READ WEBNOVEL Chapter 229: Lady Li Died
Chapter 229
"Consort Li, did you drink poison?"
Gu Sang immediately placed Consort Li on her lap, calmly reaching for her backpack to find an antidote from the supplies she always carried.
In modern times, she could have rushed her to a hospital for stomach pumping or induced vomiting. But in ancient times, there was no such equipment.
"Don't bother searching, don't save me. If I die, I'll finally be free."
"Miss Gu, *cough cough*... your grandmother arrived here recently, appearing in Xuyang Palace. I secretly helped her escape the palace."
"You can look for her in Plague City later. It should... should have worked... but I'm not certain. I handed your grandmother over to my clansmen, so I don't know if they succeeded..."
Gu Sang's pupils constricted. Her guess had been correct after all.
Her grandmother really had been sent here by the system!
Was it because she had failed her mission and died here, so her grandmother's revival happened here too?
Gu Sang gazed with complex emotions at the person lying in her arms, blood flowing from seven orifices. Knowing she couldn't be saved, Gu Sang stopped trying.
"I'm sorry, this isn't the future. You've been poisoned for too long, I truly have no way to save you."
"Thank you for helping my grandmother escape!"
"Why did you help me?"
Gu Sang's impression of Consort Li was still stuck on the scenes of Pei Changying tormenting her. She had barely exchanged any words with Consort Li.
Yet Consort Li had taken such a great risk to help her grandmother escape the palace.
Consort Li opened her mouth wide, wanting to say so much. She wanted to say it was because Gu Sang had once spoken up to save her when Pei Changying was torturing her.
She wanted to say it was because she admired Gu Sang so much.
She wanted to say thank you to Gu Sang for giving ancient women a bit of human dignity, letting them know that women weren't just objects, but people.
But as her vision gradually faded to darkness, Consort Li knew she had little time left. She could only use her final moments to speak her last words.
"Because I hate Pei Changying!"
"I despise this era where men are superior and women inferior... I'm not worthless, Sister Gu, I'm not. If given a chance to live as a human, I don't want to be a decorative flower, I want to live with dignity."
"Even if, even if it means being a very ordinary person..."
"My mother once told me that a woman's entire life is meant for serving her husband and raising children. I thought, I thought that was just how women were supposed to be."
"I didn't know that in a far, far away place, there's a world called modern times, where women can go to school, do business, walk freely on the streets, have physical contact with men. They're so free and radiant. But once I saw it, I couldn't resign myself anymore. I can't bear to be trapped in this harem..."
"Unfortunately, I won't live to see the day he loses his position, nor the day of gender equality. Miss Gu, when the Elder Princess ascends to the throne, you... you must tell me."
Gu Sang gripped Consort Li's hand tightly, her eyes reddening involuntarily. She nodded, promising firmly, "I will!"
"Don't worry, he'll lose his position soon!"
"Before he dies, I'll definitely make him kneel at your grave and apologize!"
Consort Li's lips curled into a smile. She wanted to say "good." But the large amount of blood spilling from her mouth prevented her from speaking. With Gu Sang's promise, Consort Li closed her eyes with a smile.
She thought.
Unable to see the day Pei Changying stepped down.
But she had seen Gu Sang.
That was good enough.
That was good enough.
Gu Sang looked at Consort Li, who had died painfully with blood flowing from seven orifices. She was about to take out a tissue from her bag to wipe the blood from her face.
At that moment, footsteps sounded from outside.
Gu Sang placed Consort Li on the ground, grabbed her backpack, and quickly slid under the bed.
The door to the room opened, and Consort Li's body was carried out to be dealt with.
Soon, the room was cleaned up, leaving no trace that someone had just died there moments ago.
After Xuyang Palace returned to silence, Gu Sang finally spoke to contact the system.
"System, help me locate my grandmother."
?Ding!?
?Searching!?
?Error displayed!?
?This person cannot be found!?
?Error! Error!?
Hearing the system continuously prompt errors, Gu Sang pinched her brow and spoke to stop the system.
"Alright, no need to search anymore."
She had already arrived in ancient times, and live streaming-related matters were temporarily shut down. She couldn't contact the Elder Princess through a connection.
But since Consort Li said her grandmother had been sent out of the palace, she could only meet up with the Elder Princess first.
The imperial palace was heavily guarded. She needed to find a set of clothes and a token to leave the palace.
The backpack was too conspicuous a target, so she left it under the bed and only took the electric baton for self-defense.
Xuyang Palace, uninhabited, seemed extremely eerie in the night atmosphere.
Adding to that the recent death, the room was filled with a mixture of incense and the smell of blood, making one's back inexplicably cold.
After leaving Xuyang Palace, Gu Sang hid in the dark shadows, randomly knocking out a passing palace maid, changing into her clothes, and taking her token.
Then, Gu Sang returned to Xuyang Palace, retrieved her backpack, and walked carefully in the shadows of the palace walls, avoiding crowded places.
Even if it meant taking a longer route, Gu Sang absolutely wouldn't risk going to places where she might encounter patrolling guards.
Although the detour took longer, she managed to reach the Cold Palace courtyard without incident.
Gu Sang knew the imperial palace was surrounded by water on three sides, and outside the Cold Palace was a river formed by several converging streams.
The river current was swift and the channel wide. Unless one was a professional athlete, it would be impossible to swim to the shore.
It was very likely one would die from exhaustion in the water.
So, Gu Sang hadn't planned on escaping from the Cold Palace.
However, her backpack was too large and obvious a target, but the system-provided backpack had one advantage - it was waterproof!
Upon learning of this feature, Gu Sang immediately thought of using the water current to send the backpack outside.
When dawn broke, she could then use her current identity to leave.
Gu Sang only kept the electric baton for self-defense, putting everything else in the backpack. She reached out and threw it forcefully outside.
A "whoosh" sound cut through the air.
Immediately after, a man's voice, suppressed to an extremely low volume, was heard.
"There's an ambush!!!"
Gu Sang was startled. Who could be outside in the dead of night?
However, before she could react, another whoosh was heard as a figure quickly leaped in from outside.
Before even landing, while still in mid-air, he had drawn his sword, seemingly intending to kill Gu Sang swiftly.
Gu Sang's sensitivity to danger was extremely high. Sensing the killing intent from this person, she immediately dodged to the side, barely avoiding his attack.
But it wasn't over. Gu Sang wasn't one to show mercy either. She quickly stepped forward, swinging the electric baton at the person and pressing the switch.
"Bzzt bzzt bzzt~"
The massive electric current instantly left the person dazed and confused.