103 The Queen
After a long while, she blurted out, "He's good-looking."
"Even if you don't like Mingxuan, you can still look at other men. Why..."
When Mrs. Meng thought of the seventy-two concubines in the six courtyards of the deep palace, she couldn't help but worry about her daughter.
But then again, if His Majesty likes Xier, how could he allow Xier to say "no"?
Mrs. Meng felt as if the world had collapsed, and the sadness and worry in her eyes were almost overflowing.
Gu Ningxi hurriedly comforted him, "No, mother. I... I have always liked him."
"What?"
Mrs. Meng was surprised. There was a difference between the emperor and his subjects. In the past two years, she had never heard Xier mention the emperor.
The wind blew silently. Sun Jing, standing in the adjacent meditation room, was far away and his hearing was not as good as His Majesty's. But from His Majesty's expression, he really couldn't guess what was being said next door.
"Mom, he and I grew up together."
"But this isn't necessarily the same as love between a man and a woman." Madam Meng felt her daughter was trying to comfort her, and she wanted her daughter to explain herself more clearly. "Do you really like His Majesty? What exactly do you like about him?"
"He--" Gu Ningxi understood what she felt, but didn't know how to speak in front of her mother.
After a long while, she blurted out, "He's good-looking."
Lu Jing: “…”
"But being good-looking doesn't mean you can't—"
Thinking of the fact that the king of a country is rich, Mrs. Meng stopped talking in the second half of the sentence.
She then worried that her daughter, still young and uninitiated in love, would be easily dazzled by the power and wealth of the palace. Furthermore, a figure like His Majesty, with his undefeated record of military success, could easily win the young girl's heart.
Even though there was no one else in the room, Gu Ningxi still whispered, "Mother, we really are in love with each other."
Madam Meng's face was filled with worry. Whether Xi'er was happy or not, she was afraid that she would have to marry into the palace, which would only add some comfort to her.
"You always said you didn't want to get married, and I never thought of marrying you into a wealthy family. I just hope you can live a happy and comfortable life for the rest of your life, and find a good husband who truly loves and cares for you."
"The marriage between the Duke of Ning and your sister is still fresh in our minds. Even the Duke's family is so picky, let alone the royal family?"
"If the other party's family is of lower status, your family will always support you. You can't rely on Sanlang, but your cousin can also protect you."
Gu Ningxi didn't respond, she knew that everything her mother said made sense.
She lost her official position and gave her life to others, which was indeed a gamble on the other party's conscience.
Things had come to a point where there was no turning back. Mrs. Meng didn't want to speak too soon and unnecessarily upset her daughter. She advised, "That's fine. Have a child sooner rather than later, so she can be on the same page with you."
Just like she has Xier as her only child in this life, which is enough.
The atmosphere became a little more relaxed. Mrs. Meng suddenly asked, "You haven't been home for a while, right?"
Gu Ningxi quickly interrupted her mother, "No, no, I'm really busy with official duties."
Mrs. Meng felt relieved, knowing that her daughter was a very well-behaved girl and would not do anything out of line.
After noon, Gu Ningxi said, "Mother, let's go back first. Are you still going to worship Buddha?"
Her wish was fulfilled without any warning, so how could Mrs. Meng have such thoughts?
"And your Majesty?"
"Mother wants to see him?"
Madam Meng shook her head repeatedly. Gu Ningxi gave a few instructions to the attendants and then accompanied her mother down the mountain.
The Chongsheng Temple behind them gradually disappeared into the mountains. Madam Meng asked, "When did you come?"
"I stopped by on my way back to the capital from the Imperial Mausoleum." Gu Ningxi added, "I just paid my respects to the Empress yesterday."
"Does your father know?"
"Let's not talk about it for now. Let's see what the palace thinks."
Mrs. Meng nodded. That was true. No girl would marry someone on her own initiative.
The foot of the mountain was in sight, and Mrs. Meng's carriage was parked nearby.
The mountain pass leading to Chongsheng Temple is still closed and no one comes and goes.
