the point where he could no longer take a single step on his own.

Fortunately, Gu Jiao was strong, and she was more than happy to carry him in her arms.

Yu Ya’er followed along, helping Gu Jiao carry the various parcels. Brimming with delight, she entered the palace together with her.

Empress Dowager Zhuang no longer involved herself in political affairs, spending her idle days at leisure, often going to Bishui Alley to play cards, and her days could not be said to be anything but leisurely. However, in recent months she had worried herself sick over Gu Jiao, suffering several bouts of serious illness, and it was only after news of a great victory at the border reached the capital that her health had gradually begun to improve.

“Grandaunt.” Gu Xiaobao was very close to his grandaunt, and the moment he entered the inner hall, he stretched his little hands toward her.

Grandaunt had always disliked noisy children, yet Gu Xiaobao was an exception. He was quiet, a rare little one who did not cause a fuss.

Thus, Grandaunt allowed Eunuch Qin to carry him over.

Eunuch Qin stepped forward with a smile. “At last the County Princess has returned. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has been thinking of you every day, unable to take pleasure in tea or food. If you had stayed away any longer, the Empress Dowager would have——”

Gone all the way to the State of Yan to fetch you back.

But Eunuch Qin, knowing better, swallowed those words before they could leave his lips.

“Hand him to me.” Eunuch Qin reached out to take Gu Xiaobao.

Gu Xiaobao suddenly twisted his body away.

He would not let himself be carried.

Eunuch Qin gave a small groan.

“I’ll keep holding him.” Gu Jiao said.

“Then this old servant shall go prepare the tea!” Eunuch Qin withdrew with a smile, taking the palace maids in the hall along with him.

Empress Dowager Zhuang was seated by the window sipping tea when Gu Jiao walked over, sat down beside her, and greeted softly, “Grandaunt.”

Empress Dowager Zhuang merely gave a curt “Humph.”

Yu Ya’er bent her knees and bowed respectfully. “Your Majesty!”

Empress Dowager Zhuang responded with a faint “Mm.”

Gu Jiao: What’s this? Giving different people different treatment?

Gu Xiaobao sat on Empress Dowager Zhuang’s lap for a short while, but soon found it dull, and after squirming a bit, he climbed down again.

Yu Ya’er set the food box on the table, picked him up, and took him outside to play.

Gu Jiao opened the food box and began taking things out one by one. “Candied fruits, made by my Granduncle. Rose cakes, made by my mother.”

Empress Dowager Zhuang kept her face stiff and unmoved.

Gu Jiao then took out a small box from the bottom tier. “Peach crisps, made by me.”

Only then did Empress Dowager Zhuang’s expression soften a little.

But in the very next moment, her brows knit tightly together. “Who told you to enter the kitchen? Does Aijia seem to be lacking a few peach crisps? Do you think the things you make are that delicious?”

Gu Jiao pressed down the upward curve of her lips, mischievously reaching out as if to take the box of peach crisps back. “Oh, then I’ll just take them away.”

Empress Dowager Zhuang quickly hugged the peach crisps to her chest, glaring at her with eyes full of grievance.

Gu Jiao burst out laughing, nearly collapsing onto the chair.

The sunlight streamed in brightly, and the girl’s laughter bloomed with unmatched radiance.

Empress Dowager Zhuang gave a disdainful snort, but the corners of her lips could not help curving upward, and within her eyes shimmered a faint trace of tears.

Her JiaoJiao had returned.

Returned safe and whole.

During the more than a year Gu Jiao had been away from the capital, many things had taken place. First, Crown Princess Wen Linlang had “died of illness,” and afterward, Empress Xiao selected two secondary consorts for the Crown Prince; what surprised Gu Jiao most was that one of them turned out to be none other than the younger sister of Rui Wangfei.

Her name was Du Xiaoyun.

