Chapter 23 Not Familiar
Silence, a suffocating silence.
Unexpectedly, the emperor's expression was remarkably calm, except for his bright black eyes and slightly trembling beard, which betrayed a hint of his inner thoughts.
Emperor Hong'an lowered his head slightly, deep in thought. He remained silent, and no one dared to utter a sound, each trying to minimize their presence; the entire area in front of the hall was utterly quiet.
Although they dared not speak, everyone was filled with excitement, and a jumble of thoughts exploded in their minds at the same time.
Tan Zhao: Am I not awake yet?
Zhou Ze: I'm the one who's still half asleep!
What should I do if my older brother tells me he's going to rebel as soon as I wake up?
Fu Yuntao: As expected of you, Zhou She...
Fu Yun Shen: Shocking news! The Zhou family is doomed!
Emperor Hong'an raised his eyes, seemingly completely unaware that any members of the Zhou family were present, and asked, "Where is Zhou She?"
Upon receiving his decree, several imperial guards immediately replied, "We will immediately dispatch additional men to search."
Emperor Hong'an remained noncommittal, his gaze shifting slightly: "Ziyou, you will go with us. Remember to bring the second daughter of the Gu family as well."
Huai Leju was somewhat surprised to hear the order, but still obeyed and left.
After his grandsons, who had been standing there like idiots, left, Emperor Hong'an turned to his three sons, each with a different expression, and said, "What are you holding back for? Speak your mind."
The three exchanged glances. The Fourth Prince pondered for a moment, but before he could speak, Emperor Hong'an kicked him aside and cursed, "A bunch of useless trash."
You can't get a fart out of him even if you hit him three times; he's just an eyesore.
The emperor stared at the sky. The young man in the picture was tall and dressed simply, showing no signs of the spoiled nature of a noble scion.
The Zhou She on the sky was completely different from the Zhou She he had seen before.
Tyrant Emperor Zhongzong...
Emperor Hong'an's expression was profound. If he had such a fierce general under his command, what need was there to worry about martial arts skills?
pity.
He was a fierce general, but also a sinner who usurped the throne.
His mind raced, but he remained calm and composed, showing no sign of any extra emotion. He simply said, "Since you have nothing to say, you may all go back."
Boom—
The rain gradually intensified, turning into a torrential downpour that enveloped everyone.
The roof of the carriage crackled as Zhou She mechanically lashed the whip, urging the horses to go faster.
He never expected that the previously slow-moving sky would suddenly speed up when it came to taking his life.
The moment his name was called, he felt his blood run cold, and the extreme fear actually calmed him down a bit.
He hadn't gone far from the city when the neatly paved road splashed up mud. Zhou She pulled his straw hat down tighter and glanced behind him.
There was no need to keep the carriage. He untied the harness, mounted the horse, and tightly bound the bundle to his body. He cracked the whip and gave a soft shout: "Giddy up!"
The horse neighed and galloped away, leaving a trail of tiny footprints on the road.
*
When Huai Leju received the order to leave the palace, his first stop was not the princess's residence.
Deputy Commander Cheng Rong followed behind him. Seeing him walk in another direction, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Boss, where are we going..."
Huai Leju's face was frighteningly pale. He stood straight, like a drawn sword, and his lips were slightly pursed: "The Gu family."
It is common knowledge that the Gu family and the Zhou family are to be married, and the main parties involved are Zhou She and the second daughter of the Gu family.
Cheng Rong recalled the emperor's instructions, but even so, he still hesitated: "Eldest brother, she's just a weak woman, she can't run far. But Zhou She... if we delay any longer, I'm afraid..."
Comparing Gu Er and Zhou She, Zhou She is definitely more important.
Huai Leju glanced at him, offered no explanation, and simply said, "You go first, I'll be there shortly."
Cheng Rong was a little puzzled. He stared at his boss for a while, then suddenly a thought struck him. He asked suspiciously, "Boss, you don't like her, do you?"
"..." Huai Leju's face turned pale instantly.
"Oh!" Cheng Rong noticed his pale face, scratched his neck, and cautiously reminded him, "Boss, if you really are driven by love turned to hate..."
That doesn't seem very gentlemanly.
Huai Leju ignored him and turned to leave.
Cheng Rong immediately gave chase, remembering to instruct his men, "Go to the Princess's residence first to find someone, we'll be there shortly!"
The Gu residence.
When Gu Xunhui heard Tianmu's words, he nearly dropped his teacup. His parents almost fainted; his mother, her face ashen, hugged him tightly, sobbing uncontrollably, "Zhaoniang, Zhaoniang! We shouldn't have married into the Zhou family..."
