Chapter 26 His Majesty wavered
As the imperial guards rushed forward, Zhou She scrambled to his feet and said quite consciously, "I'll walk myself."
Emperor Hong'an: "..."
Huai Leju: "..."
Zhou She turned his head: "Let's go, Lord Huai."
The prison was airtight, with only a sliver of dim light filtering through. Huai Leju walked ahead carrying a lantern, while Zhou She was followed by two men, as if afraid he would escape.
The jailer at the front reached out and pushed open the iron gate: "Sir, we've arrived."
He turned around and looked at Zhou She with some curiosity.
It looked like it was being raised with great care, what a pity...
Once you're in the imperial prison, how many of you can get out?
When nobles fall from grace, they are worse off than ordinary people.
Huai Leju stood at the door, looked around at the interior, which was far from clean, and casually said, "Let's tidy it up."
Zhou She was a little surprised: Is this still Huai Leju?
Zhou She held back for a long time, but finally couldn't help but say, "Lord Huai, you are so kind."
Huai Leju turned his head to the side, but his gaze remained fixed on the prison, not even glancing at him: "...You should thank His Majesty instead."
Zhou She stared intently at Huai Leju, his brows furrowing slightly, but he remained silent.
After the two jailers finished tidying up, Huai Leju and Zhou She went inside and locked the door behind them.
Separated by iron bars, Zhou She sat on a straw mat, looking at Huai Leju.
Huai Leju stood outside the prison, a smirk playing on his lips: "I really admire you."
Such stubbornness, even when facing certain death, is a rare quality to find even in the entire capital.
Zhou She smiled slightly, and asked as if he were puzzled, "You're only starting to admire me today?"
Huai Leju turned away expressionlessly after being rebuked by him, ignoring him completely.
Emerging from the dim light, he was surprised to find that the curtain of light was still on, its dazzling brilliance making him slightly dizzy. Huai Leju raised his arm, shielding his eyes with his sleeve, and just then heard the final words of the curtain of light:
Of course, from Emperor Zhongzong's perspective, the Crown Prince's pronouncements were all nonsense. He had already received the news from Ren Duan the day before he was imprisoned.
On the perfunctory black and white sky, two figures appeared.
The taller one walked slightly ahead, while the shorter one followed behind.
The names of the two appeared on the sky at just the right moment.
The young Emperor Jungjong, dressed only in a plain-colored robe, walked with his hands behind his back to the edge of the pond. In the distance, the setting sun cast its golden rays, and the sky was ablaze with color.
Amidst such a beautiful scene, he rather spoiled the mood by saying, "Does Lord Ren mean that I shouldn't have come back, much less argue with the Crown Prince and invite trouble upon myself?"
Ren Duan stepped forward, sighing helplessly, "Lord Zhou, since you've gone all the way to the northern frontier, why return to the capital? I..."
He wanted to talk about his letter, but halfway through, he remembered that it was written anonymously, so he quickly stopped and changed the subject: "I simply couldn't bear to see the pillars of the nation suffer!"
Emperor Zhongzong paused, then turned to look at him.
Although he was nearly thirty, he still looked young. The years in the northern frontier had not left too many obvious marks on his face. His eyebrows and eyes were calm, and he still seemed to have the brilliance of youth.
"The Crown Prince?" Emperor Zhongzong smiled, but his smile turned cold. "He's nothing."
Ren Duan stared in disbelief, realizing the hostility in his voice: "What do you want to do?"
"What do I want to do?" Emperor Zhongzong said coldly. "I'd like to know what the Crown Prince wants to do. I've been in the northern frontier for seven years, while he's been living a carefree life in the capital. What does he know about the suffering of the people of the world, or the suffering of our northern frontier? And now he comes looking for trouble with me?"
Their eyes met. Ren Duan looked at the young man opposite him. Judging from his expression alone, it was almost impossible to discern any change in him, but his tone...
They clearly wanted to skin the crown prince alive and tear him apart!
Ren Duan's breathing grew heavier and heavier. He stared blankly at him, then suddenly let out a trembling growl: "What do you want to do?! You...you want to rebel?!"
Emperor Zhongzong remained silent. After a long while, he finally said, "How can incompetence be called rebellion? Was Emperor Gaozu's ascension to the throne also a rebellion?"
Ren Duan said sternly, "The current ruler is acting perversely, while Emperor Gaozu was the one who won the hearts of the people!"
"After His Majesty passes away, won't the Crown Prince be just like the glorious ruler of yesterday?"
After saying this, Emperor Zhongzong patted Ren Duan on the shoulder and said gently, "Ren Shouzhen, don't worry. I will keep your words in mind. Who can say what His Majesty will do in the future? If His Highness the Crown Prince is truly a wise ruler, I might even assist him."
"Aren't you...aren't you afraid I'll leak your secrets?"
Emperor Zhongzong sighed: "Lord Ren, I believe you are a good person."
Ren Duan did not believe it.
He's mistaken. How could the ruler who has endured years of hardship in the northern frontier and fought against the Northern Di be a simple, harmless sheep?
He shouldn't have come looking for this guy!
