Chapter 58. All grievances and resentments are wiped clean.
With the cat lying in Gu Zhan's arms, Shen Mi gently stroked the kitten's soft back to make sure it wasn't afraid of her before carefully taking the cat from Gu Zhan's arms.
The cat was pure white. When Shen Mi stroked its head, the kitten raised its head from her arms, stretching out its little paws.
Shen Mi could see clearly that the cat's eyes were exceptionally clear and clean, and it was not fussy at all in her arms, being unusually docile, completely different from the little tabby cat that she and Cuiwei had adopted in Runzhou.
When the little tabby cat was first adopted by her and Cuiwei, it wasn't so docile, lying in their arms like this. On the contrary, whenever she and Cuiwei wanted to give it some food, the little tabby cat would avoid them like the plague, sniffing them many times before it would eat a bite or two. It was also very wary of them. Fortunately, she and Cuiwei weren't in a hurry. Knowing that it didn't want to come into the house, they built a small nest for it in the yard and brought it some food every day. After several months of this, the little tabby cat wasn't so afraid of her and Cuiwei anymore.
On one occasion, a mouse got into the house, and it was thanks to the little tabby cat that the mouse was prevented from running rampant.
Gu Zhan noticed that Shen Mi was holding a cat in her arms, not saying a word, as if she was lost in thought, so he asked, "What's wrong? Don't you like it?"
Shen Mi finally came to her senses. "No, it's the best that His Highness gave it to," she paused, then looked up at Gu Zhan, her tone tinged with concern. "But His Highness has never liked cats or dogs, has he? Back in Runzhou, you broke out in a rash just from a little cat hair on you..."
Gu Zhan raised an eyebrow slightly. "It's alright, as long as Zhi Niang likes it."
Shen Mi was filled with mixed emotions. She moved her lips and only said, "Your Highness is so thoughtful. I like it very much."
Gu Zhan nodded and said, "When we were in Runzhou, I saw that you were very fond of the tabby cat in your yard. After returning to Bianjing, I asked people to find some rare and precious cats. After choosing this one, I tamed it and trimmed its claws before bringing it into the Eastern Palace. I was planning to give it to you on your birthday in a few days, but seeing that you are not in a good mood tonight, I will give it to you in advance."
As Shen Mi listened to Gu Zhan's words, she gently held the kitten's paw in her arms; its nails had indeed been trimmed cleanly.
She had thought the cat was unafraid of people and strangers, but she hadn't expected it to be so domesticated. So she couldn't help but whisper, "It's just too obedient. It's been trained to be so quiet that it doesn't make a sound and doesn't show any temper."
Not to mention the tabby cat she adopted in Runzhou, which had a terrible temper, she also had a kitten when she was young. Even though it was a pet, it still had a temper. In her memory, that pet cat would only be as docile and silent as the cat in her arms when it was sick.
Gu Zhan brushed the cat hair off his sleeve, glanced at the cat in Shen Mi's arms, and replied, "It's just an animal, why is it so temperamental?"
Shen Mi was taken aback. Looking at the cat in her arms, she suddenly felt a pang of sympathy and her eyes welled up with tears.
She thought...
She thought of how Gu Zhan had told her countless times to be good. Did Gu Zhan think that she should be like this cat, with her sharp claws clipped off, tamed into a docile and obedient cat, lying quietly in her owner's arms without any temper?
Shen Mi didn't hold the cat in her arms, but squatted down and put it on the ground.
Gu Zhan didn't notice Shen Mi's actions. There was cat hair on his clothes, and when he gently brushed it off, he accidentally sent the cat hair into the air, causing him to frown and sneeze repeatedly.
Shen Mi suddenly remembered that Gu Zhan didn't like cats and dogs, and even felt extremely uncomfortable when he touched their fur.
Therefore, she forced herself to detach herself from her emotions and did not dare to get too close to Gu Zhan. She said, "If Your Highness does not like cat fur, why don't you go and change your clothes first? I will have the palace servants take the cat out to air it out."
Gu Zhan nodded, "I will go take a bath and change my clothes before I come back."
Afraid that Gu Zhan would notice her slightly red eyes, Shen Mi did not look up, but simply bowed slightly to him.
After Gu Zhan left, Shen Mi handed the kitten to Cuiwei and asked her to take it to the side hall to look after it, while she went to the bathhouse.
When Shen Mi returned to her bedchamber after bathing and changing, Gu Zhan, dressed only in a straight robe, was leaning against the soft couch as usual, reviewing official documents.
