The Country Is a Result of Whose Contributions (Part Two)
The three of them held their lanterns and headed toward Yu Shan Building.
On the way there, Yu Fu looked at Gu HanMo’s lantern. Upon looking more closely, she was given a fright.
The lantern had a painting of a vast desert and a goshawk that flew into the wind and left a trail of blood behind it. Only after looking more closely did she notice that there was a break in the goshawk’s figure.
Yu Fu inhaled sharply. Gu ShuBai and Gu HanMo looked at her and finally noticed the intricacies of the lantern.
“That scholar was truly weird. Why would there be such a mournful scene on a lantern meant for a celebration as joyous as the Lantern Festival?”
Gu ShuBai furrowed his brow. The phoenix on his lantern was already making him feel uneasy, and Gu HanMo’s lantern was even more direct. The sight of it was making him feel uncomfortable.
He took the lantern from Gu HanMo and wanted to throw it into the river, but Gu HanMo somehow managed to take it back.
“Eldest brother, don’t you feel that these lanterns are inexplicably mysterious? That scholar was quite strange, so I wanted to take it back and slowly examine it.”
It was because it was mysterious that he felt uneasy.
Gu HanMo insisted on keeping it, so he had no choice but to relent, “Forget it, Yu Shan Building is just ahead. Let’s go.”
Tonight, Yu Shan Building was far livelier than usual. Immediately after entering, Yu Guan came over to receive them, “Young miss, young sirs, the noble guest has already gone up to the private room on the third floor.”
Yu Guan looked behind them, “Did fourth young sir not come out tonight?”
Yu Fu said: “He did. We are walking around separately. He is with fifth brother and sixth brother. Are you looking for him for something?”
Yu Guan smiled shyly, “No, it’s that with the bright lanterns hanging outside, I felt that it would be too much of a pity if fourth young sir stayed in the manor. It’s good if he came out. Oh right, the chef has come up with a new pastry that you haven’t tried yet. I will have them prepare some and have them delivered to the manor.”
Yu Fu smiled and nodded, “Good, there are so many people tonight. It must have been difficult for you.”
The three slowly walked up to the third floor. When they reached the second floor, they heard a cry from the floor above, “They’re here, they’re here. Your Majesty, princess and the others have arrived!”
Yu Fu and the others looked at each other. They wondered to themselves if Eunuch Chi was not afraid of the other guests on the third floor hearing him?
After arriving on the third floor and taking a look, they found that their concerns had been for nothing. There were absolutely no other guests on the third floor.
Ning ChengZhi had waited on his own for a long time. Seeing Yu Fu finally arrive, he was elated, “Don’t worry. The guests on the third floor have already been chased away. All of them were given a gold ingot. Even if they did not want to leave, they had to leave.”
He was accustomed to acting in this way. He would arrive at a location and would take over that place. Even if he was doing this, he was not at all embarrassed to say that he was celebrating with the people.
Ning ChengZhi saw that all three had their own lanterns, but before he could say anything, Gu HanMo immediately stepped forward and said: “I specifically asked for some more lanterns for Your Majesty. Does Your Majesty like them?”
Yu Fu also collaborated with him, saying: “That’s right. Which one does Your Majesty like?”
Ning ChengZhi looked at the one that Gu HanMo was holding. He did not want the one that Gu ShuBai held, nor did he want the one that Yu Fu was holding. He had no choice but to accept the one that Gu HanMo held.
Seeing the painting of the goshawk in flight, he felt that it was very grandiose, “A grand goshawk soaring through the desert, We want this one.”
Saying this, he gave Eunuch Chi a look, and Eunuch Chi immediately received it.
He did not look at it very closely, only seeing that the goshawk was flying. He did not notice that the goshawk was covered in blood, nor did he notice the dragon and phoenix on Yu Fu and Gu ShuBai’s lanterns.
If he had looked more closely, he would likely have coughed up blood.
Gu ShuBai knew very well that he did not look at them very closely, thus he found an excuse to have a waiter take his and Yu Fu’s lanterns downstairs for Yu Guan to take care of.
