"Initially, the late emperor wanted to use the Imperial Concubine to force the Prince to return to the capital without an imperial edict, so as to reduce his military power. However, the plan failed and instead angered the Prince, so the emperor dared not take direct action against him again."
"But he was still unhappy seeing the prince at the height of his power. He was worried that the prince would take his throne, so he wanted to start with the people around the prince, even if it would weaken his power a little."
“Ziqian, you are the Prince’s right-hand man, always by his side. You are well-versed in the classics and history, as well as a skilled military commander. You also have a photographic memory. Others may not know your abilities, but the late Emperor did.”
"He wanted to get rid of you and cripple the prince, so he arranged for someone to drug you and assigned one of his own concubines to frame you, hoping that woman would testify that you had tainted her reputation while drunk."
"To rape an emperor's concubine is such a grave crime. You will certainly not survive. Even if the prince wanted to protect you, he could not."
"But you were poisoned by the aphrodisiac in Qingshui Garden. After the medicine was brought to the room, the concubine accidentally fell into the water on her way there. She was rescued and taken to rest elsewhere, and was unable to leave."
"She can't come, and the late emperor couldn't find any other concubines to replace her, so he had no choice but to let you sleep with a palace maid as a second option."
"Sleeping with a palace maid is not as serious a crime as sleeping with a concubine, but if he insists, it is not impossible to punish you. If the prince insists on protecting you in the future, it will only confirm his reputation for being spoiled and unruly."
"But no one expected that Princess Chenglan would happen to pass by there, be captivated by your beauty, and..."
Guo Sheng cleared his throat twice, glossing over the last two words.
"You should know what happened next. The late emperor heard that you and Princess Chenglan had... you know... and originally planned to use this as an opportunity to get rid of you, since raping a princess is a serious crime."
"But he failed to rehearse his lines with Princess Chenglan beforehand. When you were discovered, Princess Chenglan panicked and blurted out that she shouldn't have taken advantage of you while you were drunk, causing trouble for the late emperor and angering the Prince of Qin."
"Now he can't pin the blame on you even if he wants to. He has to suppress this royal scandal and not let anyone know that his daughter slept with the prince's subordinate. So you've turned misfortune into blessing and returned unscathed."
Guo Sheng spoke casually, even breathing a sigh of relief for Cui Hao, thinking that he was really lucky, having lost nothing except for being slept with once.
He patted Cui Hao on the shoulder and advised, "It's been so long, don't think about it anymore. Compared to losing your life, so... a good night's sleep is nothing, right?"
Cui Hao did not respond to him, but stood there blankly, turning back into a stone statue.
Chapter 136 Sincerity
Wei Hong thought carefully and vaguely remembered when this happened.
He remembered that the late emperor held a banquet at Qingshui Garden, which was attended by a large number of civil and military officials. He happened to be returning to the capital at that time and was among those invited.
The banquet was extremely grand and lasted a long time. During the banquet, Cui Hao helped him fend off a lot of drinks. Later, he was so drunk that he had to go out for some fresh air, and he was gone for quite a while.
I never imagined that so many things would happen during that time...
To bring him down and weaken his power, Wei Feng and his son Wei Chi went to extreme lengths. They not only harmed his mother, but also implicated the Ji sisters, Yun Shu and Yun Wan, as well as Ning'er, and even Zi Qian...
Wei Hong felt a tightness in his chest and lungs. He pursed his lips and said to Cui Hao, "Ziqian, do you want to... go and ask her?"
Guo Sheng, being straightforward, didn't think much of it and just assumed Cui Hao was lucky. But after hearing the story, Wei Hong felt that things back then might not be so simple.
If it were in the past, he might have thought that Cheng Lan was just lusting after him, but Cheng Lan's sudden help when she broke into the palace seemed to be more than just a matter of seeking refuge with him.