She handed the cloak she was wearing to keep warm to Cuiwei, gesturing for Cuiwei to close the door and leave.
Upon hearing Shen Mi's voice, Gu Zhan put down the official documents in his hand and called her over.
Shen Mi, still clutching a handkerchief in her hand, stood in front of Gu Zhan without sitting down, and said, "My hair is still wet."
Gu Zhan let out a low chuckle, then pulled her into his arms, one hand around her waist, and the other hand naturally took the handkerchief from her hand and pinched it at the end of her hair.
The woman in his arms had just finished bathing, and her body still carried the fresh scent of bath beans. Her cheeks were flushed from the steam rising from the bathhouse and the warmth of the floor heating system and charcoal brazier in the hall. Her neck was long and slender, and her cascading black hair made her skin appear even whiter.
His hand rested on the woman's shoulder, his thumb gently brushing against the cinnabar mole on the back of her neck, causing her to shrink back.
But he didn't continue. He just kept wiping the remaining water droplets from the woman's hair as he said, "Cheng Lin said that the root cause of your poor health is your depressed mood. You need to be happier and smile more. You can't just rely on medicine to keep going. So I found this cat for you, but why do you look so unhappy?"
Shen Mi's back stiffened, and she lowered her eyelashes, replying in accordance with Gu Zhan's meaning: "I am very happy that Your Highness remembers me."
Gu Zhan said "Oh," and then asked, "Then why didn't you smile tonight?"
Shen Mi took a breath, turned her head, and forced herself to smile at Gu Zhan. "Perhaps I was so overjoyed that I was momentarily stunned."
Gu Zhan tossed aside the handkerchief in his hand, looked into Shen Mi's eyes, his gaze darkening. His Adam's apple bobbed. "That's good. Be happy like this from now on, okay?"
He didn't want to hear Shen Mi's hesitant or evasive answer, so after asking the question, he lowered his head and sealed her lips with a kiss, preventing her from answering. He took Shen Mi's "mmm" sound as an affirmative answer.
Shen Mi couldn't breathe because his lips were sealed to hers. Then, her waist was suddenly lifted up and carried towards the bed.
Gu Zhan swept down the curtain with one hand, grasped Shen Mi's ankle, and skillfully pushed it upwards.
Shen Mi turned her head away, not wanting to look at Gu Zhan's eyes, which were filled with lust, but she inadvertently caught sight of the luminous pearl at the foot of the bed.
Inside the curtained room, nothing could be seen at all, and the luminous pearl that was meant to help her sleep peacefully had now become the culprit that embarrassed her.
In the past, even though Gu Zhan wouldn't let her off easily in the tent, he would only leave when she begged for mercy in tears, she never expected that after four years, Gu Zhan's tricks in the tent would become so varied, and every time she thought it was about to end, she would be drawn back into it.
Only when she could no longer bear it did Gu Zhan kiss her forehead and carry her to take a bath.
Ever since the Emperor granted Prince Wei, Gu Shen, permission to visit Princess Wei, Zhou Fanyin, at the Daxiangguo Temple with his two daughters at the Winter Solstice Palace Banquet, Gu Zhan had people keep a close watch on the Daxiangguo Temple and on Prince Wei's every move.
He didn't believe that Gu Shen's elaborate efforts to return to Bianjing, even risking the Emperor's wrath by proposing a visit to Lady Zhou at the Xiangguo Temple, were solely because his daughter missed her mother. Moreover, the sudden outburst of tears at the palace banquet that day was highly suspicious, suggesting that Gu Shen must have instigated it.
However, when Gu Shen went to visit Zhou Fanyin, he indeed brought nothing with him except his personal attendant and two daughters.
According to the report from Gu Zhan's informant planted in the Daxiangguo Temple after the Prince of Wei returned to the capital, the Prince of Wei took his two daughters in and talked with the Princess Consort for half an hour. He then sent his two daughters away and spent half an hour alone with the Princess Consort before coming out, but it seems that he did not leave anything special behind.
Gu Zhan then ordered his men to continue keeping an eye on the courtyard where Zhou Fanyin was staying at the Daxiangguo Temple, making sure not to miss any detail.
At the same time, he ordered Sun Cheng to retrieve the roster of all the palace maids and eunuchs who had served in the Eastern Palace five years ago. During this period, apart from Cuiwei and Danju, who else had been by Shen Mi's side? Where did these people go after Shen Mi left? Were they released from the palace when they reached the required age? Were they punished and sent to the laundry department for their mistakes? Or, after Shen Mi left, he sent some of the palace maids and eunuchs back to the inner palace, and now they were serving one of the Emperor's concubines? He wanted to find out one by one.
