Edited: 12.06.2023
Gu Yi’s words caught both of them off guard. Ye Zi walked out of the inner room and looked at Gu Yan. Gu Yan shook his head at him imperceptibly and said to Gu Yi: “Imperial uncle, please have a seat.”
The three of them took their seats at the table and Gu Yan started: “Why does Imperial uncle have to leave so soon?”
Gu Yi smiled: “After staying here for so many days, it’s natural to leave when you’ve had enough fun. If I don’t return to my fiefdom, Imperial brother will have a problem with me.”
Emperor Jinghe had asked Gu Yan to go south. He was secretly keeping an eye on Gu Yan’s movements so Emperor Jinghe must have known about Gu Yi’s arrival in Guangling.
Ye Zi suddenly asked: “Imperial uncle should have been in Guangling for quite some days, right?”
Gu Yi was silent for a moment: “Why do you ask?”
Ye Zi said: “If this were not the case, how could Imperial uncle be able to save the innocent refugees who were taken as test subjects and guide us to find them?”
Gu Yi took a sip of tea and didn’t hide the fact: “You are right, I saved them. Having them kidnap you was indeed my idea.”
Gu Yan asked: “So Imperial uncle knew early on that Lord Feng was up to no good?”
Gu Yi raised his eyes to look at him: “The only person who came from Chang’an besides you is him. If he’s not the one who’s up to something, could it be you?”
Gu Yan said thoughtfully: “In that case, did Lord Feng really do this at the behest of someone big in the Imperial City?”
“I didn’t say that.” Gu Yi said, “This Prince still wants to live for a few more years, I wouldn’t dare to say such things.”
“Zicheng understands.” Gu Yan said, “It’s just that I have a question and I want to ask Imperial uncle for an answer.”
“……..What exactly is the so-called poisonous flower from the Western Region?”
Gu Yi’s movements froze and he lowered his eyes without saying a word. After a long while, he sighed softly: “It isn’t some poisonous flower from the Western Regions.”
“Twenty years ago, there was a medical genius in the Central Plains. That person was invited to Chang’an and secretly cultivated a poisonous flower. That poisonous flower didn’t seem to be different from the usual flowers, except that when the pollen was dissolved in water, it would form a strange poison. The symptoms were similar to those of a common cold or fever, but it is highly contagious, and most of the infected people will not live for more than seven days.”
Gu Yan frowned slightly: ”This poisonous flower……was actually man-made? Who actually did this? And why did they do it?”
“This…….” Gu Yi hesitated for a moment and looked at Gu Yan: “Zicheng, actually, you probably already have an answer in your mind.”
Gu Yi let out a long sigh, as if he was caught in some very distant memory: “Back then, as the Crown Prince, Eldest Imperial Brother was ordered to march westward to wipe out the barbarians. After returning in triumph, he married the Crown Princess and had you the next year. At that time, I was still young, but I hadn’t forgotten Eldest Imperial Brother’s majesty back then. At that time, both Father and the ministers in court believed that he would be the next wise Emperor to lead the world to a prosperous age.”
“Under those circumstances, he was a worthy choice for the Crown Prince position.”
“Who, do you think, would least want to see that?”
At that time, the Crown Prince’s prestige far exceeded that of the other Imperial Princes. Unless something happened to him, it would be impossible to change who the Crown Prince was. And in that situation, if something happened to the Crown Prince, the Second Imperial Prince was most likely to inherit the throne.
Gu Yan closed his eyes slightly and slowly tightened his hand on the table.
Gu Yi paused for a moment and then said: “Not long after you were born, an epidemic broke out in Chang’an. The epidemic came quickly and violently, causing many people to suffer. The Imperial City was heavily guarded, but no one expected that the first one to bear the brunt of it was…….Eldest Imperial Brother who was staying in the Crown Prince Manor.”
Gu Yan whispered: “The Crown Prince Manor shouldn’t be weaker than the Imperial City.”
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“Exactly.” Gu Yi said: “As far as I know, Father also wanted to investigate this matter, however, before he could investigate anything, Eldest Imperial Brother wasn’t able to……hold out.”
“After the death of Eldest Imperial Brother, Father was overly sad and the matter was left unsettled. The rest of the story, you should know.”
Gu Yan asked: “How does Imperial uncle know all this?”
Gu Yi was silent for a moment and said softly: “Zicheng, you may not know, but your father was an excellent person. He was friendly to others when he was alive and Father often said that he was a true gentleman. Although I was not born from the same mother as him, he still treated me extremely well, and in my heart, he was the best elder brother in the world.”
“After……the death of Eldest Imperial Brother, I never gave up on pursuing this matter, and later on, I really found some clues.”
“What?”
“That medical genius.” Gu Yi said, “He was silenced shortly after he cultivated this poisonous flower. However, he still left behind some scrolls, which I found. In those scrolls, not only did he record how the poisonous flower was grown, he also recorded the cure for it.”
Gu Yan and Ye Zi looked at each other and Gu Yi smiled: “We’re finally getting back on topic. Zicheng, now that Imperial uncle has told you everything, I will ask you one last time, are you willing to join me to rebel against Emperor Jinghe?”
“To take back the kingdom he took from your father’s hands again.”
Gu Yan didn’t answer.
The room was so silent that a pin drop could be heard. Ye Zi turned his head and looked at Gu Yan, waiting for his answer.
