Chapter 111 Escape intact
Upon hearing the news of Ning Fengzhe's betrayal, Gu Mengzhen's face turned grim and he lost his composure completely.
"Someone! Someone!"
The guards from the Tongshitai came over upon hearing the noise.
"Wei Chen is here."
Gu Mengzhen roared and ordered.
"Go to the side hall and capture Ning Fengzhe. I want to question him!"
The guards responded and left, but soon returned empty-handed.
"Your Majesty, Lord Ning is nowhere to be seen in any of the three side halls."
"I checked the records of the Tongshitai. After the morning court session, Lord Ning left the palace and never came back."
"Excuse me, Your Majesty, shall we go to the Ningguo Mansion to arrest Lord Ning?"
Zhuang Shao was secretly shocked.
He actually hid his tracks and escaped?
No wonder my brother said that we might not be able to outwit him, so we could only give it a try.
Alas, it’s all my fault that I’m not as skilled as him. Even though I tried my best to cover it up, he still saw through it.
How could he be so scheming at the age of thirty?
Why can't I hide it from him?
Gu Mengzhen's anger disappeared, leaving only a bitter, self-deprecating smile.
"No need, please leave first."
As he spoke, he glanced at Zhuang Shao.
"Your teasing words are exquisite, worthy of being a descendant of the Fang clan."
Zhuang Shao understood what he meant and corrected him sternly.
"The people of the Fang clan are all upright and honest, and they are not ashamed of God. They are never the kind of people who tease, mock, or have bad intentions."
Gu Mengzhen glanced at him sideways with contempt.
"Do you know what will happen if you walk into a trap?"
Zhuang Shao took it calmly.
"Master Gu, please remember to report this to King Dijin. After all, I follow my elder sister and am considered his assistant."
"Also, may I ask, Master Gu, what crime have I committed?"
Gu Mengzhen gave the charges easily.
"You used a trick to lurk beside me, waiting for an opportunity to assassinate me."
Zhuang Shao refuted it cleverly.
"The scheme of passing off fakes as real was Madam Ning's masterpiece. She looked for witnesses everywhere. I was not involved in it."
"Waiting for an opportunity to assassinate is a false charge. Lord Gu is safe and sound, and I have no weapon, so how can I be accused of assassination?"
"As for taking the opportunity to lie dormant, may I ask Lord Gu, as a monarch, is there any problem with King Di Jin being suspicious of his subjects and arranging informants to spy on them?"
"It is Master Gu who insists on revealing this matter and is unwilling to accept the secret investigation. What is his intention?"
Seeing that he was at a loss, Gu Mengzhen's anger was evident in his heart, rising and falling rapidly.
"I have already ascended the throne, but you keep claiming to be Lord Gu. Isn't that rebellious?"
Zhuang Shao behaved calmly and was neither flustered nor panicked.
"Your Majesty wants to bypass Prince Dijin and deal with me directly, so I am using this opportunity to give you a friendly reminder. Honest advice is unavoidable, but a wise ruler will be open-minded and generous, and will not haggle over every little detail."
"If you want to eliminate future troubles, the emperor can punish the innocent."
"It's just that Prince Dijin will hold you accountable someday. How does the emperor plan to deal with the world?"
"If you want to implicate my eldest sister in this crime, Your Majesty, please produce evidence of my involvement before you can punish me."
"I am kindly suggesting that after I faked my death, my status as a minister has been removed. If the Emperor Jin reassigns me as a minister with another identity, how can the emperor prove that I am Fang Zhixuan?"
Gu Mengzhen smiled bitterly again.
"Ning Yunxi was able to arrange the retreat so well after the plan failed?"
"Oh, it seems that she was still reserved when assisting me before, and did not give her all."
"No wonder she is so famous that she is even better than your Fang clan. Her wisdom and scheming should not be underestimated."
Zhuang Shao then bowed respectfully, as a token of his resignation.
"Does the Emperor want to ask for punishment?"
"If there is nothing else, I will take my leave."
