The people in the capital are still in a state of extreme excitement.

The servants of the Gu Mansion were no exception. At one moment they denounced Prince Kang for his audacity, at another they praised the Emperor for his wisdom and bravery, at another they were glad that Li Yun'er had long since changed his surname back to Li, and at another they proudly praised their eldest young master for his great contribution in this incident.

Gu Yuan had been staying with Chu Yi all this time, and it was not until seven days later that he had time to return home. The whole house was in an uproar, and they wanted to set off firecrackers at the gate to celebrate.

The first thing Gu Yunzhen said when he saw Gu Yuan was:

"Brother, you... have grown taller!"

Gu Yunzhen looked Gu Yuan up and down. Even though she hadn't seen Gu Yuan for more than ten days, the young man in front of her gave her a strange sense of strangeness, strange yet familiar.

Today, Gu Yuan wore a lake blue robe with a willow leaf pattern and a black silk sash tied around his waist. He had a tall and lean figure, and his stern face lacked the sharpness of a teenager, but had more of the toughness of a young man.

Compared to last year, Gu Yuan has indeed grown taller, but in fact, what Gu Yunzhen really wanted to say just now was that Gu Yuan looks more like Gu Ce, both in appearance and temperament.

It's great! Gu Yunzhen's eyes were slightly sour, and he felt a little dazed, as if he saw his dead uncle again.

"Brother has indeed grown taller!" Gu Yanfei nodded seriously, his eyes sparkling.

Compared to the disabled Gu Yuan in his previous life, the current Gu Yuan is much better! Gu Yanfei turned around and asked Gu Yunzhen with a smile: "Sister, do you need to re-measure the size of my summer shirt?"

"That's right." Gu Yunzhen nodded and quickly ordered the maid to find someone from the sewing room to come and measure Gu Yuan's size.

“……” Gu Yuan actually felt that the robe could be worn whether it was half an inch longer or half an inch shorter, but he was quite tactful and shut his mouth.

In the past, when mother was in charge of household affairs, father never interrupted.

Gu Yuan thought of something, his face straightened, and he asked Gu Yunzhen with concern: "Zhen'er, I heard that Third Aunt caught a cold a few days ago. Is she feeling better?"

"It's okay, it's okay." Gu Yunzhen said hurriedly, "My mother just didn't sleep well a few nights ago, so she caught a slight cold. Yan Fei prescribed some herbal medicine for her, and I also lit some calming incense for her these two nights. She is now fine."

For Yan and Gu Yunzhen, the incident on the day of forcing the emperor to abdicate, when the forty-five funeral bells rang, made them nervous for a while.

Afterwards, Gu Yuan sent people to guard the Gu Mansion so that they could stay in the mansion with peace of mind.

By the time news came in the afternoon that Prince Kang was forcing the emperor to abdicate in the imperial mausoleum, everything had been settled and the capital was under Gu Yuan's control.

For Gu Yunzhen, what happened that day actually had no sense of urgency or reality, just like a rainstorm that suddenly hit and ended suddenly.

The third wife, Mrs. Yan, was a worried person. She was awakened by nightmares for several nights in a row and accidentally caught a cold.

Compared to them, the people who are really in danger are Gu Yuan and Gu Yanfei.

Gu Yunzhen pursed his lips and couldn't help asking curiously, "Brother, people outside are saying that you and the eldest prince used the magic of shrinking the earth to rush back to the capital from Yuzhou that day. Is that true?"

"..." Gu Yuan raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Gu Yanfei burst out laughing, his laughter was crisp.

When she smiled, Gu Yunzhen knew the answer. She shyly picked up the teacup and tried to hide her embarrassment by drinking tea.

Gu Yuan curled his lips in amusement. Anyway, the matter was settled, and there was nothing he couldn't tell Gu Yunzhen.

He sorted out his thoughts and said concisely: "The eldest prince and I did not go to Yuzhou. After leaving the capital for two hundred miles, we returned in disguise..."

