Chapter 212 [VIP]

Gu Zhizhuo strode out of the main hall.

Her gaze swept over the Thousand Machines Camp members in front of the hall before she stepped down the stairs.

"Young lady."

The group saluted each other with their hands clasped in a military posture. To conceal their identities, they were not wearing armor, and their dark cloth clothes were stained with dark red blood.

"Walk."

Gu Zhizhuo dropped the blood-stained handkerchief in his hand, walked through the crowd, and went to the front.

"How about it?"

Qi Fu followed her half a step and reported, "The Liang people have all been captured. They accumulated nearly 20,000 catties of kerosene over several years. More than 300 people were responsible for setting fires, scattered across twelve locations."

Gu Zhizhuo had guessed this.

Fire signifies great misfortune; raging flames will engulf the city.

"Burning the city" refers to the entire capital city being engulfed in flames.

If it were just arson in one place, even with poor wind conditions, it would be impossible to "burn down a city".

However, the vitality shown by the divination lies in the north, and it falls upon Duo Leng.

"The captured Liang people confessed that they were waiting for Duoleng's instructions: once the fire broke out in the north, all twelve locations in the capital would be set on fire simultaneously. In that case, chaos would erupt in the capital, allowing them to escape unscathed."

Liang Ren was very stubborn, and it took Qi Fu a lot of effort to pry him open, which resulted in him being covered in blood.

"The remaining Liang people are hiding in the Rouge Pavilion. Young lady, just as you said, the Rouge Pavilion is actually the Liang people's stronghold."

Rouge Tower is one of the three major brothels in the capital.

After searching, Qi Fu and his team discovered that the back garden of Rouge Tower even contained a dungeon and an interrogation room.

Gu Zhizhuo nodded, letting him continue.

After agreeing, Qi Fu added, "A total of 1,123 Liang people were captured, and 430 died. All of them are currently imprisoned in the dungeon of Rouge Tower."

Gu Zhizhuo asked, "Were any brothers killed in battle?"

Speaking of this, Qi Fu said thankfully, "Young lady, luckily we got that batch of arrows. These Liang people are good at close combat, so we ambushed them. More than a hundred people were injured, but no one died."

"Very good." Gu Zhizhuo's lips curled slightly. "Let's go. Raze the imperial city, clean it up, and then Big Brother and Young Master should be back!"

Qi Fu clasped his hands in response to the order.

"Get to work!"

Gu Zhizhuo ordered the Thousand Machine Battalion to split into three groups, and then went to ask Shen Xu to borrow the Embroidered Uniform Guard to encircle the enemy from the outside.

In this power struggle between the Crown Prince and the Emperor, neither the Eastern Depot nor the Embroidered Uniform Guard took sides, always remaining neutral and watching from the sidelines.

With Shen Xu away, Gu Zhizhuo wouldn't overstep his authority to use his people. Now that he's back, he can borrow them openly and without hesitation.

Gu Zhizhuo led nearly a hundred men and swept through the Phoenix Palace along the central axis.

Those who deserve to be killed should be killed, and those who deserve to be imprisoned should be imprisoned.

When they arrived at Hanzhang Palace, Gu Yican rushed back and called out from afar, "Yaoyao!"

Gu Zhizhuo turned to look at him and smiled brightly: "Cancan, you're back."

She raised the hand holding the crossbow and waved it at him. Gu Yican rushed over, took a few steps up the steps, and hugged her tightly. As soon as they got close, Gu Yican immediately smelled the strong smell of kerosene on her.

Gu Yican stammered in fright, "Oh my god!!!"

"Let me smell it, let me smell it."

Gu Zhizhuo: ?

Gu Yican pulled her along, like a little puppy, sniffing her all over.

It really smells like kerosene.

Gu Zhizhuo: "It's nothing, it's nothing."

Gu Yican sniffed around her, touched her face, and circled her several times before finally confirming that not a single patch of skin on her body was burned. He was relieved.

Gu Yican patted his chest exaggeratedly.

That scared him to death!

"Xie Jing said that the Liang people have prepared tens of thousands of catties of kerosene and are going to set the capital on fire." Gu Yican, who was invincible on the battlefield, said pitifully, "I was terrified."