This would keep Ning ChengZhi or Eunuch Chi from suddenly noticing, which would cause more trouble.
It was quiet outside of the third floor’s private room, and the view was very broad. Ning ChengZhi sat in the best spot. From that spot, he could see most of the main street.
Under the bright lanterns, the main street was as bright as day.
Ning ChengZhi leaned against the railing and looked into the distance, seemingly in high spirits, “My Eastern Ling is the most prosperous country of the three on this continent. As the ruler, We are truly fortunate.”
He turned to look at Yu Fu, “Yu Fu, this great country, do you not want to share it with Us?”
The three were shocked, as they finally heard Ning ChengZhi say it.
He had just been rejected by Yu Fu during the new year’s eve banquet, yet he did not give up and asked Yu Fu face-to-face. If she had been a normal girl, she might have been frightened by his imperial might and agreed to it.
Unfortunately, Yu Fu was not a normal girl.
She could not stop the corner of her mouth from twitching.
Eastern Ling was indeed the most prosperous of the countries on the continent, but its territory was the smallest, and its military strength was very average.
If not for Gu HuaiJiang being an otherworldly talent in leading troops into battle, Eastern Ling might have been trampled under Western Kun’s foot decades ago.
Where would this splendid country be?
In Ning ChengZhi’s eyes, he could leave the country on its own. He just needed to enjoy the privileges of being the ruler, as he completely ignored the contributions made by the present and previous subjects.
She suddenly felt a sense of Gu HuaiJiang’s efforts were not worth it. She also felt that Ji DaoGonG, Chen GeLao, and the other loyal subjects’ efforts were not worth it. She also felt that it was a pity that the late emperor was not able to leave behind a worthy heir.
She solemnly said: “As I see it, the splendid country that Your Majesty sees is partially a result of the late emperor’s efforts.”
Ning ChengZhi raised his head to lookat her, “Oh? And what about the other part?”
He thought that Yu Fu would compliment him on his accomplishments, but Gu ShuBai and Gu HanMo knew that Yu Fu was not that sort of person. They were worried that she would say something that would offend the ruler and cause more trouble.
Yu Fu ended up saying it.
“As for the other part, it would be the late emperor’s imperial father, which would make it the imperial family’s accomplishments.”
Ning ChengZhi’s face froze. It was as if a tub of cold water had been dumped on his head. All of his delightedness from earlier instantly vanished.
In Yu Fu’s eyes, all of Eastern Ling’s prosperity as a country was completely unrelated to him. In her eyes, he was nothing as a ruler.
Gu ShuBai gave Yu Fu a look, but the latter was unmoved, continuing: “Is Your Majesty annoyed, feeling that I haven’t taken any of your contributions into consideration?”
“No, no, We did not mean that!”
Yu Fu was not afraid of him being annoyed, but he was afraid of Yu Fu being annoyed, hastily explaining what he meant, “Please continue. We wish to listen.”
Gu ShuBai faintly raised an eyebrow.
It would have been great if he was as humble when listening to the officials in court as he was when listening to Yu Fu.
Yu Fu continued: “Since Your Majesty does not mind, I will be so bold as to say it.”
“Please go ahead.”
“The reason that the late emperor was able to take care of the country is partially a result of his mindfulness, respecting the advice of his ministers, and his love of the people. The other part is a result of the country having been prosperous when it was handed to him. It was on this foundation that the late emperor was able to govern the country so well. It’s easy to forge a country but hard to protect one. The late emperor was able to protect Eastern Ling’s territory, thus he was viewed as a wise ruler.”
Ning ChengZhi finally felt that her words were understandable and said: “You mean to say that We and the late emperor are the same. We both inherited the prosperity left from the previous generation, thus We don’t receive any of the credit for this country?”
Gu HanMo quickly said: “Your Majesty, Yu Fu did not mean…”
“That is exactly what I meant.”