Gu Yuan briefly explained the whole story.

After the battle of Yangzhou nine years ago, King Kang spent nine years breaking up the Tiger and Ben Army and hiding them bit by bit in the three major camps and the Twelve Guards. Except for himself, no one knew where the Tiger and Ben Army was.

The Huben Army is King Kang’s trump card.

It was not until this abdication that King Kang mobilized this Tiger Guard from various places and united them into a whole.

After Gu Yuan and Chu Yi sneaked back to the capital, they had been keeping an eye on Prince Kang's movements. On April 15th, the two split up into two groups. Chu Yi secretly followed the emperor to the imperial mausoleum, while Gu Yuan stayed in the capital.

Prince Kang's target was the emperor, and a large force of the Tiger Guards followed him. He thought that the capital was not a threat, so he only left one thousand Tiger Guards for Empress Dowager Yuan to command.

Seven days ago, when the sound of the funeral resounded throughout the capital, Gu Yuan knew that Empress Dowager Yuan had begun to act. He immediately mobilized the Jinwu Guards and two thousand Shangyang Army to capture the one thousand Huben Army in the capital in one fell swoop, and quickly took control of the four city gates.

The Empress Dowager Yuan was trapped in the deep palace, and Gu Yuan cut off her eyes and ears. She had no idea what was happening outside. It was not until Chu Yi brought a group of prisoners back to the capital from the imperial mausoleum that the Empress Dowager Yuan learned that she and Prince Kang had failed.

"The Empress Dowager has been traumatized and is seriously ill. The imperial physician said that she is unlikely to get better." Gu Yuan said finally, his expression cold when he mentioned the Empress Dowager's serious illness.

Gu Yunzhen listened quietly, sometimes surprised, sometimes relieved, and the changes in expression were quite interesting.

After a while, Gu Yunzhen calmed down and asked again hesitantly: "Brother, the marriage between the two countries..."

Gu Yuan didn't answer. He raised his eyebrows slightly and turned to look at Gu Yanfei who was sitting on his right.

Gu Yanfei counted with his fingers and said calmly, "The Saint of Yue will soon pass away."

Gu Yuan just smiled without saying anything and picked up the teacup.

Although Chu Yi had not said it explicitly, Gu Yuan could roughly guess that there was something wrong with "Dou Zixiang", otherwise why would he help them cover up their whereabouts. The appearance of "Dou Zixiang" was probably inextricably linked to the powerful Tianyuansi Lord of Yue State.

Gu Yunzhen didn't pay attention to the quarrel between the brother and sister. He lowered his eyes and looked at the tea leaves floating in the teacup, muttering to himself: "The saint of Yue has passed away, so the marriage between the two countries should be abandoned."

Gu Yunzhen was talking about the marriage between the two countries, but what he was thinking about was Li Yunzhen.

Gu Yun really has very complicated feelings towards Li Yunmeng, the sister who grew up with him.

Before, when the news came that Prince Kang agreed to marry the Princess of Yue, Gu Yunzhen felt somewhat sympathetic towards Li Yunmeng. She knew that Li Yunmeng was deeply in love with Prince Kang. Li Yunmeng once said that Prince Kang had promised her that he would be with her forever.

But later, Gu Yunzhen found out about Prince Kang and Li Yun'er forcing the emperor to abdicate in the imperial mausoleum, and he felt ridiculous again.

There must be something hateful about a pitiful person. Li Yunmeng never needs to feel pity for himself.

Gu Yunzhen's eyelashes trembled slightly. He drank his tea silently, trying hard to put Li Yunmeng out of his mind.

Li Yun'er's surname is Li, they have nothing to do with each other anymore!

Juanbi, who was serving them tea, also listened attentively with shining eyes, and felt that what Gu Yuan said was even more exciting than the script.

Seeing that the tea was almost gone, she quickly refilled the tea for the three masters.

