Chapter 63 Chapter 62 Doesn't He Want Me Anymore?
For a moment, Hu Xian almost lost control of his hand that was about to lift the curtain. His hand shook in the air for a few times. His eyes were a little unfocused and he trembled and dared not speak.
Mu Congmo guessed something must have happened from his expression. He suppressed his anger and walked into the carriage, saying only, "Get in."
After all, this was in public. If he lost his temper outside the carriage, not only would it damage the reputation of the imperial family, but if it were spread by someone with ulterior motives, how would Ah Yan survive in the capital? Even if the probability of this happening was extremely low, he couldn't help but consider Gu Shiyan.
Hu Xian's heart was filled with turmoil. Could it be that Master Gu hadn't told His Majesty about this? He grumbled inwardly, "How dare you do such a thing as forging an imperial edict? You have no brains." At the same time, he felt a pang of pity for Gu Chenglai. Master Gu had always been a cautious man, but who would have thought that, just as he was about to return home, he would be implicated by this good son.
It would be fine if Gu Cheng was implicated, after all, the two of them were blood relatives, but he had no relatives or friends with Gu Shiyan, and he just accepted a bag of silver from Gu Cheng, so why drag him into the water?
When the surrounding soldiers saw the emperor get into the carriage, the carriages and troops in front also marched in an orderly manner. Hu Xian saw the huge crowd start to move, he sighed in his heart, and then got into the carriage with a fearless attitude.
The carriage began to move, and the interior was decorated very comfortably. The seats were covered with a thick layer of bright yellow cushions. The carriage was also filled with various snacks, tea, fruits, and even a few travel notes that Gu Shiyan had not finished reading.
These were all specially prepared by Mu Congmo for Gu Shiyan. He thought that the young boy was delicate and an ordinary carriage would definitely not be comfortable, let alone this one that he had specially arranged. When the time comes, he can use this as an excuse to invite the other party to ride in the same carriage. Not only will it be legitimate, but the other party will surely not refuse.
But he looked around today and didn't see Gu Shiyan. Thinking that Hu Xian should know, he asked casually. Seeing Hu Xian's guilty and frightened look, he already had a vague guess in his mind.
The carriage was moving very smoothly, but Hu Xian, who was kneeling on the ground, was shaking all over. The emperor did not ask any questions, and he did not dare to speak on his own initiative. He could only kneel on the ground and pray that the emperor would ask questions quickly.
Mu Congmo held the travel notes Gu Shiyan had flipped through in his hands, expressionless, and gently stroked them, as if caressing something through the pages. It wasn't that he was deliberately trying to embarrass Hu Xian; he was simply afraid he might hear something he didn't want to, so he remained silent.
But the aura around him was too cold. Hu Xian knew very well that the current calm was just the calm before the storm.
"Tell me clearly what Gu Shiyan asked you to do that day and why he is not here today." Mu Congmo finally finished the psychological struggle. The moment the cold voice came, Hu Xian felt relieved.
Hu Xian didn't dare delay even a moment, but perhaps because he was too frightened, even his voice trembled a little. "That day, Master Gu told me that you had ordered him to stay in the capital. I thought it was a little strange at first, wondering why he would tell me such a thing. But no matter how hard I thought about it, I never thought Master Gu would be so bold as to forge an imperial decree."
Hu Xian was now expressing his true feelings, with tears in his eyes, hoping to prove his innocence to the emperor.
But things didn't go as he expected. The emperor's coldness didn't subside, but instead deepened. He carefully reflected on what he had said. There shouldn't be anything wrong. He wondered what had angered the emperor. Could it be that His Majesty was dissatisfied with his carelessness?
Hu Xian buried his head in the ground, muttering repeatedly: "I deserve death, Your Majesty, please forgive me."
"When did I say that he falsely conveyed the imperial edict?" Mu Congmo smiled.
Now even Hu Xian, an old fox who had lived in the palace for a long time, didn't know what the emperor was thinking. Could it be that he had misunderstood the emperor's meaning again? Seeing that the emperor had not spoken for a long time, he tentatively raised his head slowly, only to see Mu Congmo bending over, playing with a mutton-fat jade ring in his hand, looking at him leisurely.
He hesitated and said, "Your Majesty..."
Before he could finish his words, Mu Congmo waved his hand, signaling him not to continue. Mu Congmo smiled and warned him, "Gu Shiyan's meaning is my meaning. If you don't understand, then you have lived in vain all these years."
Hu Xian nodded quickly, "I understand, I understand." But when he saw how His Majesty and Master Gu were getting along, it seemed a bit like an emperor and his favorite concubine. Even the favorite concubine didn't receive the same treatment as Master Gu.
Seeing Hu Xian being so sensible, Mu Congmo sat back down, leaning against the cushion beside him, and changed the subject: "Did he tell me what he was going to do in Beijing?"
"This...Mr. Gu didn't tell me. I knew it was your order, so I didn't ask any more questions." Hu Xian lowered his head again, not daring to look at the emperor's expression.
