21 Teaching
He held her hand and aimed the arrow at the central target.
"Why are you back at this hour?"
Mrs. Meng and others were in the study of Leyouyuan. When Xier left the house in the afternoon, she said she would be back soon. Now it was already dark.
Gu Ningxi replied, "After I finished discussing matters with His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, it was quite late, so he invited me to have dinner at the palace."
Mrs. Meng nodded, and with confidence told someone to go to the kitchen to tell her to remove the food that was still warm for Xier.
"Why do you look unhappy? Did you encounter any troubles in Prince Zhao's mansion?"
"No," Gu Ningxi stood by the desk, "I just ate half an extra bowl of rice last night, and now I feel a little full."
During the evening conversation, Gu Ningxi was naturally furious but dared not speak to His Highness Prince Zhao. She didn't dare look at Prince Zhao during the meal, so she could only lower her head and eat more. The food at Prince Zhao's mansion happened to suit her taste, and she unknowingly ate a lot more.
Madam Meng laughed and said, "It's rare to see you have such a good appetite. The chefs in the palace must be really good."
The kitchen was making hawthorn water for the old lady. The messenger had not gone far yet, so Mrs. Meng asked him to bring back a bowl.
Gu Ningxi tilted her head to examine the jade hairpin in her mother's hair and said with a smile, "Why did you only wear this one today, mother?"
Mrs. Meng's hand gently stroked the lotus jade hairpin. The hairpin was made entirely of Xiuyan jade, and the pattern was traced by Gu Ningxi stroke by stroke.
"A jade headpiece like that is so precious, it's fine to wear it once during festivals, but it's not something you can show off on a regular basis."
Mrs. Meng particularly liked this lotus jade hairpin, so she picked it out separately as a token of her love for her daughter.
Gu Ningxi, however, likes her mother to wear these ornaments more often, and she wants to fill her mother's jewelry box.
Mrs. Meng knew the origin of the jade. She wondered what price such a good piece of jade would fetch in a jewelry store in Kyoto.
Mrs. Meng was sitting in a chair. She came in the evening with something to ask, "By the way, the other day I saw Yinyue packing your clothes. Why is there something different?"
The jade-white brocade robe was exquisitely crafted from the fabric to the embroidery, and the embroidery thread was even mixed with gold and silver, making it extremely valuable. Furthermore, the garment was clearly not designed for Xi'er's size, having simply appeared in her trunk without any apparent reason.
Gu Ningxi rubbed her forehead. She had privately instructed the maid to wash the clothes separately. It was inconvenient for her to send the clothes of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao to the outer laundry room. She had wanted to keep it a secret from her mother, but her fears came true. Her observant mother finally discovered it.
She said, "Well, I couldn't change my clothes, so His Royal Highness Prince Zhao lent me one."
"How could that be?" Mrs. Meng didn't quite believe it. She was afraid that it would be inconvenient to change clothes on rainy days, so she specially prepared two more sets of clothes for Xier.
Gu Ningxi didn't dare mention the assassination attempt, and only vaguely said, "The carriage carrying the boxes took the wrong route, but luckily it was found a day later."
Madam Meng seemed lost in thought. Gu Ningxi said, "Don't worry, mother. No one has touched my box. It won't arouse suspicion."
"That's not entirely true," Mrs. Meng sighed softly. "After all, you're a girl of marriageable age. Wearing another man's underwear is always... always inappropriate."
Although Xi'er and His Royal Highness Prince Zhao were childhood playmates, they have all grown up and must maintain the distinction between men and women.
"Just this once," Gu Ningxi said coquettishly, "Mother, you can't let me wear wet clothes, right?"
She didn't want to change at that time, but the smell of blood on her body was even more unbearable for Gu Ningxi.
Madam Meng nodded her head, feeling a pang of guilt. If she hadn't been incapable of protecting her daughter, why would she have been forced to live in the open air, surrounded by court officials all day?
At least he had fooled his mother, so Gu Ningxi breathed a sigh of relief.
She thought that the court meeting the day after tomorrow would definitely cause another storm.
…
In this dynasty, civil officials of the sixth rank and military generals of the fifth rank and above are eligible to attend court.
Gu Ningxi stood in the Hanyuan Hall holding a sceptre, thinking that the journey back had been smooth, probably because all the disturbances were concentrated in this court meeting.
Your Majesty has already learned about the attack on King Zhao outside the capital and has personally inquired about it in the Golden Palace.