Yu Fu was ruthless. Seeing Ning ChengZhi’s ugly expression, she insisted on continuing: “It has only been a few months since Your Majesty ascended the throne. Not only have you not taken good care of the country left behind by the late emperor, but you have instead made it worse. You have ignored the commoners and officials, you have gone against the late emperor’s wishes, and you have done all manners of reprehensible things.”
She finally sneered: “Your Majesty asked me if I wanted to share the great country of Eastern Ling with you, but even if I wanted to, I would not have such a luxury. That’s because if Your Majesty continues to act in such a tyrannical manner, Eastern Ling will fall to ruin!”
She spoke with force and eloquence, and Ning ChengZhi’s face turned ashen.
Gu ShuBai subconsciously took a step forward to protect Yu Fu in case Ning ChengZhi lashed out in anger and did something to hurt Yu Fu.
The things that she had just said were what the loyal officials in court wanted to say; however, nobody dared to say them as directly as Yu Fu just had.
He felt that the Yu Fu that had cast Kun WuShang out of Marquis Gu’s Manor had returned. This Yu Fu was much cuter than the Yu Fu that clearly hated Ning ChengZhi but pretended to cater to him.
“Im… Impudence!”
Eunuch Chi’s hands trembled in fear. He pointed at Yu Fu but could not speak, only managing to get out that one word.
Ning ChengZhi looked at Yu Fu with his brow tightly furrowed. Her back was perfectly straight, as she was unaffected by Eunuch Chi’s reprimand. While doing this, she continued to stare at him.
Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw Gu HanMo pull out his sword. He opened his mouth in horror.
“Your Majesty, be careful!”
Gu HanMo thrust his sword forward, but he was stabbing at the area behind him. Eunuch Chi hastily protected Ning ChengZhi, as he saw four to five people in black clothes appear on the third floor.
“That ruler is foolish and incompetent. If you have a conscience, do not stop us from executing the will of the heavens!”
The leader of the group in black pointed at Gu HanMo and spoke in a tone used by those from jianghu. Ning ChengZhi repeatedly retreated in fear, “Quickly protect Us!”
The Country Is a Result of Whose Contributions (Part Two)
The three of them held their lanterns and headed toward Yu Shan Building.
On the way there, Yu Fu looked at Gu HanMo’s lantern. Upon looking more closely, she was given a fright.
The lantern had a painting of a vast desert and a goshawk that flew into the wind and left a trail of blood behind it. Only after looking more closely did she notice that there was a break in the goshawk’s figure.
Yu Fu inhaled sharply. Gu ShuBai and Gu HanMo looked at her and finally noticed the intricacies of the lantern.
“That scholar was truly weird. Why would there be such a mournful scene on a lantern meant for a celebration as joyous as the Lantern Festival?”
Gu ShuBai furrowed his brow. The phoenix on his lantern was already making him feel uneasy, and Gu HanMo’s lantern was even more direct. The sight of it was making him feel uncomfortable.
He took the lantern from Gu HanMo and wanted to throw it into the river, but Gu HanMo somehow managed to take it back.
“Eldest brother, don’t you feel that these lanterns are inexplicably mysterious? That scholar was quite strange, so I wanted to take it back and slowly examine it.”
It was because it was mysterious that he felt uneasy.
Gu HanMo insisted on keeping it, so he had no choice but to relent, “Forget it, Yu Shan Building is just ahead. Let’s go.”
Tonight, Yu Shan Building was far livelier than usual. Immediately after entering, Yu Guan came over to receive them, “Young miss, young sirs, the noble guest has already gone up to the private room on the third floor.”
Yu Guan looked behind them, “Did fourth young sir not come out tonight?”
Yu Fu said: “He did. We are walking around separately. He is with fifth brother and sixth brother. Are you looking for him for something?”
Yu Guan smiled shyly, “No, it’s that with the bright lanterns hanging outside, I felt that it would be too much of a pity if fourth young sir stayed in the manor. It’s good if he came out. Oh right, the chef has come up with a new pastry that you haven’t tried yet. I will have them prepare some and have them delivered to the manor.”
