Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 479 Gu Yiheng

Lu Xingzhou entered the imperial study and looked at the young new emperor, feeling a sense of irony.

This was not only his first audience with the new emperor, but also his second time seeing Prince Qi, Gu Yiheng. The last time was when everyone was watching Gu Zhanting at the altar, and he was too far away and squeezed into the crowd to see him clearly. This time, it was practically their first meeting.

This name, which only existed in the background, has finally moved from the background into reality.

He was too low-key... While Prince Jin, Gu Yicheng, was extensively forming cliques and extending his influence beyond anyone else's reach, Gu Yiheng was under house arrest.

When the Prince of Jin fell from power and Gu Yiheng was reinstated, he did not step into the limelight and continued to live a secluded life.

Lu Xingzhou visited the capital twice and stayed there for so long, yet they never formally met.

My first impression was that he was very handsome... Of course he was very handsome, because Gu Zhanting was a handsome middle-aged man with excellent temperament and appearance, so it was natural that his son would be just as good as his beautiful daughter, Shen Tang.

Well…theoretically, Shen Tang's genes are even better in terms of appearance, because her mother was just an ordinary concubine. Gu Zhanting wasn't a lecherous man; an ordinary concubine who could gain favor must have been very beautiful, even attracting Gu Zhanting. On the other hand, the empress who gave birth to these sons might not be quite up to par, but overall she was certainly not bad.

However, Prince Jin, Gu Yicheng, didn't immediately strike Lu Xingzhou as handsome, as temperament plays a significant role. Gu Yicheng was shallow and impetuous; he could easily play a brainless villain on television without any acting skills—just standing there would suffice. Gu Yiheng, on the other hand, could play a polite and scumbag ex-husband, at least giving a good first impression.

Gu Zhanting didn't have much time to educate his sons... Everyone's temperament is basically formed by themselves. After talking with Gu Zhanting, Lu Xingzhou could tell that Gu Zhanting's delay in establishing a crown prince was not due to any desire for power, but rather because none of his children met his expectations. He felt that since he was still young, he could wait until the younger ones grew up before making a decision.

But if he had to choose, Gu Zhanting would lean more towards Prince Qi... at least he had clearly chosen Prince Qi over Shen Tang.

Unfortunately, neither the King of Qi nor the one who seized his body thought so. He still believed that his father did not want to choose anyone, so he orchestrated everything behind the scenes.

Furthermore, Lu Xingzhou wanted to observe Gu Yiheng's specific cultivation methods, but found himself shrouded in mist, unable to discern anything. This was either due to a special magical artifact concealing his cultivation, or his cultivation level far surpassed Lu Xingzhou's…

A thought flashed through his mind, and Lu Xingzhou was already bowing: "Lu Xingzhou greets Your Majesty."

Gu Yiheng smiled and said, "This is probably the first time Marquis Dingyuan has met me, but I have seen him display his great power many times."

"Oh? Multiple times? Besides the time at the altar, there were other times?"

"Once, Marquis Dingyuan was beating Huo Heng at the Misty Rain Pavilion when I happened to be passing by. At the time, I was under house arrest, and I occasionally sneaked out for some fresh air, but no one made a fuss about it." Gu Yiheng's attitude was very friendly as he smiled and said, "There's no need to beat around the bush. At that time, I was quite hostile to Prince Jin, and Marquis Dingyuan beat his man in front of him, which left a very good impression on me. Unfortunately, I was in a position of disgrace at the time and didn't dare to have a few drinks with Marquis Dingyuan."

Lu Xingzhou thought to himself, "You probably didn't just see this one time, but you knew every detail of all the conflicts surrounding Prince Jin back then."

Gu Yiheng's attitude was much more pleasant than Gu Zhanting's, making it seem like they were making a friendly acquaintance.

In truth, both sides knew deep down that a good relationship was impossible. Even if Gu Yiheng's attack on Shen Tang hadn't been exposed, Lu Xingzhou alone, with the combined strength of all parties involved, would be enough to terrify any emperor. Even Gu Zhanting, who had broken through to the Qian Yuan realm, had to be brought down; what naive emperor would dare trust such a minister?