This man was supposed to grow up safely under the protection of his parents, be trained as the next heir, and eventually become a wise Emperor like his father and grandfather. But just because of that epidemic, his life was turned upside down.
In his previous life, he went to great lengths to reclaim everything he had, but lost to fate and ended up losing. Now, he was trying his best to escape from the struggle for Imperial power, leaving himself riddled with wounds.
All of this was because of the person who was sitting comfortably on the throne today.
The hatred of killing his father and seizing the throne made even Ye Zi very angry.
As long as Gu Yan was willing to nod, he would accompany him without hesitation.
But Gu Yan just sighed softly and whispered: “I’m sorry.”
Gu Yi’s eyes sank.
He took a deep breath and suddenly snorted out a laugh: “Gu Zicheng, Gu Zicheng, I really misjudged you. I originally thought that even if you acted like a loser, you wouldn’t have lost your temperament. Good, very good, since you won’t agree, I won’t force you anymore.”
Gu Yi stood up, straightened his clothes calmly, and lowered his eyes to look at Gu Yan calmly: “I will leave the prescription in my room, you can go ahead and take it to cure the epidemic here so that you can claim credit from Emperor Jinghe and continue to go back to Chang’an and be a dog by his side. By the way, also notify Emperor Jinghe to get ready because the next time we meet, it will be with weapons.”
After Gu Yi finished with his words, he turned around and left the room.
Gu Yi left Guangling overnight as he said. The next day, Gu Yan and Ye Zi found a prescription in his bedroom. There was only one sentence on it: “Coil orchid, with the pollen in water as poison, the roots of the flower is the antidote.”
Among the powder that Gu Yi gave to Gu Yan earlier, the herb that Pei Ge had been unable to find was the root of the coil orchid.
Gu Yan immediately told this news to Pei Ge and hurriedly arranged manpower to prepare a decoction to treat the epidemic. The medicines were distributed to various places and after the patients drank them, the epidemic was quickly brought under control.
The disaster relief official, Lord Feng, confessed to all the crimes not long after he was imprisoned, admitting that it was due to his own selfish desires that he poisoned the people with the intention of framing Gu Yan. However, he refused to disclose where the poisoned flowers came from.
The day after he confessed to the crime, Feng Yihai killed himself in prison, dying without proof.
Ye Zi walked into the room with a pot of tea as Gu Yan sat at the desk writing.
After Feng Yihai died in prison, Gu Yan reported everything, besides Gu Yi’s appearance, to Emperor Jinghe truthfully. The epidemic was successfully contained, Emperor Jinghe praised Gu Yan in the Imperial edict and named Gu Yan the Disaster Relief Censor and had him stay in Guangling to manage the floods.
The flooding disaster in Jiangnan was also improving day by day, but Gu Yan still had no intention of returning to Chang’an.
Ye Zi put the teapot on the table and poured a cup for Gu Yan. He tilted his head and asked: “What are you writing?”
“A report to Emperor Jinghe.” Gu Yan said, “It’s been a few more days since I handed him the last one. I want to be more conscious so as not to make him suspicious.”
Ye Zi nodded, placed the tea in front of Gu Yan, and quietly sat down beside him.
Gu Yan quickly finished writing the report and got the attendant to deliver it. After all was said and done, he finally turned to look at Ye Zi: “What’s wrong? You look preoccupied?”
“No.” Ye Zi shook his head and leaned on Gu Yan’s shoulder, “I was just thinking, when are we going back?”
Gu Yan laughed: “You want to go back?”
“Not really.” Ye Zi said, “It’s just……I’m starting to miss the little sparrow and I don’t know how he is now. The Third Imperial Prince, he……”
“According to the news from Chang’an, the Third Imperial Prince has probably done something recently. The Crown Prince has fallen out of favor with Emperor Jinghe. Emperor Jinghe already has the intention of removing him as the Crown Prince and replacing him with the Third Imperial Prince.” Gu Yan said, “Gu Xuan really didn’t disappoint me.”
Ye Zi smiled: “With you helping him secretly, wouldn’t he be useless if he couldn’t even defeat the Crown Prince?”
“That’s hard to say.” Gu Yan leaned on the back of the chair and gently stroked Ye Zi’s hair, “I heard that Emperor Jinghe recently planned to arrange a marriage for Gu Xuan.”
Ye Zi was stunned for a moment and straightened up: “He——”
“Don’t worry, he refused.” Gu Yan said soothingly, “I heard that he went against Emperor Jinghe in public for the first time. That old thing was so angry that he was punished by being locked in the book pavilion for several days.”
Although this was the case, Ye Zi still couldn’t rest assured and was worried: “But how long can he hold out like this?”
Gu Yan said: “There still hasn’t been any heir or consorts in Gu Xuan’s room in all these years. Moreover, since Gu Xuan hid another living being in his palace. I don’t believe that Emperor Jinghe and Noble Consort Yu would have no idea about this. Emperor Jinghe is probably afraid that Gu Xuan will follow my path and want to make that little sparrow his consort, which is why he is trying to arrange a marriage for him as quickly as possible.”
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As he said this, he let out a light laugh, “Emperor Jinghe doesn’t care at all who I marry, but it wouldn’t be the same with his son. If he intends to establish Gu Xuan as the Crown Prince, then this arranged marriage is non-negotiable.”
Ye Zi’s eyes darkened: “But in this way, the little sparrow……”
Gu Yan suddenly interrupted him: “A Zi, you can’t help in this matter.”
