Part 3
“Still so worrisome.” Gu Zhen seemed to scold in a low voice, but reached out helplessly and carried her out of the carriage.
After falling asleep, Zhao Yiyi was very quiet. Not only quiet, but very well-behaved.
Leaning obediently in his arms like that, saying nothing, her body curled up like a small animal, raising infinite affection in one’s heart.
“Behaving better like this.” Gu Zhen chuckled, looked down at the person in his arms, and strode toward Xiangsi Hall.
He placed Zhao Yiyi on the low couch in the hall. Wu Mao entered to ask for instructions: “Bixia, shall we serve the meal?”
Gu Zhen glanced at the low couch and whispered, “No rush. Wait another hour; let the Empress sleep for a while first.” He laughed in a muffled voice, “Played for most of the day; must be tired.”
Wu Mao nodded yes, thinking of today’s events, but his heart was filled with puzzlement.
Given Bixia’s temper, he thought Bixia would definitely make a move against Lu Xianshan. Unexpectedly, the matter was… lightly skipped over like this.
Like a breeze turning a few pages of a book, nothing happened.
Gu Zhen held a piece of paper in his hand, looked down for a while, and suddenly laughed: “Tsk, childhood sweethearts…”
Hearing this laugh, Wu Mao felt cold sweat faintly breaking out on his body, trembling with fear, daring not look up.
Gu Zhen’s expression remained unchanged. He simply threw the paper on the desk and asked coldly, “Wu Mao, do you think We should severely punish that surnamed Lu?”
Wu Mao was silent for a moment, then finally nodded. “Bixia, that Registrar Lu…” having such a relationship with the Empress, and boldly accompanying the Empress to stroll in the East Market—no matter what, given Bixia’s temper, he would absolutely not be let off easily.
“He is the Empress’s cousin and grew up with her. If We punish him in front of the Empress today, wouldn’t that just create distance between the Empress and Us for no reason?”
Gu Zhen still had a smile on his face, but it gradually turned cold.
“We and the Empress naturally cannot have a rift because of irrelevant people.” Gu Zhen rose from the reed mat, glanced at the sky, and said indifferently, “About time. Serve the meal.”
Since having dinner together that day, perhaps because the Emperor was too busy or for other reasons, Zhao Yiyi hadn’t seen him again.
He didn’t ask about that day either.
Zhao Yiyi didn’t want to pay attention to it. She went out to play for several days in a row. Gu Zhen didn’t restrict her, only sending guards to follow each time, occasionally letting Prince of Yan follow.
“Where does Sister-in-law want to go today?” After exiting the palace gate, Prince of Yan rode his horse to the carriage window and asked softly.
Zhao Yiyi lifted the curtain to look out, and what caught her eye was the pagoda towering into the clouds.
She smiled immediately. “I heard this pagoda has nine floors. When I was young, Grandfather had a friendship with the abbot and wanted to take me to the top to have a look, but that day happened to be stormy, so it was delayed. Later, there was never another chance.”
Prince of Yan nodded. “In that case, Sister-in-law should take this opportunity to have a look today.”
The pagoda had nine floors. Because scriptures, relics, and palm-leaf manuscripts were enshrined in the pagoda, people were not easily allowed to enter. The stairs were inside the pagoda, winding up layer by layer. The higher one went, the steeper it became.
Zhao Yiyi wound her way up slowly. By the time she reached the top, her heart was beating rapidly, clearly exhausted. Even the sky had unknowingly darkened a little.
It was currently early morning; the sky should be getting brighter, yet it was the opposite now.
Zhao Yiyi didn’t pay attention to this, thinking it was due to clouds.
The top of the pagoda was ventilated on all four sides. Standing by the window, she felt cool and comfortable. As she stood at a spot overlooking Chang’an’s dense, chessboard-like wards, Mancao suddenly pointed at the sky and exclaimed, “Eh, why is half the sun missing?”
Thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her, she rubbed her eyes and looked up again. It was still as she had seen just now. “Niangniang… look quickly.”
Zhao Yiyi looked at her, then abruptly looked up. Sure enough, as Mancao said, a piece was missing from the sun hanging in mid-air.
