1 Return to the Capital
◎The decree that exiled Prince Zhao, Lu Jing, from the capital years ago was written by Lord Gu Ningxi’s own hand.◎
In the second month, the spring chill was biting, and occasional gusts of cold wind seeped into the carriage.
Traveling from Prince Zhao’s manor to the Palace City, the carriage rolled over silent alleys, passing through without hindrance, only pausing briefly at the palace gates.
Through the half-closed carriage window, Gu Ningxi saw that the guards at Yingtian Gate had been entirely replaced by fresh faces. She did not recognize the young general leading them, but since he was stationed here, he was undoubtedly a trusted confidant of Prince Zhao.
Her gaze shifted further toward the towering imperial city, which had already changed masters.
Aside from the final outcome of success and failure, she knew nothing of the details regarding the palace coup.
From the moment Prince Zhao summoned her to his manor for a game of chess four days ago, she had been imprisoned in a secret room within his residence, cut off from all news of the outside world.
Gu Ningxi let out a soft sigh. In truth, why had he gone to such lengths to imprison her? Even if she could have returned to the Eastern Palace to deliver a message, given Prince Zhao’s control over the capital and his unrivaled prestige in the army, any counterattack by the Eastern Palace guards would have been nothing more than a futile increase in casualties.
The sky was filled with sunset clouds as a silent eunuch led the way. Bathed in golden light, the Palace City looked majestic and solemn; the traces of the coup had already been completely erased.
A gleam of gold struck the roof of the hall, making Gu Ningxi blink and close her eyes.
Outside the Imperial Study, the man standing with hands lowered was now Sun Jing, the head steward of Prince Zhao’s manor. For a fleeting moment, she thought she was still trapped within the prince’s residence.
“Lord Gu, please wait a moment.” Seeing her, Steward Sun saluted and sent an attendant inside to announce her arrival.
He still treated her with courtesy. Gu Ningxi managed a strained reply, “I trouble you, Steward Sun.”
Specks of sunlight scattered beside her, but they offered little warmth.
Gu Ningxi lowered her eyes. It was always a case of ‘a new emperor brings new officials.’ Now that Prince Zhao was in power, it was only a matter of time before he purged the officials of the Eastern Palace.
The crushing weight of imperial power was never merciful.
Hidden beneath her sleeves, Gu Ningxi’s palms curled slightly. Was it already her turn?
She was no sage; in the end, she could not remain indifferent in the face of life and death.
She did not know the fate of the others from the Eastern Palace. Sometimes, it was this uncertainty that was even more terrifying.
Gu Ningxi stood below the steps, allowing the cold wind to flutter her robes.
After an unknown amount of time, the doors to the Imperial Study opened from within.
“Lord Gu, please enter.”
Gu Ningxi ascended the steps. Amidst the sound of the wind, as she passed Sun Jing, she heard the kind-hearted steward whisper a quick sentence to her: “When before His Highness, make sure you confess your guilt properly. After all…”
He meant well. Gu Ningxi masked the emotions in her eyes and silently mouthed a word of thanks.
As the sunlight faded, Sun Jing watched the figure in green robes enter the hall. He instructed his subordinates to continue guarding the doors, as if nothing had ever happened.
…
By the lingering glow of the setting sun, the furnishings in the Imperial Study remained familiar. It was likely that because everything had happened so abruptly, there hadn’t been time to change them.
Gu Ningxi knelt. “Gu Ningxi, Director of the Ministry of Works, greets Your Highness.”
On her way here, she had heard no news of Prince Zhao ascending the throne, so she still used his former title.
In truth, she could not bring herself to immediately follow the wind and cry out “Long live the Emperor.”
The hall remained silent. The future sovereign of the world leaned back in the dragon chair, his imperial brush moving across the memorial on the desk.
During the silent confrontation, Gu Ningxi saw her own blurred reflection on the golden floor tiles.
She gave a self-deprecating smile. Since she was already a prisoner, should she be grateful that she still had the chance to speak before Prince Zhao?
“Your Highness,” Gu Ningxi heard her own voice say, “all past crimes were my fault alone. I am willing to take full responsibility. I only hope Your Highness will show mercy and not involve innocent women and children.”
When her voice fell, there was another bout of unbearable silence.
The man in the seat of honor wrote the last few characters and spoke in a playful tone, “Since you admit your guilt, why not tell me exactly which crimes you have committed?”
Gu Ningxi pursed her lips. In partisan struggles, if one wishes to condemn someone, one can always find a pretext.
She could not leave the superior’s question unanswered, so she could only say, “I am dull-witted. I hope Your Highness will enlighten me.”