Gu Yunzhen sniffed the tea, put down the teacup he had just picked up, and asked in a low voice, "Where is Princess Fengyang?"

This time, Gu Yunzhen was asking Gu Yanfei.

Gu Yanfei sighed softly, his eyes dim, and said, "The Grand Princess Fengyang has been under the spell of the Soul Devourer for twenty-one years."

"The Soul Devouring Technique eroded her soul bit by bit like water dripping through a stone. Now her soul is already riddled with holes, like a tree trunk eaten away by termites."

"If it was ten years earlier, I might still have a way, but now..."

Gu Yanfei finished speaking halfway and stopped talking.

She also did not mention to Gu Yunzhen that Fengyang's soul would be torn apart and unable to enter reincarnation, as she did not want to add to Gu Yunzhen's troubles.

If she were in the Yaoling Realm, she might be able to think of a way, but this small world was a place without any spiritual energy, and all she could do was to use the spiritual energy in various jades to barely extend Fengyang's life for a few more days.

“……” Gu Yunzhen opened his mouth, his throat tightened, and he didn’t ask any more questions.

“Meow!”

Until the silence was broken by the sound of a cat outside, Qingguang ran around the courtyard outside without a care in the world, chasing butterflies and scratching trees, leaving the courtyard littered with fallen flowers and a mess.

Gu Yunzhen stared at Qingguang for a long time, and suddenly cried out: "Ah!"

Gu Yunzhen suddenly stood up from his chair.

She was so excited that she accidentally bumped into the chair behind her, making a clattering sound, attracting the attention of several other people in the room.

"Yanfei," Gu Yunzhen hurriedly grabbed Gu Yanfei's hand and urged anxiously, "Don't sit there anymore. Go and get dressed quickly. The auspicious time is almost here."

As Gu Yunzhen spoke, he glanced at the leaking pot not far away.

There is less than half an hour left until the auspicious time, so there is still time.

That’s right!

Gu Yunzhen suddenly thought of something and turned to Gu Yuan and said, "Brother, you should also change your clothes and dress formally. Today is Yan Fei's big day!"

Gu Yunzhen looked at Gu Yuan with a bit of disdain, thinking that Gu Yuan was dressed too plainly. Not only was his robe half-new, he didn't even have a jade pendant on him.

Looking at Gu Yanfei who was not wearing any jewelry, Gu Yunzhen couldn't help but sigh: This brother and sister are really real siblings! Gu Yunzhen quickly pulled Gu Yanfei towards the inner room, muttering, "Yanfei, you need to change your clothes, your hairstyle, and your jewelry..."

Gu Yunzhen was calculating the time in his mind, and the more he calculated, the more he felt that time was running out.

"..." Gu Yanfei actually felt that there was nothing wrong with the current relationship between her and Gu Yuan, but seeing how impetuous Gu Yunzhen was, she didn't dare to say it.

She smiled in a cute way.

The eldest sister is the boss, so of course she has the final say!

Nanny Pang, who was anxiously standing by, had wanted to remind them a long time ago, but when she heard them talking about forcing the emperor to abdicate and Princess Fengyang, she didn't dare to interrupt. She could only go and prepare clothes and jewelry for Gu Yanfei.

Madam Pang came up to her with a smile and said cheerfully, "Miss, I have picked out several sets of clothes for Miss Two. Please come and pick one."

After several months of getting along, Nanny Pang also got to know her second young lady. When there were important matters in the mansion, she would listen to the second young lady; as for trivial matters, she would listen to the eldest young lady.

"I have also picked out a few sets of headwear. One of them is a set of kingfisher feather headwear that was newly made at Zhen's Silver Shop last month. I think it is very suitable for the second young lady."

As they talked, they surrounded Gu Yanfei and walked inside.

Gu Yanfei was like a rag doll, allowing them to manipulate her.

The maids were busy surrounding Gu Yanfei, and it took a whole incense stick of time to finally dress up Gu Yanfei.