Gu Yan said: “It is difficult to have both in this world. As early as when Gu Xuan had made up his mind to fight for the throne, he was destined to give up something. Now that he has taken action, it proves that he has been prepared for the price he needs to pay.”
“……This is their destiny.”
Ye Zi didn’t respond. He leaned into Gu Yan’s arms and suddenly asked softly: “What about you? Have you made a choice?”
Gu Yan’s movements stalled.
Ye Zi said: “Zicheng, I was just thinking, if it was us who were facing this instead, what should I do?”
Gu Yan lowered his eyes to look at him, his voice gentle: “What would you do?”
Ye Zi pursed his lips and said seriously: “I would help you.”
Gu Yan suddenly laughed softly: “So, that’s why you’ve been preoccupied for the past few days? Why are you so stupid?”
Ye Zi frowned lightly and retorted: “I’m not stupid, I’m just——”
“How are you not stupid?” Gu Yan leisurely interrupted him, “Alright little fool, stop thinking about these nonsensical things. I heard Lord Yue say that today is Guangling’s annual lantern festival. Come, I’ll take you out for some fun.”
As night fell, the lights in Guangling City were brightly lit. On the long street, all kinds of lanterns were hung on both sides of the road, making the city look like daylight.
Gu Yan pulled Ye Zi along the street. The two of them were dressed as ordinary people, without any attendants, and walked among the crowd in a low profile. The people of Guangling knew that Prince Rui was staying in the city, but in the past few days, they rarely saw Prince Rui’s true appearance, so even if they saw the two of them, they would not be able to recognize him.
But even if they were unrecognized, it still didn’t stop them from attracting attention on the streets.
Especially Gu Yan’s face. Even in Jiangnan where beauty was everywhere, his appearance was still one of the best. Not long after the two of them traveled through the lantern fair, Gu Yan had already received several flower branches thrown by women and there were also people stopping to ask him his name and his job.
This was Ye Zi’s first time seeing the openness of the Jiangnan people. He angrily said “This is my man” to the woman, and pulled Gu Yan away quickly.
Two people walked through the crowded streets and took a little rest on a stone bridge.
The water gurgled under the stone bridge and merged into a long river in the distance. People stood on the bank and threw lanterns into the water as they floated slowly on the river. On the river bank, several decorated boats were lined up with bright red lanterns hanging on the bows, showing a festive and lively atmosphere.
Ye Zi gazed at the lanterns in the distance and no one knew what he was thinking.
Gu Yan turned his head to look at him and laughed lightly: “My beloved consort, are you angry?”
Ye Zi said: “No.”
“Then you’re jealous.” Gu Yan laughed and deliberately said, “Is it because I’m the only one who received flower branches and no one gave any to you, and that’s why you’re unhappy?”
“That’s not——”
Ye Zi frowned at him and was about to snap when Gu Yan immediately begged for mercy: “Of course not, of course not. I was just joking with you.”
Ye Zi lowered his head and stopped paying attention to him.
Gu Yan pondered for a moment and suddenly said: “Do you want to send off some lanterns? I’ll go buy them.”
Ye Zi said: “I’ll join you——”
“No need.” Gu Yan interrupted him, “There are too many people down there, so just wait for me here.”
After Gu Yan said this, he descended the bridge and quickly disappeared into the crowd. Ye Zi looked in the direction he left and let out a soft sigh.
Whenever he was confronted with Gu Yan’s affairs, he was always a little afflicted. He was worried that that person would leave him behind for something else, and also worried that that person would give up everything for him and regret it later.
But just like the Third Imperial Prince and the little gray sparrow, there were always things that couldn’t be done both ways, and there were always choices to be made.
Perhaps it was because Gu Yan always acted with ease in front of him, which made him feel that there wouldn’t be any troubles that he could not solve. But he often forgot that Gu Yan was also just an ordinary person.
That person also couldn’t escape the control of fate and could only give up other things for the sake of certain things.
But even if Gu Yan was willing, could he really use Ye Zi to imprison himself and make himself give up so much for him?
The number of people on the stone bridge gradually increased. Ye Zi looked towards the direction Gu Yan left, but never saw that familiar figure. Ye Zi frowned slightly and just as he was thinking about whether to go look for him, someone suddenly tugged on the corner of his clothes.
Ye Zi lowered his head and beside him was a six or seven-year-old little girl.
Ye Zi asked: “Is there something wrong?”
The little girl said timidly: “A big brother asked me to come over and deliver a message. ‘Get off the bridge and walk to the river bank. Someone is waiting for you.'”
Most likely, after Gu Yan bought the lanterns, he found that there were too many people coming and going, so he found a little girl to help him pass on the message.
Ye Zi didn’t think too much about it and nodded: “Okay, I’ll go now.”
Ye Zi followed the little girl’s instructions, got off the stone bridge, and walked towards the river bank. There were many people on the river bank and it took Ye Zi a lot of effort to squeeze through. He stood on the river bank and looked around for a moment, but still didn’t see Gu Yan.
At this moment, someone patted his shoulder from behind.
Ye Zi turned his head, it was a delicate woman in her prime. The woman held a slender piece of red silk in her hand and asked with some embarrassment: “Are you Mr. Ye?”
Ye Zi nodded: “Yes.”
The woman said: “A gentleman has asked me to give this to you, please blindfold yourself.”
Ye Zi was confused and chuckled: “Where is he now and why does he want me to do this?”