Her life and death hung on his whim. Gu Ningxi unconsciously slowed her breathing. The man on the dragon chair spoke indifferently: “For example… the crime of deceiving the Emperor?”
Gu Ningxi’s brow twitched. Her heart, which had been prepared to accept her fate, was suddenly thrown into a tumultuous storm by this single sentence.
Her wide sleeves hid her trembling fingertips. Gu Ningxi struggled to maintain her composure, suppressing the worst possible outcome she had imagined. For the first time, she looked up at Prince Zhao.
No candles were lit in the hall. Against the dim, yellowish light, she could still see his handsome features clearly. The gold threads on his four-clawed dragon robes shimmered, adding seven parts more intimidation than she remembered.
“Your Highness means…”
She spoke tentatively, still harboring a glimmer of hope.
Seeing that she was still playing dumb, Prince Zhao’s long fingers tapped rhythmically against the desk.
The silence in the hall made the sound even more abrupt, as if it were striking against Gu Ningxi’s heart.
“I will only ask you once,” his tone turned cold. “Meng Mingxuan—did he know of your identity long ago?”
Did he know that the so-called eldest grandson of the Marquis Xuanping’s Manor was, in fact, a girl?
Prince Zhao’s gaze was impossible to avoid. In an instant, Gu Ningxi lost all her strength.
Being caught in a partisan struggle was one thing, but once her identity as a woman was exposed, the charge of deceiving the Emperor would bring total destruction to her closest kin.
She had thought Prince Zhao had never seen through her identity. Otherwise, given that the Eastern Palace and Prince Zhao’s Manor were as incompatible as fire and water, he could not have remained silent about such a weakness until now.
Could it be that she had slipped up after the coup?
“I—”
A thousand thoughts raced through her mind, but as she watched Prince Zhao step down the jade stairs toward her, Gu Ningxi’s lips moved, yet she had no words for a defense.
The charcoal fire in the carved bronze brazier was warm, but Gu Ningxi’s hands and feet were freezing.
Finally, she bowed her head. “I know my crimes and am willing to bear them alone. I only beg Your Highness to show leniency and not punish my family.”
Only the last sliver of light remained in the sky. Gu Ningxi looked down to see a pair of gold-threaded cloud boots stop before her.
Prince Zhao half-crouched, lightly tilting her chin up to take in every emotion in her eyes.
“What, you don’t want to return home?”
Gu Ningxi was forced to look directly at him. Her identity, which she had meticulously hidden for over twenty years, had been exposed in a single day; she felt as if she were in a dream.
She thought of her mother. Having been missing for five days, she couldn’t imagine how worried her mother must be.
Gu Ningxi could not refuse Prince Zhao’s conditions, nor was she naive enough to think he would spare her for no reason.
Seeing that she knew how to adapt to the circumstances, Lu Jing seemed to let out a light chuckle.
“Then think carefully about how you should beg Me.”
The sky had already begun to show the first light of dawn. A cold wind rattled the window, and the person on the bed slowly opened her eyes.
Having dreamed for half the night, Gu Ningxi woke up feeling only exhaustion.
This was already the third time she had dreamed of such a scene.
Cold wind continued to pour through the window, and the bedding was not particularly warm. Gu Ningxi rubbed her brow and rose, draping her clothes over her shoulders while burdened by her thoughts.
She closed the window, the dream from last night playing back in her mind. It was likely because the news of Prince Zhao’s great victory and imminent return to the capital had spread throughout the court, causing her to have such dreams.
So Gu Ningxi thought, yet her heart struggled to settle for a long time.
The political situation was volatile, and the sensations in the dream were far too real.
They clearly hadn’t seen each other in three years, but the Prince Zhao in her dream did not look as he did when they parted.
That overwhelming pressure had left her unable to fully escape its grip even now.
“Why is the master standing by the window?”
Yinlan brought in hot water for washing. Her pleasant voice brought Gu Ningxi back to her senses.
Seven-fifteen was the usual time for Lord Gu to rise. Yinlan placed the bronze basin on the table and first went to check the window. She said, “So the latch was loose. The wind was strong last night; I’m afraid it disturbed your rest. I’ll have a servant fix it after breakfast; it’ll be done by the afternoon.”
Gu Ningxi nodded absentmindedly. Yinlan had always managed the household affairs perfectly.
Since she had entered officialdom, and in order to better hide her identity, the Gu family had allowed her to choose two personal maids to serve her. Yinlan had originally served her mother. After Gu Ningxi asked for her opinion, she brought the girl to her side and increased her monthly allowance by a string of coins.
