Part 2
Ziwei Palace, Dajiao Temple.
Grand Consort He was called up as usual, changed into Taoist nun attire, and went to the Three Pure Ones Hall to chant scriptures.
He Xunling followed behind her with lowered brows. Only when they reached a secluded place did she lower her voice and call, “Aunt.”
“Shut up!” Grand Consort He glanced back and glared at her. Her voice was somewhat cold, and her eyes were dark.
Looking at this niece, disappointment flashed through her eyes. Usually, she looked fine, but unexpectedly, she couldn’t keep her composure.
He Xunling didn’t shut up as she wished. The bitter days during this period tortured her almost to madness. With red eyes, she pulled at Grand Consort He’s arm and whispered, “Aunt, back then you said Bixia didn’t like the Empress. As long as I used some tricks, I could step on the Empress under my feet. But now…”
She didn’t finish the rest, but Grand Consort He understood.
She sneered, “When did I say that?”
He Xunling’s eyes widened. She stepped forward to pull her clothes corner and said urgently, “Aunt, you can’t deny it!”
She was so angry her heart hurt, breathing rapidly, her eyes almost popping out. “Aunt, now I don’t ask for the Empress position anymore, I just want to get out of this place. Aunt, you must have a way to beg Eldest Aunt, right?”
Grand Consort He lowered her eyes and chuckled lightly. “Xunling, back then, you agreed to Aunt yourself.”
While they were speaking, a group of people suddenly entered from outside, wearing Forbidden Army uniforms and holding tokens. “By order, searching for the criminal’s family members.” After speaking, the Forbidden Army dispersed to search the hall.
The arrival of the Forbidden Army cast a tense atmosphere over the Dajiao Temple’s morning.
With a turn of eyes, after spotting He Xunling, they quickly stepped forward and pulled He Xunling’s arm.
“You! What are you doing!” He Xunling panicked until her heartbeat stopped. She tried desperately to break free and shouted loudly.
She reached out to pull Grand Consort He, trembling, “Aunt… Aunt save me!”
But Grand Consort He just put her palms together and lowered her eyes. “Blessings of the Immeasurable Heavenly Worthy.”
“Second Miss He, please cooperate. We are also acting on orders; do not make it difficult for us.” A Forbidden Army leader strode over and said softly.
His voice was gentle, yet it revealed a sinister chill.
He Xunling’s hair stood on end. She glared at the man and asked, “Why are you arresting me? Do you know Empress Dowager Niangniang is my aunt?”
“Second Miss He, put it down; naturally we know.” The leader smiled, not frightened by her at all, not even raising an eyebrow. “The He family has all been investigated and handled. Miss He better not struggle, otherwise if some incident occurs, we can’t explain it clearly.”
He Xunling was finally gagged and dragged down amidst despair, unable to make a sound.
Someone in the Forbidden Army said inadvertently, “Have to bring Eldest Princess Linchuan over too; it’s troublesome.”
Grand Consort He looked up. Her lowered eyes suddenly opened, burning as she stared at the back of that soldier.
After watching for a moment, she lowered her eyes slightly, concealing the look in her eyes.
In a daze, He Xunling was thrown into prison. Looking around, she found the surroundings were all people from the He family’s second branch.
Eldest Princess Linchuan was brought over at this time.
Her clothes were plain, jewelry simple, and she had lost a whole circle of weight. Hearing the screams in the prison, she tried desperately to flee but was held down by palace servants.
“Princess, this is Bixia’s order. It’s just watching the execution; it’s nothing.” A eunuch’s voice rang by her ear, but Linchuan only felt her scalp go numb.
She forced herself to look back calmly and said in a deep voice, “I don’t want to watch. Let me see Empress Mother; I want to see Royal Brother too.”
The eunuch replied, “Bixia is not in the capital, and Empress Dowager Niangniang is recuperating; afraid she has no time to see the Princess.”
Called watching execution, it was actually watching the interrogation of the He family’s second branch.
Linchuan was forced to sit on a chair to watch. She wanted to close her eyes, but the people beside her wouldn’t let her, so she could only watch the whole process with eyes open.
