Chapter 185 Chapter 185 is the only genuine version...
The tabby cat yawned lazily on the stone table, walked over with its slow cat steps, sniffed Xiangyang, turned its head with complete disinterest, and pointed its tail at him.
Gu Zhizhuo asked Xiangyang to sit down and handed him a glass of warm water.
It's almost October, and it's quite cold to run back and forth.
"Sit down and talk."
Xiangyang was not polite either. He sat down across the stone table and quietly hooked the cat's tail with his little finger.
"That village is located south of the capital, off the official road. There are no villages or towns nearby, and even hunters wouldn't go in that direction."
It’s really hard to follow Xiangyang.
After all, there was no one around except Prince Jin. Even if he followed from a distance, Prince Jin would be able to spot him as soon as he turned around.
"...Later, I saw him straying further and further away, so I pretended to ask for directions and caught up with him. I also sprinkled something on the King of Jin. He was wary at the time, but when he saw I had left first, he didn't pay any attention."
"Meow."
Gu Zhizhuo stroked the cat's chin and said with a smile, "Prince Jin is indeed a very cautious man."
She had people keep an eye on Prince Jin for several months, but he never went there once.
Later, when the East Factory sealed the mansion, she asked Chen Xu to secretly check it out. He found that there was no secret room in the Prince Jin's mansion. This made Gu Zhizhuo even more certain that there was such a place, just outside the city.
The King of Jin did not move.
Gu Zhizhuo could only force him to move.
It just so happened that Prince Jin and Duke Cheng'en were about to get married again, so she simply tried to instigate it.
The King of Jin was tempted.
That's right, even if his mind tells him that he won't be so kind, when the only way to survive is in front of him, no one can help but take a step forward.
She chuckled softly, her eyes curved with joy. Xiangyang put down his half-empty glass of water and asked curiously, "Miss, what are you laughing at?"
"Duke Cheng'en definitely didn't agree to marry himself to Xie Qiyun..." At this point, she couldn't help laughing, "Xie Qiyun is probably dying soon. Prince Jin can't wait to find something to hold against Duke Cheng'en and force him to agree."
The last time he saw Xie Qiyun, Gu Zhizhuo had told him that he was full of death energy and would not live for more than a month.
How can it be so fun!
She leaned on the beauty chair, her feet dangling in the air under her skirt, swaying back and forth: "Go on."
The cat washed its paws in his cup and shook off the water droplets, splashing water all over his face.
Xiangyang was delighted. He pushed the cup toward it and smiled brightly. "When the King of Jin was in the house, only the old steward was guarding outside. After the King of Jin left, the subordinates quietly approached. It seems that the servants in the manor are mute servants and cannot speak. These mute servants are scattered around the manor, seemingly at random, but each one is always staring in a different direction. Anyone passing by the manor cannot escape their gaze."
"I also noticed that the room was filled with kerosene, and candles and flints were placed inside, almost within easy reach. The steward must have been a martial artist, with sharp ears and eyes. He almost discovered it, but to avoid alerting the enemy, I returned first."
Gu Zhizhuo's fingertips tapped lightly on the table.
The mute servants were there to ensure that no one would leak the secret. Gu Zhizhuo guessed that most of them were illiterate.
The steward is a martial artist and should be a brave warrior. King Jin obviously trusts him the most.
As for the kerosene, candles and flints, they were there to prevent any accidents. If someone broke in, they could easily burn everything that needed to be burned with one fire.
Gu Zhizhuo was still not sure what the Prince of Jin had hidden. If it really was the late emperor's will, it would not be able to withstand the test of fire.
Don't act rashly for the time being.
She asked, "Has Prince Jin returned home yet?"
"yes."
Xiangyang deliberately lagged behind for a while, and only when they were almost in the capital and there were more people on the official road did he blend into the crowd and enter the city, and followed Prince Jin all the way back to the palace.
"I've been waiting for half an hour, but Prince Jin hasn't come out yet."
It seems that there is not enough evidence, which surprised Gu Zhizhuo.
