After Zhong Liangshu and Yang Wanqian bowed to Consort Dowager Zheng and left, Huangfu Qian helped Consort Dowager Zheng to sit down.
"Ying'er, fetch your grandmother some tea."
Ying'er was about to pour tea when Consort Dowager Zheng stopped her. "No need, I drank some soup earlier and can't drink any more right now."
"What about Xiao Hei?" Consort Dowager Zheng asked, scanning the room and not seeing the crow.
"Xiao Hei, it..."
"Did your two sisters-in-law fear Xiao Hei and tell you to drive it away?"
Before Huangfu Yue could answer, Consort Dowager Zheng had already guessed.
"My two sisters-in-law didn't tell me to drive it away, they just asked me to ask it to leave for a while," Huangfu Yue said with a smile.
"Sit down," Consort Dowager Zheng pointed to the chair beside her.
After Huangfu Yue sat down, she heard Consort Dowager Zheng say, "They came to see you, were they perhaps talking about the treasure I gave Xu Yuqing and asking you to stop me, to persuade me to change my mind and not give Xu Yuqing the treasure?"
Huangfu Yue was startled for a moment, then curled her lips. "Nothing can be hidden from you, Grandmother."
Compared to her grandmother, Zhong Liangshu and Yang Wanqian seemed quite foolish.
"All of you leave. I have something to discuss with Yue'er alone," Consort Dowager Zheng waved her hand at the servants in the room.
"Yes." All the servants in the room, including Ying'er, immediately responded and withdrew.
Ying'er, who was the last to leave, thoughtfully closed the door, allowing the grandmother and granddaughter to speak properly.
"Yue'er, I just heard what you said to your two sisters-in-law in the room from outside the door. Thank you for trusting your grandmother."
Consort Dowager Zheng reached out, took her granddaughter's small, delicate, and beautiful fair hand, and held it with a loving expression.
Hearing her granddaughter's words from outside the door earlier had been very touching.
Compared to her granddaughter, Zhong Liangshu and Yang Wanqian were truly disappointing. They didn't believe her at all.
If they had believed her even a little, they wouldn't have acted like that...
Perhaps they all thought she had become senile.
"Grandmother, infatuation can cloud one's judgment. It's understandable that Third Sister-in-law and Fourth Sister-in-law acted that way, you don't need to mind them."
Huangfu Yue noticed a fleeting disappointment and frustration in Consort Dowager Zheng's eyes, knowing she must be thinking about Zhong Liangshu and Yang Wanqian, and softly comforted the elder.
Consort Dowager Zheng smiled and nodded, "Compared to your sisters-in-law, you girl are much smarter!"
"I am your granddaughter, your blood flows through me, so naturally I am smarter than my sisters-in-law. It's all your good genes!" Huangfu Yue said with a laugh.
Consort Dowager Zheng was amused by her granddaughter and dotingly stroked her delicate hand. "You little girl only know how to flatter me with sweet words to make me happy!"
"I was originally worried that you might misunderstand and think I called you upstairs to eat was to rush you and that I favored your second sister-in-law, but now I see I worried for nothing." Consort Dowager Zheng suddenly changed the subject.
So Grandmother was afraid she would misunderstand and wanted to explain. A flicker of realization flashed in Huangfu Yue's eyes.
"I know Grandmother has always been on my side and protected me. How could I not know your intention in calling me upstairs? I wouldn't misunderstand you. Thank you, Grandmother, for not forcing me to drive Xiao Hei away and for always standing by me!" Huangfu Yue reached out with her other hand to hold Consort Dowager Zheng's hand, giving her a grateful and sweet smile.
"I am not like your sisters-in-law, how could I be like them... You were wronged by Xu Yuqing's previous fuss. Don't worry, I will punish Xu Yuqing so she can't make a fuss anymore and cause trouble." A cold glint flashed in Consort Dowager Zheng's eyes.
Huangfu Yue was a female soldier king in her previous life, experienced in battle and very familiar with killing intent. She immediately sensed a subtle killing intent from her grandmother.
