Chapter 151 Imposed Expectations Gu Xiangzhi, Gu Xiangzhi, you're really something...
Less than two days after Huan Xun left, she encountered one dangerous situation after another.
First, Shen Tu Zheng was attacked by Xiao Chengyan suddenly, then Cui Miaochang took revenge on the Wang family, and now she has disappeared without a trace.
One thing after another came in quick succession, almost keeping her on her toes.
Numerous tasks piled up, and among these pressing problems, there was one even more crucial and troublesome matter that caused her immense headaches.
After seeing Wang Ju'an and Xu Cai off, and secretly sending Lu Jinshi to secretly inquire about Cui Miaochang's whereabouts, Yu Nie realized that once those portraits were posted and covered the entire Jian'an City, Wang Chang and his son would come knocking on their door sooner or later.
This matter is inextricably linked to her.
This means she cannot sit idly by and wait for the Wang family to come knocking on her door to demand an explanation. She must take the initiative and seize control of the situation, leaving the rest of the problems to the other side.
The appointed time was approaching, and Zhao Yunfu's appointment to invite her to the palace could not be delayed.
She didn't have time to choose too many clothes, so she casually picked a wide-sleeved, shimmering brocade robe and draped a crimson shawl over it. After changing her clothes, she washed and dressed again. As she applied the last bit of lipstick in front of the mirror, she was still explaining her entire plan to Gu Xiangzhi, who was standing to one side of the dressing table.
She had dismissed all the other people in the room, leaving only Song Ai and Cuiwei.
Gu Xiangzhi also agreed with her decision to take the initiative.
In his view, taking the initiative is always better than passively waiting for others to set the questions. Better to sound the thunder than to face the storm.
After agreeing to her plan, Gu Xiangzhi continued, "However, I still have some concerns."
"What are you worried about? Are you afraid the emperor won't trust me?"
Gu Xiangzhi did not deny it: "Your Majesty... to put it bluntly, he is suspicious and may not believe everything you say."
“It’s all up to people. In his eyes, I was at most a sister who depended on him, with no power or influence behind me. Without him, after the Jie people broke off the engagement, I should have gone back to Shuoyang, continued to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures, and spent the rest of my life with the dim light of the lamp. Who would remember who Zhao Huayan was?”
"So how could I dare to order people to kill his father-in-law's family? Everyone says that you should give face to the Buddha even if you don't care about the monk, but he doesn't think I have such a big guts."
"Besides, I was just a pawn in his hands. People in the court and the public gossiped about it behind his back, saying that he married me, a princess, to a lowly military man in order to win over Huan Xun and Commander Yan."
“Decades ago, it was common for imperial relatives to marry into military households. Who could have imagined that?” After fastening the last gold hairpin, she left the dressing table and moved to stand before him. “A chess piece has no ability to jump off the chessboard on its own. Whoever he tells me to marry, I will obey. He tells me to use a scheme to preserve Huan Xun’s bloodline before he leaves, and I will comply as well.”
“Such an obedient sheep would not, and dare not, disobey him. Zhao Yunfu would definitely think so. Therefore, I bet he will believe me.”
When he heard her mention leaving behind her bloodline, Gu Xiangzhi clenched his fists hanging by his sides. He suppressed the anger surging in his chest, calmly raised his hand, and dismissed Cuiwei and Song Ai.
The two understood and quietly slipped out.
The palace doors closed softly, and he asked, "Princess, you just said that His Majesty ordered you to consummate your marriage with Huan Xun before the wedding ceremony?"
Yu Nie: "Yes, this is his scheme, in order to control Huan Xun and make him obedient and serve him as emperor."
"absurd!"
Gu Xiangzhi could no longer contain himself and showed a rare outburst of anger: "What does His Majesty regard you for? A commodity to win over powerful ministers, or a tool for producing offspring?"
"Huan Xun's journey to Lingnan is fraught with peril. To put it bluntly, if he were to die on the battlefield, how would His Majesty expect His Highness to face the consequences? A princess who is pregnant before marriage is considered to have lost her chastity in the eyes of the court and will be a stain on history."
"Has Your Majesty ever considered how you will be tolerated by the world? The laws and regulations are strict, and public opinion is a fearsome thing. He is the ruler of a country, well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics. He must know that he is going to personally push Your Highness into an abyss of no return."
When she said those words, Yu Nie's tone was quite calm. She was not surprised by anything Zhao Yunfu, such a hypocritical and despicable monarch who had forcibly taken her father's concubine and killed nine people for his own reputation, would do.
But Gu Xiangzhi was clearly furious. Just as she was about to comfort him, she heard him say in a chilling voice, "The princess is a living person, not a tool to consolidate power. His Majesty ordered you to become pregnant before marriage, and made you give up your reputation and dignity for his power. Such degrading is no different from breaking wings and destroying jade."
"His Majesty has truly disappointed me; how could he have acted in such a way!"
After uttering these arrogant and disrespectful words, even Gu Xiangzhi himself was somewhat stunned. He was stunned not because he had said something he shouldn't have.
Yu Nie saw the anger on the person's face fade in the blink of an eye, replaced by a dejected look that was a mixture of pain and enlightenment.