If she didn't have any leverage, she'd have to create one, and Prince Jin would surely do the same. Time was running out, and there wouldn't be much the court could do for him to exploit...
Xiangyang threw a walnut to the ground. The walnut rolled around, and the cat's eyes widened, and it pounced off the stone table.
Gu Zhizhuo took out the compass and connected three hexagrams. When he looked up, Xiangyang was already sitting on the ground. The man and the cat were having fun.
"When you go back, tell the young master about this."
"yes."
Xiangyang jumped up and looked at the cat reluctantly several times.
Come in a hurry and leave in a hurry.
Gu Zhizhuo had a horse prepared and went out to the Fu'an County Lady's Mansion.
For two consecutive days, King Jin did not make any movement.
Gu Zhizhuo was not in a hurry. He just had someone spread the news secretly outside that the Prince of Jin was dying. Many people in Sanlitun had seen the Prince of Jin's strange illness, so no one was surprised.
Immediately afterwards, the Prince of Jin's Mansion proposed marriage to the Duke of Cheng'en's Mansion with great fanfare. Wedding invitations were sent out one after another, and the wedding date was set for the third day of October, only four days away.
At this time, people couldn't help but feel conflicted about whether they should prepare the wedding gifts first, or prepare the funeral ceremonies as well.
The Prince of Jin's Mansion was filled with joy and decorated with lights and colorful lanterns.
There was obviously no lively atmosphere in Duke Cheng'en's Mansion, as if a funeral was about to be held. As soon as the betrothal gift from Prince Jin's Mansion arrived, Sun Nian hid in his own yard and never came out again.
The wife of Duke Cheng'en sat directly opposite Duke Cheng'en, wiping her tears. Her eyes were red, as if stained with blood.
Why.
"Madam, you must know that it is imperative to tie Prince Jin to our family now."
"If His Royal Highness the Third Prince had not ascended the throne, the good days of our Sun family would have come to an end."
"You have to think about your son too."
"No matter what, Prince Jin's Mansion is still a prince's mansion. Nian'er won't suffer if she marries there."
It is not known whether these words are intended to persuade the other party or himself.
After a long and rambling speech, Duke Cheng'en really couldn't face the resentment that was about to burst out of his wife's eyes, so he said dryly, "Add another 100,000 taels to Sister Nian's dowry," and left quickly.
As he left, the suppressed and uncontrollable crying sounded behind him.
Duke Cheng'en fled in panic.
While escaping, he met his favorite concubine in the yard.
The concubine coaxed him into her room and poured him several glasses of wine, making him feel a little dizzy. She leaned over him and said delicately, "Master, I went out today. Do you know who I met?"
who?
"Princess Fu'an! Master, you must have seen her."
Oh. As soon as this sentence came out, Cheng En Gong became interested: "Have you seen it?"
The court had speculated for days about the identity of the Fu'an County Lady, believing she was an ordinary lady whose background would be revealed in a matter of days. However, she was close to Miss Gu, who clearly supported her. Even if they were to inquire, they couldn't go too far. As a result, until now, apart from the three words "Yin's daughter," there was no information at all.
Duke Cheng'en urged, "Tell me quickly."
"That's the lady Gui who plays the pipa so well! The Madam invited her to her birthday party. Do you remember?"
Lady Gui was quite famous in the capital. She was a pipa player with superb skills that could rival anyone else, and she was a top-notch performer.
"Is it really her?" Duke Cheng'en was skeptical.
"Master, it's true." The favored concubine leaned against him and said with a sour tone, "I will never admit my mistake. Didn't you always praise Gui Niang's peach blossom eyes as beautiful and charming, and said that if her face hadn't been disfigured, you would definitely marry her into the mansion and keep her as a beautiful girl in the golden house. I recognized her at the first sight. I heard someone calling her the county lady, so I quietly followed her. She entered the gate of the Fu'an County Lady's mansion."
Duke Cheng'en slammed the table and shouted, "Does Xie Yingchen know anything about propriety and integrity? Isn't it shameful for him to confer the title of imperial princess on a lowly courtesan?"
