Gu Heng said, "Of course we should recall her, but there's no rush. Where is Wen Nongnong now?"
Seeing that he could not refuse, Si Luo had no choice but to say, "I have settled her in a manor in the suburbs."
Gu Heng smiled and said, "Si Luo, you did a great job this time and made a great contribution. I will reward you handsomely."
Si Luo knelt down, "It is my duty to share the Emperor's burdens, and I do not deserve any reward."
Gu Heng was very satisfied and personally helped him up. "Si Luo, you always make me trust and feel at ease. It is my good fortune to have a minister like you."
Si Luo was somewhat moved. "Your Majesty, you mustn't say that. It is my honor to serve Your Majesty." He hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but say, "Now that the Regent is blind, Your Majesty can use that as a reason to reclaim the military tally. Wen Nongnong's usefulness is actually quite limited now. Perhaps you should..."
Gu Heng glanced at him indifferently, "Although the Imperial Uncle is blind, it won't be so easy to get him to hand over the military seal. With Wen Nongnong in our hands, we'll have an extra layer of protection. Send people to take good care of her and make sure she doesn't suffer any grievances. I'll go see her again in a few days."
"Yes." Si Luo lowered her eyes, a complex feeling rising in her heart.
Not long after he left, Tu Tong came to the Imperial Study carrying a food box.
"Your Majesty, I have brought you some snacks." She approached with a seductive gesture.
Gu Heng glanced at her, his expression indifferent. "From now on, without my summons, you are not allowed to enter the study. You may leave."
Tu Tong stared at him in astonishment.
So shocked was he that it took him a good while to react.
"Don't you understand?" Gu Heng looked at her impatiently, a hint of disgust in his eyes.
Tu Tong was startled and quickly curtsied, "This concubine... will now withdraw."
Tu Tong's expression finally darkened after she left the Imperial Study.
What happened?
Why has the man who was so tender and affectionate towards her yesterday changed his attitude today?
What triggered the Emperor's anger?
She found it hard to reconcile the fact that she had almost clashed with the Empress Dowager for her sake last time with the cold-hearted man she had just met in the Imperial Study.
The Emperor clearly adores her, so why is he acting this way today...?
She naturally saw the disgust in the Emperor's eyes just now.
Tu Tong was completely baffled, and because she was thinking about something, she almost bumped into someone.
"What's wrong with Consort Tu? She looks so lost." Wen Ruyi took a step back, staring at her with unfriendly eyes.
Tu Tong composed herself, but at this moment, she really didn't have time to deal with her, so she gave a perfunctory reply and walked away.
Wen Ruyi watched her departing figure in a hurry, lost in thought.
"Tu Cairen's complexion seems a bit off," He Xiang said.
Wen Ruyi thought for a moment and asked, "She just came from the Imperial Study, right?"
He Xiang nodded. "I heard that she has been going to the Imperial Study to serve His Majesty these past few days."
Upon hearing this, Wen Ruyi scoffed, "It seems that this Tu Cairen is nothing special."
He Xiang asked, puzzled, "Has Consort Jieyu discovered something?"
Wen Ruyi curled the corners of her lips. "Judging from Consort Tu's expression just now, she's probably going to fall out of favor." Sure enough, having a face that only resembles others is enough to keep her in favor temporarily. Gu Heng got tired of her after just a few days.
But why did Gu Heng suddenly get tired of Tu Tong?
Was it because he felt she was nothing special, or had someone more attractive to him than Tu Tong appeared?
Wen Ruyi fell into deep thought.
He Xiang was somewhat surprised, "So fast?" Just a few days ago, the palace servants were talking about the Emperor's favor towards Consort Tu, but today... it's really unexpected.
"Just you wait and see, Consort Tu's good days are over." Wen Ruyi collected her thoughts and said calmly. She knew better than anyone that the emperor's favor was the most unreliable thing, and she was a living example of it.
...
Two days later, in Juezhou, at the Juewang Mansion.
While King Jue was still discussing with his advisors how to restrain the Northern Di people after opening the door to them, his subordinates suddenly rushed in with a panicked report.
"Your Highness, Juezhou City is under siege..."
"What did you say?" King Jue thought he had misheard.
"Juezhou City is surrounded." The subordinate lowered his head and repeated, not even looking him in the eye.
"What?" Jue Wang suddenly stood up, and in his haste, he knocked over the teacup beside him.
The tea instantly soaked the letters on the table, but by then, no one paid any attention to it.
"Who will lead the troops?" King Jue asked, his face grim.
"It is said to be the second young master of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Wen Tingyun, the military officer," the subordinate said.
Mu Liao was shocked. "Why would they besiege the city for no reason? There was no prior warning."
The subordinate shook his head, "It's not clear yet."
Mu Liao looked at the Prince Jue, "Has the news leaked out? Is that why the court sent troops?"
King Ju slammed his fist on the table and said in a deep voice, "I was just worried about not having an excuse to send troops. Their arrival is just in time. Pass on my command to break out of the city with all our might, gather all our troops, and we will march straight to the capital."
The advisor thought to himself, "How can the current situation be the same?"
It is said that one should not fight a battle unprepared. The fact that the imperial court has suddenly sent troops here means that they must have come prepared. They were caught off guard, and if they rashly send troops now, their chances of winning are slim.
But right now, if we don't take the initiative, we're doomed anyway, so we might as well go all out.
Thinking it over, the advisor suggested, "Your Highness, please open the gates of Lingyun Mountain and let the Beidi people in. In the current situation, only chaos will be to our advantage."
These words were like a wake-up call. King Jue immediately said, "What you say makes sense. I will now send out a signal to the soldiers guarding Lingyun Mountain to open the secret passage door."
However, after sending the signal three times, there was still no response from the soldiers of Lingyun Mountain.
King Jue's complexion turned extremely poor, and he looked somewhat dejected.
The staff officers were also getting restless. "What's going on? Why haven't the soldiers at Lingyun Mountain sent any signals yet? Could it be... could something have gone wrong?"
It's obvious that the imperial court's sudden dispatch of troops to besiege the city was no accident. Perhaps their plan had already been leaked, and the secrets of Lingyun Mountain had probably been discovered as well.
Just then, another subordinate rushed in, "Your Highness, they have begun their attack on the city!"
King Jue stood up. "How many troops have they brought?"
"It seems there are... there are over a hundred thousand," the subordinate said in a trembling voice. "They said that if you are willing to open the city gates and leave with your hands bound, the Regent will plead for you before the Emperor and spare your life..."
As he spoke, the subordinate's voice gradually faded, not daring to look at the King's unpleasant expression.
"Gu Linchao is here too?" King Jue's brows were furrowed with gloom.
"Yes, it should be," the subordinate replied.
"Your Highness, the situation is hopeless. We should open the city gates instead..." the advisor advised.
The vigorous king kicked him to the ground, shouting, "You bastard, I haven't lost yet!"
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