"My father has already issued the decree, so it doesn't matter who I marry... Sir, you don't need to think about this anymore."
—Do you know that Chen Muxian is a prince of the previous dynasty, and he's after your empire and your life! Anyone else would do, but not Chen Muxian!
Now, Gu Zhong had fully adopted the cold and indifferent demeanor of a monarch, and seeing her unfamiliar appearance, Ling Yan felt a sharp pain in her heart.
"···"
After a long silence, the two sat and stood.
Gu Zhong stopped looking at the memorial, lowered his eyes, and suppressed all his thoughts, as if waiting for something to break the silence.
"Sir, is there anything else you would like to say?"
The Grand Tutor was always more patient, and in the end, it was Her Highness the Crown Princess who spoke.
Lingyan opened her mouth, but ultimately could not say anything.
Forcing herself to accept all reality, Lingyan continued to serve diligently as the Crown Prince's Chamberlain, managing all affairs of the Eastern Palace, including Gu Zhong's wedding.
How cruel this is...
Since becoming Gu Zhong's prospective husband, Chen Muxian has appeared at the East Palace much more frequently. Gu Zhong has adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards this, which has made Ling Yan so disgusted that she vomits blood.
"Lord Ling."
Just as Lingyan stepped onto the arched bridge in front of the council hall, she saw Chen Muxian walking towards her again. There was no way to avoid him, so she could only bite the bullet and return the greeting.
"Lord Chen." Her tone grew increasingly cold.
Chen Muxian beamed with joy, her words filled with heartfelt gratitude.
"I must thank Lord Ling for his guidance that day. I almost went astray, but after hearing his words, I was enlightened and have achieved what I have today."
"That was earned by Lord Chen through his own hard work, how dare I take credit? If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now, as I still have important matters to attend to."
Lingyan felt annoyed. This person was always bouncing around in front of her like a grasshopper, yet she could never find fault with him or catch him out.
Perhaps we shouldn't have been afraid of alerting the enemy, but instead suppressed him severely from the beginning, preventing him from ever getting ahead and cutting off his thoughts of spying on Gu Zhong.
Even though the effect of driving away one tiger to devour another was not bad, it couldn't compare to the deep regret Lingyan felt in her heart.
"It seems that Lord Ling does indeed dislike me."
Chen Muxian chuckled softly.
"Lord Chen is joking."
Stopping in her tracks and denying it outright, Lingyan didn't want to be branded as disrespectful to the Emperor's consort in the future.
"I always felt that Lord Ling knew a lot of things."
Chen Muxian sighed leisurely, his gaze fixed on Ling Yan's face, as if trying to see through her.
Ling Yan's heart skipped a beat. She suppressed the surprise in her eyes, kept her expression unchanged, and looked up to meet his gaze.
"If you wish to share His Highness's burdens, you should naturally be aware of the affairs of the world."
"...Yes, I've learned a lot, Lord Ling."
Chen Muxian hesitated for a moment, then gave a gentle smile, stepped aside, and made way for Chen Muxian.
"Lord Chen, farewell."
Lingyan lifted her foot to leave.
"The future is long. As fellow members of His Highness's household, I hope Lord Ling will not hesitate to offer his guidance."
What do you mean, "a person of His Highness"? This guy has no shame! Ling Yan quickened her pace silently, afraid that if she heard anything else Chen Muxian said, she would be so angry that she would shorten her lifespan.
Besides arranging the Crown Princess's marriage this year, Gu Chao also has another major event: Emperor Gu's fortieth birthday.
If it weren't for the snow disaster last year, the Imperial Palace would have started preparations long ago. Now, however, it's happening right around the time of the Crown Princess's wedding, keeping the six palace maids extremely busy.
Prince Gu Yang of Qinghe was also summoned to the capital for his birthday. After meeting Emperor Gu, she went straight to the Eastern Palace to express her longing for him and to celebrate his wedding.
"I never imagined that less than a year after I left, Sister Wang would be getting married so soon. I wonder what kind of handsome man has captivated her."
Inside the hall, Gu Yang and Gu Zhong sat facing each other, with a crystal-clear jade chessboard in between them. The two played chess, chatting casually in between.
Lingyan sat to one side. She had come to report miscellaneous matters of the Eastern Palace to Gu Zhong, but happened to encounter Gu Yang's visit and was thus invited to stay as well.
"You haven't seen it before?" Gu Zhong asked in a deep voice.
"I only heard that he was the top scholar in last year's special imperial examination, a poor man who became famous for solving the case of the assassination of Sister Wang. When Yang was still in the capital, the top scholar had not yet entered the palace, so how could I have seen him?"
"..."
"I have met the Second Prince before."
Gu Zhong was engrossed in thinking about his chess moves and didn't respond for a moment, so Ling Yan answered for him.
"Oh? When?" Gu Yang clapped his hands in surprise.
"The day when the two princes left the palace together."