From horror until her eyes lost focus.
Only a bloody color remained before her eyes; she couldn’t see anything clearly.
Coming out of the Dali Temple prison, she turned to the roadside, squatted down, and vomited with a “Wah” sound.
Victory reports from the Rouran war came frequently. These days, everyone in Chang’an City carried a bit of festive air.
Even the peddlers and porters were discussing this war.
Those who didn’t enlist or missed the conscription back then all sighed endlessly, looking depressed.
Gu Zhen had no free time at all these days, constantly handling post-war matters. Because of the Rouran victory, those rumors asking the Emperor to issue an Edict of Self-Blame gradually faded; no one dared mention them again.
Prince of Yan arrested some people, bringing the interrogation results to see Gu Zhen. “Royal Brother, some rumors were released by manpower Eldest Brother planted in Chang’an, and a few were remnants of the Henei party.”
Gu Zhen couldn’t help laughing, whispering, “Last time We only called people from the Imperial Prison over and didn’t do anything to him, wanting to slow down first and fish out a bigger one. Unexpectedly, the same method Father Emperor used once, and We use a second time, he still falls for it. After so many years, he is still this stupid.”
Prince of Yan asked how to handle it.
“Since he is so impatient to seek death, We will fulfill his wish.” Gu Zhen’s voice was indifferent, a trace of hostility flashing across the bottom of his eyes. “It’s just there is one thing We can’t figure out: how exactly… did he come up with these stupid moves.”
The deposed Prince of Wei had already lost a leg when he rebelled, and his health wasn’t good.
Even if he really became Emperor, he probably wouldn’t have the fortune to enjoy it.
This point was what Gu Zhen couldn’t figure out no matter what.
Prince of Yan replied, “After interrogation, it will become clear.”
Gu Zhen frowned. After pondering for a long while, he finally nodded.
Not long after, Wu Mao entered the hall holding a file and said respectfully, “Bixia, everyone from the He family has been imprisoned and is awaiting disposal. This is what was interrogated from He Minghong.”
Gu Zhen took it and read ten lines at a glance.
Sure enough, he saw Grand Consort He mentioning sending her daughter into the palace, saying she would seek the Empress position for He Xunling.
“Leave her life for now.” Gu Zhen hooked his lips, interest appearing in his eyes.
For someone like her who clung to the mortal world, just keeping her in the temple chanting scriptures and praying to Buddha was enough to make her suffer for a long time.
Keep her alive for now; she couldn’t turn the tables anyway. Wait until the crimes are fully searched, then deal with her together.
“Right, We asked you to teach the Empress horse riding; how is it going?” Gu Zhen asked him indifferently.
Prince of Yan replied, “A few days ago, Royal Sister-in-law practiced by herself for a long time. With a little pointer from this subject-brother, Royal Sister-in-law’s riding skills improved a lot.”
Gu Zhen nodded and suddenly got up to walk out.
“Is the Empress in the Apricot Grove today?” Gu Zhen asked Wu Mao. After getting an answer, he strode out of the hall door.
Prince of Yan had received orders from the Emperor these days to follow the Empress properly to prevent her from getting lost again or having any accidents. Stunned for a moment, he strode to follow.
“Royal Brother, slow down.” He called out, but the person in front had no reaction, just walking his own way.
Gu Zhen rode towards the Apricot Grove.
The dry and sharp summer wind scraped his face; it felt painful, but he seemed unaware, just rushing forward. His thin lips were pressed tight, eager to see her.
Just galloping into that Apricot Grove, from a distance, he saw the beauty in the red skirt standing in the grove, holding a black steed, head lowered, walking slowly.
Zhao Yiyi coming out today was also a coincidence meeting Lu Xianshan.
She hadn’t seen Lu Xianshan for some time. Seeing him today, she went to the West Market with him again, asking him to help buy some spices.
“This subject vaguely remembers Niangniang used to like mixing incense.” Lu Xianshan’s voice was gentle like spring breeze brushing willows, looking sideways at her with a smile.
