The Perilous Palace Dream - Chapter 118
Chapter 118
Lady Gu raised her eyes in slight astonishment, looking at Princess Yong’an, never expecting her to speak such words.
She felt somewhat hesitant at once, her eyes subconsciously glancing toward the heavily guarded northern side of the courtyard.
After hesitating for a long moment, she said, “This is not something a woman like me should speak too much about. It would still be best to report it to the Grand Tutor.”
Nie Qinglin’s large eyes turned slightly, following Lady Gu’s gaze toward that strictly guarded northern side, before shifting her eyes back calmly and continuing, “That side consort Nulan caused endless trouble for Imperial Sister during her lifetime. If this woman is not eliminated, the hatred in my heart will be hard to quell…”
Before she could finish her words, someone spoke from outside the hall, “The Princess speaks truly. If the wrongdoer is not punished, how can the deceased rest in peace? This Marquis will naturally instruct General Gu.”
As he spoke, the Grand Tutor’s tall figure appeared in the doorway of the post house, speaking with steady composure.
His slightly shimmering phoenix eyes stared intently at Nie Qinglin’s face, making his facial expression impossible to discern for a moment.
He spoke again, “Eighth Princess’s misfortune was entirely caused by Xiu Tulie. When the time comes, this Marquis will naturally give the Princess an accounting.”
Since the Grand Tutor had spoken, neither of the women could continue the conversation.
After a few more detailed remarks, the Princess rose to take her leave.
When stepping out of the post house to board her carriage, the Grand Tutor lightly supported her plain hand, escorting her into the vehicle together.
As the horses hooves trotted forward lightly, the Grand Tutor slightly turned his handsome face, his thin lips opening softly, “Why does the Princess seek the far over the near, going so far as to beg a frontier officer’s wife? Could it be that in the Princess’s heart, this Marquis is so unreliable?”
Nie Qinglin lowered her head and said, “The Grand Tutor worries about the grand plans of the court; how could this Princess cause trouble? This was originally just an unseemly method to punish a woman. Having a man handle it would actually be improper…”
Before her words were complete, the Grand Tutor raised her chin, interrupting her once again, “This Marquis naturally understands that my Little Guo’er has an exquisite mind. It is only that with me present, I hope the Princess need not worry so much anymore. In the end, it was this Marquis who sacrificed the Princess’s original freedom as a leisurely prince. Yet if I cannot grant you a lifetime of worry-free prosperity, how would this Marquis be worthy to be the Princess’s husband?”
As he spoke, he gazed deeply into the Princess’s eyes.
Thinking back on their acquaintance and mutual understanding, at first he only thought of her as an innocent and romantic youth, yet for some reason he was drawn to her step by step, to the point of being deeply ensnared and unable to free himself.
By now, he had grasped roughly eighty to ninety percent of Guo’er’s temperament.
She appeared weak, yet in truth she was the least willing to rely on others.
Having truly been raised as a boy since childhood, she lacked a woman’s dodder-like delicate weakness.
Yet thinking carefully, who had ever been someone she could truly rely on through all her hardships in the palace?
“This time, this Marquis will simply consider that the Princess is not yet accustomed to having a husband. If you act on your own authority again in the future, I will certainly not spare you.”
Having finished speaking, he pulled her into his embrace.
Nie Qinglin leaned obediently in the Grand Tutor’s arms, yet her heart was completely indifferent.
Although she had not attended morning court these past few days, she was by no means ignorant of court affairs.
Xiu Tuhong had already become the Grand Tutor’s abandoned piece, yet Chanyu Xiu Tulie’s strength was also greatly damaged.
At this moment, supporting a new force was a natural outcome, and the target favored by the Grand Tutor was the Gefan tribe belonging to Nulan’s father.
It seemed the Grand Tutor had long prepared a backup plan, having already made contact with the Gefan tribe.
The most fiercely discussed matter in court over these past few days was Gefan’s intention to form a marriage alliance with Great Wei.
Yet at this delicate juncture, the choice of person for the marriage alliance was even more delicate.
The Nie family members of eligible age could now worry-free marry as they pleased, as the great matters of sustaining the realm would no longer require their labors.
The future sovereign Wei Lenghou had no suitable sister for a peace alliance, so it would be best to marry a lady from the northern frontier.
It was also because of Imperial Sister’s sudden passing that her mind had been thrown into disarray, causing her to overlook the matter of the Grand Tutor going out to welcome the Xiongnu princess that day.
Although the Grand Tutor took exceptional care of little Jiarou out of consideration for her close relationship with Imperial Sister, it was still not to the extent that the Grand Tutor would go out to welcome someone alongside heavy ministers like the Marquis of Anbang.
It was also because she had gradually thought things through over these past few days that she left the palace today under the guise of meeting an old tea friend, coming to the post house to await Lady Gu.
Although she felt deep hatred for Nulan’s heartlessness toward her sister, she was truly not so consumed by rage as to lose her mind and beg Lady Gu for revenge.
It was just that single apprehensive look from Lady Gu that instantly made Nie Qinglin understand in her heart.
The Senior Minister did not deceive people; the note delivered by the inner official from the Palace Inner Bureau was actually true.
Because of that setup by Nulan which resulted in Princess Shaoyang falling off the cliff, the old chief of Gefan worried about changes to the alliance, thus secretly sending over his younger daughter, the younger sister of side consort Nulan.
At fifteen years of age, with a tender beauty surpassing her older sister, possessing none of the Southern border princess’s unrefined scheming, and having only innocent, pure goodness, this was what brought the highest peace of mind to a ruler.
She was currently resting in the northeast corner of the post house.
This was not a subordinate flattering his superior by presenting a woman, but a solemn pledge of covenant between two brand-new political powers.
