"Your Majesty is that even with your meticulous planning today, you failed to kill the traitorous Gu family."
After saying this, before the angry prefect could order his men to arrest him, the prefectural commandant drew his sword and committed suicide.
"gentlemen!"
With the assassin killed, Lingyan, who had already lost too much blood, could no longer hold on.
Before she collapsed, her eyes reflected Gu Zhong's panicked and worried expression, mixed with deep fear and regret.
—What are you regretting? Gu Zhong…
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Author's Note:
So, I'm the one who abuses the mainstream?
Chapter 21 The Imperial Tutor and the Crown Princess (Part 20)
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"Hahaha! How interesting... I never thought that the renowned God of War would die at the hands of his lover. How interesting, how interesting!"
The harsh and arrogant laughter kept echoing in her ears.
"Shut up! You're asking for it!"
Ling Yan stared with bloodshot eyes, looking around like a demon.
Blood dripped from her fingertips, and the lifeless body lay quietly in her arms, utterly docile.
"Go to hell... kill these gods who forced you to do this. If it weren't for them, how could the God of War have died?"
The voice instantly became incredibly alluring, as soft and gentle as a lover's whisper.
"Kill...they..."
As if bewitched, she followed along with the murmured words.
"The gentleman is having another nightmare..."
In the distance, I seemed to hear a soft sigh, which instantly soothed all my unease.
"I have caused His Majesty worry again."
As soon as she regained consciousness, Lingyan saw Gu Zhong leaning against the edge of the bed, holding a memorial to the emperor, just like he had been in the Northern Border.
"In truth, it is because you have risked your life for me time and again, both during the time at Beiling and now. I would like to ask you, sir, why is this?"
Gu Zhong leaned down and looked at her quietly, so close that he could see her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, and the reflection in her star-like eyes.
It was completely full, containing only her.
"But it's just..."
Lingyan felt her heart stop beating and almost lost her breath. She turned her head away in an evasive manner and said in a calm tone.
"It is merely a matter of a scholar dying for one who understands him. Your Majesty is a wise ruler of the world, and I, your subject, shall protect Your Majesty even at the cost of my life."
"Sir...do you really think so?"
Gu Zhong straightened up, tilted her head slightly, and looked at the person who dared not look her in the eye.
"nature."
"Speaking of which, I saw something interesting during my inspection tour of Qinghe these past few days."
The emperor suddenly changed the subject.
"Sir, don't you ask what it is?"
"...What is it?"
Stared intently into those obsidian-like eyes, awaiting her question, Ling Yan ultimately succumbed.
"There is a famous brothel in Qinghe County called Hongxiuzhao."
Upon hearing this, Lingyan's heart skipped a beat.
"His Majesty!"
"The girls in this establishment are exceptionally beautiful and talented, rivaling even the most famous brothels in the capital. What's interesting is that this place only caters to female customers. Sir, do you know why?"
Gu Zhong ignored her exclamation and continued speaking. After finishing, he looked intently at the person on the bed again.
"..."
Lingyan was well aware of this famous place; it was a brothel for women, catering specifically to young ladies from aristocratic families with unusual tastes.
I wonder who was so fearless as to mention it to Gu Zhong.
In an instant, Lingyan felt as if her thoughts had been laid bare before Gu Zhong.
An overwhelming sense of panic permeated her heart and lungs, leaving her speechless for a long time.
"Please rest well, sir. I will come to disturb you again later."
Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, Gu Zhong chuckled and stepped lightly out of the room.
Lingyan was puzzled; what was there to be happy about? The mind of an emperor is truly unfathomable.
Each time Lingyan accompanied Gu Zhong on his inspection tour, she would spend half of her time recuperating from her injuries, and the subsequent disturbances outside remained none of her concern.
The words shouted by the prefect before his assassination attempt failed seemed too deliberate, sounding like remnants of the previous dynasty, but upon closer inspection, they had no connection whatsoever.
Although the assassin belonged to two factions, he was certainly not from the previous dynasty, as the snake-shaped ornament on his back was not realistically imitated.
Gu Zhong took over the Xuan Ying Guard from Emperor Gu. This guard was originally only used for protection, but she used it as a spy. Qinghe County was turned upside down, and no suspicious place was overlooked.
Under the intense investigation of the imperial power, the mastermind behind the assassination had nowhere to hide. As expected, this was a desperate gamble by the powerful families of Qinghe, with no other option but to gamble.
Hoping that the new emperor who implemented the new policies would be buried here forever, so that they could continue their former glory, after all, not everyone is willing to give up their power and interests.
But since the emperor survived, these aristocratic families no longer had any reason to exist.
Gu Zhong originally only wanted things to evolve gradually, but it seems that the lesson from Beiling was not enough. They are all people who never learn from their mistakes. Being too lenient with them only resulted in them becoming more and more aggressive.
