Chapter 66 Chapter 66 is the only authentic version...

Wherever Gu Zhizhuo's eyes fell, everyone took a small step back, fearing that she would really hit them.

The civil and military officials all had different expressions.

Now the three parties in the court have split up and are competing with each other.

The Jin Wang faction had long since lost its voice. Didn't they see that even the Jin Wang was in the wrong? He had nothing to say after being hit by Miss Gu.

The others looked at Duke Weiguo and Prime Minister Song respectively.

Duke Wei stroked his sleeves and remained silent.

The Prince of Jin suddenly emerged, and the Emperor trusted him immensely. In just a few years, he was practically being squeezed out of his position, and the Duke of Wei had been fuming for a long time. If he could truly explain the merits of the Western Expedition, without all the superficial glitz and glamour, how could the Prince of Jin have the nerve to stand in the court and compete with him on every matter?

All the Gu family wants is posthumous honors. It does not involve any interests and is harmless.

He didn't say anything, and quite a number of officials stopped making any moves and just watched from the sidelines.

Prime Minister Song had a faint smile on his face.

Duke Zhenguo Gu Taotao pacified the north and conquered the west, thus maintaining the stability of the Great Qi Dynasty. Although his contribution was not considered as the founding of the country, it was almost the same.

His achievements are indeed worthy of being admitted to the Purple Extreme Pavilion.

The two men did not speak and remained silent.

It was so quiet that the emperor felt a little uneasy.

He stood under the imperial platform, his heart filled with rage, so that Gu Zhizhuo's tears could not flow out or down, and were stuck in his chest, making his chest feel stuffy.

In the past, he always wanted to be like the late emperor, not be swayed by party struggles, and be able to make decisions independently no matter how much the court argued.

However, now that no one in the court was competing with him and he could make decisions on his own, he panicked for no reason.

"I've already said, no. Are the Gu family trying to disobey the emperor's will?"

He walked towards Gu Zhizhuo, only ten steps away from her, and said impatiently, "Or do you want to hit me with this thing?"

Gu Zhizhuo hugged his helmet and said insincerely, "Your Highness dare not."

The emperor cleared his throat, regaining some composure, and snorted coldly, "Withdraw. I will not pursue today's matter any further. Miss Gu, as a subject, you should know your limits and advance and retreat. Don't covet what is not yours. Do you understand?"

Gu Zhizhuo's eyelashes trembled slightly: "Your Highness understands."

"As a subject, I should fulfill my duty. I will tell my brother that since he is the son of the Duke of Zhenguo, he should stay in the northern border. Why is he staying in the capital?"

What's the meaning?

"Since last year's battle, the Northern Frontier has been peaceful for a long time. Emperor Taizu once said that we should train diligently in idle time and win battles in busy time. Brother, you have a heavy responsibility, and you should also lead the Northern Frontier Army to conduct more training. Your Majesty, do you agree?"

Prime Minister Song gasped, his heart, just relieved, tense again. This Miss Gu always did the unexpected. She was so bold... Knowing that the emperor was wary of the Gu family's military power, she still openly used it as a threat.

She is threatening him! The emperor was furious.

For a long time, the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion has been a thorn in his heart, which he can neither pull out nor swallow.

Especially when he first ascended the throne, during the coronation ceremony, Gu Taotao did not return to the capital as ordered, and even submitted a memorial stating that the Northern Di had invaded the border in large numbers, buried 100,000 troops, and that the commander-in-chief could not leave. This was simply contempt for him, and an unwillingness to acknowledge him as the new emperor!

At that time, he decided that he could not stay in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.

"emperor."

Shen Xu's feminine voice broke the deathly silence in the Golden Palace.

He was looking at a piece of silk paper - it was handed to him by the eunuch of the Eastern Depot just now.

Shen Xu walked down, his bright red Qilin robe adorned with golden threads that shone like rising and falling flames as he moved.

He walked up to the emperor and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the prince of Zhenguo, Gu Yican, has led his troops back to the capital and is now stationed at Shili Pavilion." There was no respect in his eyes, but rather a kind of interest in the slightly raised corners of his eyes.

The ambush is ten miles away.

The emperor's expression suddenly changed, and his first thought was: Is the Gu family trying to force the emperor to abdicate?!

The corners of Gu Zhizhuo's mouth curved up slightly.