The woman lightly bit her lips and whispered: “I do not know, but that gentleman said that if Mr. Ye does not put on the blindfold, to not take you to him.”
Ye Zi was silent.
He didn’t know what Gu Yan was up to.
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He took the red silk and put it over his eyes, and before he could say anything, someone beside him handed him another piece of silk cloth. The silk cloth seemed to be extremely long and as soon as Ye Zi grasped it, someone held the other end of the silk cloth and guided him forward.
Ye Zi was completely out of temper by Gu Yan and patiently cooperated to see what other tricks he had up his sleeves.
But soon, someone beside him softly said: “Mister, you can’t go any further.”
This voice was not the same as the voice of the person who handed him the silk blindfold. It was probably a different person. For some reason, the voice sounded a bit suppressed, as if they were holding back laughter.
Ye Zi obediently stood in place as he listened to the sound of the river lapping against the bank. Suddenly, someone pushed him from behind. Ye Zi wasn’t able to stand still and stumbled a few steps toward the front, landing in an embrace.
Several women’s laughter sounded behind him and as Ye Zi moved, the silk around his eyes came loose and fell. The first thing that caught his eye was the ground covered with red silk.
They were standing at the bow of a decorated boat.
This decorated boat was much larger than what they had seen on the stone bridge before. The boat was paved with red silk and embellished with beads and jade and gold foils, making it extraordinarily unique. An equally bright red lantern hung on the bow of the boat, slowly swaying in the gentle night breeze with a bright red double happiness character on it.
Ye Zi’s eyes were suddenly overwhelmed with a layer of red.
“Z-Zi Cheng……”
Ye Zi raised his head in a daze. Gu Yan had changed into a bright red robe at some point, which made his features even more handsome.
Before Gu Yan could speak, someone suddenly pushed the decorated boat under their feet. The boat shook slightly and Gu Yan quickly tightened his arms and hugged Ye Zi more firmly.
The decorated boat swayed and drifted along the river and from afar, they could still hear the girls on the riverbank shouting: “I wish you two gentlemen a happy and long-lasting marriage. It was agreed upon that each of us will get 10 taels, we will come to ask them from you tomorrow!”
Ye Zi’s mind was in chaos. The laughter on the river bank seemed to come from a faraway place and everything around him became blurry. In the chaotic world, only the person holding him tightly was left.
The decorated boat drifted with the waves and the noises along the riverbank gradually faded away. Gu Yan somewhat uncomfortably tilted his head: “L-Let’s go in first.”
Ye Zi nodded and obediently followed Gu Yan into the boat.
The Chinese character for “double happiness” was also posted inside the boat. Bright red flowers and candles adorned the table and gold foil was sprinkled on the ground covered with red silk, which was exactly the arrangement of a wedding night. On the wooden hanger on the side, there was also a wedding robe similar to the one Gu Yan was wearing.
Gu Yan went over and took off the robe. He then untied Ye Zi’s outer robe and put it on him.
Gu Yan carefully dressed Ye Zi and said in a slightly awkward voice: “I…..I got this idea from a few young women in the area after I asked them. I don’t know if I frightened you or not.”
“I……” Ye Zi’s eyes were slightly hot. He blinked and chuckled, “Why are you doing this?…..We obviously got married a long time ago. I have already been Princess Consort Rui for so long, why are we still doing this?”
“That’s different.” Gu Yan lowered his eyes to look at him, his gaze soft, “We had some misunderstandings in Chang’an before and the wedding banquet ended in haste.”
Gu Yan put on the wedding robe for him, arranged it properly, took a deep breath, and said warmly: “A Zi, I can’t do what ordinary people do; hire a matchmaker or invite a banquet with guests to solemnly welcome you. But other than that, I won’t let you suffer any wrongdoings.”
“……That’s why I’ve been thinking that I can’t let you follow me in such an improper manner, I have to find a chance to make it up to you.”
Tears slid down Ye Zi’s cheeks as he turned his head with a trembling voice: “You don’t have to be so nice to me. If you’re like this, I……”
Gu Yan pulled him to the edge of the bed and sat down, gently wiping away his tears: “A Zi, don’t be afraid. You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this day. When I thought I had lost you, I almost drove myself crazy. It was you who pulled me back. If it wasn’t for you, I probably would have already……Believe me, I did all of this from my heart, you don’t have to feel uneasy about it.”
“You are the official princess consort I am marrying, as evidenced by heaven and earth.”
Ye Zi’s shoulders were shaking violently. He put his head on Gu Yan’s shoulders and let out a few small sobs after a while.
Gu Yan smiled helplessly, helped the person up, and scolded him softly: “Why are you always like this? You obviously didn’t like crying in the past, but nowadays, every time you encounter such a situation, you have to shed a few tears to spoil the fun.”
Ye Zi wiped his eyes and bit his lower lip: “T-That’s not true.”
He glanced around and changed the subject: “Aren’t we going to get married? How come there is no nuptial wine?”
Gu Yan laughed: “You want to drink so that you can sleep through it like last time?”
He came forward, kissed Ye Zi gently on the eyes, leaned close to the other person’s ear, and whispered: “Princess Consort Rui, do you think I will give you this chance again?”
Ye Zi was keenly aware of something from his words and subconsciously wanted to move away.
Gu Yan easily grabbed the other party’s wrist and pushed him into the soft bed overlaid with crimson brocade. The gauze curtain came down, concealing the overlapping figures within the red curtains.
