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◎The jade-white face was stained with crimson, and the eyes were filled with shimmering water.◎
There was silence in the carriage for a long while.
The sky was gloomy and the rain was getting heavier, hitting the windows in a disorderly manner.
Gu Ningxi stood up to close the window and heard His Royal Highness Prince Zhao say slowly behind him, "How can you joke about something like this?"
His tone was quite disapproving, and Gu Ningxi said innocently, "I really have no other choice."
The girl from the Qin family was sincere in her feelings. If she had continued to refuse, she would probably have even offered to make her a concubine.
How could such a good girl be allowed to be her concubine? If Qin Yanming knew about this, he would definitely fight her to the death.
Gu Ningxi didn't want to say anything bad about Qin Ying and hit this infatuated girl, so he could only look for the reason in himself.
She smiled bitterly: "It's like removing the fuel from the fire."
She couldn't tell Qin Ying that the person she loved so much was also a girl.
"Aren't you afraid that the news will spread and cause misunderstandings?"
"It shouldn't... be spread out, right?"
Gu Ningxi begged Qin Ying not to tell anyone about it. She could see that this girl treated her sincerely and couldn't bear to hurt her in the slightest.
In the final analysis, it doesn't matter if it gets spread out, as it's just hearsay and there's no solid evidence.
Qin Ying sobbed and agreed, but her tears flowed even harder, almost drowning Gu Ningxi.
In the end, she didn't have the heart to comfort her, thinking that after Qin Ying was sad for a while, she would probably forget about her.
By then, Qin Ying will marry a man who truly loves her and live a good life.
"Your Highness, is that right?"
There was a look of relief on her face, and Lu Jing smiled self-deprecatingly.
"Can I really forget it?" He asked back, but no longer paid attention to Gu Ningxi and went to watch the storm outside.
…
The rain fell for half a day. After finishing the matters at hand, Gu Ningxi thought everything through and told someone to call Yinyue.
"Your servant pays her respects to you, sir." Yin Yue bowed deeply.
"You get up first."
On the table was Yinyue's indenture. Gu Ningxi said, "Since you have a good match, prepare to marry Xunzhou."
Just one simple sentence, everything is arranged clearly.
"Sir?" Yin Yue couldn't believe it, and tears immediately filled her eyes.
Gu Ningxi pushed the indenture toward her, and she felt more relaxed than she had imagined when she made this decision.
Letting Yinyue leave the house and get married would add more risks to her, but things have come to this point and she can only try her best to balance it.
She couldn't convince herself to send Yinyue away and separate the lovers; nor could she obey her father's arrangement and be so cruel.
Since no matter how you deal with it, it will never be perfect, it is better to follow your heart.
Master Gu's words were as good as gold. Yin Yue knelt and kowtowed: "I thank you for your kindness, Master. I will never forget it."
Yin Lan's eyes also turned red. After all, they had worked together for many years, and she also hoped that her sister could have a good home.
Yinyue kowtowed three times and warned herself in her heart that she would only use Lord Gu this time and would never lie to him again.
She knew that no matter whether her marriage with Brother Xunzhou succeeded or not, Lord Gu was kind-hearted and would always protect her.
She took this gamble. She thought that since God had allowed her to follow Master Gu out of the capital and had allowed her to meet Brother Xun Zhou, perhaps he would have other plans for her.
Yin Yue swore, "Don't worry, my lord. Even if I die, I will never tell anyone a single word about what happened in Leyou Courtyard."
Every word she said was sincere, and Gu Ningxi's expression was moved. He asked Yinlan to help the person up.
"Prepare for your marriage. It's a happy occasion, don't cry."
After Yinlan and Yinyue left together, Gu Ningxi rubbed his eyebrows.
Now that the matter has been settled, she is willing to believe in Yinyue's loyalty.
But at the same time, the indentures of Yinyue's entire family are in her hands.
Even though she is about to get married, Yinyue is still closely related to the Xuanping Marquis Mansion.
The sound of rain showed no sign of stopping, and Gu Ningxi recalled the people who knew her identity one by one.
In addition to the Gu family, there were several loyal servants in the Marquis's mansion who had signed death contracts, and the only one left was the wet nurse in her hometown of Linyang.
The Gu family's ancestral home was in Linyang, Jinzhou. After the wet nurse reached the age to leave the marquis's mansion, her father decided to let her return to the old house in Linyang, and everything was still under control.
Gu Ningxi looked at the gray sky outside the window, wondering if he would regret his decision today.
