Chapter 64 Chapter 63 (Additional Update) He must have me in his heart...
After he finished speaking, Gu Shiyan narrowed his eyes and looked at Hua Ling. The latter couldn't say no in his expectant eyes, but just kept reminding him, "Then you must pay attention to safety on the road."
Gu Shiyan complied obediently, then pulled out a longsword from under his bed. Its blade was slender, its scabbard a pristine rosewood. It was the Broken Rainbow Sword. Gu Shiyan had always carried this sword close to him, but after arriving in the capital, figuring he wouldn't need it often, he hid it in a secret compartment under his bed.
His hand stroked the scabbard, and there seemed to be some nostalgia in his eyes. The sword had not been unsheathed for a long time, and he didn't know when it would be unsheathed next time. But he never thought that the day when the sword would be unsheathed would be so close.
Afterwards, Gu Shiyan came to the outskirts of Beijing alone. Seeing that there was no one around, he jumped on his sword and his figure turned into a long rainbow and flew away.
On the other side, the huge team has now arrived at the summer palace.
Because this time the Queen Mother said that she was old and weak and did not want to suffer the hardship of traveling, and there were no concubines in Mu Congmo's harem, the real master was only Mu Congmo.
Hu Xian was in charge of allocating housing for officials in the temporary palace. Mu Congmo had nothing else to do, so he suddenly had an idea and said to the eunuch beside him, "Go and invite the Crown Prince Cheng over."
The prince of Cheng was named Mu Chengping, a few years older than Mu Congmo, and already married. Upon hearing this, the young eunuch didn't dare delay and hurried to the villa where Prince Cheng and his family lived.
It was already late at night. The eunuch was followed by several palace maids holding oil lamps, and they opened the gate of the villa.
When Prince Cheng Mu Zhice saw someone coming to the palace, he was frightened and thought it was an imperial decree from the emperor, so he quickly changed into court clothes and prepared to receive the decree.
Time was too short, and Mu Zhice was a little frightened, so he put on his court robes in a panic. The clothes were loose and he didn't have the dignity of a prince at all.
He bowed to the young eunuch and said politely, "Sir, you come here so late at night, but does His Majesty have a decree?"
The young eunuch who delivered the imperial edict was quite polite to Mu Zhice. Although the latter was not valued by the emperor, he was still a member of the royal family and could not be easily insulted by a servant like him. "Prince Cheng, there is no need to worry. I am here to invite the Crown Prince to see the emperor on the orders of His Majesty."
Furthermore, His Majesty had just arrived at the palace, and the first person he summoned was not the Prime Minister, but the Crown Prince of Cheng. This was very telling, perhaps His Majesty was considering promoting a relative of the clan. If the Crown Prince could pass His Majesty's approval, then they would have to show some respect to curry favor with the family of Prince Cheng.
Mu Zhice had initially felt somewhat relieved when he realized the emperor wasn't summoning him, but when he heard it was his son he was summoning, he couldn't contain his worry. He looked at the young eunuch with a hint of panic and apprehension. Seeing this, the young eunuch quickly reassured him, "Your Majesty, don't be nervous. Your Majesty seems to be in a good mood. Perhaps he's summoning the Crown Prince to give him a chance to be promoted."
Of course, he was just making this up. After all these years in the palace, if he hadn't mastered the art of lying, he would have been eaten to the bone long ago. His Majesty had never been in a good mood in recent years. Being within three feet of him was like falling into an icy cave. This was just a fabrication to comfort this timid prince.
Upon hearing the news, the servants in the courtyard hurried to call for Mu Chengping. While Mu Zhice was talking to the young eunuch, Mu Chengping, already dressed for the emperor's visit, arrived. While the newcomer wasn't exactly rare, he was, after all, the son of a great emperor, and his imposing presence was unbearable for ordinary people.
Mu Chengping wore a dark green robe, avoiding the plain colors favored by the emperor these days. He wanted to be serious but not too ostentatious. For this reason, he even chose a jade pendant of unpleasant color.
The current emperor was known for his tyranny, even killing a close brother like the Prince of Huai without mercy, let alone a cousin like him. Now that the emperor had summoned him late at night, Prince Cheng's family was in a state of panic, especially Mu Chengping, the person involved.
He was enjoying the sweet embrace of his wife when he suddenly heard from a servant that the emperor had summoned him to the palace. Tears welled in his wife's eyes, and she looked at him with worry. Although he felt a pang of fear in his heart, he still touched her hand in a soothing manner. Without wasting a moment, he quickly changed his clothes and prepared to enter the palace.
Before leaving, Mu Zhice looked at his son's receding back and sighed deeply. He could only silently hope in his heart that this trip would be a blessing rather than a disaster.
He himself was a wealthy prince. If he hadn't had no relatives in the capital, the position of Zongzheng would never have been his. He didn't expect his son to be favored by the emperor, he just hoped that he would have a smooth life. However, the emperor's sudden move today really caught them off guard.
When they arrived at the palace, they were told that the emperor was in a side hall, not the main hall. Mu Chengping was stunned for a moment, but then he felt that this was natural. The main hall was where the emperor slept, so how could it be used to receive foreign ministers like them?