Gu Xunhui knew what her mother wanted to say. She reached out and wiped away her mother's tears, her fingertips warm, and gently pressed her fingers against her mother's cheek, whispering, "His Majesty will definitely send someone to arrest me."
Father Gu suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, and after a long while, he gasped for breath, "Zhao Niang..."
The rain was getting heavier, and the sound of rain pattering outside the courtyard was deafening.
Gu Xunhui looked at the sky and shook his head helplessly: "I'll go and turn myself in to His Majesty."
Father Gu remained silent. He stared intently at his second daughter, as if this gentle, respectful, well-mannered, yet somewhat frail daughter, who had always been gentle and respectful, was suddenly different from what he had imagined.
No, if this Zhao Niang were truly the Empress in the Heavenly Curtain, her image would have been completely overturned long ago.
“Your going will be of no use.” Father Gu remained silent, then slumped back into his rattan chair.
Rebellion is a serious crime; how could they expect the emperor to let their family off the hook?
"It's just a trial, Father. What do you think? Should we rebel or run away?" Gu Xunhui stood up, a bitter smile on his face. "If it can save the Gu family... Zhaoniang would gladly die."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a knock sounded at the door.
Gu's mother suddenly gripped her daughter's hand tightly. Her hands were as cold as snow. Gu Xunhui patted the back of his mother's hand reassuringly, then opened the door with an umbrella.
"squeak--"
Cheng Rong was getting a little bored and was about to force his way in when the vermilion door suddenly opened a crack, revealing half of the girl's clean-cut face.
Huai Leju bowed respectfully: "I am acting on His Majesty's orders, requesting that you cooperate with the Imperial Guards."
When Gu Xunhui saw the person who came in, he was obviously stunned. After a while, he reacted and opened the door completely.
She was also holding an umbrella, which she handed to Huai Leju: "Lord Huai, you've come in the rain; be careful not to catch a cold. Coincidentally, I also wish to enter the palace to pay my respects to His Majesty..."
“That’s not the case,” Huai Leju interrupted her. “I would like to ask Miss Gu to help me find someone.”
Gu Xunhui's breath hitched. A sense of foreboding crept into her heart, but she forced a smile and asked, "Who are you referring to, sir?"
Huai Leju stepped forward: "Traitor, Zhou She."
really!
Gu Xunhui gritted his teeth, his smile almost crumbling, and said helplessly, "Sir, I really don't know Zhou... Zhou She well."
Huai Leju nodded seriously: "I know."
You know?
"That……"
"Just come with me." Huai Leju turned around and glanced at Cheng Rong.
Cheng Rong was stunned: "Boss?" This is a woman! He, Cheng Rong, is a refined gentleman, after all; such an abrupt act towards a beautiful woman—
"Alright!" Meeting Huai Leju's gaze, he quickly backed down and turned to Gu Xunhui, "Second Miss Gu, please."
*
Emperor Hong'an sat under the pavilion, while the bamboo grove outside swayed and trembled under the rain.
Under the curtain of rain, the sound of the sky rose again, continuing from where it left off:
Changing his surname to Zhong was actually a very abrupt thing, but it was also one of the important conditions for his future ascension to the throne.
As mentioned earlier, Emperor Jungjong was always troubled by one thing: his identity. Logically speaking, he was the emperor's grandson, and he was not even one of the eight hundred people below him.
But now he's changed his surname. Regardless of his actual status, I have imperial blood in my veins, my surname is Zhong, and this surname can be passed down. So how can I not be considered an heir?
The three princes stared blankly at the sky.
On it, a scroll slowly unfurled, filled with Zhou She's... no, Zhong She's pile of fallacies.
[This is the proclamation issued by Emperor Zhongzong after he had dealt with several rivals and the overall situation was settled when he launched his rebellion. To summarize, it mainly contains three points. First, it expresses a sense of helplessness: This position as emperor was not something I wanted; I was forced into it.]
The Third Prince immediately broke down: "Hypocritical! It's disgusting!!"
The Fifth Prince was speechless: Yes, you didn't want to, then why did you send me away?
The fourth prince looked pale and sickly: You don't want to, but I really do. We can switch places.
Secondly, he spoke ill of the two people he hated most: "Why did I become emperor? Because I'm a good person, and my maternal grandfather was a good person too. We both disliked his sons, so to make things better for everyone, I had no choice but to reluctantly become emperor."
Of course, I've omitted several negative comments about the fourth and fifth brothers here. Those interested can refer to the original text; it's quite vulgar, but I won't go into detail to avoid getting my account banned.
Emperor Hong'an stared at the sky.
