Chapter 82: Closing the Case
The candlelight flickered upon her face, bright as the moon. Her creamy skin, bathed in the dim yellow light, appeared even more soft and lustrous.
Zhao Yiyi rested her chin in her hand, looking up at him slightly. A smile lingered on her lips, and even her almond eyes were filled with mirth, revealing a hint of amusement.
Gu Zhen’s heart skipped a beat, then tightened. The hand resting on the table slowly curled into a fist.
“Yiyi?” He called out to her softly after a long pause, his expression hesitant.
The light was dim. Zhao Yiyi held an arrow in her hand, swaying it gently. She smiled. “What is wrong, Your Majesty?”
Gu Zhen suddenly didn’t dare to speak. His original calm composure turned into anxiety and uncertainty.
“I…”
He started to speak several times, only to hesitate again. His suddenly accelerating heartbeat brought with it a wave of foreboding without warning.
Wasn’t it that Winter Solstice banquet?
Suddenly, he lowered his head and reached out in panic, gently pulling her into a half-embrace. His arms tightened gradually, as if trying to merge her into his body. “Yiyi, I don’t know. Can you tell me?”
The moment he met her gaze, Gu Zhen knew he was wrong—and gravely so.
Everyone said it was that year’s Winter Solstice banquet; even he had thought so. But now, he suddenly realized it was not the case.
Seeing that she didn’t speak, Gu Zhen held her even tighter. He buried his chin in the soft hollow of her shoulder, his voice trembling slightly. “Yiyi, I was wrong. Tell me, alright?”
Boundless panic spread through his heart, an unease unlike anything before.
He couldn’t help but say a lot more, as if trying to pour out all his affection to her, to let her know his heart.
It was raining today, so the vast Zichen Hall had red luo charcoal burning. Consequently, the clothes they wore were thinner.
Zhao Yiyi was wearing a low-cut collar shirt. She could clearly feel warm breath spraying against her collarbone, ticklish and numbing, causing her to shrink back instinctively.
After an unknown amount of time, she blinked her eyelashes slowly, her voice clear and melodious. “Since Your Majesty doesn’t remember, then let it be.”
If others didn’t remember, she wasn’t the type to rush to remind them.
Then let it be forgotten.
She could let it go, but Gu Zhen refused to. He continued to hold her stubbornly, his voice hoarse. “Tell me. I won’t ever forget again.”
Pressing one hand against his chest, Zhao Yiyi could feel the vigorous, powerful heartbeat within. She pushed gently, retreating slightly from his arms, her eyes smiling. “And here I thought the first time I met Your Majesty was in Chang’an.”
Chang’an…
Gu Zhen’s pupils contracted sharply. The hand pressing on her shoulder loosened. Suddenly, he remembered the trip to Chang’an when he was a youth.
That was about six or seven years ago.
He recalled that when he went to Chang’an back then, he had indeed visited the Zhao family.
Because the Zhao clan had lived in Chang’an for generations and had deep roots, they were an excellent starting point if one wanted to understand the situation in the city.
Zhao Yiyi bit her lip as she looked at him. “You always say you like me, always say you have me in your heart, yet you don’t even know where you first saw me.” She felt aggrieved. Her delicate brows knit together, and her voice betrayed her unhappiness. “All day long, you only know how to lie to me, using those falsehoods to trick me.”
She had thought that it was a memory belonging solely to the two of them, something only they knew. She hadn’t expected that, in reality, she was the only one who remembered.
He knew nothing.
But on second thought, it was inevitable.
“So, Your Majesty never took it to heart from the very beginning.” Even knowing the answer, she still felt a pang of sadness.
The overflowing affection of the past was, in reality, just her own wishful thinking.
All those years of longing felt like a joke.
It would have been better to stay far apart. Then there wouldn’t have been the subsequent hurt and bitterness. Everything in her memory wouldn’t have changed; instead, with the passage of time, it would have become even more beautiful.
A lump formed in her throat. She bit her lip and turned her head to look at the landscape screen with gold-inlaid nanmu wood, illuminated by the candlelight. “Your Majesty always asks why I had people transplant so many pear trees to Jiao Fang Palace. Perhaps Your Majesty doesn’t remember, but I always do. When I was young and living with my grandfather in Chang’an, there was a pear orchard in the residence. Just when the pear blossoms filled the branches, like piles of snow, Your Majesty stood under that pear tree, smiling and asking me for directions. At that time, I thought to myself, let alone directions—I could answer whatever you asked.”
