Chapter 176 Chapter 176 is the only genuine version...
"Me?"
Shen Mao, with a red silk flower around its neck, jumped onto the coffee table. It stared outside, its little ears twitching, its golden eyes full of curiosity, and it was eager to go out and play.
Wuweizi seemed to have sensed something. He counted on his fingers and said with a smile, "Zhuo'er, go outside."
yes.
Gu Zhizhuo stood up obediently.
Until just now, her hands and feet were still weak and she needed Xie Danling's support to stand up, but now, she can stand steadily.
She walked out and stood in the middle of the yard.
It's a nice day today, with clear skies and bright sunshine.
The sunlight warmed Gu Zhizhuo's cold limbs and lungs, and she squinted her eyes comfortably.
The rosy glow was like raindrops, dripping down, and also like a layer of gauze, covering her body, making her look like a fairy.
"Who is this?" The young Taoist's eyes lit up as he stared at Gu Zhizhuo intently.
"It's Miss Gu."
Someone among the pilgrims shouted, "I've seen it! I've seen it!"
"There was a little girl in my neighbor's house who was drained of her blood. She almost died. It was Miss Gu who saved her."
"It's the Duke of Zhenguo..." No, it's the Zhenbei Palace now! "It's Miss Gu from the Zhenbei Palace."
"A radiant light descends from the sky," the young Taoist said devoutly. "This is the light of merit! I was not mistaken. This girl is indeed blessed with great fortune."
Someone realized: "It turns out that the blessed woman in the Qingping Zhenren hexagram is Miss Gu."
He muttered to himself and knelt down unconsciously.
After he knelt, the people around him followed suit. Soon, a large group of people knelt down, and the place was filled with a sea of people.
The rosy glow that had enveloped the mountaintop of Taiqing Temple for three days gradually faded away. However, everyone who saw this scene was deeply shocked and the feeling lingered for a long time.
The rosy glow came because of Miss Gu.
Miss Gu is the real lucky girl!
Soon the news spread throughout the Taiqing Temple, and more and more pilgrims came to hear the news.
As the pilgrims left the temple and went down the mountain, the news spread like wildfire to the capital.
"Oh, it's such a pity that you didn't go to Taiqing Temple today!"
"Is the glow still there?"
"Yes, yes... No, it's gone."
"Is he there or not?"
"It was there originally, but then, when Miss Gu came out, the sunset glow fell on her. She looked like a fairy descending from the sky, wearing a colorful robe. She was absolutely beautiful."
Someone who had just returned from Taiqing Temple said devoutly, "Miss Gu is blessed by heaven. Now that she has married Prince Chen, she will surely bring prosperity to our Great Qi and a prosperous and flourishing world!"
"Eh." Someone asked, "Didn't they say that the Destined Blessed Girl was Miss Ji who was staying at the Zhenbei Palace?"
"Bah!" He sneered disdainfully. "Back then, True Man Qingping only predicted the arrival of a blessed girl, but didn't mention her. She must have taken all the credit for herself. She thought everyone knew that the Emperor had taken my wife away, and she ignored the kindness of the Zhenbei Palace in raising her and followed him into the palace. Shameless..."
Bang!
In the elegant seat facing the street, Ji Nan Ke threw the wine glass in his hand hard, breaking it into pieces.
She bit her lower lip hard, her face full of embarrassment and shame.
Xie Jing just lowered his eyes to glance at the broken wine glass, made a gesture, and Xiao Yunzi went over to close the window, blocking out the noise outside.
"Do you think so too?" Ji Nanke stared at him and asked with difficulty.
"What?"
Xie Jing was a little absent-minded. He held the wine cup, the amber wine reflected in his eyes, and he didn't hear what Ji Nan Ke was saying at all.
Ji Nan Ke pressed the eight-immortals table tightly with both hands, and his knuckles turned slightly white.
Xie Jing asked again: "What?"
Still without raising his head.
Seeing that he didn't pay any attention to her, Ji Nanke said angrily, "You also think that the destined lucky girl should be Gu Zhizhuo?"
"You regret it, don't you?!"
Xie Jing finally raised his eyes to look at her, somewhat helplessly: "Do you want me to say yes or no?"
He felt regretful in his heart.
Gu Zhizhuo should be his fiancée.
He couldn't help but wonder, when he first met Master Qingping, the blessed lady that Master Qingping mentioned who could bless him to rule the world and create a prosperous era, was she referring to Ji Nan Ke who was by his side, or Gu Zhizhuo who was engaged to him?
