freenovelworld Chapter 410 Gu Junze did not express his gratitude; the Emperor should have compensated him.
Chapter 410 Gu Junze did not express his gratitude; the Emperor should have compensated him.
The smile on Consort Shu's face froze completely, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes.
She glanced at Yingyue and Qinghe kneeling on the ground, then at Gu Junze's unyielding stance, and knew in her heart that the matter was beyond redemption.
"So that's how it is," Consort Shu sneered. "I thought it was something serious, but it turns out it was just these two ignorant servants who broke the rules."
Her voice suddenly rose: "I sent them to the General's Mansion with good intentions, but who knew they would dare to be so presumptuous! They have truly betrayed my trust!"
Gu Junze remained expressionless, but inwardly he sneered.
Consort Shu is putting on an act, trying to distance herself from this matter.
“In that case, I shall take my leave.” Gu Junze bowed respectfully. “I am personally escorting him back today to make my stance clear—matters within my household shall not be interfered with by outsiders.”
Upon hearing this, Consort Shu's face turned even more unpleasant, but she couldn't retaliate.
“Granny,” Consort Shu turned to the trembling Granny Liu beside her, her voice icy, “Take them away! Punish them severely!”
Seeing this, Gu Junze said no more and turned to leave.
Gu Junze stepped out of the side hall of the Phoenix Palace.
Behind her came the barely suppressed anger of Consort Shu and the pleas for mercy from Granny Liu, which sounded particularly jarring within the heavily guarded palace walls.
His expression remained calm, as if he hadn't heard anything.
As they approached the palace gate, a figure stood with his hands behind his back beneath an old locust tree. Moonlight filtered through the sparse branches, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Gu Junze stopped and bowed.
Zhao Yunci turned around, her face hidden in shadow, making her expression impossible to discern. Only her eyes shone brightly in the moonlight.
"We've brought the person back." Zhao Yunci's voice was very soft.
"Mm," Gu Junze responded.
Zhao Yunci did not ask for details, but simply walked slowly to him.
"The evidence against the Prince of Pingnan's mansion is almost complete." Zhao Yunci's tone was tinged with coldness.
Gu Junze recalled the files that had been sent from Nanzhou.
Zhao Tai, the heir of the Prince of Pingnan, relied on the power of the Prince's mansion to act arrogantly and domineeringly in Nanzhou, committing all kinds of evil deeds such as rape, plunder, and kidnapping.
Local officials, fearing the power of the prince's palace, dared not speak out. The people were filled with resentment and lived in misery.
Although the Prince of Pingnan outwardly tried to appease him, the effect was minimal, and there was even a hint of indulgence.
"The heir of the Prince of Pingnan's mansion has committed countless atrocities, including rape and kidnapping. The entire Southern Prefecture is filled with resentment, and the Prince of Pingnan's attempts to appease him have had little effect." Gu Junze succinctly recounted the findings.
Zhao Yunci frowned slightly as she listened.
"One piece of dog poop spoils the whole pot of porridge," he sighed softly.
"This matter has caused your wife distress, and I will make it up to her." Zhao Yunci looked at Gu Junze, her tone tinged with apology.
Gu Junze remained silent and offered no thanks. In his view, the Emperor was obligated to compensate him.
Zhao Yunci turned her head and her gaze fell on the majestic palace in the distance.
“The military power in the Eastern Jin Dynasty was fragmented, and the late emperor was too lenient with the vassal kings, which encouraged their desire to seize imperial power,” Zhao Yunci said in a low voice.
"This won't do. We must gradually take back military power." He muttered to himself, as if speaking to Gu Junze, or perhaps to himself.
Zhao Yunci withdrew her gaze and looked at Gu Junze again.
"But after dealing with the Prince of Pingnan, who should take over the Southern Continent?" he pondered.
"We still need to think carefully and consider the candidates." Zhao Yunci rubbed her temples, seemingly quite troubled.
"Your subject wishes to take his wife and children to the southern region." Gu Junze's voice was calm and powerful.
Zhao Yunci's gaze suddenly fell on Gu Junze. He scrutinized the calm, composed face, and pondered for a moment.
“My cousin is my confidant; I cannot live without him.” Zhao Yunci shook his head.