Gu Mengzhen glared at him and spoke harshly.
"I will not let you go. Sooner or later, I will send you to reunite with your family."
This means you are allowed to leave.
Zhuang Shao understood what he meant and escaped unscathed.
When leaving, he did not forget to bow to Mu Rong.
"Mrs. Ning, please take care. I'm leaving now."
Watching him walk away until he disappeared, Mu Rong burst into tears and kowtowed to Gu Mengzhen repeatedly.
"Your Majesty, please spare my life. I know I was wrong. I have no intention of betraying you. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me..."
Gu Mengzhen's eyes dimmed.
"You first destroyed the letter plan, and then arranged for Fang Zhixuan to impersonate you, and you still said that you had no intention of betraying us?"
Mu Rong buried her head in tears, her miserable appearance made me feel pity for her.
"The letter plan was a deliberate prank by the three brothers and sisters of the Zhuang Mansion. I did not do it on purpose. I beg Your Majesty to understand."
Gu Mengzhen responded angrily.
"You mean, my nephews and nieces teased and teased me with bad intentions?"
"They are my beloved nephews, and they are all children. How could they be so calculating towards others as you are?"
"Do you think that the nephews and nieces I have raised would have ulterior motives like the daughter you have raised?"
Mu Rong curled up in fear.
"My wife dare not."
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I just made a mistake."
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for bearing a child for you."
"Back then, I was deeply in love with Your Majesty. It was inconvenient for you to marry me. I understood and put myself in your shoes."
"In order to give Fengzhe a respectable identity, and to fulfill the emperor's love for his son, I endured great grievances and married the Duke of Ning. After marriage, I suffered the pain of favoring concubines over my wife, and was laughed at for more than 20 years."
"I have done all of this for Your Majesty willingly. I am truly sincere to Your Majesty, and I am even more considerate and fond of Fengzhe."
"I do not seek the grace of the Lord, but only wish to preserve my life."
"I beg the Emperor to show mercy!"
Recalling the past, Gu Mengzhen put away his stern expression and let out a long sigh.
"That's all."
"For Fengzhe's loyalty, I can just laugh it off."
"I will erase all records of your entry into the palace. This will prevent you from working in vain and letting Fang Zhixuan get away with it. If the news gets out, you will become a laughing stock."
"You can go back home."
"Don't make today's events public."
Mu Rong kowtowed in response.
"Yes, I will take my leave."
After Mu Rong left, Gu Mengzhen fell into deep thought.
After thinking it over, he still felt uneasy, so he told Xiao Fuzi: "Send Zhuang Shao to the palace."
Xiao Fuzi left immediately.
Not long after, Fang Zhixuan came as summoned, looked around and saw no outsiders, then bowed.
"Your Majesty, I respectfully wish you the best of health."
"Master An is here too? Master An is well."
Ansong responded immediately.
"Master Zhuang is well."
Gu Mengzhen asked in a casual manner.
"I recall the past and feel nostalgic. Do you still remember the old name and how it came about?"
Fang Zhixuan pretended to be stunned, and then began to recall.
"After my royal brother rescued me, he asked me to change my name. It has been more than 20 years now, and I have almost forgotten it."
Gu Mengzhen pursed his lips and smiled.
"Don't worry, think about it slowly. Do you still remember the scene at that time?"
Fang Zhixuan narrated while recalling.
"It seems to be when I was four years old. I just started to remember things, so my memory is very vague."
"It should be in the back garden of the Gu Mansion, by the lake. My royal brother taught me to call each other Brother Gu and Dear Brother. This can conceal our identity and protect our mother's reputation."
Gu Mengzhen's smile became even warmer.
"Do you remember when you were a child, I gave you a jade pendant?"
Fang Zhixuan's face turned distressed.
"My Royal Brother, are you talking about the jade pendant with the word 'Jun Zi Xiang Yun'?"
"That was my most beloved thing, but unfortunately someone stole it while I was in exile."
"My brother summoned me to the palace just to reminisce about the past?"