1 Return to Beijing
◎The imperial edict that exiled Prince Zhao Lu Jing from the capital was written by Lord Gu Ningxi himself◎
It was still chilly in February, with occasional gusts of cold wind blowing into the carriage.
Arriving at the palace from Prince Zhao's mansion, the carriage rolled through the quiet alleys, traveling unhindered, and only lingered briefly at the palace gate.
Through the half-closed carriage window, Gu Ningxi saw that the guards at Yingtian Gate had all been replaced by unfamiliar faces. She didn't recognize the young general in the lead, but since he was stationed there, she knew he was a close confidant of Prince Zhao.
Her gaze drifted away, gazing at the towering imperial city whose owner had changed.
Apart from the final success or failure, she knew nothing about the entire palace coup.
Ever since King Zhao summoned her to the palace to play chess four days ago, she had been imprisoned in a secret room in the palace and cut off from all communication with the outside world.
Gu Ningxi sighed softly. Why had he gone to all the trouble of imprisoning her in the palace? Even if she could return to the Eastern Palace to deliver the message, with Prince Zhao's control of the capital and his unrivaled prestige within the military, a fierce counterattack by the Eastern Palace soldiers would only result in additional casualties.
The sky was filled with sunset glow, and the eunuch led the way silently. Bathed in the golden glow, the palace was majestic and solemn, and all traces of the mutiny had been completely eliminated.
A flash of golden light hit the ceiling of the hall, dazzling Gu Ningxi so much that she closed her eyes.
Outside the imperial study, the person standing with his hands hanging down had turned out to be Sun Jing, the steward of Prince Zhao's mansion. She vaguely thought that she was still trapped in Prince Zhao's mansion.
"Please wait a moment, Lord Gu." Manager Sun greeted the emperor and sent his attendant inside to pass on the message.
He still treated him politely, and Gu Ningxi reluctantly said, "Thank you, Steward Sun."
The sun shines around me, but it doesn't bring much warmth.
Gu Ningxi lowered his eyes. It was a common saying that a new emperor appoints new ministers. Now that Prince Zhao was in power, it was only a matter of time before these officials of the Eastern Palace were liquidated.
The imperial power struggle has never been merciful.
Gu Ningxi's palms hidden under her sleeves curled slightly. Is it her turn so soon?
She is not a saint, and she cannot remain indifferent to life and death.
She didn't know what would become of the rest of the East Palace. Sometimes, the unknown was even more terrifying.
Gu Ningxi stood at the bottom of the steps, letting the cold wind blow her clothes.
After an unknown amount of time, the door of the imperial study opened from the inside.
"Master Gu, please."
Gu Ningxi climbed the stairs, the rustling of the wind mingling with her. As she passed by Sun Jing, she heard the kind-hearted steward quickly say to her, "In front of His Highness, please apologize. After all..."
He meant well, and Gu Ningxi concealed the emotion in her eyes and silently said "thank you".
As the sunlight gradually faded, Sun Jing watched the figure in green enter the hall and ordered his attendants to continue guarding the hall door, as if nothing had happened.
…
In the fading light of the setting sun, the imperial study still bore its familiar furnishings. Perhaps due to the rush of things, they hadn't had time to change them.
Gu Ningxi knelt down and said, "I, the humble minister Gu Ningxi, the doctor of the Ministry of Works, pay my respects to Your Highness."
Along the way, she did not hear any news of King Zhao ascending the throne, and Gu Ningxi still used the old title.
In fact, she couldn't immediately change her attitude and shout "Long live" three times.
The hall was still quiet. The future supreme ruler of the world leaned back on the dragon throne, writing on the memorial with his imperial pen.
During the silent confrontation, Gu Ningxi saw his own blurry figure reflected on the gold brick.
She smiled self-deprecatingly. Since she was a prisoner, shouldn't she be thankful that she still had the opportunity to speak in front of King Zhao?
"Your Highness," Gu Ningxi heard his own voice, "all the sins and responsibilities I have committed in the past are solely mine, and I am willing to bear them all. I hope Your Highness will show mercy and not implicate innocent women and children."
After she finished speaking, there was another period of unbearable silence.
The man in the honored position wrote the last few words, his tone amused: "Since you plead guilty, why not tell me what your sins are?"
Gu Ningxi pursed her lips. The so-called party struggles always led to the discovery of excuses for crimes.
She had to answer the questions of her superiors, so she could only say, "I am ignorant and slow-witted. I hope Your Highness will explain clearly."
