Chapter 68 After Marriage
As dusk fell, the leaves in the courtyard rustled softly in the breeze.
It felt like a tickle in my heart.
Abu smiled at her and told her many interesting stories from her youth.
Her voice also lacked the worry and concern she had shown when speaking to her daughter earlier.
Just a few words, and a vague attitude.
Bigaloo's countless words and demonstrated attitude were all effective.
This is imperial power.
The sky is high and the fields are vast, with countless stars filling the sky.
Galo stood on a high slope at the entrance to Gyeonggi Province, watching the procession heading north into the night.
The procession, carrying torches, moved like a dragon in flight.
At the very front, the person wearing a felt hat, whose back still appears broad and kind, is her Abu.
In the center was a pitch-black coffin, and the wind blowing from the north gently fluttered the white banners, accompanied by suppressed sobs.
On this night, Galo watched her fifth sister, the woman who always harbored resentment towards her, for the last time.
She didn't know if, had it not been for her birth, the historical Consort Jing would have been Angela Ma, or if her deposition would have been due to her arrogance.
"Master, it's late, we should go back now."
Agate whispered a word of advice.
Galo let out a silent sigh, turned around, and walked in the opposite direction of the group.
But as soon as he turned around, he saw a monk standing under the shade of a tree in the distance.
She had met him before, but their conversation hadn't been very pleasant.
In the desolate, somewhat gloomy night, a monk with a straight back and dressed in a disheveled robe stood in the dim light, his brows solemn.
"master..."
Galo raised her hand to stop Emerald from speaking. The guards beside her stood on either side, slowly gathering up and following behind her as Galo moved forward.
"Your Majesty the Empress."
The monk bowed and paid his respects, but did not kneel.
This was a right that Fulin had granted him long ago.
Do not kneel before the emperor.
"What does the holy monk wish to do?"
Galo stood before him and asked directly.
Jingkong looked much older than before; his eyebrows were slightly gray, his face was yellowish, and he had age spots.
"Your Majesty, you are a person of great background, capable of stopping the raging river with your own abilities. But every flower eventually bears fruit, and someone will pay the price for the history you have altered."
"presumptuous!"
An angry shout came from behind, along with the sharp sound of a sword being drawn.
Jingkong was not afraid at all.
His gaze was like that of a Buddha suppressing demons, fixed intently on the woman he wished to convert.
"To avoid your family members, whose souls belong to you, dying one by one because of you in the future, you should return to where you belong."
As he spoke, he became somewhat agitated, and his expression began to fill with anger.
"You steal people's souls and act in secret. Now the relationship between the Tian family mother and son is strained, and your own sister has died a violent death. This world may perish because of you!"
"You fiend, you should kill yourself to atone for your sins!"
With a fierce expression, he took out a short knife and threw it violently at Galo's feet.
"presumptuous!"
The guards immediately stepped forward and surrounded him.
"master!"
Agate couldn't help but call out in a low voice.
Galo was inwardly both amused and exasperated that he dared to say such things to his face.
It seems that my "Anshun" was too obvious. He was right, I really didn't do well enough before, otherwise how could I have been bullied to this extent?
And it even makes his Abu so worried.
Galo walked straight up to the monk whose face was filled with deep anger.
She scanned the man's face.
I vaguely remember that in history, this monk immolated himself in order to get Fu Lin into Buddhism.
He was a man who wasn't afraid of death.
"You're saying Angrama died because of me?"
The man didn't speak, he just stared at her coldly.
Galo didn't mind that he didn't speak.
"You're saying the Emperor and the Empress Dowager don't get along?"
"You say the world will perish because of me?"
The man smirked, a hint of disdain in his expression.
"you...."
"Smack!"
The air fell silent instantly.
Everyone stared at the monk whose face was turned to the side from the slap.
Even the dozen or so guards standing nearby stared in shock at the slender girl who had just hit someone.
Their empress of the Qing Dynasty.
Galo curled her fingers slightly, then calmly pulled out a pale pink handkerchief embroidered with plum blossoms and gently wiped her slightly numb hands.
She bent down and picked up the dagger that had been thrown on the ground through the embroidered handkerchief.
Who do you take me for?
Looking up at the beaten monk, I saw his chest heaving violently, his breathing becoming increasingly heavy, and his once arrogant eyes now filled with barely suppressed anger and a look of humiliation.
"You ignorant monk, you pry into the secrets of the palace, spread rumors about the imperial family, and insult me."