“There really are that many!” Gu Zhizhuo nodded repeatedly. “The divination said it would burn the city in flames.”

"Thanks to my skill, I managed to trick Duo Leng."

She pulled Gu Yican toward Hanzhang Palace, proudly recounting her achievements, exaggerating them by at least 30%. Gu Yican was startled and exclaimed repeatedly.

"Am I amazing or not?!"

"Amazing!" Gu Yican quickly clapped his hands. "My sister is the best in the world!"

Gu Yican felt a lingering fear in her heart.

Setting fire to the city and then escaping in the chaos, however insidious, is undoubtedly the best strategy, since it is the city of Daqi that is burned and the people of Daqi that die.

This fire would be a great disaster for the Great Qi Dynasty.

However, for the Liang people, it would allow them to escape unscathed without paying the slightest price.

Profits without any investment.

The younger sister used both threats and inducements, employing both soft and hard tactics.

Not only did she coax Duo Leng into giving up the arson, but she also caused all of his men to perish in the capital, leaving only five or six of them to flee like stray dogs. They even had to thank their sister for "keeping her word" and letting them go.

Gu Yican draped his arm over her shoulder and said cheerfully, "If we wait until the cold wind blows and we finally understand what happened, we'll probably be furious."

Gu Zhizhu chuckled, then changed the subject: "Where's the young master? Didn't he come back with you?"

"There are about a thousand of them. It would be good if they could come back before dark."

As she spoke, Gu Zhizhuo waved her hand, and hundreds of repeating crossbows were aimed at the Jinwu Guards in front of Hanzhang Palace. She said, "Those who do not surrender will be punished for treason."

The Imperial Guards looked at each other, and after a moment of stalemate, they finally knelt down. Gu Zhizhuo, having exhausted their weapons, allowed them to remain in Hanzhang Palace for the time being, taking only Li Deshun with him.

"Can Can, let's go! Next up are the first three halls!"

Before long, without bloodshed, the entire imperial city fell into their hands.

Gu Zhizhuo stood before the steps of the Golden Palace, looking down at the vast imperial city with satisfaction, when he suddenly remembered something: "By the way, Cancan, I'll leave the rest to you. It's getting dark, I'll go back and have my coming-of-age ceremony first, then I'll come back."

"ah?"

"Those Liang people are so mean!" Gu Zhizhuo said angrily. "They came right after we arrived, that's too much!"

"Go quickly."

The jade lion was still in Chonghua Palace, so Gu Zhizhuo simply borrowed Gu Yican's smoke and cloud cover and rode back to the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.

"Big sister!"

The Prince of Zhenbei's mansion was just as she had left it. As soon as she entered the mansion, her younger sister and brother came to greet her. Gu Zhiwei said proudly, "Big sister, after you left, that bearded man came again. He was all alone and sneaked into the flower hall. We arrested him and handed him over to Captain Qi."

"very good."

They were all very capable, and Gu Zhizhuo was very happy: "My elder brother has also returned to the capital. He will be back at the manor later. You have made contributions, so let my elder brother buy you Xiongnu horses."

"Yay!"

The two teenagers cheered and accompanied her back to the side hall of Duanyun Pavilion.

"My cousin Zhuo."

Xie Danling was frantic and rushed over with tears in her eyes.

No, no.

Gu Zhizhuo quickly stepped back: "I'm covered in blood, and I've dirtied your new dress."

Xie Danling didn't care, hugged her tightly, rested her head on her shoulder, and couldn't help but sob.

"I want to learn martial arts too!"

If she knew kung fu, she could fight alongside her little cousin.

"Don't!"

Gu Zhizhuo was terrified and pressed down on her shoulders, saying in a serious tone, "Cousin, please don't do anything rash."

If her cousin, who can't even run properly, were to go and practice martial arts, it would be an unimaginable disaster.

"Think about your beautiful face."

Xie Danling touched her face and thought she looked pretty.

"So, we're not going to learn it?"

Gu Zhizhuo nodded repeatedly.

"It's time for the second addition." Princess Li looked at her with a smile. "Miss Gu, go and change your clothes quickly."

"I'll go with you." Xie Danling pulled her behind the screen and loudly ordered Qiongfang to pour water.

