Chapter 64 Chapter 64 is the only genuine version...
After coming out of Taiqing Temple, Gu Zhizhuo was still worried.
In fact, the master has stopped accepting disciples a long time ago.
In her previous life, she knelt for a very long time. Her master said that she was a fool and insisted on going against the will of heaven. If he ignored her, she would be beaten to a pulp and her soul would be torn apart. Finally, the master accepted her.
What if, in this life, the master doesn't want her anymore?
"Sir, I miss my master."
"When the real person arrives, I will come with you to pay my respects."
Gu Zhizhuo responded softly.
"Big girl."
Lao Shan and others were guarding in front of the mountain gate. When they saw them coming, they all greeted them.
Gu Zhizhuo couldn't be bothered to worry for the moment. She cheered herself up and said loudly, "Let's go back to Beijing."
It took over an hour to walk from Taiqing Temple to the Zhenguo Mansion. When the doorman saw the coffin, he fell to his knees and cried out in grief, "The Duke... is back!"
"Go in and report."
Gu Zhizhuo asked Lao Dan to open the main door. She and Gu Yiqun pushed the wooden coffin in together, and then instructed the steward Chen Jin who came to greet them to set up the mourning hall.
Chen Jin's face was also filled with tears.
The servants scattered.
The long-servant arrived, pushing Gu Baibai's wheelchair. Madam Gu also arrived, supported by Gu Liaoliao. She stood a hundred steps away for a moment, then stumbled over and threw herself on the coffin, bursting into tears: "Tao'er! Tao'er!"
Gu Liao Liao gently advised: "Don't cry, mother. It's a good thing that big brother is back."
The lady leaned over the coffin, crying uncontrollably.
She lived a life of luxury, but of her four children, two died and one was disabled.
It has always been the case that the elderly send off the young.
Sent one after another.
"Tao'er!"
"Tao'er. Let me take another look at you..."
The lady pounded the coffin and cried loudly.
Her headband was crooked, and her hair, which was always neatly tied up, was half loose, revealing the silver hair hidden inside.
"Let me see you."
Her face was pale and she kept repeating these words, crying bitterly.
Hot blood rushed to her head, making her vision go dark.
The coffin wasn't completely nailed shut, and after the bumpy ride, a nail had fallen out. The lady pushed hard, and the lid slid open, revealing a crack. Gu Zhizhuo was startled and hurried over to stand in front of her, saying, "Grandma, Grandma, Qinqin and I are back."
Xie Yingchen cooperated tacitly and closed the coffin tightly again.
He whispered to Gu Baibai, "The Duke only left his head. I'm afraid the Madam wouldn't be able to bear it if she saw it."
Gu Baibai's heart tightened, and he winked at his daughter who had just arrived. Gu Zhinan understood what he meant and helped to interrupt, coaxing and pulling the lady to the back room.
Gu Zhizhuo quietly felt his pulse, which showed some signs of a stroke.
She quickly sent Nanny Zhu to make a bowl of calming soup.
The tranquilizing soup used in the mansion now all came from her prescriptions, which were packaged and kept ready for use, and could be brewed with hot water.
She pinched the lady's mouth and coaxed her, "We had a smooth journey. Guard Jiang also set up a mourning hall in Awul City. When we left, the whole city of Awul saw us off, and the people all missed Daddy."
"Every household has set up a memorial tablet for my father."
"Grandma, look at how taller and darker Yunyun has become!"
"Grandma, it's very hot in Xinjiang. It's still daylight at the hour of Xu," Gu Yiqun said deliberately in an exaggerated tone. "I'm all tanned. I want to eat your milk cake. Please ask them to make it for me. My elder sister said that eating more milk can make you white."
After talking about this and that for a while, the lady finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She held onto Gu Zhizhuo and sobbed, "Your father had a good temper and was kind to everyone." She wiped her tears and said, "Why did he die like this? He's so unfilial."
"He has such a cruel heart. He clearly promised me that he would retire and serve me every day."
"Unfilial! Unfilial!"
Gu Zhizhuo felt extremely uncomfortable after hearing this, and said in a hoarse voice, "Yes, yes, it's Daddy's fault. He promised to come back and fly Kongming lanterns with me, but he didn't keep his promise."
