The Humble Family's Daughter Has A Spatial Pocket!-Chapter 1017 - 855, Gu Jian’s Identity Exposed

"Father Emperor!"

The fourth prince burst into the Dragon Tent with a few bodyguards and, upon seeing the Emperor contently playing chess with Gu Jian, was dumbfounded.

The Emperor glanced at the fourth prince, knowing that this son, after his own fainting, had not hastily engaged in private communications with the ministers. Noting the genuine urgency on his face, the Emperor’s expression couldn’t help but turn more favorable.

"Stand aside."

Knowing that the Emperor was unharmed, the fourth prince breathed a heavy sigh of relief, dismissed the bodyguards from the tent, and stood to one side.

For him, a prince without a claim to the throne, the Emperor’s longevity was the most beneficial for the household of the fourth prince.

The fourth prince glanced at the third prince, trembling on his knees, and shook his head inwardly. He had once thought this elder brother to be very astute, yet from what he had orchestrated today, it was nothing short of utmost folly.

With just one look, the fourth prince removed his gaze from the third prince, landing it instead on Gu Jian, who was playing chess with the Emperor.

Seeing Prince Ping, who stood behind Gu Jian like a younger generation, the fourth prince marveled in his heart.

It seemed that the master of his cousin Yang was someone of no ordinary status.

Just then, more people rushed into the tent.

"Your Majesty!"

Wu Jingyi, Yang Chenghua, and several ministers, under the protection of their house servants, entered the tent. Seeing the Emperor safe and sound, they all relaxed before kneeling to confess, "Your Majesty, we have come too late to escort you."

The Emperor glanced at them, "It’s good that at least a few remembered to come to my aid." With that said, he didn’t beckon them to rise, and continued playing chess with Gu Jian.

The heads of Yang Chenghua and the others hung even lower.

The commotion outside the tent lessened, and as dawn lightened the sky, Wei Qi walked in: "Your Majesty, all the traitors have been captured, only Duke Cheng’en has fled with a pair of followers into the deeper grounds."

The Emperor spoke: "Are all the ministers unscathed?"

Wei Qi replied, "Except for a few who were mistakenly injured in the chaos, the rest are all unharmed."

The Emperor declared, "Issue an edict that, for the crime of rebelling and raising troops against the Emperor, Duke Cheng’en and the third prince’s houses are to be surrounded effective immediately. No one is to step out of their residences. Should anyone dare to disobey, they shall be put to death without mercy."

Upon hearing this, the third prince slumped to the ground.

Wei Qi went off to carry out the command.

After a while, the Crown Prince and a few others also entered the tent.

Seeing the Emperor still spirited enough to play chess, they knelt quickly: "Father Emperor, your sons have come too late to rescue you."

The Emperor didn’t spare a glance for the Crown Prince and his companions.

The earlier intrusion into the tent, even if instigated by the third brother, wouldn’t have happened so easily if the eldest and the others hadn’t harbored such intentions.

As daylight fully broke, the area outside the Dragon Tent was filled with kneeling figures.

The sudden rebellion by Duke Cheng’en and the third prince last night had shocked everyone to the point of fleeing for their lives, without a thought to come to the Emperor’s aid.

Now that the rebellion had been quelled and their wits had returned, they realized the grave error and hastened to kneel outside the tent.

The officials exchanged glances, each silently rejoicing.

Thankfully, there were many of them.

The law doesn’t punish a crowd, so surely the Emperor wouldn’t hold them to account.

By now, the officials understood clearly.

The Emperor must have known about the treason of Duke Cheng’en and the third prince, already prepared against it.

"I really should have followed Grand Secretary Yang and the others to rescue the Emperor," thought one official, regretting such a missed opportunity to make an impression.

The Emperor knew the officials were kneeling outside begging forgiveness, but didn’t say a word. He accepted the porridge made of Daohua and slowly started eating with Gu Jian and Prince Ping.

Daohua served the fourth prince a bowl, but she didn’t attend to anyone else.

At the beginning of the hour of Si (9:00 AM), Xiao Yeyang returned with his entourage.

"Your Majesty, Duke Cheng’en fled into the hunting grounds with his men, where he was bitten to death by a ferocious tiger."

Upon these words, everyone present was taken aback.

A flash of surprise crossed the Emperor’s face: "He is dead?"

Xiao Yeyang nodded, "When I arrived with my men, half of Duke Cheng’en’s body had already been devoured by the tiger."

The emperor frowned, "What about the people around him?"

Xiao Yeyang quickly glanced at Gu Jian, who had his eyes closed in rest, "Almost all of them are dead, only two survived. I brought them back."

Yang Chenghua looked at the silent emperor and declared loudly, "Your Majesty, Duke Cheng’en dared to commit such heinous treason. Now that he has been killed by a wild beast, it is Heaven’s punishment upon him."