Almost simultaneously, King Jungjong added, "I am also an old acquaintance of Minister Ren. Minister Ren has been very kind to me, and I remember it well... His Highness the Crown Prince should also remember it well."
As his words fell, the sky spoke again:
Ren Duan had only tried to help him out of consideration for the country and its people. However, things were not always as he had imagined... When the Crown Prince led his men into the General's mansion, Zhongzong neither left the capital to rebel nor went into hiding. Instead, he was waiting for him at home.
Although Emperor Zhongzong later stated that he simply didn't want to start trouble before Emperor Hong'an died, the author doesn't believe it. Acting was an indispensable part of Zhou's life; it was a skill ingrained in his bones. Therefore, his words cannot be trusted.
Huai Leju stood in front of the prison and glanced back at the prison gate.
He listened silently to the sounds of the sky, as if everything was in harmony with the sky.
And that纨绔 (playboy) named Zhou She...
He couldn't understand why his future self would obey someone he completely looked down on.
Even though Zhou She in the sky did not resemble him at all at this moment.
Alright, that's all for today. To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next episode! Next time, we'll continue the hilarious battle between Emperor Zhongzong and the Crown Prince. Thanks in advance for your likes, comments, and shares!
As Huai Leju pondered, a carriage slowly pulled up in front of him.
He boarded the carriage, lifted the curtain, and peered through the small window. He saw lines of incomplete and fragmented characters appear effortlessly.
[Up, Emperor Jungjong hasn't officially changed his name yet, right? I remember he only performed the Heaven and Earth worship ceremony when the edict was issued.]
[You only worship Heaven and Earth and not your ancestors, Emperor Zhongzong? You're something else!]
[The only ancestor I told was Hong'an. Why doesn't my maternal grandfather count as an ancestor?! You're incredibly bold!]
[The name change was probably politically charged, otherwise the war would have continued for several more years. It was really unnecessary. Luckily, they didn't give him the nickname "Emperor of Two Families," *sweating profusely*.]
[I'm so moved. King Jungjong changed his surname out of anger to avoid committing more killings. I'm so touched, I could cry...]
[Stop being sarcastic, where did this hater come from? Get out of here!]
I can't wait to see the Fifth Prince die!!
[ls+1, Huai Ziyou is currently blocking the East Palace, is that okay?]
[Who wouldn't want that? But I'm puzzled. He was quite unhappy with Emperor Zhongzong before, so why the sudden change of heart?]
[Wasn't Huai Ziyou's tomb opened a while ago? Apparently, there was something there, and they were even live-streaming it yesterday...]
[I remember his mausoleum wasn't near the current one; the legendary minister who most disliked King Jungjong was indeed not just a figure of speech.]
[It's no use bothering him; wherever Emperor Zhongzong points, he'll still have to fight.]
[I glanced at my textbook. It seems Zhou Lao Er isn't dead? Emperor Zhongzong is truly merciful; he actually spared his good younger brother's life.]
Why don't you guess what Vietnam is used for, and who Emperor Cheng killed as his uncle...?
With a blank expression, Huai Leju lowered the curtain.
The more Tianmu said, the more absurd it became. He shook his head, forcing himself to stop thinking about it.
Night fell, and the last glimmer of light in the sky disappeared into the distance.
When Huai Leju returned to the palace, Emperor Hong'an was indeed still awake, and there were two people sitting opposite him, which surprised Huai Leju.
The emperor saw him first and greeted him with a smile, "Ziyou, come in quickly."
As the emperor spoke, the two men who had their backs to him turned around at the same time. They were none other than the third and fourth princes who had been expelled not long ago.
The emperor seemed to have forgotten everything that had just happened, and he hadn't seen what the sky had said, but Huai Leju knew that he must have seen it.
Huai Leju pretended not to see the two princes and reported, "Your Majesty, I have already detained Zhou She."
The emperor responded with a nod and casually said, "Thank you for your hard work."
"This is my duty."
Huai Leju lowered his head, but his heart tightened. Although it was just a casual glance, the expressions on the two princes' faces, as if they had swallowed flies, were impossible to hide.
He felt a little nervous, but also found it amusing: they were all sons of the emperor, yet they couldn't even fake an expression, showing absolutely no air of imperial nobility.
"Alright." Emperor Hong'an put down his teacup, a hint of displeasure on his face, but not at Huai Leju, but at his two sons. "You can go back now."
The fourth prince stood up, looking utterly dejected.
Huai Leju glanced at him and noticed that his hair was a little messy and there was a faint red mark on his face.
The third prince also stood up, seemingly still pondering something. After exchanging a glance with his younger brother, the third prince couldn't help but tentatively say, "Father, we mustn't set a precedent..."
Before he could finish speaking, the emperor raised his eyes, his expression still cold: "I have my own plans."
The third prince immediately shut up. He didn't intend to displease his father right now, but he also didn't intend to protect his foolish younger brother.
The two brothers took their leave one after the other and turned around. When they saw Huai Leju standing by the door, they both showed fake smiles.
Huai Leju: "..." He seemed to understand a little. Compared to this annoying and disgusting expression, Zhou She seemed like a good person.
