GBP Chapter 382 The King of Chess's Sincerity
Chapter 382 The King of Chess's Sincerity
Chapter 382 The King of Chess's Sincerity
"Yes." Zhao Jing understood the imperial decree and his spirits lifted. The Flying Fish Guard was about to regain its prestige.
According to Lord Gu, even if the emperor would limit his abilities, the mere presence of the Minister of Personnel and his cronies would be enough to establish the authority of the Flying Fish Guard.
"Wait." Emperor Cheng called him back before he left.
Zhao Jing raised his head slightly and saw that the emperor, who looked much older, seemed to be deep in thought. He did not dare to ask and could only wait for instructions.
"Was Gu Chang'an there last night too?" Emperor Cheng asked, his cloudy old eyes unfathomable.
Zhao Jing was startled, but his expression remained unchanged: "Your Majesty, yes, Lord Gu only returned to his residence after someone had died."
"Was he involved in this matter?" Emperor Cheng asked tentatively.
"My spies are unaware of the details and further investigation is needed." Zhao Jing did not immediately absolve Gu Chang'an of responsibility, giving a standard answer.
Emperor Cheng stared at him: "Investigate thoroughly, and show no leniency to those involved."
"Your subject will do everything in his power to get to the bottom of this case." To show his loyalty, Zhao Jing banged his head on the ground.
Emperor Cheng then waved his hand, dismissing him.
Zhao Jing was sweating profusely when he left the palace. He could sense the emperor's suspicion of him, and it seemed he needed to inform Lord Gu about this matter as soon as possible and find a way to resolve it.
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Shen Li went to the Hanlin Academy as usual. It was drizzling in the spring rain. Her car broke down on the road, so she went to a nearby teahouse to wait for the owner to repair it.
"Sir, please go to the private room on the second floor." The waiter saw that Shen Li was dressed in official robes and invited him directly to the second floor.
Shen Li tactfully went upstairs, knowing that her official attire would affect the guests in the lobby.
"It's raining quite heavily. It looks like we'll have a good harvest this year," Lian Qiao said as she wiped the raindrops from the hem of Shen Li's official robes.
Even with an umbrella, the hem of the garment inevitably gets a little wet.
"Yes, open the window and order a pot of pre-rain Longjing tea." Shen Li sat down comfortably. Although she hadn't slept well last night, she was in a good mood.
So far, everything has gone smoothly. She's eager to see how the King of Chess will break the deadlock.
Someone knocked on the door of the private room. When Shaoyao opened the door, Shen Li saw an old acquaintance, Master Gao.
It was this same advisor who advised her not to send Wu Zihao to see the officials, but as a result, she herself was sent inside and stayed for a while.
"Lord Shen, is it convenient for us to talk?" Master Gao bowed and greeted him, his expression suggesting that the two had never had any conflict.
"Master Gao, how have you been? Please come in." Shen Li also wanted to hear what he had to say.
But once this person appeared, she knew that the car breaking down here today was no accident.
"Lord Shen, I have come here recently to apologize for what happened before. I have offended you in many ways." Master Gao stepped forward and bowed deeply, his posture extremely humble.
Shen Li didn't stop him, but just watched him perform. After he finished, she said, "Master, what are you saying? In officialdom, it's inevitable that there will be clashes due to differing political views. I'm not the kind of person who holds grudges."
Lian Qiao's lips twitched. She thought to herself that if her young lady really didn't hold grudges, she would have helped the person up long ago, and wouldn't have done this at all.
"Thank you for your leniency, Lord Shen." Master Gao bowed again.
“But I don’t think Master Gao came here just to apologize, does he?” Shen Li said while eating the tea and snacks beside her.
"Nothing can be hidden from Lord Shen. It was the Prince who sent me here to have a talk with you," said Master Gao frankly.
Shen Li raised her eyebrows slightly. Although she didn't say anything, her meaning was clear: what right did he, a mere advisor, have?
"His Highness was truly unable to spare the time, and the matter was urgent, so he had no choice but to send me here without permission," Master Gao explained.
"Okay," she replied succinctly.
Master Gao felt a sense of oppression from Shen Li for no apparent reason. He took a breath before saying, "Lord Shen, the Prince sincerely wants your and Lord Gu's help. You have also seen the current situation in the court. This would be beneficial to both the Shen and Gu families."
Shen Li still had nothing to say. At this moment, Shaoyao came in from the outer room with tea and made tea for her.
"His Highness knows that some things in the past have caused some dissatisfaction between you and Lord Gu. His Highness promises that, as long as Lord Shen agrees, he can arrange to prevent Miss Zheng from marrying into the Gu family." Master Gao threw out the negotiation conditions he brought today.
Shen Li raised her eyes slightly, a little surprised, but not entirely unexpected.
This is the only bargaining chip that the King of Chess can offer, but upon closer examination, isn't this also the marriage that the King of Chess advocates?
It's like pulling out a whip to intimidate them, then finding it ineffective, wanting to take it back and use it as a favor.
She looked at Master Gao with some surprise in her eyes, wondering if he was trying to coax her like a three-year-old child.
"Not only that, His Highness promised that if he were to ascend the throne one day, he would certainly give Lord Gu and you an important position, ensuring the glory of the Shen and Gu families for generations." Master Gao understood Shen Li's meaning and quickly added.
The last time Shen Li heard such a promise was from Li Heng. If such a promise could come true, she must still be living in her previous life.
Should she be asked to do it twice?
"Please convey to His Highness that I understand the principle of going with the flow. Since His Highness treats us with sincerity, my husband and I will certainly follow His Highness's lead," Shen Li said sincerely.
