Once the Demon Seed and Xiao Guizi's souls fused, Gu Xinchao immediately sensed it.
He gained an extra perspective, seeing himself clearly through Xiao Guizi's eyes. Thanks to the meticulous wiping and washing by his birth mother, he wasn't particularly ugly; of course, he was still a little ways off from being a porcelain doll with fair, tender skin.
For a moment, it felt a bit unnatural.
Naturally, he could switch between them; there was no need to keep both views open simultaneously.
So, he opted for his own perspective.
At the same time, Xiao Guizi's inner thoughts lay completely bare before him. Through the Demon Seed, Gu Xinchao could secretly alter the other man's thoughts.
And right now, that was precisely what he was doing.
Xiao Guizi furrowed his brows slightly, muttering to himself.
"Why kill this kid?"
"Having done such a thing, is there really a noble patron to help?"
"What if the patron turns cold and merciless, tossing me aside whenever it suits them?"
"I have to guard against that!"
Just like his godfather Wu Dafu, he rubbed his smooth chin, pacing back and forth around Gu Xinchao. After a long while, he finally stopped.
"A rare commodity worth hoarding!"
"During class at the Inner Academy, the teacher told the story of hoarding a rare commodity for a huge profit—is there any business larger than doing business with an entire nation?"
Xiao Guizi looked down at Gu Xinchao.
"Isn't this kid just such a rare commodity?"
"His Majesty has only gone into seclusion to cultivate and seek immortality; he isn't actually dead. The Crown Prince is acting as regent, but he cannot ascend the throne. What if His Majesty returns?"
"If this matter is exposed, I'm a dead man for killing him!"
"What if... I secretly hide him away and raise him?"
Xiao Guizi fell into deep thought.
"Take him out?"
He shook his head.
An unranked eunuch like him lived in a large courtyard with dozens of others, several people crammed onto a single large brick bed. Even if he could smuggle an infant out of the Cold Palace, it would be impossible to raise him without anyone noticing.
Besides, simply getting an infant out of the Cold Palace was an impossible mission; the gates were guarded by Imperial Guards.
Those men all had connections and looked down on eunuchs like them.
The kid had to be left in the Cold Palace.
Then, who should he be given to?
His eyes lit up.
An idea struck him.
Xiao Guizi looked around, tidied up a bit, packed diapers, infant clothes, and other items into a bundle, and strapped it to his back. Then, he picked up Gu Xinchao from his swaddling clothes and hurried out the door.
"Little ancestor, be a good boy, don't cry and make a fuss..."
Xiao Guizi coaxed Gu Xinchao in a low voice.
Gu Xinchao closed his eyes and yawned.
"What a good boy!"
Xiao Guizi smiled.
The Cold Palace consisted of more than a dozen courtyards forming a palace complex, situated in the southwest corner of the imperial palace. Aside from the guards and eunuchs keeping watch outside the main gates, the inside held only concubines cast into the Cold Palace and punished palace maids.
Xiao Guizi possessed martial arts skills, his steps swift and his figure nimble.
Whenever anyone appeared, he managed to avoid them in advance, remaining unseen.
Half a quarter of an hour later, he arrived at his destination.
Lengxiang Palace.
Even within the Cold Palace, it was exceptionally desolate.
Weeds grew wildly at the entrance of the hall, and the paint on the walls was peeling.
At that moment, even with sunlight shining down from above, Xiao Guizi still felt a chilling draft.
Lengxiang Palace had imprisoned many out-of-favor concubines, and without exception, they all died quickly. Gradually, legends of it being haunted had spread.
And now, there was still one person inside.
Noble Consort Lan.
Two months ago, Noble Consort Lan's son, who had been born not long before, unfortunately died prematurely. Overcome with grief, she had lost her mind.
Consequently, she was cast into the Cold Palace.
And she was placed right in Lengxiang Palace.
Presently, she was left to fend for herself in a state of self-destruction, without even a single palace maid to wait on her.
