Summer had finally arrived in the Northern Kingdom. A Nuo also changed out the summer clothes in the manor. Hokuin was not as hot as Nan Hua, so even the summer clothes were made of brocade. A Nuo watched as Gu Yan changed into thin clothes and sighed, "Nan Hua's summer clothes are still the best. Light muslin silk, wide sleeves fluttering in the wind."
Gu Yan smiled and said to her, "If you like it, I'll ask my father to send it to you."
A Nuo pouted, "Imperial Princess, you only know how to tease me."
Gu Yan laughed, "I feel that summer here is better than Jiangdu."
"Yes, I also like it here. But I heard that Imperial Consort Yi complains about the heat every day."
Gu Yan said, "It's still summer, and the palace is surrounded by high walls. How can it not be stuffy?"
"I heard that in a few days, the Emperor will take the concubines and concubines to Bai Zhou to avoid the heat. There will also be women from outside the court accompanying them."
Gu Yan didn't take it to heart, but A Nuo asked, "Imperial Princess, do you think that Imperial Consort Yi will bring you along this time?"
Gu Yan raised an eyebrow, "I will stay in the capital."
"Stay in the capital?!" Huan Xuan asked in disbelief.
Imperial Consort Yi looked up at him and asked, "What?"
Huan Xuan's expression was normal as he shook his head and said, "Does Imperial Consort Mother plan to give up on the General's Estate?"
Imperial Consort Yi touched the gold ornament in her hair bun and said casually, "This consort has repeatedly hinted that Gu Yan is just ignorant. No matter whether she really doesn't understand or is pretending to be stupid, this consort thinks that she is a yes-man and a proper person. She won't be able to accomplish anything great. Since Yi Ling can't be used by me, then the Duan Of Silla can't use him either."
Huan Xuan nodded and said, "Imperial Consort Mother, don't worry. This son understands."
The Imperial Consort Yi looked up and locked her gaze on him. Her gaze was faint. "Xuan 'er, this is a critical period. You have to focus on everything else. It's better to put away some of your thoughts."
The Imperial Consort Yi had seen Huan Xuan's feelings for Gu Yan. In the past, she had always wanted to rope in the General's Estate, so she had turned a blind eye to some things. However, now that she had decided to completely exclude the General's Estate from the plan, she had to cut off all ties with the people in the General's Estate.
Huan Xuan's heart trembled slightly. His thoughts were exposed by his mother, and he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. However, his expression remained calm as he said, "Son understands."
— — —
At the beginning of the fifth month, the heat gradually rose. The Emperor took the imperial concubines and accompanying officials to Bai Zhou to avoid the heat.
Gu Yan and Yi Ling were left behind in the capital. The Duan Of Silla and Cheng Wang were also left behind by the Emperor to handle court affairs together.
The Emperor set out. The procession at the entrance of the Heavenly Palace meandered for several li. The imperial flag fluttered in the wind, and the armor of the Imperial Guards shone brightly under the sun. The Palace Maids and maids were all dressed in colorful clothes. The carriages of the imperial concubines were beautifully painted, and the tassels rustled.
The procession meandered for several li. The crowd of onlookers densely blocked the streets.
As soon as the Emperor left, the entire Imperial City seemed to quiet down. Gu Yan was truly idle. She had nothing to do in the mansion all day. Thus, she ordered A Nuo to find some copybooks to copy.
There weren't many books in the General's Estate, and copybooks were even more difficult to find. A Nuo searched for them but found nothing.
When she woke up this morning, the sky was already bright. Gu Yan lazily ran her fingers through her hair. After washing her face and rinsing her mouth with clean water, she was tending to the flowers and plants in the courtyard. A maid entered the courtyard and bowed. "Madam, the General has asked you to go to the study."
Although the Emperor wasn't in the capital, the two princes were still in charge of the government. They still had to attend to court affairs every day, so Yi Ling didn't idle around.
She hadn't seen him for several days. Now that she heard that he wanted to see her, she anxiously put down the small silver scissors in her hand and said to A Nuo, "A Nuo, quickly dress up."
A Nuo covered her mouth and laughed. "It's not like the Imperial Princess hasn't seen the General before. Why do you care about these things?"
Gu Yan angrily said, "Don't talk nonsense!"
A Nuo laughed and stopped joking. Her hands quickly helped Gu Yan dress up.
When she arrived at the study, the manservant at the door greeted her and said, "Madam is here. The General is waiting."
Gu Yan nodded and pushed the door open. She didn't expect that there would be someone else in the room. Looking carefully, it was Xie Xuan 'an, whom she had seen before.