Even many officials and aristocratic families in the capital at that time could not judge who would win between him and Wei Chi, and no one knew about the existence of that secret passage. Why would Cheng Lan so firmly choose to stand on his side?
Is it simply because one has good foresight and a clear understanding of the situation that one can make such a decisive choice?
She knew that one wrong move could lead to total defeat. She was in the capital, and if Wei Chi discovered anything amiss, she could be killed without a trace.
Looking back now, everything she did seemed incredibly decisive.
What if this decision wasn't based on any particular situation, nor was it about siding with anyone, but rather about helping someone?
What if what happened back then wasn't a coincidence, but that Cheng Lan sacrificed her innocence to save him?
He knew that Cui Hao must have thought of these things as well, which was why he stood there motionless for so long.
But Guo Sheng couldn't understand at all and asked in confusion, "Who are you asking? Princess Chenglan? What do you want to ask her?"
Neither Wei Hong nor Cui Hao paid him any attention. He felt that he had been discriminated against again and was being treated like a fool.
Unfortunately, he really had no idea what they were talking about.
Cui Hao's throat was dry, and he slowly nodded: "I...I want to go ask about the Prince..."
“Go ahead,” Wei Hong said. “I have enough people here.”
"It's not far from the capital, so it won't take much time to go back and forth. Just hurry back."
He had many things to do before and after ascending the throne, and Cui Hao had to help him a lot.
Moreover, after ascending the throne, he would be granted official positions, so Cui Hao would have to return before then.
Cui Hao nodded: "Yes, I will return as soon as possible."
After speaking, he bowed to Wei Hong, turned around, whistled to summon his horse, and galloped away.
Wei Hong sighed helplessly, "He's usually very organized, but he forgets everything when it comes to his own business."
Then he instructed Guo Sheng: "Select a few men to follow and escort him, and bring a few spare horses. At his rate, he'll probably run his horses to death before he even reaches the capital."
Guo Sheng responded with a "yes," but was still puzzled: "What exactly is he going to do? See Princess Chenglan?"
Why do we need to meet? Isn't it awkward?
Wei Hong glared at him: "If you slow down any further, see if the men you sent can catch up with him."
Guo Sheng knew he was about to get angry, so he quickly sent men to chase after Cui Hao without saying another word.
...
A cold wind swept across his face, causing Cui Hao's lips to crack and his usually neat robes to be covered in dust that he couldn't shake off.
No one knew that he had actually dealt with Princess Chenglan before that incident happened, but only a few times.
The woman was beautiful, spoiled, and straightforward. She once tricked him by saying that she had taken a liking to him and wanted him to be her son-in-law.
But they all knew it was impossible.
She was the late emperor's daughter, and he was a subordinate of the King of Qin. They were destined to stand on different paths and could never be together.
So she was just looking for a moment of pleasure, indulging in a good verbal outburst.
He never took it seriously, just laughed it off.
That's why, when he discovered he had been drugged and woke up to find her lying next to him, he actually believed her story and that she had been toying with him like a plaything.
This letter lasted for many years. Every time he returned to Beijing, he would deliberately avoid seeing her. Even when they met, he would keep his head down and not say a word, pretending not to see her.
Sometimes Cui Hao couldn't tell whether he resented her or himself, because he had genuinely fallen for that lively and straightforward girl when he was young, and even regretted their different social statuses.
But everything she did turned his good intentions and regrets into a joke, constantly mocking him.
He cherished her, but she treated him only like a gigolo.
This resentment made him lose his mind, and for years he had never considered that there might be a reason behind it, that perhaps she... was just trying to help her.
Cui Hao scooped up a handful of cool river water and splashed it on his face, casually wiped it off, mounted his horse, and continued on his journey, finally entering the capital city before nightfall.
The capital city is no longer the same as it used to be; it has become much more desolate. Although the Lunar New Year is approaching, the streets do not have the festive atmosphere of previous years.