…
Clouds obscured the moon, shrouding the bedroom of Prince Zhao's mansion in darkness. Even the few night-shining pearls in the corners of the hall, so dazzling to Prince Zhao, had recently been covered with silk to avoid disturbing his sleep.
There was half a bowl of tranquilizing soup left on the table. The prescription carefully prepared by the imperial physician could not resist the waves of illusory dreams.
It was still the carriage ride in the daytime, the corner of the carriage was cramped and dark.
The soft pillow rested against the wall of the carriage, and he pinned Yuan Le under him and kissed him.
There was silence all around. The jade-white face of the person in his arms was stained crimson, and his eyes were filled with shimmering water.
The banished immortal-like person had his lips slightly parted, breathing lightly, allowing him to have whatever he wanted.
The skin on the neck is delicate and soft, and the kiss marks on it make people want more.
The jade belt of the official robe was torn open, the green outer garment was taken off, and then the plain white inner garment was torn.
With a crisp sound, the dream came to an abrupt end.
The night wind gently blew the curtains, and the sound of the clock stopped.
In the second half of the night, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao was destined to be sleepless.
…
The sun is shining brightly in the morning and the sky is cloudless.
In the imperial study, Emperor Mingde was in a good mood as he had just started to handle government affairs for the day.
During the autumn harvest season, the harvest was plentiful throughout the country. The court enjoyed peace and tranquility, and for three consecutive years, taxes were reduced and exempted, with the whole nation singing praises of the emperor's achievements.
Emperor Mingde wrote a few unimportant memorials of greeting in a very casual manner.
He took a sip of tea, then read the next memorial. Emperor Mingde immediately said, "Summon Prince Zhao to the palace."
Li Ji originally thought it was an easy task, but he was unexpectedly displeased by the emperor.
He quickly responded and before he bowed and left, he could see the memorial in His Majesty's hand from the corner of his eye. The signature was a striking word "Zhao".
There was abundant sunlight, and no third person was allowed to stay in the imperial study.
Emperor Mingde raised the memorial in his hand and said, "Tell me, what is going on?"
Lu Jing remained calm, his expression unchanged, his voice steady, "The Longnan area has been experiencing unrest lately. I heard that the Emperor intends to send someone to inspect it, and I, your son, would like to go, so I am submitting this memorial."
Emperor Mingde was almost amused by his son's anger. "In Longnan, it's just that the local gentry are becoming increasingly arrogant. A little reprimand will be enough. Sending an imperial censor would be more than enough. Why are you joining in the fun?"
It had only been six months since Qi'an returned to the capital, and even fewer visits to the palace to pay his respects. Prince Zhao had already achieved remarkable success, and now he was being sent abroad again for such a trivial matter. What would the court think? Those who didn't know him well might have thought he was an emperor who couldn't tolerate his son.
"I just want to share your father's worries."
"What kind of worries are you sharing?" Emperor Mingde almost made Lu Qian'an angry to death early in the morning. "If you return to the palace more often to show your filial piety, it will be considered as sharing your father's worries."
If it were someone else, they would have already prostrated themselves before the emperor and apologized.
But since this was a conversation between father and son, Lu Jing just sat there in silence.
Emperor Mingde looked at his son, whose expression was identical to his own in his youth, and asked calmly, "Why are you leaving the capital so suddenly?"
Just as Lu Jing was about to speak, Emperor Mingde said, "Don't use court affairs to prevaricate me."
Lu Jing fell silent, and Emperor Mingde began to speculate, "Is he hiding from someone?"
Lu Jing remained silent, which was considered as his agreement, and his eyes almost showed that his father was wise.
Emperor Mingde looked his son up and down, and the more he looked at him, the more he looked like he was heartbroken.
He got stuck in the middle of what he was going to say, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.
Lu Jing said, "I hope your Majesty will approve this."
…
Around 9:00 PM, the Secretariat received an imperial edict from His Majesty, ordering an immediate draft order to send His Royal Highness Prince Zhao to inspect Longnan on behalf of the Emperor.
By noon, the news had spread in a small circle in the court.
In the East Palace, Lu Heng had only finished half of his lunch when he heard the servant report that His Royal Highness Prince Huai had arrived for a visit.
Lu Chen stepped into the main hall and asked, "Brother, have you heard? Father has ordered Prince Zhao to tour Longnan."
Lu Heng's ears and eyes were one step faster than him, and he nodded calmly.
Lu Chen didn't even bother to drink his tea as he rushed over to discuss with his brother, "What's going on? Has Prince Zhao displeased our father again?"