With overwhelming force, she dealt with all the participants with utmost seriousness. This time, she showed no mercy and ordered the extermination of their entire families. Half of the scholarly community in the country was shaken. It might take three imperial examinations this year to fill the vacancies in the court.
The only worrying thing is that the assassins who escaped unscathed could not be found out, and even under torture, no one confessed, so the case had to be temporarily closed.
Lingyan knew where it came from, but she still couldn't figure out what Chen Muxian could gain from doing this.
Once everything had settled down, Gu Zhong, in high spirits, carried a box of wine and food and stepped into Lingyan's courtyard.
"I am in a great mood today, and I hope you will celebrate with me."
"I have a very low alcohol tolerance, so I will not drink with Your Majesty today."
Lingyan apologized first, fearing that if she drank alcohol, she might lose control and do something even more irreversible.
"Sir, one cup is fine. This wine is refreshing and won't make you drunk."
Gu Zhong, however, poured her a full cup without asking. How could she refuse wine poured by the emperor himself?
Ling Yan could only drink the wine in one gulp under Gu Zhong's close watchful gaze with a blank expression, and then slammed the glass down on the table.
“Just one cup,” she said firmly.
"Alright, alright, as you wish, sir."
Gu Zhongxi beamed with joy, coaxing her while continuously serving her food.
"Please try this, sir. I specially invited the most famous chef in Qinghe County to prepare it. It is comparable to the imperial chefs in the palace."
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on the completion of a major matter. You can now enjoy these delicacies and fine wines."
"I can only steal a little free time here. Once I return to the capital, I won't have this freedom anymore."
"However, staying in the palace is the safest place for His Majesty."
"Yes... there are always people who wish they could skin me alive and devour my flesh, who want to take my life every moment... Sir, I'm always afraid that one day I'll leave this world silently, without even having time to say goodbye..."
"No way!"
Lingyan paused, her hand gripping the food tightly, her fingers clenching the jade pendant so hard that her hand turned pale and drained of color. "His Majesty, blessed by Heaven, may your reign be long and prosperous..."
"You believe these empty official pronouncements, sir? There's no such thing as divine favor. It's all just human doing, using the guise of divine right to legitimize their rule. If the gods no longer wish to grant you that right, then it's time for a new dynasty."
Gu Chong laughed loudly, revealing the inner workings of imperial power without any hesitation. As the biggest beneficiary, she truly understood it better than anyone else and could better feel the helplessness of the monarch.
"Is Your Majesty worried about... witchcraft?"
Lingyan, however, had a much deeper thought in mind.
"Do you know what my father said to me before he passed away?"
Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps it was because he had been holding it in for a long time, but Gu Zhong had so much to say today.
"The late emperor?" Lingyan listened attentively.
"Father's illness came on strangely and suddenly; it was because of... betraying the gods..."
Lingyan was startled; she had no idea that this small world, devoid of any spiritual energy, could have a god.
"It seems you're frightened, sir. But this 'god' isn't a real god; it's just a belief held by the faithful. The Gu family's rise to power is indeed inexplicably linked to witchcraft. I always thought my father was upright and honest, but I never imagined he had also practiced witchcraft."
The so-called rebellion against the gods was nothing more than no longer worshipping the witch gods. Perhaps having discovered the wolfish ambitions of the witch religion, the emperor did not keep his promise to make it the state religion after becoming emperor, but he was also wary of the witch religion's secretive methods and dared not eradicate it.
Last year's grand banquet was the final warning from the sorcery sect. That night, the Emperor spoke privately with the high priest and still rejected the sect's unreasonable demands.
Unexpectedly, when the oath was made, a poisonous curse was planted within. If the oath is broken, the mother curse will be activated, and there will be no escape but death.
After hearing this secret about the true cause of Emperor Gu's death, Lingyan felt a sense of understanding.
It turns out that the so-called plot of being driven to death by the sisters' infighting was not to be taken seriously. It is likely that the witchcraft cult was the real source, and it just so happened to lend Chen Moxian a helping hand at that time.
So, what kind of deal might Chen Moxian have with the cult?
In Beiling, there were powerful families who condoned witchcraft and colluded with foreign invaders, but there were also long-established rebel factions from the previous dynasty. It would be impossible to say that they were completely unrelated; the difference lay only in the closeness of their connections.
Fortunately, Gu Zhong personally went to the northern border, which prompted the enemy to take the initiative and leave traces, thus disrupting all their plans by chance.
If another ten or twenty years pass, the northern border may have quietly changed hands. If the rebels wanted to conquer the Western Capital, it would be as easy as taking candy from a baby. However, it is unknown whether the barbarians, the previous dynasty, or the cult would be in charge at that time.