Gu Youyou took out a small bottle, lifted her skirt, and bent down to collect some pond water to take home for further research.
She speculated that besides the unique species, the growth of the lotuses was probably related to the water.
Just as Gu Youyou had filled the water, she heard the commanding voice of a middle-aged man.
Startled, the bottle slipped from her hands and fell into the pond with a plop.
She hurriedly turned around and saw a man dressed in a robe embroidered with dragon patterns.
Even a fool would recognize that this man was the Emperor of Zhuzhao Country, the adoptive father of Zijin.
Gu Youyou quickly knelt down with Princess Jiujiu to pay her respects.
"This commoner greets Your Majesty."
"Jiujiu greets Father Emperor!"
Jin Moning’s gaze fell on Gu Youyou, yet he gestured for Princess Jiujiu to come over.
Princess Jiujiu stood up, gave Gu Youyou a worried look, and walked over to Jin Moning.
Gu Youyou pressed her lips together, keeping her head down, not daring to look up at the Emperor, wondering how to explain the situation.
She wasn’t foolish; the absence of even a single bird around the lotus pond made her realize this place was most likely forbidden territory.
The lack of guards meant that everyone in the Imperial Palace knew that this place was off-limits.
And here she was, not only had she come here, but she had also led the Princess and even stolen the pond water, getting caught in the act.
Fortunately, the evidence had fallen into the pond.
The Emperor watched Gu Youyou for a long time without saying a word. He didn’t seem angry, but it was unclear what he was thinking.
"Father Emperor!" Princess Jiujiu called to him softly, looking up.
The Emperor looked down at Princess Jiujiu, then returned his gaze to Gu Youyou and finally spoke sternly, "You’re quite bold, coming here. Do you not know that this is a forbidden area that one must not enter?"
Gu Youyou hurriedly responded, "This commoner... truly did not know."
After all, she was determined to play dumb.
The Emperor snorted coldly and said, "A good ’truly did not know,’ but you should know that in this Imperial Palace, ignorance does not equate to innocence. Ignorance... often leads to a quicker death than knowledge."
Gu Youyou was startled but kept her head down and did not dare to speak.
Princess Jiujiu, concerned for Gu Youyou, said to the Emperor, "Father Emperor, it was I who brought my teacher here. If you wish to punish someone, punish Jiujiu."
The Emperor looked at Princess Jiujiu, and there was not a hint of a different color in those deep eyes. Without a word, he took Princess Jiujiu and left the Flame Pool.
As the sound of footsteps faded, Gu Youyou breathed a sigh of relief, switched from kneeling to sitting, and plopped down on the ground.
There were too many unexplained deaths in the Imperial Palace. This time it was her bad luck. To be caught by anyone else would have been better, yet it was the Emperor who had caught her.
Had it been someone else, she could have sought the protection of the Empress Dowager, at worst bringing the matter before her.
Gu Youyou looked around; there was no one nearby. After the Emperor took Princess Jiujiu away, he had left her alone, and she didn’t know what to make of it.
She guessed that perhaps this incident was over.
Since there was no one around, she decided not to care anymore, planning to head back to Liuying Hall and then find a way to visit Lin Qianqing at Chuxiu Palace.
Gu Youyou stood up, patted the dust off her body, and walked away, but she hadn’t gone far when she saw several eunuchs. The leader pointed at Gu Youyou and said, "Catch her."
Without another word, the following eunuchs grabbed Gu Youyou.
Just as Gu Youyou was about to ask something, the damn eunuch stuffed a piece of white cloth into her mouth.
"Doctor Gu, whatever you have to say, you can tell it to the Emperor later," said the eunuch.
Had the Emperor sent the eunuchs to capture her? Wasn’t the incident from earlier resolved? This truly frightened her.