Chapter 111 Chapter 111 Mid-Autumn Night Youth...
The scene of the young man's cold rejection on the Mid-Autumn Festival night was still vivid in Li Yu's mind. At this moment, looking at the familiar person in front of her, she felt that the embarrassment of the past and the awkwardness of the present were intertwined. She felt uncomfortable all over, and even her breathing became subconsciously heavy.
Gu Ze seemed to have lost his memory. His expression was calm, his behavior was composed, and he saluted calmly and said, "Princess." His voice was calm.
Although Li Yu felt deeply uncomfortable, her inherent pride wouldn't allow her to show any weakness or lose her composure in front of him. She forced herself to remain calm, raised an eyebrow, and spoke with her usual sarcasm, "How could Gu Zhongcheng have the leisure to come to such a filthy place?" As soon as she said this, she realized the sharpness in her words was irreversible.
She is right.
Today, Zheng County has been ravaged by the Wei River, and the ground is covered with mud and chaos. Although the flood has receded, the stench of decay still permeates the air, which is extremely "filthy". Only the government office that is farther away is still well preserved and can barely accommodate a few large Buddha statues.
Gu Ze looked at the devastation with a calm gaze and slowly said, "This place has been hit by a disaster and the people are displaced. As a subject, I dare not not come." His voice was low but powerful.
Li Yu just opened his mouth when he was interrupted.
"Gu Zhongcheng, I've bought the quilt you requested."
A clerk came running over from a distance, carrying a pile of quilts. Seeing the three people at the gate in a stalemate, and the girl on horseback holding someone down with a gun, the clerk was somewhat confused and asked quietly, "Gu Zhongcheng, what's going on?"
When Li Yu saw the clerk carrying many bags and wearing an official robe, he immediately realized that this was the clerk beside him.
An imperial censor suddenly appeared in the disaster-stricken area, and he was accompanied by a clerk. Apart from being ordered to inspect the area, Li Yu really couldn't think of any other reason for him to come here for inspection.
She sneered, "I thought that Zhongcheng Gu's talk about justice for the people was admirable, but I didn't expect that he was actually Sima Zhao's heart, which is laughable."
Gu Ze said: "Princess, you misunderstood..."
"Your servant greets the princess!"
Before Gu Ze could finish his words, he was interrupted again.
It turned out that when the clerk beside him heard the word "princess", he was so frightened that his legs went weak. He didn't care about the dirt on the ground and immediately knelt on all fours to pay his respects.
The heavy luggage made him feel like an old turtle that could not bear the weight. He wished he were an old turtle so that he could retract his limbs and head into his shell.
Li Yu had obviously lost interest in listening to his explanation. He drew his spear and casually tossed it to Gu Ze. "Since the emperor has sent you on this inspection, then you, Censor Gu, must fulfill your duties conscientiously and thoroughly investigate this place to see if my good third brother has committed any corruption."
"Princess, you misunderstood." Gu Ze still said this.
Li Yu had no intention of listening to his explanation. He reined in his horse, dismounted, and knocked on the door.
Seeing this, Gu Ze stopped explaining and lowered his eyes.
The man that Li Yu detained wanted to sneak away when the others were not paying attention, but he was frightened by the gun tip that suddenly appeared in front of his head and shrank back to the ground. He looked in the direction of the gun and saw a weak-looking young man in a white robe holding up a gun to stop him.
Looking at his posture, he can actually use a gun.
His expression was dull and it was hard to tell if he was happy or sad, but his aura was inexplicably intimidating.
The man swallowed, swallowing the pain in his calf as he stepped back a few feet. Gu Ze put away his gun. He was puzzled when he suddenly bumped into something hard behind him. He turned around and saw a guard in armor. It turned out that the princess's guards had also arrived.
His eyes were dizzy and he thought to himself: It's over.
.
No one opened the door for a long moment. Perhaps the gatekeeper had mistaken Li Yu and her group for the rioting refugees. Before Li Yu could lose her temper, her attendant angrily knocked on the door and demanded, "How dare you! You even dare to stop the princess and delay her important business. Can you bear the consequences?" His voice was so powerful that it echoed ten miles away, startling several birds.
