Chapter 348 Leave no one behind
The night is dark and dark, and the Disheng Palace stands majestically.
Xiao Shenzi walked quickly into the main hall and reported respectfully.
"Your Majesty, the maiden has arrived quietly upon being summoned and is already waiting outside the palace."
Gu Mengzhen remained expressionless and responded in a deep voice.
"See you."
Not long after he finished speaking, Xiao Shenzi led Tong Zhenzhi into the main hall.
The palace maids had already left.
Tong Zhenzhi bowed with a serious expression and spoke with confidence without any reservations.
"Your son Tong Zhenzhi, respectfully wishes your father the best of health!"
Gu Mengzhen glanced at her and smiled with satisfaction.
"Good, you are polite and well-mannered. Even though you are among the common people, you have learned the rules well. Please stand up and take a seat."
Tong Zhenzhi sat down as instructed.
"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. I will never forget the mission of the princess and will be filial to you, Your Majesty, without any negligence."
There was a hint of kindness on Gu Mengzhen's lips.
"Well, you are sensible and reasonable, which makes me feel very relieved."
"Do you know why I summoned you?"
Tong Zhenzhi's face is clearer than morning dew, sparkling and humble, with a faintly pleasant expression.
"Reporting to His Majesty, I can roughly guess."
"In the early years, not long after I was born, my father arranged for me to live in seclusion among the common people and secretly guided my brother to take me in as his third sister. He originally wanted to wait until I was twenty years old, so that I could take the imperial examination and stay close to King Di Jin. I didn't expect that on my twentieth birthday, my brother would accidentally meet Princess Yuexi."
Gu Mengzhen is a dignified man, and also has a kind of kindness that is hard to tell whether it is real or fake.
"That's a good guess."
He raised his eyebrows, a barely perceptible sly look flashing across them.
"In my opinion, this is a good opportunity."
Tong Zhenzhi lowered her eyes and spoke in a sweet voice.
"Father, your majesty is wise and wise, and I, your son, am full of admiration."
Gu Mengzhen's eyes were cold, but his tone was warm.
"Do you know what to do?"
Tong Zhenzhi has bright eyes and white teeth, and she smiles comfortably, which is very sweet.
"My son, I know."
"The teacher in the school I attend is personally selected by my father. His teachings are earnest and thought-provoking. I am grateful for your kindness, and I will keep it in mind. I only hope that one day I will have the opportunity to serve you loyally."
"My twentieth birthday is approaching, and I have been looking for an opportunity in the past few days to ask my two brothers to ask Princess Yuexi to recommend me to participate in the state governor's examination, so that I can stay by King Dijin's side."
Gu Mengzhen understood his meaning and chuckled.
"From the careful words you say, your warnings, do you think that I have long forgotten about you, my daughter, after not seeing you for several years?"
Speaking of this, the sweetness on Tong Zhenzhi's lips turned into a little bit of loss, her eyes were bleak, a little sad, and a little bit of longing for the clouds.
"I dare not deceive my father, yes."
Gu Mengzhen smiled like a spring breeze, and his tone was even gentler.
"What father in the world would forget his own daughter? You really worry too much."
"I didn't see you because I wanted to hide your identity. It was because of the political situation, not me. I don't care about family ties at all. Do you understand?"
Tong Zhenzhi's longing for father's love became stronger and stronger. There were ripples on her face, but she tried her best to suppress it.
"My son understands."
Gu Mengzhen spoke eloquently and promised to comfort her.
"Work for me, don't have any distracting thoughts. When the work is done, I will restore your reputation and honor."
Tong Zhenzhi did not hesitate and had complete trust in her king and father.
"Yes, thank you father for your thoughtfulness."
Her eyes turned and she was worried.
"I have heard that Princess Yuexi is very talented. I wonder if my dullness can deceive her?"
Gu Mengzhen immediately encouraged.
"Don't worry. With your talent, you should be better than her."
After just one word of encouragement, he changed the subject.
"How is the Hualou skill?"
Tong Zhenzhi answered respectfully and seriously, and humbly.
"My two elder brothers did not allow me to learn it, so I could only ask those girls quietly and practice hard in private, and I can barely be considered familiar with it."
