Chapter 70: Revealed part 1
The wind whistled; shadows of paulownia trees danced.
The hand with which Gu Zhen held the arrow paused abruptly. His face darkened, and he looked up unexpectedly at the Prince of Yan.
After staring for a long time, he asked, “What do you mean?”
They had known each other for a long time. Gu Zhen knew that this look of astonishment on his face was not a casual question.
The hall was silent for a moment before the Prince of Yan replied, “Perhaps this subject-brother remembered incorrectly. I thought it was the flower appreciation banquet after Imperial Brother and Imperial Sister-in-law got engaged. I didn’t recall the Winter Solstice Banquet.”
With a crisp sound, the arrow flew in a perfect arc, landing steadily in the pot.
That sound struck the Prince of Yan’s heart.
He lowered his eyes slightly, took an arrow from Gu Zhen, and followed suit, throwing it toward the lacquer pot not far away.
It caught on the ear of the pot.
Gu Zhen turned to look at him with dark brows, then laughed lightly, saying indifferently, “Is that so? Then your memory lately really isn’t very good.”
The matter of him and the Empress at the Winter Solstice Banquet was known to everyone in Luoyang. He didn’t believe Gu Qi wouldn’t know, so how could he remember it as the later flower appreciation banquet?
Outside the window, paulownia leaves drifted down leisurely, landing on the windowsill. Gu Zhen glanced at the Prince of Yan a few more times before finally withdrawing his gaze.
Yet his heart remained uneasy, filled with a distressed anxiety.
He felt as if something buried deep was unknown to him.
Leaning back against the bolster, he closed his eyes for a moment but found he couldn’t remember anything. A mass of gloom accumulated in his chest, blocking it painfully.
Arrow after arrow was thrown into the lacquer pot, making soft sounds one after another. Occasionally, a few missed by an inch and landed on the carpet, making dull, faint thuds.
Only when the pot was full of arrows and none remained in the quiver did he slowly turn his head and ask, “You came back from the Western Suburbs Camp and brought Linchuan back too, right?”
The Prince of Yan replied, “Replying to Imperial Brother, she has been brought back and is temporarily settled in the carriage, waiting for Imperial Brother’s orders.”
Gu Zhen nodded, his voice faint. “Send her to Mother’s place first. Let her out for a few days; Zhen has arrangements.”
The Prince of Yan responded with a “Yes.”
Before leaving, he looked back at the Emperor. Ultimately, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and walked out, feigning calm.
Father Emperor had many children; naturally, some got along well, and others didn’t.
He had listened to his birth mother and followed Imperial Brother since childhood, looking to him as his leader. Later, it became a long-standing habit. In his heart, Imperial Brother had always been an existence comparable to his father.
Imperial Brother’s word was law, and he dared not disobey in the slightest.
He had never hidden anything from Imperial Brother. This was the first time he chose to hide a secret.
Though he felt some guilt toward Imperial Brother, he still… didn’t want to say it.
He couldn’t utter half a word.
That wasn’t just Imperial Brother’s first time seeing her; it was his first time seeing her too.
In the Zhao clan’s ancestral residence, she also clearly remembered the scene of their first meeting. If Imperial Brother didn’t know, it meant she simply hadn’t planned to tell him. Since she didn’t want to say it, he was even less willing to say it.
That was the only memory remaining in his heart, unique and belonging only to him.
As soon as the Prince of Yan left, Gu Zhen summoned Wu Mao and asked him calmly, “Do you remember when Zhen and the Empress first met?”
In the past, he might not have understood.
But after understanding what liking meant himself, he didn’t believe Gu Qi didn’t have some hidden thoughts.
Wu Mao was stunned by the question. He paused first, then replied, “Your Majesty, didn’t you meet Her Highness for the first time at the Winter Solstice Banquet in the palace? The late Emperor even praised Your Majesty and Her Highness for your exquisite pitch-pot skills.”
Everyone said so.
There had never been another voice.
It shouldn’t be like this.
The answer he sought wasn’t this one.
Gu Zhen felt something was strange. An indescribable emotion surged in his heart, making him inexplicably panicked.