Gu Ningxi helped his mother get into the carriage and ordered them to return to the Marquis Xuanping's Mansion.
The carriage sailed smoothly along the way, and along the way, they encountered several familiar people from aristocratic families. They were all waiting for the afternoon ban on Feiling Mountain to be lifted so that they could go to Chongsheng Temple.
"Sister-in-law has gone back? It turns out Yuan Le is here too."
The oncoming carriage also belonged to the Xuanping Marquis Mansion, and it was the wife of the second wife, Lan.
She called her "Sister-in-law" affectionately, and Gu Ningxi greeted her with courtesy, "Second Aunt."
Mrs. Lan only took a glance at the child in the carriage and could tell that he was much more outstanding than Sanlang.
"Sister-in-law isn't going to Chongsheng Temple anymore?"
Mrs. Lan went back to her parents' home during the day and made an appointment to meet Mrs. Meng at the temple. She only heard the news of the mountain closure when she was leaving the city.
Madam Meng smiled and said, "I've already been there. I happened to meet Ning Xi returning to the capital, so I took her back home."
Feiling Mountain was sealed, and Madam Lan knew her sister-in-law wouldn't lie. She was able to enter the mountain without any problems, presumably because her second nephew was particularly favored by the Emperor.
Mrs. Lan's smile became more sincere. After a back and forth ride, the two carriages went in different directions.
As the sun sets, the birds return to the forest, and Feiling Temple, which has been filled with incense for half a day, slowly returns to tranquility.
Lu Jing did not go down the mountain before noon, but sat alone in the Zen room for half a day.
Sun Jing was unsure of His Majesty's intention, so he instructed the temple to clean out a few good rooms for His Majesty to stay overnight.
The moonlight in the mountains was bright, and Lu Jing had no desire to sleep. He did not call for his attendants and left the courtyard alone.
The words of Lady Xuanping Hou echoed in his ears. She was the person who loved Yuan Le the most in the world, and every word she said expressed her concern for Yuan Le.
The moonlight illuminated the path, and before he knew it, Lu Jing was back under the sycamore tree.
This is where he and Yuan Le first met.
Lu Jing sat under the sycamore tree. If Yuan Le was just a daughter of a marquis, if she had no chance to meet him—
Yuan Le will be trapped in the rear quarters of the Xuanping Marquis's mansion, relying on Madam Meng for support, with no one to back her up. When Yuan Le reaches marriage age, she will be promised to someone else by the Marquis's mansion.
What would Yuan Le do if she also encountered a dirty family like the Ningguo Mansion?
Whenever he thought of the possibility that his Yuan Le would be bullied by others, Lu Jing felt so depressed that even the cold autumn wind could not blow away his anger.
The moonlight flowed silently, and a yellow sycamore leaf fell beside Lu Jing, waking up the man who had been thinking for a long time.
…
"Your Majesty is ill?"
The next evening, when Gu Ningxi was relieved from his duty at the Ministry of Works and learned the news from Marquis Wu'an, he was deeply confused.
Xie Qian was also puzzled. "I went to report the Nine Cloud Mountain case to His Majesty this afternoon. I heard from Chief Steward Sun that His Majesty had caught a cold, and there was a bitter smell of medicine in the palace. But don't worry, he's fine."
After he said this, Gu Ningxi considered for a moment whether to enter the palace.
At this time, the palace gates were about to be locked, and people were coming and going on the palace roads.
Xie Qian pondered this and came to his senses. Perhaps His Majesty had intentionally kept it a secret from Lady Gu to avoid worrying her. Unfortunately, he was quick-witted and blurted it out without even noticing.
Xie Qian said, "It's just a cold. Sir Gu, please go tomorrow to avoid getting sick."
As he said this, several colleagues from the six ministries came forward to greet him.
There were so many people around that Gu Ningxi paused and boarded the carriage back home.
He was clearly fine before we parted yesterday, and I don't know how he got sick.
Gu Ningxi was preoccupied tonight and tossed and turned for a long time before finally falling asleep.
