Related to You (Part Three)
Yin JiYao fell silent for a moment.
She knew that Princess DanYang and Yu Fu were not on good terms. Back then, the one whom Princess DanYang wanted to marry was Gu ShuBai; however, Gu ShuBai did not want to marry her.
After Yu Fu appeared, she obtained Gu ShuBai’s love and affection, and this was true of the other members of Marquis Gu’s Manor… This caused the self-important Princess DanYang to become envious to the point of going mad.
Things only started to get better after she married into the prime minister’s manor.
Princess DanYang said: “You wanted to bring an imperial physician in to treat me. I believe this isn’t just to repay me for inviting an imperial physician for you, right? The people in Marquis Gu’s Manor sent you to do it?”
“No, no, no, that’s not it.”
Yin JiYao quickly waved her hands, “The only reason that I was able to leave the prime minister’s manor is that the third young sir came looking for you. But it wasn’t Marquis Gu’s Manor’s people who wanted to let His Majesty know about your situation… It was me.”
“You?”
Yin JiYao nodded, “Do you find it incredibly hard to believe that I would want to ruin the glorious position that the prime minister’s manor’s currently enjoys and want to expose my own eldest brother?”
“Expose? The exposing that you are talking about, it’s not just his harsh treatment of me, is it?”
Princess DanYang looked at her with a frown. There was a beautiful resonance between the two girls who shared feelings of sympathy in their dire situations.
She seemed to instantly gain an understanding from the look in Yin JiYao’s eyes.
She trembled, “It, it was Yin Shuo who killed father Emperor?”
Yin JiYao did not answer her, as her gaze landed on her white dress. The Princess DanYang who usually dressed in flashy colors was currently wearing plain clothes, giving her a uniquely beautiful appearance.
Her body swayed, and she nearly fell to the floor.
Yin JiYao quickly moved to support her, “You absolutely must not reveal it. His Majesty will not believe it, and you will end up being killed!”
Princess DanYang nodded. She had been by Yin Shuo’s side for quite some time, and she knew just how ruthless that man could be.
But since she knew about this, she could not just sit around and do nothing.
“JiYao, will you be attending the palace’s new year’s banquet?”
Yin JiYao slightly furrowed her brow, “In the past, before I was disfigured, they would not allow me to frequently go into the palace…”
She paused when she said this then suddenly remembered why Yin Yan and Yin Shuo did not allow her to go into the palace.
It was because her birth mother was Liu YinYin, a female general from Western Kun. They were worried that if she made an appearance in front of people from outside the family, those outsiders might recognize that she had some of the same facial features as the female general from back then.
Even if that female general had passed away over a decade ago, and nearly nobody remembered her appearance, there was still Gu HuaiJiang.
Before leaving Marquis Gu’s Manor, Gu HuaiJiang himself told her that she looked almost exactly like Liu YinYin. It was just that one’s brows had a vigorous and valiant appearance, while the other was more emotional and expressive.
In that moment, Yin JiYao no longer wanted to be a weak and useless girl.
Princess DanYang reached out and waved her hand in front of her eyes, “What are you thinking about?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
Yin JiYao regained her composure, “I was saying that now that I have been disfigured, they’re even more unlikely to allow me to go into the palace. But you, you can go into the palace!”
“Me?” Princess DanYang was feeling a little uncertain, “Yin Shuo might not allow me to go into the palace. Even if I do go, I am not certain that I will be able to do anything.”
“What do you want to do?”
Princess DanYang smiled, “What I want to do is naturally the same as what you want to do…”
The resentment for the murder of her father was absolutely irreconcilable. She absolutely could not allow Yin Shuo to go unpunished and wield great power in court.
Yin JiYao thought for a bit, “DanYang, don’t be rash. Let me think about it properly.”
She slowly walked over to the table and sat down. Princess DanYang also followed her and sat down. She did not feel compelled to rush her.
After a long pause, Yin JiYao said: “As His Majesty’s younger sister, it would be unreasonable for you to not be allowed to attend the new year’s banquet. This is especially true now that father has returned. Father is someone who favors tradition, so I am guessing that eldest brother will allow you to attend.”
