In front of Royal Street, because of the rain, there were few pedestrians, and the teahouse business on the street seemed a bit sparse.
"Sir, do you want to refill the water?" The waiter came to the table near the door with a kettle in hand.
As it was approaching noon, the teahouse became increasingly empty, with only one person sitting here.
This eighteen or nineteen-year-old man didn't look like he was dressed like a humble family member. He had been sitting here for half a day, but he only ordered a pot of tea and a plate of dried fruits. It was not enough money, so the shop assistant couldn't hide his impatience.
"No need." Gu Hai stood up, picked up the umbrella on the corner of the table, and threw a handful of copper coins to the shop assistant.
"Thank you, Mr. Gentleman," the shop clerk suddenly smiled and bowed his hands.
Gu Hai stood under the eaves of the teahouse and once again glanced at the majestic palace not far away. He sighed softly and walked into the rain with an umbrella.
Six or seven days have passed, and there is still no news about Gu Shiba Niang and Peng Yizhen.
The prince has successfully ascended the throne, all the ceremonies have ended, and normal court affairs have begun. Will those two people be like mud cows drowning in the sea, and there will be no news from then on
Gu Hai's steps couldn't help but stop, and he clenched his left hand tightly at his side. He wanted to rush into the East Palace and ask that person, but he knew that the consequences of this would be even worse.
He could do nothing but endure the suffering.
"Looking for death!" The speeding carriage passed through the street, splashing water.
Gu Hai came back to his senses, looked down at the muddy clothes, and moved to the side and walked slowly.
"Hanzhi." A carriage stopped beside him, and someone raised the curtain to greet him.
Gu Hai turned his head and saw Gu Yu smiling at him.
Gu Hai nodded as a greeting and then moved forward.
"It's rare that I'm in a good mood today. We haven't seen each other for a long time. Let's sit together?" Gu Yu's carriage slowly followed.
"That's unfortunate, I'm in a bad mood today," Gu Hai waved his hand and said calmly.
The carriage did not follow, but after walking a few steps, someone suddenly appeared next to him.
Gu Yu was much taller than before they parted. He was wearing a purple robe and a large cape. His originally handsome eyebrows had also grown longer, making him less gloomy and more heroic. He did not hold an umbrella in his hand. Just walking in the rain.
"I heard that the list of personnel transfers is coming out soon." Gu Yu asked.
"Congratulations to the number one scholar for your promotion." Gu Hai replied, looking at Gu Yu, "Would you like to join us?"
He shook the umbrella in his hand.
"Umbrella." Gu Yu looked up at the oilcloth umbrella in Gu Hai's hand, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly, "If it were someone else, I might use it, but yours..."
Gu Hai chuckled and simply changed his hand to hold the umbrella on the other side.
"Oh, don't worry, I'm not doing this to you alone, I will treat everyone equally." Gu Yu nodded and said with a smile.
"Don't you want the Gu family's umbrella?" Gu Hai turned to look at him and asked with a half-smile, "Where do you live now? These clothes are not cheap, right? I am also a seventh-grade county magistrate. Is it possible that yours is better than mine in Nanzhang?" How much?"
Gu Yu just smiled and raised his head slightly, letting the rain and mist sprinkle on his face.
"This umbrella..." He showed his fine white teeth, which made his smile become a little chilly. He suddenly reached out on tiptoes and grabbed the umbrella in Gu Hai's hand. He used both hands hard and heard a tearing sound, and it suddenly broke into two pieces. .
"You brat." Gu Hai frowned and glared at him, "I said you are so proud now. You can go crazy or do whatever you want. Don't bother me. I told you I'm not in the mood."
"Why are you in a bad mood?" Gu Yu stopped, the smile on his face had long since disappeared, and his eyes swept over Gu Hai with a cold look, "What qualifications do you have to say that you are not in a good mood in front of me? You are such a person What qualifications do you have to say this in front of a person like me? Oh, is it because a gentleman like you has suffered injustice? Is it because you have no ambition to serve the country? "
Seeing him suddenly become a little irritable, Gu Hai was a little confused.
"What did you say?" He glared at him.
Gu Yu Ding glanced at him, regained his previous elegance, smiled, and shook his head, "That's right, I really have nothing to say to you..."
A carriage was driving from a distance. When he saw the two people standing in the middle of the road, the driver couldn't help shouting at the top of his lungs.