Wu Jingyi immediately responded, voicing his agreement.

The other ministers followed suit.

Finally, the emperor sighed deeply, "Although Duke Cheng’en was disloyal, I cannot be unkind. Have his remains returned to the Jiang Family."

Yang Chenghua and the others immediately praised, "The emperor’s wisdom is profound!"

The emperor said, "Alright, tidy up and prepare to return to the palace."

...

The return journey’s arrangements were swiftly made. When everyone saw the emperor personally assisting Gu Jian into the carriage and calling him ’Uncle,’ all were shocked to the point of dropping their jaws.

The Crown Prince and his brothers were frozen in place.

"What uncle?"

Daohua passed by them and replied, "Of course, his real uncle!"

Hearing this, the Crown Prince and his brothers exchanged looks of understanding. They had met Gu Jian a few times, but every meeting seemed to lack the proper respect.

"We haven’t offended the old gentleman, have we?"

The Crown Prince and his brothers were filled with regret, seeing how the emperor treated the old gentleman so respectfully. Was it too late for them to curry favor now?

"The third brother has doomed us!"

The Crown Prince muttered a curse under his breath, regretting his decision to listen to the third prince, who had enticed him to breach the tent and try to capture Xiao Yeyang the night before.

Now, the old gentleman turned out to be Xiao Yeyang’s wife’s master; yesterday’s incident would surely leave a bitter memory with Xiao Yeyang and his wife, making it difficult for them to ingratiate themselves with the old man.

At that moment, a few Imperial Guards escorted out the third prince from the tent and directly placed him into a carriage.

Seeing this, the second prince muttered, "The third, he’s finished."

The Crown Prince and his brothers fell silent.

The autumn hunt return to the city was much quieter than the journey out, though the quiet was only superficial. Everyone was huddled in their own carriages, quietly discussing the events that transpired.

In the carriage of the Earl Zhaode Residence, Madam Han spoke with a face full of sighs to Han Xinman.

"Who could have imagined that Yan Yiyi’s luck would be so good, taking a master who turns out to be the emperor’s uncle! No wonder, with the Yan Family’s modest background, she was still able to marry into the Prince Residence as the Princely Heir’s official wife. Behind her stands such an impressive figure."

"Before, I thought after she married into the Prince Residence, she would struggle to find her footing. But looking at the Prince Shengping’s attitude towards the old gentleman, Yan Yiyi, well, she’s probably walking sideways in the Prince Residence now."

Han Xinman also sighed, "Yes, how could her luck be so good?"

Madam Han continued, "I used to think that, coming from a humble family, even if they entered the capital, I didn’t regard the Yan Family as much. But now, with this connection to the emperor’s uncle, the Yan Family is truly different."

In the past, at banquets and gatherings, she was able to suppress Madam Li of the Yan Family either intentionally or unintentionally. But not anymore.

With that, Madam Han looked at her eldest daughter and advised, "When we get back, I’ll call your sister home, and you should talk with her properly. You mustn’t keep this grudge with her."

Yiyi listlessly nodded her head. What she couldn’t accept was that although she had married better than her sister, she didn’t live as comfortably. She could have ignored it before, but now that her sister had a sister-in-law who was the Crown Princess in the Prince Residence, if she wanted to meet members of the Imperial Family, she would have to bow her head to her.

The women in the other carriages were also talking about similar things, especially those who had previously despised Daohua for her low status and thought her unworthy of Xiao Yeyang. Now they were collectively silent.

Inside the carriage of the Prince Residence, the old Princess Consort looked at her husband, "No wonder you always frequent the Four Seasons Manor; did you already know his identity?"

The old Earl smiled, tacitly admitting it.

The old Princess Consort sighed, "Previously, I thought it was the Countess of Shengping who climbed up to Xiao Yeyang, leading to the success of the Yan Family. Now I think about it, it’s uncertain who actually benefitted whom."

The old Earl replied, "It’s not about who elevated who between Miss Yan and Yeyang, but rather they elevated each other. Without Yeyang, the Yan Family might have risen eventually, but who knows when; and without Miss Yan, with Yeyang’s abilities, he could have been valued by the emperor, but not to the extent of today’s affection."

Just by being filially dutiful at the Gu Family’s side and observing mourning, Yeyang’s place in the emperor’s heart is heftier than any other member of the Imperial Family, even more than the princes.

The old Princess Consort nodded in agreement.

In another carriage, Princess Huijia also expressed her astonishment, "I never expected Countess Shengping to have such fortune." Although she married into Prince Shengping’s Residence and had Xiao Yeyang’s affection, how long could a man’s affection last? Having a powerful patron was the real foundation for establishing oneself in the Prince Residence.