Chapter 88 A Test, It's Good to See You Again... It's Good that Qiqi is Safe and Sound...
It was already mid-July.
Yesterday it was so hot that people couldn't even step outside, but today it's suddenly gotten a bit cooler.
In the sky, dark clouds gathered in layers, looking as if rain could fall at any moment.
After lunch, Yu Nie, accompanied by Cui Wei, went to the west wing in front of them.
As soon as she stepped into Gu Xiangzhi's territory, none of the guards at the gate stopped her, allowing her to go straight in to search for someone.
As soon as Yu Nie stepped inside, he saw that the food he had sent at noon was still untouched on the table.
Her gaze swept across the room; it was empty, without a soul in sight.
Cuiwei, standing to the side, looked utterly bewildered and muttered softly, "I clearly saw Eunuch Gu here before I sent someone to deliver the food. How come he's vanished without a trace, having not touched a bite of the food?"
She originally wanted to check on his recovery, and in the past two days, she had practically worn down the threshold of the west wing room. She even took extra care of his meals, ordering the kitchen to prepare them meticulously.
Yu Nie didn't know his whereabouts for a moment, but only instructed the defenders who had followed them in:
"The food on the table will get cold if you leave it there any longer. Your junior prisoner's illness is only seven or eight parts recovered, so his diet is of utmost importance. Send it back to the kitchen to be heated up later."
The guard hurriedly replied, "Yes."
Since she couldn't find anyone, she couldn't stay any longer and could only lead Cuiwei outside.
Just as she was about to step out the door, Mei Nian turned around from under the eaves and came in from outside.
Upon seeing her, Mei Nian first bowed deeply in greeting before asking, "Is the princess here to see our Junior Supervisor?"
Yu Nie remained noncommittal, raising her eyes and saying, "I see the food in the room is still untouched. You adults haven't even eaten. Where have you been busy?"
“Your Highness, His Majesty just summoned you regarding the Star Gazing Banquet, and the Junior Eunuch has gone to the palace to meet with him.” Mei Nian said respectfully.
Gu Xiangzhi has always disliked revealing his whereabouts to strangers, and even his ordinary destinations are rarely disclosed to outsiders. Mei Nian dared to tell her everything, and without his secret instruction, Mei Nian would never have uttered a single word to her.
Yu Nie was unaware of these things. She asked, "Isn't the Star Gazing Banquet still a few days away? Besides, I heard from Song Juling that the preparation of such a banquet has always been entrusted to powerful clans and aristocratic families. How come it's suddenly being involved with the Imperial Horse Administration?"
“The princess is right.”
Mei Nian's voice carried an indescribable melancholy: "The Star Gazing Banquet was originally organized by Gao Sikong. Our Imperial Horse Stable was only responsible for the dispatch of horses and sending vehicles to assist in transporting the banquet ingredients."
"The Grand Eunuch assigned this task to the Junior Eunuch, but Minister Gao said that all the ingredients we transported had rotted, and not a single one of His Majesty's favorite shad was usable. In addition, the Imperial Observatory said that the Star Gazing Banquet would be moved up to the day after tomorrow, and there was simply no time to re-transport the ingredients now."
Mei Nian's tone was indignant and worried as he said this: "Usually, the Junior Supervisor always keeps a close eye on things, and everyone's duties are clear, so this kind of mistake wouldn't happen. This is clearly Gao Sikong taking advantage of the situation and deliberately framing the Junior Supervisor. This time, the Junior Supervisor probably can't escape punishment."
Upon hearing that it was the Gao family again, Yu Nie frowned and asked, "Has your junior supervisor found any evidence?"
Mei Nian replied: "Of course there is. Actually, it's not a matter of evidence or not. It's just that when the ingredients were at the transit point, all the ships were temporarily requisitioned by Gao Sikong under the pretext of transporting other banquet supplies, which caused a one-day delay in transportation."
"Don't underestimate this day. Fresh fish are not easy to preserve, and with the hot weather, they can easily spoil if they are not put into the ice chest in time. Although our people tried their best to save them, they still couldn't save them."
Upon hearing Mei Nian's words, Yu Nie suddenly had a guess.
She thought to herself that Gao Sikong might have done this on purpose, with the aim of delaying the Imperial Horse Administration.