Who do you think you are?
"You want me to kill myself?"
"I have heard a saying: 'A clay Bodhisattva crossing a river.'"
"You have come before me today, and you have only two paths."
"Either kneel at the entrance of the West Market from today onwards and repent for your sins, or I will investigate one by one which temple raised a monk like you, who is so rebellious. It would be only natural for me to 'prove the Way' with you."
"So,"
Galo's soft fingertips gently glided across the blade.
As a thin line of blood slid down the blade, she raised her eyes and calmly met the man's gaze.
"What should you choose?"
"Holy Monk".
Jingkong's sallow face turned deathly pale in that instant.
Galo curled his lips into a smile and slowly handed over the knife, its blade bearing a trace of his own blood.
.
After an incense stick had burned, guards escorted a figure in light pink riding attire as they galloped toward the capital's gates.
Then another group of people caught up.
"Master, it's all taken care of."
Galo did not answer, his expression indifferent.
The other guards accompanying her all had tense expressions, their gazes subtly fixed on the woman's back.
Galo seemed oblivious until they reached the palace gates, at which point he gave a slight nod to the head of the guards.
"You've all had a hard night. It's chilly late at night, so I'll treat you all to some wine to warm yourselves up."
After speaking, Galo walked into the palace.
Before the head guard could even utter his polite refusal, he had no choice but to kneel down in gratitude.
Jade took out a silver note and handed it over.
Meanwhile, inside Changchun Palace.
"Move all of these out of our house and replace them with this 'Eight Views of Autumn' album, and put this polychrome porcelain on the antique shelf."
A security guard dressed as a chief eunuch stood in the main room, holding a whisk, pacing back and forth, looking around at the furnishings.
The room was filled with palace maids and eunuchs, each carrying an object that could buy a city, moving it back and forth.
"Master Steward, look, this is the porcelain style that Her Majesty the Empress likes the most."
"Squeak."
The scarlet gates of Changchun Palace were opened.
The palace maids and eunuchs in the room immediately stopped in their tracks and all looked towards the door.
A figure in pale pink stepped in.
The security guards hurried forward and led the group in bowing.
"This servant greets Your Majesty the Empress."
"Oh."
Galo turned his gaze away from the courtyard and looked at the security guards who were bowing their heads, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
"What is the steward doing in my bedchamber?"
The security guard stood up, smiling unusually obsequiously, his tone clearly fawning.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor issued an edict today, saying that all the items that are used to being used in the Qianqing Palace should be moved to the Changchun Palace first. Tomorrow, the Changchun Palace and the adjacent palace will be connected, saying that it will be expanded so that it will be more comfortable to live in."
After speaking, he glanced up at the woman's face.
My heart sank immediately.
"If His Majesty wishes to reside in my Changchun Palace, then where shall I reside?"
Galo's voice was quite gentle.
The security guard was taken aback, then immediately said, "The Emperor and Empress are of one mind. Now the Emperor says that the Qianqing Palace is too far away from you and is inconvenient."
"They said that in the future, government affairs would be handled in the Hall of Mental Cultivation next to Changchun Palace, which would also allow me to live in Changchun Palace with Your Majesty."
Upon hearing this, Galo turned around and bowed slightly towards the direction of the Qianqing Palace.
The security guard stepped back slightly, bowed, and said, "Then this servant will continue with his work, and make sure these ignorant fools tiptoe so as not to disturb you in the slightest."
Galo glanced at the security guards and said in a gentle voice, "It's alright, just don't delay His Majesty's time."
They then went straight into the main room, where Agate went to arrange a bath, while Jade followed its master into the room.
Galo continued walking into the house without stopping, spreading her arms and letting Emerald take off her riding clothes.
"Master, were these clothes burned or...?"
Galo's gaze fell on the riding outfit in Emerald's hand, the hem of which had a smear of scarlet blood on it.
The bloodstains soaked into the finest Shu brocade, their colors vibrant, and they seemed to still be warm, not yet dried.
Galo's mind involuntarily conjured up images of the suddenly cut flesh and the gushing blood.
Actually, she didn't feel anything at the time. On the way back, she even thought to herself that she seemed to have some talent in this area, otherwise why didn't she feel anything at all?
There wasn't even the slightest bit of fear.
But even now, looking at these fresh drops of blood, she felt a sudden realization: just an hour ago, she had taken someone's life with her own hands.
And that person, right in front of him, almost cut off his entire head and skull with the dagger she had returned.