"There's something wrong," the coachman said angrily as the carriage passed dangerously by the street.
This time, the two of them were wet from the rain and mud, and looked a little embarrassed.
"Where is your sister?" Gu Yu suddenly raised his eyebrows and asked, reaching out to stroke his chin, "In comparison, I still think she is much more interesting than you..."
Hearing him mention Gu Shiba Niang, Gu Hai became even more irritated.
"Gu Yu, you take your Yangguan Road and we cross our single-plank bridge. Others don't know what kind of person you are, but we do. So it's best for everyone to live in peace. It's good for you and us." He said with a facelift and stretched out his hand. He shook off his clothes, took a deep look at Gu Yu, and strode away.
"This guy seems to be really in a bad mood." Gu Yu looked at his retreating back and said thoughtfully, and then a strong sense of ridicule emerged, "I really don't hesitate to be lucky, let's take advantage of the time to be happy now, and then After a while, you really won’t be in a good mood anymore…”
The carriage that had been slowly following behind now cautiously came forward.
"Master, come up quickly and get out of the cold..." the young man said with concern and caution.
Gu Yu stretched out his hand to wipe the rain off his face, flicked his cloak and got into the car.
"The young master is back." Lingbao ran over from under the eaves holding an umbrella. Seeing Gu Hai's wet appearance, she couldn't help but be shocked. She remembered that the young master took the umbrella and went out, but she was obedient and already knew what to ask and what not to ask. You should ask, "Why did you come back in the rain? You should also avoid it..."
"Shh, don't shout." Gu Hai made a gesture and pointed in the direction of Cao.
"Madam is in the Buddhist hall." Lingbao smiled and hurriedly called the little maid to prepare hot water.
Cao spent more and more time in the Buddhist hall, and Gu Hai couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness in his heart. Gu Shiba Niang suddenly left, with the excuse that a noble person asked for medicine. Cao didn't ask any questions after hearing this. , and never mentioned Gu Shiba Niang’s name.
There are only two ways to be indifferent to something, one is to be indifferent, and the other is to be aware of it.
Obviously, Cao belongs to the second situation. Since when did my mother start to stand silently behind them, letting them have their way, without asking or telling, burying her worries deeply in her heart, just to make them less troubled.
It's not just the two of them, everyone is changing, step by step.
"Master?" Lingbao called back, a little puzzled by his sudden stop, "Hurry up, wait until Madam comes out and sees you, and you will stop worrying again."
"Okay." Gu Hai hid his sadness, smiled at her, and quickly followed her.
After retreating from the maid, Gu Hai soaked in the tub. The heat enveloped him. He leaned against the edge of the tub. Gu Hai closed his eyes and took a nap. Gu Hai couldn't help but think of Gu Yu's conversation just now.
The more I think about it, the more strange it becomes.
"What is this guy thinking about again..." He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Is it possible that he really wants to harm the Gu family?"
Immediately he shook his head again. The Gu family had Gu Shen'an, a high-ranking member of the dynasty, who was in charge, and he had the family's financial backing. Gu Yu, no matter how talented he was, was the number one scholar and favored by the Holy Family. It would not be easy to shake this big tree, let alone What's more, as a member of the Gu family, he is deeply respected and loved by the whole clan, and he cannot blatantly harm the clan members in terms of etiquette and virtue...
Gu Hai stretched out his hand and pressed his forehead, smiling bitterly.
"Master, Master..." Lingbao's voice suddenly sounded outside, with a bit of uneasiness and hesitation, he patted the window lattice gently.
"Huh?" Gu Hai reached out and picked up the bath towel.
"Master, I'll bring in new clothes..." Lingbao said suddenly outside.
Gu Hai couldn't help but be stunned. He had always treated this little girl as his younger sister, and Lingbao had always been polite in every move and retreat. How could he suddenly say such inappropriate words
Of course, it is normal for ordinary people to have a maid serve and wash them, but it should not be done...
Before Gu Hai could say anything, the door was already pushed open.
Gu Hai's face sank slightly, and with the sound of footsteps, people had already turned around the screen.
"Come out..." He couldn't help but drink in a low voice and lowered his eyes at the same time.
"Master." A male voice came into his ears.
Gu Hai was stunned, raised his head, and saw that it was Ling Yuan.
"You? Why are you here?" Gu Hai asked in surprise.
"Master..." Lingbao's voice came from outside the screen.