But whose people are the Imperial Horse Stables? They are a force personally controlled by the Emperor, a fact known throughout the court.
How dare the other party tamper with such an important matter?
If they were found out, the emperor would be furious and could possibly confiscate their property and exterminate their entire family. Aren't they afraid?
She only guessed one thing, not the other.
This seemingly risky move is nothing more than a calculated scheme that the Gao family has laid bare.
They intended to use this move to test the emperor's bottom line and intentions.
The Gao family has made outstanding contributions since the founding of Beiye. The great-grandfather once held the position of one of the Three Dukes and was honored to be buried next to the imperial mausoleum after his death. The family's reputation has been glorious for generations.
The current Minister of Works, Gao Chou, not only inherited the family title but also served as the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. His daughter entered the palace as a Noble Consort, and two of his three sons held important positions in local areas. The family's influence was deeply entrenched.
The previous emperor's implementation of the civil service examinations and military examinations to promote people from humble backgrounds in order to counterbalance the aristocratic families had already angered them. However, every action and policy of the late emperor was reasonable and justifiable, so they could not find a suitable pretext to rebel and had no legitimate reason to do so. They could only suppress their displeasure in their hearts.
The new emperor, when he was still the crown prince, had already seen through this. Knowing that he could not control these old ministers, he intended to ease relations with the aristocratic families and settle internal affairs. After ascending the throne, he took the initiative to abolish the imperial examinations and military examinations.
However, his marriage alliance with the Da Que Khanate aroused the Gao family's concern.
The Gao family has always been flamboyant, but they are not without their own schemes.
As the Minister of Works, Gao Chou knew one thing clearly: throughout history, to repel external enemies, one must first secure internal stability.
The new emperor, by immediately stripping himself of his own power and cutting off the path for those from humble backgrounds, is undoubtedly trying to lull these aristocratic families into a false sense of security. Once he has pacified the northwest and unified the country, this new emperor may not tolerate the influence of aristocratic families like the Gao family in the court; at that time, they will likely face execution.
The Xiutu Khanate was stirring with ambition, and Xiao Daozun of the Southern Yin Dynasty harbored his own ambitions. The Rouran and other tribes had suffered from disasters for years. Although the new emperor repeatedly assured him that he only wanted to take advantage of the weakness of these foreign tribes to pacify the northwest in one fell swoop, if this opportunity was missed, and the Southern Yin Dynasty really launched a northern expedition, the Northern Ye would be attacked from both sides and fall into a critical and passive situation.
Gao Chou naturally understood that the new emperor's words were true, but once he achieved his goal of pacifying the northwest, who could guarantee that this new emperor, who shared the same mindset as the late emperor, wouldn't seek revenge later and target the aristocratic families?
As far as the Gao family is concerned, it makes little difference whether the world belongs to the Zhao or the Xiao family.
Serving any emperor is still serving them. They only seek to preserve their family's century-old legacy and wealth, and would never take any risks for empty promises.
Therefore, they had to test whether the new emperor was truly as he claimed, "willing to share joys and sorrows with his ministers and never betray them."
Unable to fathom the Gao family's deeper intentions, Yu Nie knew that Gu Xiangzhi was likely in danger.
Just as she was about to ask Mei Nian what countermeasures their Imperial Horse Stables had, Sui En rushed over.
He bowed to her and said, "Your Highness, General Xu Cai of the Wuwei Camp is outside the gate requesting an audience."
Upon hearing Xu Cai's name, Yu Nie suppressed his worries and asked in surprise, "Xu Cai? What brings him to me?"
She had met Xu Cai and spoken to him.
But her current status is different. What if Xu Cai sees her and can't help but call out her real name?
However, personally, she really wanted to see Xu Cai.
She had been in Jian'an for some time now, and had not even sent a single letter to Langxi and the others.
Having been missing for so long without any news, they must be extremely anxious, their hearts burning with worry day and night.
Sui En said, "Xu Zhige said that he was ordered by His Highness Prince Guangning to give you something."
Unexpectedly, Xu Cai knew Xiao Chengyan.
In this way, she had no excuse to refuse and could only play it by ear.
With the intention of having Xu Cai deliver a letter to Lang Xi and A Hui, she said to Sui En, "In that case, please invite Xu Zhige to sit in Xianliu Pavilion."