"You are also unfilial!"
Madam Gu poked her with her finger, furious: "You scare me all the time, you have the temper of a dog, and you never know how to talk nicely."
"And your eldest brother has been gone for so long, and there's no news from him."
“All of them are unfilial!”
Madam Gu slapped her arm, her lips trembling as she cried, "Why did I raise you all to this age?"
"One by one, they all left."
“No one obeyed.”
"It hurts so much." Gu Zhizhuo deliberately bared his teeth, "Grandma, please stop hitting me."
"Grandma, there's a big bump on my elder sister's face. Is it a poisonous insect bite?"
“Ah, where?
"Here, here!"
Gu Zhinan hugged her arm and acted coquettishly.
After a while, Gu Zhiwei also came. After several people coaxed her, she finally fell asleep after drinking a bowl of calming soup.
Gu Zhizhuo instructed Nanny Zhu to take good care of her, and then dictated a prescription, asking someone to get it, and told her to drink the medicine as soon as the lady woke up. Then he went back to the front.
The main hall has been transformed into a mourning hall.
Gu Zhizhuo told everything that happened along the way.
Several children were there, crying bitterly, their tears streaming down like broken strings.
Gu Baibai learned most of what Lao Dan had said. He sighed softly and asked, "Hate?"
hatred!
She hated him to the bone. When she was in the Western Frontier, she really almost wanted to kill Liu Nuo, the Prince of Jin, and Shangshangxu Temple without caring about anything.
However, doing so would only bring about another destruction for the Gu family.
She was not reborn to die.
Gu Zhizhuo's eyes were misty, and unforgettable anger and hatred burned in his chest, turning into a fishy sweetness in his throat.
She swallowed hard and said in a hoarse voice, "I later visited several cities along the way. The land of Western Xinjiang has not forgotten the Duke of Zhenguo, Gu Taotao. His loyal soul was buried in his bones, wrapped in his horse's hide. Daddy deserves it."
Gu Liaoliao let out a low whimper and bit her lower lip tightly.
Gu Baibai was silent for a while, waved her over, and gently patted her forehead.
The Duke Zhenguo's Mansion is like a huge cicada cocoon, tightly bound, just like the Eastern Palace back then.
The deposed crown prince enjoyed the trust of all officials and the support of the people. Even if the situation had been sudden, he could have turned things around if he had given it a try. However, the Great Qi Dynasty had only been around for less than forty years, and the Eastern Palace was burdened with too much to bear. Any disturbance would have endangered the country.
This time when Yaoyao went out, she tore a hole in the cicada cocoon.
Xie Yingchen said calmly, "We can transfer the Prince of Jin to the capital and promote Jiang Youzheng to the position of general."
A gleam of light flashed across Gu Baibai's eyes.
He spoke gently, "After the late emperor passed away during his southern tour, the Prince of Jin produced the imperial edict of succession. Because of this service to the emperor, he rose to prominence. Later, he took advantage of the Duke's military exploits in the Western Frontier and was promoted to prince."
"There are three factions in the court now, and only the Prince of Jin has risen to power thanks to the Emperor's favor and stolen military achievements. He also frequently suppresses the Duke of Wei and the cabinet. If it weren't for the Emperor's favor, the Prince of Jin would have been suppressed by the two factions long ago."
"King Jin knew that his own background was not deep, so he allowed his son to establish roots in the Western Frontier, intending to make the Western Frontier the same as the Northern Frontier under the Zhenguogong Mansion."
He stopped there, but Gu Baibai understood the hidden meaning.
The emperor was suspicious and could not tolerate the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, so naturally he could not tolerate the Prince of Jin who intended to take the Western Xinjiang into his possession.
Gu Baibai raised his eyebrows and tapped lightly on the armrest of the wheelchair with his fingertips.
Xie Yingchen wanted to prove to himself that he had enough strength and trump cards, and he did not choose Yaoyao for the sake of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
He did not treat the Gu family as thugs, but as partners.
"Third uncle, what do you think?" He smiled slightly.
What are you calling me? It’s too early to call me Third Uncle! Gu Baibai coughed lightly and pointed out seriously: “Don’t call me that.”
"Since you are here, please help entertain the guests."
After he finished speaking, regardless of whether Xie Yingchen agreed or not, he called Chen Jin and said, "Hang up."
