Chapter 68 Chapter 68

There was a fireplace in the house, which made the atmosphere even more charming.

They finally stopped when both of them were almost out of breath.

But it wasn't over yet. Gu Huaisheng said, "Don't be afraid. I'll be gentle."

Jiang Jingchun didn't say anything else, and just stared at him with those wet red eyes.

Gu Huaisheng kissed her again, kissing down along her lips.

Jiang Jingchun was a little confused by Gu Huaisheng's behavior. She looked down and could only see Gu Huaisheng's head.

Her body had already become extremely soft, and one of her hands was pulling at Gu Huaisheng's hair.

She didn't know where Gu Huaisheng learned all this.

But if she continued like this, she felt like she was going to faint again.

Jiang Jingchun grabbed Gu Huaisheng's hair with some force, she wanted to stop his behavior.

"Stop... Stop now..."

But Gu Huaisheng didn't listen to her.

Finally, Jiang Jingchun couldn't stand it anymore...

Gu Huaisheng raised his head and there seemed to be some water stains on his face. He stretched out his fingers to touch it.

His fingers were long and slender, and the water stains on his white fingertips added a charming touch.

Jiang Jingchun opened her eyes hazily and saw Gu Huaisheng put his finger into his mouth and licked it.

This person is really...

Gu Huaisheng looked at her again and said, "The book says that if you do this, it won't hurt at the beginning."

Jiang Jingchun didn't know what kind of messed up books Gu Huaisheng had read or where he had learned these messed up things from. Before she could say anything, Gu Huaisheng had already come over.

It was a snowy night. Outside, the ground was covered with ice and snow. Inside, the reflection of the candlelight and the sound of the bed could be heard.

When Jiang Jingchun woke up the next day, Gu Huaisheng had already gone to work.

Yesterday, Gu Huaisheng finally learned his lesson and was able to exercise some restraint. Jiang Jingchun no longer felt as much pain as the first time. She held up her hands and stood up, and the memories of last night came flooding back.

My face was burning so badly that I kicked the quilt away and finally felt a little cooler.

But I couldn't help but sneeze.

After the snowball fight yesterday, Jiang Jingchun got a little cold. He rubbed his nose, didn't take it seriously, and got up.

When she got up, it was almost noon. Hua Yun came in and told Madam Gu what she had said. She said, "Madam, please let the young lady have a good rest tonight. There is no need to go to the palace to pay respects."

Today is the 31st of Lakshmi, and tomorrow is New Year's Day.

They will set out for the palace at midnight tonight. From what Madam Gu said, it seems that Gu Huaisheng has already talked to Madam Gu about something.

After hearing this, Jiang Jingchun didn't think any more and crawled back into the quilt, not even getting out of bed.

I felt like I had caught a cold. My head was a little dizzy and I had no appetite for lunch. In the end, I just drank some porridge and went back to sleep.

Jiang Jingchun was still lying in bed until Gu Huaisheng came back from work.

Gu Huaisheng entered the inner room and found that it was still dark. He frowned slightly, remembering that the servants said Jiang Jingchun had not gotten up all day, and thought more.

He turned on the light and walked to the bed. Jiang Jingchun was covered in the quilt.

Gu Huaisheng walked forward and lifted a small corner, revealing Jiang Jingchun's face. Her whole face was red, which was even more obvious under the candlelight.

She was still sleeping, and when she noticed Gu Huaisheng's movement, she opened her eyes.

After seeing who it was, she asked, "You're back?"

So fast, how come she felt like she had just fallen asleep and he came back.

Gu Huaisheng looked at her misty eyes and felt something was wrong. He stretched out the back of his hand and touched Jiang Jingchun's forehead. Sure enough, it was badly burned.

It's burning.

Jiang Jingchun was playing in the snow outside yesterday. I think that was when she got frozen.

Gu Huai sighed.

Now it’s all right. I really don’t have to pretend to be sick to avoid the court congratulations. This time the illness is really gone.

He stood up and asked someone to call the court doctor, who took out a coat from the cupboard and put it on her, then helped her up and leaned her against the head of the bed.

He brushed her hair aside and touched her flushed face with his fingertips.

It's really a bit too icy.

This is what happened after a snowball fight.

Jiang Jingchun leaned against the head of the bed and asked him, "What time is it now? Are you leaving soon?"

