Chapter 186 Chapter 186 is the only genuine version...
Prince Jin didn't want to provoke the East Factory and ask for trouble, but Yun'er couldn't wait any longer.
Since Chen Xu was away, he must have instructed his men to protect his only sister. Doesn't Lord Cheng En love to get into trouble and act crazy when drunk? Then let him go crazy to the end.
The Prince of Jin deliberately chose to take action after signing the marriage certificate, just to be on the safe side.
Now, Duke Cheng'en had only one choice, which was to agree to marry into the palace in his daughter's place to bring good luck.
Prince Jin said slowly, "My dear, you need to think it through. Is it the Prince Jin's Palace or the East Factory Prison?"
Wu Shang did not wait for them to finish reminiscing about the past. With a gesture of his hand, the guards immediately captured Duke Cheng'en.
When his arms were held down and twisted backwards, Cheng En Gong was so frightened that cold sweat broke out on his back, as if he was thrown into the snow and ice, and his whole body was almost frozen into ice.
"No, no, I was wrong..."
The guards dragged him away. Lord Cheng'en was terrified and cried out in despair, "I promise! Is that not enough? My dear relative, please save me!"
Agreed. The King of Jin smiled.
Why not just agree earlier? It's a waste of his time and effort.
He bowed to Wu Shang and said, "Captain Wu, could you please give me a favor? I'm sure Lord Cheng'en didn't do this on purpose. How about..."
"Your Majesty, if you want us from the East Factory to give you face, you are not worthy."
"Captain Wu, now that Commander Shen is away, it would be best if the East Depot were to be less arrogant," Prince Jin said, hinting, "There's something I'd like to discuss with Captain Wu alone."
Seeing that he was unmoved, the King of Jin added, "This matter concerns the Governor."
Wu Shang gave a signal and asked the guards to let Prince Jin come over.
The Prince of Jin approached him, deliberately lowering his voice, and spoke to him alone, "Since Commander Shen has been transferred far away, do you really believe that the Crown Prince won't take advantage of the situation? The Crown Prince hasn't taken action yet, perhaps because he hasn't found a good excuse. He's afraid of being called a traitor, causing unnecessary trouble and hindering his succession to the throne."
"The Governor left Captain Wu behind to guard against the Crown Prince using underhanded tactics, right?"
"Doesn't the Thousand Household think that the Crown Prince is truly innocent and harmless?"
King Jin paid attention to Wu Shang's expression.
Wu Shang had a blank expression on his face, but one could tell something from some small movements. For example, now his narrow eyes were lowered, and he was obviously thinking.
really.
The relationship between Chen Xu and Xie Yingchen was far from close, and they were also on guard against each other.
That's enough.
A sharp gleam flashed in the eyes of the Prince of Jin. "It's true that the East Depot taking away Lord Cheng'en wasn't a big deal, but Lord Cheng'en is the emperor's uncle after all. Even if he spoke out of turn while drunk, he didn't offend the county lord. Ultimately, it's just a small matter. If someone with ulterior motives takes advantage of this opportunity, then the Crown Prince will have a legitimate reason to act, and no matter how you look at it, the East Depot will be in the wrong. Isn't that right?"
"Lord Cheng'en was just drunk and fooling around. Just get rid of him. Why leave him with a handle for such a small matter? It will make the governor feel uneasy in Qingzhou."
He continued, "I have heard that the Governor has acted swiftly in Qingzhou, and there have been many impeachments. The captains should be cautious."
Wu Shang rubbed his thumb and index finger gently.
The King of Jin said again, "Captain Wu, don't lose your composure because of a momentary anger."
Finally, Wu Shang snapped his fingers, and the guards let go of Duke Cheng'en.
The guard did not even try to slow down his movements, and Duke Cheng'en fell directly to the ground.
"The Princess of Fu'an was awarded the title for her meritorious service," Wu Shang said loudly, "Who dares to cause trouble again?"
I dare not.
The officials who were forcibly called out were sweating profusely and waving their hands repeatedly.
Who could have thought that a drunken rage by Lord Cheng'en would attract the attention of the East Factory?
Duke Cheng'en was extremely frightened. When he thought about the conditions that King Jin had forced him to agree to, he didn't feel any gratitude at all. Instead, he was filled with resentment towards King Jin for taking advantage of his misfortune.