Galo closed his eyes slightly, and his body went limp.
"master!"
Emerald quickly took her arm to support her.
Galo supported her with her hand, paused for a moment, then took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"My lord, I will go and summon the imperial physician."
Galo sighed and said, "No need to throw it away, just wash it."
"I really like this Shu brocade."
"Yes, this servant will go and summon the imperial physician, and have Agate come to serve you."
Galo held Emerald's hand and said, "Alright, it's so late at night, there's no need to make a fuss. Your master is just a little tired."
Jade wanted to persuade her further, but when she saw Galona's tired profile, she swallowed all the words she wanted to say.
After helping her master change his clothes, Emerald took the riding clothes and came out of the inner room. She exchanged a glance with Agate, who had just come over, and both of them had worry and heartache in their eyes.
Their master has never killed anyone.
She was a princess who grew up on the grasslands with green grass and clear water, and when she arrived in the capital, she was a noble empress. She had never seen any bloodshed.
But they also understood that their mistress was no longer the princess she once was, nor the empress who had the love of her aunt and the support of the Khorchin.
The moon hangs high in the sky, and countless stars fill the heavens.
Inside the Qianqing Palace, Fulin, dressed in a deep blue robe embroidered with nine dragons, stood with his hands behind his back by the window.
Kneeling behind him was the head guard who had accompanied Galo on her trip. His voice was restrained and hesitant. He had just drunk a cup of wine when he heard the emperor summon him.
He immediately rode to the palace gate and then walked over, his stomach churning from the wine.
The Empress returned the dagger to Jingkong, who then said to her, "Your Majesty, this humble monk believes you have the appearance of someone who has fallen into the three evil realms after death."
After saying this, he committed suicide.
After the head guard finished speaking, he paused, looking at the elongated shadow cast on the floor tiles, and continued, "After witnessing the monk commit suicide, the Empress's expression did not change. She simply turned around, ordered a small team to dispose of Jingkong's body, then turned around, mounted her horse, and returned to the capital."
Fu Lin remained silent, only waving his hand. The head guard bowed once more and then withdrew.
As he reached the entrance and gazed upon the bronze cauldron shrouded in wisps of smoke, he suddenly remembered the monk's words about the unjustly killed Angrama, who apparently died right here on this very platform.
Thinking of the empress, as beautiful as the goddess Luo, and the monk whose neck was almost slashed tonight, the head guard couldn't help but shudder, lowered his head, and quickly left.
.
"Is she asleep?"
At dawn, the Emperor unexpectedly arrived at Changchun Palace.
The night watchman, Agate, whispered, "Your Majesty, after Her Majesty the Empress returned to the palace, she took a bath and then went to bed."
"Is there anything that's bothering you?"
Fu Lin lowered his voice and asked.
Agate paused, shook her head and said, "My mistress drank a bowl of calming medicine before going to bed, and also specifically instructed me to light calming incense, so she slept quite soundly."
"Um."
After speaking, Fu Lin gently pushed open the door and walked into the house. However, he did not go directly into the inner room. Instead, he stood at the door for a while, waiting for the chill on his body to dissipate, before walking into the inner room.
A candle was left lit inside the room, its light appearing slightly yellow under the soft, white glow.
The bed curtains hung down, and beneath the bright yellow, semi-transparent gauze embroidered with gold phoenixes, a slender body undulated slightly.
The room was quiet. Fu Lin couldn't help but take a few steps forward and gently brushed aside the bed curtains with his fingers.
The lingering fragrance made him feel drowsy, and he wanted to abandon everything, skip court, and instead lie down with her on the bed for a good night's sleep.
Fu Lin stared for a long time until he heard a slight noise at the door. He breathed a sigh of relief and was about to turn around when the woman who had been sleeping with her back to him on the bed suddenly stirred.
Fu Lin suddenly turned around, thinking the girl had woken up, but what he saw was her twisting and turning, her sleeping face showing fear, her cheeks flushed, her brows tightly furrowed, and her lips clenched tightly.
Fu Lin was taken aback, and before he could make a move, he was stunned.
Suddenly, a sob was heard, and a tear slid down the tightly closed eye.
"Galo!"
Fu Lin reached out and gently touched Galo's terrified face; his hand was burning hot to the touch.
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Author's Note: Hehe, finally an update! Thank you all for your patience. I had to take an exam, which caused such a long delay. I promise I'll try my best to update every day and finish the story properly!
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