Chapter 61 Chapter 60 Testing
In just one short lunch, Mu Congmo had already disproven his idea twice, truly a suspicious emperor. He should be thankful that Gu Shiyan didn't know what he was thinking, or else he would have simply left.
Mu Congmo didn't care too much. A Yan's identity was naturally not so easy to confirm, so he placed his hopes on the next few tests.
In the afternoon, the two of them lived peacefully in Chengming Hall. Gu Shiyan gave up the storybooks that he had read thoroughly, and after asking Mu Congmo's opinion, he took a few miscellaneous books from the bookshelf in Chengming Hall to relieve his boredom.
In reality, such a life could be considered comfortable. Aside from waking up early every day and dealing with the emperor's occasional madness, Gu Shiyan didn't find much to complain about. But every day when he returned home, Liang Qiulan and Gu Cheng would eagerly examine him thoroughly, fearing he had suffered any injustice in the palace.
He originally wanted to say a few words to defend Mu Congmo, but before he could say anything, he heard Gu Cheng's warning: "The emperor is unpredictable and suspicious by nature. Yan'er, you should be careful in the palace."
Gu Shiyan's ears were almost callused from hearing such words, but when he thought of Mu Congmo's reputation outside, he gave up and said, "There's nothing he can do to help."
When Mu Congmo saw him holding a few travel books, he thought, isn't this the opportunity?
"I have been to Jiangnan, and the scenery there is even better than what is described in this book." Mu Congmo said casually.
Gu Shiyan, always mindful of his current status as the heir of a duke's mansion raised in the countryside, feigned disappointment as he replied, "Unfortunately, I've never been there, so I can only glimpse a bit through the words in this book. Naturally, I can't compare to your majesty's vast knowledge."
"Really? Mr. Gu doesn't look like someone who has never seen the world."
The young man put down the book in his hands and looked at Mu Congmo with a captivating smile. His lips were red and his teeth were white, his clear eyes filled with admiration. His voice was as gentle as jade, almost distracting. "I have the honor of seeing the emperor, and now I can accompany your majesty every day. Naturally, I have seen the world."
Although Gu Shiyan didn't know what was wrong with Mu Congmo today, he just wanted to read his book quietly. He really didn't want to play any games with Mu Congmo about the harmony between the monarch and his subjects.
These words seemed to be praising him, but Mu Congmo heard some dissatisfaction in the other party's tone, and even the bright and brilliant smile seemed to be mixed with sarcasm.
Mu Congmo felt a little displeased. If you were A Yan, it would be fine, but if you were just a fake, then you would be in trouble.
After being insulted like this, Mu Congmo naturally would not seek trouble again. He had already thought of many ways to torture people. Once he was completely sure, he would use all these methods on Gu Shiyan.
Although the atmosphere in the hall was a little awkward, it was unusually harmonious. The emperor was concentrating on dealing with memorials, while Gu Shiyan was flipping through the travel notes, and from time to time he picked up the snacks that Hu Xian had carefully prepared.
The snacks were small and exquisite, and eating them didn't stop Gu Shiyan from reading at all. He was so engrossed in his reading that before he knew it, most of the snacks on the plate were gone. When he reached out to grab them again, he found nothing. Instead of the soft and delicious snacks, he was greeted by a cold table.
He shifted his gaze from the book, and realized that the emperor, who had been dealing with memorials, had come to him at some point, and in his hand was the plate of snacks that he had eaten most of.
Gu Shiyan just glanced at him and then looked away, ignoring Mu Congmo.
Mu Congmo usually controls his emotions very well, but now he was almost laughing out of anger. Is this travelogue so interesting and these snacks so delicious?
After a while, Mu Congmo was still standing there. Gu Shiyan put the book on his lap and said, "Your Majesty, you are blocking the light."
Mu Congmo thought that the other party finally noticed him, but he never thought it was because of this reason. Although he was a little reluctant in his heart, he still moved aside and sat on the chair next to Gu Shiyan.
Gu Shiyan still didn't understand what the other person was doing. Why was he not sitting on the dragon throne and running to his side? Could it be that he really came here for this plate of dim sum? But the dim sum was already in his hands, so why didn't he leave?
"Your Majesty, is there anything on your mind?" Gu Shiyan thought for a moment. After all, this was the other party's territory. He should at least care about the owner of the house. Just think of it as these snacks.
Mu Congmo's emotions surged like a raging sea. "Have you just noticed? I really want to know if you're the one I've been waiting for." But he didn't show it on his face. He still pretended to be profound, and his voice was as emotionless as usual. "Oh? My dear, why are you saying that?"
Gu Shiyan rolled his eyes at him in his heart. If you had nothing on your mind, why were you wandering around here? "I just noticed that Your Majesty seems a little different today than usual." Gu Shiyan raised his lips slightly.
This sentence made Mu Congmo confused. Could it be that the other party had already seen that he was testing him today, so those words were just said to deceive him?
