Slightly regaining her senses, Lingyan didn't answer her question, but naturally changed the subject, as if that was exactly what she was going to say.
"Yes, then I will be able to establish my own government and discuss state affairs, and those scholars who failed the exam will have another place to go."
Gu Zhong's words revealed a hint of excitement; the young prince had been looking forward to this day for a long time.
"Your Highness, I would like to offer my congratulations in advance." Lingyan bowed with her hands clasped, genuinely happy that Gu Zhong's wish had come true.
With the Crown Princess presiding over state affairs, it's likely that her position as Grand Tutor will no longer be free, and she will find it difficult to enjoy tea and scenery like she did today.
The list of candidates for this year's imperial examination was posted next to the academy in Xijing the day after the examination. Even if the young prince was dissatisfied, the die was cast.
For someone from a humble background to rise to the top is like a fish leaping over the dragon gate. Moreover, Chen Muxian, the top scholar, was already handsome and dashing, and during his parade through the streets, he received many love-struck young girls who adorned themselves with flowers.
Many prominent families were watching him closely, wondering which of their wives could bring this promising talent into their household.
This is also one of the reasons why the aristocratic families did not fully oppose Emperor Gu's special imperial examination. If these commoners were to become members of the aristocratic families, then the world would still belong to the powerful clans, and there would only be a handful of truly poor and isolated officials in the court.
On the tenth day of the tenth month, according to the decree of the Grand Diviner and in accordance with the Emperor's order, divination was performed to determine the coming-of-age ceremony for the Crown Princess.
On that day, the emperor opened the ancestral temple of the Gu family and personally crowned the crown princess. All the officials and ministers in the court attended the ceremony.
Lingyan, as the only woman, was also prominently listed.
She was surrounded by gazes, some subtle and some direct. Although Lingyan had taken on the position of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, she had previously lived in the palace for a long time and had never attended court. Apart from her own father, the Imperial Censor, none of the court officials had ever seen her.
Some perceptive people sensed something from Emperor Gu's summons to the Crown Princess's coming-of-age ceremony and couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
Lingyan paid no attention to the curious or malicious stares of others, and quietly looked at the tall figure at the entrance of the ancestral hall.
The newborn tiger cub is lifted up by the mature tiger, filled with ambition and eagerness to bring peace to the world.
Wearing a newly sewn black imperial robe from the palace, Gu Zhong sat obediently in front of her father, her head slightly lowered, a head that was always proud.
Emperor Gu washed his hands and adjusted his crown for his most beloved daughter. After the crown was put on three times, the two of them stood up and faced the assembled officials.
Zhao Zhao, who was standing to one side, stepped forward and proclaimed in a loud voice:
"The coming-of-age ceremony is complete! By imperial decree, effective immediately, the Crown Princess is permitted to establish her own household and participate in government affairs."
The Crown Prince's tutor, Lingyan, is hereby appointed as the Crown Prince's Chamberlain, in charge of the Crown Prince's household and commanding the Eastern Palace!
"Your subjects receive the decree, long live the Emperor, long live the Crown Princess!" The ministers kowtowed.
After the coming-of-age ceremony, as soon as he stepped into the East Palace, Gu Zhong impatiently took off all the cloak, turban, and headdress he had worn for the ceremony, threw them aside, and let the palace servants scramble to tidy them up.
"Ahem!" Lingyan, who was following behind her, could only cough a few times, looking helplessly at the Crown Princess who had just been dignified and composed, with the demeanor of an emperor, as she turned back into a willful child.
"It's so hot!" Gu Zhong ran all the way to the palace, and as soon as he entered, he reached for the jade belt at his waist, as if he wanted to take off his imperial robes as well.
Lingyan was shocked and quickly grabbed her.
"Your Highness still has to go to the Ganlu Hall to see His Majesty later, so please be patient."