Life and death hung in his hands, and Gu Ningxi unconsciously slowed his breathing. The man on the dragon throne spoke calmly, "For example, the crime of deceiving the emperor?"
Gu Ningxi's eyebrows jumped, and his mood, which had been waiting for the punishment, was suddenly turbulent because of this sentence.
The wide sleeves covered her trembling fingertips. Gu Ningxi tried her best to remain calm, suppressing the worst possible outcome in her mind, and looked up at King Zhao for the first time.
There were no candles in the hall, but even against the dim light, she could still clearly see his handsome features. The golden threads of his four-clawed python robe gleamed, making him even more intimidating than she remembered.
"Your Highness means..."
She spoke tentatively, still holding on to a glimmer of hope.
Seeing that she was still pretending to be stupid, King Zhao knocked on the table with his slender knuckles from time to time.
The silence in the hall made the sound even more abrupt, as if it struck Gu Ningxi's heart.
"I'm only asking you this once," his tone turned cold, "Meng Mingxuan, has he known your identity for a long time?"
They knew that this so-called eldest granddaughter of the Xuanping Marquisate was actually a girl.
There was no way to avoid King Zhao's gaze, and Gu Ningxi lost all his strength in an instant.
It would be fine if she was simply involved in a party dispute, but once the woman's identity was exposed, she would be charged with the crime of deceiving the emperor, which would bring catastrophic disaster to her loved ones.
She thought that King Zhao had not seen through her identity, otherwise the Eastern Palace and King Zhao's Mansion would be at loggerheads. Knowing such a secret, King Zhao would not have been able to endure it until now.
Could it be that clues were revealed after the palace coup?
"minister--"
Thousands of thoughts flashed through his mind, but when Gu Ningxi moved his lips and watched King Zhao walk down the jade steps step by step, he was speechless.
The charcoal fire in the carved copper stove was warm, but Gu Ningxi's hands and feet were very cold.
Finally, she bowed her head and said, "I know I am guilty, and I am willing to bear the full responsibility. I only ask Your Highness to show mercy and not implicate others."
There were only a few last bits of light left in the sky. Gu Ningxi lowered his eyes and saw the pair of golden cloud boots stopped in front of him.
King Zhao half-knelt down, gently lifted her chin, and took in all the emotions in her eyes.
"Why, you don't want to go back home?"
Gu Ningxi was forced to look him in the face. Having carefully concealed her identity for over twenty years, now exposed, she felt like she was falling back into a dream.
She thought of herself again. She had no news for five days and her mother must be so worried.
Gu Ningxi could not refuse King Zhao's conditions, and she was not so naive as to know that King Zhao would not let her go for no reason.
She knew the situation, and Lu Jing seemed to chuckle.
"Then think carefully about how to ask me for help."
…
The sky was already turning pale, a cold wind was hitting the window, and the person on the couch slowly opened his eyes.
After having another dream in the middle of the night, Gu Ningxi woke up feeling exhausted.
This was the third time she had dreamed of this situation.
The cold wind continued to pour in through the window, and the bedding on the bed was not warm. Gu Ningxi rubbed his brows, put on his clothes and stood up with a worried look on his face.
She closed the window, her mind replaying last night's dream. Perhaps it was the recent news of King Zhao's triumphant return to the capital that had spread throughout the court and the country that had caused her to have such a dream.
Gu Ningxi thought so, but her heart could not calm down for a long time.
The political situation is constantly changing, and the dream feels too real.
It had clearly been three years since they last saw each other, but the King Zhao in the dream was not the same as he was when they parted.
The oncoming pressure made it impossible for her to completely break free until this moment.
"Why is your Excellency standing under the window?"
Yin Lan brought hot water for washing into the room, and her clear and pleasant voice brought Gu Ningxi back to his senses.
The second quarter of the morning was usually the time for Master Gu to get up. Yin Lan placed the copper basin on the table and checked the window first. She said, "It turns out the lock is loose. It was so windy last night, I'm afraid it disturbed Master's rest. I'll have the servants fix it after breakfast. It should be ready in the afternoon."
Gu Ningxi nodded absentmindedly. Yin Lan had always been in charge of the entire mansion, and everything was done very well.
Since she entered the court, and to better conceal her identity, the Gu family allowed her to choose two concubines to serve as close attendants. Yinlan had been working for her mother, but after Gu Ningxi asked her opinion, he asked her to come to his side and increased her monthly allowance by one hundred coins.