At this moment, the door creaked open slowly, and a hunched, weathered old doorman trembled as he leaned halfway out, his cloudy eyes filled with fear. He fell to his knees with a plop, his voice tearing with tears: "Princess, please forgive me. I was blind and blind. There were simply too many refugees these days, and I offended Your Highness. Please spare my life!"
Looking at the timid old man in front of him, Li Yu frowned.
After a little thought, you can come to your senses. It's probably because a group of good-for-nothings inside realized that they had offended an important person, so they deliberately pushed out a sick and old man to ward off disaster.
If she had a gentle temperament, everyone would be happy. If she had an impatient personality, I'm afraid the old man would have become a scapegoat by now.
Li Yu's anger grew even more intense, but she remained silent as she spoke coldly, "Since you know my identity, why don't you quickly stand up and lead the way? I want to see the Third Prince."
The old gatekeeper hurriedly stood up, hunched over, and trotted ahead, leading the way, muttering, "Princess, calm down. I'll take you to see the Third Prince right away."
Gu Ze looked at the receding backs of Li Yu and his group, then glanced at the spear in his hand, and finally followed them silently.
The clerk struggled to get up from the ground and chased after him, asking, "Central Minister Gu, I..."
Gu Ze said: "Bring out my official certificate and ask someone to arrange two rooms. Thank you."
He added, "You've had a hard time following me all the way. If possible, take advantage of the break in the rain and get some hot water to cleanse yourself."
The clerk was terrified and waved his hand, saying, "You're welcome. This is what I'm supposed to do!"
.
The group walked through a long corridor and came to a main hall.
The Zheng County magistrate had already received the news and was waiting in awe. When they saw Li Yu come in, a group of people immediately knelt down to pay their respects.
Li Yu glanced around, his gaze landing on the leading official. He said coldly, "I want to see the Third Prince. Why are you blocking my way?"
Several officials looked at each other, but no one spoke for a while.
"A bunch of mutes! Speak!"
Amidst the hustle and bustle, the Zheng County Magistrate was kicked by someone and fell to the ground with a cry of "ouch." He quickly straightened his jade crown, knelt down and said, "To be honest, the Third Prince—" He stumbled for a long time before finally saying, "He's sick."
Li Yu's heart trembled and his pupils dilated.
You must know that since ancient times, after a flood, the most dangerous thing is not hunger or homelessness, but the impending epidemic.
When the flood receded, livestock and human casualties were inevitable. The corpses of humans and animals were mixed in the muddy water. With continuous rain and stagnant water, the corpses began to rot and stink, and mosquitoes swarmed, making it easy for the body to become a breeding ground for the spread of disease.
The most dangerous sign is when someone has a fever.
Li Yu said, "What's wrong? Tell me now! Otherwise I'll tear your mouth apart!"
After repeated urging, the Zheng County Magistrate said bitterly: "Yes, it is His Highness who has a fever!"
A blow struck Li Yu's head, leaving her dizzy and dazed. She grabbed the prefect by the collar and said, "Assholes! Is this how you protect the Third Prince?! Where has he been during my absence? What has he touched? Tell me the truth!"
The prefect said, "Princess, you are innocent! It was the Third Prince who wanted to go!"
He took a deep breath and said, "The Third Prince went to the dike on his first day here. The floodwaters receded, sweeping away corpses and debris that piled up on the dike. The palace soldiers were already busy with their own affairs, let alone braving the torrential rain to retrieve the bodies. I even tried to persuade the Third Prince not to go, but he was determined to deal with the bodies, and I couldn't stop him!"
They are the jewels of the royal family, the nobles of the royal family. How dare they, the ants whose lives are as worthless as grass, stop their master from doing anything? And how can they stop him?
To stop or not to stop? Perhaps these officials have also struggled with this, but in the end they did not stop it.
Li Yu asked, "What is he doing at the dam?"
"His Highness said he was worried that the bodies would accumulate for too long and pollute the water source, and that the people would get sick from drinking unclean water, so he went to deal with the bodies."
Li Yu wished he could knock open his brother's head to see what was inside!
She said with a gloomy face: "Why don't you go and lead the way?!"
“Yes, yes!”