"I made my own decision. I have something urgent to do and I need to see the young master. Please don't blame Lingbao." Lingyuan knelt down on one knee and said.
Gu Hai breathed out, looked at him, and then at himself.
"You're not going to talk to me like this," he said with a wry smile.
He didn't mean to drive him away. Lingyuan was happy in his heart and hurriedly stood up and said, "Young Master, forgive me." and left.
Gu Hai stepped out of the tub, wiped himself dry, put on only his underwear and walked out.
"Get up." Looking at Lingbao who was still kneeling on the ground, he whispered.
Lingbao responded, stood up, took the coat aside and put it on himself.
Gu Hai opened his hand and did not refuse. With her here, it was to protect Ling Yuan's appearance.
"What's the matter?" Gu Hai looked at Ling Yuan and asked, frowning slightly, "You... didn't listen to me? Are you still doing that?"
Lingyuan lowered his eyes.
"Young Master, they still want Mr. Yang to die..." He whispered with suppressed anger in his voice, "It's already been done..."
This was expected, Gu Hai sighed softly.
"What is your relationship with Mr. Yang?" He asked instead, with a bit of curiosity.
Lingyuan's expression paused slightly, then he lowered his head and said, "I... escorted Mr. Yang to Beijing..."
"Oh?" Gu Hai became even more curious, looked at him and smiled, "That's really strange..."
It was indeed strange. Even Lingyuan himself couldn't explain why he did such strange things.
"Master Yang is a good man..." he said somewhat sarcastically.
Gu Hai smiled, "A good person?" His smile faded, "Isn't Mr. Liu Yan a good person? Isn't Mr. Zhou Shilong a good person? Aren't those old, weak, women and children outside the West City Gate good people?"
These people have all been killed by evil hands. All of these people have slandered Zhu Chunming. Not only themselves, but also their families have not escaped from the wildfire.
Lingyuan's expression was gloomy, and he knelt down on one knee without saying a word. As Zhu Chunming's adopted son and one of the thirteen powerful minions of Lord Zhu of the Criminal Department, he had participated in all these things.
Seeing his brother kneeling down, Lingbao also knelt down and lowered his head to wipe away tears.
Gu Hai's chest was rising and falling, and it took him a long time to suppress the turbulent emotions.
"Get up, stop participating in these things, leave here, go..." He said slowly, "Good deeds cannot make up for the bad consequences, you can do it yourself."
"Master, this time, they are doing this because of..." Lingyuan raised his head, lowered his voice and said two words, "Prince..."
"What?" Gu Hai was startled and asked again.
Lingyuan whispered again, "I vaguely heard something like this from those people. As for the details, I can't ask more..."
"Prince?" Gu Hai read these two words in his mouth and couldn't help but let out a breath. As a seventh-rank official of Hou Fang from a remote county, and at the same time that his sister encountered a serious incident, he couldn't help but sigh in response to the recent affairs in the court. I don't know much about it.
"I understand, let me inquire carefully." He thought for a moment and understood what Lingyuan meant. Everyone knew that he, Gu Hai, was the one who could talk to the prince, at least on the surface.
Lingyuan stood up with relief.
"Ling Yuan." Gu Hai looked at him again.
We haven't seen each other for a long time. The young man who once only followed his sister quietly has changed his appearance.
Countless thoughts swirled in his heart, which only made his eyes hurt. He couldn't help but take a step forward and reached out to pat Lingyuan on the shoulder.
"Live well..." Thousands of words came to my lips, but in the end it was this sentence.
Lingyuan felt a fire in his heart instantly spread to his body, and his nose felt sore. He cupped his hands and turned around to go out.
Lingbao hurriedly opened the door, looked around first, and then waved.
Lingyuan quickly walked towards the wall beside him, stopped again when he reached the wall, and turned back with some hesitation.
"Brother" Lingbao waved to him, a little anxiously.
"Miss..." Lingyuan looked at the yard next door unconsciously, and moved his lips slightly, really wanting to see her...
"Brother" Lingbao stomped his feet in the corridor.
Lingyuan finally turned around, and just as he was about to climb up the wall, he heard a commotion outside.
"Master, Master, the lady is back," two or three little maids shouted and ran in.
Hearing this, Lingbao ignored Lingyuan and turned around sharply.
"What? The lady is back?" She rushed out and looked at Gu Hairen, who was also gone like an arrow.