Without warning, the hall fell into a deep silence, with only the sound of rain outside the carved windows, and no other sound could be heard.
As if remembering something, Gu Xiangzhi suddenly chuckled self-deprecatingly, the sound jarring in the quiet bedchamber.
The dramatic reversal of fortunes left Yu Nie, who had never seen him so forlorn, unable to resist asking, "What are you laughing at, Junior Supervisor?"
Instead of giving a direct answer, Gu Xiangzhi walked to the window and looked at the rain outside.
All the lights in the courtyard were turned on, adding a touch of warmth to the tranquility of the evening.
He said, "I'm just laughing at myself."
"In order to protect Zhao Huashu, I pushed Zhao Huayan to marry into a political alliance, forcibly separating her from Nie Lanting. Looking back now, how is my behavior any different from His Majesty's current practice of treating you as a tool?"
This belated confession and repentance left Yu Nie momentarily speechless.
“Back then, I even considered killing him, feeling that Nie Lanting had ruined my chess game for a woman.” His voice trailed off, as if he were talking to himself: “I’ve never understood why anyone would be willing to sacrifice their future for personal love. Now, I understand…”
He suddenly stopped and turned to look at her.
As the candlelight flickered, a barely concealed, burning intensity flickered in Gu Xiangzhi's usually cold eyes.
"What do you understand?" Yu Nie asked softly.
Gu Xiangzhi did not answer immediately.
He slowly approached her, the gleam of the soft sword wrapped around his waist starkly contrasting with the tenderness in his eyes.
He stopped in front of her and replied, "I understand him. He's willing to give up everything for one person..." His voice was very soft: "If it were me, I would also spare no effort to protect the person I love."
As dusk deepened, the rain began to intensify.
His last words, though spoken softly, carried a weight that sent shivers down one's spine.
Yu Nie vaguely sensed an unusual and profound meaning in his last words.
Fearing she might make things worse, she was about to investigate further when Song Ai knocked on the door.
"Your Highness, the time for the palace banquet is approaching. The carriage is ready. Please hurry."
The delicate atmosphere inside the hall was broken.
"I understand, Song Juling. I'll be right there," she replied towards the door.
After responding to Song Ai, she glanced at the person in front of her, her eyelids slightly lowered, as if she didn't know where to begin.
After a moment's thought, she looked at him again: "The past is the past. Fortunately, it didn't turn into an irreparable mistake, so there's no need for you to dwell on it anymore."
She paused briefly: "The time has come, I can't delay any longer, I need to go to the palace immediately."
Looking at her peaceful and bright expression, the secret expectation that had arisen in Gu Xiangzhi's heart from revealing his feelings earlier cooled and died out little by little, like embers dampened by a drizzle, and was finally covered by a heart-wrenching sense of loss.
He seemed unwilling to give up, almost stubbornly praying in his heart that she would notice his unusual behavior and that she would see through all the feelings he had never expressed.
Even if it's just as a third party, as an answer to her being by her side, or as a vague response, he's willing to do it.
But in the end, she said nothing.
It did not exceed the limit by even half an inch.
Perhaps at this moment, in her heart, his obvious feelings, no matter how strong, could not compare to the upcoming confrontation with Zhao Yunfu.
This thought filled his chest.
However, in that instant of chaotic thoughts, Gu Xiangzhi suddenly froze, as if struck by something invisible and intangible.
What exactly is he doing?
He was the one who willingly looked up to her and loved her, the one who chose to offer his heart. Why then did he unconsciously crave her response at this moment, even subtly turning this expectation into a silent demand, pressing it onto her shoulders?
Moreover, dealing with Zhao Yunfu is of course more important, as this matter concerns how to completely clear her from the Wang family's pursuit and ensure her safety.
At such a crucial moment, for him to be concerned about whether his personal feelings have been reciprocated is utterly absurd and laughable.
What's wrong with him? How could he become so inconsiderate and unable to distinguish between public and private matters?
Driven by emotions, they forgot their duties, their identities, and the boundaries they should have adhered to.
If he can't even hide this little thought, how can he protect her in the future? I'm afraid the first one to harm her will be this inappropriate thought of his.
Gu Xiangzhi, you've truly lost your mind. He rebuked himself with disgust.
"Holding on?" Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, she called out to him.
Once he came to his senses, Gu Xiangzhi returned to his usual self.
His handsome face had a slight smile on his lips, and his thoughts from just now were not revealed at all. He followed her words and said, "What the princess said is very true. This humble subject also needs to return to the Imperial Stables immediately, lest if news comes from Cui Daoshi and Han Jie and Mei Nian cannot find me."
Yu Nie nodded slightly: "You're right, then let's go."
After saying that, the two of them left Hongzheng Pavilion together.
When they reached the entrance to the alley, Gu Xiangzhi, sitting on his horse, bowed to her in farewell.
The tall carriage rumbled across the rain-washed ground as it rolled toward the palace, quickly disappearing into the night.
Without wearing a bamboo hat, Gu Xiangzhi remained in place for a long time without leaving until his attendant behind him whispered a reminder. Only then did he seem to wake up from a dream and turn his horse around, heading towards the Imperial Horse Stables.
They went their separate ways, one heading east and the other west.
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