There was a lonely palace soldier guarding the door of the wing room. After Li Yu arrived, the originally deserted place was instantly crowded with people. The corridors and the courtyard were filled with dense umbrellas.
It started raining again in the sky at some point. Layers of dark clouds intertwined and rolled silently, as if trying their best to squeeze out all the water from the clouds.
When God gets angry, the people on earth suffer.
The soles of Li Yu's shoes were stained with countless muds, and after being rolled over by the continuous rain, it looked as if someone had smeared a thin layer of ink on the snow-white surface of the shoes.
She suppressed her anger and said to the person who blocked her way: "Get out of the way."
At this moment, the officials outside the courtyard were extremely united. They stood outside the door with their big bellies, determined to stop Li Yu.
When she turned left, the group of people rushed to the left. When she turned right, the group of people also rushed to the right. The door was blocked tightly.
Li Yu paused, glanced at the group of people solemnly, and shouted: "Where are the imperial guards?!"
The sound of armor echoed throughout the courtyard, "Subordinates are here—"
"Whoever stands in the way will be killed!"
Despite receiving the order, the imperial guards did not move.
Li Yu looked back and saw a group of people kneeling on the ground. The leader of the imperial guards said, "Princess, your health is the most important thing."
Li Yu angrily said, "I want to take care of my brother! Do you want to intervene too? Or is it that my words no longer have any effect on you? Are you planning a rebellion?!"
“…”
Li Yu understood some principles, but the person in the room was her biological brother, who came from the same mother. Even though it made her worry a lot, he was still her blood relative. Li Yu could not calm down in a short period of time.
She forced herself to say, "I'll just take a look."
The officials shook their heads more violently than rattles.
"Excuse me, gentlemen. Has the doctor examined the Third Prince's illness? What instructions did he give?" A loud voice suddenly came in, breaking through the suffocating place and bringing in fresh air.
As soon as they saw Gu Ze, they felt like they had found a life-saving straw, and hurriedly said, "Of course, of course. The doctor said that the Third Prince has a persistent fever, which seems to be a cold symptom, but it cannot be ruled out--" He paused, and said something taboo, "Anyway, the doctor said to take the medicine and observe for half a month. If the fever subsides within half a month, it is just an ordinary cold symptom. If it still hasn't subsided, I'm afraid we have to ask the imperial physician in the palace to take a look." He tried to be as tactful as possible.
"Before that, for the sake of your own health, Princess, please bear with it!" He beat his chest and stamped his feet, looking like he was thinking about Li Yu.
In order to keep their head steady on their shoulders, several people tried their best to stop Li Yu and were almost on the verge of crying.
After some explanation, Li Yu regained her composure. She glanced at Gu Ze, who had followed her without her noticing, and said firmly, "In that case, I will not go in." The officials had just taken a breath when she heard her say, "I'll trouble Minister Gu to visit the Third Prince on my behalf."
When they heard Gu Ze's name, their hearts, which had just been put at ease, were instantly lifted up.
Gu Ze is a favorite of the current Supreme Emperor. He was promoted to Chief Censor at a young age and is Censor Feng's most proud disciple.
If Li Yu is a golden Buddha, then Gu Ze is a silver Buddha. But if they have to offend someone, they would rather offend the silver Buddha.
After all, Censor Gu is well-known for his integrity and uprightness in rectifying wrongs, and is much easier to talk to than the princess.
The officials moved their bodies tremblingly to make way, but their eyes were fixed on Li Yu, fearing that she would run in when they were not paying attention.
Gu Ze just nodded slightly and accepted the order.
He had previously returned Li Yu's spear to her.
Li Yu looked at the spear that had been wiped clean, and was suddenly stunned. Regrets washed over her heart like drizzling rain. When she tried to persuade him to stay, he had already taken the handkerchief handed to him by others, put it on, said "Princess, please be patient", and went in.
He seemed like a man who had grown up in a snowy stream for years, and he could wake people up with just a few words.
Li Yu knew that she had been impulsive. She sighed and asked someone to bring the troublemaker up while waiting for Gu Ze to come out.
The man had been stabbed in the calf by Li Yu, and the blood was flowing profusely. He had also rolled in the rain, freezing cold all over. She glanced at the disheveled man and said, "Who asked you to cause trouble?"