Did Grandmother intend to kill Xu Yuqing? Did she want to kill Xu Yuqing?
Could it be... that gold-inlaid jade piece with precious gems, depicting immortals celebrating a birthday, was...
No wonder Grandmother had become so strange since she started riding horses that afternoon, indulging Xu Yuqing so much.
Perhaps since she started riding the horses, Grandmother had already harbored the intention to kill Xu Yuqing, wanting to get rid of her.
It was just unclear what mystery that gold-inlaid jade piece held that could kill Xu Yuqing so inconspicuously.
If Grandmother wanted to kill Xu Yuqing, she would certainly want to do it without anyone noticing.
"Grandmother, please reconsider. Think about Ying'er. Ying'er already has no father, and it would be very pitiful if she lost her mother too," Huangfu Yue said softly, as her little niece had pleaded for Xu Yuqing.
Consort Dowager Zheng was not surprised that her granddaughter knew she wanted to get rid of Xu Yuqing. Her granddaughter was exceptionally intelligent; hearing her words, she would naturally know what she intended to do immediately.
"I haven't not thought of Ying'er, but Xu Yuqing is a menace. If not dealt with sooner, she will cause endless trouble, and we will all be harmed by her sooner or later. Therefore, I can only apologize to Ying'er and steel myself," Consort Dowager Zheng showed a helpless expression and lowered her voice, so quiet that only her granddaughter could hear.
In fact, her voice had always been quiet, and people outside could absolutely not hear it.
"Grandmother, Xu Yuqing is indeed a menace that needs to be dealt with, but it's not necessary to eliminate her. I have a way to make her obedient, so she won't cause trouble anymore and we won't have to worry about her causing big problems for us and harming us one day." Huangfu Yue said.
"What way?" Consort Dowager Zheng immediately asked.
"...Does Grandmother know about 'Gu'?" Huangfu Yue hesitated before asking.
Originally, the matter of the puppet Gu was meant to be kept secret, only known to Xiao Hei and herself, and never to a third person.
But since Grandmother had the intention to kill Xu Yuqing, to stop Grandmother from killing Xu Yuqing, it would be best to reveal the matter of the puppet Gu.
It was possible not to reveal the puppet Gu and find another way to stop Grandmother from killing Xu Yuqing, but after some consideration, she felt it was better to mention the puppet Gu.
Mentioning it would put Grandmother at ease!
Grandmother was absolutely trustworthy, and there was no need to worry about her revealing the existence of the puppet Gu to others.
"I've heard of it before, but I've never seen it," Consort Dowager Zheng replied.
"I have a puppet Gu that can turn people into puppets," Huangfu Yue said.
"A Gu that is so magical!" Consort Dowager Zheng was surprised.
She had heard that Gu was magical before, but she hadn't expected there to be a Gu that could turn people into puppets.
"Yes. With it, Xu Yuqing will become obedient."
Consort Dowager Zheng did not think it was too cruel for her granddaughter to use the puppet Gu on Xu Yuqing; instead, she felt her granddaughter was benevolent for wanting to spare Xu Yuqing's life.
"Let it be as you say, use the Gu on her," Consort Dowager Zheng agreed.
For the sake of her granddaughter Huangfu Ying, since the puppet Gu could make Xu Yuqing obedient and stop her from causing trouble, she was willing to give up the idea of eliminating Xu Yuqing.
"When do you plan to use the Gu on her?" Consort Dowager Zheng asked.
"Tomorrow. I've placed the Gu deep inside the Qiankun Bag. The Qiankun Bag is very large... it's as big as a vast grassland. It will take time to find the Gu, and I'll probably only be able to find it tomorrow."
She wasn't intentionally making up excuses, but she truly had no choice.
She didn't actually have the puppet Gu now. She had to steal it from the Chang Manor tonight when she returned to the capital. This was something she absolutely could not tell her grandmother, for fear that her grandmother would worry about her and forbid her from going due to the danger.
"How many puppet Gus do you have?" Consort Dowager Zheng suddenly asked, her expression seeming to recall something.
"Only one. Does Grandmother intend to use the puppet Gu on anyone else?"