Chapter 126 If there's anyone to blame for this compromise, it's only the timing. ...
Before dawn, an urgent knocking on the door startled the person from their dream.
Suddenly pulled from the nightmare, Yu Nie opened her eyes and stared at the curtains above her head, momentarily confused. She propped herself up on the bed and said to the door, "Come in."
The door was pushed open with a sound, and Song Ai, dressed in a solemn official robe, quickly lifted the layers of curtains and waved away the maids on night watch.
After watching the other person leave and close the door, Song Ai, who had moved to the bedside, took out the letter that Lang Xi had sent overnight from her sleeve and handed it to Yu Nie.
Upon receiving the letter, Yu Nie's heart tightened instantly. For Lang Xi to contact her so early by carrier pigeon, something significant must have happened.
She hurriedly tore open the envelope, took out the letter inside, and quickly glanced through it.
Upon seeing the last line, her inner worries could no longer be contained and welled up in her eyes and brows.
With her keen insight into people's hearts, Song Ai immediately realized that something serious had happened.
Then, she bent down, her words full of concern: "What happened?"
Yu Nie put the secret letter into an envelope, went to the room, lit the still-burning candlestick, and threw it into the incense burner.
"The Emperor went to the small courtyard last night." Lang Xi's words echoed in her mind, and she was still in shock and disbelief: "He said he wanted Junior Sister to come to the palace to serve him."
Song Ai didn't exclaim in surprise, but her expression clearly showed the shock this news had brought her.
Zhao Yunfu, Langxi… who would associate these two people together? Not to mention, Zhao Yunfu actually wants to take Langxi, whom he has only met twice, into his harem.
This unexpected turn of events caught them completely off guard.
Yu Nie: "I cannot let my junior sister be defiled by Zhao Yunfu, and I cannot let her enter the palace."
Although Song Ai did not know her true identity, she had realized over this period of time how important Lang Xi and A Hui were to her.
And since Ah Hui died in the palace, and Zhao Yunfu did nothing, she naturally didn't treat him well.
From Song Ai's own perspective, she didn't care what outrageous things Song Ai said.
After all, the Zhao family owes them, mother and daughter, too much.
“The Emperor’s will cannot be changed by just anyone.” Song Ai asked her in a low voice, “What did Master Shen say?”
She had a feeling that Langxi must have expressed his attitude in the letter.
At this point, Yu Nie looked worried: "Junior Sister said... she originally wanted to kill Zhao Yunfu, but in the end she thought of going with the flow. There are no of our own people in the palace now, and she believes that having someone by Zhao Yunfu's side as an inside agent to gain his trust would be of great help to our success."
"She said she didn't care about these trivial compromises, as long as things could be accomplished in the end and Beiye could be restored to order."
Song Ai had considered that this "purification" might be an even greater upheaval, but when she thought that they were probably doing it more for revenge, she suppressed that fleeting thought.
The reason why Yu Nie hadn't told her their ultimate goal was because Yu Nie believed that knowing too much was not a good thing.
If they fail, the others can still escape.
Song Ai: "His Majesty is a suspicious man. As the saying goes, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. Staying by his side would be very dangerous."
Even she, an old servant in the palace, couldn't help but wonder: "Why did the Emperor... why did he suddenly send Master Shen into the palace to serve us? In any case, Master Shen is a monk, this will surely cause controversy in the court."
"In the end, I fear it will only bring suffering to Daoist Shen..."
With these thoughts in mind, Song Ai couldn't help but ask about the follow-up progress of the sample soil matter. She was worried that since Lang Xi had already been summoned to the palace, she didn't know if this matter could still be carried out.
Yu Nie reassured her not to worry, and then explained that Lang Xi and Zhao Yunfu had talked late into the night, and she had obtained a promise from the Emperor that she would not enter the palace until the banditry in the three prefectures was quelled.
There were some things Langxi didn't hide. She told Zhao Yunfu that if she were to be formally appointed and enter the palace at this time, not to mention how the people would view them as monks, her act of speaking out for the people would be seen as nothing more than a pretense for gaining fame and fortune.
Although worldly fame is insignificant, what is important is that those who cultivate themselves help others and are free from worldly desires. Once they are involved in honors and glory, they are easily slandered by the world and their actions can damage the emperor's wisdom.
She wanted to postpone the wedding ceremony until the banditry was quelled and the people were at peace, before discussing matters of the palace.
In this way, not only is the dignity of the monarch preserved, but the purity of the mind is also maintained.
Only when the country is stable and the people live in peace can we truly rely on the government.
The more the matter was discussed, the more Yu Nie felt that they could not let Lang Xi make his decision.
"No, I have to go to the courtyard and see for myself. I need to persuade my junior sister in person not to let her go to the palace." With that, she went to change her clothes and headed to where Lang Xi lived.
Song Ai stopped her, saying that given Zhao Yunfu's personality, there were probably people from the Imperial Horse Administration or the Martial Guard guarding the area near Langxi's residence.
From this moment on, Langxi's identity was no longer that of an ordinary Taoist.
By now, the people from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice have probably already gone to Huaiyuan.
For a person outside the Taoist community to get married, they must first leave the Taoist register. This process requires the Taoist Registry to oversee the process, while the Ministry of Rites must investigate their background.
But wouldn't that make it easy for the fact that Langxi and Xu Jingyang were engaged to be exposed?
Without delay, Yu Nie instructed Song Ai to prepare the carriage.
Song Ai: "Where is the princess rushing off to?"
Without turning his head, Yu Nie rummaged through his clothes: "Go to the Martial Guard Camp and find Xu Zhige."
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Hongzheng Pavilion is some distance from where the Wuwei Camp was stationed in the outer city.