The man was haggard and cold. Untrained, he couldn't even bear this little pain and was afraid of being treated rudely again. When Li Yu asked him, he confessed honestly, "I don't know. I just remember someone found me, gave me some food, and told me to cause trouble here according to his instructions."
"The man looked shabby, dressed just like the other victims around him, except his face was wrapped so tightly that his way was invisible. Judging from his accent, it was a straight official dialect. He didn't sound like a native of Zheng County, but more like someone from Chang'an."
Fearing that Li Yu might be dissatisfied, he added, "I can't see anything else, but that person's eyes are like sharp knives, which makes people shudder."
This is how people usually describe a martial artist who has seen blood.
After a little thought, Li Yu was able to guess who sent this person to cause trouble.
Knowing that the Crown Prince was in Huazhou providing disaster relief, the Emperor still asked A Jin to come here to repair the dam at this critical moment. This action was nothing but to alienate the brothers and make them suspicious of each other, and it also gave Li Jinxiu a chance to show his power.
This is the consequence of offending the majesty of heaven.
Li Yu felt disheartened. She could get whatever she wanted in the palace simply because she was a princess, the most harmless princess, far away from power struggles.
Li Jinxiu was different. With the support of the Qinghe Cui clan and the Empress as his mother, he enjoyed immense prosperity. The Crown Prince, while backed by the Shi clan, had lost its former glory. Following the deaths of the previous Empress and Crown Prince, a whole group of people were implicated, either dead or demoted. While this didn't damage the foundation, it severely weakened the Shi clan, forcing them to recuperate in silence.
Even though Li Jinxiu had no intention of competing for the throne, his mother was worried and forced him every day. Even though Li Jinxiu resisted again and again, in the eyes of the prince, he had probably already been classified as an "enemy" camp. The several frictions over the years were enough to prove this.
Li Yu couldn't understand why his father was so decisive.
She gazed up at the sky, feeling her heart was like the rain that would never stop, shrouded in dark clouds.
"Go, if you catch the person leading the riot, kill him without mercy."
"yes!"
"Hehe, I've told you everything. Princess, can you let me go?" The man smiled obsequiously.
Li Yu glanced at him calmly and said, "Drag him out and behead him."
His face suddenly turned pale, "Have mercy! Ugh——" He was quickly dragged away.
"Princess, there is no need to be so decisive. Perhaps you can think of a solution calmly." As soon as Gu Ze pushed the door open, he saw that she had issued this order, and he tried to mediate.
When everyone saw Gu Ze coming out, they immediately closed the door and secretly stood three feet away from him.
Li Yu said, "Central Minister Gu, are you questioning the way I handled this?"
Gu Ze said, "I dare not." He paused, "When disasters are rampant, there are many victims who are helpless and choose to do this for the livelihood of their loved ones, wives and children. Princess, why do you have to kill them all? Perhaps you can act gently."
Li Yu confronted him for a long time, then said word by word, "What if I say no?"
Gu Ze covered his eyes, stood straight, and said with a neither humble nor arrogant bow: "I dare not influence the princess's thoughts. I can only record it truthfully and pass it on to the saint."
The two looked at each other for a moment, and Gu Ze moved his fingertips slightly and stroked his sleeves.
Li Yu was finally defeated. She nodded repeatedly and sneered, "Your reputation as the Censor is well-deserved. I was just joking just now." She said, "Pass on my order. Whoever leads the riot will be fined ten strokes of the cane and imprisoned for five days without food or clothing." The last sentence put an end to those who wanted to get something for nothing.
"As for him," Li Yu pointed at the man, "he will be beheaded as usual." The troublemakers are in urgent need of a warning, and it would be best if they can be severely frightened and get rid of it once and for all. This man is undoubtedly the best example of demonstration.
Gu Ze knew that she had given in to the limit, so he stopped forcing her. "Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty."
Li Yu had no intention of letting him go. She said, "I am tired. Prepare the room."
"By the way, just now Zhongcheng Gu openly contradicted me. Send Zhongcheng Gu to cleanse himself. After washing, send him to my room. I want to 'interrogate' him personally and ask Zhongcheng Gu about the situation of the Third Prince." After she finished speaking, she glanced at Gu Ze with interest, but saw that his face remained calm and he did not react much to her words.