They have to get to the palace before midnight.

"It's still early." Gu Huaisheng replied, and then asked, "Have you slept all day? Why didn't you tell me earlier if you felt uncomfortable?"

Jiang Jingchun was sleeping soundly and had no idea what was wrong with her.

Her head was still dizzy and she stopped talking.

Later, the palace doctor came and said that the patient had caught a cold and had a fever. He prescribed some medicine, and the maids started to have a fever when they took it.

After the court doctor left, Gu Huaisheng set up a small table on the bed and had dinner brought in.

Jiang Jingchun looked at the food but had no appetite. She didn't want to eat. She closed her eyes and wanted to lie down and sleep again.

Gu Huaisheng was pulled out of bed again. He coaxed her, "Just eat a little. You just had a bowl of porridge at noon. If you don't eat something now, you will have a stomachache after taking the medicine on an empty stomach."

Gu Huaisheng coaxed her gently and finally got her to eat half a bowl of rice.

After she finished eating, Gu Huaisheng finally picked up his chopsticks and started to fill his stomach as he had a busy evening ahead of him.

After the dishes in the room were cleared away, Hua Yun brought the medicine from outside. After it had almost cooled down, Gu Huaisheng fed it to her.

She was not shy about this matter. The medicine was very bitter, but it would be more uncomfortable not to take it. She drank the medicine cleanly with a frown on her face.

After she finished drinking the medicine, Gu Huaisheng stuffed a candied fruit into her mouth. After eating it, she immediately crawled back into the quilt.

After Jiang Jingchun drank the medicine, he felt even more sleepy. He covered himself with the warm quilt and fell asleep soon after.

About an hour later, Gu Huaisheng brought a basin of hot water and wiped her body.

She had a fever, and after drinking the medicine, she sweated a lot after sleeping for a while. Gu Huaisheng wiped her body and rubbed her face. Jiang Jingchun woke up again. After drinking the medicine, the fever subsided a little, and she finally felt more comfortable.

Gu Huaisheng saw that she was more alert, so he stroked her eyes with his fingertips to make her more awake. He reminded her, "I will be going to the palace soon, and I will be back around noon tomorrow. Remember to have breakfast and take medicine after breakfast. When your fever subsides, the streets will be very lively in the evening. Then we can go for a walk together."

Gu Huaisheng was wearing court robes and had a scent of bathing fragrance on his body, which seemed to indicate that he had just washed himself.

Jiang Jingchun nodded and responded, but he still looked listless.

Gu Huaisheng rubbed her face and said, "Go to sleep. See you next year."

The year ends and the new year begins.

After tonight, everything will finally usher in the new year.

Jiang Jingchun hummed, and said, "Go, I'll wait for you to come back."

When Gu Huaisheng heard her words, a smile appeared in his eyes unconsciously. Finally, fearing that he would delay the time, he tucked the quilt in for her and went out.

He told Jiang Jingchun to take the medicine he had just told Hua Yun to give it to her. After saying this, he walked into the courtyard and left Cangzhuo Courtyard.

Jiang Jingchun lay back on the bed, but he was no longer sleepy. He had slept for about a whole day today, and then he took some medicine and fell asleep again. Now he couldn't fall asleep again.

Gu Huaisheng had just left, and the smell of his body seemed to still linger at the tip of her nose. Jiang Jingchun closed her eyes and seemed to still hear the sound of snow falling outside. There was charcoal burning in the house, and the heat warmed her. After lying down for a while, Jiang Jingchun finally fell asleep.

Before going to bed, she was still thinking about what Gu Huaisheng said.

See you next year.

*

The ceremony of greeting the emperor was quite complicated. The ministers had already put on court robes and had been waiting outside at midnight. Emperor Taihe was still burning incense in preparation. He would first pay a visit to the Empress Dowager, and then, under the guidance of the Ministry of Rites, come out to complete a long series of ceremonies. On this day, even foreign envoys came to the palace to celebrate the new year, and officials from various local departments also came from other places. After completing a series of ceremonies outside the Meridian Gate, the emperor accepted the greetings here.

The congratulations had not yet ended when everyone entered the hall, and the first and second assistants read the memorial together.

By the time we got through all that red tape, it was already dawn.