Gu Jiao remembered her somewhat, for when she had first arrived in the capital she had run into Du Xiaoyun a few times, and Du Xiaoyun had always been a devoted admirer of Wen Linlang, treating her as the perfect goddess in her heart.

Who knew what feelings she harbored when she was chosen to enter the East Palace as a secondary consort?

Yet her body proved to be most “promising,” for within only three months of entering the palace, she conceived, and by now she was already five months pregnant.

Empress Xiao had once revealed her intentions to Empress Dowager Zhuang, saying that if Du Xiaoyun could bear a son for the Crown Prince, then she would petition for a decree to have Du Xiaoyun elevated to the position of Crown Princess.

Meanwhile, Rui Wang had begun to show his strength and talent in court, winning the Emperor’s appreciation, and thus the Emperor appointed him as an imperial envoy, ordering him to go down south to Jiangnan and observe the conditions of the people.

Rui Wangfei, along with her son, accompanied him on this journey, and they had already departed.

Huangfu Xian had also gone to Jiangnan for leisure, and what was worth mentioning was that he was now able to walk with the use of his prosthetic limb.

“And what about Ning Wang?” Gu Jiao asked.

Empress Dowager Zhuang sighed. “The same as always, still confined within his manor. Ever since Chu Yue divorced him, his temperament has changed greatly. Aijia has heard that he has constantly been sending people in secret to inquire after Chu Yue’s whereabouts, but unfortunately, not a trace of her has been found.”

Ning Wang had always carried feelings for his Wangfei in his heart, while his attachment to Wen Linlang had merely been the unfulfilled yearning of youth, yet he realized all of this far too late.

By now Chu Yue’s whereabouts were completely unknown, and all he could do was drown in endless regret.

“And Zhuang Yuheng? Is there any word of him?” Gu Jiao asked again.

“You certainly remember quite a lot of people.” Empress Dowager Zhuang replied, yet in her heart she understood that Gu Jiao was remembering them on her behalf.

Be it Ning Wang or An Junwang, both had once been children she had truly cherished, but no one could have foreseen that Grand Preceptor Zhuang, despite being Ning Wang’s maternal grandfather, would not only fail to guide him properly but would instead secretly encourage him to plot rebellion.

When Ning Wang fell, Grand Preceptor Zhuang was defeated as well, and the entire Zhuang Family was sentenced to exile.

Zhuang Yuheng had first been cast out of the family by Grand Preceptor Zhuang, and later he made meritorious contributions, which would have allowed him to remain in the capital, yet without hesitation he chose to follow the family into exile.

When the Zhuang Family was at the peak of its glory, he had abandoned wealth and splendor to leave them behind; when the Zhuang Family sank into ruin, he abandoned a bright future to return to them.

Thinking of him filled Empress Dowager Zhuang’s heart with both pain and regret.

All these emotions were bottled up in her heart, and no one else dared to ask or to mention such matters, but only Gu Jiao could prompt her to speak of them.

Empress Dowager Zhuang let out a long sigh. “He is working as a schoolteacher at a small private academy on the borderlands. By day he teaches children, and by night he helps people write letters and copy documents, earning a meager amount of silver to support the household.”

Although exiled, Zhuang Yuheng himself was not branded as a criminal, and thus he was permitted to work at the academy.

Even so, life was extremely difficult and impoverished.

Yet Zhuang Yuheng himself did not consider it bitter, for when people sent by Empress Dowager Zhuang asked him about his life, he said that all these hardships were ones Xiao Liulang had once endured before, and since Xiao Liulang could withstand them, so could he.

Empress Dowager Zhuang gave a cold snort. “Still trying to compete with Liulang. Oh, right, Little Xue has written you a letter.”

Gu Jiao blinked. “Oh?”

Empress Dowager Zhuang, too lazy to move, pointed in a certain direction, and Gu Jiao went over to fetch the letters.

There were six in total.

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Description:

In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.

When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.

The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.

From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.

***

Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.

After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"

Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"

Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”

Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

He hasn't finished his lines yet though…

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