Then she left the yard without looking back.

Gu Zheng walked two steps forward and watched her leave. He turned around to look at the tea set on the table, sneered, and turned to go into the house.

It was not until he turned out of the alley, walked around most of the street, and returned to his carriage, with the curtains lowered so that no one could see his expression and movements, that He Qing gradually came back to his senses from the state of forced suppression.

She hammered the car wall hard, but instead of venting her anger, it made her hand hurt.

He Qing held her fingers to her lips and blew a breath. An inexplicable feeling of grievance welled up in her eyes, quickly soaking them. She raised her head slightly, trying not to burst into tears.

Don't cry, if you cry you lose.

To divert her attention, He Qing began to reflect on what Gu Zheng had just said. There must have been something else in his words, but she simply hadn't grasped it. Was that slight contempt directed at her, not only at her stupidity, but also at her?

He said the people of the capital couldn't stand the turmoil, that the common people had few desires and were easiest to satisfy, and that the people neither understood nor cared about what was going on in the court...

He Qing broke down these words in his mind, carefully interpreting them word by word, and racked his brains to squeeze out his pitiful political wisdom, finally slowly savoring some of their meaning.

He believed that the earthquake was just a power struggle in the court, but it affected the people.

Why did he think so? Because it was Empress Dowager Zhang who had mentioned the earthquake, using the excuse of the Emperor Taizu's dream. This was the first time Empress Dowager Zhang had spoken in court, so it was only natural that she was seen as trying to gain the upper hand.

But Gu Zheng thought that this matter was related to him.

He Qing didn't know what went wrong, but he must have shown something abnormal, either himself or Empress Dowager Zhang, and Gu Zheng noticed it.

Thinking of this, He Qing couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. Was Gu Zheng too perceptive, or were their actions too obvious, for him to see it? If he could see it, could others? Did the Empress Dowager, who spent more time with them, see it? If she did, what would she think?

The Grand Empress Dowager is the support of He Qing and Empress Dowager Zhang in the palace. If she becomes suspicious and harbors grudges against them, it will inevitably affect what happens in the future.

"Calm down..." He Qing leaned against the car wall, pressing his chest, forcing himself not to panic. Panic wouldn't help. In times like this, the more he needed to think calmly to figure out what to do next.

As she thought about it, her thoughts turned to Gu Zheng again.

This is a smart man, He Qing confirmed again. But now, she no longer likes this person.

If Gu Zheng had simply misunderstood them as engaging in a political struggle, it wouldn't have been a big deal. While the earthquake was real, and she simply wanted to prevent the court from suffering greater losses, it was indeed a conspiracy between her and Empress Dowager Zhang, so being misunderstood wasn't unjust.

However, He Qing also saw a clue from Gu Zheng's contemptuous attitude: he didn't believe in the so-called earthquake prediction at all.

Although he clearly didn't believe it, he still gave advice as if it were true, and did it better and more wholeheartedly than most people.

Gu Zheng is really a good guy. He climbed up using the ladder they had built. After climbing up, he pulled the ladder away and mocked their shallow minds, which he easily saw through.

This is simply too much!

The feeling of being trampled underfoot was truly unpleasant. He Qing's heart was filled with anger and resentment. Was he, Gu Zheng, the only smart person in the world? Everyone else was a jerk, letting him take advantage of them, without even a shred of temper?

If possible, she really wanted to step on this man and not give him any chance to stand up, to see how long he could continue to be so arrogant.

He Qing suddenly understood why Xue Zhidao was so determined to suppress Gu Zheng and prevent him from achieving success. It wasn't that he was jealous of someone else's talent, but because of Gu Zheng, he couldn't let him rise.

But this kind of anger cannot last long, and it cannot be used as a standard for behavior.

After returning to the palace, He Qing regained her sanity. She sadly realized that in this vast world, there really was no one who could replace Gu Zheng.

No matter how much you grit your teeth, you still have to use him.

He Qing comforted herself by thinking, "When the world is at peace, when everything is settled and the Chu Kingdom is saved, then I will make Gu Zheng pay for his current contemptuous attitude!" Although thinking this way didn't have any practical effect, after making this decision, He Qing felt much better.

On the way back from the palace gate, she pondered the current situation over and over in her mind.

Although Gu Zheng was abominable, he also reminded her. The Empress Dowager was not her permanent support, and the previous dynasty could not rely solely on Gu Zheng. She had to make some other preparations.

However, she couldn't get rid of the Grand Empress Dowager at the moment, so He Qing went to Yangshou Palace first and reported what she had seen and heard during her day out of the palace. Perhaps it was because she was thinking too much, but He Qing felt that the Grand Empress Dowager's attitude towards her was not as warm as usual.

It was not until she returned to the Wendao Palace that she was finally able to relax. She changed her clothes and lay on the couch, unwilling to get up.

"Master Zhen has not read the sutras today yet." Yuping, who had also changed into Taoist attire and was acting as a Taoist boy, stepped forward diligently to remind him.

"I understand." He Qing sighed, slowly sat up, and suppressed all his emotions in his heart, "Please help me get the scriptures, I will read them here today." There are too many things to do, and it is not the time to be depressed.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!