Xie Qian, Marquis of Wu'an, and the Prefect of Jingzhao were in charge of the matter. They submitted a report on behalf of King Zhao: "Your Majesty, the assassins originated from Hebei and are the remnants of the Xia thief Zhao Jian'an. A total of 103 of them have been apprehended."
The matter was clear and the details were definite. The Jingzhao Yin also reported that the assassination took place in the suburbs of Beijing and there were no civilian casualties.
"What does King Zhao think?" Emperor Mingde looked at Lu Jing who was standing on his right.
"Your Majesty, I believe this matter does not need to be investigated further. Hebei has surrendered, but the people are not united. If a full-scale investigation is carried out, I am afraid that it will cause the surrendered generals to feel insecure and destabilize the local military."
Emperor Mingde was very relieved to see such magnanimity, and all the civil and military officials in the court were impressed.
"What does the prince mean?"
Lu Heng followed suit and said, "I think what Fifth Brother said makes sense."
King Zhao was the victim in this matter, and if he was willing to settle the matter peacefully, others would not pursue the matter.
Behind Lu Heng, Huai Wang Lu Chen had a calm expression on his face, and he felt more relieved after hearing what he said.
The assassination attempt had been put aside for now, but Gu Ningxi still wondered if it was related to the Eastern Palace. But how many royal family incidents could be thoroughly investigated and definitively concluded?
"Father, I have one more thing to say."
The court officials' attention focused on His Royal Highness Prince Zhao. Lu Jing said, "Over a hundred assassins entered the capital, all passing through Tongguan. This is evidenced by the assassins' signatures. I believe the Tongguan governor bears considerable responsibility, but I fear he is unfit for the job."
Gu Ningxi's eyebrows twitched. She then said, "How could His Royal Highness Prince Zhao just brush this matter off so lightly?" He was retreating to advance, waiting here.
Tongguan is an important gateway to and from Kyoto, with a dangerous terrain.
As His Royal Highness Prince Zhao finished speaking, the atmosphere in the palace suddenly became tense. The position of Tongguan prefect was a high-ranking, fourth-grade official, and the current prefect, Zhao Liang, was personally recommended by His Royal Highness Prince Huai, a position that was quite controversial at the time.
The Crown Prince hesitated for a moment, but Lu Chen immediately spoke, "Tongguan is such a large city with complex personnel exchanges, so mistakes are inevitable. The assassin came to the capital to seek revenge on the emperor, but the emperor was lucky and escaped unharmed. Even if Governor Zhao failed in his duties, he should be punished, but is replacing him a bit too much?"
Emperor Mingde frowned slightly. Lu Jing said, "The assassins were divided into more than a dozen groups and managed to sneak into Tongguan within a month. This isn't a dereliction of duty on the part of the prefect, but rather incompetence."
His words were merciless, and Lu Chen, who had strongly recommended Zhao Liang, felt like he had been slapped in the face.
Xie Qian held the evidence and presented it to His Majesty. He interrogated the assassins one by one. Most of them had infiltrated caravans, some disguised themselves as vegetable vendors, and others as refugees, making it easy to find their flaws.
His Highness had instructed him yesterday, in the Golden Palace, not to speak any more. The Prince of Huai was not a broad-minded man, and if he turned against him too soon, he would only cause unnecessary trouble. Xie Qian wasn't afraid, as he could empathize with the relationship between His Highness Prince Zhao and his two half-brothers. Especially since the Crown Prince and the Prince of Huai's biological mother were now the masters of the harem, how could Empress Yao, despite her wisdom and generosity, not favor her own son?
Lu Chen was about to argue, but his brother calmly stopped him with a look. Lu Heng sighed inwardly; his sixth brother's first half of the speech had already displeased his father.
After all, the emperor had the final say on this matter, and it was useless for him to argue.
Gu Ningxi observed everything. The Tongguan prefect's incompetence jeopardized the safety of the capital. If assassins continued to pour into the capital, the entire court would inevitably be affected, and no one wanted to be constantly worried. Furthermore, with Prefect Zhao's credentials, it was difficult to convince the public.
Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and the princes under your wing have grown up. To consolidate imperial power, you will not allow any of them to dominate. For example, while Your Majesty values the Crown Prince, you personally oversee all important military and national affairs, never delegating authority. Your Majesty has always valued legitimate sons, and the illegitimate princes have been insignificant. Prince Huai, Lu Chen, and the Crown Prince share the same mother, making Prince Zhao the perfect balance of power.