But the reality was different from what he thought. Mu Congmo stayed in the side hall because this was originally the residence prepared for Gu Shiyan, but now that the other party did not come, he could only stay here and miss him by looking at the things. However, none of the items in this hall belonged to Gu Shiyan.
When Hu Xian came in to deliver the message, the emperor was sitting by the bed in the inner hall, his bony hands resting on the brocade quilt, his eyes filled with a look of longing and tenderness that he had never seen before.
After just one glance, Hu Xian quickly lowered his head. He knew very well that the emperor's current condition was not something he could bear to watch.
Hu Xian spoke cautiously in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Prince Cheng is already waiting outside the palace."
A flicker of displeasure at being interrupted crossed Mu Congmo's face, but then he remembered that he had been the one to have him called over. He stood up impatiently, seemingly reluctant to leave.
This was the place he prepared for A Yan, so he would naturally not let others in easily. Although the decorations and supplies in the hall were already first-class items in the world, he still felt that the young man was a little wronged, and even wanted to give up the main hall where he lived. However, based on the young man's temperament, he would definitely not agree to this, so he gave up.
In the outer hall, the young eunuch brought Mu Chengping here and then turned and left. Only he and the serving palace maids and eunuchs were left in the hall. For a moment, Mu Chengping was a little at a loss. He didn't know whether to stand or sit.
Although he was a prince and had often been in and out of the palace in his early years, this was his first time meeting the ruthless new emperor alone, and he was still a little nervous.
After standing there anxiously for a moment, the emperor seemed to finally remember him. He quickly knelt down and saluted, burying his head in the ground. All he could see was a pair of bright yellow boots embroidered with golden dragon patterns passing in front of him.
"Get up and take a seat." Mu Congmo's voice was cold and sharp, suppressing a sense of irritability, as if these few words had exhausted all his patience.
Hu Xian very tactfully took all the eunuchs in the hall away. Now, there were only two of them left in the huge hall.
Fortunately, Hu Xian led Mu Chengping to the chair before leaving, otherwise he would probably have remained there in a daze. He placed his hands on his knees and clutched his clothes tightly, hoping to ease the tension in his heart.
But the emperor at the top didn't even glance at him, and only said in a cold voice: "I heard that my cousin's wife was not originally planning to marry my cousin, and it was my cousin who pestered her for a long time before finally marrying her."
This is not a question, but Mu Congmo already knows this matter clearly.
Mu Chengping thought to himself that when he married his wife, in order to avoid the emperor's suspicion, he chose the daughter of a seventh-rank official. However, when he first met her, the latter thought he was a playboy and was reluctant. Later, he chased her for a long time before he caught up with her.
Could it be that the emperor thought his actions undermined the royal dignity and had summoned him to give him a warning? But the news had already spread throughout the capital, and the two had even been married for months. Wasn't it a little too late for him to come and give him a warning now?
He slowly raised his head and spoke hesitantly, "Your Majesty, this is indeed the case, but my wife and I are truly in love."
"I just want to know how my cousin succeeded in getting that girl. I'm not interested in the rest." Mu Congmo rolled his eyes at him, then leaned back slightly, found a comfortable position to lean back on the chair, half-closed his eyes, and lazily waited for Mu Chengping's answer.
But Mu Congmo's heart was far from being as calm as he appeared. He cursed in his heart, "I don't care whether you two truly love each other or not. Could it be that A Yan and I don't truly love each other?"
Mu Chengping's eyes widened when he heard this. He wondered more than once if there was something wrong with his ears. This noble and decisive emperor was actually asking him how to pursue the person he loved. He couldn't believe what he heard, and was instantly filled with curiosity about this person. What kind of person was worthy of the emperor's condescending pursuit?
Even from the emperor's tone, it seemed like he hadn't succeeded yet. He didn't dare to dwell on it. He glanced at Mu Congmo hesitantly, then spoke slowly, "Your Majesty, I used to find excuses to visit her every day, and over time, her impression of me wasn't as negative as it had been at the beginning."
"Then I asked around to find out what she liked, and after testing her feelings, I asked my father to come and propose marriage. Now that we have a marriage contract, I can legitimately ask her out for a trip." Mu Chengping spoke to himself, and his mind seemed to recall the good times he had spent with his wife in the past. The panic in his heart gradually disappeared, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
After he finished speaking, he realized that something was wrong. How could he tell the emperor about his shameless behavior, let alone let the emperor do such a thing? He looked at Mu Congmo's expression cautiously.
The latter's eyes were deep, as if he had truly taken his words in. Mu Congmo was indeed thinking this way. As the saying goes, sincerity can move mountains and break rocks. If he could stay with A Yan for a long time, he would surely fall in love with him. Furthermore, A Yan had saved him from an assassin in Jiangnan and even left him his handkerchief. He must have had feelings for him.
Thinking of this, Mu Congmo couldn't help but smile. At this moment, he had already imagined the scene of his wedding with Gu Shiyan.
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