A few drops of dew dripped down the eaves and splashed onto the windowsill, waking Gu Ningxi from her dream.
"What time is it?"
Yin Zhu, who was on night watch, said, "Sir, it's just past midnight." She brought a glass of warm water. "It's still early for your shift, you might as well get some more sleep."
Gu Ningxi looked out the window at the dark night, holding a cup of warm water in his hand, feeling inexplicably panicked.
"Sir, sir?" Seeing that Lord Gu sat beside the couch for a long time without saying a word, Yinzhu didn't know whether he should extinguish the candle.
The water gradually cooled, and Gu Ningxi's heart remained unsettled. Unable to convince herself, she simply took down her official uniform hanging on the screen.
Outside the Ruihe Hall, Sun Jing, who had just heard the news, hurried out to greet them.
After finally seeing who it was, Sun Jing smiled and said, "Master Gu, it's late at night and the dew is heavy. What brings you here?"
Gu Ningxi holds a token in his hand and can enter and leave the palace at any time.
"How is His Majesty?"
"The Imperial Physician said that Your Majesty has caught a cold. Perhaps it's because the night wind on Feiling Mountain is too cold."
"Why would he go and blow the wind for no reason?"
Sun Jing couldn't explain it either, but there was no way they could persuade His Majesty.
Gu Ningxi walked lightly. The person on the dragon bed had already fallen asleep after drinking the medicine.
She said, "I will guard the inner hall. The chief steward can go and rest."
"Yeah." Sun Jing agreed, feeling touched and happy.
Gu Ningxi stayed by the couch for a while and covered the corner of the quilt for him.
Everything in the hall was normal. Gu Ningxi went to the east room and lit only two candles.
His illness came suddenly, and Gu Ningxi had only halfway through handling the government affairs on the desk.
Due to the hunting trip at Jiuyun Mountain a few days ago, there are still many important matters in the court that need to be decided by Your Majesty.
Gu Ningxi sorted the memorials out one by one, picked out the most important ones and placed them in the middle pile, and arranged the rest in order.
The woman under the candlelight looked focused. She sighed softly and looked at the pile of memorials. She really didn't know how he lived in his previous life.
The affairs of the previous dynasty were complicated, and he had no self-control in the harem.
If it were someone else, I don’t know how many years they could last.
The candlelight flickered, and most of the red candle gradually burned out.
…
The morning light shone into the Ruihe Hall, and the attendants outside the main gate performed the ritual greetings.
The one on duty that morning was He, another deputy steward of Ruihe Hall. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please."
Li Ji helped the retired emperor into the palace, guessing that Qi'an was probably still asleep at the moment. Emperor Mingde indicated that there was no need for too many attendants to follow.
He returned to the capital from Renzhi Palace, intending to discuss with Qi'an the treatment of Chengyu. However, upon entering the palace, he heard the news that Qi'an was ill.
As a parent, you can't help but worry. Li Ji walked forward, knocked lightly on the door, and opened the door to the inner room for the emperor.
With the abundant sunlight in the early afternoon, the first thing that caught the eyes of the retired emperor was not Lu Qian'an who was sleeping on the couch, but a young civil servant in a crimson official uniform lying beside the couch.
The emperor's body kept shaking, and his eyes wandered back and forth between the two sleeping people.
This, this, this, this, how outrageous!
He waved away Li Ji's hand, which was about to help him, his face filled with disbelief. It had only been a few days since he left Beijing, and was Lu Qian'an really trying to rebel?
Li Ji was also shocked. He knew that His Majesty was reluctant to get married, but he never expected that the result would be like this.
Just looking at the back of the civil servant, I felt that he looked elegant and weak, and I couldn't see his appearance clearly.
The retired emperor felt vaguely familiar with the situation and took a few steps, but was hesitant to step forward and reveal everything.
He took several deep breaths and looked away. When his eyes fell on a pair of wooden sculptures placed in the most conspicuous place on the treasure shelf, his heart was dead.