“Breakfast is ready. The Madame sent someone early this morning to say she wishes for you to return to the manor for dinner tonight.”
Gu Ningxi buried her face in the hot towel and gave a muffled “Alright.”
The courtyard where she currently resided was located in Xingning Ward. It was a property her grandfather had assigned to her after she received her official appointment. The single-entry courtyard made it very convenient to travel between the Six Ministries and the Eastern Palace. She usually stayed here when she didn’t return to the Marquis Xuanping’s Manor.
After breakfast, Gu Ningxi first went to the Ministry of Works to report for duty.
The offices of the Six Ministries were all located near the Palace City. Recently, in preparation for Prince Zhao’s return, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel had been thrown into a frantic bustle.
The Ministry of Works was no different. The Emperor had issued an edict to expand Prince Zhao’s manor, with all expenses to be paid from the Emperor’s private treasury without limit.
Originally, the scale of Prince Zhao’s manor already far exceeded that of an ordinary prince. Now, with a thirty percent expansion, it would be almost equal to the Eastern Palace.
Such an overstepping of regulations was happening, yet because of the unparalleled military achievements Prince Zhao had attained, no official dared to raise an objection. Even the censors associated with the Crown Prince remained silent.
The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works was personally supervising the construction, not daring to be negligent in the slightest, and the Minister also inquired about it frequently.
Today happened to be the fifth day of the month, the day for officials of the sixth rank and above in the Ministry of Works to gather in the front hall for routine business.
Gu Ningxi arrived neither early nor late. Before she stepped into the room, she noticed that the hall had become noticeably quieter.
Her expression remained normal. She exchanged brief pleasantries with several officials before finding her seat and sitting down, having no intention of joining the conversation.
Since the Minister had not yet arrived, the atmosphere in the hall was relatively relaxed. Gu Ningxi sipped her tea, acting as if she didn’t know what her colleagues were discussing. Sunlight fell across half of her face. When the others occasionally looked over with their own secret thoughts, they saw a refined and elegant gentleman, truly worthy of being the Tanhua scholar personally selected by the Emperor.
However, regarding their attitude toward Gu Ningxi, the officials present were all calculating in their hearts, unsure of how to treat her.
Secretary Gu was from the Marquis Xuanping’s Manor. Her grandfather had followed the High Ancestor in the uprising and was one of the twelve founding meritocrats. Her father had inherited the title of Marquis Xuanping. As soon as Gu Ningxi entered officialdom, she gained the favor of the Crown Prince, serving as a Secretary in the Ministry of Works and an Adjutant to the Crown Prince. Her career path had been smooth.
Although the current Emperor had many children, the Crown Prince was the legitimate son of the Empress and held the status of the eldest. Moreover, Empress Yao and the Emperor were a devoted couple from their youth. It was well known that the Emperor cherished the Empress, and naturally, he valued his eldest son. Especially after Prince Zhao, Lu Jing, was exiled from the capital three years ago, the Emperor had allowed the Crown Prince to gain experience, entrusting him with many government affairs. His intention to pass the throne to him was clear.
Everyone had thought the succession was settled. As an arm of the Eastern Palace, Gu Ningxi was guaranteed the merit of supporting the future emperor, with a bright future ahead.
But who could have known that worldly affairs are unpredictable? In the Battle of Sishui Pass, Prince Zhao captured two kings in a single engagement, pacified the Central Plains, and became famous throughout the world.
If one were to be precise, since the founding of the dynasty, half of the empire had been won by Prince Zhao. Furthermore, Prince Zhao was born to the late Empress Zhen, and his maternal family was the illustrious Prince of Zhending’s Manor, renowned for its military prowess. His lineage was the most distinguished among all the princes.
With such merit, it was heard that on the day Prince Zhao arrived in the capital, the Emperor would personally go to the city gate to welcome him.
With Prince Zhao’s return, while the capital might not necessarily change its ruler, waves were bound to rise. Moreover, Prince Zhao had many famous generals under his command, and how to reward them was also a difficult problem.
Where there were rewards, there were naturally punishments. Now, no one mentioned the old matter of Prince Zhao’s departure.
Except—
Thinking of the past, Gu Ningxi’s colleagues in the Ministry of Works couldn’t help but look at the figure in green robes in the hall. If they didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire, it was best to stay far away from her.
After all, the decree that exiled Prince Zhao, Lu Jing, from the capital years ago was written by the then-Senior Compiler of the Hanlin Academy, Lord Gu Ningxi, with her own hand.