Gu Lin and Jiang Yu stayed in Lingzhou for one night. During that night, Gu Lin listened to Jiang Yu talk about many things from the past.

"Tell me, if Father and Mother were still alive, would they agree to let me marry you?"

Jiang Yu nestled against Gu Lin's chest, a certain image flashing through her mind: "My father will definitely take a broom and kick you out of the Marquis's mansion."

Gu Lin also laughed out loud, "This really is Master's style of doing things."

“Ayu, I’ve made you break Master’s rules.” Gu Lin held Jiang Yu’s hand. “I’ve always known that Master doesn’t like daughters of the Jiang family marrying into the royal family.”

But he was still greedy and from the first moment he saw Jiang Yu, he tried his best to marry her.

“At that time, the Marquis of Dingyuan’s family had made great military achievements. My father was worried that if I married into the royal family, I would suffer a tragic end, so that rule was established.” Jiang Yu’s eyes seemed to carry a hint of reminiscence. “But after my father died in battle, Gu Heng ascended the throne, and a single imperial edict left me powerless to resist.”

"The fact that Ayan is now sitting on the dragon throne is already an excellent situation."

Gu Lin turned to the side and reached out to touch the mole at the corner of Jiang Yu's eye. "This mole wasn't here before, A-Yu. Does it feel uncomfortable here?"

Seeing that Jiang Yu shook her head, Gu Lin didn't think much of it, but before going to sleep, he couldn't help but glance at the mole again.

"Tomorrow we'll go and see the other guards being kept here."

"good."

The red candles were extinguished, and the two fell asleep in each other's arms.

......

Unbeknownst to the two, Gu Qingyan had already put the court officials in the capital on edge, completely erasing the ease of the past few days and replacing it with a look of utter despair.

"No such precedent? Then my father and mother are the precedent."

Gu Qingyan's face was stern. "I want you to search through all the historical records to determine the specifications for this grand wedding. If you can't do it, you can forget about being the Minister of Rites."

"I will go and find it right away, I will go and find it right away."

Outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, court officials went in one after another to be scolded, and then came out dejected.

Upon arriving, Zhuo Yi was stunned by the sight. The court officials outside the hall quickly surrounded him, saying, "Prime Minister, please persuade the Emperor! There's no precedent for a wedding between the Emperor Emeritus and the Empress Dowager! This is simply..."

He still didn't have the courage to say "nonsense" at the end, and Zhuo Yi gave everyone a helpless look.

"I can only say that you would be better off praying that the Empress Dowager will marry from the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence in the capital, rather than the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence in Qingcheng."

"Wh...what?"

"You should think carefully about how far Qingcheng is from the capital."

Upon hearing these words, the court officials stammered, their mouths agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

If the bride is to be married off from the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence in Qingcheng... such a long journey...

Seeing that everyone looked pale and sickly, Zhuo Yi leisurely stepped into the hall.

"Your subject Zhuoyi pays respects to Your Majesty."

When Gu Qingyan saw that it was Zhuo Yi, he put down his vermilion brush. "The Prime Minister has come at the right time. Recently, many spies from aristocratic families have inexplicably flooded into Dayu. These families are used to being arrogant and do not take me seriously at all."

“Your Majesty, there is another possibility… They are wary of Dayu, but what Yun Zhi might reveal frightens them even more, so they have no choice but to send someone over.”

Gu Qingyan pondered for a moment, "Kill one if one comes, kill two if two come."

"Also, after you've killed them, throw the bodies back to where they came from."

In an instant, Zhuo Yi saw the shadow of Gu Lin in Gu Qingyan.

"I heard that His Majesty has been preparing for the wedding of the Retired Emperor and the Empress Dowager these past two days?" Zhuo Yi said with a light laugh. "I have a plan, I wonder if His Majesty would like to hear it."

"Please speak, Prime Minister."

"All matters concerning the wedding were handled by the retired emperor alone."

At that moment, Gu Lin, who was far away in Lingzhou, sneezed loudly.

Gu Qingyan's eyes lit up upon hearing this, "Prime Minister, please continue."

"Firstly, the Emperor also knows that there has never been a wedding between the Emperor Emeritus and the Empress Dowager before, and the officials are not in a position to control the rules; secondly, this is an opportunity for the Emperor Emeritus to show his sincerity. If there is anything the Emperor Emeritus is unsure about, he will naturally go to the Marquis of Dingyuan to discuss it; thirdly... the Emperor will have more time to spend with the Empress Dowager."

"Excellent!"

Gu Qingyan stood up excitedly, "The Prime Minister's idea is truly excellent."

"The Empress Dowager is very knowledgeable about the Yun family's affairs, which allows her to have more energy to discuss and deal with the affairs of aristocratic families with the Emperor. It's a win-win situation."

Zhuo Yi was secretly overjoyed. For the past four years, he and Wei Ruo had been treated like workhorses by Gu Lin. Now, he was finally going to get his revenge!

"The Prime Minister is absolutely right." Gu Qingyan seemed to have thought of something again, and hesitated for a moment. "In that case...won't Mother think that I don't care about her and Father's wedding?"

"The Empress Dowager and the Emperor are of one heart and mind, so they will naturally know each other's feelings."

To Zhuo Yi's surprise, his casual remark caused Gu Qingyan's expression to change drastically.

What did you just say?

"Your Majesty?" Zhuo Yi's expression gradually became serious. "I just said that the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty are of one heart."

"Not this sentence, but the next sentence."

"Of course...we will know each other's feelings."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Qingyan sat heavily back on the dragon throne. He finally realized what had been wrong these past few days.

Ever since he met his mother, he had felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't figure it out. Today, Zhuo Yi's words enlightened him.

Since his mother returned to the capital, he had never heard her thoughts again, a realization that made Gu Qingyan's heart tremble slightly.

"Someone come here, summon Mei Chu."

......

In less than half an incense stick's time, Mei Chu hurriedly arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

"Your Majesty summoned me urgently; is there something wrong with your health?"

Mei Chu is now the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, a position personally appointed by Gu Qingyan.

"I would like to ask you, when you took the Empress Dowager's pulse a few days ago, did you notice anything unusual?"

Seeing Gu Qingyan ask this question, Mei Chu carefully recalled Jiang Yu's pulse and slowly said, "The Empress Dowager's pulse is strong and there is nothing unusual about it."

"Is there anything else strange about it?"

“There is one strange thing,” Mei Chu said, his eyes narrowing slightly. “A black mole has suddenly appeared at the corner of the Empress Dowager’s eye, but she says she feels no discomfort.”

"I understand."

Gu Qingyan also recalled the black mole. Could it really be related to that black mole?

Otherwise, why would he suddenly be unable to hear his mother's thoughts?

The thought that these things might be related to Jiang Yu's safety made Gu Qingyan restless.

"Send a message to Lingzhou for me, asking my father and mother to return quickly."