"Haha, no wonder Princess Fu'an didn't even dare to leave the house after being canonized. There are so many people in the capital who have heard her sing, how could she dare to show her face in public!"
A prostitute is expected to be on equal footing with these princes and nobles?
How outrageous!
Lord Cheng'en slammed the eight-immortals table so hard that the wine splashed all over the table.
"Master."
The favorite concubine put the wine glass to his lips and coaxed him to drink a few more glasses, which made his face flush.
The concubine said delicately, "Alas, you wanted to ask for a county lady for our third young lady, but the Crown Prince refused. Now, the county lady has been given to a prostitute. Even I feel it's not worth it for our third young lady."
"If it is the third young lady who is canonized as the Princess of Fu'an County, no one in the Prince Jin's Mansion will treat her badly."
"The third lady will also understand your painstaking efforts."
The concubine carefully observed his expression and said in a delicate voice, "Now it's good. The third lady blames you, and the lady blames you too."
The fire in Lord Cheng'en's chest surged upwards.
He wanted to support Nian Jie'er and asked Xie Yingchen to confer the title of County Princess on his daughter, but Xie Yingchen rejected his request, saying that she had no merit to the court. Now, even a prostitute can be conferred the title of County Princess. What merits can a prostitute have? Xie Yingchen deliberately conferred the title of County Princess on a prostitute to slap him in the face.
The more Lord Cheng'en thought about it, the more he believed this to be the case. He suddenly stood up, ignoring the clattering of dishes, and shouted at the servant to go out.
Duke Cheng'en initially intended to go to the palace to complain to the Empress's sister, but now the eunuchs in the inner court considered themselves the masters of the palace, and if he wanted to enter the palace, he had to be servile and flattering to them. Even if he gave them money, whether he could enter the palace depended on the eunuchs' expressions. If they said no, even if he was the emperor's uncle, they could block him for ten days or half a month.
But he didn't dare to get angry.
Chen Xu is a bad guy who will confiscate the property and destroy the whole family if he disagrees with you. Who dares to provoke him?
So his carriage turned and arrived at the gate of Fu'an County Lord's Mansion.
Under the candlelight of the lanterns, the words "Fu'an County Master's Mansion" were clearly visible on the plaque. Duke Cheng'en thought about the words he had said about his concubine, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
Drunk, he kicked the vermilion door.
"come out!"
Many people in the capital had seen Lady Gui. After all, at banquets held by various prefectures, the warm-up guests were either opera troupes or musicians and dancers. Lady Gui was so famous that once she showed up, she couldn't hide.
By then, everyone will know that Xie Yingchen appointed a prostitute as a county lord!
Duke Cheng'en has loved to make trouble, and he has been like this since he was young.
Since Xie Yingchen dared to embarrass him, he had to humiliate Xie Yingchen.
Bang bang bang!
Duke Cheng'en kicked him several times, stiffening his neck and yelling, "Call your county lady out."
"I'm going to have a drink, and I need a beautiful woman to sing some songs."
"Let your princess sing a little song for me, and I will give you some money."
Duke Cheng'en threw out a money bag, which hit the door heavily and fell down again.
The string came untied and the silver ingots in the purse scattered all over the floor.
There were three or four families living on the street where the Fu'an County Lady's Mansion was located. All of them were the residences of second and third rank officials in the court. Duke Cheng'en made quite a commotion, and soon they all heard that Duke Cheng'en was drunk and acting crazy in front of the County Lady's Mansion, insisting that the County Lady come out and sing a song.
Ask again...
"What? Lord Cheng'en said that the Princess of Fu'an is married to my wife?"
"It's actually Madam Gui?"
"How did Lord Cheng'en know this?"
"It is truly inappropriate for the Crown Prince to appoint a prostitute as a county lady."
So they decided to go out and take a look, but when the door opened, it was over!
The entire street was surrounded by the East Factory!
Duke Cheng'en stood in a daze in the encirclement of the barbarians, and was stunned by the vicious gazes around him.