The scroll was well-preserved, and the handwriting was rich and elegant, clearly not written by Emperor Jungjong himself. He glanced at it and saw a bunch of phrases like "trusting the wicked," "unfilial and unkind," and "lacking virtue before Heaven."
Apart from the third brother, who had little presence due to his early death, the other two were attacked indiscriminately. Tianmu even lingered for a long time, which made the two of them furious and they cursed loudly and without any manners in the mansion.
[Thirdly, the inevitability of my ascension to the throne: Given that Your Majesty's current sons are either morally or mentally deficient, I have no choice but to assume the throne myself. Of course, if you agree, all is well. If you disagree, then I'm sorry, I'll have to persuade you with virtue.]
The so-called "winning people over with virtue" means suppressing them with force and then slowly reasoning with them.
Emperor Hong'an's face turned ashen.
Meanwhile, Zhou She was still on the run.
The weather in early spring was overcast and drizzly. The rain soaked through my clothes and clung to my skin, chilling me to the bone.
His horsemanship was decent, though not as good as those soldiers who rode horses year-round. But among the younger generation, he was quite physically fit because he often rode out of the city for leisure.
However, the horse's physical condition is not optimistic.
Zhou She clearly felt the horse slow down and nudged it with some dissatisfaction. He patted the horse's back helplessly, somewhat frustrated: Is this truly fate?
He left his tired horse behind and backed away, intending to hide in the woods by the roadside along the path.
He hadn't gone far when he suddenly heard the crisp sound of horses' hooves behind him, and someone shouted, "The trail ends here! Which way do we go?!"
Zhou She lowered his body. The rain obscured most of his vision, but he wasn't blind; he could see dozens of young men with long swords slanted across their shoulders, studying something around the main road.
He continued to back away quietly, carefully suppressing his disordered breathing.
Cheng Rong and Huai Leju, along with Gu Xunhui, caught up with the main group.
The imperial guards leading the pursuit saw the approaching figures and hurriedly reported, "Sir, Zhou She must have abandoned his horse and fled. We—"
His straw hat partially obscured his vision, so he adjusted it. A glimpse of a strange woman caught his eye, and he froze, exclaiming, "Sir, this is…"
Gu Xunhui raised his eyes, about to speak, when he heard Huai Leju beside him say, "The daughter of Minister Gu has offered to help us find Zhou She. I brought her along to give it a try."
Gu Xunhui: "...?" She stared at Huai Leju with some surprise and confusion, completely dumbfounded.
Cheng Rong was also stunned. How come he didn't know that the girl had taken the initiative?
Lord Huai, something's not right with you.
Seeing that they hadn't made any move for a while, Zhou She decided not to continue observing and was about to leave when he saw the crowd scatter.
"Zhou She!" A sharp shout suddenly rang out, "I know you're nearby! Where do you think you can escape to?! All land under heaven belongs to the emperor! Do you really think you can hide?!"
Zhou She remained silent and found a more secluded spot.
Cheng Rong called out several times, but received no response. Unperturbed, he pulled Gu Xunhui out from behind and raised her hand high: "Look at who this is?! You just left, dragging others into this mess. How can you be so heartless?!"
Zhou She: "..." I'm not stupid.
When disaster strikes, everyone flees for their lives; he's already done his best. It's just that there are too many people here; if they search slowly, it'll be a real hassle.
Huai Leju stopped Cheng Rong, whose voice was almost cracking from shouting. He said something softly, which Zhou She couldn't see clearly, but he saw two heads move, and then Cheng Rong's voice rang out again: "I guess you're heartless, you don't even care about your parents anymore. Zhou She, do you really think the princess can protect the entire Zhou family? His Majesty has already sent people to the princess's residence!"
Zhou She silently chanted in his mind: "Pah, pah, pah, I can't hear you."
He knew his mother's capabilities; he wouldn't lose his life, but he estimated he would suffer some hardship.
Huai Leju directed his men to block several obvious exits while assigning others to search the area. He himself stood with Gu Xunhui, waiting quietly.
Gu Xunhui shivered slightly from the cold, and his voice trembled as well: "Sir, is Zhou She here?"
Huai Leju glanced back at her, his words concise: "Not bad."
"..." She gritted her teeth, "Then I'll stay here..."
"It's just a psychological tactic, but it seems to be useless against you." Huai Leju smiled faintly. "Miss Gu, please wait for us here."
Looking at his face, Gu Xunhui suddenly had a strange thought: Could this person be trying to freeze her to death?
Fortunately, he didn't have that thought. He returned the umbrella to Gu Xunhui and told her to hold it properly. He then put on a straw hat and quickly walked into the woods.
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