Only now did she suddenly wake up to the realization that perhaps from the very beginning, the Grand Tutor had no intention of supporting anyone named Xiu Tu.
A new Chanyu with no foundation and difficulty commanding obedience from the masses was most suitable for that vast grassland, as well as for the stable establishment of the new Wei dynasty.
When the Wei Princess and the Grand Tutor completed their grand wedding, the new Wei Emperor might not bring all the concubines from his manor into the palace, yet he would certainly confer the title of consort upon the daughter of this new Xiongnu Chanyu.
Two beauties would long accompany the sovereign who ruled over all under heaven: one out of sentimental regard for the former dynasty’s monarch, and the other to maintain peace along the border.
Both were marriages beyond reproach, stories to be praised through the ages.
What fault could be found with such a marriage? Pitiably, she had actually harbored a trace of wild hope, coming rashly to test the waters.
Yet what was the result of her testing? The Grand Tutor, busy with state affairs in court, actually rushed over to cut off the newly started topic, making no mention of Nulan’s crucial involvement, while pinning all the blame entirely onto the desperate Chanyu Xiu Tulie.
Indeed, if the blame were placed on Nulan’s head, how would the Grand Tutor treat that delicate Xiongnu princess?
Nie Qinglin tried hard to steady her breathing.
After all, as a ruler, the Grand Tutor’s actions were so flawless as to be beyond reproach.
Expecting a monarch to stay with one person for a lifetime was a grand joke bordering on foolish delusion.
Since the Grand Tutor did not wish for her to know, she would simply play dumb for a while.
It was just unknown how long such foolishness could be maintained.
However, what offered her a slight comfort was that the Grand Tutor’s phrase “this Marquis will handle everything” was not mere perfunctory words.
Soon after, news arrived from the northern frontier that after Ge Qingyuan married Nulan, a tragedy actually occurred inside the bridal chamber.
Nulan had somehow gone mad, concealing a dagger on her person to assassinate Ge Qingyuan.
Although Ge Qingyuan tried his best to dodge, the suddenness of the event led him to accidentally kill the mad bride.
This Ge Qingyuan was indeed a master of opportunistic scheming, actually managing to scheme his way from Xiu Tulie’s command all the way into the Gefan tribe.
Unfortunately, the tragedy in the bridal chamber occurred suddenly during a gathering of the tribe.
Even if the old chief did not care for a daughter whose body was already ruined, he still had to care for his own dignity, thus flying into a rage and ordering Ge Qingyuan’s execution.
That Ge Qingyuan was truly an unusually lucky demon.
Under the cover of his subordinates, he escaped while heavily wounded.
Having offended Xiu Tulie by defecting to Gefan, he could no longer integrate into the Mobei grasslands, and fled past the pass while being pursued relentless along the way.
Later, Nie Qinglin learned from the Grand Tutor’s mouth that Nulan had actually been poisoned with a rare Southern border drug, and the poisoner was none other than Ge Qingyuan’s birth sister, Ge Yun’er.
Ge Yun’er, who had been exiled by her older brother, was naturally filled with bitter malice.
Yet when her brother finally wed in high spirits and brought back the subdued Ge Yun’er to attend the wedding, the reason she acted this way was naturally due to the Grand Tutor’s arrangements.
Because of the alliance with Gefan, the Grand Tutor could not directly demand the culprit who harmed Princess Shaoyang from the old chief.
Yet having the couple of culprits slaughter each other was an outcome beyond reproach, where the death of either one would bring great satisfaction to all.
That Ge Yun’er was also a foolish woman filled with hatred; the eye planted in the northern frontier by him only needed to instigate a little according to plan, and she fell for it as expected, getting into a quarrel with Nulan out of hatred, resulting in killing three birds with one stone.
Ge Yun’er failed to escape in time during her brother’s flight and was trampled to death by the pursuing horse herds of the Gefan tribe.
As for Ge Qingyuan, because he was heavily wounded and unable to move quickly, he entered the pass only to be caught red-handed by General Gu’s troops and the Grand Tutor’s secret agents, put into a prisoner cart, and sent to the capital.
On the day she heard the news, Nie Qinglin breathed a slight sigh of relief, feeling that she could comfort her sister’s soul in heaven.
When Ge Qingyuan’s prisoner cart was escorted into the capital, he was paraded through the streets under official guard.
Such a spectacle was more than enough to entertain the common folk.
Rotten vegetable leaves and egg-sized stones were thrown toward the prisoner cart from the crowd.
In truth, most people did not even know what heinous crime the man in the carriage had committed.
Yet that prisoner cart and iron stock dropped a former refined noble gentleman straight into the dust, to the point where even a lowly beggar by the roadside could recklessly spit on his handsome face at this moment, enjoying the indescribable pleasure of trampling another human being.
The Grand Tutor stood on the city tower with Nie Qinglin, looking down at the prisoner in the cart below.
When the prisoner cart reached the city tower, Ge Qingyuan suddenly raised his head, his tangled hair revealing deep, venomous eyes like those of a viper, staring tightly at the pair of peerless figures on the city gate.
The man was tall and handsome, while the woman was delicate and charming, standing together like a match made in heaven.
How many times had he envisioned such a scene in his dreams, holding his true beloved woman, while stomping Wei Lenghou’s proud face that looked down on all living beings fiercely into the dust right in front of the beauty? That thrill of conquest had caused him to wake up laughing from his dreams several times.
Yet now the dream was shattered.
He stood in the prisoner cart, amid the sounds of insults and scolding, looking up at the unreachable power, status, and her.
No! He was unwilling.
Those deep, viper-like eyes flickered slightly as he suddenly let out a loud laugh, striving to raise his voice toward the city tower to ask, “Princess Yong’an, do you truly not wish to know whether Princess Shaoyang is dead or alive?”