At the end, after the ceremony in the palace was finally over, the officials and ministers from various departments began to greet each other again...

By the time we finished everything here, it was almost noon. The new year had begun and officials usually had five days of annual leave, starting today.

Gu Huaisheng and his wife were going home. After they left the Meridian Gate, they headed towards the Gu family carriage. Shuliang saw them coming out and hurried over to the side. He whispered in Gu Huaisheng's ear, "Sir, they've caught them. The governor's subordinates have caught them."

Gu Huaisheng's eyelids twitched, and he asked, "Where is the person?"

Shu Liang said: "He has been taken back to the mansion and locked up."

The person was found this morning, but Gu Huaisheng was still in the palace to attend the court celebrations, so they couldn't go in and talk.

They had been searching for that person for almost a month since they had the last portrait of that person disguised as a woman. In fact, they had already found a suspicious person a few days ago, but later they were afraid of catching the wrong person and thus alerting the enemy, so they followed him for a few more days. It was not until they saw that person meet Song Xuanjing a few days ago that they were able to completely confirm that this person was the subordinate.

They found an opportunity to take action and have now captured the man and locked him up.

Gu Huaisheng hurried back home without even having time to see Jiang Jingchun, and went straight to the room where the person was locked up.

The man was tied up with ropes, and his body still looked like the woman. The disguise had not been stripped off yet.

The person lying on the ground heard the noise and looked up. Gu Huaisheng was standing at the door. The sunlight from behind him shone on him, and his face looked a little grim in the backlight.

Gu Huaisheng hadn't slept all night, and the person in front of him was the murderer who killed his teacher, so his face naturally didn't look very good.

Gu Huaisheng walked up to him.

The door behind me was closed from the outside, and light from outside came in through the window at the side.

The subordinate closed his eyes and no longer wanted to look at him.

How come he was caught after all this? He thought he would not be found again after changing his appearance and skin, but he did not expect to end up like this.

These people are really haunting.

The subordinate gave up resistance and chose to close his eyes and pretend to be dead, but Gu Huaisheng used his boots to forcibly lift his jaw and forced him to open his eyes.

He moved with such force that he felt his jaw was about to come out of its socket, so he had to open his eyes.

Gu Huaisheng said, "Qian Zhi, you've made it so hard for me."

He had been looking for him for so long, and now this person finally appeared in front of him.

Qian Zhi also spoke. She looked like a woman, but her voice was that of a man.

He said, "Young Marquis, why bother? It's been so long since the incident happened. What's the point of you looking for me again?"

Gu Huaisheng sneered, "Meaning? I don't care about meaning when I do things, I just look at the results. You caused my teacher to end up like this, and you still dare to ask me about the meaning."

If he hadn't betrayed Shen Changqing, would Shen Changqing have to bear these insults?

Will the new policy suddenly collapse again?

Gu Huaisheng couldn't control his expression when he thought of this. He said, "What did Wang Shun promise you? You want to betray my teacher? The people of Hangu Pass were covered in charcoal and trampled by the Mongolian cavalry. It was all because of you... You killed him and made him bear such a bad name."

"He gave you money? He gave you a position? You yourself have become a rat that everyone wants to kill. What on earth do you want?"

Did he get promoted or did he become successful?

In order to avoid being discovered, he had to work hard every day to pretend to be someone else. Gu Huaisheng didn't quite understand what he was trying to do.

Qian Zhi actually laughed. He said, "Young Marquis, don't you know that this matter is not up to me? Even if I cannot be promoted, even if I am punished with fifty military sticks and stripped of my official position after this incident, so what? Do I have a choice? What can I choose? To die?"

Shen Changqing offended not only Wang Shun, but the entire old party.

What does this mean? Most of the people in the court are from the old party. If he doesn't do this, he will be the one who offends them.

It is better to offend a gentleman than to offend a villain.

There are more ways to make someone miserable than beating with a military stick or stripping him of his official uniform. By comparison, this was already the best outcome for him.

He is not that capable. Shen Changqing dares to offend them, but he cannot afford it. In the end, his family will be broken up and he will not be able to die. Will he regret it later?

The people died, the soldiers died, what did that have to do with him?

All things in the world are like straw dogs, he should pity the people around him.

Qian Zhi said: "The dead cannot be resurrected, so why bother, young marquis? Let it go. The Prime Minister's men are still leading the troops in the Northern Frontier. You are doing this, are you trying to overthrow the Prime Minister?"