Clutching the baby, Xiao Guizi crept through the half-open courtyard gate, glancing at the untouched food box sitting by the entrance.
He stepped past the food box, crossed the courtyard, and reached the veranda.
Through the half-open door, a song drifted out from the room.
"Moonlight bright, shining on the hall,
Little shrimp, go to sleep obediently in your bed,
Tomorrow morning Mother must rush to transplant rice seedlings,
Grandfather must herd the cattle up the mountain ridge
..."
Noble Consort Lan was a native of Yuezhou, and this was a local nursery rhyme from Yuezhou.
Xiao Guizi's hometown was also Yuezhou. Hearing the familiar dialect, he felt a stirring of emotion in his heart. For a moment, his expression froze, and a gleam appeared in his eyes.
After a long while, he sighed.
He placed the swaddling clothes and the bundle on the veranda.
Gazing at Gu Xinchao, he said softly,
"Your Highness, after some time, I will come see you again..."
"Be a good boy, you must survive!"
With that, Xiao Guizi turned and left.
After taking a few steps, he deliberately stamped his feet hard against the ground, making crisp footsteps as he ran toward the door, vanishing in a flash.
Gu Xinchao opened his mouth.
He let out a huge yawn.
With the Demon Seed, he knew everything Xiao Guizi was thinking, and he approved of Xiao Guizi's choice.
If he disagreed, he wouldn't have let him do it.
Since he was an infant, he needed milk to survive.
Noble Consort Lan had lost her son only two months ago, so logically, she shouldn't lack breast milk. Driven mad by longing for her child, upon seeing him, there was a high probability that her deranged mind would mistake him for her own son. Xiao Guizi's idea was sound.
Danger?
Born as a human, where was there no danger?
"My child!"
"Have you come back?"
A woman's voice drifted over.
The hoarse voice was filled with anticipation, accompanied by slow, approaching footsteps.
Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. From a few feet away, ragged breathing grew increasingly intense.
The swaddling clothes were very tight, leaving Gu Xinchao unable to turn his head, let alone roll over, so naturally he could see nothing at all.
He only heard the breathing draw closer and closer.
Suddenly, someone entered his field of vision.
A face as pale as paper, chapped lips, disheveled hair. Beneath gracefully arched willow-leaf brows, bright eyes were filled with bloodshot veins, the gaze feverish and crazed, rippling with restless anxiety, the pouches beneath her eyes deeply swollen.
Was this the Noble Consort Lan that Xiao Guizi spoke of?
The Noble Consort Lan who went mad after losing her child?
She looked to be around twenty years old. Even unkempt and frantic, she was clearly a beauty.
"My child!"
Noble Consort Lan's lips trembled slightly.
She bent down, reaching out a hand to touch Gu Xinchao's face.
Feeling the solid warmth, she was startled, pulling her hand back as if electrocuted as tears swiftly welled up from her eye sockets, sliding silently down her cheeks.
"My child!"
She let out a piercing cry.
All her emotions were contained within that shout.
She picked up the swaddling clothes, holding Gu Xinchao tightly against her chest. Gu Xinchao was nearly suffocated and struggled a little.
Noble Consort Lan loosened her grip slightly.
Damn it!
He had almost been smothered to death!
Gu Xinchao let out a cry.
"Hungry?"
In a panic, Noble Consort Lan untied the front of her gown, exposing... and then thrust it into Gu Xinchao's mouth.
Sweet milk with a slightly gameous flavor flowed into his mouth, and he swallowed it down into his stomach.
He was alive!
Gu Xinchao let out a long sigh in his heart.
Then, he caught sight of someone.
To be precise, it was the head of a woman in red robes, slowly extending out from over Noble Consort Lan's shoulder.
The woman's hands were wrapped around Noble Consort Lan's neck, holding her tightly.
This... didn't look quite human?
On a face far paler than Noble Consort Lan's, streaks of blood kept appearing and fading. There were no whites in her eye sockets—only pitch-black void.
At that moment, she was staring straight at Gu Xinchao.