"Then why do you want to protect the Duan Of Silla?"
"I'm not protecting anyone."
Gu Yan was confused and asked: "Then why did you reject the Imperial Consort Yi?"
Yi Ling looked at her and said: "I didn't reject her, nor did I reject the Duan Of Silla."
"The Xiao Clan's influence in the court covers the sky. His brother, Xiao Ze, also controls one of the three armies in the capital, the Immortal Army. As for the Duan Of Silla, Empress Min's concubine-born family has been suppressed for many years. How can they compete with the Xiao Clan?" Gu Yan voiced her doubts.
Yi Ling revealed a faint smile: "Since the strength is not equal, then let's give him some weight and see if he can win against the Xiao Clan."
"Why don't you support him directly?" Gu Yan still didn't understand. The situation in the court was constantly changing. Everyone was unknowingly standing on their own side, but Yi Ling's attitude was ambiguous and unclear.
Yi Ling looked at her, his thin lips opened and closed, and slowly said: "In this world, only the strong can live."
Gu Yan's heart trembled, as if she had been ruthlessly punched by someone. She didn't dare to believe what she heard. She didn't think that there would be people in this world who thought this way.
In Nan Hua, the Gu Clan supported the Crown Prince Feng Jing without any hesitation. They didn't care whether he was virtuous or not, whether he could be a good Emperor in the future, just because he had the blood of the Gu Clan in him.
As for the other henchmen, they were all relying on the Gu Clan or other clans for the sake of obtaining greater benefits in the future. No one had truly considered whether the prince they supported had the ability to take on the great responsibility of being the ruler.
But the man in front of her was leisurely observing the two of them. He didn't side with any side and gave them the same weight to fight for. The common people of the world were all in his heart.
Gu Yan felt that she couldn't understand Yi Ling anymore. His breadth of mind allowed her to see a wider world. Even when she was lying in bed at night, she was still tossing and turning, thinking about his words.
"Princess, what happened?"
A Nuo's voice came from outside the curtains. She heard Gu Yan tossing and turning in bed as he asked with concern.
Gu Yan lay flat on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling of the tent. He softly said, "A Nuo, do you think Jing'er will be a good Emperor in the future?"
A Nuo obviously didn't expect her to ask this question. After a long pause, she honestly said, "A Nuo doesn't know." It wasn't something she could discuss about.
"Jing 'er is still young. He's so timid in front of his aunt. He doesn't even dare to speak. How can he be a good emperor in the future?" Gu Yan muttered.
A Nuo said helplessly, "Princess, you should rest. Don't think about these useless things."
"Is it useless?" Gu Yan sighed. She rolled over and fell asleep.
The next morning, Imperial Consort Yi summoned Gu Yan to the palace to enjoy the opera. The sky was clear after the snow, and it looked as if it had just been washed.
The palace corridors had long been swept clean. Gu Yan followed the palace maids down the long corridor. A Nuo followed behind her.
After entering Hanzhang Palace, the red plum blossoms bloomed even brighter after the snow fell. Gu Yan couldn't help but look around for a while before entering the main hall. This time, the main hall was filled with people. Imperial Consort Yi was still leaning on the main seat and talking to others.
Gu Yan greeted Imperial Consort Yi and the other concubines. In the entire room, there were only two concubines and concubines. The rest were all young ladies from aristocratic families.
Imperial Consort Yi introduced them to Gu Yan one by one. The ladies also greeted Gu Yan.
After the greetings, they all sat down. A young lady next to Gu Yan asked Gu Yan, "Madame, I heard that people in Nan Hua are good at making incense. Is it true that the fragrance doesn't disperse for a long time?"
Gu Yan was confused by these young ladies. She completely forgot which family this young lady was from. She smiled and said, "That's right. In Nan Hua, men also need to use incense. All kinds of fragrances enter the air. It smells very good."
When the young lady heard this, she said in surprise, "Then men smell better than women." After saying this, she felt that it was inappropriate and covered her mouth to laugh.