“As for what you can do after entering the palace, all you can do is tell His Majesty about how eldest brother treats you. You absolutely must not tell him about how his involvement in the assassination of the emperor.”
Princess DanYang said: “Why can’t I tell him? Could it be that it’s not true?”
Yin JiYao said: “Based on how much His Majesty currently trusts eldest brother, not to mention him not believing you, but even if he did believe you, eldest brother could also explain it to him as having been for the sake of helping His Majesty ascend the throne. Forgive me for speculating on a conspiracy, but if the late emperor did not die, His Majesty would not have become the emperor. Isn’t that right?”
Princess DanYang’s entire body trembled but did not refute what Yin JiYao had said.
She understood that Yin JiYao was right. Both the eldest prince and the second prince worked tirelessly for the throne. In their eyes, the life of the late emperor was worth less than the throne.
When the late emperor had been sick and on the verge of death, the second prince was only occupied with the crown prince’s position. When had he ever shown concern for the late emperor’s condition?
She suddenly laughed, “It’s not speculation of a conspiracy. What you said is the truth. Does it just stop with His Majesty? Back then, was I not the same as His Majesty? I was only focused on helping him obtain the throne. All thoughts about what would happen after he ascended were cast to the back of my mind!”
She carefully thought for a moment then looked at Yin JiYao, “Without evidence of Yin Shuo’s participation in the assassination of the emperor, I will not bring it up in front of His Majesty. As for my own matters, there’s even less need to bring it up. His Majesty does not care. He really does not care. There’s nothing that we can do. All we can do is place our hope in uncle Gu.”
“Lord Marquis Gu?”
“Un.”
Princess DanYang became serious and said: “I finally understand that the only person who was loyal to father Emperor and cares about the truth of how father Emperor died is uncle Gu.”
…
“Boom!”
Fireworks soared into the sky and exploded before quickly falling back toward the ground like shooting stars.
Before the previous firework finished falling, the next firework was shot into the sky. The sound of fireworks exploding filled the air with no end in sight.
A woman in a plain-colored dress stood outside the imperial hall with a few subordinates from the prime minister’s manor surrounding her in case she made any suspicious moves.
She let out a faint sigh. She knew that Yin Shuo would not allow her to get close to His Majesty. Him allowing her to enter the palace for the new year’s banquet was just for show. It was to cover things up with the other officials.
“Tell His Majesty for me that I am not feeling well and will be leaving first. I wish His Majesty a happy new year and everything will go well.”
The subordinate quietly nodded, and one person entered the hall to report. The remaining subordinates surrounded Princess DanYang and accompanied her out of the palace. On the surface, it looked as if they were protecting her, but the truth was that they were monitoring her every move.
The banquet was in full swing inside the hall, and Ning ChengZhi did not react to the news of Princess DanYang leaving early.
From beginning to end, his gaze never left the seat below him and to his left.
That seat that had usually been reserved for Marquis Gu’s Manor. This year, what caused many to feel surprised was that he did not leave it for Yin Shuo. Instead, he left it for Yu Fu.
Ning ChengZhi picked up his wine kettle, “Princess ZhenJiang is a princess who was conferred a title by the late emperor. She also has a fief. Among the few princesses, she is the noblest!”
The other nobles also lifted their cups but did not know how to respond to what Ning ChengZhi had said.
Among all of the princesses, could it be that the noblest was not his own younger sister, Princess DanYang? She was the princess born of the empress!
No matter how noble Yu Fu might have been, she was only the adopted daughter of Marquis Gu’s Manor. She was also a descendant of the Deity of Medicine, who had saved the late emperor’s life. When it came to bloodlines, she still could not compare with Eastern Ling’s princesses that were born to concubines.
But Ning ChengZhi had said this, and nobody dared to refute it. They could only agree.
“That’s right. When the late emperor passed away and the capital became chaotic, it was Princess ZhenJiang who used her own guards to restore the peace.”
With one person bringing this up, Ning ChengZhi immediately put down his wine kettle and loudly said: “Who was it that said that?”