Ultimately, all the clues led to a palace maid named Caiyun. Caiyun did indeed serve in the Qingluan Palace back then. Five years ago, during the Thousand Autumn Banquet, she was also following behind Shen Mi. However, at the end of that year, she was released from the palace because she reached the required age and returned to her hometown of Jizhou, where she settled down and had children.
Perhaps due to his many years of experience handling criminal cases, Gu Zhan's intuition told him that this palace maid named Caiyun was probably not simple, so he immediately sent someone to investigate her background.
With the return of Prince Wei to the capital and the support of Prime Minister Li and his protégés, Prince Wei quickly gained a foothold in the court. The Emperor also assigned some tasks that he had originally intended to have Crown Prince Gu Zhan to Prince Wei.
Gu Zhan guessed that the Emperor had made up his mind to keep the Prince of Wei in the capital for a long time so as to check and balance him. In order to avoid being suspected of being autocratic, he could only give up some less important matters. However, after many negotiations, he did not ask the Prince of Wei to give up any important matters. Although the Prince of Wei was not happy, he could only endure it.
The two outwardly addressed each other as brothers, but in reality, they were both well aware of each other's methods.
However, the unexpected happened one day when Gu Zhan was summoned alone by the Emperor to the Funing Palace for a meeting.
As soon as he entered the Funing Palace, he noticed that the Emperor's expression was off. Although he didn't know what it was about, he could only try to calm himself down.
The official frowned, and when he saw Gu Zhan enter, he only slightly raised his eyes and asked, "You've arrived?"
After bowing to the Emperor, Gu Zhan listened respectfully to his instructions.
The emperor took out several memorials from the stack of official documents beside him and handed them to the eunuch beside him, instructing him to give them to Gu Zhan.
Gu Zhan initially thought that someone was impeaching him, and also suspected that it was the work of the Prince of Wei. He had already thought of a way to deal with it, but he did not expect that this matter was related to Shen Mi. He read through the three memorials very quickly, and they mentioned two things.
Firstly, it is said that Su Xingjian was sent to Yangzhou back then to take advantage of the situation and embezzle funds for Gu Zhan in this land of plenty. Now that Su Xingjian's term has ended, he has been transferred back to Bianjing to work in the Ministry of Revenue. Gu Zhan guessed that this was an attempt to use Su Xingjian and Shen Mi to attack him and, incidentally, cut off one of his important arms.
Secondly, it concerns the deaths of Shen Mi's father and brother in battle years ago. Years ago, the Great Qi lost Yanzhou in a battle against the Dangxiang. The root cause was the discovery of a traitor within the army who had betrayed military intelligence. This traitor, Wang Chengxian, was a close friend of Shen Mi's brother, Shen Cong, and also Shen Mi's father, Shen Yu's, most valued subordinate. The fact that the Great Qi had suffered more defeats than victories in its battles against the Dangxiang in recent years was also due to his secret betrayal of the Great Qi's defenses. Therefore, it was reasonable to trace back to the battle ten years ago between the Great Qi and the Dangxiang, where the fall of Yanzhou and the two rear cities was due to the Shen family's treason. If Ningzhou hadn't held out so fiercely and troops hadn't been transferred from Qingzhou to Yanzhou, the Dangxiang might have advanced unimpeded.
This memorial is very long, and it mentions that when Shen Yu took office in Yanzhou more than ten years ago, he submitted a memorial advocating that the Great Qi and the Dangxiang establish mutual horse and tea markets, with Yanzhou as a pilot area. It is suspected that Shen Yu has not been completely loyal to the Great Qi since then.
Gu Zhan's blood nearly turned to the back of his head upon reading the memorial. If the first memorial was merely a common attack, it would be very simple to prove it to be nonsense. All that was needed was to compare the tax records of Yangzhou during the years that Su Xingjian had served as the prefect of Yangzhou with the records of the Ministry of Revenue and Salt and Iron.
What's rare is this second letter. Shen Yu and Shen Cong have been dead for ten years. Back then, only Shen Mi survived from the entire Shen family. As a woman, Shen Mi couldn't possibly have interfered in the military affairs of Yanzhou. Shen Yu did indeed petition the Dangxiang to open tea and horse markets for trade, and there is indeed evidence to prove this. However, evidence to prove that Shen Yu and Shen Cong did not collude with the enemy is almost impossible to verify.