For a moment, Master Gao was unsure whether she was telling the truth or not, so he tentatively asked, "Then, Your Highness did your best to mediate the matter of the arranged marriage?"
"Please convey my gratitude to Your Highness," Shen Li said, effectively dismissing her guest.
"In that case, I would like to ask Lord Shen to go back and persuade Lord Gu about last night's incident. It was all a misunderstanding, and we shouldn't let it damage our relationship." Master Gao revealed his true purpose for this visit.
Shen Li smiled: "Of course."
After seeing the person off, she smiled and shook her head. Prince Yi was truly flexible and adaptable. He knew that if Gu Chang'an used Zheng Youde's matter to make a move, it could cause a huge uproar. He was willing to embarrass himself and break off the engagement in order to appease her.
Such a person can achieve great things anywhere, but he is narrow-minded and lacks tolerance, making him unsuitable to be a monarch.
The car was repaired and the sky cleared up. Shen Li leisurely left the teahouse and went to the Hanlin Academy to report for duty, and then went to the palace to teach Li Che.
Upon entering the inner palace, one sees a palace eunuch leading several imperial physicians hurriedly rushing out of the palace.
Shen Li recognized the eunuch; he was the head eunuch in Consort Zheng's palace.
She did not stop walking, but heard a group of palace maids whispering something dozens of meters away from her.
"Have you heard? The third young master of the Zheng family has been bewitched by some evil spirit. He has been suffering from a high fever since last night, and has been in a coma and having nightmares. The Imperial Concubine is extremely worried."
"Yes, two batches of imperial physicians were sent over early this morning, but there's still no improvement."
"Let's be careful when we're on duty later, and not mess with the people in the palace."
"Greetings, Lord Shen..."
When the palace maids saw Shen Li pass by, they all bowed.
Shen Li walked past without glancing to the side.
Others might not know why, but she knew perfectly well that the lecherous Zheng Youde was terrified. After all, he was in the middle of arousal when someone suddenly died; anyone would be scared out of their wits.
Fengxiang Palace.
As soon as Shen Li approached the main hall, she heard bursts of coughing, clearly indicating that the Empress's illness showed no signs of improvement.
"Where is the imperial physician? Why hasn't he arrived yet?" the palace maid asked anxiously.
A young eunuch ran into the hall beside Shen Li, nearly falling over as he went too fast. His voice was trembling with tears: "There is no imperial physician on duty at the Imperial Hospital."
"How could there not be?" the palace maid exclaimed anxiously.
"They were all sent out of the palace by the Imperial Concubine to treat the young master of the Zheng family." The little eunuch wiped away his tears: "This servant really couldn't compete with the people in the Imperial Concubine's palace."
"Outrageous!" the palace maid exclaimed indignantly. "The Zheng family are merely subjects, yet they dare to compete with Her Majesty for the imperial physician. Are they plotting a rebellion?"
As Shen Li listened to the noisy sounds, she thought of her previous life.
At this time in the previous life, the power of the Prince of Yi was almost completely collapsed, and Li Heng had the upper hand. At that time, the Empress was radiant with health and happiness, taking care of her grandson.
Of course, it's Zhou Qianqian's child.
The Empress's situation in this life is completely different. She faces the crisis of being deposed in the court and is being humiliated by Consort Zheng in the harem. It is truly a case of times changing.
When Li Che returned from his morning exercise, he was about to say a few words to Shen Li when he heard Empress Ning's words. His face immediately became even more serious, and he got up and walked out without even changing his clothes.
"Your Highness," Shen Li stopped her, "Where is Your Highness going?"
"I'm going to see my father, Master. Don't stop me, I can handle it." Li Che's voice was young but decisive. He only said one sentence and walked out without waiting for Shen Li's response.
Shen Li looked at the small yet stubborn figure, and felt she had no right to stop him. Although the child was young, he was decisive and brooked no argument.
But upon closer reflection, there's no need to stop them.
The Zheng family is in the wrong in this matter.
After the students left, Shen Li had no choice but to wait in the side hall. In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the coughing in the main hall subsided, and after a while, a palace maid came over: "Lord Shen, Her Majesty requests your presence."
Shen Li was somewhat surprised, as she hadn't seen Empress Ning for a long time. Since the Crown Prince was deposed, Empress Ning had been ill and never recovered. She had come many times but had never seen her.
Now, upon seeing her again, Empress Ning was no longer as graceful and dignified as before. Instead, her face was withered and pale, and she was as thin as any other person who had been ill for a long time.
She was half-lying on the bed, looking as if she could barely get up.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Shen Li bowed.
Empress Ning's gaze lingered on her for a long time, admiring the red hairpin on her head, the crown inlaid with jade, and the bright official robe she wore.
These were originally the clothes of a noblewoman, but they were worn in the previous dynasty.
She felt as if she had been transported to another world.
"If Heng'er had married you back then, the ending would definitely not be like this." Her voice seemed to drift from a very far place, without roots or any strength.
Shen Li remained silent; she saw no need to speak ill of such a person.
"Sit down and let's talk." Empress Ning didn't linger on the topic any longer: "Sujin, bring that box to me, and go out and close the door."
Shen Li then realized that this was not an ordinary meeting.
The head palace maid, Su Jin, did as instructed.
The door closed, and Empress Ning's withered hand stroked the box beside the bed. She spoke slowly again, "I know you look down on Heng'er. Heng'er uses you, and his abilities are not up to your standards."
Shen Li didn't speak, she just listened to her.