Everyone immediately waved their hands, expressing that they had not said it. One low-ranked official gritted his teeth and stood up. Scared witless, he said: “Responding to Your Majesty, it was this official who said it…”
They were too far apart, and Ning ChengZhi stared at him for a long time, “Who are you?”
“This, this official is Ximen Chuang from the government of Lin’An. Because of my contributions to quelling the unrest in the capital, Your Majesty benevolently allowed me to participate in the banquet.”
Ning ChengZhi laughed, “Hahaha, so you’re Ximen Chuang. We know you, We know you! Didn’t We confer you and Mo…”
Eunuch Chi quietly reminded him from the side, “Mo HuangSha.”
“Right, the general from the capital, Mo HuangSha. The two of you aided Princess ZhenJiang in restoring peace to the capital and suppressing the bandits. We are quite pleased. What you just said was very good. Reward him! Reward him generously!”
Ximen Chuang hastily dropped to his knees to give thanks. He had nearly been scared to death by Ning ChengZhi, thinking that this new ruler disliked hearing someone speak highly of Princess ZhenJiang. Who knew that he would be delighted and not furious!
To have been rewarded generously for saying this really was a stroke of good fortune. Ximen Chuang kneeled and gave thanks to Ning ChengZhi and Yu Fu, “Many thanks, princess. Many thanks, princess.”
Yu Fu sat in the seat reserved for the most revered official and just felt a chill.
She looked to the seat across from her. This year, Marquis Gu’s Manor’s seats had been pushed down quite a bit. Not only were they below Yin Shuo, but they were also below the members of the cabinet and Ji DaoGong.
Gu HuaiJiang and Gu ShuBai made an appearance. One looked particularly calm, while the other worriedly looked at Yu Fu.
Yu Fu dryly laughed and said to Ximen Chuang: “It’s all His Majesty’s benevolence. It’s completely unrelated to me. Lord Ximen, there’s no need to be so courteous.”
Ning ChengZhi’s voice came from above, “Of course, it’s related to you.”
Related to You (Part Three)
Yin JiYao fell silent for a moment.
She knew that Princess DanYang and Yu Fu were not on good terms. Back then, the one whom Princess DanYang wanted to marry was Gu ShuBai; however, Gu ShuBai did not want to marry her.
After Yu Fu appeared, she obtained Gu ShuBai’s love and affection, and this was true of the other members of Marquis Gu’s Manor… This caused the self-important Princess DanYang to become envious to the point of going mad.
Things only started to get better after she married into the prime minister’s manor.
Princess DanYang said: “You wanted to bring an imperial physician in to treat me. I believe this isn’t just to repay me for inviting an imperial physician for you, right? The people in Marquis Gu’s Manor sent you to do it?”
“No, no, no, that’s not it.”
Yin JiYao quickly waved her hands, “The only reason that I was able to leave the prime minister’s manor is that the third young sir came looking for you. But it wasn’t Marquis Gu’s Manor’s people who wanted to let His Majesty know about your situation… It was me.”
“You?”
Yin JiYao nodded, “Do you find it incredibly hard to believe that I would want to ruin the glorious position that the prime minister’s manor’s currently enjoys and want to expose my own eldest brother?”
“Expose? The exposing that you are talking about, it’s not just his harsh treatment of me, is it?”
Princess DanYang looked at her with a frown. There was a beautiful resonance between the two girls who shared feelings of sympathy in their dire situations.
She seemed to instantly gain an understanding from the look in Yin JiYao’s eyes.
She trembled, “It, it was Yin Shuo who killed father Emperor?”
Yin JiYao did not answer her, as her gaze landed on her white dress. The Princess DanYang who usually dressed in flashy colors was currently wearing plain clothes, giving her a uniquely beautiful appearance.
Her body swayed, and she nearly fell to the floor.
Yin JiYao quickly moved to support her, “You absolutely must not reveal it. His Majesty will not believe it, and you will end up being killed!”
Princess DanYang nodded. She had been by Yin Shuo’s side for quite some time, and she knew just how ruthless that man could be.