Zhao Yiyi nodded and answered, “Yes, I liked it quite a bit before, but now, not as much as before. Mixing less, I don’t recognize many new spices.”
Lu Xianshan laughed, “It doesn’t matter. Buy a few more times, and you will naturally recognize them.”
Apricot blossoms fell rustling down; the grove was already covered. Only a few sporadic late bloomers remained on the treetops. Many trees already bore fruit, hanging heavily on the branches.
The two walked a bit more. Zhao Yiyi suddenly turned and asked, “Right, Cousin mentioned wanting to take the Jinshi exam just now; is it true?”
Lu Xianshan didn’t enter officialdom through exams.
He came from a noble clan; his father was the Lu clan head, and he was the Lu clan heir. The Lu family was also a century-old noble clan with many capable people. Wanting to enter officialdom was just a matter of recommendation.
But the reason the Wannian Magistrate appointed him as Registrar was still because of his own learning and his reputation in Chang’an.
With his early fame, he didn’t even need the shadow privilege (yin privilege).
“Yes.” Lu Xianshan nodded gently and said warmly, “In the court now, the imperial examination is becoming more important. Officials entering through exams are gradually increasing. This subject thinks that relying on shadow privilege or recommendation to enter officialdom will be hard to sustain in the long run.”
Since the factional struggle between the noble clans and the poor families decades ago, the major noble clans gradually showed decline, and shadow privilege was no longer the mainstream. As the imperial examination gradually gained the upper hand, even the major noble families paid more attention to it.
Zhao Yiyi smiled and asked, “In that case, is Cousin prepared?”
Lu Xianshan nodded and said warmly, “This subject plans to resign, just in time to participate in next year’s exam.”
Zhao Yiyi had heard of the difficulty of the imperial examination; only a few dozen were admitted each time. There was even the saying “thirty is old for Mingjing, fifty is young for Jinshi.” But firstly she believed in Lu Xianshan’s reputation for talent, and secondly she had friendship growing up with him, so she laughed, “With Cousin’s learning, you will surely pass!”
Lu Xianshan laughed despite himself. “Then, this subject thanks Niangniang for the auspicious words.”
While speaking, several footsteps sounded. The two looked back and saw the Emperor and Prince of Yan leading their horses, walking over one after another.
Seeing the Emperor in this Apricot Grove, Lu Xianshan didn’t pretend not to understand like before. respectfully cupping his hands, he bowed, “This subject greets Bixia.”
Gu Zhen’s eyes were dark. He raised his hand. “Dispense with formalities.”
He looked around, his gaze landing on the reins in Zhao Yiyi’s hand, his voice instantly softening. “Came out for horse racing today?”
Zhao Yiyi nodded and said warmly, “Yes.”
“How is the learning recently?” He walked over slowly, unconsciously slowing his voice to ask. “Need Us to teach you?”
Zhao Yiyi shook her head violently, took a half-step back, lowered her eyes, and replied, “Many thanks for Bixia’s good intentions. These days Ah Qi has been teaching; no need for Bixia to teach again.”
Gu Zhen’s steps forward paused abruptly. The smile on his face also stiffened. Then he nodded and forced a smile. “Good.”
Zhao Yiyi felt somewhat oppressed. She mounted Taxue and turned to ask Prince of Yan, “What was that bad habit you said I had yesterday?”
Suddenly named, Prince of Yan was stunned first, then strode over, whispered a few sentences, guiding her to adjust her posture.
The two talked and laughed. Lu Xianshan watched from the side, a trace of smile mixed on his face.
Not long after, Prince of Yan also mounted. Zhao Yiyi squeezed the horse’s belly with her legs and galloped away like an arrow from the string. Prince of Yan followed two zhang behind her and also ran out.
Staring at that red figure, Gu Zhen stood in place, right hand tightly clutching the reins. His eye sockets were a bit dry and astringent.
His heart felt blocked. He stared at that back view, not moving for a long time.
His feet seemed nailed down. Clearly feeling terribly uncomfortable, stifled to the point of exploding, yet he couldn’t move half a step.
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