Her third uncle said that her brother was able to arrive in Gyeonggi last night, so she sent someone to deliver a message.

She asked her brother to go to Beijing before the morning court today and stay longer near Shili Pavilion.

What! ?

Even the people who were originally just watching could no longer hold back.

It was common practice for generals in the capital to let their soldiers return to the camp after leading their troops to war, and then go to the palace to report and return the tiger talisman.

Gu Yican took away the Fifth Army Camp, which was located west of Shiliting, but he chose to station his troops at Shiliting without moving.

What is this for?!

There was a commotion all around.

Shili Pavilion, this distance is so subtle.

If he went west, he would be leading his troops back to camp. Now it was just a long journey and a short rest. To blame him for his disloyalty and rebellious behavior would be too much.

Going north means returning to the northern border. From then on, he would hold the power of 200,000 troops, but the emperor would be far away.

And if you go straight forward, it will be like forcing the emperor to abdicate!

This thought was like wildly growing vines tightly binding the emperor's limbs. His hands and feet went numb. His eyes pierced Gu Zhizhuo like knives and he shouted in anger, "How dare the Gu family!"

Gu Zhizhuo was fearless and calm, "Your Majesty, the Gu family has always been loyal to you. Even though my father lost all his achievements and died in an unclear manner during the war, the Gu family remained loyal to Daqi and never had any second thoughts."

The smile on Xie Yingchen's lips became softer. He did not intervene from beginning to end, nor did he even say a word.

Because he knew that she was never the kind of delicate flower that needed to depend on others.

She could stand above the temple and firmly step on the emperor's bottom line.

I stepped on it in the previous step.

She took this step back, her tone softened, and she sighed aggrievedly, "Your Majesty's words make it difficult for this servant to accept."

emperor:"……"

Yes.

Gu Yican was merely deploying his troops for repairs and did not show any signs of disobedience.

Forcing the emperor to abdicate is even more impossible.

Gu Yican only took away 3,500 military camps, and even if he mobilized the Thousand Machine Camp, there would only be 6,000 of them.

And there are 150,000 imperial guards guarding the capital!

But is it just a revamp?

Would Gu Yican just leave and return to Northern Xinjiang? !

By then, even if he rebelled, the world would think that he was unable to distinguish right from wrong and ignored Gu Taotao's achievements, and that Gu Yican had to rebel because he felt sorry for his father.

By then, even if he withheld the lives of the entire Gu family, what would it matter? Kill him? Gu Yican would no longer have to worry! If he didn't kill him, he would have to be well-fed and treated with grace. He would still posthumously honor Gu Taotao and let him join the cabinet.

Good calculation!

The emperor's chest heaved and his face turned pale and blue.

Prime Minister Song sighed inwardly. The emperor was suspicious. The prince of Zhenguo had only stayed at Shili Pavilion for a short while longer, but it was enough to make the emperor suspect too many things.

He couldn't help but think of the deposed crown prince. The deposed crown prince had been raised as the crown prince since childhood, and from a young age he had served by the side of Emperor Taizu and the late emperor, attending to government affairs. Later, he assisted in the administration of state affairs and served as regent on behalf of the emperor, demonstrating his wisdom and excellence.

Prime Minister Song once believed he would be able to guide a prosperous and flourishing era. Who could have imagined that the world would suddenly collapse...

Alas. I must wait until I am promoted to an official and keep the world in order, so as to live up to the late emperor's kindness.

Gu Zhizhuo's clear voice rang out again, "The Grand Ancestor once said that failure to reward great achievements, leading to the death of one's master, is not the behavior of a wise ruler. I believe that the Emperor will not let the Gu family down or make the soldiers afraid to act."

The emperor had a blank expression on his face. After a while, he asked with difficulty, "Prime Minister, what do you think?"

Prime Minister Song knew very well that the emperor was afraid.

He was shaken!

Miss Gu's move of pressing forward step by step was simply beautiful.

Prime Minister Song bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Duke of Zhenguo has made great contributions. His title has been conferred and no title can be given. It is only natural that his spirit tablet be placed in the Purple Extreme Pavilion."

There were no royal titles with different surnames in the Daqi Dynasty, and Duke was the highest title.

"What the Prime Minister said is absolutely right."