The battle in the northern border is endless, so Wang Shun will not encounter any problems for the time being.

When Gu Huaisheng heard this, he kicked him directly in the chest. The man felt pain but tried not to cry out in pain and just groaned.

"You are such a heartless person. How did your teacher treat you? He was very kind to you and made you a deputy general, but you teamed up with Wang Shun to harm him like this."

Listening to him talking about the past, Qian Zhi's expression was not very good. He said that he had no way out, no way out! The people who wanted Shen Changqing dead were not him, but the group of people in the old party!

He was also agitated. He said, "If it was just Wang Shun, it would be fine. But he threatened me with all his party members. He said that if I didn't do this for him, I would be helpless. What can I do? I would rather die than live in disgrace? Stop being ridiculous, okay?"

He really couldn't stand it. Could it be that Gu Huaisheng couldn't understand what people were saying? If he had the ability, couldn't he go and find trouble with Wang Shun?

They are the ones who started it all.

Qian Zhi wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Gu Huaisheng.

"You were the one who collaborated with the enemy."

Gu Huaisheng affirmed: "It was you who colluded with the Mongols, leaked the teacher's decision to them, and finally blamed the defeat at Hangu Pass on the governor's treason, right?"

He was the only one who could steal the governor's seal.

Who else could it be besides him?

Although Gu Huaisheng's question was a rhetorical question, his tone was very affirmative.

Qian Zhi argued, "Wang Shun asked me to do this."

Gu Huaisheng said: "Okay, let's say this when we go to the emperor later."

Qian Zhi didn't know how Gu Huaisheng brought up this point. When did he tell him that he was going to see the emperor?

"You have a wife and a son who are protected by Wang Shun's men."

Gu Huaisheng had already done a thorough investigation of Qian Zhi's life.

Hit the snake at its most vulnerable part. As long as a person is alive, there will always be something that he or she values. This trick has always worked.

Family? Wife and children? No one would allow them to be harmed if they wanted to. Besides, wasn't it because Wang Shun had held Qian Zhi's soft spot that Qian Zhi was willing to listen to?

Qian Zhi was stunned. He knew that Gu Huaisheng might know that he had a wife and children, but he didn't expect that he also knew that they were now protected by Wang Shun.

In fact, it is better to say that it is control rather than protection.

The people on their side must also know that Qian Zhi has been arrested. If Qian Zhi reveals something, they will definitely target them first.

Gu Huaisheng walked towards the door, and soon Shuliang came in with two people.

It was Qian Zhi's wife and children.

Qian Zhi was completely dumbfounded when he saw it.

How did Gu Huaisheng get them here?

Gu Huaisheng let him take a look at them, and then asked Shuliang to take them away.

Qian Zhi shouted at him, "Where did you get them?!"

Gu Huaisheng looked at him and said, "They had been targeting them long before they targeted you. Once you are caught, they will naturally follow suit."

He and his wife and children must be arrested together.

If he arrested his wife and children first, he would certainly alarm the enemy. But after arresting Qian Zhi, he had to take his wife and children away immediately while Wang Shun's men were still not aware of them and the supervision was lax. Otherwise, when they discovered that Qian Zhi was arrested, they would definitely keep a close watch on his wife and children.

Gu Huaisheng walked up to Qian Zhi, looked down at him and said calmly: "I won't kill them, but just like what Wang Shun said to you, I will make them unable to live or die."

His voice was very calm, as if he was talking about something very simple.

Qian Zhi was so angry that he gnashed his teeth and said, "They are all innocent people! Gu Huaisheng, you have no shame!"

Gu Huaisheng sneered, "When you killed so many people, why didn't you think that they were also innocent people?"

Having said that, he turned around and was about to leave, as if he didn't want to talk any more.

"Wait! Don't go!" Qian Zhi finally called him.

Gu Huaisheng turned around and looked at him with disdainful eyes without any emotion.

Perhaps because of the pain, Qian Zhi's feminine face became abnormally distorted at this moment, and it looked quite scary.

Qian Zhi looked at Gu Huaisheng with hatred, but there was nothing he could do. He had indeed grasped his soft spot. If they did not do as he said, he was afraid that he would not let them go. He had killed his teacher and caused Shen Changqing to be in such a situation. With such an end, Gu Huaisheng hated him so much, how could he let him go?