As for Wang Chengxian, who was only recently exposed, he was probably already bribed.
These two events, seemingly aimed at Su Xingjian and the Shen family, were actually directed at Gu Zhan.
The King of Wei's faction truly harbors treacherous intentions.
Gu Zhan bowed deeply to the Emperor and said, "During the four years that Su Xingjian was sent to Yangzhou, I have never had any contact with him. I hope Your Majesty will see this clearly. All the accounts and property of my Eastern Palace can be personally investigated by Your Majesty. I have never committed such a treasonous act." He paused and then said, "As for the accusations in the last two memorials, they are pure fabrication. The Shen family is full of loyal and righteous people, and I know the character of the Crown Princess very well. If innocent people are implicated because of Wang Chengxian's crimes, I fear it will discourage the soldiers of the country. I hope Your Majesty will allow me to thoroughly investigate this matter."
The Emperor pressed his temples and said, “I will order the Three Departments to bring the Yangzhou account books to the capital for a thorough investigation of Su Xingjian’s matter. As for the Crown Princess’s family, since you are involved, I will send people to investigate this matter myself. You should not interfere. I will not wrong Zhonglie. You may leave now.”
Although Gu Zhan still intended to protect the Shen family, since the Emperor had allowed him to return first, he could not go against the tide and could only retreat.
After leaving Funing Palace, he immediately sent people to investigate matters related to Wang Chengxian.
However, he did not intend to tell Shen Mi a word about this matter. After all, today was the twelfth day of the eleventh lunar month, and tomorrow was her birthday. He had already prepared a birthday banquet for Shen Mi and would never let this matter spoil her mood.
Gu Zhan was attacked and impeached, and the Emperor sent someone to deliver an oral edict in the evening, saying that the Emperor was unwell and did not need to attend court the next day.
He understood the unspoken meaning behind the Emperor's words: he feared the Emperor's poor health was just an excuse, and that the real reason for the loss of face for the imperial family was to humiliate the emperor.
But this suited him perfectly.
Shen Mi was unaware of this. When she woke up the next day, rubbing her eyes, she was shocked to see Gu Zhan lying beside her, propping his head up.
Her drowsiness vanished instantly, and she hurriedly tried to sit up. "Doesn't Your Highness have to attend court?"
Gu Zhan stroked her waist, stopping her movement. "I am not attending court today, and it is Zhi Niang's birthday. Have you forgotten?"
Shen Mi replied, "I haven't forgotten, but I figured it's not a full year birthday, so there's no need to make a fuss about it."
Gu Zhan pressed his forehead against Shen Mi's, "But this is the first birthday you've spent in the Eastern Palace since we reunited, so we can't be perfunctory."
Shen Mi avoided Gu Zhan's gaze. "Thank you, Your Highness. But I've heard that this year has been unlucky, with many places suffering from disasters. I don't really want to be too extravagant."
Gu Zhan moved away from her a little, reached under the covers, and took Shen Mi's hand. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I just invited some friends and a variety show troupe to cheer you up."
Shen Mi looked up in surprise: "A friend?"
She's in Bianjing, where would she find friends?
Gu Zhan first lifted the quilt and got up: "Zhi Niang will know in a moment."
After Shen Mi finished dressing up, it was noon when she finally learned who Gu Zhan's friend was.
She never expected that Gu Zhan cared so much about her past conflict with Su Xingjian that he would still invite Su Xingjian, Su Yuzhao, and even Song Zhaohuai to her birthday party.
She had indeed not seen these people for a long time, and she was suddenly moved.
After what happened in Runzhou a few months ago, Shen Mi and Su Xingjian inexplicably became somewhat estranged.
Su Xingjian merely bowed to Shen Mi from afar, addressing her as "Your Highness the Crown Princess".
Although Shen Mi had gotten used to the palace servants in the Eastern Palace calling her "Your Highness" or "Crown Princess" during this time, she still felt a little uncomfortable when Su Xingjian called her that.
Although Su Xingjian had always called her "Consort Shen" when they were in the Eastern Palace, they had never actually spoken more than a few words. Later, she stayed in Runyang for four years, during which Su Xingjian always called her "Xiao Mi". As a result, she had become accustomed to Su Xingjian addressing her that way. Now, when she heard Su Xingjian respectfully call her "Your Highness the Crown Princess", she felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
It's clear that at this time last year, she celebrated her birthday in Runzhou with Cuiwei, Madam Xu, Yaojie, and Su Xingjian. Even this summer, she was still Teacher Shen, whom all the students at Yangzhou Prefectural School loved. But now, only a few months later, she feels so distant.