Duke Weiguo stopped watching the fun and followed the Prime Minister's words to give the emperor a way out.

"Everyone knows who deserves the credit for pacifying the Western Frontier. Your Majesty is a wise ruler, and he should clearly distinguish between merits and demerits. If merits go unrewarded, who among the soldiers will risk their lives in the future?"

"By then, everyone will be hiding in the background, waiting for a great victory, so they can rise to the top by stepping on the flesh and blood of others."

The Prince of Jin almost cursed. Why was he so sneaky?! He wanted to step on everyone he caught, right?! He remembered: Duke Wei and Prime Minister Song, don't let them fall into his hands!

Duke Wei snorted at him and said, "Duke Zhenguo has made great contributions to the country, the people, and the nation. He pacified the western border and secured the northern border. His contributions are outstanding, and his spirit tablet should be enshrined in the Purple Pole Pavilion."

"Your Majesty, please grant me your permission."

Duke Weiguo knelt down first.

The Prime Minister was next. Suddenly, a large group of people knelt down in the Golden Palace, shouting in unison:

"Your Majesty, please grant me your permission!"

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief.

The Prime Minister and the others had been silent, which had put him under great pressure. Now, he felt as if he had lost all his strength. He couldn't wait to follow the steps they handed him and said, "Well, okay."

He kept a straight face, but tried to save some face by saying, "Although it is not my wish, since all the officials believe that Gu Taotao's achievements are worthy of admission to the Purple Extreme Pavilion, I will announce it to the world."

"Duke Gu Taotao has made great contributions to the country, and his achievements will be recorded in history. His spirit tablet can be placed in the Purple Pole Pavilion and worshipped by the people."

As soon as these words were spoken.

Gu Zhizhuo's heart suddenly seemed to be moved by something.

It was as if an invisible lightning bolt crashed down from above her head, causing a dull pain in her chest.

Gu Zhizhuo's body couldn't help but shake, her throat was full of fishy and sweet taste. She forced herself not to spit it out, and swallowed it back with difficulty, her mouth filled with a strong smell of blood.

It seems that what she is doing now is contrary to the will of heaven.

In her previous life, the Gu family was just a stepping stone for Ji Nan Ke, helping her become the third prince's consort.

Living for the family is not what heaven wants.

But, so what!?

If heaven doesn't allow it, she will go against it!

My chest ached as if it was being torn apart, and a stream of blood rushed into my throat.

Beneath her veil, Gu Zhizhuo smiled freely. She spoke word by word, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"

The emperor had a cold face and exuded an extremely unhappy aura from head to toe.

Heaven forbids? Haha, Gu Zhizhuo felt that he could be even more extreme.

She smiled and said, "Your Majesty's great kindness to the Gu family is beyond my comprehension. I have specially requested a peace amulet to wish Your Majesty a long and blessed life."

"I understand."

The emperor snorted coldly, his face no longer showing his usual kindness, and he walked away in a huff.

There was no doubt that the relationship between the Duke of Zhenguo and his family had been completely broken. But even if they hadn't broken up, what would it matter? In the previous life, the Duke of Zhenguo's family observed filial piety well, never leaving the house, and even the third uncle fled back to the capital, but the entire family was still wiped out! The bloodline was cut off.

Only by giving it a try can the Gu family find a way out.

"Farewell, Your Majesty."

Snap! Snap! Snap!

The sound of a whip sounded as the court was dismissed. Gu Zhizhuo looked around and stopped at Prince Jin.

She grinned and said, "Your Highness Prince Jin, do you want it? I asked for it from Shangxu Temple."

"I heard that the prince once asked Shangxu Temple to perform a ritual to suppress a heinous criminal. I'm sure you're well aware of its reputation. Master Changfeng is skilled in yin and yang, and in exorcising evil spirits. His talismans are very effective. I hope Your Highness will not despise them."

Upon hearing the three words "Shangxu Temple", King Jin's already gloomy face turned even worse.

The news from Western Xinjiang did not say that Gu Zhizhuo had discovered the talisman!

"Oh right." Gu Zhizhuo's smile was so deep that it didn't reach his eyes. "I wonder who His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin sent to Shangxu Monastery? Why do they all say that he has committed serious sins and must be suppressed in order to remove the evil spirit?"

Prince Jin subconsciously avoided her knife-like gaze and said vaguely, "He's just a villain."