He could not gamble on one person's hatred, and he dared not gamble on whether Gu Huaisheng would harm innocent people.

In the end, he had no choice but to compromise and compromise with Gu Huaisheng.

He asked, "I said, I will tell you the truth about what happened back then, can you let them go?"

"nature."

Gu Huaisheng said again: "Follow me into the palace now."

"So soon?" Qian Zhi didn't expect to go today.

Gu Huai said "hmm" and went out.

Wang Shun discovered that the person was missing, and it was inevitable that someone would come to rob him. Every extra day would increase the danger, and he could not delay even a quarter of an hour.

After Gu Huaisheng left, Shu Liang came in again. He peeled off the skin that the man had used to disguise himself and restored his true form.

Gu Huaisheng was waiting outside the door, leaning against the pillar under the corridor, waiting for the people inside.

Having not slept all night and been tossed around until now, he inevitably looks a bit tired and his thoughts are a little confused and slow.

I'm very tired, but I can't end it now. It's not time to rest yet.

He listened to the noise in the room, his eyelids became heavy, and he closed his eyes unconsciously...

"Gu Huaisheng?"

After a while, a sweet voice came to my ears.

Gu Huaisheng heard the noise and opened his eyes to look at the person who came. It was Jiang Jingchun. She stood in front of him with a puzzled look on her face. He heard her ask, "Why are you sleeping here? Are you sleepy? Why don't you go back to your room?"

He didn't sleep all night yesterday, so he must be very sleepy now.

Gu Huaisheng looked at her. Jiang Jingchun was wearing a hooded hat. The snow-white fur collar made her face look even smaller. Her complexion looked much better than last night. She took some medicine and slept for a whole night. Her fever should have subsided.

Gu Huaisheng lowered his head and touched her forehead with his own. It was indeed not so hot anymore.

Jiang Jingchun wanted to say something, but the next moment, Gu Huaisheng leaned on her shoulder.

"You...what's wrong with you?" Jiang Jingchun was a little confused by Gu Huaisheng's behavior, but at least she didn't push him away.

"I'm so tired... Just rest for a while."

He whispered in her ear, his voice carrying an indescribable softness.

His breath was slow and hot beside her ear.

Jiang Jingchun let him lean against her. In front of her was flying snow all over the sky. Under the white snow, she could already make out the original colors of everything. The light after noon was dazzling, but it still couldn't melt the ice and snow. Everything in the yard was bent under the weight of the snow, except for the plum tree, which was still standing upright.

There was a chill at the tip of my nose, and the smell of Gu Huaisheng.

Jiang Jingchun didn't move anymore. Instead, she reached out her hand unconsciously and touched his back.

The movement was very light, so light that Gu Huaisheng could hardly notice it, but Jiang Jingchun still felt his body stiffen a little.

After a while, Shuliang came out from the room.

He saw the actions of the two men and knew that Gu Huaisheng must be tired now, but it was too late. He had to send him to the palace before Wang Shun took action.

He was still thinking about how to call him when Gu Huaisheng got up and said, "When we get back in the evening, let's go for a walk in the street."

After saying this, Gu Huaisheng didn't want to stay any longer. He turned around and left with his people.

I can't stay here any longer. When I come across something warm, I always want to absorb the warmth and I don't want to leave, but there are some things that I have to solve.

Hopefully I can get back before the evening, and hopefully by this time everything will be resolved.

Jiang Jingchun watched Gu Huaisheng's figure gradually disappear from his sight. He left so quickly that Jiang Jingchun didn't even have time to answer him.

I don’t know what Gu Huaisheng is going to do and why he is so anxious.

She didn't move anymore. She stared at the direction where Gu Huaisheng left for a long time, and finally left.

After leaving here, Gu Huaisheng went straight to the imperial city, and he also asked someone to send a letter to the prince.

Zhao Jinhe knew that this had happened, and he felt better. The emperor was probably still kneeling and praying in the Imperial Ancestral Temple Hall, and he couldn't go in. Zhao Jinhe followed him and allowed him to bring the person in.

*

Since the first snow fell two days ago, it has never stopped snowing.

