Chapter 68 Teacher and Student
Gu Xunhui tucked the things into his pocket and calmly walked out of the study.
Gu Jingshan remained seated, as if struck by lightning. When he saw his daughter walk past him, he wanted to call out to her, but he held back with great difficulty.
The content Tianmu is currently discussing has dealt a devastating blow to his image.
Gu Jingshan was filled with worry and anxiety.
It was only then that Gu Xunhui realized that her relationship with her father was somewhat strange, but in order not to hurt his feelings, she chose to ignore it.
In the sky above, his future father also ignored his advice:
Gu Jingshan said to his daughter, "Of course I know what you mean. As your father, I will definitely protect your rights. Actually, what difference does it make to me who is emperor? They're all my grandsons."
The Empress then let him go, but she probably didn't believe him at all, maintaining an icy expression the entire time; even her most natural gentle smile vanished.
Xiao Jianhe murmured, "Is this a case of one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop?"
Intimidation and appeasement seem to be ineffective in dealing with troublemakers like Gu Jingshan.
He voiced his doubts, and his grandfather shook his head: "Just as Tianmu said, it's just an ultimatum. The Empress is so clever, she can't possibly not guess who's pulling the strings behind the scenes. She just hopes to persuade Father."
"But she couldn't persuade her..."
Xiao Yichun's expression turned solemn as he recalled Gu Xunhui's figure. He had only seen him once at a banquet when Gu Xunhui was ten years old. Although he was poised and generous, he was definitely not the person Tianmu had described.
However… he suddenly laughed: “Where is there any tenderness in the struggle for power?”
As the Empress, Gu Xunhui wields great power and will no longer be as naive as before.
In early February of the sixth year of the Jinghua era, the struggle between the two sides reached a fever pitch. Xiao Yichun, the then Prime Minister, and Gu Jingshan, the Emperor's father-in-law, naturally became the two leaders of the opposition camp.
In contrast, most of Zhongzong's old guard, the group that followed him south to conquer the country, did not care who the crown prince was—older age was an advantage, and besides, Cong's intelligence far surpassed that of his younger brother—they thought the princess was great, so why bother fighting?
Emperor Zhongzong then suspended court for several days, entrusting all government affairs to Zhong Cong for review: that was the official statement, but he would also conduct a final review. However, the words Emperor Hong'an used to praise his crown prince seemed quite fitting when applied to Zhong Cong.
Soon, King Jungjong happily gave up, even writing a brilliant poem to express his feelings: "True feelings are most likely to give birth to masterpieces, nothing more." This poem was practically blessed by the God of Literature; it's reasonable to suspect that King Jungjong would never be able to write a work of the same quality in his next life.
Shen Mingzhe: "..." I must study harder! I absolutely must study harder!!
How could he tolerate his students being ignorant and incompetent, and constantly being ridiculed by later generations for their lack of skill?
As the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy and a renowned Confucian scholar of the Ning Dynasty, he felt his heart breaking every time he heard this.
Gu Xunhui went back to his room, changed into men's clothing, and found Huai Leju with ease.
She and Huai Leju were actually quite close, after all, they were childhood playmates, and she had taken care of this unfortunate friend when they were young.
She wasn't sure if Huai Leju would help her, but she couldn't say these things to her father: when he announced the news of His Majesty's bestowal of a marriage, his expression clearly showed regret that the other party wasn't the Third Prince.
Gu Xunhui was speechless, but he realized that his father and he were not on the same path at all.
The gates of the Huai residence were tightly shut. Gu Xunhui stepped forward and knocked on the door. After the gatekeeper informed her, he quickly opened the door for her and let her in.
Huai Leju was off duty today and rarely came home, only to hear that Gu Xunhui wanted to see him.
Huai Leju saw her and asked with some confusion, "What urgent matter does Miss Gu have to discuss?"
Gu Xunhui quickly adjusted his expression and said softly, "I would like to ask if Lord Huai is aware that His Majesty intends to bestow a marriage upon me."
Huai Leju's face twisted strangely for a moment. He was obviously most familiar with the emperor's decisions and immediately remembered who the other person was.
But... he couldn't get the emperor to retract his order.
Huai Leju felt somewhat helpless, but then he heard Gu Xunhui say softly, "Young Master Zhou has been at the border for a long time. I don't know if he is well, so I am writing this letter. Lord Huai, could you please deliver this letter to Mingyuan Pass for me?"
Huai Leju pondered for a moment, then tapped the table, gesturing for her to hand him the letter: "Sending a letter is fine, but I need to read it first, just in case..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but Gu Xunhui understood. She generously took out the letter, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Huai Leju.
After reading it, Huai Leju was speechless.
His expression was complicated, and he remained silent for a long time before asking, "Aren't you afraid that I've already sided with the Third Prince?"
Although he and the Fifth Prince were enemies, he had no major offenses against the Third Prince.
Gu Xunhui smiled, a sly smile: "Lord Kehuai, your relationship with Young Master Zhou is probably deeper than that with the Third Prince."
Moreover, if Zhou She gets into trouble, who knows if the emperor won't be angry?
Huai Leju's face twisted as he recalled Tian Mu's assertion that he was Zhou She's loyal subject.
After a long pause, he stuffed the letter into his sleeve: "Alright, I'll mail this letter for you."
When the courtiers finally realized what was happening and discovered that those they had opposed had already entered the hall, they immediately became agitated: "Your Majesty has no martial virtue! How can you do this?! You even have the princess review the impeachment memorials. What difference is there between that and me verbally abusing someone to their face?"