“Cousin Danling, you don’t need to stay at my house today. Go stay at the Wang family’s house. Aunt will be going there too.”

"Really?!"

Their voices gradually faded away.

Princess Li's eyebrows twitched slightly. If Miss Gu could so easily suggest that Consort Shu leave the palace and return to her parents' home, there was only one possibility...

Why.

The emperor is really something, he can't live a good life, he has to make trouble.

The grandson of the emperor intervened, and now he can't even live a normal life.

She said, "I'll go ahead first, Yan'er, you take your time. There's no rush."

Yin Xiyan responded.

"Oh, right. Sister Yin," Gu Zhizhuo peeked out from behind the screen, "he's back too."

Yin Xiyan's eyebrows and eyes instantly lit up, her shimmering peach blossom eyes overflowing with joy and excitement.

By the time Gu Zhizhuo had freshened up, changed into two sets of clothes, and emerged from behind the screen, a quarter of an hour had passed.

She and Xie Danling walked hand in hand into the main hall.

The guests breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Gu Zhizhuo come out.

Duanyun Pavilion was quite far from the front courtyard, so the sounds outside weren't very clear, but they weren't completely unheard either. The coming-of-age ceremony suddenly stopped halfway through, and since Miss Gu was nowhere to be seen, everyone guessed that something had happened.

Some people panicked and wanted to go out and see what was going on.

The second wife, Madam Xu, and the third wife, Madam Lu, no longer concealed the fact that the Liang people were attacking the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.

Gu Zhizhuo had instructed them beforehand not to mention the emperor, but only to say that the Liang people were taking advantage of the situation to cause trouble.

Even so, many people turned pale with fright and almost fainted.

Especially after the Liang people broke through the gate, the sounds of fighting, cursing, the smell of kerosene, and even the stench of blood wafted over, making people feel uneasy and their hearts pound even when they were sitting down.

Many people have never experienced such fear in their entire lives.

Those few hours felt like years had passed.

“Eldest Miss, the lady of the Qingyuan Marquis’s mansion was making a scene and wanted to leave. When Fourth Miss went to stop her, she was pushed down and hit her forehead, bleeding quite a bit. Second Madam and Third Madam got angry, and then no one made a scene anymore.”

This is what Qiongfang said to her while she was changing clothes.

Oh.

She kept them at the Prince of Zhenbei's residence to protect their lives and prevent them from becoming hostages of the Liang people.

Whether she appreciates it or not is irrelevant; what's wrong is hurting her sister...

no.

Gu Zhizhuo walked to the rattan mat without changing his expression and said coldly, "I heard that the Lady of Qingyuan Marquis and the young lady are in a hurry to go back? Indeed, my coming-of-age ceremony has kept everyone waiting for too long. If the Lady of Qingyuan Marquis wants to leave, then see her out!"

With a flick of her sleeve, her piercing gaze swept over the guests attending the ceremony.

"Who else wants to leave?"

Those present were all ladies of noble birth, and even some elderly, dignified imperial concubines and ladies of high rank.

At this moment, faced with Gu Zhizhuo's neither loud nor soft voice, they both fell silent.

The commotion ahead had subsided for over an hour, and the fact that Miss Gu had only just appeared meant that there must be some other changes happening in the capital.

Lady Qingyuan was really something. The fourth young lady of the Gu family was only ten years old, a little dumpling as white as snow. She tried to persuade her with kind words, but not only did she not listen, she pushed her so hard. No wonder the eldest young lady was angry.

However, the Qingyuan Marquis's family is the maternal family of the former Crown Princess. It wouldn't be right for Miss Gu to show no respect at all.

Gu Zhizhuo: "Please."

The servants went over to "ask" the person to leave.

The onlookers pretended not to see anything, some drinking tea, some adjusting their cuffs, and some whispering that the dress worn by Miss Gu seemed to be made by Lin Zhiniang.

"Let's go then."

Lady Qingyuan's face turned pale and then red, and she stormed off with her daughter in a huff.

If we don't want to wait, then we don't want to wait.

She refused to believe that their household would have to live at the mercy of Miss Gu from now on!

"Is anyone else leaving?" Gu Zhizhuo asked with a smile.

Seeing that no one made any further movement, she bowed and knelt on the rattan mat facing west.

