"Gu Yi's Authentic Work"
Who would have thought that when he met Ah Qiu face to face, Ah Qiu, whose skin was as thick as a city wall, immediately blushed.
Given her personality, she didn't fight back; she just stared at him blankly.
Gu Yi knew something was wrong, but he didn't know why. One of his hands remained suspended in mid-air.
In less than an instant, he realized that his words and actions were very much like—making a lewd gesture towards her.
The words of rebuke that Sun's wife had overheard to A Qiu several hours earlier in the pear tree also served as a timely interrogation of his conscience.
"You want Gu Yi to help you, but you're a lone young woman. Besides your looks, what else do you have to offer that he would even be interested in?"
Gu Yi hurriedly let go, frantically pulled the Junior Tutor Token out of his pocket again, and shoved it haphazardly into A Qiu's hands.
"With this as proof, the guards throughout the palace will allow you to pass. Before it gets completely light, hurry back to the Tangli Music House!"
The two characters "not good" were neatly placed on the bulletin board outside the gate of the Ministry of Personnel, along with the first rays of dawn in the palace.
There are usually notices posted there about the daily affairs of the Ministry of Personnel, as well as recent major events and important matters of the headquarters.
Among a sea of densely packed official documents written in tiny, neat characters, two large, upright, and weighty "Not good" characters, imbued with a dignified and warm ink tone, stand out prominently on the pristine white Xuan paper, exuding a powerful and eye-catching presence.
The first person to discover these two characters was Zhang Fang, a minor official in the Ministry of Personnel.
He had just finished his night shift and was yawning as he walked out of the vermilion gate of the Ministry of Personnel when he immediately noticed something amiss on the bulletin board.
Upon closer inspection, one would find the word "bad" written on a clean white sheet of paper, neatly pasted in the center of the bulletin board, obscuring a document about grain tax below.
If it weren't for the handwriting clearly indicating strict adherence to the law, and the white paper with its subtle, mountain-like texture and smooth, snow-like feel, the minor official Zhang Fang would have thought it was a prank to post it here to obscure the notice.
However, he looked around and saw no one suspicious.
The Ministry of Personnel is a central government agency, not some back alley or street corner. Anyone who can get into these three layers of outer court to play pranks is probably not reincarnated yet.
He hesitated for a moment, but still wanted to peel down the note. After all, the neatness and orderliness of the bulletin board were also under the responsibility of the clerks. If he peeled it down, returned it intact to the Ministry of Personnel, and reported it to his superiors, it should be no longer his concern.
But before his hand could even touch the book, he heard someone behind him exclaim, "Beautiful handwriting!"
Zhang Fang was so frightened that his hand trembled, and he almost knelt on the ground. He hurriedly retreated three feet away and cupped his hands, saying, "Lord Lantai!"
The one who uttered the exclamation of praise was none other than Zhao Lingying, the "exquisite writer" of the Imperial Library.
However, most officials of the same rank called her "Zhao Zhaorong", while her subordinates called her "Lord Lantai Ling".
But then, Zhao Zhaorong, dressed in a yellow robe and possessing an exquisite beauty, stood gracefully at the entrance of the Ministry of Personnel. She was standing with her arms crossed, staring at the words "Not good." Her usually smiling and beautiful face now carried a rare expression of deep thought.
Behind her was Gongyi Xiu, who had just finished washing up in the side room, changed into his official robes, and was preparing to go to court. He was holding several memorials and said, "Excuse me, please let me pass."
Zhao Lingying stepped aside to make way for him, but did not move aside to let him pass. He smiled and said, "Left Prime Minister, what do you think of this calligraphy?"
Gongyi Xiu had just heard her praise the calligraphy behind her and assumed it was the clerk's work that had caught Zhao Lingying's eye. The literary scene in this dynasty was thriving, and many people studied calligraphy; even minor officials like those in the Six Ministries often privately studied and practiced calligraphy. He was worried about A Qiu's all-night battle at the palace last night, wondering what kind of uproar it would cause in court, and he was already sweating bullets.
Now, upon hearing Zhao Lingying's question, he casually replied, "Your discerning eye is infallible. If you say it's good, then it must be good."
After speaking, he saw neither Zhao Lingying making way nor replying, and then he realized something was wrong, so he looked up in the direction where Zhao Lingying had made way.
Upon seeing this, it was as if a thunderbolt had struck the heavens; truly, three souls had left the top of the head and seven spirits had left the bottom of the feet.
He froze, his handsome face as if covered in a layer of gray ice, caught in a dilemma, feeling cold sweat pouring down his back.
Upon seeing the expressions on the faces of the two officials, especially Gongyi Xiu's, the minor official Zhang Fang immediately knew that what was written on the letter was certainly not a good thing.
He tentatively said, trembling, "This... it seems someone is maliciously slandering our Ministry of Personnel. I'll go and tear it down and throw it away right away."
He rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward, as if to tear the letter off. But before he could do so, a sentence reached his ears, like a thunderclap in a clear sky, leaving him completely bewildered.
Zhao Lingying said coolly, "That is the handwriting of the Junior Tutor."
Young...Young Master?
Zhang Fang recalled that it was no wonder the face seemed vaguely familiar. However, due to his low rank, he did not have the opportunity to see the Junior Tutor Gu Yi's handwritten documents and signatures as often as Zhao Lingying, so he could not recognize him at first glance.
Gongyi Xiu's mind was in complete chaos at this moment.
Ah Qiu—he just had a fight last night, of course he's not feeling well. This message is clearly directed at him.
But this gesture was indeed made by Junior Tutor Gu Yi.