Yu Fu smiled and nodded, “Good, there are so many people tonight. It must have been difficult for you.”
The three slowly walked up to the third floor. When they reached the second floor, they heard a cry from the floor above, “They’re here, they’re here. Your Majesty, princess and the others have arrived!”
Yu Fu and the others looked at each other. They wondered to themselves if Eunuch Chi was not afraid of the other guests on the third floor hearing him?
After arriving on the third floor and taking a look, they found that their concerns had been for nothing. There were absolutely no other guests on the third floor.
Ning ChengZhi had waited on his own for a long time. Seeing Yu Fu finally arrive, he was elated, “Don’t worry. The guests on the third floor have already been chased away. All of them were given a gold ingot. Even if they did not want to leave, they had to leave.”
He was accustomed to acting in this way. He would arrive at a location and would take over that place. Even if he was doing this, he was not at all embarrassed to say that he was celebrating with the people.
Ning ChengZhi saw that all three had their own lanterns, but before he could say anything, Gu HanMo immediately stepped forward and said: “I specifically asked for some more lanterns for Your Majesty. Does Your Majesty like them?”
Yu Fu also collaborated with him, saying: “That’s right. Which one does Your Majesty like?”
Ning ChengZhi looked at the one that Gu HanMo was holding. He did not want the one that Gu ShuBai held, nor did he want the one that Yu Fu was holding. He had no choice but to accept the one that Gu HanMo held.
Seeing the painting of the goshawk in flight, he felt that it was very grandiose, “A grand goshawk soaring through the desert, We want this one.”
Saying this, he gave Eunuch Chi a look, and Eunuch Chi immediately received it.
He did not look at it very closely, only seeing that the goshawk was flying. He did not notice that the goshawk was covered in blood, nor did he notice the dragon and phoenix on Yu Fu and Gu ShuBai’s lanterns.
If he had looked more closely, he would likely have coughed up blood.
Gu ShuBai knew very well that he did not look at them very closely, thus he found an excuse to have a waiter take his and Yu Fu’s lanterns downstairs for Yu Guan to take care of.
This would keep Ning ChengZhi or Eunuch Chi from suddenly noticing, which would cause more trouble.
It was quiet outside of the third floor’s private room, and the view was very broad. Ning ChengZhi sat in the best spot. From that spot, he could see most of the main street.
Under the bright lanterns, the main street was as bright as day.
Ning ChengZhi leaned against the railing and looked into the distance, seemingly in high spirits, “My Eastern Ling is the most prosperous country of the three on this continent. As the ruler, We are truly fortunate.”
He turned to look at Yu Fu, “Yu Fu, this great country, do you not want to share it with Us?”
The three were shocked, as they finally heard Ning ChengZhi say it.
He had just been rejected by Yu Fu during the new year’s eve banquet, yet he did not give up and asked Yu Fu face-to-face. If she had been a normal girl, she might have been frightened by his imperial might and agreed to it.
Unfortunately, Yu Fu was not a normal girl.
She could not stop the corner of her mouth from twitching.
Eastern Ling was indeed the most prosperous of the countries on the continent, but its territory was the smallest, and its military strength was very average.
If not for Gu HuaiJiang being an otherworldly talent in leading troops into battle, Eastern Ling might have been trampled under Western Kun’s foot decades ago.
Where would this splendid country be?
In Ning ChengZhi’s eyes, he could leave the country on its own. He just needed to enjoy the privileges of being the ruler, as he completely ignored the contributions made by the present and previous subjects.
She suddenly felt a sense of Gu HuaiJiang’s efforts were not worth it. She also felt that Ji DaoGonG, Chen GeLao, and the other loyal subjects’ efforts were not worth it. She also felt that it was a pity that the late emperor was not able to leave behind a worthy heir.
She solemnly said: “As I see it, the splendid country that Your Majesty sees is partially a result of the late emperor’s efforts.”
Ning ChengZhi raised his head to lookat her, “Oh? And what about the other part?”