With the help of his attendant, he stood up tremblingly and was about to leave.
At this time, the door of the county lady's mansion opened.
Yin Xiyan walked out alone.
Wu Shang reacted quickly and hid himself behind a guard to avoid being recognized by her. However, it was already dark, and with only the candlelight from a few lanterns, she probably wouldn't be able to recognize him, right?
Yin Xiyan was wearing a rouge-colored skirt and a long veil of the same color that covered her eyes to her neck.
She walked out like this, stood in front of everyone, raised her hand to take off her veil, and frankly revealed her scarred face.
Many people have seen this face. Duke Cheng'en stared at her and blurted out, "Madam Gui, you are indeed..." He didn't dare to say the rest of the words and shrank his neck.
"What's the matter?"
Yin Xiyan faced everyone and faced her identity calmly.
She had never thought of covering up the past, whether it was the young master Yin, Ji Zi Gui Niangzi, or the county lord.
It's all her.
There is nothing shameful about this. A woman's dignity and life never revolve around her skirt.
Yin Xiyan stood calmly on the stone steps, her peach blossom eyes moving as she swept her beautiful gaze over everyone, as if those who laughed at, doubted, ridiculed, and disapproved of her were the clowns.
"Mr. Cheng'en."
She smiled, her voice still soft and moving: "What's the matter?"
As soon as these three words were uttered, the guards cast their fierce gazes at him, as if they were ready to devour him alive if they disagreed with him. Lord Cheng'en's heart was pounding, and he absolutely dared not say anything like "sing a song" again. He swallowed nervously, feeling completely foolish today.
What does the enthronement of a county lady have to do with him? Why should he take the lead?
Alcohol causes trouble.
Alcohol is harmful!
“No, no, no…”
He felt cold, and he didn't know whether it was sweat or cold water.
"I went to the wrong door. Yes, yes! Yes, I went to the wrong door. I was going to the Prince of Jin's Mansion to discuss the wedding in a few days. I was happy today and drank a little too much, so I went to the wrong door."
"Yes, that's it."
"I'm sorry for disturbing your rest, my lady. Please don't blame me. I will present you with a generous gift tomorrow to make amends."
Duke Cheng'en wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled flatteringly: "Please go back, County Lady."
Yin Xiyan stood for a while, looking directly at Prince Jin who was behind the guards.
Several officials around also hurriedly said: "County Lady, we just heard some commotion outside and came out to check it out. We definitely did not mean to disturb you."
They cursed Duke Cheng'en more than a hundred times in their hearts.
Yin Xiyan smiled and said, "Don't get drunk and go to the wrong door next time, Duke."
“No, no!”
He won't even drink alcohol anymore.
Yin Xiyan walked back and let out a sigh of relief as she stepped over the threshold.
Just now, when she met Prince Jin, she almost lost her composure.
She walked towards the ceremonial gate, the cold night breeze caressing her face and soothing her anxious heart.
Miss Gu came a few days ago and mentioned that something like this would happen. She also said: This hexagram is the Great Zefeng hexagram. It means that a heavy boat will capsize.
Yin Xiyan happily agreed.
Unless she hides in this world for the rest of her life, sooner or later everyone will know that she is a prostitute. Instead of hiding, she might as well take the opportunity to show her face and walk in front of people.
Yin Xiyan slowly recited the four words "A heavy boat will capsize", released her clenched fists, and told herself:
Don't be in a hurry.
The candlelight of the glass lamp flickered as Yin Xiyan walked further and further away on the bluestone brick path.
The door closed behind her, Wu Shang walked out from the shadows and made a gesture. The bandits retreated like a tide, in an orderly manner, just as silently as they had appeared.
"In-law." Prince Jin came over with a smile on his face and extended his hand to him.
Duke Cheng'en pushed him away, unable to hide the resentment in his eyes.
The King of Jin didn't care and smiled warmly: "It's all right now. Rest well when you go back, my dear. There will be a big wedding in a few days, so don't waste the auspicious day."
Duke Chengen: "..."
He glared at him and wanted to slap him, but he still had some dignity left. He shook the water off his sleeves, climbed onto the horse with the help of his attendant, and left without looking back.
As soon as Dongchang left, the others finally breathed a sigh of relief, as if they had been saved. They all wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads, looked at each other in front of their respective mansions, and greeted each other stiffly and dryly.
No one could have imagined that the Lady of Fu'an County was really a prostitute married to her wife.
She didn't even admit it without any concealment.
No one could have imagined that it would be the East Factory that supported the Princess of Fu'an County.
Could it be...
Lady Gui is from the East Factory?!
Those who can squeeze through the single-plank bridge and reach the third or fourth rank in the court are not too stupid. They often think too much and always guess and speculate when encountering things.
Wu Shang said that the Princess of Fu'an was awarded the title for her merits.
The East Factory is the knife in the emperor's hand, and has always been doing some shady things in secret.
So, Lady Gui is actually a spy planted by the Eastern Depot?!
And made great contributions!
"It's over."
The Shaoqing of the Imperial Household Department muttered to himself, trying hard to think whether he had said anything wrong in front of Lady Gui.
If I say something wrong and the East Factory finds fault with me, I’ll be finished!
All his curiosity was completely gone at this moment. He hurried back to the house and went straight to the study. He spent the whole night writing down all the dates and places where he might have met Gui Niangzi, and kept reviewing what they had said at that time.
He hasn't been so serious in decades since he studied hard and passed the imperial examination.
Throughout the night, candles burned one after another.
Several families stayed up all night.
Sometimes he really couldn't remember, so he found an excuse to ask the people he drank with. After a few rounds, within a day or two, everyone in the court knew about it.
As a result, a "hard study trend" swept the court, and people stayed up night after night.
No one wanted to give any more instructions to the newly appointed county lady, for fear that if they were not careful, they would end up like Cheng En Gong and have to go to the East Factory Prison to calm down.
I heard that after Lord Cheng'en came back, he was frightened and fell ill, and looked like a dead tree.
Someone with good connections came to comfort him, saying, "Duke, you should think positively. After all, there will be a wedding in the mansion soon, and this can help to dispel the bad luck."
Duke Cheng'en cried even more sadly.
"...Don't say you're afraid of the East Factory. The Crown Prince now has to rely on it. Haven't you seen these past two days that Miss Gu has been taking Princess Fu'an on horseback rides, enjoying the autumn scenery, and watching operas and music? Today, I heard she even brought her into the palace to pay her respects to the Concubine Shu."
"Into the palace?"
Lord Cheng'en looked up and saw that his originally chubby face had inexplicably become much thinner.
Xie Yingchen inexplicably conferred the title of a county lady on a woman. Neither the empress dowager nor the queen summoned her into the palace, which seemed like they were deliberately leaving her out in the cold, and it was neither legitimate nor justifiable.
"Miss Gu is personally paving the way for the Princess of Fu'an."
indeed.
No matter who you go to the palace to meet, you have to go to the palace and go through the formalities, only then can you be worthy of the title of county lady.
Gu Zhizhuo hadn't seen Concubine Shu for a while, so he simply called Xie Danling, who was having a great time, and went into the palace together.
Others who want to enter the palace have to hand in a badge. Now that the emperor is "sick", even if a badge is handed in, it depends on the mood of the inner court when the badge will be handed in.
Gu Zhizhuo had no such concerns at all. He came and went as he pleased.
Concubine Shu was not at all concerned about her daughter who had run away for more than half a month. Instead, she talked about the zither with Yin Xiyan as if she had met a soulmate. While they were talking about the zither, Yin Xiyan mentioned her newly revised incomplete score and played a passage on the zither instead of the pipa. Concubine Shu wished she could immediately pull her away to practice her zither skills.
"I am a disciple of Master Zhou Xinyao. Where is the county lady?"
"I learned it from my mother."
"...where is your mother?" Seeing the two maids trying to sneak away, Concubine Shu called out, "Danling, you are almost coming of age. Stay in the palace for the next few days."
The two responded without looking back and ran away hand in hand.
"Why don't you be my patron saint? When you reach the age of marriage, I will also be your patron saint."
Their birthdays are only three days apart, Xie Danling's is October 15th and Gu Zhizhuo's is October 18th.
"I actually don't want to celebrate my coming of age in the palace."
Leaning against the beauty in the Eight Treasures Glazed Pavilion, Xie Danling said sullenly.
She usually looks carefree, but she is actually quite sensitive. She can feel the impending storm in the palace, which makes her feel suffocated and uncomfortable. She doesn't want to stay in the palace.
