“What’s going on?”
Standing outside the main building and watching from afar, Sikong Yue’s beautiful eyes widened as she saw a group of inner attendants file into Jingfang Pavilion.
Even the red bean pastry she was biting onto dropped to the ground with a plop.
“Ah, can’t let that go to waste!”
Not having time to care about what was happening inside, she hurriedly picked up the red bean pastry, patted it twice to dust off the crumbs, and stuffed it into her mouth all at once.
Gulp.
“Hoho… cough cough!”
Standing on tiptoe and bending over, she forced the pastry stuck in her throat down into her stomach. Only then did Sikong Yue let out a long sigh of relief.
She’d nearly choked herself to death!
Hic~ mm…
The girl quickly covered her mouth, forcibly swallowing back the hiccup rising to her lips. Her bright eyes darted around, and after confirming the other guards weren’t watching, she crouched low and snuck into the main building.
She needed some water to wash it down!
And to see what excitement was going on inside.
Just now, she’d heard some commotion from the main building. It even sounded like a brawl had broken out.
But since the person in charge hadn’t called her in to watch the fun—no, to maintain order—it meant things weren’t serious.
But she was dying to know what had happened inside!
Especially with all those inner attendants coming in—Sikong Yue’s curiosity soared to new heights.
Sneaking into the main building, she crept like a cat in the corners, slipping through corridors and bridges. Glancing at the koi leaping from the lotus pond, an unpleasant memory suddenly surged in her mind.
She remembered that embarrassing moment of eating raw grass carp and getting her mouth full of bones!
It was all that Gu fellow’s fault!
She’d better not catch him!
Soon, she made her way into the main hall. She grabbed a cup from the table without checking if it held wine or water, and gulped it down in one go.
Gulp, gulp… pfft—
The girl sprayed a mist, and under the hazy lamp, a faint seven-colored rainbow appeared.
“Damn! This—this is liquor, and not even rice wine. It’s high-proof distilled spirit!”
Sikong Yue’s throat burned like fire. Her face flushed, and she felt dizzy and lightheaded.
She absolutely hated drinking this strong, disgusting stuff!
Setting down the cup, she hastily snatched up the teapot beside her and drank several big gulps, finally feeling better.
Fighting back her unsteady steps, she hid behind a pillar and looked toward the center of the hall.
“No way, why is it him?”
When she saw Gu Wangchen standing at the center, talking with the inner attendants, Sikong Yue’s bright eyes widened, and a shiver ran through her.
“Eunuch Yuan, what a coincidence! I came all the way to Jingfang Pavilion, and you still managed to find me.”
Gu Wangchen looked at the red-robed inner attendant before him, who wore a black gauze cap and whose sideburns and brows were lightly dusted with white, and smiled as he spoke.
“This humble servant serves Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, so I must be ever-vigilant~” Eunuch Yuan Hong flicked his horsetail whisk and glanced casually at the talented men and women nearby, chuckling inwardly.
This Gu Wangchen truly made the most of Her Majesty’s edict.
Originally, Yuan Hong had come to the Prime Minister’s estate to deliver the decree, but just as he was about to read it aloud, Gu Wangchen stopped him and stuffed a banknote for a thousand taels into his hand.
Saying he wanted him to wait until he’d gone to Jingfang Pavilion, and only when he shattered a cup would Yuan Hong read the imperial edict.
At first, Yuan Hong had no idea why this fellow wanted to do such a thing, but from the look of things now, he understood.
Clearly, this boy wanted to flaunt the Empress Dowager’s edict before the courtesan on stage, hoping to win the right to comb her hair.
Yuan Hong looked Gu Wangchen up and down, noting the utter lack of cultivation on him, then glanced at the group of battered and bruised scholars lying on the ground. He thought, Gu Wangchen truly was a shrewd one.
Just a shame he never used it for the right things.
No wonder he was so infamous for his playboy ways.
This fellow, who knew where he’d learned a bit of scrap martial arts, first gave those others a good beating, then relied on Yuan Hong’s reading of the imperial edict to make his move.
But Yuan Hong didn’t mind being used this time.
No other reason—money made things easier.
Thinking of the warm thousand taels in his pocket, he smiled and said, “All right, Young Master Gu, let’s not chit-chat. I have Her Majesty’s edict for you.”
At the mention of business, Gu Wangchen dropped his smile. He took the handkerchief Yang Ruilin handed him, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, straightened his clothes, and stood at attention.