Now? Gu Zhizhuo was stunned for a moment. Not waiting for his elder brother?
"Cancan is coming back. Tonight at the earliest, tomorrow at the latest."
Hanging white means there will be a major funeral in the house.
As soon as the white lanterns were hung at the door, all the prefectures in the capital knew about it soon.
Shortly after Gu Zhizhuo left, the emperor announced in the court that Daliang had returned the remains of the Duke of Zhenguo, so it was the Gu family who brought the coffin back?
If you think about it this way, it makes sense.
After all, if anything happened to Madam Gu, the Gu family should announce the death.
Familiar families took the initiative to go and pay their respects, and after a few visits, they confirmed that the mourning hall was indeed set up for the late Duke of Zhenguo, Gu Taotao.
There was suddenly a constant stream of traffic in front of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
The entire capital city was like a lake, with ripples everywhere.
Even the emperor, who was deep in the palace, knew about this. He frowned and sneered repeatedly, "The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion really knows how to win people's hearts. They set up a mourning hall three years ago, and now they want to hang a mourning hall again. This will definitely make people remember Gu Taotao again."
"And more."
The one reporting back was Wu Shang. He said in a serious tone, "Miss Gu arrived in the capital this morning, visited Taiqing Temple on the way, and returned to the Zhenguogong Mansion before dusk. Shortly thereafter, the Zhenguogong Mansion was closed."
"The coffin of the Duke of Zhenguo is now kept in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion."
"Master Xie is also in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion now."
Bang!
The emperor smashed the folding fan in his hand against the imperial desk, his white fingertips tightly gripping the fan handle.
Xie Yingchen and the Gu family. As expected, they had conspired against him, letting the tiger return to the mountain and personally planting a huge hidden danger for him.
He was not mistaken. The Gu family had indeed harbored rebellious intentions long ago. Xie Yingchen was just a sickly person. How long he could live depended entirely on fate. The Gu family was probably not thinking about the merits of following the emperor, but about changing the country's ownership!
Xie Yingchen, too, allowed the Gu family to do whatever they wanted for his own selfish interests. He didn't even know his own last name!
The emperor paced back and forth in the imperial study. When he thought of himself like a fool being played around by them, his chest felt suffocated and he staggered all over. Li Deshun was so scared that he hurried over to help him.
The emperor took Li Deshun's hand and paused for a moment before asking, "Is there any new news from Western Xinjiang?"
Wu Shang said respectfully, "Not yet."
"Let Ah Xu keep an eye on the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and Xie Yingchen." The emperor was a little weak and raised his hand to send him away. After a while, the imperial physician was called from the imperial study.
The imperial doctors came and went, staying up until dawn, and the emperor did not sleep again all night.
The emperor has been like this these days. He can only fall asleep by relying on tranquilizing soup, and he always wakes up within an hour.
He tried all kinds of recipes for calming soup but none of them worked. Only Qingping's calming talisman could help him sleep well.
"Go and call Qingping to me."
After saying this, the emperor rubbed his swollen forehead, went to the front of the court, and sat on the dragon throne with an expressionless face. He watched the officials kneel and kowtow three times, and then began the routine quarrel.
He had sat on the throne for six years and was used to it.
They argued over everything, big or small, and he would make the final decision. Over the past six years, from his initial trepidation, the emperor had slowly figured out some of the ways of ruling.
The most taboo thing in party struggles is to let one faction become too powerful, so all we need is to maintain a balance.
Ten days ago, after three days of arguing over the Huaihe River dike breach, the emperor accepted Prime Minister Song's request and sent Jiang Weian to provide disaster relief first, and then discussed how to deal with the relevant people.
Later, they started arguing about whether to reduce taxes in Huaizhou. This time, the emperor sided with Prince Jin and increased the summer tax in Huaizhou.
The emperor leaned against the armrest of the dragon throne, rubbing his slightly swollen forehead, and listened intermittently to the quarrels below about how to resettle the refugees from the Huai River. He secretly wondered who he should side with this time.
"emperor."
Commander Zhou of the Jinwu Guards came in from outside the palace and reported, "Ms. Gu from the Zhenguo Mansion is requesting an audience outside the Jinluan Palace."