Edited: 12.06.2023
Gu Yi’s words caught both of them off guard. Ye Zi walked out of the inner room and looked at Gu Yan. Gu Yan shook his head at him imperceptibly and said to Gu Yi: “Imperial uncle, please have a seat.”
The three of them took their seats at the table and Gu Yan started: “Why does Imperial uncle have to leave so soon?”
Gu Yi smiled: “After staying here for so many days, it’s natural to leave when you’ve had enough fun. If I don’t return to my fiefdom, Imperial brother will have a problem with me.”
Emperor Jinghe had asked Gu Yan to go south. He was secretly keeping an eye on Gu Yan’s movements so Emperor Jinghe must have known about Gu Yi’s arrival in Guangling.
Ye Zi suddenly asked: “Imperial uncle should have been in Guangling for quite some days, right?”
Gu Yi was silent for a moment: “Why do you ask?”
Ye Zi said: “If this were not the case, how could Imperial uncle be able to save the innocent refugees who were taken as test subjects and guide us to find them?”
Gu Yi took a sip of tea and didn’t hide the fact: “You are right, I saved them. Having them kidnap you was indeed my idea.”
Gu Yan asked: “So Imperial uncle knew early on that Lord Feng was up to no good?”
Gu Yi raised his eyes to look at him: “The only person who came from Chang’an besides you is him. If he’s not the one who’s up to something, could it be you?”
Gu Yan said thoughtfully: “In that case, did Lord Feng really do this at the behest of someone big in the Imperial City?”
“I didn’t say that.” Gu Yi said, “This Prince still wants to live for a few more years, I wouldn’t dare to say such things.”
“Zicheng understands.” Gu Yan said, “It’s just that I have a question and I want to ask Imperial uncle for an answer.”
“……..What exactly is the so-called poisonous flower from the Western Region?”
Gu Yi’s movements froze and he lowered his eyes without saying a word. After a long while, he sighed softly: “It isn’t some poisonous flower from the Western Regions.”
“Twenty years ago, there was a medical genius in the Central Plains. That person was invited to Chang’an and secretly cultivated a poisonous flower. That poisonous flower didn’t seem to be different from the usual flowers, except that when the pollen was dissolved in water, it would form a strange poison. The symptoms were similar to those of a common cold or fever, but it is highly contagious, and most of the infected people will not live for more than seven days.”
Gu Yan frowned slightly: ”This poisonous flower……was actually man-made? Who actually did this? And why did they do it?”
“This…….” Gu Yi hesitated for a moment and looked at Gu Yan: “Zicheng, actually, you probably already have an answer in your mind.”
Gu Yi let out a long sigh, as if he was caught in some very distant memory: “Back then, as the Crown Prince, Eldest Imperial Brother was ordered to march westward to wipe out the barbarians. After returning in triumph, he married the Crown Princess and had you the next year. At that time, I was still young, but I hadn’t forgotten Eldest Imperial Brother’s majesty back then. At that time, both Father and the ministers in court believed that he would be the next wise Emperor to lead the world to a prosperous age.”
“Under those circumstances, he was a worthy choice for the Crown Prince position.”
“Who, do you think, would least want to see that?”
At that time, the Crown Prince’s prestige far exceeded that of the other Imperial Princes. Unless something happened to him, it would be impossible to change who the Crown Prince was. And in that situation, if something happened to the Crown Prince, the Second Imperial Prince was most likely to inherit the throne.
Gu Yan closed his eyes slightly and slowly tightened his hand on the table.
Gu Yi paused for a moment and then said: “Not long after you were born, an epidemic broke out in Chang’an. The epidemic came quickly and violently, causing many people to suffer. The Imperial City was heavily guarded, but no one expected that the first one to bear the brunt of it was…….Eldest Imperial Brother who was staying in the Crown Prince Manor.”
Gu Yan whispered: “The Crown Prince Manor shouldn’t be weaker than the Imperial City.”
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“Exactly.” Gu Yi said: “As far as I know, Father also wanted to investigate this matter, however, before he could investigate anything, Eldest Imperial Brother wasn’t able to……hold out.”
“After the death of Eldest Imperial Brother, Father was overly sad and the matter was left unsettled. The rest of the story, you should know.”
Gu Yan asked: “How does Imperial uncle know all this?”
Gu Yi was silent for a moment and said softly: “Zicheng, you may not know, but your father was an excellent person. He was friendly to others when he was alive and Father often said that he was a true gentleman. Although I was not born from the same mother as him, he still treated me extremely well, and in my heart, he was the best elder brother in the world.”
“After……the death of Eldest Imperial Brother, I never gave up on pursuing this matter, and later on, I really found some clues.”
“What?”
“That medical genius.” Gu Yi said, “He was silenced shortly after he cultivated this poisonous flower. However, he still left behind some scrolls, which I found. In those scrolls, not only did he record how the poisonous flower was grown, he also recorded the cure for it.”
Gu Yan and Ye Zi looked at each other and Gu Yi smiled: “We’re finally getting back on topic. Zicheng, now that Imperial uncle has told you everything, I will ask you one last time, are you willing to join me to rebel against Emperor Jinghe?”
“To take back the kingdom he took from your father’s hands again.”
Gu Yan didn’t answer.
The room was so silent that a pin drop could be heard. Ye Zi turned his head and looked at Gu Yan, waiting for his answer.