He could no longer remember what Master Qingping had said.
He even suspected that it was because he was in love with Ji Nan Ke that he wanted to give her all the good praise.
Build momentum for her.
Xie Jing's gaze was indifferent, without the passionate affection of the past, but with a hint of forbearance.
Ji Nanke: “…”
"I just, just..." She said with tears in her eyes, "It was clearly us who set the date first. Why did you have to let her go?"
Seeing her compromised look, Xie Jing couldn't bear it after all.
He didn't say anything more blaming, only saying, "We bumped into each other, we can reschedule."
Ji Nanke said aggrievedly, "She has loved to compete with me since she was little. She deliberately set it on the same day to embarrass me and make me bow my head."
Xie Jing had originally planned to hold a banquet on the tenth day of September, but since Xie Yingchen and the Gu family decided to propose on the tenth day of September, those families who had accepted his invitations came to apologize one after another, saying that they could not come.
That's right. To them, taking a concubine was just a matter of course, and it couldn't compare to the betrothal from His Royal Highness Prince Chen.
Xie Jing took the initiative to postpone the date. Upon hearing this, he said nonchalantly, "If you're not worried about no one coming to congratulate you, then it's fine to not change it. It's not even noon yet, and everything is ready at the imperial farm. There's no need to go around, we can just go together."
How can this be!
Ji Nan Ke almost blurted out.
In the past, Xie Jing would rather destroy Gu Zhizhuo's face and make him feel ashamed and cancel the engagement because of her words "I can't be a concubine".
But now Xie Jing can say that it doesn't matter whether he welcomes the bride or not. He regards her as a concubine from the bottom of his heart and does not respect her enough.
However, Ji Nan Ke could no longer just walk away.
The Ji family no longer wanted her and expelled her from the clan.
She now lives in the palace in an awkward position, and even the palace maids and eunuchs look down on her.
She had nowhere to go.
The only person she could still hold on to tightly was Xie Jing.
Ji Nan Ke endured it again and again, and swallowed back all the words of complaint she wanted to say.
Xie Jing treated her much worse than before, and she could only suppress her temper.
She raised her eyes slightly, her long eyelashes trembled, and a tear hung on her eyelashes.
"Your Highness, I..."
"Your Highness."
There was a knock on the door of the private room, and Wei Jiu opened the door and came in, just in time to interrupt Ji Nan Ke's unfinished words.
He clasped his fists and said, "The Emperor has issued an order to appoint a crown prince."
Xie Jing's shoulders trembled, and his fingers gripping the wine cup suddenly tightened.
The noise from the street became louder. Ji Nanke walked over quickly and opened the window. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably, her heart was beating very fast, and her throat was tight.
"The crown prince has been appointed."
"Go check! The government has issued a notice. The Emperor has restored Prince Chen's title to his grandson and made him the crown prince!"
"Really?"
"If you don't believe me, go to the government office and ask. The government has sent people there to read it to us."
"I'll go check it out!"
All kinds of sounds mixed together.
"Miss Gu is truly a blessed girl. As soon as Prince Chen proposed, she was made the crown prince. It's incredible."
Ji Nanke gripped the window sill tightly, unable to believe it: "This is impossible!"
"Your Highness," she said anxiously, looking back, "Did you hear that? The Emperor's decree has appointed Prince Chen as the crown prince. You..."
Xie Jing drank a glass of wine expressionlessly and poured himself another.
Ji Nanke's mind moved slightly, and she said in disbelief: "You, you knew it a long time ago?"
Xie Jing didn't comment and drank another glass.
Of course he knows!
Three days ago, Xie Yingchen threatened and forced his father with a piece of broken ink in front of him in Hanzhang Palace.
He was completely different from the gentle and harmless person that everyone knew. He was like a wild beast, stripping off all disguises and revealing his fangs and sharp teeth.
And in front of him, I didn't even have the strength to fight back.
Not only myself, but also my father.
He watched helplessly as his father became angry at first and then afraid, yelling at, roaring at, and threatening Xie Yingchen, which finally turned into impotent rage.
From childhood to adulthood, his father has always been so tall and heroic in his eyes.
Even with the example of the deposed crown prince, it was still my father who got the chair in the end.
But such a powerful father was forced into a desperate situation by Xie Yingchen.
The emperor was forced to agree.