This pair of small wooden carvings is really beautiful.
You can tell who is who at a glance.
This time, the retired emperor had to be supported by Li Ji. The civil official beside the couch was clearly the young master of the Gu family!
All the memories from the past crowded into my mind, making a lot of noise.
"This drum cart was a gift from Yuanle."
"Your son and Yuan Le are together."
"The guards saw His Royal Highness Prince Zhao talking to Lord Gu."
"I just looked at the collection in the treasury and picked out a painting to give to a good friend."
"Which friend?"
"Yuan Le, Gu Yuan Le."
More and more details were clearly arranged, and the list of local rituals distributed for peace included the Xuanping Marquis Mansion.
At the palace banquet, he frequently looked in the direction of the Xuanping Marquis Mansion.
And Qi'an clearly has a lover, but he has not married yet.
It turns out that he wasn't after a married woman in the imperial court, but——
The emperor's head exploded with a loud bang.
He walked out of the hall slowly, looking at the clear sky and warm sunshine, and felt cold all over.
Li Ji hurriedly called out, "Quickly call the imperial physician!"
The two palace doors blocked out the noise from outside, and specks of sunlight danced between the brocade tents.
The two doses of medicine last night took effect. When Lu Jing woke up again, the dizziness and discomfort had disappeared.
He regained some energy, turned his head slightly, and saw the person sleeping beside the couch.
The sun shone all over her, and her hair shone brightly.
Lu Jing couldn't help but hold his breath, afraid of waking her up. The scene before him was so quiet and beautiful, like a painting.
After a long while, he gently reached out and touched her fair and warm face.
This is not a dream.
Lu Jing stared at her for a long time, slowly stroking her jade-like cheek with his fingers.
In the dream, Yuan Le married him.
She was wearing a moon-white brocade dress, and she lay beside his sickbed like this, saying to him, "Lu Qian'an, I'm scared."
"I'm scared. I don't know anything. Without you, I can't even protect myself."
Her tone was so calm when she spoke, but the calmer it was, the more sad it made people feel, and it made their internal organs churn.
He wanted to reach out and touch her, to tell her to be at ease. But no matter how hard he tried in his dream, he could never reach her, and could only stare in vain at her beautiful eyes filled with sorrow.
"Your Majesty," Sun Jing tiptoed in to check on the situation in the palace, "The Emperor has arrived."
Lu Jing indicated that he understood, and Sun Jing went down to order people to prepare water for His Majesty to wash.
Lu Jing carefully picked up the person beside the bed without waking her up.
Fearing that his illness would worsen, he carried her to the soft couch by the window and asked someone to bring a velvet blanket.
…
In the side hall, the imperial physician had already given acupuncture to the retired emperor.
But no matter how miraculous the elixir is, it is not as effective as Sun Jing's words.
The moment the emperor learned that the second son of the Gu family was a girl, he felt relieved. He was so overjoyed that he felt a little exhausted.
"Your Majesty, please take care of yourself."
The retired emperor waved his hand to indicate that he was fine. After all the ups and downs he had just experienced, he had not even thought of punishing the Marquis Xuanping for the crime of deceiving the emperor.
He just wanted to thank God and his ancestors for their protection, fortunately it was a girl.
As soon as the retired emperor recovered, an attendant came to announce that His Majesty had arrived.
"Father."
Father and son sat opposite each other, and the emperor's first question was, "Is your cold feeling better?"
Lu Jing nodded, and the Emperor then asked, "Then how are you going to explain this to the world?"
To make the former top scholar the queen and to change the true identity of the young master of the Gu family, there must be a reasonable explanation.
Lu Jing smiled and said, "I was just about to ask Father and Mother to issue an order for my son's marriage to be legitimate. Coincidentally, Father is here."
After all the fuss, he still had to step in to resolve the matter. But now that things had come to this, was there anything the emperor couldn't agree to?
After all, she is a girl, the emperor thought, a beautiful and unmarried girl.
At least this guy is finally getting married.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