His Majesty is pleased to see a balance in the court, but he will never tolerate fratricide. This assassination attempt, in particular, has crossed His Majesty's bottom line and must be stopped.
Regardless of whether there was any instruction from the Prince of Huai or even the Crown Prince behind this matter, he could not keep his position as the prefect of Tongguan just because of his incompetence.
…
The court was in turmoil. Although Gu Ningxi was sandwiched between the Eastern Palace and Prince Zhao's Mansion, he was only a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Works and did not attract too much attention.
The weather was getting warmer. Gu Ningxi held her chin with her hands and looked at the row of targets thirty steps away that were showing off their power to her.
The matter of returning to the Eastern Palace was put on hold for the time being. It was only later that she heard from Chief Steward Sun that when His Royal Highness Prince Zhao met the Crown Prince in the palace, he deliberately mentioned her matter.
His Majesty Prince Zhao praised her excellent renovations of the palace and wanted to assign her to oversee the renovation of Changqing Garden, the largest hot spring resort in the suburbs of Beijing, which His Majesty had already granted to Prince Zhao.
He even praised her outstanding abilities in front of the Crown Prince, saying that his brother had a keen eye for talent. Word spread quickly, and even the Minister of Works felt flattered. Thus, the Crown Prince also knew that she had proactively proposed a date for her return, and that Prince Zhao's refusal was not her fault.
The heat was not suitable for construction, so Prince Zhao had only asked her to draw up some blueprints for review, and was not in a rush to meet deadlines. Consequently, Gu Ningxi had been spending more and more time at Prince Zhao's mansion, and her salary remained the same.
Gu Ningxi tuned her bowstring in the shade. This bow had been reserved for her at the training grounds by Prince Zhao's order. With renovations already well underway within the palace, Gu Ningxi came here to practice archery in her spare time. Not only for Prince Zhao's instructions, but also for her own physical fitness. Learning a skill might be useful for self-defense in the future.
Gu Ningxi always chose the free time in the training ground and would come to practice every two or three days.
"How long have you been sitting here?"
The longbow in her hand rubbed against her head two or three times, and Gu Ningxi was caught red-handed by His Royal Highness Prince Zhao while she was slacking off. Guilty, she stood up and saluted: "Your Highness, may you be well."
Lu Jing looked at him and raised an eyebrow: "How's the training going?"
After finishing his work in the afternoon, he felt the urge to see him. So he casually asked Sun Jing, who said, "Master Gu is practicing archery in the training ground."
He stood there for a while and saw people fiddling with bows and arrows.
Gu Ningxi replied unsurely, "I am still thinking about it."
Seeing the man's dejected look, Lu Jing smiled and gestured to Gu Ningxi to hand the bow to him.
"Look carefully."
Gu Ningxi nodded quickly. His Royal Highness Prince Zhao personally demonstrated to her that shooting range was easy for him. However, he deliberately slowed down his movements, teaching her step by step, from nocking the arrow and adjusting the bowstring, to holding the bow and drawing the bowstring, and finally, drawing the bow into the net.
Five or six long arrows flew out one after another, and within a few breaths all of them hit the bull's eye, with the arrow feathers still trembling slightly.
Lu Jing signaled the attendant to change the target and handed the bow back: "Try it."
Gu Ningxi took it and thought to himself that it was completely different in his hand than in King Zhao's.
After watching it several times, Gu Ningxi understood a little bit when he bent the bow and drew the arrow, but he was still a little hesitant.
But His Royal Highness Prince Zhao was very patient and held the longbow with her.
In front of him was a row of newly replaced targets, and Gu Ningxi was enveloped by the aura of the person behind him.
"Stand a little further apart and keep your footing steady."
He took her hand and pointed the arrow at the central target.
In such a close posture, she was almost half-hold in his arms.
Gu Ningxi didn't dare to move at all. If he had originally had some desire to practice archery, it was now completely gone.
King Zhao was still correcting her posture one by one, from shoulders to elbows to forearms, without missing a single thing, and then sliding all the way down.
Gu Ningxi trembled with fear as he manipulated her, not daring to look back. When his palm clasped her waist, the warmth of his palm could be felt through the thin fabric.
Gu Ningxi's body inevitably trembled at the strange yet familiar feeling.
【Author’s words】
Xiao Lu: Teaching seriously.jpg, it is my blessing to have such a disciple.
Female goose: ………………
The next chapter will be updated at midnight on Thursday with 10,000 words. I will give everyone a lucky draw at that time. Mmm~
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