"I think it won't be a problem to lure Prince Dijin and alienate him from Princess Yuexi."
Gu Mengzhen picked up the jade cup and took a sip of ginseng tea.
"Besides that, I have another matter that I have ordered to be investigated."
Out of courtesy, Tong Zhenzhi then picked up the ginseng tea and took a sip.
"But at the command of the Emperor."
There was a hint of sternness in Gu Mengzhen's brows.
"Lord Xu seems to have other intentions. After you hide among them, remember to find out the truth of this matter."
Tong Zhenzhi had only heard about court affairs, never experienced them personally, so she couldn't help but feel curious.
"Is it Lord Xu, the Minister of Copper Affairs, whom the Emperor is referring to?"
A hint of sharpness gradually deepened in Gu Mengzhen's eyes.
"Well, it's him."
"If it is true, once you have gained the trust of King Dijin, Xu Mingqian and Prime Minister Qin Hongzhong will all be killed!"
Tong Zhenzhi responded solemnly.
"Yes."
Xiao Shenzi had sharp eyes that could see through the pitch-black night and instantly catch sight of someone in the distance outside the window.
"Your Majesty, Lord Du, the Minister of Copper Affairs, is coming hurriedly to the main hall."
The person guarding the palace today is Du Kun.
Gu Mengzhen was not pleased and started to guess.
"I think someone wants to see you. It's rude and rude to disturb you so late at night. You don't need to think too much to know who it is!"
Xiao Shenzi smiled flatteringly, understood his meaning, but did not say it out loud.
"The Emperor's Holy Might."
Gu Mengzhen pursed his lips coldly, looking almost impatient.
"Go tell Du Kun that I have granted you permission to see me."
After giving the order, he waved his sleeves lightly towards Tong Zhenzhi.
"You should withdraw."
Tong Zhenzhi left his seat and bowed respectfully.
"My son, please retire."
Xiao Shen Zijing waited for them to finish speaking, then responded.
"Yes, I will escort the girl out of the palace and inform Lord Du."
Not long after, Xiao Shenzi showed great respect and welcomed Feng Yihe to the main hall.
"Lord Feng, please."
Gu Mengzhen was still feeling a little sleepy, but when he saw her coming, he felt even more annoyed.
"No need to be so polite. Please take a seat. What's the matter? Tell me now!"
When Feng Yihe heard this, her smile disappeared.
Her father and brother treated her so coldly and harshly, which was really disheartening.
She imitated her brother, being humble and polite, hoping to please her father and win his smile.
"I am bothering you late at night, Father. Your son..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Gu Mengzhen.
"I asked you to tell me what's going on?!"
Feng Yihe had a gloomy face and sat down in displeasure.
"Reporting to the Emperor, I, Lord Zhuang and I have worked together from the inside and outside. After many days of hard work, we have finally defeated the Emperor's uncle's plan. Lord Zhuang has now escaped."
After waiting for several days, Gu Mengzhen finally heard the news. He felt relieved and complained casually.
"Alas, my dear brother is too strict in his discipline! Wei'er only complained a few words when he came to the palace, but he insisted on picking on her, blaming her for being harsh towards my sister-in-law and forcing her to kneel down and reflect on her mistakes. Where does this nonsense come from?"
After he finished speaking, seeing that she remained silent and had no reaction at all, Gu Mengzhen suddenly became furious and vented it out.
"You also know the meaning of 'working hard for many days'? I entrusted you with an important task and asked you to rescue Wei'er. How could you drag your feet and cause him to suffer until now?"
Being scolded again for no reason, Feng Yihe was stunned. Without caring about etiquette, she looked up in disbelief.
"Your Majesty, I see clearly, Master Zhuang, this is not your punishment."
Gu Mengzhen argued convincingly.
"You deliberately stood by and did nothing to help!"
Feng Yihe felt wronged and angry.
"How can the Emperor's plan be broken overnight? I have tried my best!"
Gu Mengzhen disagreed and spoke harshly.
"My dear brother, you have indeed been very smart since childhood. But to you, it is just a little trick. Why are you trapped by it? Are you trying to bring up other things and prove that my dear brother is Fang Zhixuan?!"