"It would be better for my cousin to stay in the capital with me."
The tone shifted, and Zhao Yunci's eyes sharpened.
"How's the investigation into the Qingmo Valley matter going?" he asked.
Gu Junze said in a solemn tone, "Many officials in the court have ties to Qingmo Valley."
"The Qingmo Valley that I discovered is related to the Rebellion of the Five Kings back then."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yunci's expression instantly turned serious.
“Back then, it was Princess Anyang who personally took action, could it be…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but the meaning was already clear.
A cold glint flashed in Gu Junze's eyes. "The details of what happened back then will probably have to be asked of Prince Yong."
Zhao Yunci took a deep breath, as if she had thought of something troublesome.
"That old scoundrel is really slippery..." he muttered under his breath.
"The late emperor really left me a mess."
When Gu Junze returned to the General's Mansion, it was already late at night. The lights in the mansion were still bright, indicating that someone was waiting for him.
Upon entering the inner courtyard, one could indeed see Chu Ruohan sitting on a rattan chair under the eaves, draped in a thin blanket, holding a book in her hands, but clearly distracted.
Yu Ling stood to the side, holding a cup of hot tea, glancing towards the door from time to time.
"Why haven't you rested yet?" Gu Junze strode forward.
Upon hearing the sound, Chu Ruohan looked up abruptly, a hint of joy flashing in her eyes.
She put down her book and tried to get up, but Gu Junze gently pressed her shoulder down.
"Don't move, be careful of your stomach." Gu Junze sat down next to her, took the teacup that Yu Ling handed him, and took a small sip.
"You're back," Chu Ruohan said with a slight smile. "Was it a smooth journey?"
Gu Junze put down his teacup, reached out and gently stroked her cheek, his voice soft: "Everything has been taken care of, you don't need to worry."
Chu Ruohan breathed a sigh of relief, but then frowned: "Has Consort Shu made things difficult for you?"
Gu Junze chuckled, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes: "How can she make things difficult for me? She's just putting on a brave face and pretending that it has nothing to do with her."
He held Chu Ruohan's hand and said, "Don't worry, with me here, no one can touch you."
Chu Ruohan smiled, her eyes reflecting the warm glow of the lamplight.
Just as I was about to speak, I suddenly heard light footsteps coming from outside the courtyard.
"Madam, you're still awake?" Song Ruyan's voice was clear and melodious.
The two looked up and saw Song Ruyan holding Doctor Qian's arm. The two had quietly returned from outside, both looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Yes, Junze just got back not long ago," Chu Ruohan replied gently, her gaze shifting between the two of them. "You two... just got back from outside?"
Upon hearing this, Dr. Qian's ears turned even redder, his eyes darted around, and he stammered as he tried to explain.
Song Ruyan spoke first, generously saying, "Dr. Qian said the starry sky is exceptionally beautiful tonight and invited me to go stargazing with him."
Hearing this, Yu Ling, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle, teasingly saying, "Oh? When did Doctor Qian develop such refined interests? Usually, you don't seem to care about anything other than herbs."
Dr. Qian's face flushed with embarrassment, and he waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no, I..."
Song Ruyan didn't care at all. Instead, she tightened her grip on Doctor Qian's arm and winked at Yuling.
"Of course it exists, you just don't know it."
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly grabbed Dr. Qian's arm, lightly touched the ground with her toes, and rose up as gracefully as a swallow.
"what--"
Caught off guard, Dr. Qian felt a sudden lightness in his body as Song Ruyan carried him towards the roof. In his terror, a short scream escaped his lips.
In the blink of an eye, the two landed steadily on the roof of the main hall.
Song Ruyan stood on the eaves, the night breeze ruffling her skirt.
She looked down at Chu Ruohan in the courtyard and asked with a smile, "Madam, would you like to come up and take a look? The view up here is quite different from down here!"
Chu Ruohan, supporting her pregnant belly, smiled and shook her head: "I won't go up there, you guys can go ahead and look."
Gu Junze reached out his hand and said gently, "It's late, be careful not to catch a cold. Come on, let me help you back to your room to rest."
"Mm," Chu Ruohan replied, and the two left together.