“I even secretly rejoiced, thinking I was the only one who saw that scene.” Zhao Yiyi looked up, a mist gathering in her almond eyes, the tip of her nose turning a pale pink. “Thinking about it now, it would be better to be like Your Majesty and forget everything.”
If one doesn’t remember, one won’t yearn. If one hasn’t yearned or fantasized, one won’t be hurt or sad.
Distant memories came flooding back. In a trance, it seemed there really was a young girl in a pomegranate-red skirt, standing under clusters of pear blossoms, speaking to him softly and gently.
The girl was bright and beautiful, outshining the spring sun by three degrees. Her fine, soft hair seemed to glow.
She looked at him with a smile, possessing a shyness that was uniquely hers.
Like a frightened little deer.
Gu Zhen looked stunned. He couldn’t distinguish if that was the girl deeply hidden in his memory, or an illusion conjured by her words.
Or perhaps, it was a blurred shadow that filled out and took shape following her description.
“I…” He lost his voice in that instant, not knowing how to speak.
Barely suppressing the bitterness in his heart, Gu Zhen whispered, “Yiyi, about the past… I carelessly forgot. Will you tell me about it slowly?”
The inner hall was silent, save for the sound of his unsteady breathing, entering her ears without pause.
Zhao Yiyi suddenly reached out and pushed him away, standing up woodenly. “It is late. I should go back.”
He knew she was certainly angry.
He had begged her to stay once before, but at this moment, Gu Zhen couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth a second time, no matter what.
The sound of crackling charcoal rang out nearby. The sky suddenly lit up, followed immediately by the fierce crash of thunder. Zhao Yiyi’s steps paused, but only for a moment, before she walked forward relentlessly.
Gu Zhen was left alone in the inner hall.
After sitting there for an unknown amount of time, Wu Mao suddenly entered, presenting a document. He whispered, “Your Majesty, this is news from Chang’an.”
Gu Zhen took it but did not check it immediately. Instead, he ordered, “Go and investigate my trip to Chang’an in the spring of the third year of Jingping.”
Wu Mao was stunned. He responded with a “Yes,” secretly guessing whether this had something to do with the Empress.
Seeing the Empress leave with a frosty expression just now, he knew the two had quarreled again. Unfortunately, as a servant, he could only vaguely mention the heavy rain and advise the Empress, not daring to actually stop her.
Observing the sorrow in the Emperor’s eyes, he asked cautiously, “What specific matters does Your Majesty wish to investigate?”
Gu Zhen’s heart was in turmoil. He paused for a moment before saying in a deep voice, “Anything related to the Empress.” He continued, “Did I meet the Empress in the third year of Jingping?”
Wu Mao froze.
The third year of Jingping… that was quite a long time ago.
However, he hadn’t accompanied His Majesty—who was still the Crown Prince then—on that trip. He really wasn’t clear on the specifics.
Thinking hard, Wu Mao suddenly perked up and hurriedly said, “The one who accompanied Your Majesty to Chang’an back then was His Highness, the Prince of Yan. This servant will go ask tomorrow if he still remembers those old events.”
“Gu Qi?” His brow darkened. The hand resting on the armrest slowly tightened, his brows furrowing slightly.
For some reason, he suddenly remembered Gu Qi’s strangeness that day when he mentioned his first meeting with Yiyi.
Perhaps he really knew something.
A ball of fire accumulated within him, unable to be released. Gu Zhen suddenly had a headache. Pressing his temples, he said coldly, “Tell him to come see me first thing tomorrow morning.”
Only then did he lower his head to look at the official document.
It concerned the construction of roads on both sides of the grain transport route, and the building of several ferry crossings near the turbulent waters.
“I heard that Lu Xianshan has resigned from office?” After skimming through it, Gu Zhen suddenly looked up from the document and asked in a low voice.
Wu Mao was startled, cold sweat breaking out on his back. He hurriedly said, “Yes, Master Lu just resigned. Presumably, he will be coming to Luoyang any day now.”
Scholars participating in the spring examinations would usually arrive in the capital some time in advance to visit great scholars and high officials with their poetry and prose, or to participate in banquets hosted by various families. In short, they needed to make a name for themselves first.
Lu Xianshan didn’t lack money, and the Lu clan had a residence in Luoyang. It was just a pity that they hadn’t been in the capital for a long time and lacked connections.
