Gu Qingfeng's tears soaked the corner of Gu Heng's blanket, and Gu Heng's fingers trembled involuntarily.
"Ayu...Ayu..."
Gu Qingfeng's eyes suddenly turned cold. He felt disgusted whenever he heard his father call his mother's name.
"Mo Wu, return to the Dragon and Phoenix Palace."
On New Year's Eve, the palace, which should have been bustling with activity, was eerily quiet. Gu Heng was left alone in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, with only a few imperial physicians guarding outside.
Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, red candles crackled and burned, and cold sweat gradually began to bead on Gu Heng's forehead.
"Ayu...Ayu..."
Gu Heng felt his consciousness was completely locked, forced by an unknown force to see scenes he did not want to see.
"My two sons, the elder one is narrow-minded and can only be a ruler who maintains the status quo. The younger one, however, is a promising talent. I am sure that after he ascends the throne, he will be able to lead the Great Qing back to its peak."
That day, he overheard his father's speech and learned that his father's true heir was Gu Lin.
"Your Majesty, isn't the relationship between Prince Xiang and the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence a bit too close...?"
"It's alright. I know he likes the Jiang family girl, but the Gu and Jiang families cannot be related by marriage. I will handle it."
Gu Heng tried to break free from this force and question his father about why he hadn't been chosen, but it was all in vain.
This force held Gu Heng captive and replayed the scenes of how he had flattered and fawned over the Jiang family before his ascension to the throne, making Gu Heng's eyes widen in fury.
These scenes are stains on his life.
Suddenly, the scene shifted, and Gu Heng began to tremble. From A Yu's perspective, he saw... the wedding scene.
From dressing up to putting on the phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, and then leaving the Dingyuan Marquis's mansion.
Along the way, the people were overjoyed and knelt down, shouting "Long live the Empress!"
Immediately afterwards, he, dressed in a red robe, bowed to Ayu.
Gu Heng recalled his thoughts at his wedding. He thought he couldn't remember them anymore, but he remembered them easily. He was happy at the time, finally able to marry Ayu.
But Rong'er reminded him time and time again that Ayu looked down on him from the bottom of her heart.
He looked at the death row inmates he had chosen in advance and desperately suppressed the urge to kill them. How could such lowly people be allowed to taint his Ayu?
Just as he was about to lose control of his desire to go to Zhaoning Palace, Gu Lin found him and wanted to make a deal with him.
Gu Heng seemed to be able to feel his own anger in the scene, his brother coveting his empress.
And so, he allowed Gu Lin to enter Zhaoning Palace.
"stop!"
Gu Heng regained his senses and opened his eyes, drenched in sweat.
Hearing the commotion, the imperial physician outside the palace rushed in to check on Gu Heng's condition. "Your Majesty, please don't get angry anymore. Anger will accelerate the spread of the poison."
"Whether it spreads or not, I... don't have many days left to live."
The dream seemed to have exhausted all of Gu Heng's strength, making it extremely difficult for him to even speak. Gu Heng himself couldn't understand why he had such a dream for no reason.
The scenes in the dream were so vivid, so vivid that it felt like they happened all over again.
The imperial physician dared not answer Gu Heng's question. After taking Gu Heng's pulse, he stood obediently outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The entire hall was empty except for Gu Heng.
New Year's Eve...
Gu Heng smiled slightly. How did he gradually become a lonely person?
He needs to sort things out carefully.
......
Daqing.
"Your Highness." Qin Wei appeared, and Gu Qingyan put down the spear in his hand upon hearing this. "You've come."
"What are your orders, Your Highness?"
Gu Qingyan pointed to the map beside him and said, "Since I'm just idling around anyway, I might as well go to Lingzhou."
Qin Wei lowered his head to hide the surprise in his eyes, "Why did Your Highness decide to go to Lingzhou?"
"The Prime Minister said that there are many bandits in Lingzhou, and that it is a good place for me to train." Gu Qingyan did not notice Qin Wei's strangeness. "Pack your things and set off immediately."
Gu Qingyan led Qin Wei to Lingzhou. Before they arrived in Lingzhou, the message Qin Wei sent out reached Pei Lan first.
"My master said that Prince Yan will come to Lingzhou."
Pei Lan's eyes sharpened. They were currently using Gu Qingling's handwritten letter to win over officials, and it was clear that many officials in the area were already interested. Plus, there was that person in the capital...
Why did Prince Yan come to Lingzhou at this time? Did he see something amiss?
“I will hide Gu Qingling well.” Hua Qing lowered his eyes. “Pei Lan, do you think we should take this opportunity to get rid of Prince Yan?”
"Hua Qing!"
Pei Lan's expression suddenly changed drastically. "My master said that we cannot act against Prince Yan without his permission."
“But don’t you think that Master is too soft-hearted every time he faces Prince Yan?” Hua Qing unwrapped another sugar cube. “In the nearly ten years he was in Prince Xiang’s mansion, there were countless opportunities for Master to take action, but he always held back.”
"If we don't make a move now, Prince Yan will be someone we won't be able to kill in the future."
A murderous glint flashed in Hua Qing's eyes. The next second, he felt a short knife pressed against his waist. "Hua Qing, I'll remind you one last time: a master is always a master."
Outside Lingzhou City.
"Your Highness, I've heard that Lingzhou City is now a mixed bag of people. We should disguise ourselves first."
Gu Qingyan nodded, and a quarter of an hour later, the image of a wealthy young master appeared in Lingzhou City.
"This year, the capital city was hit by a blizzard, but we haven't seen a single raindrop here in Lingzhou." Gu Qingyan carried a hot water bottle in his arms and deliberately chose to walk in sparsely populated areas.
When the two of them entered an alley, Qin Wei suddenly drew his sword from his waist and stood in front of Gu Qingyan.
The next second, several burly men appeared at the end of the alley.
"Whose rich young master is this? He doesn't seem to know the rules of Lingzhou City." One of the burly men revealed a somewhat lewd smile, and the next second, Qin Wei's sword pierced through the burly man's eyes.
"ah--"
The burly man covered his eyes and knelt on the ground. Qin Wei's face was as cold as ice. "How dare you disrespect my young master! You're asking for death!"
"Who...who exactly are you?"
The other burly men looked at Qin Wei's still-dripping blood sword with horror, realizing that they had messed with a tough opponent this time.
"I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."
Gu Qingyan chuckled and slowly walked forward. "Which gang do you belong to?"
People rarely come here, which shows that these people have been entrenched here for years, lording it over others.
The burly men stammered, unwilling to answer, but Qin Wei drew his sword. "My young master is asking me a question!"
"I'll say it... I'll say it right away..."
Fifteen minutes later, Gu Qingyan walked back with satisfaction, saying, "Find a time to take those people to the authorities."
"yes."
As they walked, Gu Qingyan suddenly laughed out loud, "Qin Wei, it seems that as long as you are there, I will not suffer any injury."
"Protecting the prince is my duty."
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