He had to hurry back home to see what went wrong.

The King of Jin turned around and ignored him.

Gu Zhizhuo said coldly from behind him, "Your Highness Prince Jin, I calculated that you will have a bloody disaster in the near future. If you don't take this amulet, you'd better be careful."

The Prince of Jin suddenly stumbled and almost fell, then disappeared in front of the palace gate as if he was escaping.

Several officials who had not left yet looked at each other in confusion.

They just heard Gu Zhizhuo talking about amulets, suppression methods, Shangxu Temple in the western border, and heinous crimes, and then the King of Jin was like seeing a ghost.

The Gu family has always been law-abiding and has never committed any offense or disrespect over the years, but now they suddenly attack...

There has never been a fool who can stand in this golden palace. Everything that happened today is enough to make them think a lot.

Xie Yingchen strode towards her: "Are you feeling unwell?"

Just for a moment, Xie Yingchen noticed that her expression was a little stiff, very slightly.

"No!"

The fishy smell finally subsided, and the pain in his chest was gone. Gu Zhizhuo answered without any guilt.

"Sir, I'm going to look for my elder brother, would you like to come with me?"

The person is at Shili Pavilion, and she can't wait to see him.

It's definitely not right! Xie Yingchen touched her forehead and felt the temperature, but there was nothing unusual.

Gu Zhizhuo knew he couldn't hide it, so he quietly pulled his sleeve and shook it: "That's right, I was really disgusted just now, really."

She said softly, with a hint of coquettishness that she herself didn't even realize, "It makes me sick just looking at it."

I can't help feeling disgusted!

As they spoke, the two of them walked out of the Golden Palace together. The drizzle had stopped at some point, and the sky was gloomy, with rumbles of thunder. Gu Zhizhuo ignored them and said excitedly, "Sir, do you want to come with me to find my elder brother?"

Without waiting for Xie Yingchen to agree, Gu Zhizhuo said regretfully, "Forget it. Young Master can't ride a horse, so I won't take you with me."

"Forehead?"

Gu Zhizhuo tugged at his sleeve and walked briskly down the white marble steps, occasionally skipping two or three steps. This long staircase, which was filled with awe in the eyes of the world and countless people would struggle to set foot on it in their entire lives, was nothing under her feet.

After walking down the long white marble steps, she turned her head to look at the magnificent palace.

Golden Palace.

That's all.

"Yaoyao."

Qin Su breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Gu Zhizhuo finally come out of the Golden Palace safely.

"Deputy Commander Qin, please call me Miss Gu. Don't be rude next time."

After saying that, Gu Zhizhuo brushed past him and nodded to Commander Zhou from a distance with an imperceptible gratitude.

Commander Zhou and my third uncle were childhood friends, and he took the risk to let me bring the wooden box in.

The jade lion was just outside the Meridian Gate, followed by Qingmei.

As soon as it saw her, the jade lion came over and rubbed its neck against her.

"Qingmei, go back first and tell Third Uncle and the others that I'm going to look for Big Brother!"

Gu Zhizhuo flipped over and jumped onto the horse's back, then waved to Xie Yingchen: "Master, I'm leaving first."

He was still standing by when he wrote the first word, but by the time he wrote the last word, he and his horse had already rushed out of the Meridian Gate.

Xie Yingchen stroked the sleeve that had just been wrinkled by her and thought to himself: No, I'm still too weak. I need to be able to ride a horse at least. Otherwise, it would be bad to be left behind all the time.

Gu Zhizhuo controlled the speed of her horse as she rode through the streets of the capital. When she was out of the city gate, she whipped her horse in the air and shouted, "Gee!"

The jade lion snorted excitedly. It loved to run without restraint. Its nimble limbs leaped high into the air, and it rushed along the official road like a gust of wind.

It was almost mid-June, and the capital was about to enter the height of summer. The breeze blowing in the face also added a bit of warmth. The jade lion ran faster and faster until Gu Zhizhuo saw the commander's flag fluttering in the distance.

There were dark figures in front of him, and the young man in the front looked very heroic.

He was wearing black armor and a long spear was across his horse. Only the tassel hanging from the top of the spear was bright red.

Gu Zhizhuo shouted loudly, extremely excited.

“Gu Cancan!!”