Everyone's heart was pounding and they were about to shrink back, but it was too late.
The guard smiled and made a "please" gesture, and they followed suit with laughter, which was uglier than crying, and one by one they obediently stepped out from behind the door.
The guard brought a basin of cold water and poured it on Cheng En Gong. The wind blew and he felt cold all over. He was completely sober from the drunkenness and his mind became clear.
When he woke up, his legs went weak and he almost sat down on the spot.
Why is it the East Factory!
Even if he was blind, he could recognize those people in brown clothes and pointed hats.
He had originally thought that no matter how much he messed up, it would be Miss Gu who would come out. The Gu family was a bit fierce, but they never killed people indiscriminately. The smell of alcohol emboldened people, and he was not unreasonable. At most, he would be beaten.
If they really beat him, he would lie on the ground and say that he was crippled. In order to protect Miss Gu, Xie Yingchen might even agree to give Nian Jie'er the title of county lady.
"Mr. Cheng'en."
A shrill voice exploded in my ears.
This man was recognized by Cheng En, Wu Shang, the captain of the Eastern Depot who was in charge of criminal law.
Lord Cheng En was very flexible and quickly said humbly, "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, misunderstanding."
He didn't dare to provoke the East Factory. Those people in the East Factory were all inhumane. They could take away half his life by just accusing him of a crime.
Wu Shang said sarcastically, "What misunderstanding is worthy of the Duke disturbing the peace of the Fu'an County Princess in the middle of the night?"
Lord Cheng'en pulled the corner of his mouth and smiled flatteringly, "I drank too much and went to the wrong place."
"Oh." Wu Shang said with a straight face, "Take him away." "Whether the Duke is drunk or up to something bad, we'll know after the trial."
Review, review, review?
This time, Lord Cheng'en was sober from the drunkenness of the rest of his life and he wanted to slap himself.
What does it have to do with me that Xie Yingchen gave a concubine to a county lady? Why should I force myself to step forward?
"I can explain it."
Duke Cheng En laughed dryly, cold water dripping down his hair. He even wanted to go back an hour and strangle himself.
Looking at the barbarians approaching again and again, Cheng En Gong's eyes turned dark and he almost fell down. At this moment, a heavenly sound broke into his ears.
"stop!"
Lord Cheng'en looked in the direction of the sound and was so moved that he almost cried, "My in-laws."
Prince Jin rode forward on his horse, but was stopped by the barbarians as soon as he approached the county lord's mansion.
"In-laws, please save me."
Duke Cheng'en seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw and cried out loudly.
Prince Jin didn't force his way in. He dismounted, frowned awkwardly, and said, "Hey, what are you doing...how did you end up provoking the East Factory?"
"My dear, you can't just watch me go to prison."
Duke Cheng'en didn't know where he got the courage from, but he shook off the approaching bandits and rushed forward.
The two were isolated on either side. Duke Cheng'en was full of hope, but King Jin shook his head and said, "It's not that I won't help, but what good will it do me?"
What's the meaning?
The King of Jin didn't want to beat around the bush anymore and said directly, "I wonder what my relatives think of my proposal."
What proposal? Just as Duke Cheng'en was about to ask, his face suddenly froze. Wasn't the proposal the Prince of Jin was talking about about letting him marry into the Prince of Jin's mansion in his daughter's place?!
This is clearly taking advantage of someone's misfortune!
"Absolutely not!" The bright red lantern light left mottled reflections on his face.
"In that case, I will leave first." King Jin pulled the reins and made a gesture to leave.
"Stop!" Duke Cheng'en shouted, "Your Highness, are you leaving now and no longer wishing to marry into my family?"
"The marriage certificate has been signed. Sister Nian will marry into my palace. It's a pity that the Duke can't attend the ceremony. You must take good care of yourself in the East Factory Prison."
Prince Jin looked at him firmly.
If there is no handle, create one.
Lord Cheng'en will definitely compromise and come to congratulate Yun'er.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