But since she knew about this, she could not just sit around and do nothing.
“JiYao, will you be attending the palace’s new year’s banquet?”
Yin JiYao slightly furrowed her brow, “In the past, before I was disfigured, they would not allow me to frequently go into the palace…”
She paused when she said this then suddenly remembered why Yin Yan and Yin Shuo did not allow her to go into the palace.
It was because her birth mother was Liu YinYin, a female general from Western Kun. They were worried that if she made an appearance in front of people from outside the family, those outsiders might recognize that she had some of the same facial features as the female general from back then.
Even if that female general had passed away over a decade ago, and nearly nobody remembered her appearance, there was still Gu HuaiJiang.
Before leaving Marquis Gu’s Manor, Gu HuaiJiang himself told her that she looked almost exactly like Liu YinYin. It was just that one’s brows had a vigorous and valiant appearance, while the other was more emotional and expressive.
In that moment, Yin JiYao no longer wanted to be a weak and useless girl.
Princess DanYang reached out and waved her hand in front of her eyes, “What are you thinking about?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
Yin JiYao regained her composure, “I was saying that now that I have been disfigured, they’re even more unlikely to allow me to go into the palace. But you, you can go into the palace!”
“Me?” Princess DanYang was feeling a little uncertain, “Yin Shuo might not allow me to go into the palace. Even if I do go, I am not certain that I will be able to do anything.”
“What do you want to do?”
Princess DanYang smiled, “What I want to do is naturally the same as what you want to do…”
The resentment for the murder of her father was absolutely irreconcilable. She absolutely could not allow Yin Shuo to go unpunished and wield great power in court.
Yin JiYao thought for a bit, “DanYang, don’t be rash. Let me think about it properly.”
She slowly walked over to the table and sat down. Princess DanYang also followed her and sat down. She did not feel compelled to rush her.
After a long pause, Yin JiYao said: “As His Majesty’s younger sister, it would be unreasonable for you to not be allowed to attend the new year’s banquet. This is especially true now that father has returned. Father is someone who favors tradition, so I am guessing that eldest brother will allow you to attend.”
“As for what you can do after entering the palace, all you can do is tell His Majesty about how eldest brother treats you. You absolutely must not tell him about how his involvement in the assassination of the emperor.”
Princess DanYang said: “Why can’t I tell him? Could it be that it’s not true?”
Yin JiYao said: “Based on how much His Majesty currently trusts eldest brother, not to mention him not believing you, but even if he did believe you, eldest brother could also explain it to him as having been for the sake of helping His Majesty ascend the throne. Forgive me for speculating on a conspiracy, but if the late emperor did not die, His Majesty would not have become the emperor. Isn’t that right?”
Princess DanYang’s entire body trembled but did not refute what Yin JiYao had said.
She understood that Yin JiYao was right. Both the eldest prince and the second prince worked tirelessly for the throne. In their eyes, the life of the late emperor was worth less than the throne.
When the late emperor had been sick and on the verge of death, the second prince was only occupied with the crown prince’s position. When had he ever shown concern for the late emperor’s condition?
She suddenly laughed, “It’s not speculation of a conspiracy. What you said is the truth. Does it just stop with His Majesty? Back then, was I not the same as His Majesty? I was only focused on helping him obtain the throne. All thoughts about what would happen after he ascended were cast to the back of my mind!”
She carefully thought for a moment then looked at Yin JiYao, “Without evidence of Yin Shuo’s participation in the assassination of the emperor, I will not bring it up in front of His Majesty. As for my own matters, there’s even less need to bring it up. His Majesty does not care. He really does not care. There’s nothing that we can do. All we can do is place our hope in uncle Gu.”
“Lord Marquis Gu?”
“Un.”
Princess DanYang became serious and said: “I finally understand that the only person who was loyal to father Emperor and cares about the truth of how father Emperor died is uncle Gu.”
…
“Boom!”
Fireworks soared into the sky and exploded before quickly falling back toward the ground like shooting stars.
Before the previous firework finished falling, the next firework was shot into the sky. The sound of fireworks exploding filled the air with no end in sight.
