It was already dusk, but the Tai Chi Hall was still brightly lit, shining brightly as if it were daytime.
In the huge palace, there was no sound of people when it was quiet. Even the maid who added oil to the lamp held her breath nervously, fearing to disturb the emperor's sleep.
The Tai Chi Hall looked exceptionally empty in the middle of the night. The feeling of terror was like a silk thread, tightly around everyone's neck, getting tighter and tighter with the slightest movement.
Emperor Mingde, who was nearly fifty years old, did not go to bed as usual. He wore a bright yellow suit and a cloak, sitting on the high hall. Chu Yun, who had just rushed in from outside the palace, was standing in front of him, bowing to report something.
The empty room amplified the emperor's voice into an ethereal sound, making it sound as high and mighty and sacred as he was.
"Chu Yun, do you mean that Gu Junwen is lying?"
"Yes. I checked and found some clay on his cuffs. I have only seen that kind of clay at the waterfall in the west. But when I found them, they were in the east."
"So Nan Yi also lied with him?" Emperor Mingde took a sip of tea, his tone still calm.
"I dare not doubt the King of the South. He has been an honest man since he was young. But I am worried about General Gu..."
"I understand. Over the years, you have watched Nan Yi grow up. It has been fifteen years, so naturally I trust you." Emperor Mingde put down the teacup and raised his hand to signal Chu Yun not to be so rigid.
"This is what I should do." Chu Yun lowered his head even more.
"Go down. I am tired."
"Yes, I'll take my leave..." Chu Yun lowered his head, concealed the dark light in his eyes, bowed, and turned to leave.
It was inevitably a bit chilly at night, and a breeze rushed into the Taiji Hall through the door. The candlelight in the hall swayed and seemed to dim.
"Cai Quanfu!" Emperor Mingde stood up and went to the inner hall.
"Your Majesty, I'm here." Eunuch Cai responded immediately and ran over from outside the hall.
"Go check it out. Also, send someone to urge them to finish building the Gu Mansion." Emperor Mingde played with the seal that symbolized the emperor's power, and his tone remained calm.
"Yes." Eunuch Cai took the cloak, closed the door respectfully, bowed and left.
Coincidentally, at this time, the lights in Lingyun Courtyard, the main courtyard of the Prince Nan's Mansion, were also on, and Ye Nanyiyi was not resting either.
In the study, Ye Nanyi was leaning on the couch with one hand supporting his face in a very comfortable posture, listening to Lin Lin's report on Fengge's intelligence today.
"Your Highness, word has come back from the palace that a legitimate daughter of the Qiao family did marry into the late Crown Prince's mansion and gave birth to a little prince for the late Crown Prince."
"Is the child still alive?" Ye Nanyiyi's expression was calm, stroking the jade pendant around his waist slowly.
Lin Lin sighed and nodded.
Death is the fairest. It does not care about wealth, poverty, age or seniority. Everyone who is shrouded in its shadow cannot escape its control.
The epidemic that year spared no one in the former prince's mansion.
"However, Feng Liu just sent a clue that there is a survivor in the Qiao family massacre. His name is the coachman Ashan, and he now lives in Jiuxiang Street." Lin Lin quickly put the poor child out of his mind and handed over the letter.
"I remember that the new house of the Gu family is nearby. My royal brother is suspicious, and it is time for Gu Junwen to move out. When the time comes, I will find a chance to go and take a look."
Ye Nan read the letter carefully and immediately burned it with a candle. He stared quietly at the dust scattering in the air and gave instructions lightly.
There was no sound in the room, only the crackling sound of sparks burning and bursting, which seemed extremely quiet.
The silence in Lingyun Courtyard and the noise in the main room of Qiushan Courtyard formed a sharp contrast.
Gu Junwen, who always believed that having enough food and drink was the most important thing, suffered from insomnia today.
Strangely enough, she didn't seem to be bothered by anything. Even when Ye Nan had tied her up and brought her to Kyoto, and the bumpy mountain roads along the way had not affected her sleep quality.
Today, she just followed Ye Nanyi to Wuxingyuan on the outskirts of the city and went down to the dark chamber, but she couldn't sleep.
"Tongtong, what's the logic behind this? And that Ye Nanyi, I helped him cover up the truth with good intentions. But he took the opportunity to trick me. I've never met such a person." Gu Junwen's face turned red with anger. He couldn't help but jump and turn around.
You usually stay at home and don't see many people. System 101 complained in its heart, but it didn't have the courage to add fuel to the fire, so it had to rack its brains to comfort its host:
"Host, calm down, don't get sick from anger. The hero is a little suspicious, but still..." System 101 was dizzy from being shaken by Gu Junwen, but could only try to organize its words.
"You're still speaking for him!" Gu Junwen raised his voice, "Since I met him, my reputation has been ruined. I'm such an innocent idler, but now people are saying that I'm a womanizer and a pervert."
"Amidst a sea of thousands of flowers, not a single leaf gets on you. That sounds very beautiful," System 101 commented.
"Humph. I just can't understand it. I even took the initiative to show my cards and used them as bargaining chips, but he still tricked me again and again. Don't think I'm easy to mess with."
"Host, calm down. You should think more about what to do about the Duiyanyuan case. You promised the male protagonist. And there is also the Qiao family." System 101 decided to change the subject. If it continued to listen to Gu Junwen's quarrel, the data in its body would become chaotic.
"Duiyanyuan case?" Gu Junwen sat down on the stool, swallowed a whole piece of osmanthus cake in one gulp, squinted his eyes with satisfaction, and then he said "oh" as if he suddenly realized something, "I should go sell some osmanthus cake tomorrow."
"Huh?" System 101 was confused for a moment.
The host's thoughts jumped too fast, and 101 really couldn't think of any intrinsic connection between this osmanthus cake and the Duiyanyuan case.
"Which eldest son of the Du family likes to eat osmanthus cake? Or did the person selling osmanthus cake see it? Host, you...host! How can you sleep when I say so?" System 101 waved its antenna arm and shook Gu Junwen with all its strength.
Unfortunately, due to the huge size difference, System 101's actions were like an ant trying to shake a tree; they were ridiculous and presumptuous.
After venting his exhaustion, Gu Junwen fell asleep on the table. He just sniffed sharply, mumbled something, and fell into a deep sleep again.
"Okay, okay. I didn't expect that you, the host, have learned to keep people in suspense. Humph, I wanted to tell you that the original owner's wet nurse is still alive. Forget it, I thought you don't want to know."
System 101 was angry and followed suit. It disappeared and went to sleep in the system space.
Humph, everyone has a little temper. It waits for its host to coax it.
It would be even better if the plot can be advanced at the same time. System 101 thought happily and went to sleep.
After tossing and turning for most of the night, Kyoto fell into silence.
In the distance, the sound of a night watchman beating the watch could be heard on the street, startling a few dogs into barking.
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