This man was supposed to grow up safely under the protection of his parents, be trained as the next heir, and eventually become a wise Emperor like his father and grandfather. But just because of that epidemic, his life was turned upside down.
In his previous life, he went to great lengths to reclaim everything he had, but lost to fate and ended up losing. Now, he was trying his best to escape from the struggle for Imperial power, leaving himself riddled with wounds.
All of this was because of the person who was sitting comfortably on the throne today.
The hatred of killing his father and seizing the throne made even Ye Zi very angry.
As long as Gu Yan was willing to nod, he would accompany him without hesitation.
But Gu Yan just sighed softly and whispered: “I’m sorry.”
Gu Yi’s eyes sank.
He took a deep breath and suddenly snorted out a laugh: “Gu Zicheng, Gu Zicheng, I really misjudged you. I originally thought that even if you acted like a loser, you wouldn’t have lost your temperament. Good, very good, since you won’t agree, I won’t force you anymore.”
Gu Yi stood up, straightened his clothes calmly, and lowered his eyes to look at Gu Yan calmly: “I will leave the prescription in my room, you can go ahead and take it to cure the epidemic here so that you can claim credit from Emperor Jinghe and continue to go back to Chang’an and be a dog by his side. By the way, also notify Emperor Jinghe to get ready because the next time we meet, it will be with weapons.”
After Gu Yi finished with his words, he turned around and left the room.
Gu Yi left Guangling overnight as he said. The next day, Gu Yan and Ye Zi found a prescription in his bedroom. There was only one sentence on it: “Coil orchid, with the pollen in water as poison, the roots of the flower is the antidote.”
Among the powder that Gu Yi gave to Gu Yan earlier, the herb that Pei Ge had been unable to find was the root of the coil orchid.
Gu Yan immediately told this news to Pei Ge and hurriedly arranged manpower to prepare a decoction to treat the epidemic. The medicines were distributed to various places and after the patients drank them, the epidemic was quickly brought under control.
The disaster relief official, Lord Feng, confessed to all the crimes not long after he was imprisoned, admitting that it was due to his own selfish desires that he poisoned the people with the intention of framing Gu Yan. However, he refused to disclose where the poisoned flowers came from.
The day after he confessed to the crime, Feng Yihai killed himself in prison, dying without proof.
Ye Zi walked into the room with a pot of tea as Gu Yan sat at the desk writing.
After Feng Yihai died in prison, Gu Yan reported everything, besides Gu Yi’s appearance, to Emperor Jinghe truthfully. The epidemic was successfully contained, Emperor Jinghe praised Gu Yan in the Imperial edict and named Gu Yan the Disaster Relief Censor and had him stay in Guangling to manage the floods.
The flooding disaster in Jiangnan was also improving day by day, but Gu Yan still had no intention of returning to Chang’an.
Ye Zi put the teapot on the table and poured a cup for Gu Yan. He tilted his head and asked: “What are you writing?”
“A report to Emperor Jinghe.” Gu Yan said, “It’s been a few more days since I handed him the last one. I want to be more conscious so as not to make him suspicious.”
Ye Zi nodded, placed the tea in front of Gu Yan, and quietly sat down beside him.
Gu Yan quickly finished writing the report and got the attendant to deliver it. After all was said and done, he finally turned to look at Ye Zi: “What’s wrong? You look preoccupied?”
“No.” Ye Zi shook his head and leaned on Gu Yan’s shoulder, “I was just thinking, when are we going back?”
Gu Yan laughed: “You want to go back?”
“Not really.” Ye Zi said, “It’s just……I’m starting to miss the little sparrow and I don’t know how he is now. The Third Imperial Prince, he……”
“According to the news from Chang’an, the Third Imperial Prince has probably done something recently. The Crown Prince has fallen out of favor with Emperor Jinghe. Emperor Jinghe already has the intention of removing him as the Crown Prince and replacing him with the Third Imperial Prince.” Gu Yan said, “Gu Xuan really didn’t disappoint me.”
Ye Zi smiled: “With you helping him secretly, wouldn’t he be useless if he couldn’t even defeat the Crown Prince?”
“That’s hard to say.” Gu Yan leaned on the back of the chair and gently stroked Ye Zi’s hair, “I heard that Emperor Jinghe recently planned to arrange a marriage for Gu Xuan.”
Ye Zi was stunned for a moment and straightened up: “He——”
“Don’t worry, he refused.” Gu Yan said soothingly, “I heard that he went against Emperor Jinghe in public for the first time. That old thing was so angry that he was punished by being locked in the book pavilion for several days.”
Although this was the case, Ye Zi still couldn’t rest assured and was worried: “But how long can he hold out like this?”
Gu Yan said: “There still hasn’t been any heir or consorts in Gu Xuan’s room in all these years. Moreover, since Gu Xuan hid another living being in his palace. I don’t believe that Emperor Jinghe and Noble Consort Yu would have no idea about this. Emperor Jinghe is probably afraid that Gu Xuan will follow my path and want to make that little sparrow his consort, which is why he is trying to arrange a marriage for him as quickly as possible.”
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As he said this, he let out a light laugh, “Emperor Jinghe doesn’t care at all who I marry, but it wouldn’t be the same with his son. If he intends to establish Gu Xuan as the Crown Prince, then this arranged marriage is non-negotiable.”
Ye Zi’s eyes darkened: “But in this way, the little sparrow……”
Gu Yan suddenly interrupted him: “A Zi, you can’t help in this matter.”