"Why does this name sound so familiar? I never expected to have met you once before. Fate, fate, Sister Wang, could this be the red thread tied by the Old Man of the Moon?" Gu Yang smiled broadly.
Ling Yan, who was holding a blue and white porcelain teapot to pour tea, trembled slightly and spilled a little tea on the table.
"Don't talk nonsense."
Gu Zhong glanced at her subtly out of the corner of his eye and reprimanded her.
"...Neither Sister Wang nor the Grand Tutor showed any joy; could it be this person...?"
Gu Yang, belatedly realizing something was amiss, noticed that the two people present were too indifferent, showing no joy whatsoever at the prospect of the Crown Princess finding a good husband on her wedding day.
"You're always overthinking things. I'm not logging off."
Without warning, Gu Zhong suddenly overturned the chessboard.
"...Sister Wang, are you really not doing this on purpose because you're about to lose?"
Gu Yang stared wide-eyed at Gu Zhong with a reproachful look.
"Am I that kind of person? How come it feels like your personality has become much more unrestrained than before, after a year apart?"
Gu Zhongyi spoke righteously and eloquently, yet he turned the tables and accused the culprit.
“The fiefdom is a real pain. If Yang Ruo is still the same upright person he used to be, he’ll be driven crazy by it.”
Gu Yang looked weathered and worn.
"Alright, you've stayed in this lonely palace long enough. Go back to your own palace. I still have official business to attend to."
Gu Zhong waved his sleeve to dismiss them, and lightly changed the subject of the previous conversation.
"Your subject sees off the Second Prince."
Lingyan readily stood up. Gu Yang could only follow her out of the East Palace, feeling frustrated and aggrieved.
Why does the Grand Tutor no longer reside in the palace?
Perhaps realizing that things couldn't stay dull forever, Gu Yang took the initiative to start a conversation on the way.
"Your Highness is about to get married, and I have also taken up a real official position, not just the nominal title of Grand Tutor. It is really inappropriate for me to stay in the palace any longer, especially since my parents miss me very much."
Ling Yan used the same excuse she had given to Emperor Gu.
“Indeed, Father has kept the Grand Tutor in the palace for three years. It’s time to return him to the Imperial Censor.”
Gu Yang nodded in agreement.
"Is that Wang Jie's future husband over there?"
Gu Yang pointed forward, and Ling Yan felt her head start to hurt.
"Your Highness, please do not get too close to Lord Chen."
After much hesitation, I still offered a word of advice.
Although Gu Yang shows no signs of stealing Wang Jie's boyfriend now, the original plot did lead to fratricide, so something must have happened in between.
"Is there something wrong with this person? I noticed that my sister and the Grand Tutor are avoiding talking about him, which is really strange."
Gu Yang wasn't truly naive and innocent. Gu Zhong interrupted the conversation inside the hall, clearly not wanting to bring it up, so Gu Yang could only turn to ask Ling Yan instead.
"If Your Highness wishes to know, please feel free to ask His Highness."
Ling Yan gave a vague answer, shifting the blame back to Gu Zhong.
"It was my mistake. The Grand Tutor has always protected my sister. Never mind, since my sister doesn't want me to know, she must have her reasons. Why should I cause her unnecessary trouble?"
Gu Yang was quite open-minded and genuinely listened to Gu Zhong's words, showing a level of protectiveness no less than that towards Ling Yan.
"Your Highness, Lord Ling."
As they were talking, Chen Muxian approached and bowed to Gu Yang.
Gu Yang adopted the airs of a prince, remembering Ling Yan's words, and merely nodded indifferently.
"Lord Chen."
As they were of the same rank, Lingyan had to respond to him.
They brushed past each other quickly, Gu Yang and Ling Yan headed out of the palace, while Chen Muxian continued towards the hall.
A month before Emperor Gu's birthday, even though the emperor disliked extravagance, all the palaces replaced their potted plants, flowers, gold and silver ornaments, and hung up festive and auspicious lanterns, all in an effort to bring good luck.
The palace servants coming and going all had happy faces. The nobles in the palace have been emphasizing harmony these days, and there have been far fewer punishments, big and small.
Even so, no one dared to relax, and they were all on high alert, hoping to celebrate Emperor Gu's birthday smoothly.
Amidst the hustle and bustle, the birthday banquet was drawing ever closer, and Gu Zhong was even busier, because this year was Emperor Gu's birthday, and the vassal states of Gaoli in the southern borderlands had all sent envoys to present tributes and offer congratulations.
She and her staff at the Bureau of Foreign Affairs were also extremely busy, and had no choice but to conscript Gu Yang as a laborer. She then went to inspect and arrange matters at the Guard Bureau, the Capital Guard, and the Capital Prefecture.
The current situation in Xi'an is complex, with many people coming and going, and there are also quite a few troublemakers. It is necessary to strengthen defenses and maintain the stability of the capital.
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Author's Note:
Elementary school students' misunderstanding