She lost interest a little and followed the attendant.
Gu Ze stared at the figure for a long time and said, "Please lead the way."
As soon as the words fell, the officials who had been facing a great enemy immediately drooped their brows, "Gu Zhongcheng, please bear with me! I have no choice!"
Gu Ze said: "No problem."
.
In just a moment, the news that Princess Wanyi had publicly abducted the censor Gu Ze spread throughout the small county.
No matter how heated the situation outside was, there was always peace in the house.
White smoke slowly rose from the Boshan furnace. Li Yu leaned against the couch, his expression unpredictable. A screen lay across the couch, and behind it stood Gu Ze.
"What's in your sleeve that's worth you risking your reputation to hand it to me personally? Bring it here so I can see." Li Yuchong said to the person opposite.
Gu Ze lowered his eyes and put his hand around the other end of the screen, saying: "His Highness the Third Prince has repeatedly asked me to hand this over to the princess personally." Therefore, the scene that everyone saw happened: Gu Zhongcheng contradicted the princess in public, and the princess, in anger, tried to seize Gu Zhongcheng by force.
Fortunately, Li Yu reacted quickly and understood what he meant, so he came up with a temporary way to let the two of them be alone.
Li Yu held the palm-sized box in his hand and looked at it for a long time but couldn't make out anything.
If Li Daoxuan came here, he would find that the small box in Li Yu's hand was exactly what he was looking for.
Li Yu did not realize the secret inside for the time being. She just thought it was an ordinary gilded silver box or jewelry box. There were many such things in the palace. However, Gu Ze's words made her look more serious.
"The Third Prince said that his illness was not an accident."
Li Yu's expression froze, and he completely lost his composure. "What does his illness have to do with this box? Tell me in detail."
"His Highness said he had only intended to inspect the damage to the embankment, but he saw corpses strewn across the ground. While hesitating, he stumbled upon a corpse with a bulge in its chest and a torn collar. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the box was a gilded silver box."
Perhaps for the royal family, who were rich and wealthy, the gilded silver box was not considered very special, but for ordinary people, it was a treasure that could buy several shops.
Such a valuable item appeared on the body of a ragged old man, which seemed out of place and quite strange.
Driven by curiosity, Li Jinxiu personally searched the old man's body, and this search was extraordinary.
He discovered the truth in himself.
The deceased seemed to attach great importance to the public inquest, and specially sealed it in a waterproof cowhide bag, and found a rope to tie it around his waist to prevent the public inquest from being washed away by the water.
The official verification clearly states at the beginning: Gao Haizhou, a native of Yangzhou.
Looking back, none of the inquest documents proved that the deceased was the person who caused a sensation in the missing case, Yangzhou Mayor Gao Haizhou.
Although this man's face was swollen from being soaked when Li Jinxiu met him, he could still tell that his appearance was exactly the same as the one in the public examination, even some of the distinctive moles matched.
Gao Haizhou was murdered.
No, if he was murdered, the gilded silver box and the official certificate should not be on him.
There was only one possibility. After escaping by jumping into the river in Weinan County, Gao Haizhou begged for food along the way to avoid being seen. Fearing that he would be discovered by bad guys, he did not dare to enter Chang'an through the main gate. He could only wander outside and wait for the opportunity.
He was also afraid that if he stayed in one place for too long, he would be caught by those people, so Gao Haizhou chose to wander around and beg. When he passed through Zheng County, the Wei River suddenly flooded. Before he could reach Chang'an, he was killed in this accident.
If Li Jinxiu had not had the sudden idea to take a look around the embankment, Gao Haizhou's body would probably never see the light of day. His body might have rotted, disintegrated, and eventually sunk into the Wei River, or been burned to ashes by a fire after the rain stopped.
Li Jinxiu sensed something was wrong. To avoid alerting the enemy, he secretly hid the official certificate and the gilded silver box, but he could not bring Gao Haizhou's body back in a high-profile manner.
So he ignored the obstruction and simply ordered people to collect all the corpses piled up on the embankment and burn them, and hide the ashes in the suburbs.
He couldn't send Gao Changshi back to Yangzhou, so he could only try his best to bury him.
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