Xie Jing originally thought that his father had only agreed verbally and that there must be other tricks up his sleeve, but who would have thought that he would actually issue an imperial decree to appoint a crown prince that very day.
Xie Jing said: "He actually endured until now."
Ji Nanke: "What?"
Xie Jing did not answer.
Xie Yingchen received the imperial edict three days ago. How could he wait until now to have it announced?
Is it for Gu Zhizhuo?
Did he want the world to think that it was Gu Zhizhuo's good fortune that secured him the throne?
"Your Highness." Seeing that Xie Jing ignored him, Ji Nanke couldn't help but ask, "Do you just accept it?"
Xie Jing is simply useless.
He was the Empress's legitimate son, and it was fine that he had always been weak, but now he was even willing to give up his position as Crown Prince! ?
Xie Jing drank another glass of wine, and his throat felt burning.
Ji Nanke was anxious: "Your Highness, have you ever thought about this: if Xie Yingchen really takes the throne one day, he might be able to tolerate the eldest prince and his family, but can he tolerate you, the legitimate son of the emperor who competed with him for the throne?"
Her beautiful eyes moved as she sat back down beside Xie Jing, holding his hand and whispering, "Your Highness, if you don't fight, you're just waiting to die."
Xie Jing is her only choice now, but choosing Xie Jing does not mean that she is willing to wait to be imprisoned or even die with him.
“That’s enough!”
Xie Jing threw away the wine cup in his hand, and the cup rolled around on the Eight Immortals Table. Xie Jing suddenly stood up and walked out.
"Your Highness, where are you going?"
"congratulate."
After saying that, he walked out of the private room. Ji Nan Ke pursed her lips and stood for a while, then followed him.
As soon as he went out, Xie Jing went straight to Prince Chen's Mansion.
There was an endless stream of guests in front of Prince Chen's mansion, and the carriages almost completely blocked the road in front of the mansion.
Xie Jing sat in the carriage and moved slowly forward.
The wine was a bit intoxicating. After a few glasses, he felt dizzy and sweat broke out on his back.
After much difficulty, the carriage entered the mansion and stopped at the ceremonial gate. Just as Xie Jing was about to get off, he remembered something and turned back to Ji Nanke and said, "Just wait here."
"Why?" Ji Nanke was stunned for a moment, then laughed at himself, "Are you worried that I'll embarrass you?"
Xie Jing rubbed his aching forehead and patiently explained, "There are no women in Prince Chen's mansion. Who will greet you?"
Not only were there no female relatives, there were not even any maids to serve.
Ji Nanke held Xie Jing back and said, "I don't need anyone to take care of me."
Xie Jing really didn't want to argue with her about this, so he said, "It's up to you." He jumped out of the carriage and helped her down.
The Prince Chen's Mansion has always been low-key. Since Xie Yingchen moved out of the palace, it has never held a banquet. This is the first time.
There were few servants in the mansion, and those waiting at the ceremonial gate to receive guests were all elderly eunuchs.
After greeting him, the eunuch smiled and led him inside.
Ji Nan Ke looked around. Prince Chen's Mansion was the former residence of the deposed crown prince, but it was far less luxurious than she had imagined. Instead, it was quite empty. It seemed a bit desolate at first glance, but the flowers leaping on the branches, the fish swimming in the pond, the drooping wisteria, and the scattered rockery added a sense of vitality to this desolation.
"Jing'er."
When they were halfway there, someone suddenly called out to Xie Jing. It was Lord Cheng'en.
Xie Jing bowed and called out, "Uncle."
Lord Cheng'en also came to congratulate, arriving only one stick of incense earlier than Xie Jing. He felt bored staying in the flower hall, so he came out for a walk.
He looked at Ji Nanke critically with a contemptuous look, puffed out his belly, and said, "I will take His Highness in, you can go and do your work."
Duke Cheng'en waved his hand and sent the eunuch away. Seeing that no one was around, he couldn't wait to ask, "Jing'er, what are your plans?"
In case the walls had ears, Lord Cheng'en lowered his voice and moved his eyes left and right.
Intend?
Xie Jing doesn’t know now.
Just as Xie Yingchen said that day, it doesn't matter if he is the emperor's legitimate son. He can't even get close to the Eastern Palace and has accomplished nothing.
Xie Jing smiled self-deprecatingly.
"It's okay." Lord Cheng'en leaned forward, lowered his body, and said mysteriously, "Uncle has thought of everything for you."