"Breakfast is ready. Madam sent someone to bring you a message early this morning, asking you to come home for dinner tonight."
Gu Ningxi buried her face in the hot handkerchief and replied "Okay".
The courtyard she currently resided in was located in Xingningfang, allocated to her by her grandfather after she was appointed to the official position. The courtyard provided convenient access to the six ministries and the Eastern Palace, and she often stayed there when she wasn't at the Marquis Xuanping's residence.
After breakfast, Gu Ningxi went to the Ministry of Works to report for duty.
The six ministries' duty rooms are all near the palace. Recently, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel have been busy in order to welcome King Zhao back to the court.
The Ministry of Works was no less impressive. Your Majesty issued an order to rebuild and expand Prince Zhao's Palace, and all expenses were to be paid from Your Majesty's private treasury without any limit.
The original size of Prince Zhao's Mansion was far superior to that of ordinary princes' residences. Now it has been expanded by another 30%, almost comparable to the Eastern Palace.
Despite this exceeding the established rules, no court official dared to make any comment due to King Zhao's extraordinary achievements. Even the Crown Prince's censors remained silent.
The Minister of Works personally supervised the construction work, not daring to be negligent in the slightest, and the Minister of the Chancellery also asked about it from time to time.
Today is the fifth day of the first lunar month, and officials of the Ministry of Works above the sixth rank are meeting in the front hall as usual.
Gu Ningxi arrived neither too early nor too late. Before entering the house, he noticed that the hall had become noticeably quieter.
She looked calm and after a brief greeting with the adults, she found her seat and sat down, with no intention of joining in the conversation.
Because the Minister of State had not yet arrived, the atmosphere in the hall was relatively relaxed. Gu Ningxi sipped her tea, oblivious to the conversation among her colleagues. Sunlight shone on half of her face, and when everyone, each preoccupied with their own thoughts, glanced over, she saw that Young Master Ruyu was elegant and refined, worthy of being the third place winner handpicked by His Majesty.
However, when it came to their attitude towards Gu Ningxi, the officials present were all calculating in their minds, and some were unable to strike a balance.
Gu, the Minister of State, was born into the Xuanping Marquisate. His grandfather had followed Emperor Gaozu in his rebellion and was one of the Twelve Founding Heroes. His father inherited the title of Xuanping Marquis. Immediately after entering officialdom, Gu Ningxi was recognized by the Crown Prince and appointed Minister of Works and Crown Prince Assistant, leading a successful career.
Although Your Majesty has many children, the Crown Prince is the legitimate son of the Empress, making him the eldest son. Furthermore, Empress Yao and Your Majesty were married in their youth and share a deep love. Your Majesty's love for Empress Yao is well known, and naturally, he also values his eldest son. Especially after Prince Zhao Lu Jing was exiled from the capital three years ago, Your Majesty has given the Crown Prince more hands-on training, handing over many government affairs to him, clearly indicating his desire to pass on the throne.
Originally, it was thought that the position of crown prince had been decided, and Gu Ningxi, as the right-hand man of the Eastern Palace, was sure to be able to follow the emperor and rise to a high position in the future.
While he was envied, little did he know that the world was unpredictable. In the battle of Sishui Pass, Prince Zhao captured the two kings, pacified the Central Plains, and became famous throughout the world.
If we really want to go into detail, since Your Majesty founded the country, half of the country was conquered by His Royal Highness Prince Zhao. His Royal Highness Prince Zhao is the son of the late Empress Zhen, and his mother's family is the Zhending Palace, which was famous for its military achievements. His background is the most prominent among all the princes.
With such merits, I heard that on the day King Zhao arrives in Beijing, Your Majesty will personally go to the city gate to welcome him.
King Zhao's return might not necessarily bring about a radical change in Kyoto, but it would certainly cause further unrest. Furthermore, King Zhao had many renowned generals under his command, and how to reward them was a difficult question.
Where there are rewards, there are punishments. Now no one mentions the story of King Zhao leaving the capital.
only--
Thinking of the past, colleagues from the Ministry of Works couldn't help but look at the green figure in the hall. If they didn't want to be affected for no reason, it would be better to stay away from him.
After all, the imperial edict that exiled King Zhao Lu Jing from the capital was written by Lord Gu Ningxi, the editor of the Hanlin Academy at the time.
【Author’s words】
Open the article, stick to the darlings~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
