Chapter 65 Chapter 64 How to Chase Him
Originally, the Queen Mother suggested that Gu Shiyan enter the palace to serve as a minister. Although he was not unwilling, he was not optimistic about it. At that time, he was just giving face to Shangguan Jing. Now, looking back, it actually fulfilled his wish and gave him more opportunities to get along with A Yan.
After Mu Chengping finished speaking, he stood there in a daze. Seeing that the emperor had not spoken for a long time, he quietly raised his head, trying to see the emperor's expression clearly.
But he could hardly believe what he saw. The emperor's originally stern face became a little softer, and his face was full of joyful smiles. It looked very much like when he successfully married his wife.
Now that Mu Congmo had achieved his goal, he looked at Mu Chengping, who had appeared in the hall, and felt that he was somewhat annoying. He said impatiently, "Thank you for your hard work today, cousin. Go back. I hope you can control your mouth."
Mu Congmo's attitude was not very good, but Mu Chengping felt relieved after hearing it. He finally passed this hurdle without any danger. He saluted Mu Congmo and left.
It was already dark outside. The palace was built on a mountain, and the occasional evening breeze made it considerably cooler than the capital. The moonlight in the mountains seemed even brighter than in the capital, and from time to time, the sound of birdsong could be heard.
Two young eunuchs held oil-paper lanterns in front of him, lighting Mu Chengping's path. Behind him followed several palace maids, each carrying gifts from Mu Congmo. They appeared to be mostly silks and satins, various novel ornaments, and even various jewelry. The jewelry and silks seemed to be for his wife.
Mu Congmo has never been stingy when it comes to rewards, and if Mu Chengping's method is really useful, any reward he gives him will be worth it.
Mu Chengping walked along, but his mind didn't seem to be on this. He had almost fallen just now. At this moment, his mind was still recalling the smile on the emperor's face, which was gentle and affectionate, and he was also curious about what kind of person could make the emperor become like this.
In just a moment, he nipped his curiosity in the bud. According to the emperor's temperament, if he truly loved someone, he would not allow others to have any other thoughts. For the sake of his own life and property, Mu Chengping threw this idea out of the window in a flash.
Along the way, the candles in the surrounding courtyards had long been extinguished, and only the dim light of the paper lanterns in the eunuchs' hands was particularly conspicuous in the darkness.
The eunuch pushed open the door of the courtyard and found that there was still a faint candlelight in one of the rooms. Mu Chengping felt warm in his heart, he knew that it was his father waiting for him to come back.
The servant in the courtyard took the reward from the eunuch, bowed to Mu Chengping, and then stood up to return to the palace. Mu Chengping returned the bow, took the heavy purse from the housekeeper, and stuffed it into the hands of the leading eunuch. He said very politely: "Thank you for your hard work, eunuch. These are my little gifts. Please have some tea, eunuchs and aunts."
A greedy smile flashed across the young eunuch's face, but it disappeared in an instant, replaced by a kind smile: "You are too polite, my lord."
After sending the eunuch away, Mu Chengping ordered his servants to deliver the rewards from the palace to the warehouse, and then he walked into the brightly lit room alone.
In the room, Mu Zhice sat on a chair with his fists clenched, then stood up and paced back and forth in the room, looking very anxious.
Only when Mu Chengping appeared before his eyes, alive and well, did he finally relax, slumping helplessly onto his chair. "Okay, okay," he said, unable to conceal his excitement. He tried to sit up and grab Mu Chengping's clothes, but the sheer excitement had drained him of his strength.
Mu Chengping noticed his movements and quickly walked over to him, squatting down so that Mu Zhice could easily put his hands on him. The latter's hands were a little old, and his hands, covered with wrinkles of time, stroked his body back and forth, as if to confirm the authenticity of the person in front of him.
Mu Zhice glanced around warily, motioning for Mu Chengping to raise himself higher. He leaned close to the latter's ear and whispered, "Is His Majesty not giving you any trouble?"
"Father, you know His Majesty's temper. He doesn't have the leisure to embarrass us," Mu Chengping said in a joking tone, but these words did put Mu Zhice at ease.
Mu Zhice sighed deeply and continued in a low voice, "It is precisely because His Majesty has never summoned us alone that I am so worried today. You hold no official position in the court, so why would His Majesty summon you for no reason?"
Mu Chengping's face froze for a moment. He hesitated, then thought for a moment before leaning over to Mu Zhice's ear and telling him everything that had happened in the palace today. It wasn't that he didn't want the latter to know about this, but he just found it a little unbelievable.
Mu Zhice was a man who had seen the world. After just a short time, he accepted the matter and murmured to himself, "Back then, the late emperor favored Prince Huai's biological mother. Now that Mu Congmo has found his lover, he is still just as infatuated. In this respect, the Fourth Prince is the most like the late emperor."
Then he sat up and said to Mu Chengping with a smile: "Just wait and see, we will soon welcome a new Empress."
He knew better than anyone that their emperor would not give up until he achieved his goal. If that person was more sensible, it would be fine. But if not, let's see how much patience the emperor had to play with him.