A woman in a plain-colored dress stood outside the imperial hall with a few subordinates from the prime minister’s manor surrounding her in case she made any suspicious moves.
She let out a faint sigh. She knew that Yin Shuo would not allow her to get close to His Majesty. Him allowing her to enter the palace for the new year’s banquet was just for show. It was to cover things up with the other officials.
“Tell His Majesty for me that I am not feeling well and will be leaving first. I wish His Majesty a happy new year and everything will go well.”
The subordinate quietly nodded, and one person entered the hall to report. The remaining subordinates surrounded Princess DanYang and accompanied her out of the palace. On the surface, it looked as if they were protecting her, but the truth was that they were monitoring her every move.
The banquet was in full swing inside the hall, and Ning ChengZhi did not react to the news of Princess DanYang leaving early.
From beginning to end, his gaze never left the seat below him and to his left.
That seat that had usually been reserved for Marquis Gu’s Manor. This year, what caused many to feel surprised was that he did not leave it for Yin Shuo. Instead, he left it for Yu Fu.
Ning ChengZhi picked up his wine kettle, “Princess ZhenJiang is a princess who was conferred a title by the late emperor. She also has a fief. Among the few princesses, she is the noblest!”
The other nobles also lifted their cups but did not know how to respond to what Ning ChengZhi had said.
Among all of the princesses, could it be that the noblest was not his own younger sister, Princess DanYang? She was the princess born of the empress!
No matter how noble Yu Fu might have been, she was only the adopted daughter of Marquis Gu’s Manor. She was also a descendant of the Deity of Medicine, who had saved the late emperor’s life. When it came to bloodlines, she still could not compare with Eastern Ling’s princesses that were born to concubines.
But Ning ChengZhi had said this, and nobody dared to refute it. They could only agree.
“That’s right. When the late emperor passed away and the capital became chaotic, it was Princess ZhenJiang who used her own guards to restore the peace.”
With one person bringing this up, Ning ChengZhi immediately put down his wine kettle and loudly said: “Who was it that said that?”
Everyone immediately waved their hands, expressing that they had not said it. One low-ranked official gritted his teeth and stood up. Scared witless, he said: “Responding to Your Majesty, it was this official who said it…”
They were too far apart, and Ning ChengZhi stared at him for a long time, “Who are you?”
“This, this official is Ximen Chuang from the government of Lin’An. Because of my contributions to quelling the unrest in the capital, Your Majesty benevolently allowed me to participate in the banquet.”
Ning ChengZhi laughed, “Hahaha, so you’re Ximen Chuang. We know you, We know you! Didn’t We confer you and Mo…”
Eunuch Chi quietly reminded him from the side, “Mo HuangSha.”
“Right, the general from the capital, Mo HuangSha. The two of you aided Princess ZhenJiang in restoring peace to the capital and suppressing the bandits. We are quite pleased. What you just said was very good. Reward him! Reward him generously!”
Ximen Chuang hastily dropped to his knees to give thanks. He had nearly been scared to death by Ning ChengZhi, thinking that this new ruler disliked hearing someone speak highly of Princess ZhenJiang. Who knew that he would be delighted and not furious!
To have been rewarded generously for saying this really was a stroke of good fortune. Ximen Chuang kneeled and gave thanks to Ning ChengZhi and Yu Fu, “Many thanks, princess. Many thanks, princess.”
Yu Fu sat in the seat reserved for the most revered official and just felt a chill.
She looked to the seat across from her. This year, Marquis Gu’s Manor’s seats had been pushed down quite a bit. Not only were they below Yin Shuo, but they were also below the members of the cabinet and Ji DaoGong.
Gu HuaiJiang and Gu ShuBai made an appearance. One looked particularly calm, while the other worriedly looked at Yu Fu.
Yu Fu dryly laughed and said to Ximen Chuang: “It’s all His Majesty’s benevolence. It’s completely unrelated to me. Lord Ximen, there’s no need to be so courteous.”
Ning ChengZhi’s voice came from above, “Of course, it’s related to you.”