Her heart trembled slightly. Suppressing the palpitation, she comforted, “Don’t overthink it. Maybe it’s covered by clouds.”
Mancao said, “Niangniang, being covered by clouds shouldn’t look like this.”
As they spoke, the gap in the sun grew larger, and the sky grew dimmer.
Located on top of the nine-story pagoda, Zhao Yiyi heard someone below—whether a pilgrim or a monk—panicking: “This, this is the Heavenly Dog eating the Sun!”
Zhao Yiyi’s breath caught slightly. Looking up again, the sun had dimmed even more. Suddenly, a violent wind rose, becoming increasingly cold and gloomy.
Outside the temple, Gu Zhen suddenly tightened the reins. The steed neighed, raising and lowering its front hooves, stepping lightly in the distance.
Gu Zhen looked up at the pagoda and saw a woman in a moon-white dress on top of the nine-story tower, looking up at the sky in a daze.
The fierce wind blew her skirt, and as the dress moved with the wind, the tip of his heart trembled along with it.
He dismounted, handed the reins to an attendant, and strode abruptly toward the temple.
The guest-greeting monk stepped forward to speak, but Gu Zhen didn’t even look, entering the temple gate directly.
He didn’t know what exactly he was afraid of.
He just desperately wanted to see her.
To know if she was safe.
Gu Zhen barged straight into the pagoda. Just after climbing two floors, he ran into Zhao Yiyi coming down.
By this time, the sky had long darkened. Only a few lamps lit in the pagoda emitted faint light.
Both were stunned. Zhao Yiyi asked, “Bixia, is it the Heavenly Dog eating the Sun?”
“Yes. Don’t be afraid, it’s nothing. It will return to normal in a while.” Gu Zhen’s voice was gentle, and he reached out to her. “Be good, I’ll take you back.”
Before his voice fell, the ground shook violently.
She was standing on wooden stairs. With the shaking, her figure swayed unsteadily. Just as she was about to hit the ground, she fell into a powerful embrace.
In her trance, she seemed to hear the sound of something smashing down, and a muffled groan from him came by her ear.
Those few lamps also went out, leaving the surroundings in darkness.
She couldn’t see anything clearly.
Earthquake?
Zhao Yiyi thought dazedly. She opened her eyes, trying hard to see clearly. The pagoda was already dim, and with the eclipse, it was pitch black.
She pushed the person in front of her. “Bixia?”
“Don’t be afraid.” Gu Zhen’s voice was gentle as he whispered a few comforting words.
Zhao Yiyi didn’t know how she got back.
Perhaps carried back?
She didn’t remember clearly.
She only knew that when she woke up, she was on the couch in Xiangsi Hall. She beckoned an attendant and asked, “What time is it? Was there an earthquake today?”
The attendant replied, “Niangniang, it is already 2 PM (Wei hour). The earthquake today wasn’t serious. Aside from some thatched cottages smashing outside the city, there are no major issues.”
Thinking of the events in the pagoda, she found her conscience and asked, “Where is Bixia?”
“Bixia is handling this matter in the front court,” the attendant replied.
Qianqiu Hall. Gu Zhen leaned on the edge of the couch, holding an urgent report in his hand, reading ten lines at a glance.
He didn’t make any moves, but the close officials standing by looked uglier than the next.
Heavenly Dog eating the Sun plus an earthquake.
These two events together were enough for Bixia to issue an Edict of Self-Blame.
After several imperial physicians finished their examination, they said respectfully, “Bixia, we subjects all believe Bixia likely had a rib broken by a falling lamp in the pagoda.”
“Mm.” Gu Zhen switched to the next page of the urgent report and ordered coldly, “This matter must not be known to the Empress.”
📖 Advance Access: Complete Novel
- Option 1: Note your email on PayPal/Ko-fi.
- Option 2: Email proof to beezzzreads@gmail.com.
- Option 3: Comment below.
Recommended Reads
![Accidentally Turned a Tragic Romance Plotline into a Sweet and Pampering One [Transmigration]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ACCIDENTALLY.png)