Wuweizi gazed at his young disciple with gentle eyes.

The lingering gloom and misfortune surrounding this adopted apprentice has finally dissipated completely.

Very good.

Wuweizi raised his whisk: "Add two!"

Add a hairpin, add a hair ornament, add a hair crown.

Each person had to change into a new set of clothes, and by the time the ceremony was over, nearly an hour had passed.

Gu Zhizhu changed into her last red brocade dress, almost identical to Xie Danling's, except that her skirt was embroidered with phoenix feathers, while Xie Danling's had auspicious cloud patterns. —Although both Xie Danling and the Grand Madam insisted that the two fabrics were different shades of red, in reality, few people could tell the difference.

The two cousins, adorned with ornate and elaborate hairpins and crowns, emerged from the side hall and stood before the rattan mat.

All eyes were on them.

Normally, Gu Zhizhuo is as fiery and dazzling as a blazing flame, with an undeniable sharpness. But now, dressed in elegant attire and adorned with jeweled hairpins, she exudes grace, poise, and refined beauty.

The two calmly bowed to the guests again; this was their third bow.

The coming-of-age ceremony is complete.

Madam Gu finally breathed a sigh of relief and was about to have someone help her up when slightly hurried footsteps sounded outside Duanyun Pavilion.

Are we going to have to fight again?!

The old lady was so frightened that she sat back down.

"Young lady. The Crown Prince has returned and requests that you go to the Meridian Gate after your coming-of-age ceremony."

So it's Chen'er back. Oh, right, where did Chen'er go? Madam Gu's mind was still reeling from the shock; all she knew was that she was about to be beaten again.

That's good, that's good!

"good."

Gu Zhizhuo agreed. She followed the old lady, smiled as she invited the guests to their seats, and then hurriedly left.

She didn't change her clothes, and even took a carriage so as not to mess up her skirt.

It was already dusk, and the streets and alleys were much more crowded than before. Soldiers from the Five Cities Garrison were beating drums and gongs in the streets. With the commotion outside, the people dared to come out. In addition, people who went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple returned and went from door to door talking about the day's important events. The capital city suddenly regained its lively atmosphere.

Just looking at it makes one feel good.

The bustling crowd was buzzing with discussion, all heading in the same direction—the Meridian Gate. When they arrived at the Meridian Gate Square, Gu Zhizhuo lifted the curtain and saw Xie Yingchen standing in front of the Meridian Gate waiting for her.

As soon as the carriage stopped, she eagerly jumped down.

She was used to jumping up and down, and forgot that her gorgeous dress today had a long hem. As soon as her toes touched the ground, she accidentally stepped on the hem of the dress and leaned forward.

Before she could regain her balance, a pair of strong arms firmly wrapped around her waist and supported her. Gu Zhizhu smiled and said, "Young Master." She naturally leaned her weight on him.

After regaining her footing, she spun around on the spot, her flowing skirt like blooming flowers, the gold-threaded embroidery shimmering with dazzling brilliance.

"Is it good-looking?"

Xie Yingchen's gaze was fixed on her, his gentle voice filled with undisguised amazement: "Beautiful."

Gu Zhizhuo was satisfied and let him lead her by the hand into the Meridian Gate, all the way to the top of the city wall.

They walked side by side, their steps similar.

From Prince Li to all the civil and military officials, they all followed behind them, like stars surrounding the sun and moon.

On the Meridian Gate Square, crowds gathered, all looking up at the two people standing side by side on the city wall.

The commotion just moments before vanished instantly.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Prince Li respectfully cupped his hands, and after Xie Yingchen nodded, he stepped to the front, holding a bright yellow imperial edict stained with blood, and addressed the people below:

"Today, during the prayers at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, auspicious omens descended from the heavens, and the late Emperor bestowed his last edict."

Someone exclaimed, "An auspicious omen?"

"It's true. I was there at the time and saw it with my own eyes."

"Quiet down, listen to the prince read aloud."

Prince Li opened the imperial edict, revealing the blood on it to everyone, and solemnly read: "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees..."

After he finished reading it, he held up the will with both hands.

"By the protection of our ancestors, we were finally able to set things right."

"I hereby announce to the world the late Emperor's last will and testament!"

A note from the author: