Chapter 71 Chapter 71 is the only genuine version...
The emperor had a high fever and was in a coma for a whole day and night.
All the imperial doctors in the palace were standing by the dragon bed, and even Qingping was summoned into the palace overnight.
Qingping said he was very annoyed by this.
He wasn't an expert in medicine, so he shouldn't be called in every time someone was sick. Getting up in the middle of the night was exhausting. But upon entering the palace, he was surprised to find he was the one who came to see him! Qingping drew a talisman, burned it, and melted it into talisman water. While the other doctors looked disapproving but didn't dare to stop him, Qingping fed the talisman water to the emperor.
Not long after, the emperor woke up.
"Real person..."
As soon as the emperor opened his eyes, what was reflected in his pupils was Qingping with his two small mustaches.
Qingping held a whisk in his hand and smiled calmly, looking like an immortal.
The emperor was in a trance, as if he had seen a god. He took Qingping's hand and closed his eyes in peace.
Qingping: ? ?
It doesn't have to be so intimate, it's uncomfortable.
When the emperor woke up again, the fever had completely subsided.
Qingping was finally released from the palace.
There were several carriages parked outside the palace gate, and the imperial doctors who were not on duty also walked out of the palace gate one after another and got on their own carriages.
very nice.
Qingping was extremely envious, unlike him who had to walk back.
The palace sent someone to pick him up yesterday, but now it seems they forgot to send someone to send him back.
Qing Pingsheng walked forward with a sense of despair. At this moment, an ordinary carriage drove up to him and stopped. The windows were tightly closed. The driver was a familiar young man. The young man smiled and said, "Please come in."
"Pick me up?"
Qingping asked as he stepped onto the carriage and raised his hand to open the curtain. The next moment, he met Qiongfang's smiling face.
Qingping quickly got into the carriage and lowered the curtain.
"Miss Qiongfang, it's you."
As he said this, he sat down on the ground without any image.
The carriage looked a bit simple at first glance, but the interior was much more spacious than ordinary carriages. When Qingping sat down, he found that the ground under his butt was soft and had several layers of cushions. Even when the carriage started, he didn't feel uncomfortable.
"My girl said that you must not have had breakfast, so she asked me to bring some food to you."
Qiongfang said this playfully as she deftly opened the food box, revealing each layer containing a different snack. These snacks were shaped just the size of dominoes, making them easy to eat one at a time.
The small table is welded directly to the compartment wall, so it is very stable. The food box placed on it will not fall off even if the compartment shakes a lot.
In the corner of the carriage, there was a small burning red clay stove, and on top of the stove was a small copper pot.
The small copper pot was bubbling with stewing sounds, and the carriage was filled with the fragrant and rich aroma of mutton.
Qingping swallowed.
Qiongfang lifted the lid of the pot and served out a bowl of hot carrot and mutton soup.
The Tianxin Sect doesn't abstain from meat, and Qingping's favorite is lamb. However, he never mentions it, and he never expected that his junior sister would know about it. She is indeed his own junior sister!
Qiongfang smiled and said gently, "Master, the young lady said that if you are not used to eating dim sum, there are still cakes in the basket."
Woo woo.
Junior sister is good, much better than those guys in the temple who only know how to snatch food from him.
The master was wise and gave me a little junior sister in his later years.
Qingping ate a mouthful of soup and a bite of pancake with tears in his eyes.
After drinking three bowls of wine and eating five pancakes, he put down the bowl with satisfaction.
I'm full.
Qingping burped contentedly, his life was perfect.
He had been summoned to the palace in the middle of the night and had been tossing and turning all night, but he still hadn't slept a wink. After eating his fill, sleepiness set in. Qiongfang quietly cleared the dishes.
"You go to sleep. I will call you when it's time."
As she spoke, Qiongfang considerately took out a soft pillow.
The carriage moved forward steadily, neither fast nor slow, and Qingping soon fell into a deep sleep.
It was not until they reached the gate of Taiqing Temple that Qiongfang woke him up and handed him the box of untouched snacks.
"Here, our young lady said that the Emperor is ill and may need you to come to the palace from time to time in the near future. If you are hungry at night, you can eat here first."
That's right. Qingping nodded silently. Although Taiqing Temple is close to the capital, it's still quite a hassle to go back and forth.
Junior sister is so considerate.
He swore that he would never look down on his junior sister for her misfortune again.
Qingping hugged the food box with great emotion. Just as he was about to get off the carriage, he suddenly remembered something and said in a low voice, "Tell my junior sister that the emperor is not ill. He has a panic attack."
After saying that, he jumped off the carriage and waved to Qiongfang.
When Qiongfang returned to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, it was just past noon.
Gu Zhizhuo was still guarding the mourning hall. She raised her eyebrows slightly when she heard this.
"Panic disorder?"
Gu Zhizhuo had no intention of asking Qiongfang to inquire with Qingping; he simply wanted her to send some food. Knowing the emperor well, he would never think of sending someone to escort him back. It would take three or four hours to walk from the capital to Taiqing Temple.
Anyway, I have a carriage at home, so it’s not a big deal to give him a ride.
Unexpectedly, her senior brother would tell her such a secret.
Shock syndrome is caused by shock, also known in folklore as "losing one's soul." It typically occurs when a young child experiences a shock and develops a persistent high fever. Elders in the family will go to the village entrance and burn a handful of paper money, calling out the child's name, also known as "calling the soul." They continue burning paper money all the way home, then feed the child some talismanic water, and the child's fever will subside. (Note)
In her previous life, after the young master died, she saw someone calling out for his soul when she was learning Taoist magic and skills from her master.
I heard that the emperor was fine when he got up early, but fell ill as soon as he entered the court?
"Big girl."
The chief steward, Chen Jin, hurried over and reported anxiously, "The emperor has sent someone to summon the crown prince, and he has asked me to come and speak to you."
Gu Zhizhuo nodded: "You go ahead and do your work."
The mourning hall was still set up, and people continued to come to burn incense and pay their respects, but due to the emperor's illness, the number of visitors had decreased. However, this had no impact on the Zhenguogong Mansion, and the mansion was busy but not chaotic.
Gu Yican left home at noon and did not return until dusk. Prime Minister Song came with him.
Gu Baibai came out to greet him.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Prime Minister Song followed Gu Baibai inside and said, "I'm afraid I'll have to wait a little longer for the title of Crown Prince."
As he said this, he sighed inwardly.
Gu Yican and Gu Zhizhuo followed behind. Gu Yican winked at her, spread his hands, and said, "The emperor asked me to come back to reflect on myself. The matter of inheriting the title will be discussed after I have finished reflecting on it."
"Not only me, but also Zheng Si and the others were announced."
After making them kneel in the hot sun for an hour, the emperor sent a eunuch to ask Zheng Si and the others to go back and be confined to their homes for a month, and summoned Gu Yican alone.
The emperor scolded him severely and not only put him under house arrest for a month like Zheng Si and the others, but also said that he could not let him inherit the title if he acted so recklessly.
For Gu Yican, this was exactly what he wanted.
Cause trouble, a small one, so that the emperor won't have to think all day long that the Gu family is about to rebel.
Gu Yican could see that although the emperor was cursing, his expression was not that tense.
In the emperor's mind, it would make him feel more at ease if he returned to the capital after making achievements and did not rush to plan to inherit the title, but instead took a group of playboys out to cause trouble.
However, after Prince Jin arrived, Gu Yican noticed that the emperor's aura suddenly became several degrees colder.
The plan works!
The brother and sister smiled at each other, secretly hooked their little fingers, and touched their thumbs.
"You two are brothers and sisters." Prime Minister Song turned around and glared at them, "You need to control your temper from now on."
He lowered his voice and whispered, "Especially you..." He was talking about Gu Zhizhuo. "The emperor's wrath is like bloodshed for thousands of miles. The emperor gave in only because he wanted to be a benevolent ruler."
Prime Minister Song said this with sincerity, but he also stopped at the point.
Gu Zhizhuo never fails to appreciate kindness.
She pursed her lips slightly, and shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks. Her long eyelashes fluttered gently, and her pair of black eyes looked at Prime Minister Song obediently.
"I understand."
Prime Minister Song stroked his graying beard and smiled with satisfaction. He seemed quite obedient now, unlike when he was in the throne room, when he refused to give in and every word he said was full of knife-like intent.
He really didn't want to see the loyal and good people in the family end up in trouble.
"This matter of Crown Prince Gu," Prime Minister Song added, "is actually still because of Prince Jin. Rest assured, Crown Prince, your succession to the title will only be delayed for three months at most. Once the Emperor's anger subsides, the Cabinet will definitely submit a memorial to raise this matter."
Prime Minister Song really found it unreasonable.
Going with Gu Yican to the Prince of Jin's residence was his own little grandson, a perfectly well-behaved child. Last time, while watching a play with Zheng Si, he'd been beaten up by that jerk Xie Sheng. This time, he'd just fought back. Who would have thought that the emperor, at his age, would still take sides? The little grandson had knelt in the sun for so long, it had broken his heart.
"Thank you, Prime Minister."
Gu Yican bowed and thanked him. With a faint smile on his face, his two pairs of similar phoenix eyes looked at Prime Minister Song, and Prime Minister Song's heart softened a little.
Gu Baibai glanced at them out of the corner of his eye. Hmm, this pretentious posture was exactly the same as when he was a child, not at all unfamiliar. Reassured!
When they arrived at the main hall, Prime Minister Song lit three incense sticks and then took his leave.
Duke Weiguo also came, and Gu Baibai wanted to greet him, so the two siblings sent Prime Minister Song to the Waiyi Gate together.
After giving some serious instructions, Prime Minister Song added a vague reminder: "Don't keep the mourning hall open for too long."
"I will urge the Ministry of Rites to prepare the sacrifices for the entry into the cabinet."
What he meant was that the matter ended here and the Gu family should quit while they were ahead.
Gu Yican said, "We plan to keep the body for seven days."
Prime Minister Song nodded slightly, said nothing more, and stepped into the carriage.
After watching the carriage leave, the two turned back. Gu Zhizhuo vaguely remembered that in his previous life, Prime Minister Song died in July of this year.
At that time, the Gu family had already been convicted.
Prime Minister Song insisted that the Gu family had made great contributions to the country. Even if Gu Yican failed in his job, resulting in bandits killing people indiscriminately in the suburbs of Beijing, it was only Gu Yican's fault. How could the whole family be implicated? The accusation that Gu Yican had betrayed the country and fled was only Xie Jing's one-sided statement, with no real evidence.
The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion should not be accused of false charges.
Thanks to the Prime Minister's persistence, the Gu family was able to hold on for a little longer.
Later, the Prime Minister's old illness suddenly broke out and he died not long after.
The young master once said that Prime Minister Song was devoted to Daqi. For Daqi, he knew that there was a hidden story behind the dethronement of the crown prince, but he also suppressed the turmoil in the court and allowed the emperor to ascend the throne smoothly.
For the sake of Daqi, even though he was seriously ill, he would stay in the court until his death because he could not let go of the emperor who lacked qualifications.
So, if he was asked to give up the emperor for the sake of Daqi, would he be willing to do so?
"Sister, I'm in the palace today..."
Gu Yican told her about what happened after entering the palace, and quickly drew Gu Zhizhuo's attention. Then, Gu Yican said thoughtfully, "After Prince Jin arrived, the emperor treated him very kindly, like a spring breeze. But I noticed that the emperor's fingers were so tense that their tips were white. It seems like he's not acting the way he seems."
"It must have been done by the young master."
Gu Zhizhuo said with a smile, she stepped lightly on her own shadow, looking very happy.
Young Master?
"Xie Yingchen!?"
"That's right." Gu Zhizhuo clattered forward. "The young master said he wanted to bring the Prince of Jin back from southern Xinjiang and drive a wedge between the Emperor and the Prince of Jin. Oh, didn't I say that?"
Hearing Gongzi Chen, Gu Yican pursed his lips unhappily.
He had only been away for three months, and his sister was actually engaged! This was simply infuriating. That Xie Jing before was a piece of shit. He had originally planned to wait until the mourning period was over, then put Xie Jing in a sack and beat him a few times, forcing Xie Jing to cancel the engagement on his own initiative.
As a result, he got a job as soon as he finished mourning, and when he came back, his sister was engaged!
Good news: It’s not Xie Jing.
Bad news: Another one with the surname Xie.
He secretly asked his third uncle, and his third uncle said that his sister liked Gongzi Chen because he was handsome.
Wow! He's also very handsome.
He saw his sister tilt her head slightly, a joyful smile welling up in her eyes, like the rising sun, brilliant and colorful, as if the thought of this person would make her happy. Gu Yican became even more unhappy, and swung her ponytail back and forth.
"Then I'll tell you now." Gu Zhizhuo said to himself, "The emperor's sudden panic attack is most likely related to Prince Jin... Young Master must know the reason."
Gu Yican:!
I'm very unhappy. Where's the tacit understanding between us? You don't even try to comfort me!
No, he must meet this Young Master Chen. If he doesn't like him, he will still be beaten with a sack.
He quietly tugged at his sister's sleeve, wanting her to stop talking about Gongzi Chen and to look at him quickly, otherwise he would wither.
The two of them were chasing each other and making noises, and then Gu Baibai came out with the Duke of Weiguo who had come to burn incense.
The two of them stopped and called out, "Duke."
The Duke of Wei also did not stay long. After leaving the Zhenguo Mansion, he went back to the palace. He was very puzzled by the emperor's sudden change of attitude towards the Prince of Jin.
But the emperor did not summon him.
After punishing Gu Yican, Zheng Si and other playboys, the emperor only met with Prince Jin. He did not attend court for several days. Not only did the imperial physician stay with him every day, but Qingping was also summoned several times and gained weight.
The emperor was ill, but with the Imperial Household Department and the Cabinet present, the court was functioning smoothly and did not seem to be greatly affected.
After seven days of mourning, Gu Taotao's coffin was buried.
The funeral had been held more than three years ago, so the whole process did not disturb anyone.
Only the brother and sister Gu Yican and Gu Zhizhuo, along with a few guards, carried the coffin out of the capital.
The old Duke, Gu Xie, had been born a beggar. His family possessed no ancestral land; even their ancestral tomb was granted by Emperor Taizu himself, a plot of land reserved for the Gu family to the left of the imperial mausoleum. From Gu Xie and his wife to Gu Taotao and his wife, Gu Weiwei, the eldest son of the second wife, and the baby girl who had been born without a heartbeat, all were buried there.
The brother and sister lit incense, burned paper, changed into plain clothes, burned them, and then went back.
I left home before daybreak and returned to the capital after 3:00 PM.
Gu Zhizhuo suppressed all her sorrow deep in her heart. She smiled and said, "Brother, let's go to Jinxiufang on the way."
Jinxiufang is a famous embroidery house in the capital. Many of their fabrics are fashionable goods shipped directly from Jiangnan, and there are even foreign goods from Minzhou. Even the embroiderers are brought from Jiangnan. Many of their patterns cannot be seen in other embroidery houses in the capital.
July is almost here.
The mansion was in a mess and busy. Gu Zhizhuo remembered a few days ago that the summer clothes had not been made yet.
Of course, it wasn't that they didn't make any clothes at all. Every season, the sewing room would make two new sets of clothes for the master of the mansion. This was a regular practice. But how could they wear only two sets a season? Especially since they had just finished mourning this year, most of the colorful clothes in Gu Zhizhuo's closet were from three years ago.
There are two younger sisters in the house, and we can't let them have only two summer dresses.
Gu Zhizhuo told the owner of Jinxiufang and asked her to take a few embroiderers to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion later.
After returning home, the two went directly to Ronghe Hall, where the lady and others were waiting for them.
Seeing them finally come back, the lady was relieved: "Is everything done?"
"yes."
After the greetings, the lady took Gu Zhizhuo's hand, touched her rough fingertips and palm, and looked at the tiny new cut on it with heartache. She knew without asking that the pit was dug by the brother and sister themselves.
She was a little dazed.
Over the past few days, even though the grandchildren took turns to coax and accompany her, the old lady's spirits were obviously much weaker. Seeing this, Gu Zhizhuo quickly interrupted and said, "Grandma, Weiwei, Nannan, A'man and I haven't made new clothes in a long time."
The lady was stunned for a moment, then glared at her and asked, "What do you see in me now?"
Gu Zhizhuo said with a smile, "I saw a few pieces of gold-woven silk in your storeroom last time... Please take them out quickly. I specially called the people from Jinxiufang, and they will be here soon."
As she spoke, she winked at her three sisters.
New clothes!
There is no girl of this age who doesn't like new clothes, even Ah Man is no exception. When she heard about new clothes, her eyes lit up and she hugged the lady and acted coquettishly.
"Grandma, grandma, and me and my eldest brother."
Gu Yiqun looked at the lady longingly, wanting to act coquettishly, but felt that he had to behave like a brother.
But he really wants an orange riding suit with a purple belt, it must look good!
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