Mu Congmo's face remained calm, but he felt a little aggrieved in his heart. He didn't want anyone to see him like this, so he just said, "Go down."
Hu Xian felt like he had survived a disaster and walked down carefully, fearing that if he was not careful he would anger the emperor who was already in a bad mood.
This long convoy passed through the bustling streets of the capital. Pedestrians along the way saluted the carriage one after another. However, the expressions on their faces were not joy at seeing the emperor's carriage, but fear. The image of the emperor's tyranny had been deeply rooted in people's hearts.
The tyrannical emperor in their eyes was now curled up in the carriage. All the sharpness around him had disappeared, replaced by a desolate aura, like a puppy abandoned by its owner on the roadside.
In his hands, he still tightly clutched the travelogue that Gu Shiyan had read, as well as the slightly pale handkerchief he had brought back from Jiangnan. Now alone in the carriage, he slowly brought the travelogue and handkerchief to his nose, letting his warm breath hit them.
Then he buried his head deeply in it, trying to find a trace of the boy's scent from it, but the handkerchief had been washed several times and the book only had the smell of grass and trees.
He looked almost obsessed, like a violent beast. At this moment, he suddenly noticed the traces left by the young man in the book, and his restless mood was instantly calmed down.
The boy's handwriting is fresh and timeless, just like him. The small font does not lose out in the words printed on it, which are only a few words.
"There is snow all year round in the north, and I have never seen the scene of blooming flowers in the mountains." Perhaps it was the words in the book that had the magic to make people let down their guard, but Gu Shiyan actually wrote down his thoughts word for word.
Mu Congmo was originally complaining about why the boy had abandoned him again, but when he saw these words, all he wanted in his heart was to take the boy to the place described in the book.
He followed the traces left by the young man and finished reading the travelogue. His restless mood was now completely calmed.
This travelogue described a place called Spring City. Legend has it that it was spring all year round, with a wide variety of flowers blooming year-round. It turned out that he loved places like this, but now the court still needed him to oversee matters, so he couldn't take Gu Shiyan there in person. He could only ask the palace gardeners to carefully cultivate the precious and exotic flowers they had collected.
On the other hand, Gu Shiyan had already deceived Gu Cheng and his wife using the excuse that the emperor kept him in the capital.
Liang Qiulan was quite dissatisfied with this and complained, "There are so many officials in the capital. There are no candidates for any kind of post in the capital. But they insist on keeping my son here. The climate in the capital is hot and dry..."
"This shows that His Majesty values Yan'er. Madam may not have been to the Mountain Resort for many years. This year, you should have some fun and go for an outing and tea with the wives of the gentlemen." Gu Cheng glanced at Gu Shiyan. The father and son only needed a glance to tell each other all the information.
Seeing his wife chattering non-stop, he quickly changed the subject and took her out.
After the two left, only Gu Shiyan and Hua Ling were left in the room.
Seeing that the person had left, Hua Ling no longer hesitated to speak: "Master Gu seems to have guessed something."
Gu Shiyan just smiled and then said, "Of course he can see it. Just like my mother said, there are all kinds of officials in the capital, but they kept me here. He has been in the officialdom for so many years, so he can still see things like this. It's just that he doesn't know why I stayed in the capital."
"Yes, you haven't told me why you stayed in Beijing." Hua Ling looked expectant, and a light burst out in his dark eyes.
Gu Shiyan pondered for a moment before speaking in a heavy tone, "I need to go back to Yunliang Qianchi."
Hua Ling was confused. "Going back so soon? Haven't we only been in the capital for over a month?" She glanced at Gu Shiyan, who looked away. Then, as if she had thought of something, Hua Ling hurriedly grabbed Gu Shiyan's sleeve and asked anxiously, "Is this your poison?"
She couldn't control her emotions for a moment. After she reacted, she quickly looked around. Fortunately, there was no one around. If there was someone, Gu Shiyan would have noticed it immediately.
Seeing he couldn't hide it anymore, Gu Shiyan nodded helplessly. Hua Ling paced back and forth, looking particularly anxious, muttering, "The Sect Master had previously warned me that your poison wouldn't be suppressed in hot weather. It's only summer now, but I never thought it would be so soon..."
There was some regret in her tone, as if she was blaming herself. Seeing this, Gu Shiyan smiled and said, "Well, nothing has happened to me yet. It's not too late to go back now."
Hua Ling no longer cared about the tears in her eyes and made a quick decision: "I will go back with you."
Gu Shiyan naturally wouldn't agree. Not to mention the long journey, if it was Hongting it would be fine, but Hua Ling was a girl after all, so he would always be reluctant to let her go.
"I'm afraid this won't work." As soon as Gu Shiyan finished speaking, Hua Ling looked up at him, with an attitude that said, "If you can't give me a reason today, I'm going to make you pay."
Gu Shiyan chuckled softly and said gently, "I left the capital in secret. It's their business if they guessed it, but we have to cover it up. We can't be too blatant, right? I'll trouble Miss Hua Ling to cover up for me in the capital."
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