Whenever she saw Su Xingjian, she would think of how carefree she had been in Runyang, and she would always recall the nights spent singing and drinking tea around the stove.
Shen Mi felt a little depressed, so she simply stopped looking at Su Xingjian and just nodded to him as a greeting.
Gu Zhan held her waist tightly, and seeing that there was no extra eye contact between her and Su Xingjian, he was satisfied.
Because his struggle with the Prince of Wei was gradually coming to the surface, he did not hold a grand celebration for Shen Mi's birthday this year as he had five years ago. Firstly, he observed that Shen Mi did not like those ostentatious scenes, and secondly, he was afraid that someone with ulterior motives might infiltrate the Eastern Palace, which would not be good for either him or Shen Mi. So he invited some close friends and invited the most famous variety show troupe in Bianjing to perform at the Eastern Palace.
Gu Zhan watched Shen Mi watching the acrobatics with rapt attention, then turned to her and asked, "Do you like this acrobatics routine? Why don't you ask them to perform it a few more times?"
Shen Mi stared at the jugglers spitting out fire rings without looking away, and said, "No, it just reminded me of some funny things from my childhood. When I was little, my brother would often take me out to watch these things secretly."
Gu Zhan held her hand tightly and said, "It's alright. Zhi Niang now has an orphan, so the Eastern Palace is your home."
Shen Mi nodded slightly, saying nothing, and simply watched the acrobatic performance quietly.
After the acrobatic performance, they switched to song and dance. Shen Mi didn't really like these, so she turned to look at Su Yuzhao and Song Zhaohuai, who were all smiles.
Song Zhaohuai looked much more mature than when she met him in Yangzhou last summer. Although he was still smiling at Su Yuzhao, Shen Mi could tell that he didn't talk as much as before, and he was intentionally or unintentionally avoiding Su Yuzhao's advances.
After hesitating for a long time, Su Yuzhao said to Song Zhaohuai, "If Your Highness hadn't celebrated the Crown Princess's birthday this time, I don't know when I would have been able to see you again."
Song Zhaohuai pursed his lips and smiled at Su Yuzhao, "Weren't we often unable to meet before? Wait for me..."
“My father keeps urging me to find a spouse; he has his eye on the son of the Minister of Personnel,” Su Yuzhao interrupted him.
Song Zhaohuai's smile froze on her face. "The one whom Prime Minister Su has chosen must be an outstanding person. Congratulations, elder sister."
Su Yuzhao's eyes reddened slightly as she shook her head at Song Zhaohuai, "But I don't like him. The reason I haven't married by this age is because I don't want to marry someone I don't like."
Song Zhaohuai avoided Su Yuzhao's gaze, but tightened his grip on the cup slightly. "Then I wish my elder sister all her wishes come true."
"But Zhaohuai, the only one who can fulfill my wish is you."
Song Zhaohuai drank the wine in his cup in one gulp and said, "Good."
Gu Zhan peeled a segment of orange for Shen Mi and held it to her lips.
Shen Mi looked at Gu Zhan in surprise.
Gu Zhan said gently, "It's your birthday today, so be happy, okay?"
Shen Mi smiled, going along with his suggestion.
Su Xingjian took in all their movements. He saw that Gu Zhan's hand never left Shen Mi's waist, and that Shen Mi had taken off the jade bracelet she always wore on her wrist.
A pang of sadness welled up in his heart.
Ever since Shen Mi was forcibly taken back to Bianjing by Gu Zhan, he has told himself countless times that Shen Mi is his wife and he cannot have any improper thoughts about her. But the more he thinks this way, the stronger his longing becomes.
However, seeing that Shen Mi seemed to have accepted Gu Zhan, he told himself that it was time to let go.
Gu Zhan noticed Su Xingjian's gaze and looked in that direction. His expression suddenly turned cold, but he only saw Su Xingjian pick up his wine glass as if to drink.
The other person seemed to have noticed his gaze, toasted him, and didn't say much.
Gu Zhan nodded, but did not drink the wine.
He looked down at Shen Mi in his arms and smiled slightly.
As long as Shen Mi continues to act this way, Su Xingjian will remain his close friend and will surely become his most valued minister in the future.
As for what happened back then, let's not mention it. Crying and trying to persuade him to stay is nothing but the act of a coward, not the act of a true man. Once he presents everything in the world to Shen Mi, all the past grievances can be wiped clean.
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Author's note: Sending out red envelopes~ [pat on the head]
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