Song Aixian stepped forward, took out his token, and negotiated with the guards outside the tent.
They learned that they had come to see Xu Cai, and that the person sitting in the carriage was a princess.
The guard hurried inside to report.
Not long after, Xu Cai, dressed in armor, emerged from inside, looking slightly weary.
Yu Nie did not get out of the carriage. Given her status, it was more than enough for Xu Cai to stand in front of the carriage and speak to her.
Because the matter concerning Langxi was too sensitive, and because they were not truly in a princess-subject relationship, she invited him to sit in the carriage.
In broad daylight, near the camp, with the carriage door open, no one else would gossip.
Xu Cai bent down and got into the car.
He vaguely guessed her purpose, and before she could ask, he spoke first: "I already know about Axi and the Emperor's affair..."
He sat upright, his expression a mix of sadness and anger: "It's all my fault. If I had stopped her from going to meet the emperor, none of this would have happened."
Seeing this, Yu Nie could understand his regret, and she felt the same way.
Her lips moved slightly: "Now that things have come to this, Zhao Yunfu's decision is probably irreversible... If Junior Sister is to become Zhao Yunfu's concubine, the Ministry of Rites will, according to procedure, first investigate Junior Sister's background..."
She looked at Xu Cai urgently: "When they find out about her family, her uncle and aunt may not know what happened in Jian'an and might reveal that she is engaged to Brother Xu. In that case, Junior Sister's situation will be very dangerous."
In the past, Xu Cai, who encountered such situations, remained calm compared to Yu Nie's urgency.
He said, "I have already sent someone to inform Uncle Shen and Aunt Shen about my elder brother's matter. I also told them not to reveal anything related to my family. Uncle Shen has been involved in officialdom in his early years, and he understands the stakes involved. He will definitely be able to deal with those people."
"only……"
With one potential problem resolved, Yu Nie quietly felt relieved: "But what?"
Xu Cai suddenly clenched his fists on his knees and looked up at her: "But now how do we get that scoundrel to release Axi?"
He said agitatedly, "He's already killed my brother, does he still want to take away my Axi?"
Yu Nie stared at him in astonishment, shocked by his words. How could she not understand the hidden meaning in his words?
It took her a long time to find her voice, and she was shocked: "You...you've always liked...Junior Sister?"
Xu Cai realized she had said something she shouldn't have because she spoke too quickly.
But now that he'd been exposed, he didn't bother to hide it anymore. He turned his head away and said, "I've always liked her, ever since I was little, but... she only likes my brother."
"You resent her?"
"Why would I complain? I just feel that I was born too late. If I have to complain, it's only because the timing was wrong."
After he finished speaking, no one in the car said a word for a long time.
Those moments that had puzzled her before suddenly became explained.
Xu Caiming, a free-spirited person, became like a puppy waiting to be petted in front of Lang Xi. She originally thought he was just a sister-complex guy, but she didn't expect him to genuinely like her sister.
The matter of Langxi entering the palace remains unresolved.
Yu Nie couldn't help but speak up again: "Do we have any other way to get our junior sister into the palace?"
Xu Cai replied: "Zhao Yunfu let her enter the palace because she looks like the late Cheng Shi. I found out that before he ascended the throne, he personally selected all the palace maids in the Eastern Palace. If any of them resembled Cheng Shi in terms of eyebrows, figure, or tone of voice, he would keep them."
"Given his unrequited love for the Cheng family, Axi this time..."
In those unfinished words, Yu Nie sensed despair.
In any case, Zhao Yunfu is now the ruler of a country, and it will be difficult for them to overthrow the regime.
After much deliberation, she finally came up with a plan: "Zhao Yunfu only wants to take Junior Sister by force because of her face. What if that face no longer resembles Cheng's?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Cai immediately understood her intentions and advised her, "The courtyard is guarded by the Imperial Horse Administration. Zhao Yunfu's men follow Axi every step of the way, whether she's eating or going out. You'd better not have any overt contact with her."
"Besides... the people from the aristocratic families are already keeping an eye on you in secret."
"The aristocratic clans...are watching me?" Yu Nie had clearly just learned of this: "How did you find out about this?"
Xu Cai bluntly stated, "Wang Situ's daughter is interested in me, and I can get a lot out of her."
"Why are they staring at me?" A thought flashed through her mind: "Is it because of Li Xing?"
“Li Xing? They have no intention of getting involved at all.” Xu Cai denied it decisively: “They’re keeping an eye on you because of Huan Xun.”
"Right now, you are ostensibly Zhao Yunfu's pawn, but you're about to marry Huan Xun. They want to exploit your weaknesses so they can control you in the future. You need to be careful in your actions from now on."
While Yu Nie was deep in thought, Song Ai suddenly came to report: "Your Highness, the Wuwei Camp has important business with Xu Zhige."
Xu Cai frowned and exchanged a glance with Yu Nie: "I'll go immediately."
After saying that, he nodded slightly to Yu Nie, lifted the curtain, bent down, and got out of the carriage.
Watching his figure gradually disappear into the distance, Yu Nie remained silent for a moment.
His words still echoed in her ears, and her heart sank.
Having said what needed to be said, she had no intention of staying any longer, so she had Song Ai turn her horse around and head towards Hongzheng Pavilion.
She had no interest in appreciating the hustle and bustle along the way, her mind was preoccupied with Langxi's affairs.
When the carriage arrived at the gate, she stepped down and, the moment she stood still, looked up and saw a person standing outside the gate.
He was slender and dressed in a neat official robe.
The person at the door turned around upon hearing the noise, a hint of joy appearing on their gloomy yet handsome face.
Yu Nie's heart tightened suddenly, and he stepped forward with a rare smile: "Gu Xiangzhi, when did you get back?"
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