Mu Congmo was afraid that continuing like this would alert Gu Shiyan and make him vigilant, so he canceled all the remaining attempts.
Time passed by little by little, and in the blink of an eye, the capital city was already filled with a hint of heat.
Outside the palace, the sun blazed down, steam rising from the bluestone-paved paths. Aside from the Imperial Garden, trees were sparse in the palace, offering no shelter. Furthermore, even the air was slightly hot, making it truly drowsy.
In Chengming Hall, there was only an ice basin placed next to Mu Congmo, and a palace maid was fanning the emperor with a fan. There was no impatience on his face, which showed that his mood was not disturbed by such weather.
Gu Shiyan, who was sitting below, was completely different from him. Not to mention that there were two basins full of ice cubes placed beside him, just looking at his slightly furrowed brows, the fine hair on his forehead mixed with sweat beads, and the pages of the book in his hand that had been wrinkled by him, it was enough to see the young man's boredom.
Yunliang was covered in snow year-round, and even in summer, it was never this hot. Gu Shiyan had never experienced such a scorching heat before. These ice basins seemed to be just decorations, completely useless to him. As a result, he couldn't even concentrate on the travelogues he usually read.
The emperor on the throne noticed that the young man was a little irritated and was surprised. This was the first time he saw him so humiliated.
After the test that day, he was still filled with suspicion, but to avoid alerting the enemy, he had put all his preparations aside. Seeing that Gu Shiyan was now uneasy due to the heat, he seized the opportunity and said seductively, "My dear, do something for me. If you succeed, I will take you to the palace in a few days." After saying this, he did not forget to look up at Gu Shiyan, as if asking for his opinion, "What do you think?"
Gu Shiyan was considering whether this trip to the palace would be of any use to him. He thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of Mu Congmo leading the ministers to the palace and take a trip to Yunliang Qianchi. Seeing how easily his emotions were affected by his surroundings, he guessed that the poison in his body was acting up again.
It’s a pity that this poison cannot be suppressed by internal force, otherwise it will be counterproductive. However, this poison seems to only attack in summer. Gu Shiyan didn’t feel anything on weekdays, but only recently did he realize the abnormality of his body.
If he wanted to temporarily suppress the poison in his body, besides temporarily not being able to use his internal energy, he also had to master the Cloud Beam Thousand Feet technique and suppress it using a special formation. When he broke through, because his internal energy was too strong, he used that formation to suppress it for three years, which allowed him to control it with ease.
In order to avoid being disturbed, Ji Ruoxi used the formation left over from his early years to hide Yunliang Qianchi in the clouds, which led to Mu Congmo's several searches being in vain.
But he now has some concerns. If he goes to Yunliang Qianchi, will his father and mother become suspicious? But he is unwilling to tell others about his poisoning, as it will only make people worry.
Now that Mu Congmo mentioned going to the palace to escape the summer heat, he realized that the Duke of Ying was naturally among the accompanying officials, and Liang Qiulan would also go with them as a family member. In previous years, she had never been there due to health reasons, but this year her health had improved greatly under Gu Shiyan's secret care, and Gu Cheng would definitely take her with him.
Thinking of this, the question that had troubled Gu Shiyan for a long time finally had an answer, and even Mu Congmo seemed much more pleasing to the eye. The look he gave the other person seemed to have a little more tenderness.
Isn't it just one thing? As long as he doesn't go to the palace, he can do murder and arson. As long as Mu Congmo nods, then he can tell his parents that the emperor has left him a mission in the capital, and everything will be solved.
"Your Majesty, please give your orders. I also have a request in my heart. I hope Your Majesty will grant it." Gu Shiyan's tone was much gentler this time, not as cold as usual.
When Mu Congmo saw him like this, he just found it interesting. Did he really want to go to the palace?
The emperor rang the bell beside the imperial desk, and then Eunuch Hu Xian came in with a group of people. The palace servants seemed to be holding a guqin, and the rest of them were holding wooden trays. The books on the tray should be the music scores.
They presented the items to Gu Shiyan, and the emperor on the throne opened his lips slightly, "I once heard a piece of music in Jiangnan, and I couldn't forget it for a long time. Seeing that Master Gu is so talented, I think he will be able to let me hear it again."
Gu Shiyan took the dusty guqin and opened its wooden case. A simple guqin appeared before his eyes. The headstock resembled a phoenix spreading its wings and soaring high. The body of the guqin was also carved with sycamore leaves. The strings seemed to be made of fine silk, looking like they had just been replaced.
Mu Congmo saw a flicker of admiration in the young man's eyes. He had originally prepared this for A Yan, and now he was simply showing it to test Gu Shiyan. A guqin lover would naturally be delighted to see such a fine guqin, so he was sure the other party would no longer hide anything.
Gu Shiyan picked up the music score with one hand, and happily brushed the strings back and forth with the other hand, looking like he was enjoying it very much.
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