Faced with Gu Zhong's questioning gaze, Ling Yan gave a seemingly legitimate reason in a serious manner. In reality, she was just afraid that Gu Zhong would undress in front of her and make her feel uncomfortable.
"It's alright. I've already thrown away the ritual implements for the coming-of-age ceremony. Wearing a crown robe would only look strange. I'll change into my everyday clothes before I go to see my father."
Gu Zhong didn't care at all. His hands kept moving. He had already taken off his belt, and his heavy ceremonial robe fell onto the warm jade floor tiles, revealing his dark inner garment.
"Your Majesty, I...I will go and find a palace maid to help you get dressed!" Lingyan turned around quickly and rushed out of the palace before she could finish speaking.
"Hahaha! Sir! Is sir shy?" Gu Zhong's smug laughter followed her, making Ling Yan blush.
Why is Gu Zhong still so hateful? She thought bitterly as she walked.
Once she was a little further away, Lingyan calmed down and couldn't help but laugh when she thought about her panic just now. She had lived for tens of thousands of years and had seen everything, so why was she still so shy?
She's starting to look unlike herself... No, perhaps she's becoming more like the old her, the carefree and innocent Ah Yan.
"Ayan, the bottom of this Heavenly Splendor Pool is nourished by the spiritual fire of heaven and earth. It is not an ordinary warm pool. It is very beneficial to improve cultivation. Don't you really want to come down and try it?"
That person from ten thousand years ago, having shed his former aloof and self-possessed facade, was nothing short of a rogue.
The goddess emerged from the pool, gazing seductively at her lover on the shore. Water droplets cascaded down her long hair and into the deep ditch, as if carrying a thousand invitations.
"Gu Zhong! You! You shameless bastard!"
The young girl, who was very sensitive back then, couldn't resist teasing. Her face turned red, as if she had been flushed by the rising steam from the hot pool, as red as a steamed shrimp.
She turned to leave, but the deity in the pool used magic to drag her inside.
"Please take heed!"
She only had time to let out a delicate shout.
"Hey, I'm here! Ah Yan..."
Gu Zhong responded with a chuckle.
Lingyan snapped back to reality, lost in her memories once more. She turned to look at the palace shrouded in twilight, sighed softly, and looked on with a sense of melancholy.
She took out a jade flute from her bosom, stroked it for a moment, then asked a palace servant for a sandalwood box and carefully packed it inside.
He handed it to the Crown Prince's attendant, saying, "This is a birthday gift. Please pass it on to His Highness. It must not be damaged."
"Yes, sir! How could we dare to tarnish your feelings for His Highness? We would be willing to pay for it with our lives."
The palace servant, feeling extremely apprehensive, readily agreed and subtly praised the friendship between Lingyan and Gu Zhong.
"Thank you."
Ling Yan lowered her eyes slightly and thanked him softly. Her heart, however, was filled with unease; who could truly know her feelings?
This world is but a vain hope; the fact that the two have now formed a master-disciple relationship is already an immense stroke of luck, yet it is also an obstacle standing between them. What should she do?
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Author's Note:
When your wife undresses in front of you...
Chapter 8 The Imperial Tutor and the Crown Princess (Part 7)
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A few days after his coming-of-age ceremony, Gu Yang was sent to his fiefdom by Emperor Gu.
It seemed that they were worried that if she stayed any longer, the two sisters would be taken advantage of by someone with ulterior motives, and a rift would develop between them.
The usually composed and courteous Second Prince got completely drunk when he went to say goodbye to his elder sister the night before his departure.
In front of Lingyan, she hugged Gu Zhong and cried her heart out, only to be mercilessly thrown out of the palace by Gu Zhong, who could no longer tolerate her.
In the following months, Gu Zhong and Ling Yan were busy with the establishment of their own residence.
Although the establishment of a residence for the Crown Princess was only mentioned in the imperial edict, its actual implementation was extremely complex.