Why does it seem like the lady hasn't been home for a long time? A trace of doubt flashed in Lingyuan's heart, and he calculated secretly, he really hadn't seen Gu Shiba Niang for a long time, could it be...
He finally couldn't help it, and took a short step towards the outer courtyard. He circled three times and twice, flew up the tree, and saw the front yard boiling. He was shocked at first sight.
A soft sedan was carried in by four people. Next to him, Peng Yizhen, whose face was as grave as the bottom of a pot, kept urging the sedan to come here as fast as flying.
Mrs. Cao was supported by a servant woman behind her, her face was like gold paper, and she was about to fall to the ground.
The sedan passed under the tree, and you could clearly see the girl covered in soft fox fur, with a frail complexion and her eyes closed tightly.
Lingyuan only felt that his hands and feet were cold, but he could only watch in confusion as everyone gathered in the sedan chair and headed towards Gu Shiba Niang's bedroom.
At this time, Gu Yu had already finished washing, put on new clothes and was sitting in the study, listening to what Gu Shen'an said after returning from the next morning.
"So, many people are asking the prince to decide Yang Taisheng's life or death?" Gu Yu said while twirling his teacup.
Gu Shen'an nodded, "This is a hot potato..." He took a sip of tea and rubbed his forehead, "This is the one..." He stretched out his hand and pointed in the direction of Zhu Chunming's mansion, "To force the prince to express his position. Already…”
Is it a Zhu Party or an anti-Zhu Party? This move is so fierce and vicious.
"The prince is worried..." Gu Shen'an leaned on the back of the chair and sighed softly with an indescribable feeling.
Gu Yu lowered his head and looked at the teacup, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes.
This is a truth that everyone knows, and the staff of His Highness the Crown Prince naturally knew it. A group of people gathered together at court, scolded the Qing Party and the Zhu Party, and immediately came to the East Palace, but were stopped by the chamberlain and asked to go aside. Sit in the side hall.
"The prince is tired. He will take a nap for a while. Sir, please wait a moment." Huang Huang said with a smile.
After all, he was just recovering from a serious illness. The staff who knew the inside story immediately understood and calmed the others who didn't know the inside story with a few words. Everyone went to the palace to talk and wait quietly.
"Your Highness?" Chamberlain Huang walked into the palace gently. He called out a few times carefully, but received no answer. Then he crossed the curtains and entered. There was no figure of the prince on the bed. He couldn't help but froze for a moment, and then he thought of something and looked at it. To the side compartment.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince..." He called with a slightly raised voice.
Not long after, I heard a faint sound coming from the cubicle.
"What's the matter?"
Accompanied by the sound, the prince wearing plain brocade uniforms walked out slowly.
"Your Highness, there is a gentleman named Gu who would like to see you." Huang Chamberlain bowed and whispered.
"Gu?" Prince Wen's slender eyes lit up slightly.
"Gu Yu Gu Cunzhi..." Huang Neishi hurriedly corrected His Royal Highness the prince's thoughts.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sat down on the bed and said nothing.
"What's the matter with him?" Prince Wen said slowly.
"He said..." Chamberlain Huang took a small step forward, "He said he could help His Highness take care of his worries."
"Oh?" Prince Wen gently stroked the hanging brocade belt without moving his expression, "Share your worries for me?...What worries do you have for me?"
Waiter Huang bowed his head and did not dare to say a word.
It seemed like a long time passed before I heard the prince's calm voice floating above my head.
"Xuan."
Waiter Huang breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly exited, walked out the door, reached out and quietly pinched a large bank note in his sleeve.
This kid is really lucky. Not only is he rich, he also has a good surname.
"Grandpa." The young chamberlains standing nearby saluted respectfully in unison.
Waiter Huang straightened his clothes, raised his head and bowed his head, holding a whisk in hand, and walked slowly towards the palace gate. In the distance, he saw a tall and elegant young man in rich clothes standing tall.
Seeing him approaching, Master Jinxiu turned around and saluted Huang's eunuch.
"Master Gu, please." Huang Huang said with a smile.
"Thank you, sir." Gu Yu raised his head and said with a slight smile.
Looking at the palace in front of him, which although not as impressive as the imperial palace, was still shocking, Gu Yu took a deep breath and walked calmly.
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Five thousand words, the update may not be sure tomorrow. Hehe, I will take the kids to play after the weekend. Don’t wait, I will try my best to update.