The first snow of this year came later than in previous years. Just a while ago, when the snow had not yet fallen, Wang Shun used this as an excuse to join forces with other officials to write a letter to the emperor, forcing him to order the reconstruction of Tianlu Terrace. Tianlu Terrace is not just a terrace, it is a terrace for the emperor to show his sincerity to the heaven. How could the emperor just say he would not rebuild it?

Wang Shun used the delay in the first snow as an excuse, saying that it was because the emperor had done something wrong and incurred the wrath of heaven. He used this as an excuse to exert his power and wanted to force the emperor to approve the inner cabinet's memorial to rebuild the Tianlu Terrace.

Emperor Taihe was also a little annoyed by him and was always unhappy, but fortunately he kept working hard and finally the first snow came.

When the first snow fell, he felt relieved.

However, such a result was not very good for Wang Shun.

Wang Shun came out of the palace. He was wearing heavy court robes and a thick red hat on his head. But perhaps because of his age, no matter how thick his clothes were, he was still very cold. The heater in his hands could no longer provide him with heat.

He walked slowly on the palace road, snowflakes fell on his red cloak and took a long time to melt.

He had been walking along this palace wall for nearly forty years. Ever since he became successful at a young age and had been in and out of the palace, he had been busy for almost forty years.

He experienced a lot in his life. He lost his wife when he was young, his son when he was middle-aged, and later in life, he held power in both the government and the country.

They were almost there, and Wang Shun knew that he could no longer walk.

The first snow fell at the end of December. Heaven was helping him, but he still could not use this opportunity to force the emperor to listen to him again.

The young emperor had already grown up, and he had even grown his own minions in places that he could not see.

The first step the emperor takes when growing claws is to grab the person who has clamped his dragon claws.

After finally getting out of the Meridian Gate, Wang Shun was helped into the carriage. When he returned home, he found Song Xuanjing and others inside.

Song Xuanjing looked a little anxious, as if something had happened. Wang Shun looked at him and asked, "What happened?"

Song Xuanjing said: "Qian Zhi was arrested."

Qian Zhi was arrested.

Wang Shun guessed who had done it, and asked, "Where are his wife and children? Are they under surveillance?"

Song Xuanjing's face didn't look good, and his lips turned pale. He shook his head and said, "He's been taken away."

Wang Shun had just returned from the snowstorm, so his reaction was a little slow. It took him a while to react after hearing what was said.

He was also arrested...

Then the next step is to take Qian Zhi to the palace.

The night is long and dreams are many. It is easy to imagine what Gu Huaisheng will do. Naturally, he will take people to see Emperor Taihe as soon as possible.

In the past, Wang Shun was not that afraid.

But the emperor today is no longer the emperor of the past.

As early as the time when he was eighteen years old and sneaked out with Wang Yu from the Autumn Hunting Ground and camped in the deep forest for a night, he should have known that Emperor Taihe was still unruly in his bones.

If there is a chance to bring him down now, will he let it go?

I don’t know. Even Wang Shun himself doesn’t know.

But, not now, he can't fall here.

He looked at Song Xuanjing and said, "Gu Huaisheng must be taking Qian Zhi to the palace now. Immediately arrange assassins to kill him on the way from Gu's house to the palace. Qian Zhi must not be allowed to appear before the emperor alive."

*

The snow this winter was heavy and harsh, and the fragrance of plum blossoms filled the long street. Today is New Year's Day. The street is not very busy during the day, with only a few people walking around. However, red lanterns have been hung in front of every house. By the evening, it becomes much more festive. At the beginning of the year, New Year's Day is always celebrated with joy.

Gu Huaisheng and Qian Zhi were in the same carriage, and he had to keep him under his nose to feel at ease.

This time I brought a lot of secret guards with me, for fear of being intercepted along the way.

Just as he was thinking this, the carriage drove through a long alley and suddenly a sharp arrow shot in from outside.

The sharp arrow was nailed straight into the wall of the carriage, and the tail of the arrow was still shaking, vaguely showing how powerful the arrow was. Gu Huaisheng's face changed, and he immediately pulled Qian Zhi to hide at the bottom of the carriage. Then he stood up and lifted the curtain to look, and saw a group of people in black clothes appear.

Looking at the way these people are dressed, it is not difficult to guess that they are Wang Shun's assassins.

I just didn't expect it to come so soon.