In this instance, Lu Xingzhou was merely a facilitator and planner, not a leader. If he were the leader, he would undoubtedly be a powerful minister capable of oppressing the emperor.

However, it's pretty much the same now... Theoretically, there is indeed such a powerful minister who suppresses the emperor this time, and that is the Imperial Preceptor Ye Tinglan. Even the enthronement and the spring sacrifice were conducted under Ye Tinglan's supervision, which wasn't necessary before.

However, Ye Tinglan is unlikely to interfere too much in politics, making his role as a powerful minister less obvious. Lu Xingzhou, on the other hand, can represent Ye Tinglan; if he wants to seize power, he can be made into an unconventional figurehead.

Therefore, Meng Guan believed that Lu Xingzhou could form a faction, and Gu Yiheng was also testing Lu Xingzhou's attitude.

Lu Xingzhou's attitude was indeed not that of a subject; he directly asked the emperor which times he meant by "multiple times."

"So it was that time." Lu Xingzhou said, "Even if His Majesty wanted to invite me for a drink that time, he couldn't. I left the capital after defeating Huo Heng."

Gu Yiheng smiled and said, "There will be many more opportunities in the future. Hmm... Marquis Dingyuan, is there something important you need to discuss?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "I would like to borrow the palace from His Majesty."

The chief eunuch Hai Ruyuan standing beside him changed his expression slightly.

This idea, which Lu Xingzhou and Yuan Muyu came up with so casually, was actually considered treasonous by most people, especially given Lu Xingzhou's perspective.

Please translate the meaning of "borrowing the palace for one's own use".
Gu Yiheng's smile remained unchanged: "Does Marquis Dingyuan intend to hold the wedding ceremony at the palace?"

Lu Xingzhou laughed and said, "Your Majesty is wise. The main problem is that the Pei family was ruined by the Mystic Maiden, and now the whole family lives in a separate courtyard. It would be too unfair to Chuyun to have a wedding ceremony in a separate courtyard..."

That's a really good reason. Gu Yiheng found it more and more amusing as he listened: "Okay, my elder sister should have married out of the palace in the first place. The Marquis of Dingyuan's situation is special this time, so it would be a good thing if they both came out of the palace to fetch their brides."

"Then thank you, Your Majesty." Lu Xingzhou was genuinely surprised by Gu Yiheng's casual attitude, as if he didn't feel his authority was being challenged at all.

This fellow might actually be more difficult to deal with than Gu Zhanting; at least he's truly patient. Gu Yiheng said, "My ascension to the throne was a special event, and I didn't even have time to bestow rewards. Especially since this battle was mainly led by Marquis Dingyuan, I'm not really sure whose contribution was greater. Since Marquis Dingyuan is here, why don't we discuss this matter?"

"I will write a detailed report and list for Your Majesty, and Your Majesty can make the decision."

"Since you're here, why don't we discuss this face-to-face?"

Lu Xingzhou gave an embarrassed smile: "It's getting dark, I need to go back to be with my wife."

Gu Yiheng: "..."

I feel this provocation is more serious than borrowing the palace. The emperor asked you to discuss personnel matters, which is such an important matter, and you refused and went home to be with your wife?

But from another perspective, isn't Lu Xingzhou expressing that he doesn't have many ideas about overstepping his authority?
After several rounds of probing, neither side could quite figure out what the other was thinking. Gu Yiheng thought for a moment and then simply asked, "Does the Marquis of Dingyuan have any requests of his own? Hmm... I heard that my father once promised you the position of Vice Minister?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "I personally have no requests, but I do have some suggestions for the country."

"Oh?" Gu Yiheng smiled and said, "Lord Dingyuan, please speak frankly."

"Previously, many officials across the country had become corrupted, and now the localities are in chaos. Based on what I have seen in Dongjiang, when a presiding official becomes corrupted, he often brings a whole host of problems with him. Therefore, in addition to filling the vacancies in the localities, we also need to send more people to carry out patrols."