Having received the order, Sui En hurried outside.
She wanted to see Xu Cai, but she was also preoccupied with Gu Xiangzhi's matter. She could only tell Mei Nian, who was standing beside her, "If anything happens to your master, remember to come and report to me immediately."
He saved her life; she couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
After Mei Nian responded, she led Cuiwei toward Xianliu Pavilion.
At this moment, Langxi and Ahui were already waiting quietly in the pavilion before her.
Even the usually calm and even-tempered Ah Hui couldn't contain herself any longer, pacing back and forth in the pavilion, her face full of anxiety. Lang Xi was even more restless, getting up and sitting down several times, her gaze constantly drifting towards the courtyard.
Yu Nie was followed only by Cuiwei and Sui En; she didn't like having too many people around. Besides, they were inside the manor, so nothing bad could happen to her.
Before even entering the courtyard, when Yu Nie caught sight of the two familiar figures in the distance, she suddenly held her breath, as if she couldn't believe it, and her steps slowed down almost imperceptibly.
"Your Highness, what's wrong?" Cuiwei noticed her unusual behavior and asked softly.
“Cuiwei…” She gazed ahead, her voice tinged with a hint of bewilderment, her eyes reddening, her throat slightly hoarse: “Have the guards at the door all step back.”
“Princess…” Cuiwei looked puzzled, but seeing that her gaze was fixed on the person sitting in the pavilion with red eyes, she didn’t ask any more questions. She just waved her hand to dismiss the other guards and the maids waiting to serve.
As the people around her gradually walked away, Yu Nie quickened her pace, and when she reached the center of the courtyard, she simply lifted her skirt and started to jog.
Upon seeing this, Langxi and Ahui quickly walked to the door to greet them.
The three met outside Xianliu Pavilion. Yu Nie opened his arms and hugged the two tightly, his voice trembling with sobs as he murmured, "Junior Sister, Junior Brother, I missed you so much..."
She buried her face in their shoulders, the familiar scent of soapberry and faint herbs filling her nostrils. Ignoring Xu Cai and Cui Wei, tears streamed down her face, and she didn't care that her makeup was ruined by crying.
She never expected that Langxi and Ahui would find her, let alone that they would appear here.
They looked thinner, which suggested they must have endured a long and arduous journey, sleeping outdoors and suffering greatly.
Thinking of this, a strong sense of guilt instantly overwhelmed her, and her voice choked with sobs, thick with emotion, "I'm sorry... It's all my fault. I insisted on going to Longdao to buy saltpeter, which led to me being robbed and ending up here, making you all come all this way to find me..."
She apologized, but Langxi simply patted her back and said gently, "Don't apologize. We're relieved to see you're alright."
“Ah Hui, my uncle, Aunt Liu and I have been so worried about you these past few days, afraid that you might encounter bandits on the road and get into trouble… Thankfully… thankfully, Qiqi is safe and sound.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Nie looked at the two of them, her eyes brimming with tears, sniffling between sobs: "My Martial Aunt has returned from Lingnan?"
Langxi hummed in agreement.
"She...she didn't scold me? She's not angry with me?" she asked tentatively, with a hint of caution.
Ah Hui wiped away her tears and gestured in response:
“Master is scolding Qiqi for running around. He said that the two of us will take you back and punish you properly so that you won’t dare to act rashly again next time.”
"But she was still worried about your safety. She was afraid that if something happened to you, she wouldn't be able to face her deceased Uncle Ye."
The "Uncle Ye" that Ah Hui mentioned was the old abbot of Lingbao Temple who took her in, and her master.
He comforted her, "Qiqi, don't cry. If you cry, your eyes will swell up, and then you'll have to worry about reducing the swelling, which is a hassle."
"Smile," Ah Hui gestured. "You've been away from the temple for a while, and we haven't been able to hear your voice. Lang Xi and I have felt like something's missing, and we haven't been able to sleep at night."
The three of them had never been separated for so long. Over the years, they had become intertwined, inseparable parts of each other's lives, as if their bloodlines had merged into one.
Hearing him say this, Yu Nie felt even more distressed.
Hearing his words, she forced a smile and was about to speak.
A familiar voice rang out from outside: "Qiqi..."
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