At this critical juncture, shouldn't he be trying to win the emperor's favor in Beijing? Why did he go to Longnan?
It was clearly an unimportant task, so there was no need for King Zhao to do it personally. The intention of exile was too obvious.
"What do you think, my royal brother?"
Lu Chen gloated over the misfortune, but Lu Heng thought more deeply.
King Zhao's reputation in Henan and Hebei was unmatched, but Longnan was the first place to submit to the Jin Dynasty and had always supported the orthodoxy.
Although he went to crack down on local gentry, Qi'an might have other intentions.
Lu Heng pondered for a moment and said to his attendants, "Go to the Ministry of Works and ask Gu Zhongyun to come over."
"Yes, Your Highness."
A single stone caused a thousand ripples. By dusk, almost everyone in the court knew that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao would be leaving the capital again, and this trip would take at least a month.
The court officials had different opinions. Logically speaking, this task should not be the responsibility of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
Mrs. Meng was not familiar with state affairs. She was only concerned about her daughter: "What's wrong? Why did you ask for permission to go to Longnan?"
Gu Ningxi was writing a petition under the window and explained to his mother, "It was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's idea."
When His Majesty Prince Zhao leaves the capital, he must be accompanied by court officials. Since Your Majesty has sent Prince Zhao on a tour, simply suppressing the gentry would be an overreaction. Therefore, Your Majesty has added the words "inspect on my behalf" to the decree, requiring officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue to accompany him to inspect farmland and water conservancy projects along the way.
His Royal Highness wanted her to volunteer to monitor the movements of Prince Zhao's residence. There would likely be other personnel deployed from the Eastern Palace as part of the team leaving the capital, and the Crown Prince wanted to test her as well.
Gu Ningxi, having guessed the thoughts of her superiors, felt exhausted. She had been drawing blueprints in her duty room when she was summoned to the Eastern Palace without warning.
Gu Ningxi had no choice but to cross out a wrong word in his proposal.
She couldn't help but wonder why His Royal Highness Prince Zhao left the capital this time?
It also affected her.
Mrs. Meng looked worried. Even though she was reluctant to let her daughter go on a long journey, she had to obey the order of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
"Let me pack your bags for you."
…
Within three days, preparations for His Royal Highness Prince Zhao's departure from the capital were completed.
While dining in the Taiji Palace, Emperor Mingde asked, "Are you leaving tomorrow?"
"yes."
"You don't even celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival in Beijing?"
"I wish to complete my mission as soon as possible. Please forgive me, father."
Emperor Mingde was helpless as he had already read the list of accompanying officials.
"Why don't you bring the young master from the Gu family this time?"
Many young officials from the six ministries volunteered to be sent to Longnan, which was considered an achievement in their postings. The final selection of Emperor Mingde was made by the Secretariat, with the Zhaowang Palace making additional appointments as appropriate.
Emperor Mingde drank a mouthful of soup and thought to himself that he always found excuses by borrowing the reputation of the young master of the Gu family, but this time he had left him aside.
Emperor Mingde always treated founding heroes well. I remember that the Gu family was originally from Jinzhou.
It just so happens that the journey from Kyoto to Longnan passes through this place, so the young master of the Gu family can also go back to his hometown to worship his ancestors, which is reasonable.
Lu Jing was silent for a moment: "...Let him take care of the Ministry of Works."
As the maids served food to His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, Emperor Mingde looked at his son, who looked dejected. He had inquired about the situation at Prince Zhao's mansion over the past two days, and it turned out that Qi'an had even recently ordered a prescription for tranquilizing medicine.
It seems that I have to leave Kyoto for a while. It would be nice to go out and relax.
"How long are you going to be gone?"
Lu Jing gave the answer: "I will definitely be back before the Emperor's birthday."
Emperor Mingde was very pleased. Counting the days, it was only a month.
"If you change your mind, you can send someone to Longnan midway so that you can return to Beijing earlier."
"I understand."
Emperor Mingde sighed. Seeing Qi'an so trapped in love, how could he not feel distressed as a father?
"If you..." Emperor Mingde hesitated to speak, thinking, if you really can't forget her, you can just - right?
The status of Prince Zhao's Mansion is there. As long as nothing out of the ordinary happens, I will just pretend not to see it. It's not... impossible.
Emperor Mingde sighed in his heart, forget it.
Let’s wait until Qi’an comes back.
【Author’s words】
Emperor Mingde: What a sin!
P.S. Xiao Lu's dream was not a precognitive dream, but a simple spring dream.
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