In Da Qian, even commoners could choose not to kneel before the emperor—though, of course, they’d have to bear the consequences themselves.
As for Gu Wangchen, even before awakening his past life memories, his knees had always been hard as iron; apart from his elders, he’d never knelt to anyone since childhood.
Even ten years ago, when facing the former emperor, already near the realm of Dao-unity and about to ascend, his knees never bent.
Let alone after he awakened his past life memories.
Yuan Hong was used to this. He unfurled the imperial edict and read aloud:
“‘We have heard that Wangchen was recently alarmed on Phoenix Avenue, suffering a minor injury to his neck. Our heart is greatly troubled, unable to sleep at night. Remembering when your mother was alive and you were still a child, always by our side and endearing in your innocence, now you are grown and yet suffer this calamity.
Thus: Tomorrow at You hour, Gu Wangchen shall bring this edict to Cining Palace for the night banquet. We shall personally see to your wound.’”
When Yuan Hong finished reading, the main hall fell utterly silent.
Everyone stared at Gu Wangchen, who stood calmly at the center as if he had expected this all along.
What did it mean for the Empress Dowager to summon him to the palace?
What did it mean for the Empress Dowager to personally see to his injury?
Anyone here with any understanding of the court knew that the Prime Minister’s faction was a master of balance. If they hadn’t always kept things in check between the Empress Dowager’s faction and the Crown Princess’s faction, the entire Sheng’an might have seen the imperial guards from thirty li outside the city marching in and out by now!
But today, the Empress Dowager wanted Gu Wangchen brought to the palace?!
The sharp-witted instantly paled—they realized Sheng’an might soon see a change in the wind.
Could this be a sign of the Prime Minister’s faction joining hands with the Empress Dowager’s?
At once, whispers and mutters broke out everywhere; some people didn’t even stick around to see what happened next, but rushed out of Jingfang Pavilion, no doubt to report this news somewhere.
Meanwhile, whether it was the martial duel losers Gu Wangchen had just beaten into pigheads, Lin Yutang, who’d always been watching from the side, or Sikong Yue hiding behind the pillar, they all had the same thought at that moment.
They’d just kicked a steel plate!
Especially Lin Yutang. When he saw all those who had just gathered around to congratulate him now flock to Gu Wangchen, each stretching their neck to become the first to curry favor, his body shook and he collapsed into his seat.
The Empress Dowager’s edict…
Just a single edict could flip the whole situation in an instant?
Lin Yutang unconsciously clenched his fists, eyes fixed on that dazzling gold edict that stung his eyes, saying nothing.
No, not necessarily.
Tonight’s poetry contest wasn’t over yet. With his ‘Hearing Miss Su of Jingfang Pavilion Play the Qin’, he’d likely win the top prize and thus receive Miss Su’s red tag.
Thinking of this, Lin Yutang poured himself a trembling cup of wine, using its sharp burn to suppress his anger for now.
“Young Master Gu, please accept the edict.” Yuan Hong presented it.
“I, Gu Wangchen, respectfully obey the Empress Dowager’s command.” Gu Wangchen nodded, accepted the edict with both hands, glanced at it for a moment, then casually tucked it into his robes.
“All right, my business is done. I won’t disturb your gathering any further.”
With that, Yuan Hong led his junior attendants away like the wind, their shadows gone from the main hall in an instant.
Only then did everyone realize—Yuan Hong was a cultivator of unfathomable depth.
“All right, ladies and gentlemen, let us continue!”
Just as everyone was about to rush over to fawn on Gu Wangchen, Wang Lingniang called out again from the stage.
“Yes, everyone, just as Lingniang said, the poetry contest isn’t over yet. The winner… remains to be seen.”
Looking at the crowd around him, faces changed, shamelessly praising his ‘To the Beauty Su Qianhua’, Gu Wangchen waved his sleeve, signaling for the contest to resume.
What amused him most was that even those he’d just beaten black and blue were now among his flatterers.
“Yes, yes, Young Master Gu is right, the poetry contest isn’t over yet!”
“Lingniang, let’s continue!”
“Of course. Everyone, let’s move to the next poem.” Wang Lingniang nodded and displayed the next poem.
In less than half an hour, all the remaining poems were shown. Wang Lingniang smiled again and said, “All the poems have now been displayed. Now…”
She turned, unveiling the graceful figure behind the gauze.
“Let Qianhua make the final choice.”
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