Forehead?
The flower hall was just ahead. Lord Cheng'en made a gesture to silence everyone and said confidently, "Just wait."
Xie Jing: "Uncle, what did you say..."
"His Highness is here too."
There were already quite a few people sitting in the flower hall. When they saw Xie Jing, they all stood up and greeted him.
The Prince Chen's Mansion was really boring. There were no entertainers, no opera troupe, and not even a pretty maid. A group of grown men were sitting face to face. When they saw Xie Jing brought Ji Nan Ke with him, they remembered that the Third Prince had originally planned to take a concubine today, so they couldn't help but tease him a few times, saying something like, "The beautiful concubine is pregnant."
Ji Nanke's eyes were filled with annoyance. She didn't expect them to be so disrespectful in front of her.
Xie Jing grabbed her hand and said unhappily, "Miss Ji is not married yet, please don't say such things anymore."
The person who spoke smiled awkwardly, then changed the subject and asked, "Hey, why hasn't Prince Li arrived yet?"
"Prince Li went to Taiqing Temple."
So, the topic turned to Taiqing Temple, Xia Guang and Gu Zhizhuo. Some people went there specifically to see it in the past two days and praised it highly.
"The Crown Prince has found a good marriage."
Except for a few important cabinet ministers, everyone thought that the imperial decree to appoint a crown prince was issued after the marriage certificate was signed.
Xie Yingchen returned home seriously ill and had nothing. But after he got married, everything started to go well for him. Not only did he regain his health, he also became the crown prince. If this wasn't a blessing brought by marriage, what else could it be?
Having said that, some people couldn't help but look at Xie Jing.
The third prince gave up this great marriage for the sake of his concubine. He must be regretting it now.
Even if it wasn't said explicitly, everyone could understand the meaning. Xie Jing just held the tea in his mouth and said nothing.
Not long after, Xie Yingchen came over.
There were quite a lot of guests, sitting in several flower halls and pavilions. As soon as he came in, everyone stood up and saluted and congratulated him.
The crown prince was officially recognized as the heir apparent, even if he had not yet had the opportunity to offer sacrifices to the Taimiao.
The crown prince is also the king.
"Your Highness."
After the greetings, Duke Cheng'en shouted happily and winked at Xie Jing.
Xie Jing thought about what he had just said and had a bad feeling in his heart. He quietly pulled at Duke Cheng'en's sleeve.
At least he should let me know what he wants to say first, right?
"uncle."
Xie Jing whispered a reminder, "Today is Prince Chen's...it's the Crown Prince's wedding day." Meaning, don't do anything rash.
Lord Cheng'en has been a mischievous person since he was young.
He smiled broadly and said, "Your Highness, Liang State recently sent a letter, hoping to establish a marriage alliance with Daqi and forge an everlasting friendship."
Since the previous dynasty, the Liang Kingdom had been violating the border, and this was even more so after the Great Qi Dynasty. It was not until Gu Taotao defeated their arrogance that they voluntarily wrote a letter of surrender.
In the following years, Xie Qiyun's inaction allowed Liang to harass and probe further, leading Liang to consider repudiating the letter of surrender and stationing troops on the border. It was only recently, after Jiang Youzheng replaced Xie Qiyun as commander-in-chief of the Western Frontier, that he finally changed his previous lax approach. At Xie Yingchen's suggestion, he launched several fierce attacks on Liang, forcing the latter to retreat to the border and finally write this peace letter.
Duke Cheng'en was in charge of the Honglu Temple. The letter was delivered to him first, but he deliberately withheld it and did not present it.
Duke Cheng'en smiled warmly and said, "What do you think, Your Highness?"
Xie Yingchen said without hesitation: "Princess Daqi will not marry far away, nor will she marry into a foreign alliance."
When the Kingdom of Liang wrote the letter of surrender, it had asked to marry Princess Daqi.
Sacrificing a princess to maintain peace on the border has been the practice in all dynasties. No one expected that Xie Yingchen would decisively refuse.
Duke Cheng'en smiled triumphantly, "It is Liang that is willing to send the princess to the capital to marry into the Daqi Kingdom."
He said carelessly, with a carefree look on his face, "It just so happens that His Royal Highness the Third Prince hasn't yet been engaged. Why not let His Royal Highness the Third Prince share the burden of the country and marry the Princess of Liang?"
After he finished speaking, he turned his head and smiled at Xie Jing: "Your Highness, right?"
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