Although Gu Zhong started attending court at the age of fifteen, Emperor Gu did not relinquish power to her, and she had few people she could rely on.
Those old foxes are beyond the control of the young Crown Princess.
The fact that she presided over this imperial examination was because Emperor Gu had given the Crown Princess the power to select officials from the Eastern Palace.
All subordinate officials should be loyal to the royal family and also be outstanding in their abilities, since when the Crown Princess ascends the throne, her close ministers will definitely be required to fill those key positions.
However, the list of successful candidates was a mixed bag, with some gaining entry through family connections, eliminating seven or eight out of ten.
Of the remaining people, four or five were close to prominent families.
There are very few people who are upright, truly talented, and of noble character.
The powerful families also want to compete with the Crown Princess for a man, which is infuriating.
Gu Zhong had just finished drinking a cake of chrysanthemum tea over the past few days before finally settling on the candidate.
Then he packed everything up and dumped it on Lingyan, leaving her to decide what to do with it.
Lingyan exclaimed indignantly that the father and daughter were truly of the same ilk.
By a twist of fate, the arrangement of the Crown Prince's subordinates made her realize some problems.
The Crown Prince's Chief of Staff, personally appointed by Emperor Gu, and the Crown Prince's Attendant, personally selected by Gu Zhong, were both well-known figures in the original storyline—remembered by Ling Yan as traitors.
Chen Muxian's ability to so quickly gain control over the court officials and the emperor is undoubtedly related to the strong support of these two individuals. Holding important positions, they practically controlled half of the Eastern Palace.
Whether these two were originally spies or were later lured into betrayal is not very important, as they were never truly loyal to the Crown Princess.
Lingyan took it upon herself to replace the attendant. Since the Chief of Staff was appointed by Emperor Gu, it was not easy to change him. She would wait for another reason to take action.
The rest of the people in the palace also had to be carefully examined one by one.
Gu Zhong didn't ask any unnecessary questions about Ling Yan's subtle adjustments to the Eastern Palace, and handed the Eastern Palace over to her completely.
"Does Your Highness truly trust me? Aren't you afraid that I might form cliques, engage in favoritism, or deceive the emperor?"
Lingyan teased Gu Zhong about his hands-off management style.
"I know your character and trust you. If I can't even trust you, then who can I trust?"
Gu Zhong's answer was so earnest that Lingyan couldn't help but feel a surge of pride, thinking, "A scholar will die for one who understands him."
After the officials of the Eastern Palace gradually took their places, Emperor Gu appointed Lingyan to the substantive position of Grand Counselor, and she attended court with the Crown Princess every day to listen to government affairs.
The inability to sleep until noon was causing her considerable distress.
Especially after the Beginning of Winter, the increasingly cold weather makes people more sleepy, yet they still have to stand in the Ganlu Hall early in the morning.
Listening to a group of old men arguing over trivial matters is just like listening to the old ladies hawking their wares at the East Street market.
After the first heavy snowfall of winter fell in Xi'an, the peaceful days were broken.
On that day, an urgent memorial arrived from the north, delivered over a distance of 500 li (approximately 250 kilometers) – a major disaster had struck Beiling!
This was an unexpected natural disaster. A sudden blizzard covered the pastures in the northern pastoral areas, crushing countless farmlands and houses.
With land routes blocked and canals not yet opened, food was difficult to transport, and countless people froze and starved to death. Refugees flocked south, and the people were restless.
Due to the heavy snow blocking the roads, even the fastest report to Xijing took half a month to arrive, and now the situation in the north is probably even worse.
The new dynasty had only been established for six years, the people's livelihood had not yet fully recovered, and the national treasury was far from full, yet it had already suffered such a great disaster.
The powerful families in the court, who owned vast tracts of fertile land and immense wealth, learned to feign deafness and remain silent.
Emperor Gu had anticipated their reaction and never expected these people to take money out of their own pockets, so he directly ordered the treasurer to open the national treasury.