When Gu Yan heard this, she also laughed. Imperial Consort Yi smiled and said, "Nan Hua men are different from our Dai Yin men. Xuan 'er may not necessarily be inferior to those Jiangdu talents. What do you think, Qiong' er?"
When the young lady who spoke heard this, she immediately nodded and said, "His Highness Cheng Wang is outstanding in martial arts. The entire court praises him."
After Imperial Consort Yi's reminder, Gu Yan remembered that the young lady in front of him was Madame Chen's di daughter, Chen Qiong.
When Empress Min's relatives were being suppressed by the Xiao Clan's main branch, Madame Chen quietly rose up and could faintly compete with the Xiao Clan. Therefore, this Chen Qiong was also a target that Imperial Consort Yi wanted to rope in.
Just as Gu Yan was thinking, a palace maid came in and said that His Highness Cheng Wang had arrived. Everyone stood up and bowed. When Huan Xuan arrived at Hanzhang Palace, he didn't avoid the room full of young ladies. He greeted Imperial Consort Yi and said, "I didn't expect Mufei's place to be so lively."
Imperial Consort Yi ordered someone to take off his Overcoat. Her eyes were full of affection. "You came at the right time. Qiong 'er just praised you."
When Huan Xuan heard this, his gaze turned to Gu Yan's side. He inadvertently swept past Gu Yan and stopped at Chen Qiong. He said, "Is that so? You didn't say anything bad about me, right?"
Chen Qiong didn't avoid the taboo and replied, "How could I say anything bad about Your Highness in front of Imperial Consort? Imperial Consort can't punish me."
When Gu Yan heard this, he couldn't help but smile. He didn't expect that Huan Xuan saw it and asked him, "Madame, why are you smiling?"
Gu Yan raised his head and looked at Chen Qiong, then looked at Huan Xuan and said, "Your Highness didn't understand Sister Qiong's words. If I don't dare to say anything bad about Your Highness in front of Imperial Consort, then when Imperial Consort isn't here …"
When Chen Qiong heard this, he hurriedly said, "I didn't mean it that way."
Everyone covered their handkerchiefs and laughed foolishly. Gu Yan smiled and looked up, only to see that behind Huan Xuan, the young girl who was sitting opposite Chen Qiong was blushing. Her eyes were infatuated as she stared fixedly at Huan Xuan.
When everyone was talking and laughing, a palace maid reported that the stage was ready and asked Imperial Consort Yi to move. Imperial Consort Yi stood up and was helped by a maid to put on the Overcoat. The group of people left Hanzhang Palace and walked towards the Imperial Garden.
Huan Xuan walked beside Imperial Consort Yi. Gu Yan walked a few steps behind and walked to Chen Qiong's side. He whispered, "Does Sister Qiong like incense?"
Chen Qiong nodded and said, "Yes, but it disappears after a few hours every day." She shook her head, as if she was troubled by this.
"Sister, what kind of incense do you like? When I make it, I'll give it to you, okay?"
Chen Qiong was pleasantly surprised and said, "Really? You know how to make incense?"
Gu Yan smiled and agreed. Chen Qiong instantly became familiar with Gu Yan. He held her arm and chatted happily.
Gu Yan quietly pointed at the young girl who had just sat opposite her and asked, "Who is that?"
Chen Qiong looked and said, "She is Imperial Consort Yi's niece, Xiao Rong."
Another Small Clan. Gu Yan didn't say anything after hearing this. He only talked to Chen Qiong about other things.
When they arrived at the theater, everyone sat down and the play slowly began.
Gu Yan had always accompanied her aunt to watch plays in Jiangdu. Nan Hua's voice was soft and long, and it sounded sad. Hokuin's melodious voice was loud and clear. It also had a different flavor.
When the play ended, it was almost noon. Imperial Consort Yi once again set up a banquet in Hanzhang Palace. Huan Xuan also accompanied Imperial Consort Yi and made Imperial Consort Yi laugh.
The atmosphere was just right. From a distance, they heard an announcement from the palace gates. "The Emperor has arrived."
Everyone was stunned. They didn't expect the Emperor to come at this time. They hurriedly got up to welcome him.
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