Gu Yanfei had just changed into a lotus-colored silk jacket with a pattern of hundreds of butterflies, and paired it with a light red lace-trimmed long skirt. The bright lotus color made her look even more charming.

Her thick black hair was tied into an elegant crescent-shaped bun, and she wore a red gold and kingfisher-emerald hairpin inlaid with glittering colorful gems, which made her eyes shine as brightly as stars.

The girl who usually wears plain makeup now looks bright and charming.

But Gu Yunzhen still felt unsatisfied and muttered, "It seems like something is missing."

She looked at Gu Yanfei again and again, clapped her hands excitedly and said, "I know!"

Gu Yunzhen picked out a pair of gold-thread pearl earrings from the box and put them on Gu Yanfei herself.

Gu Yanfei slightly turned her face, and the pearl swayed along with the gold thread under her earlobe, revealing a charm that only belongs to a young girl.

"Just add this pair of earrings! Perfect!" Gu Yunzhen finally smiled with satisfaction, as if he had completed a masterpiece.

Juanbi and Aunt Pang also echoed, all of them were in high spirits.

"Here it comes! Here it comes..." The panting voice and hurried footsteps of the maid were heard outside the house.

A little maid in blue came in, her cheeks flushed, and she said excitedly, "Miss, Miss, the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department are here to propose marriage!"

After Prince Kang forced the emperor to abdicate, the emperor took three days of swift and decisive action to stabilize the political situation. Those who should be imprisoned were imprisoned, those who should be investigated were investigated, those who should be commended were commended, and new officials were selected to replace the vacancies left by Xiao Fengyuan, Wang Kangyin and others.

Three days ago, the emperor issued an edict granting the marriage between Chu Yi and Gu Yanfei.

This time, no ministers opposed the marriage. Even if King Kang did not admit it, the ministers at the imperial mausoleum that day were 70% sure that there was indeed a hidden story behind Gu Ce's surrender to the enemy nine years ago, and it was inextricably linked to King Kang and even the late emperor.

Normally, it would take at least two or three months to prepare from the emperor's marriage granting to the proposal, but according to calculations by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, today is the best day in the first half of the year.

Plus…

"The Third Madam and the Eldest Young Master also know about it and have already gone to the ceremonial gate." The little maid in blue added hastily.

Gu Yunzhen waved away the maid who came to report, adjusted the silk flower in Gu Yanfei's hair, and smiled, "Yanfei, let's go quickly."

Gu Yanfei said "hmm", and obediently got up from the dressing table, and walked out of the house surrounded by the crowd.

The courtyard outside was decorated with lights and flowers.

The maids and old women along the way were all happy and in high spirits. Today was a good day for the mansion.

Gu Yanfei walked slowly from Yuheng Garden to the outer gate, passing through doors one after another, and walking along corridors and paths...

From a distance, she saw a familiar red-wheeled carriage parked at the outer ceremonial gate.

Fengyang, with her head full of white hair, got down from the red-wheeled carriage. She was wearing a princess's makeup and looked graceful and noble.

The bright sunlight cast a golden halo around Fengyang.

The one who came today to propose marriage for the eldest prince on behalf of the emperor is Fengyang.

Feng Yang, who was standing beside the red-wheeled carriage, also saw Gu Yanfei walking towards her and smiled brightly.

Gu Yanfei pursed her lips and looked at Fengyang with a smile.

In addition,

Feng Yang said that she wanted to personally witness the marriage of Chu Yi and Gu Yanfei.

She doesn't have much time left and will definitely not live to see their wedding.

Whether it is the emperor, Chu Yi, or Gu Yanfei, they all want Fengyang to get what she wants.

"Your Highness!" Gu Yanfei quickened his pace and walked towards Fengyang, his eyes shining.

The sky was a clear blue, and the sun was blindingly bright.

(End of text)

Tomorrow we will start the Time Dharma~ 　　 　 (End of this chapter)