Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Defender Duke vs. Defender General

Inside the imperial study, the State Preceptor paid his respects to Xianzong and bade him sit.

“You’ve met with the princess?” Xianzong asked.

The State Preceptor replied, “This monk met with Her Royal Highness and the royal son-in-law as well as Zhuri’s eldest imperial prince.”

Xianzong’s smile was bitter. “The princess will hate Zhen, right?”

The State Preceptor really hadn’t detected any emotions from Yu Xiaoxiao’s face. He leaned forward from his seat and said, “Your Majesty and Her Royal Highness are father and daughter, so how could there be hate? Your Majesty, this monk doesn’t sense anything different from Her Royal Highness either.”

“Then, the empress?” Xianzong asked.

“This monk’s cultivation is too lacking. With regards to the heavenly lightning, this monk had no answers,” the State Preceptor easily admitted.

Xianzong slapped his armrest before cradling his aching head in his hands. Who said than an emperor could pass the days as he liked? If he found the speaker, he’d exterminate their nine familial relations!

Meanwhile, Yu Xiaoxiao remained in Gu Xinglang’s arms for an hour until someone called from outside the carriage, “Your Royal Highness, third young master, we’re home.”

Yu Xiaoxiao got off and watched Xiao Zhuang and Xiao Wei carry Gu Xinglang out before she heard sobs from behind. Turning around, she saw Wang momo

and Wei momo running towards her with red, teary eyes. Gu Xinglang saw the pair and said in a heavy tone, “We’ll talk inside.”

The Gu Estate was in utter chaos after Xianzong’s imperial decree had reached them. Yu Xiaoxiao’s faction was a crying mess, while Old Madam and a few of the Gu Clan women were fretting over what to do. Gu Chen, Gu Xingnuo, and Gu Xingyan were all only commoners now, so they didn’t have the right to meet Xianzong in the palace and speak up for Yu Ziyi’s sake. They could only invite Ying Nianyun and a few of Gu Chen’s other friends at court to come and discuss the case.

Yu Xiaoxiao had hardly stepped through the front doors when Wang momo was asking, “Your Royal Highness, His Majesty’s decree has been issued. What do we do now?”

Yu Xiaoxiao felt unsettled. How was she supposed to know? Did they want a zombie-killer expert to play court politics? That was too hard. People here were more difficult than dealing with zombies–at least they never fooled around with human hearts. Meanwhile, a steward came to meet them and speak to Gu Xinglang in hushed tones.

Afterwards, Gu Xinglang told Yu Xiaoxiao, “Grand Secretary Ying and the rest are in my grandfather’s study. Let’s go join them.”

Yu Xiaoxiao nodded.

When the various officials in the study saw Yu Xiaoxiao enter, they all rose to pay her respects. She waved at them and said, “You’re all my seniors, no need to pay respects.”

Ying Nianyun asked Yu Xiaoxiao, “What does Your Royal Highness plan to do about His Seventh Highness’s matter?”

Yu Xiaoxiao fell silent. Why is everyone asking me that? Can I say I don’t know?

Gu Xinglang spoke up. “We met with the State Preceptor in the palace.”

“What did he say?” Gu Chen asked hastily.

“The State Preceptor said that it wasn’t a bad deal for His Seventh Highness to go to Zhuri,” Gu Xinglang replied.

Another official sighed. “That monk Cheng Guan has some insight on the matter.” Everyone fell silent. Yu Ziyi would lose his throne if he went to be a Zhuri hostage, but at least he’d be out of the reach of his enemies. That wasn’t so bad, but how regretful it’d be for a prince of the official wife to lose his chance at the throne?

Yu Xiaoxiao looked at everyone and asked, “So is it a good thing or a bad thing?”

Qiu Zheng said, “Your Royal Highness, it’s better for His Seventh Highness to decide himself.”

“But he doesn’t even know human speech right now,” Yu Xiaoxiao fretted.

“…….” said everyone else. Yes, His Seventh Highness didn’t know how to speak, but why did Her Royal Highness’s statement sound so awkward?

“If His Seventh Highness goes to Zhuri,” Gu Chen mused, “His life will be in the Zhuri people’s hands. Even if he avoids enemies in Fengtian, could Zhuri really raise him well?”

Yu Xiaoxiao listened to the various officials discuss Yu Ziyi back and forth until she grew dizzy. According to them, Yu Ziyi faced either death in Fengtian from Consort Zhao or in Zhuri from its people. In other words, he was set to die both ways?

In the midst of their discussion, a steward suddenly called out from outdoors. “Supreme Commander, the eldest prince of Zhuri has sent a invitation to Her Royal Highness and third young master!”

Aside from Yu Xiaoxiao, everyone in the room gave a start.

“Come in,” Gu Chen ordered hastily.

The steward was holding a cerise envelope when he stepped into the room and respectfully offered it to Yu Xiaoxiao’s hands. She opened it up and looked at its contents. The words might recognize her, but she didn’t recognize them. She shook her head, saddened by her illiteracy.

“What did Jing Mo say?” Gu Xinglang asked at her gesture.

Yu Xiaoxiao gave him the letter with a stiff face. “Take a look.”

Gu Xinglang read the contents and saw that Jing Mo had merely written a bunch of civilities before inviting them to join him at Complacent Winery. (得意酒庄)

Yu Xiaoxiao clutched her head in thought. We’ve just met today and he’s inviting us to dinner. Is that supposed to mean something?

The four men of the Gu Clan all had black faces.

Gu Xinglang asked Yu Xiaoxiao, “Princess, will you go to Jing Mo’s banquet?”

“Should I go?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

Gu Chen thought it over, then said, “Go ahead. It’ll be good to hear what that Jing Mo has to say.”

“Looks like Zhuri has other plans for this matter,” Ying Nianyun observed quietly.

Yu Xiaoxiao heard his words but couldn’t figure it out. Back at their rooms, she asked Gu Xinglang, “Is Jing Mo finding me because of Little Seventh?”

Gu Xinglang glanced at the servants in the room until they all withdrew, then murmured back, “Has princess forgotten? Our Gu Clan has a general who surrendered and became an official in Zhuri.”

Yu Xiaoxiao’s heart shook. “Who is it?”

“Grandfather’s younger brother by the same parents, Gu Li (顾厉),” Gu Xinglang gave her a strange look. “Princess didn’t know?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

How should I know? I only saw that cruel female emperor’s lifetime. All I saw of your family was a pile of white bones! “Women don’t get involved in politics,” Yu Xiaoxiao finally dug up a phrase from Wang momo’s lessons after some thought.

Gu Xinglang smiled self-mockingly. “This is a source of shame for the country too, so I expect no one was willing to mention it in the palace.”

“Then tell me, what happened to this Gu Li? Right, what do you refer to him as? Uncle-Grandpa?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked as her thoughts strayed.

Gu Xinglang shook his head. “Grandfather’s already cut ties with him, so they’re not brothers anymore.”

Can you cancel bloodties just like that? Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t quite comprehend.

“Gu Li defected to Zhuri and was made Defender Duke,” Gu Xinglang said. “I heard his days are very good.”

Yu Xiaoxiao asked, “Which one’s the bigger post between Defender Duke and Defender General?”