He also recognized Gu Yi's handwriting. Among the high-ranking officials of the third rank and above in the court, none were unfamiliar with the unique and profound "Jade Tablet Script" of Grand Tutor Gu Yi.
Gu Yi actually wrote very little; most of his official documents were dictated and drafted by the registrar. The only handwriting they saw of Gu Yi was his signature and replies. But Gu Yi's calligraphy was strict in its rules and dignified in its style; once seen a few times, it was hard to forget.
Gongyi Xiu's next thought was:
Does she know Gu Yi?
The next thought was:
Did Gu Yi know he was in the Ministry of Personnel?
It must be said that Gongyi Xiu was also a quick-thinking and fast-reacting person, but at this moment, no matter how much he used his brilliant imagination, he could not logically connect A Qiu, a musician from the Music Bureau who had only been in the palace for two days, with Gu Yi, the first chief official of the dynasty, who was powerful and had the authority to issue orders.
For a thoughtful and intelligent person, if logic fails to bridge the gap, the brain will crash.
Gongyi Xiu was in this state at that moment: his eyes were lifeless and vacant.
Right Chancellor Shangguan You was passing through the gate on his way to court.
He had already spotted the three men staring blankly at the headquarters' notice board from outside the gate.
A mere clerk would be one thing. But the Left Chancellor, Gongyi Xiu, and the Imperial Library Director, Zhao Zhaorong, had never crossed paths before. How did these two end up together, both staring blankly at the notice board?
He wondered if something earth-shattering had been posted on the bulletin board. But then he thought it didn't make sense.
If there were truly important matters, the Right Chancellor, who is the head of the civil officials, would be informed first before documents were prepared, issued, and posted on notice boards. There is no reason to put the cart before the horse.
That's what I was thinking, but my feet kept walking this way.
The Ministry of Personnel was staffed by the Left and Right Chancellors, with the Director of the Imperial Library responsible for oversight. Gongyi Xiu and Zhao Lingying did not intend to secretly conspire against him.
When Shangguan You saw the large word "bad", he was slightly taken aback.
But his thoughts were naturally different from Gongyi Xiu's.
What he was thinking was that Gu Yi wasn't the type to have such a long reach; he had never proactively interfered in the trivial matters of the Six Ministries. As for publicly commenting on the affairs of lower-level officials like this, that was unprecedented.
The Shangguan family was the head of the Jiangzuo civil official group for a century, and also a breath of fresh air among the civil officials. No matter who held power in the court, the Shangguan family was always able to remain in power, which shows the political wisdom and experience accumulated over generations.
Shangguan You merely frowned slightly before immediately launching an attack: "What exactly happened last night that made the Grand Tutor so dissatisfied with our Ministry of Personnel?"
Gongyi Xiu seemed to wake up from a nightmare. He and Zhao Ling looked at each other and shook their heads blankly.
The two of them stared at each other, having spent the entire night in the corridor reviewing official documents from various places. What could they possibly do to displease the Junior Tutor?
Shangguan Youyi was a little angry when he saw these two intelligent people looking at each other dumbfounded. What was going on that made these two so bewildered?
After all, they are people without a solid foundation, with shallow experience, and cannot withstand the slightest setback.
He didn't give up and patiently persuaded, "Think again, did anything unusual happen in the palace last night? The Grand Tutor sent this over early this morning, so he must be blaming us for not fulfilling our duties."
He added, "When I left the province yesterday at dusk, I had not yet seen this letter, so it must have happened last night."
It must be said that he is also a person with sound logic and clear thinking.
Upon hearing this, both Gongyi Xiu and Zhao Lingying recalled the events of the previous night. Gongyi Xiu spoke first, his voice hoarse: "Last night... it seems there were assassins in the palace."
Zhao Lingying reacted immediately, glancing at him and saying, "The Left Prime Minister's ears are quite sharp."
Gongyi Xiu realized he had misspoke. If, just if, he were truly just a civil official, the Xianyang Palace was quite a distance from the Ministry of Personnel, and he shouldn't have heard the sounds of fighting.
That's why I said "it seems so." Moreover, the entire palace was subsequently sealed off and searched. Although Sikong Zhao did not explicitly state that assassins had entered the palace, everyone with discerning eyes knew that something must have happened.
Even if he was just guessing, he was probably pretty close to the truth.
Shangguan You frowned immediately and turned to Zhao Lingying: "Zhao Zhaorong."
Since the completion of Jianzhang Palace, it has witnessed six dynasties, and the appearance of assassins in the palace is unprecedented. Firstly, the Imperial Guards are heavily guarded, and secondly, there are highly skilled individuals such as the Four Constellations of Heavenly Secrets and the Four Flying Phoenix Guards guarding the palace. Ordinary martial arts practitioners would not dare to take such a risk.
Unable to avoid Shangguan Youzhi's question, Zhao Lingying bowed and reported, "According to what I've heard, there were sounds of fighting coming from the top of Xianyang Palace last night. Afterwards, the Grand General of the Ministry of Works ordered the palace to be sealed off for a search. Our Ministry of Works was also searched by the Imperial Guards several times, but nothing was found. Therefore, the possibility of an assassin is very high. As for whether it is true or not, we will probably only know today at court."
The Imperial Guards only stated that they had important business requiring a martial law search, without explicitly mentioning that an assassin had escaped. It seems the Emperor hadn't yet decided whether to make the matter public. With the Emperor's mind undecided, Zhao Lingying remained vague, offering no clear conclusion.
Shangguan You, being so experienced, understood immediately. However, instead of turning to go to court, he frowned and looked directly at Zhao Lingying, saying, "Since Consort Zhao suspected there was an assassin, why didn't you go and check it out yourself?"
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