He was about to take his leave when the emperor called out to him, "Ziyou."
Huai Leju's bent-over waist abruptly stopped.
The old emperor sat by the window, moonlight spilling onto the table, his gray hair reflecting a silvery glow. He smiled, his eyes filled with weariness: "Come, sit with me."
Huai Leju hesitated for a moment: "Your Majesty..."
"I've been pondering this these past few days, what is the true purpose of the Heavenly Curtain?" The emperor didn't press him, but continued, "Is it for the Ning Dynasty, or for Zhou She?"
Huai Leju tensed up immediately. The emperor had indeed read through the words of later generations, and those who spoke of his relationship with Zhou She were like a death knell hanging over his head.
"Ziyou," the emperor sighed, his thoughts racing, "I know you all have your own little schemes, but as long as they're not too outrageous, I can pretend I didn't see them."
With the emperor's light, airy voice, Huai Leju knelt down with a thud.
Emperor Hong'an was not unaware of Huai Leju's intentions. He knew that Huai Leju's desire to help Gu Xunhui was a trivial matter, but one such instance was enough.
The emperor stood up, leaning on the table for support. His knees had been in bad shape since a sudden illness last winter, and they were especially prone to pain on rainy days.
He reached out and helped Huai Leju up, patting his hand: "You have been with me for over ten years. I see you as no different from my own son or nephew... I trust you."
With mixed feelings, Huai Leju also said, "Your Majesty's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain, and I have absolutely no intention of disobeying you."
The two held hands and talked for a while, well past the time when the emperor should have gone to bed. In order not to delay the morning court the next day, he then let Yueju leave.
Huai Leju was so troubled by the emperor's actions that he tossed and turned all night.
He couldn't help but put himself in Zhou She's shoes and wonder if he would have killed him.
Thinking about this, he felt incredibly foolish. Given the emperor's character, if he truly wanted to kill Zhou She, he would have done so long ago in the Qianqing Palace, and certainly wouldn't have waited until tomorrow.
His Majesty's kindness to him was as deep as the sea; he was merely a loyal subject of the emperor, nothing more.
In another place, some people also can't sleep.
Gu Xunhui returned to the Gu residence alone, just as his mother was sobbing and packing up the clothes she had worn. His father held her shoulder with one hand, his eyes also reddening.
Gu Xunhui: "?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Gu's father saw someone enter the backyard. He turned around abruptly to scold them, but instead met his daughter's bewildered face.
Their eyes met, and Gu's father was first delighted, then startled. He reached out and gently nudged his wife, saying, "Zhaoniang is back!"
Gu Xunhui always felt that saying "The ghost is coming" would sound smoother.
Just as Gu's mother had picked out the clothes and was holding them in her arms, she was saying, "Zhao Niang used to love this one the most. After the hundredth day, we'll give it to her..." when her husband reminded her, she quickly turned her face away.
Her eyes were swollen like walnuts. When she saw her living daughter across from her, she couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, not daring to take a step forward, her voice choked and broken: "Zhaoniang..."
Gu Xunhui hurriedly stepped forward, grabbed her hand, lowered his eyes, and tears dripped onto the back of her hand: "It is all thanks to His Majesty's mercy that he has forgiven my disrespect. Mother, I have returned."
Mrs. Gu nodded repeatedly, her joy at having gained and then lost something leaving her speechless. It was Mr. Gu beside her who suddenly seemed to remember something and abruptly asked, "Where's Zhou She?"
*
Zhou She was bandaging his wounds.
He tore off a clean strip of cloth, sat cross-legged on the straw mat, and busied himself with his head down for a while before noticing the intermittent knocking sounds coming from next door.
Zhou She leaned against the wall to stand up, walked closer to the wall, and curled his fingers: "It's late, I'm going to sleep, please don't disturb the neighbors, okay?"
The knocking on the wall stopped for a moment, then immediately intensified, scratching at the wall as if someone were roaring in grief and anger.
Zhou She's attempts to stop him were futile. Goosebumps rose all over his body, and he pressed himself against the wall, deliberately saying, "Is the prison still haunted...?"
The words had barely left his mouth when a familiar roar rang out from the other end: "Zhou She, you grandson!!! Who's haunting you?!"
"..." Zhou She paused for a moment, pressed his ear against the wall, and skillfully forced a smile, "Good brother, so you're here too!"
"Who said I'm your buddy?!" the other person yelled even more furiously, "You've ruined my life!!"
Zhou She patted his sleeves and legs, shaking off the grass dust, and said helplessly but sincerely, "Brother Zhuang, it's not that I want to be your brother, it's just that Tianmu insists on saying it this way, and I can't help it."
A frantic murmur came from the other side. Zhou She covered his ears, took a step back, and was about to pretend nothing had happened when he heard Zhuang Shi say in a low voice, "Brother, if you die, I'll remember to burn some paper money for you..."
Zhou She's lips twitched: "Then I really thank you."
Even so, he recalled the look in Huai Leju's eyes and realized that this was not a dead end.
His Majesty wavered.
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