"After you reach the age of 15, cousin Danling will leave the palace again..."
Gu Zhizhuo wanted to tell her to wait until after her coming-of-age ceremony before coming out to live with him, but suddenly a voice called her.
"Miss Gu!"
Gu Zhizhuo turned around and saw that it was Xie Jing.
Huh?
Xie Danling was surprised and asked, "Third brother, why are you back? Didn't you..." go to Xiliang to get married?!
Gu Zhizhuo had just received a letter from Gu Yican a few days ago. Judging from the time, they should still be at the border. It would take at least ten days to half a month for them to reach the capital.
Gu Zhizhuo narrowed his eyes and looked him up and down.
Xie Jing had a scruffy beard, looked dusty, and had thick black marks on his eyelids. It was obvious that he hadn't slept for several days. Did he rush back day and night?
Xie Jing rushed towards him quickly.
Gu Zhizhuo raised his arm and blocked him one step away.
"Miss Gu," Xie Jing asked anxiously, "Do you know where Ke'er went?"
Asking her about their affairs? Gu Zhizhuo chuckled softly and didn't bother to answer.
No wonder he suddenly ran back, it turned out that Ji Nan Ke was missing.
Sometimes, Gu Zhizhuo just couldn't understand. If Xie Jing was truly devoted to Ji Nanke, he had just recently claimed that his feelings for her had faded. But if he really had, he would even give up such an important mission without hesitation, and would risk everything for Ji Nanke, just like in his previous life.
This is all over the place, like a disease.
Xie Jing called her again from behind and blurted out, "Did you force Ke'er to leave?!"
Xie Jing received a letter from Ji Nanke when he was about to reach the border of Western Xinjiang. The letter described their acquaintance, understanding and love. The letter also said that she did not want to delay Xie Jing's marriage to a beautiful bride, so she voluntarily withdrew and asked him not to look for her again.
Somehow, when he thought that Ji Nan Ke would be separated from him, there was a force in his mind that pushed him not to give up, just like the last time when Ji Nan Ke was about to jump off the city wall.
Two different voices seemed to emerge in his heart. One voice said that he could not let Ji Nanke down, that they would be a loving couple and live in harmony for the rest of their lives, and that she would help him ascend to the throne and become a wise ruler. The other voice roared, "It's all fake, it's all fake."
Is this the witchcraft that Ke'er cast on him?
When he came to his senses, he was already on his way back to the capital.
Xie Jing rode at full speed along the way and didn't sleep for several days and nights. He was almost on the verge of collapse.
As soon as he came back, he went to the palace where Ji Nan Ke was temporarily staying. The palace maid said that she had not seen her for several days.
"Why don't you let Ke'er go?"
"What are you talking about?"
Gu Zhizhuo turned around and pressed his fingers until they crackled.
The corners of her mouth curved up, but the smile didn't reach her eyes: "Do you want to think about it carefully before you speak?"
"I……"
Xie Jing trembled in fear and shrank back.
Gu Zhizhuo is usually so harsh to Ke'er, he, he just spoke out of turn.
Gu Zhizhuo took a step forward, and Xie Jing subconsciously took a step back, with cold sweat dripping down his back.
She took another step forward, and he took another step back.
Xie Jing's back was pressed against the beauty's backrest. Seeing that he was about to fall off again, he shouted in panic: "I was wrong, I was wrong."
Oh.
"Cousin Danling, let's go."
Seeing her turn to leave, Xie Jing hurriedly called out, "Miss Gu, can you tell me my fortune?"
"Help me calculate, where will Ke'er be?"
Gu Zhizhuo was too lazy to pay attention to it, but suddenly he had an idea and paused.
No wonder Master said that the greatest fortune now fell on the young master. She was just worrying about how to get close to the secret estate of the Prince of Jin, and now this opportunity has come. Ji Nan Ke should still have some good fortune, right? It would be shameful to waste it.
She turned around and glanced at him with her beautiful eyes.
"Please be kind." Xie Jing's face was full of fatigue and he was almost on the verge of collapse.
"After noon tomorrow, wait on the official road south of the capital, and you will see her."
Gu Zhizhuo calculated secretly with his hands hidden in his sleeves.
"By the way, tomorrow is a big day for the Prince of Jin's Mansion and the Duke of Cheng'en's Mansion."
"Everything is fine."
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