The next day, a hint of red light appeared on the horizon, but there was still endless darkness. The morning breeze in the mountains brought a bit of coolness, and the early birds on the branches sang happily. Everything was so peaceful and comfortable.
A middle-aged man in red official uniform stumbled into the emperor's residence, and his hurried footsteps disturbed the quiet atmosphere of the early morning.
A palace attendant stepped forward to stop him, reminding him that this was the emperor's residence and asking him to observe the rules and not disturb the emperor. However, the visitor's face was filled with anxiety, and he kept muttering, "I have urgent matters to attend to with His Majesty. Please, eunuch, let me pass on the message."
The eunuch looked troubled. Normally, His Majesty would be awake at this hour in the palace for the morning court session, but this was a temporary palace, and he wasn't sure if His Majesty was awake today. But he saw that the lord seemed to have something urgent to do, and if he delayed something important, he would lose his head, so he was inevitably troubled for a moment.
Fortunately, Hu Xian noticed the commotion and came over. He first reprimanded the young eunuch: "You have been in the palace for so many years, and you don't even know the rules. If you disturb His Majesty, how many heads do you have?"
These words seemed to be spoken to the young eunuch, but they were also directed at the official. I don't know what those guards were doing to let people in like this. If His Majesty was in a bad mood today, he would probably be punished as well.
But the official didn't hear the accusation in his words at all. Instead, he eagerly took his hand and said anxiously, "Eunuch Hu, please help me pass on the message. I have something important to see His Majesty."
Hu Xian naturally knew that this matter was important, but he didn't want to offend His Majesty in the early morning, so he put on a polite smile and said, "Lord Meng, His Majesty hasn't gotten up yet at this hour. Even if you have something important to say, you have to wait until His Majesty wakes up."
If it was someone else, he would just go in and report it, and at most he would just be scolded a few times, but the person in front of him was named Meng Heguang, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites.
Among the nine temples, the Honglu Temple was responsible for liaison with officials from other nations. Currently, Daliang's only neighbors were Nanzhao and Beirong, with at most one in Mobei and the overseas Wo tribe. Nanzhao had long been independent, and its land was densely covered in methane, so few people ventured outside. Consequently, there had been no interaction with Daliang in recent years.
Mobei is remote, and with the Confucian Master personally stationed at the border, it has always maintained peace with Daliang. As for the overseas Japanese, although they often attack coastal residents, with the Duke of Wei guarding the coastal area, these Japanese cannot cause any trouble.
The remaining Beirong was the one with the closest ties with Daliang among the surrounding countries. However, the two countries were sworn enemies, and three years ago, the emperor ordered the use of military force against Beirong, so the two countries no longer had any contact.
Although the Northern Rong had proposed peace talks many times and even vaguely expressed their willingness to cede land, they were ruthlessly rejected by Mu Congmo.
So, what could possibly be happening in the Honglu Temple that would be worthy of disturbing the sleeping emperor? Meng Heguang was about to say something else when he was interrupted by a young eunuch running out of the hall. That eunuch was none other than Hu Xian's apprentice. He said to Hu Xian respectfully, "Godfather, the emperor has awakened and is calling you in to serve him."
Hu Xian did not dare to delay any longer and said, "Master Meng, don't worry, our family will definitely pass on the message for you."
Before, the emperor had not yet woken up, and a mere Honglu Temple Minister was not worth him risking the emperor's anger to pass on the message on his behalf. Now that Mu Congmo has woken up, there is no harm in him doing such a favor.
In the hall, the heavy smell of ambergris filled the air. There was something calming in the scent. Mu Congmo missed someone too much last night, so he lit a little too much, so the scent was too strong today.
While Hu Xian carefully helped the emperor wash and groom himself, he complained, "Your Majesty, this is just a side hall after all. How can it compare to the main hall? You should sleep in the main hall tonight."
Mu Congmo glanced at him with an icy look, and Hu Xian quickly fell silent. Seeing that the emperor still seemed to be a little angry, he slapped his hand on his face and muttered, "You are such a talker, such a talker."
"Okay, what was the noise outside just now?" Mu Congmo didn't mean to make things difficult for Hu Xian, but he hadn't dreamed of the young man all night and felt a little lost, plus there was a noisy sound outside the hall just now.
He couldn't help but think, it would be fine if he was the only one there, but if Gu Shiyan was woken up by someone, he would definitely be unhappy. What if he got tired of him? These palace servants hadn't been disciplined for a long time, and they were getting more and more unruly. He would have to give them a good scolding before Ah Yan returned.
Hu Xian finally realized that he had indeed been implicated by Meng Heguang. After cursing him in his heart, he said to the emperor in a flattering tone, "Your Majesty, it is Master Meng from the Honglu Temple who has arrived. He said he has something very urgent to report to you."
Then, in a corner where no one noticed, a smile of satisfaction flashed across his face. "Meng Heguang, you'd better pray in your heart that the matters you think are urgent will carry more weight in His Majesty's mind."
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