He thought that Yu Fu would compliment him on his accomplishments, but Gu ShuBai and Gu HanMo knew that Yu Fu was not that sort of person. They were worried that she would say something that would offend the ruler and cause more trouble.
Yu Fu ended up saying it.
“As for the other part, it would be the late emperor’s imperial father, which would make it the imperial family’s accomplishments.”
Ning ChengZhi’s face froze. It was as if a tub of cold water had been dumped on his head. All of his delightedness from earlier instantly vanished.
In Yu Fu’s eyes, all of Eastern Ling’s prosperity as a country was completely unrelated to him. In her eyes, he was nothing as a ruler.
Gu ShuBai gave Yu Fu a look, but the latter was unmoved, continuing: “Is Your Majesty annoyed, feeling that I haven’t taken any of your contributions into consideration?”
“No, no, We did not mean that!”
Yu Fu was not afraid of him being annoyed, but he was afraid of Yu Fu being annoyed, hastily explaining what he meant, “Please continue. We wish to listen.”
Gu ShuBai faintly raised an eyebrow.
It would have been great if he was as humble when listening to the officials in court as he was when listening to Yu Fu.
Yu Fu continued: “Since Your Majesty does not mind, I will be so bold as to say it.”
“Please go ahead.”
“The reason that the late emperor was able to take care of the country is partially a result of his mindfulness, respecting the advice of his ministers, and his love of the people. The other part is a result of the country having been prosperous when it was handed to him. It was on this foundation that the late emperor was able to govern the country so well. It’s easy to forge a country but hard to protect one. The late emperor was able to protect Eastern Ling’s territory, thus he was viewed as a wise ruler.”
Ning ChengZhi finally felt that her words were understandable and said: “You mean to say that We and the late emperor are the same. We both inherited the prosperity left from the previous generation, thus We don’t receive any of the credit for this country?”
Gu HanMo quickly said: “Your Majesty, Yu Fu did not mean…”
“That is exactly what I meant.”
Yu Fu was ruthless. Seeing Ning ChengZhi’s ugly expression, she insisted on continuing: “It has only been a few months since Your Majesty ascended the throne. Not only have you not taken good care of the country left behind by the late emperor, but you have instead made it worse. You have ignored the commoners and officials, you have gone against the late emperor’s wishes, and you have done all manners of reprehensible things.”
She finally sneered: “Your Majesty asked me if I wanted to share the great country of Eastern Ling with you, but even if I wanted to, I would not have such a luxury. That’s because if Your Majesty continues to act in such a tyrannical manner, Eastern Ling will fall to ruin!”
She spoke with force and eloquence, and Ning ChengZhi’s face turned ashen.
Gu ShuBai subconsciously took a step forward to protect Yu Fu in case Ning ChengZhi lashed out in anger and did something to hurt Yu Fu.
The things that she had just said were what the loyal officials in court wanted to say; however, nobody dared to say them as directly as Yu Fu just had.
He felt that the Yu Fu that had cast Kun WuShang out of Marquis Gu’s Manor had returned. This Yu Fu was much cuter than the Yu Fu that clearly hated Ning ChengZhi but pretended to cater to him.
“Im… Impudence!”
Eunuch Chi’s hands trembled in fear. He pointed at Yu Fu but could not speak, only managing to get out that one word.
Ning ChengZhi looked at Yu Fu with his brow tightly furrowed. Her back was perfectly straight, as she was unaffected by Eunuch Chi’s reprimand. While doing this, she continued to stare at him.
Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw Gu HanMo pull out his sword. He opened his mouth in horror.
“Your Majesty, be careful!”
Gu HanMo thrust his sword forward, but he was stabbing at the area behind him. Eunuch Chi hastily protected Ning ChengZhi, as he saw four to five people in black clothes appear on the third floor.
“That ruler is foolish and incompetent. If you have a conscience, do not stop us from executing the will of the heavens!”
The leader of the group in black pointed at Gu HanMo and spoke in a tone used by those from jianghu. Ning ChengZhi repeatedly retreated in fear, “Quickly protect Us!”
