Chapter 257
It was already late at night, and the stars surrounding the full moon hung high in the night sky. Compared with the hustle and bustle of the lantern festival, the whole Duan Palace was particularly quiet.
Gu Zezhi handed the horse over to the boy and carried the rat lantern to the main courtyard to see Duan Wang Fei.
Duan Wang Fei hasn’t rested yet, she was leaning on the royal couch in the inner room, reading. Inside, there were silver frost charcoal pots placed in two corners to warm up the room like spring.
Seeing that Gu Zezhi had returned, Duan Wang Fei put down the book in her hand, sat up, and asked, “Zezhi, did you have fun?”
“It was fun.” Gu Zezhi said while putting aside that rat lantern and white fox mask, he then took out that embroidered parrot’s purse and fished out a cat-shaped silver ingot from the purse.
“New Year’s money.” He gave the silver coin to Duan Wang Fei, with a smile on his face.
Duan Wang Fei: “??”
Duan Wang Fei grasped the exquisite silver ingot, confused. Feeling that her son was getting more and more unfathomable with mystery.
As Duan Wang Fei rubbed the silver ingot between her fingers, she could not help thinking of Gu Zezhi when he was ten years old. That year, during the Spring Festival, he came to her and said, “Mom, I’m grown up, so I don’t need you to give me new year’s money.”
At that time, Gu Zezhi was just over her shoulder, but now he was much taller than her.
Duan Wang Fei’s eyes fell on Gu Zezhi’s engraved purple-gold cap on his head. Her son wearing this means that he has now grown up and would soon start a family of his own…
Her eyes shone with kindness as she muttered, “It’s time to get ready…” She has to save some New Year’s money for her future grandchildren, the early the better.
Gu Zezhi raised his eyebrows and was about to open his mouth when the curtain door was pulled from the outside. Wang momo came in, bent her knees, and said, “Wangfei, Third Master, young eunuch Lu has come to see you and said that the emperor had asked Third Master to come to the palace for an audience!”
The second half begins.
Gu Zezhi smiled faintly, stood up, and said, “Mother, it’s getting late, you should rest early. I’ll go to the palace.”
Gu Zezhi had just come back and within a short time of burning incense but he hurriedly rode out again. This time, he went to the palace with the servants who came to pass the word.
At this time, the lantern festival has almost ended, and there were not many passers-by on the street, only a few people with lanterns could be seen walking on the road laughing.
As soon as these people saw the official from the palace, they hurriedly gave way.
At this time of day, the palace gate has long been locked, but today was an exception. Not only did the curfew was lifted at night, but also the palace gates would be open until midnight before closing.
By this time, the emperor has returned from the Lantern Festival, and together with Duan Wangye they were in the imperial study.
Both of them looked at Gu Zezhi with different expressions. There was no happiness or anger that could be seen with the former, while the latter frowned.
“Your Majesty the emperor.” Gu Zezhi followed Eunuch Lu to the front of the imperial study without looking askance and saluted respectfully.
Seeing Gu Zezhi after the incident, the emperor’s eyes were a bit complicated, and he asked with concern, “Zezhi, how is your mother doing?”
“Replying to the emperor, mother has rested,” Gu Zezhi replied with a bow, “but she didn’t sleep very well. When I went out, she just woke up from coughing and took some loquat before resting again.”
The emperor rubbed the emerald ring on his thumb and said, “The imperial physician has told me that your mother is poisoned. What is going on?”
Duan Wangye frowned even tighter, trying to wink at Gu Zezhi, signaling him not to talk nonsense.
However, Gu Zezhi did not look at Duan Wangye at all, so naturally, he did not see the wink from Duan Wangye. He looked up at the emperor and said, “Answering to the emperor, this Jiuhe Incense was given to mother by the heir’s consort.”
The emperor has long heard from Zhou Xin, and sure enough, his appearance doesn’t look shocked at all.
Truth was, the emperor was not surprised by this. In the final analysis, whether it was the heir, Gu Chenzhi who sent people to kill Gu Zezhi, or the heir’s consort secretly poisoned Duan Wang Fei, it was all for the title of Duan Wang.
Duan Wangye’s face seemed to be splashed with ink, and he scolded: “Zezhi, don’t talk nonsense!”
Duan Wangye stood up from the armchair beside him and solemnly bowed to the emperor and said, “Your Majesty the emperor, please give me some time. I will find out about this…”
“Your Majesty the emperor, you cannot convict the heir’s Consort based on the words of one momo!”
“I believe that the heir’s consort was also deceived. Even if the incense was really given by the heir’s consort, the culprit must be someone else. He must be plotting against the wangfei!”
Duan Wangye keeps on talking.
Since the emperor declared they would be going back to the palace two hours ago, he tried to explain, but at that time the emperor simply ignored him and only focused on watching the lights and talking with Empress Wei.
Duan Wangye also knew that the emperor was deliberately being cold, and was helpless. After all, since the family affairs of Duan Wang’s Mansion had been brought to the front of the emperor, he would be viewed as someone who was being lax in governing his family.
It was only now, just now that he was given a chance to speak, so he wanted to take this opportunity to explain clearly to the emperor.
“Your Majesty the emperor, I can guarantee the character of the heir’s consort, she will never do such unfilial and unkind things. Zezhi is also worried about wangfei, which will lead to mixing things up…”
Duan Wangye still wanted to explain something on behalf of the heir’s consort, but was interrupted by the Emperor: “Enough!”
Duan Wangye was the emperor’s uncle, and the emperor has always been polite to him so this was the first time that Duan Wangye was scolded so harshly by the emperor which made his complexion become even uglier, and couldn’t help but somewhat blamed the servants for “talking nonsense”
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