These words silenced the entire court.
There has never been a precedent of a woman setting foot in the Golden Palace in this dynasty!
Chen Xu was standing bored at the upper left. He raised his eyelids when he heard the words, and a little more interest appeared in his sparkling and affectionate peach blossom eyes.
This boring morning court is finally not so boring anymore.
"What's the matter with her?" the emperor asked expressionlessly.
"Miss Gu said that when the Duke of Zhenguo was ordered to go to the Western Frontier four and a half years ago, he promised the Emperor that he would return to report after the war in Western Frontier was pacified. She is here on behalf of her father and begs for the Emperor's permission."
The emperor's right hand tightly grasped the armrest of the dragon throne.
Prince Jin always understood the emperor's heart best. He followed the emperor's thoughts and said, "Your Majesty, a woman should have her duties. The Golden Palace is not a place for women to set foot in. Miss Gu is taking advantage of your favor to the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion and acting recklessly. She should be punished for her disrespect."
"Your Highness, this is not true." Duke Weiguo bowed and said, "Your Majesty, if it was the Crown Prince of Zhenguo who was carrying the coffin back to the capital from the Western Frontier, would you still want to see him?"
"The Zhenguogong Mansion is full of loyal and brave people, but now there is not even a healthy adult male. So Miss Gu, a woman, has to take on this task. Now she is returning to the capital to report. How can the emperor refuse to see her just because she is a woman?"
Duke Wei spoke righteously and sternly, and as soon as he said this, another person stepped forward.
They all responded.
The emperor has refuted them several times in the past few days.
No matter what the matter is now, the emperor must agree to it, otherwise the Jin Wang Party will become even more arrogant!
"Your Majesty! Duke Wei is deeply selfish..."
There was an endless quarrel in the Golden Palace.
Outside the Golden Throne Hall, a gentle drizzle drifted by, the rain light but dense. Amidst the dense drizzle, Gu Zhizhuo stood tall and straight before Shuntian Gate, holding a wooden box.
"Yaoyao."
Qin Su happened to be on duty today. He glanced in the direction of the Golden Throne Hall and saw the commander walking quickly towards them. He said anxiously, "Don't be so willful. Go back quickly."
"Deputy Commander Qin, there's no need to say anything more." Gu Zhizhuo said distantly, "I'm only here to report to the Emperor."
"You said you were here to report, so what are you holding in your hand?!"
Qin Su stared at the wooden box in her hand.
The wooden box was square, and both its size and appearance made him shudder.
"No matter how angry you are, don't make a fuss. It will do you no good to coerce the Holy Will."
He spoke kindly and without ill intention. He didn't want to see anything happen to the Gu family.
"Where's your aunt? Why doesn't she try to persuade you..."
"Miss Gu." Commander Zhou came over. "The Emperor summons you."
"Commander!" Qin Su was anxious. He lowered his voice, "You and Third Brother... you and Third Master Gu have always been good friends. Please be flexible for Third Master Gu's sake and don't harm the Gu family. Yaoyao is young after all, and she's not very steady..."
Commander Zhou sneered, "Deputy Commander Qin, your duty station is over there. Stand down."
"Miss Gu, please."
Gu Zhizhuo lowered his eyes slightly and followed the footsteps of Commander Zhou last week, stepping into Shuntian Gate.
Walking up the tall white marble steps, this was the first time in two lifetimes that she set foot on the throne room.
The sounds around them seemed to be sucked away by some mysterious force. They stared straight at the wooden box in Gu Zhizhuo's hand, and for a moment even their breathing seemed to stop.
The King of Jin stepped back and bumped into the official behind him.
The official was so confused that he didn't pay any attention at all. Several people were knocked into a pile and fell all over the place.
The emperor was sitting high up in his seat, and at first he only saw a girl with a veil on her face and a plain long dress walking towards him. It was not until she walked to the center of the hall that the emperor suddenly realized what she was holding in her hands.
The wooden box is square and about one foot tall.
The emperor's face turned pale in an instant.
He seemed to see Gu Taotao, standing in front of him with an imposing manner, a dashing and heroic look between his brows, so dazzling that even the sun and the moon had to avoid its edge.
"Gu..."
The emperor blurted out and slid down from the dragon throne.
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