Since he said he wanted to take the imperial examination, he would inevitably enter the capital early to circulate among the famous scholars.
Gu Zhen merely sneered. “Don’t tell the Empress yet.”
When she woke up, the rain was still drifting down continuously. Zhao Yiyi didn’t want to get up, so she lay sideways on the couch, a book in her hand.
However, she heard Yunzhu say that there was a result in the lawsuit between the Zhao and Zuo families.
“The Governor of Luoyang judged it personally.” Yunzhu handed over a cup of tea for her to rinse her mouth, then wiped her face with a towel soaked in hot water before sighing. “The Zuo family insisted that Madam Xu never returned home and was still a member of the Zuo family at that time. The Marquis of Huai’an asked the Zuo family for evidence, and the Zuo family said Zhao Sanlang (the third son) was the irrefutable evidence.”
Madam Xu hadn’t been unable to return home; rather, the Xu family was mediocre, and having many children, it was better for her to stay in the Zuo household with her daughter.
Sometimes, the identity of a widow was much more convenient than that of an unmarried woman.
Knowing Zhao Yiyi’s attitude toward those people, Yunzhu covered her lips and laughed. “Later, the Marquis of Huai’an got desperate too. He said Sanlang was not born of Madam Xu, but of his former concubine. As a result, the genealogy book was sent to the Governor of Luoyang’s desk the next day.”
In the genealogy book, the birth mother was clearly recorded.
Zhao Weimin didn’t want Madam Xu to be wronged, nor did he want to wrong Zhao Shunnian, so he must have recorded it clearly.
As for the genealogy book… Zhao Yiyi hooked the corner of her lips and said helplessly, “It was A-Chen who sent it, wasn’t it?”
Unlike Zhao Yuan, who bore the responsibilities of the eldest legitimate son, Zhao Chen never had any intention of shouldering the family burden. He looked well-behaved, but in reality, he was more ruthless than anyone. Smearing the Zhao family’s reputation like this—Zhao Yuan wouldn’t do it. Only he could pull something like this off.
Yunzhu nodded. “It was the Second Young Master. He wanted to come find Your Highness to confess his crimes.”
“Tell him there’s no need to come. It’s raining, and I’m not in the mood to see anyone. We’ll talk when the rain stops.” Zhao Yiyi took a sip of water to moisten her throat, smiled faintly, and asked, “Father confessed so quickly?”
Yunzhu shook her head. “The Marquis still bit to death that he wouldn’t admit it, claiming he remembered incorrectly back then. Who knew that just as he turned around, the family of the Third Young Master’s fiancée caught wind of it and came to sue the Marquis for fraud, accusing him of passing off a baseborn son as a legitimate one.”
As the one presiding over Zhao Shunnian’s marriage, if the charge of fraud was substantiated, Zhao Weimin would face a year and a half of penal servitude. If the crime of adultery was substantiated, it was also a year and a half.
Extending the head is a slash; retracting the head is also a slash. For the sake of Zhao Shunnian, Zhao Weimin ultimately chose to extend his head for that slash.
“After the incident with the Cui family, he plays these tricks with masterful proficiency now.” Zhao Yiyi chuckled softly, her tone ambiguous. “He beat Cui Siyuan up back then. That day I scolded him, I shouldn’t have said he had no regard for the law. Now look, he’s studied the laws so thoroughly that no one can say a word against him.”
Yunzhu comforted her from the side, “The Second Young Master is intelligent. When he beat the Heir of Cui back then, it was purely out of true feelings. Now, he’s using these methods for the sake of Madam.”
Zhao Yiyi leaned against the edge of the couch and laughed lightly. “Fine. Since Father has made his choice, he’ll inevitably have to stay inside for a while. Prepare some things for him.”
Water flowed down the edge of the tiles, turning into streams of rain like small waterfalls.
Gu Zhen strode in from outside, holding an umbrella. At a glance, he saw the young girl sitting under the corridor painting.
Upon seeing him, the girl stood up and curtsied, but looked at the ground without saying a word.
“Where is your older sister?” Gu Zhen stepped forward quickly and asked indifferently.
Pointing inside, Zhao Duanduan whispered, “Sister is inside. Perhaps she hasn’t gotten up yet.”
Gu Zhen nodded, then closed the umbrella and placed it outside the door. Signaling the attendants to be silent, he stepped over the threshold and entered.
From the partitioned area of the sleeping hall, a soft voice drifted out: “Cousin Lu is coming to Luoyang?”
📖 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