“Never mind.” He waved his hand, standing up somewhat wearily. Looking at the layers of shadows outside the window, he asked in a deep voice, “How is the Empress today?”
Wu Mao said, “Her Highness has been playing with the Second Miss these past few days, occasionally playing the zither in the hall.” He smiled and added, “It was strange yesterday; she actually went out once.”
They hadn’t seen each other for a few days. Knowing she didn’t want to see him, he hadn’t approached her.
That night, the moonlight was like water. Her cheeks were stained with tears, crying so miserably. But the next day, she acted ruthlessly, taking Zhao Weimin from Lanruo Temple back to the Marquis of Huai’an’s Manor to be locked up. She also found several clan elders to send Lady Xu and her daughter back to the Zuo family.
Naturally, the Zuo family refused to accept them.
After pushing back and forth, the Zuo family simply brought up the past, accusing Lady Xu of adultery. As for who the adulterer was, they dared not say explicitly, but there was no need to.
Now the lawsuit was still ongoing. She ignored it all, adopting an attitude of avoiding suspicion, letting the two families fight.
From this, Gu Zhen knew that Yiyi didn’t intend to show mercy this time, and her heart had hardened further.
Staring at the scattered pear blossoms outside the window, he laughed lightly. “With her stubborn nature, no one can change what she decides. Tell the Governor of Luoyang to handle it impartially. Before there is a result, there is no need to report to Zhen.”
Wu Mao was startled.
The reason the Governor of Luoyang reported to His Majesty was only because the Marquis of Huai’an was the Empress’s father and fell within the scope of the Eight Deliberations, requiring His Majesty’s inquiry by convention.
His Majesty’s words meant he didn’t want to care at all.
He intended to confirm the Marquis of Huai’an’s crimes and pin them directly on him!
Zhao Yiyi woke up exceptionally early.
With nothing to do these days, she had slept until fully awake for half a month, then slowly got up to wash, eat, and play the zither.
Only after finishing everything did she start attending to palace affairs.
Having handled them for a long time, she gradually became adept. Coupled with being less worried than before, she handled them increasingly fast.
“Your Highness.” While combing her hair, Yunzhu strode in from outside, bowed before her, and said with lowered brows, “The Zuo family reluctantly pinched their noses and accepted it, temporarily taking Miss Zuo back and sending Lady Xu home. Now they are still causing a scene at the government office.”
Zhao Yiyi hooked her lips lightly, smiling faintly. “Let them make a scene. Let them take their time.”
When Lady Xu lost her husband, the Zuo family allowed her to remarry or return home without excessive harshness.
But Lady Xu, coming from an ordinary background, couldn’t bear to part with the Zuo family’s wealth, so she vowed to remain chaste for her husband and refused to remarry.
A widow raising an orphaned daughter—the Zuo family was kind enough not to touch her late husband’s money. In the early years of her widowhood, they took care of her significantly.
Yet while reluctant to part with the riches, she hooked up with Zhao Weimin, causing the Zuo family to lose face completely and become a laughingstock.
“They’ve endured for so many years. Finding a chance at last, of course they’ll make a huge fuss.” Zhao Yiyi smiled and took a jade hairpin, gently inserting it into her hair bun. Looking left and right, she asked Yunzhu, “Does it look good?”
Yunzhu nodded and replied, “It looks good. This hairpin suits Your Highness perfectly.”
Zhao Yiyi glanced at her sideways, humming lightly. “With a mouth like that, you’re always deceiving people.”
Yunzhu covered her lips and laughed. “Not at all. Clearly Your Highness is beautiful, yet you blame this slave.”
Leaning against the armrest, Zhao Yiyi asked lazily, “Speak. What else is there?”
“His Majesty restored the Crown Prince’s titles and official positions,” Yunzhu added in a low voice.
Zhao Yiyi’s movement paused slightly. Rubbing a beaded flower in her hand, her fingertips brushing over the pale yellow stamens, she said after a long while, “Understood.”
📖 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
![Those Years When the Son of Destiny Was Severely Scammed [Quick Transmigration]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/QUICK-TRANSMIGRATION1-214x300.jpg)