After all, it had just been captured and became the ruins of the Great Liang Dynasty not long ago, and the entire city had not yet recovered from its previous experiences.
Cui Hao walked towards the princess's residence with familiarity. When he was almost there, he did not let anyone follow him. Instead, he stepped forward himself, introduced himself, and asked someone to announce his arrival.
It was dark, and he was covered in dust from his journey, so the gatekeeper almost didn't recognize him. But when he learned that he was Lord Cui, the closest person to the King of Qin, he was overjoyed and invited him in for tea. Then he sent someone to inform the princess.
But not long after, the person sent returned, saying sheepishly, "The princess said... she wouldn't see her."
He actually meant to kick them out, but he didn't dare to convey it directly, so he expressed it in a roundabout way.
Cui Hao held the teacup in his hand for a long time without taking a sip. Upon hearing this, he put down the cup and nodded, "I understand."
After saying that, he simply left without making things difficult for them in the slightest.
The gatekeepers looked at each other and could only respectfully see him out. After the gate was closed again, they were all puzzled, wondering why the Princess did not see him when the King of Qin had personally sent someone to express goodwill.
They couldn't understand it and could only mutter a few words, unaware that Cui Hao, who had left, had already turned to the other side and nimbly climbed over the courtyard wall into the princess's residence.
Cui Hao never imagined that he would ever have to climb over the wall and enter someone else's residence in his lifetime.
Last time it was the Yao residence, this time it's the princess's residence.
Last time he went with the prince, but this time he came on his own.
He was highly skilled in martial arts, so it was easy for him to hide his whereabouts. Even though he didn't know the way to the princess's residence, he found the direction of the main courtyard by groping his way along.
But as soon as he peeked out from behind the courtyard wall, several experts spotted him.
Instead of retreating, Cui Hao advanced, leaping down from the wall into the courtyard. His eyes narrowed slightly as he recognized the group of people.
This is... the eldest princess's male favorite.
He had anticipated meeting these male concubines before he came, and now that he had actually seen them, he was even more concerned than he had imagined.
Four handsome men, each with their own unique charm, surrounded him. Although they were pointing their swords at him, they subtly scrutinized him from head to toe, as if he were some rare and precious object, rather than an intruder.
Cui Hao disliked their gazes and continued walking in with a sullen face, completely ignoring the weapons in their hands.
Without the princess's permission, the four of them would not let him in and immediately surrounded him.
Just as the two sides were about to fight, Granny Kong heard the commotion, opened the door, and came out with a happy expression: "Lord Cui! You've arrived?"
Then he ordered the male concubines, "Quickly put down your weapons, don't hurt him!"
The four men exchanged a glance before slowly putting down their weapons. At the same time, a woman with a graceful figure and beautiful face slowly walked out of the room.
She stood at the doorway, calmly observing the people in the courtyard. Suddenly, she smiled and said in a melodious tone, "What? Has Lord Cui come to offer himself up?"
Chapter 137 Reminiscing (60.5%)
Cui Hao stared at the woman with red lips, white teeth, and a seductive figure, remaining silent for a long time.
In my memory, she was still a young girl, as beautiful as a pearl, only reaching his chest. If she got a little closer, she would have to raise her head to talk to him. Even so, she refused to lose her aura and insisted on putting on a superior attitude to tease him with her words. She was childish and funny.
The woman before him now had more mature features, making her even more beautiful and charming, and she was also taller. However, her tone and demeanor were exactly the same as before, and when she opened her mouth, he felt as if he had been transported back to many years ago.
He paused for a moment, took two steps forward, and said in a low voice, "I have something I want to tell you."
Cheng Lan raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean you need to climb over the wall to say this? Even if you are a close confidant of the Prince of Qin, there is no reason for you to force your way into my princess's residence, is there?"
"...I just knocked on the door, but you didn't answer, so I had no choice but to..."
"So you had no choice but to use a VPN? It's not like I forced someone into prostitution."