Xie Xuan 'an stood up and bowed to Gu Yan. Gu Yan also bowed to him.
Yi Ling had the two sit down and handed something to Gu Yan. "I heard that you were looking for this?"
Gu Yan took a look. It was the book of the Sage of Calligraphy, Xie Jian. Gu Yan looked at him in surprise and asked, "How did the General get this?"
Yi Ling smiled and pointed to Xie Xuan 'an. "This is his work."
Gu Yan looked at Xie Xuan 'an and then looked at the book in her hand. She hesitantly asked, "Are Daren Xie and the Sage of Calligraphy from the same family?"
Xie Xuan 'an smiled. "Yes."
Gu Yan sighed with emotion. "Chen Jun's Xie family is indeed the most famous family in the world. All the scoundrels and politicians are from the Xie family."
Xie Xuan 'an waved his hand and said, "Madam is too kind."
Gu Yan smiled. "Daren, there is no need to be modest. The Xie family has been a famous family for hundreds of years. Others can't compare to it."
Xie Xuan 'an accepted it calmly.
Gu Yan held the precious book and said, "When I finish copying it, I will return it to you in perfect condition."
Xie Xuan 'an bowed. "Madam, if you like it."
Gu Yan could see that he was sincere in his friendship with Yi Ling. He was a bit surprised by the relationship between the two. One was a cold warrior, and the other was a famous scholar. He didn't expect the two to be so close.
As the three were talking, the servant at the door informed them that Jiang Xun wanted to see them. Yi Ling didn't care about Gu Yan's presence and directly let him in.
Gu Yan had seen Jiang Xun before. This time, there were two unfamiliar men with him. They were dressed like soldiers. Their actions were bold and unrestrained, and they didn't care about trifles.
The three of them bowed to Yi Ling and then to Gu Yan.
Gu Yan stood up and returned the greeting.
Yi Ling asked the two of them, "What happened?"
Jiang Xun looked at Gu Yan with an ugly expression.
Gu Yan understood and stood up to leave. Unexpectedly, Yi Ling said, "There is no harm in saying it. There are no outsiders here."
Jiang Xun nodded and took out a letter from his chest. He handed it to Yi Ling and said, "General, Yan Yuan sent a report. Recently, Xiongnu's army has appeared frequently. It seems that they intend to go south."
Yi Ling opened the letter and read it carefully. He pondered, "Summer is the time when water plants are lush. Xiongnu has enough food and clothing. Why would they risk going south?"
Jiang Xun also frowned in confusion, "This one is also puzzled. After discussing with Li Feng and the others, we decided to come to you."
Yi Ling nodded and put down the letter, "The Emperor is not in court. This time, the main force protecting the Emperor is the British Martial Army controlled by the Chen Clan. Our army and the Xiao Clan's Divine Guards are protecting the capital. If something happens, the Chen Clan will not be able to protect the Emperor. The Emperor will definitely send our army and the Xiao Clan's side."
"The Xiao Clan will definitely not hand over the capital's guards." Xie Xuan 'an said.
Yi Ling nodded and said to his subordinates, "Inform the soldiers in Yan Yuan to be on high alert. If there is any change, report it immediately."
Nothing happened at the border, but news came from Bai Zhou that the Emperor caught a cold and fell ill.
"They said it was a cold, but they sent an edict to the Duan Of Silla, Cheng Wang, and the Prime Minister to jointly manage the government. Unless there is an important matter, everything else will be decided by themselves. Isn't this delegating power? "Li Feng was straightforward and said whatever came to his mind. Gu Yan was already used to this.
These days, Yi Ling often called her to the study. Even if he was discussing matters with his subordinates, he would not let her leave. Therefore, Jiang Xun and the others were already used to having Gu Yan by their side when discussing matters.
"Cheng Wang and the Prime Minister, can the Duan Of Silla still talk?" Jiang Xun said.
"I don't know how the Emperor's illness is." Xie Xuan 'an said.
"What do you mean?" Jiang Xun did not understand.
"Don't you feel that the Emperor's illness is strange? Why did he fall ill as soon as he left the capital? And it's just when the Princes are in charge of the government."
"You mean …" Jiang Xun followed his words and thought for a while. He immediately felt that it was impossible, "How is that possible? The Emperor's body has always been weak. Maybe it's because he was tired from the journey that his illness relapsed."
"I hope so." Yi Ling sighed.
"General, in this situation, what should we do?" Li Feng asked.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