The issue of officials being corrupted was first started by Gu Yiheng. Lu Xingzhou specifically pointed out that there were still many corrupt officials in the localities who had not been completely eliminated, wanting to see what Gu Yiheng's attitude would be.

Gu Yiheng nodded slightly: "The Marquis of Dingyuan's concerns are valid. I will treat this matter as a top priority."

Lu Xingzhou didn't see anything amiss, and bowed to take his leave, saying, "Then I can rest assured."

Back at the Lu residence, Ye Tinglan and Shen Tang were waiting in the hall. Seeing Lu Xingzhou return home with a frown, they both stood up to greet him: "What's wrong? Why are you frowning?"

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "It's hard to tell in a short time. He's still being modest, acting like he sees me as a pillar of the state. I specifically brought up the issue of local demonization, and he actually expressed his willingness to address it."

Shen Tang said, "This governance is also necessary. Father Emperor offended the world because of this matter. Whoever succeeds to this position must put on a show of correcting the situation."

Lu Xingzhou nodded and asked Ye Tinglan, "What do you think of his cultivation and qi meridians when you presided over the ceremony with him before?"

“It’s concealed by a magical artifact… The artifact is extremely sophisticated; unless one deliberately tests it, it’s impossible to discern its nature from mere sight. But judging from the sheer sophistication of this artifact, it is definitely not from this world. Of course, it’s possible that it was obtained from ancient ruins.”

"What about the Qi channels? Besides the declining Qi channels of the Great Qian Dynasty, are there any other special ones?"

“If you’re referring to the signs of theft, transfer, and plunder that Zhao En and Gu Zhanting used, there are none,” Ye Tinglan pondered. “But there are indeed some strange things. Logically, when a new emperor ascends the throne, even if the original energy channels are scattered and decaying, there should be some signs of re-condensation, a sense of renewal. But I can’t see any of that in him.”

Lu Xingzhou's heart stirred slightly: "What does this mean? Could it be because of the part that Gu Zhanting left behind?"

"It has some impact, after all, there can't be two suns in the sky... but there are several other factors. For example, not many people recognize this emperor, so he's like a puppet; and also... he never intended to rule this country in the first place."

Shen Tang's expression changed slightly.

The puppet analogy is somewhat relevant. Not to mention Ye Tinglan standing there, even Pei Qingyan would probably be difficult for Gu Yiheng to control.

However, judging from the fact that everyone had previously unanimously recommended him to be emperor, he was not necessarily a puppet.

If he himself had no intention of ruling this country at all... what does it mean for an emperor who has laid out a grand plan and finally ascended the throne to have no intention of ruling this country?
Ye Tinglan said, "It should be due to multiple factors. Judging from the current situation, the Great Qian Society is gradually becoming a huge mess... It is very likely to evolve into a situation like the Tian Shuang Kingdom, where imperial power has declined and sects are rampant. It would be good enough if it could be a leader-like ruler like Si Han. It is more likely to become the last emperor, adding to the evil of the world. Tangtang is right not to take over this mess."

Shen Tang glanced at her.

The old woman is calling Tangtang... Isn't this the time when they were fighting in Danxia Mountain?

Lu Xingzhou frowned and thought for a long time before suddenly laughing: "Sir, the ominous sign of confusion and reversal in your divination seems to refer to more than just Gu Zhanting."

Ye Tinglan asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "We're getting stuck on this... Analyzing his purpose is actually secondary. Whatever he wants to do, the conflict is irreconcilable based on his attack on Tangtang back then. Even if his purpose is good, how can we possibly get along peacefully?"

They both smiled and said, "Yes."

Lu Xingzhou said, "So the first thing we need to figure out is his strength. If he is Zhao En's master, regardless of whether he is Maha or not, the key is whether he is Qian Yuan. If he is the soul of Qian Yuan and has taken over a fourth-grade body, then he cannot improve his physical strength in a short period of time. Should we cut the Gordian knot and assassinate him directly, or support a child to be a puppet? That would be much easier... to avoid a great enemy of Qian Yuan emerging if we wait too long."

(End of this chapter)