Gu Yan said: “It is difficult to have both in this world. As early as when Gu Xuan had made up his mind to fight for the throne, he was destined to give up something. Now that he has taken action, it proves that he has been prepared for the price he needs to pay.”
“……This is their destiny.”
Ye Zi didn’t respond. He leaned into Gu Yan’s arms and suddenly asked softly: “What about you? Have you made a choice?”
Gu Yan’s movements stalled.
Ye Zi said: “Zicheng, I was just thinking, if it was us who were facing this instead, what should I do?”
Gu Yan lowered his eyes to look at him, his voice gentle: “What would you do?”
Ye Zi pursed his lips and said seriously: “I would help you.”
Gu Yan suddenly laughed softly: “So, that’s why you’ve been preoccupied for the past few days? Why are you so stupid?”
Ye Zi frowned lightly and retorted: “I’m not stupid, I’m just——”
“How are you not stupid?” Gu Yan leisurely interrupted him, “Alright little fool, stop thinking about these nonsensical things. I heard Lord Yue say that today is Guangling’s annual lantern festival. Come, I’ll take you out for some fun.”
As night fell, the lights in Guangling City were brightly lit. On the long street, all kinds of lanterns were hung on both sides of the road, making the city look like daylight.
Gu Yan pulled Ye Zi along the street. The two of them were dressed as ordinary people, without any attendants, and walked among the crowd in a low profile. The people of Guangling knew that Prince Rui was staying in the city, but in the past few days, they rarely saw Prince Rui’s true appearance, so even if they saw the two of them, they would not be able to recognize him.
But even if they were unrecognized, it still didn’t stop them from attracting attention on the streets.
Especially Gu Yan’s face. Even in Jiangnan where beauty was everywhere, his appearance was still one of the best. Not long after the two of them traveled through the lantern fair, Gu Yan had already received several flower branches thrown by women and there were also people stopping to ask him his name and his job.
This was Ye Zi’s first time seeing the openness of the Jiangnan people. He angrily said “This is my man” to the woman, and pulled Gu Yan away quickly.
Two people walked through the crowded streets and took a little rest on a stone bridge.
The water gurgled under the stone bridge and merged into a long river in the distance. People stood on the bank and threw lanterns into the water as they floated slowly on the river. On the river bank, several decorated boats were lined up with bright red lanterns hanging on the bows, showing a festive and lively atmosphere.
Ye Zi gazed at the lanterns in the distance and no one knew what he was thinking.
Gu Yan turned his head to look at him and laughed lightly: “My beloved consort, are you angry?”
Ye Zi said: “No.”
“Then you’re jealous.” Gu Yan laughed and deliberately said, “Is it because I’m the only one who received flower branches and no one gave any to you, and that’s why you’re unhappy?”
“That’s not——”
Ye Zi frowned at him and was about to snap when Gu Yan immediately begged for mercy: “Of course not, of course not. I was just joking with you.”
Ye Zi lowered his head and stopped paying attention to him.
Gu Yan pondered for a moment and suddenly said: “Do you want to send off some lanterns? I’ll go buy them.”
Ye Zi said: “I’ll join you——”
“No need.” Gu Yan interrupted him, “There are too many people down there, so just wait for me here.”
After Gu Yan said this, he descended the bridge and quickly disappeared into the crowd. Ye Zi looked in the direction he left and let out a soft sigh.
Whenever he was confronted with Gu Yan’s affairs, he was always a little afflicted. He was worried that that person would leave him behind for something else, and also worried that that person would give up everything for him and regret it later.
But just like the Third Imperial Prince and the little gray sparrow, there were always things that couldn’t be done both ways, and there were always choices to be made.
Perhaps it was because Gu Yan always acted with ease in front of him, which made him feel that there wouldn’t be any troubles that he could not solve. But he often forgot that Gu Yan was also just an ordinary person.
That person also couldn’t escape the control of fate and could only give up other things for the sake of certain things.
But even if Gu Yan was willing, could he really use Ye Zi to imprison himself and make himself give up so much for him?
The number of people on the stone bridge gradually increased. Ye Zi looked towards the direction Gu Yan left, but never saw that familiar figure. Ye Zi frowned slightly and just as he was thinking about whether to go look for him, someone suddenly tugged on the corner of his clothes.
Ye Zi lowered his head and beside him was a six or seven-year-old little girl.
Ye Zi asked: “Is there something wrong?”
The little girl said timidly: “A big brother asked me to come over and deliver a message. ‘Get off the bridge and walk to the river bank. Someone is waiting for you.'”
Most likely, after Gu Yan bought the lanterns, he found that there were too many people coming and going, so he found a little girl to help him pass on the message.
Ye Zi didn’t think too much about it and nodded: “Okay, I’ll go now.”
Ye Zi followed the little girl’s instructions, got off the stone bridge, and walked towards the river bank. There were many people on the river bank and it took Ye Zi a lot of effort to squeeze through. He stood on the river bank and looked around for a moment, but still didn’t see Gu Yan.
At this moment, someone patted his shoulder from behind.
Ye Zi turned his head, it was a delicate woman in her prime. The woman held a slender piece of red silk in her hand and asked with some embarrassment: “Are you Mr. Ye?”
Ye Zi nodded: “Yes.”
The woman said: “A gentleman has asked me to give this to you, please blindfold yourself.”
Ye Zi was confused and chuckled: “Where is he now and why does he want me to do this?”
