Chapter 309 Rescue
Zhang Chengxian glared at him. "You think you're so smart? You're just pretending to know the answer. Don't you know that for a woman, if her reputation is ruined, she has no way to survive?"
Gu Yufeng habitually scratched his head, a hint of naivety flashing in his eyes, "I understand, but..."
Zhang Chengxian stared at him. "Alright, this is a matter of life and death, I can't wait any longer. We can't let someone's life be ruined because of Prince Duan's wolfish ambitions. You have a sister too, so please do me this once. If anything really happens, I'll take full responsibility!"
A mountain breeze blew by, carrying a fresh floral fragrance that was invigorating.
Gu Yufeng's hesitation seemed to dissipate. No wonder Shen Lishu was involuntarily attracted to him; he was indeed a worthy opponent.
A hint of dejection flashed in his eyes, and he gritted his teeth, "Let's do it, who's afraid of who?"
——
Inside the Chongzheng Hall, Emperor Muzong was pushed into the hall in a wheelchair. This was the first time he had appeared at a grand court assembly since the Crown Prince defeated the rebellious prince and took over the reins of government.
When the court officials saw him, they had different thoughts. Those who had risen to power by flattery in the past kept their mouths shut, afraid that the Crown Prince's people would bring up old grievances.
Of course, there were also loyal ministers who were so moved that their eyes instantly welled up with tears.
Without wasting any words, Emperor Muzong directly ordered Eunuch Feng to read out the edict of abdication and the edict appointing Pei Siyan as the successor to the throne.
"...The Crown Prince has rendered great service to the court and enjoys the support of the people. I am very reassured to entrust the affairs of state to him. After I abdicate, you must all assist the Crown Prince well."
Back then, when the eldest princess rebelled and forced the emperor to abdicate, the court officials mostly pretended not to know. But now, with Emperor Muzong personally confirming that she colluded with Prince Duan in an attempt to rebel, that's a different story.
During this period, the court officials who had originally been attached to the princess were also purged, and the court officials naturally understood what the 'inevitable trend' meant.
Just then, Yin Congjian presented several inferior copper coins. "Your Majesty, these counterfeit coins have been circulating in Tianning City recently. Your humble servant and Lord Shen have investigated many underground banks and have found that the source of these inferior coins is Donglai."
These words caused an uproar in the imperial court.
Immediately, someone from the Censorate stepped forward to impeach the Princess, their words vehement, pleading with the Emperor and the Crown Prince to execute the Princess and Prince Duan.
Counterfeit currency has always been a source of national chaos and caused great harm. Does the Princess really intend to rebel?
“Prince Duan is unfilial, attempting to deceive me, and colluding with the Eldest Princess to try and seize the throne. The Eldest Princess is even more wicked, wreaking havoc on the court. They are both criminals who have destroyed the foundation of my Great Zhou. I will never tolerate evil. Crown Prince, you cannot forgive such villains out of brotherly affection.”
Leaving Chongzheng Hall, Yin Congjian followed the Crown Prince out. "Your Highness, now we have a legitimate reason to send troops. Are we going to mobilize troops to arrest the Eldest Princess?"
Pei Siyan remained calm and shook his head. "Just wait. Gu Yufeng is in Huazhou. Good news will be coming back soon."
Yin Congjian was somewhat surprised, "Without elite troops, how are they going to deal with the Princess?"
Pei Siyan pointed to his head and smiled meaningfully, "If we don't have elite troops, does that mean we can't mobilize them? The Great Zhou Dynasty has a wealth of talent, so I can save myself some trouble."
Originally, he intended to focus on cultivating Gu Yufeng this time, giving him special authority in the hope that he could be more resourceful and come up with a way to deal with the Eldest Princess.
He had actually given secret orders to the Dingzhou and Tongzhou garrisons long ago, instructing them to fully cooperate if Gu Yufeng came to mobilize troops.
He was worried that Gu Yufeng wouldn't understand his deeper meaning, but now it seems that he was worrying for nothing.
Back at the East Palace, just as it was time for dinner, Eunuch Anxi came in and whispered, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess said that there are guests at Wutong Garden, so it's inconvenient for us to dine together tonight. She sent someone specifically to let you know."
As long as the Crown Prince is in the Eastern Palace, he will definitely dine with the Crown Princess, hence the saying.
Pei Siyan's expression turned slightly cold. "Who's coming to visit her?"
"Miss Shen, Shen Lishu."
Pei Siyan felt a surge of resentment for no reason. "Fine, let's finish our dinner first, and then we can continue our discussion later."
Yin Congjian's eyes flickered slightly. "Yes."
Inside the Wutong Garden, palace maids were placing plates of exquisite evening meals on the stone table under the Yuhua Pavilion in the courtyard.
"Li Shu, it's rare for you to come all this way, so I specially prepared plum wine. It's sweet and refreshing, not too sweet. Let's have a couple of drinks later, I guarantee you'll like it." Dou Wenyi brought out a bowl of crispy yellow wine.
"I dare not drink too much, my brother will scold me." Shen Lishu laughed, revealing two shallow dimples.
Dou Wenyi said in a teasing tone, "He's really meddling. You should drink less and don't let him find out."
The two sat down one after the other, picked up their chopsticks and began to eat happily. After a few glasses of fruit wine, both of their faces were flushed.
Shen Lishu felt very comfortable and relaxed. She finally voiced her concerns, "...I have approached Zhang Chengxian several times and made it clear that I want to break off the engagement, but he keeps saying he is busy or that the situation in the court is complicated and that I need to help him out for the time being."
"What exactly does he mean by all this stalling and delaying?"
“He is indeed quite busy,” Dou Wenyi said with a smile, a sense of worry rising in her heart.
Judging from that outing to the outskirts of Beijing, Zhang Chengxian might have already developed feelings for her.
When it comes to matters of the heart, fate plays a role, and it's the usual practice to see through things but not say anything.
She'd only help Zhang Chengxian if he didn't confess himself; she should let him try on his own.
Shen Lishu naturally knew that countless noble families in the Great Zhou Dynasty wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Zhang family. "At first, wasn't he in a hurry? I dare not delay the rise of the new elite of the dynasty."
Dou Wenyi smiled and asked, "Li Shu, do you really want to break off the engagement right away? What do you think of him as a person?"
"He's a good person, chivalrous and righteous, quite upright, but..."
She couldn't finish her sentence.
But sometimes he's too domineering, as if he enjoys bullying her.
Shen Lishu's face was flushed. Dou Wenyi couldn't tell whether it was from shyness or from the plum wine, but she couldn't help but feel hopeful. If the two of them could really get together, it would be a good match.
After Shen Lishu left, Dou Wenyi remembered that there was still a lot of crispy yellow dumplings left from today's cooking, so she took the food box and went to Chaohua Palace.
The palace doors were open. Dou Wenyi, thinking Pei Siyan was probably still in a meeting, hesitated, about to hand the food box to the young eunuch, when she heard that familiar voice behind her.
"Yi'er, why don't you come in?"
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