King Jungjong was taking his first annual leave in twenty years of work. He was halfway through his break when he heard that his old prime minister was coming to see him, so he reluctantly said goodbye to his holiday and returned to work.
The old prime minister Xiao Yichun plucked out two hairs from his beard.
Why do I feel like I've become part of the enemy camp, a villain who needs to be suppressed?
Xiao Jianhe quickly reassured him, "Grandpa, your grandson is still here."
I can support the Xiao family for you! Don't worry!
Xiao Yichun's feelings were complicated. His differing political views from this grandson's were evident.
But thinking about it, it's a good thing. In other families, fathers and sons fight side by side, but in the Xiao family, grandfather and grandson are also excellent comrades-in-arms.
From any perspective, it is invincible.
Xiao Yichun's mood improved somewhat.
Zhou She's feelings were complicated.
I didn't even reach the age of working in my past life, but why do I feel that my future is so bleak, worse than that of an ox or a horse?
Can't I retire earlier?
At that moment, he truly understood what it meant to have a "mental state comparable to that of modern working people".
Xiao Yichun was a veteran of three reigns and a tutor to two emperors. He was highly respected for his seniority.
Although King Jungjong dealt a heavy blow to some people, he was still relatively caring towards the elderly. He quickly stepped forward and appeared very gentle in front of his teacher.
The gentle emperor and the loyal old prime minister completed their meeting. For the first time, the emperor showed a side of himself that was unyielding to both soft and hard approaches: "My dear minister, you are right. I know you care about me and the country. I appreciate your good intentions."
After all that, to sum it up: But I won't listen.
Tianmu made jokes while playing the video.
Emperor Hong'an looked up at the sky and saw an old man with the words "Xiao Yichun" on his head, his face full of sorrow, almost in tears.
Emperor Zhongzong, who was opposite him, appeared completely innocent, humbly accepting advice but resolutely refusing to change his ways, which made Xiao Yichun so angry that his beard trembled.
Xiao Yichun: "Your Majesty's love for your son is something I understand. But Your Majesty is the ruler of the world; how can you act rashly for your own selfish reasons? The princess may listen to the government and act as regent, but she must never ascend the throne, otherwise the people's hearts will be unsettled. I urge Your Majesty to think deeply! The lesson of the late emperor is right before our eyes!"
The old prime minister, having lived to a ripe old age, never imagined that he would have to worry about the succession of two generations of emperors.
Establishing an heir is a major national affair, but in reality, it did not exceed his scope of duties.
But he was truly exhausted. The time Emperor Hong'an caused trouble was enough to make him overly suspicious.
The emperor stepped forward and, just as he had done with the loyal minister, took his hand, but with much greater sincerity than he had shown to Gu Jingshan: "Prime Minister Xiao, I understand your meaning, and what you say makes sense. In that case, what do you think of my second son?"
Xiao Yichun fell into a subtle silence.
Clearly, everyone is not a fool. It's really hard to say that Zhong Huang's actions were "ordained by fate."
Otherwise, why would he say that Her Highness the Princess could rule as regent? This shows that he has already seen through the true nature of the prince!
Therefore, the emperor waited a moment, but did not receive a reply. The emperor was not angry, and asked with a smile, "I did not expect Prime Minister Xiao to have such high expectations of the princess. I heard from the princess that she has long admired Prime Minister Xiao, so perhaps…"
Xiao Yichun's heart stopped beating; he almost thought the emperor was going to hand the princess to him.
But the emperor said, "Why not let Xiao Ming and the princess stay by each other's side all the time?"
"..." Xiao Yichun was stunned, completely unaware of why the conversation had turned to his great-granddaughter. He opened his mouth only to find his voice hoarse, "Xiao Ming is dull-witted and probably not up to the task. I beg Your Majesty to consider this carefully."
The emperor patted him on the shoulder and smiled, "I will give your suggestion a good consideration. However, remember to have Xiao Ming go to the princess's residence tomorrow."
After he finished speaking, he called out to the assembled officials who had been waiting outside to enter the hall one by one. When they saw Xiao Yichun standing hand in hand with the emperor, they all cast admiring glances at him.
Prime Minister Xiao truly lives up to his reputation as our leader; he moved the emperor to tears.
Xiao Yichun felt a chill run through her heart. Speechless, she could only tremble and take her leave.
Emperor Hong'an chuckled inwardly.
Xiao Yichun was always calm and composed, so it was rare to see him with this expression.
Zhou She's intentions were actually very clear. Xiao Jianhe and that kid were naturally on his side, and by winning over Xiao Yichun's great-granddaughter, he aimed to both sow discord among the opposition and sway Xiao Yichun's own mind.
Xiao Yichun could certainly understand this, but he couldn't bring himself to refuse. He hadn't objected when the female official entered the court, so what reason could he have to object now?
Did they lock their great-granddaughter up at home? Or did they fabricate the story that Xiao Ming was dull-witted?
That would be a grave crime of deceiving the emperor, and Emperor Zhongzong would probably turn his back on him on the spot.
After Emperor Zhongzong met with his ministers and offered them words of comfort and appeasement, the ministers, who were satisfied with their appointments, discovered the next day that Prime Minister Xiao had betrayed their organization!
Xiao Yichun was speechless, for facts speak louder than words, and everyone had seen that his great-granddaughter had become an assistant official in the princess's residence.
It is said that when Xiao Ming first entered the princess's residence, he went straight to the imperial study and was highly valued. The princess even said: "Huizhi is my good advisor."
Now, everyone's eyes are green with envy as they look at Xiao Yichun.
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