The woman lightly bit her lips and whispered: “I do not know, but that gentleman said that if Mr. Ye does not put on the blindfold, to not take you to him.”
Ye Zi was silent.
He didn’t know what Gu Yan was up to.
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He took the red silk and put it over his eyes, and before he could say anything, someone beside him handed him another piece of silk cloth. The silk cloth seemed to be extremely long and as soon as Ye Zi grasped it, someone held the other end of the silk cloth and guided him forward.
Ye Zi was completely out of temper by Gu Yan and patiently cooperated to see what other tricks he had up his sleeves.
But soon, someone beside him softly said: “Mister, you can’t go any further.”
This voice was not the same as the voice of the person who handed him the silk blindfold. It was probably a different person. For some reason, the voice sounded a bit suppressed, as if they were holding back laughter.
Ye Zi obediently stood in place as he listened to the sound of the river lapping against the bank. Suddenly, someone pushed him from behind. Ye Zi wasn’t able to stand still and stumbled a few steps toward the front, landing in an embrace.
Several women’s laughter sounded behind him and as Ye Zi moved, the silk around his eyes came loose and fell. The first thing that caught his eye was the ground covered with red silk.
They were standing at the bow of a decorated boat.
This decorated boat was much larger than what they had seen on the stone bridge before. The boat was paved with red silk and embellished with beads and jade and gold foils, making it extraordinarily unique. An equally bright red lantern hung on the bow of the boat, slowly swaying in the gentle night breeze with a bright red double happiness character on it.
Ye Zi’s eyes were suddenly overwhelmed with a layer of red.
“Z-Zi Cheng……”
Ye Zi raised his head in a daze. Gu Yan had changed into a bright red robe at some point, which made his features even more handsome.
Before Gu Yan could speak, someone suddenly pushed the decorated boat under their feet. The boat shook slightly and Gu Yan quickly tightened his arms and hugged Ye Zi more firmly.
The decorated boat swayed and drifted along the river and from afar, they could still hear the girls on the riverbank shouting: “I wish you two gentlemen a happy and long-lasting marriage. It was agreed upon that each of us will get 10 taels, we will come to ask them from you tomorrow!”
Ye Zi’s mind was in chaos. The laughter on the river bank seemed to come from a faraway place and everything around him became blurry. In the chaotic world, only the person holding him tightly was left.
The decorated boat drifted with the waves and the noises along the riverbank gradually faded away. Gu Yan somewhat uncomfortably tilted his head: “L-Let’s go in first.”
Ye Zi nodded and obediently followed Gu Yan into the boat.
The Chinese character for “double happiness” was also posted inside the boat. Bright red flowers and candles adorned the table and gold foil was sprinkled on the ground covered with red silk, which was exactly the arrangement of a wedding night. On the wooden hanger on the side, there was also a wedding robe similar to the one Gu Yan was wearing.
Gu Yan went over and took off the robe. He then untied Ye Zi’s outer robe and put it on him.
Gu Yan carefully dressed Ye Zi and said in a slightly awkward voice: “I…..I got this idea from a few young women in the area after I asked them. I don’t know if I frightened you or not.”
“I……” Ye Zi’s eyes were slightly hot. He blinked and chuckled, “Why are you doing this?…..We obviously got married a long time ago. I have already been Princess Consort Rui for so long, why are we still doing this?”
“That’s different.” Gu Yan lowered his eyes to look at him, his gaze soft, “We had some misunderstandings in Chang’an before and the wedding banquet ended in haste.”
Gu Yan put on the wedding robe for him, arranged it properly, took a deep breath, and said warmly: “A Zi, I can’t do what ordinary people do; hire a matchmaker or invite a banquet with guests to solemnly welcome you. But other than that, I won’t let you suffer any wrongdoings.”
“……That’s why I’ve been thinking that I can’t let you follow me in such an improper manner, I have to find a chance to make it up to you.”
Tears slid down Ye Zi’s cheeks as he turned his head with a trembling voice: “You don’t have to be so nice to me. If you’re like this, I……”
Gu Yan pulled him to the edge of the bed and sat down, gently wiping away his tears: “A Zi, don’t be afraid. You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this day. When I thought I had lost you, I almost drove myself crazy. It was you who pulled me back. If it wasn’t for you, I probably would have already……Believe me, I did all of this from my heart, you don’t have to feel uneasy about it.”
“You are the official princess consort I am marrying, as evidenced by heaven and earth.”
Ye Zi’s shoulders were shaking violently. He put his head on Gu Yan’s shoulders and let out a few small sobs after a while.
Gu Yan smiled helplessly, helped the person up, and scolded him softly: “Why are you always like this? You obviously didn’t like crying in the past, but nowadays, every time you encounter such a situation, you have to shed a few tears to spoil the fun.”
Ye Zi wiped his eyes and bit his lower lip: “T-That’s not true.”
He glanced around and changed the subject: “Aren’t we going to get married? How come there is no nuptial wine?”
Gu Yan laughed: “You want to drink so that you can sleep through it like last time?”
He came forward, kissed Ye Zi gently on the eyes, leaned close to the other person’s ear, and whispered: “Princess Consort Rui, do you think I will give you this chance again?”
Ye Zi was keenly aware of something from his words and subconsciously wanted to move away.
Gu Yan easily grabbed the other party’s wrist and pushed him into the soft bed overlaid with crimson brocade. The gauze curtain came down, concealing the overlapping figures within the red curtains.
