White Fence Dream

Chapter 176 Appearance
Gao Twelve stood outside the hall, looking back from time to time.

Many officials were standing outside the hall, talking in low voices.

"Who's in there?"

"The son of the Marquis of Dongyang."

"Is there no one here, Your Majesty? Didn't you say you were here to appreciate a painting today?"

"Perhaps the Prince of Dongyang is enough."

Some people are puzzled, some people explain, some people are doubtful, and some people are jealous.

Someone also looked at Gao Twelve and said, "Manager Gao, please go in and tell them that we are here." As he said this, he stuffed a purse into Gao Twelve's hand.

The others also responded, "Yes, yes, everyone join in." "Your Majesty loves the hustle and bustle the most."

Gao Twelve looked helpless and put away his purse: "It's not that I didn't report it, I was also kicked out."

When he said this, his face looked a little unhappy.

He and the emperor grew up together, and the emperor trusted him the most. To what extent did he trust him? On their wedding night, he was beside the marriage bed.

I didn't expect that the Prince of Dongyang would kneel down and ask Your Majesty to dismiss the people around him. He was too arrogant.

And His Majesty actually agreed.

How could the Prince of Dongyang be liked by His Majesty? Gao Twelve gnashed his teeth. Isn't it just his face? Sooner or later, he will grow old and lose his beauty!
However, at this moment, the emperor in the hall looked at Zhou Jingyun's face without any joy.

The emperor frowned and said, "Jingyun, I know you are heartbroken after losing your wife, and it is inevitable that you have wild thoughts, but this incident is really unexpected."

Zhou Jingyun was still kneeling on the ground, his shoulders straightened as he looked at the emperor: "I know that I will be upset when something happens, so I have waited until now to calm down before coming to see Your Majesty."

Where is calm? With a pale face and dazed eyes, the emperor thought to himself and gently advised: "When people are most sad, it is not when something happens, but after it happens, especially when a loved one passes away. When you are busy with the funeral, you don't feel anything, but only after it is over that you realize that the person is gone. Many people are in a state of mental confusion at this time."

Zhou Jingyun shook his head again: "My marriage to Zhuang was not long ago. Although I feel sorry for her passing away at a young age, I am not heartbroken."

No? The emperor thought, yes, it is true that they have been married for a short time, but she was a widow for eight or nine years before she found her ideal person and married her...
"Jingyun, the incident that day happened suddenly and was indeed strange. It was the ghost of Empress Jiang who was haunting us." The emperor could only say, "She wanted to harm Concubine Bai and the heir, but she failed to succeed because of the protection of Emperor Zhong and Xuan Yangzi. However, Zhuang's mind was affected and an accident still happened. I am sorry for you. Just tell me what compensation you want..."

Here he paused again.

"I will give you a new wife. I have two princess daughters. Although they are still young, if you..."

Zhou Jingyun interrupted the emperor: "My deceased wife has not yet rested in peace. I will never marry again until the murderer is found."

It was clear that the murderer was a ghost. The emperor was a little annoyed. What could he do? Dig up the corpse of Empress Jiang and kill her again? Wouldn't that make everyone in the world know about it and make people confused?

Originally, seeing that Zhou Jingyun buried his wife quickly and in a simple funeral, I thought he was sensible and knew that this matter should not be publicized. Why is he making a fuss again now?
"Your wife died in the imperial city, and I am the murderer." The emperor said angrily, "What do you want me to do?"

These are serious words.

Zhou Jingyun kowtowed: "I am not blaming Your Majesty. I am doing this for Your Majesty."

The emperor sneered.

"It's not that I don't believe Your Majesty, I just don't believe ghosts can kill people." Zhou Jingyun said, "I'm just worried that Your Majesty believes this and someone will use ghosts to cause trouble. I've been traveling for many years and have seen many strange things. In the end, I found that it was all people behind the scenes who were using ghosts to cause trouble."

The emperor was stunned. That was true, but Xuan Yangzi said...
"What does Xuan Yangzi say? Can he decide all the affairs of the world?" Zhou Jingyun interrupted the emperor again. "I saw with my own eyes that my wife was holding the railing, and the railing broke and she fell. If we don't find out why the railing broke, will the world accept it as long as Xuan Yangzi says that it was a ghost? How should the world view your majesty?"

I understand. He was an upright official who could not tolerate heresy. Although Xuan Yangzi seldom appeared in the temple, he was respected by the royal family because of his status. Many officials were dissatisfied in private, fearing that the emperor would be tempted into practicing alchemy and Taoism. Such things were not uncommon in history books, and civil and military officials were wary of monks and Taoists.

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief, but felt a little helpless. He was sure of Xuan Yangzi because he had seen Xuan Yangzi's methods with his own eyes.

Unfortunately, not everyone could see the abdication at that time, nor could it be made public.

The emperor looked at the young official who was kneeling on the ground, his official hat askew, his hair disheveled, his expression filled with grief and anger, and his soul was dispirited. But, considering that he had lost his wife, was mad with grief, and insisted on an explanation, he would just comfort him.

The emperor sighed and said, "Okay, then I will check it again for you."

Zhou Jingyun leaned forward and kowtowed, sobbing: "I thank your Majesty for your grace."

Alas, no matter how you say you are not sad, you are still crying. The emperor looked at the person leaning on the ground.

Back then, this boy had the appearance of a god, but he was unwilling to serve his father. He was dissatisfied with his father's favoritism towards the evil queen and disdained to enter the court.

Now that he is the emperor, Zhou Jingyun has finally returned to the court. He must not allow the immortal to turn into a madman not long after his return. This not only fails to prove that he is a sage and wise ruler, but is worse than his father.

In fact, the Jinwu Guards, the Imperial Household Department, and others had already checked that night. Since Zhou Jingyun didn’t believe it…
"I have ordered the Board of Supervisors to investigate," the emperor said. "Are you relieved?"

The Supervisory Board can find out what happened even if there is nothing wrong, and it can also give Zhou Jingyun an explanation to prevent him from thinking about it day and night and going crazy.

"I thank you for your grace." Zhou Jingyun raised his head and cried out in tears, "Your Majesty is wise."

....
....
"Someone come, someone come."

Accompanied by the calls from inside, the officials outside the hall were cheered up. It was finally over.

Gao Twelve stopped gritting his teeth and walked in with a smile on his face, only to see Zhou Jingyun still kneeling on the ground.

"Your Majesty..." He hesitated.

"Go and call Zhang Ze." said the emperor, pressing his hand to his forehead.

Gao Twelve's heart skipped a beat and he didn't react for a moment.

"What are you still standing there for?" The emperor said unhappily, and then looked at Zhou Jingyun, "And you, are you done? If you are, please leave."

Gao Twelve hurriedly leaned forward and answered yes. Zhou Jingyun also saluted and stood up. Officials did not need to kneel before the emperor unless it was a place of worship or a festival. He had been kneeling on the hard brick and stone ground for so long that his knees must have become red and swollen.

He staggered slightly, but when Gao Twelve looked over, he quickly stood up straight.

Gao Twelve smiled, but did not help him. He leaned forward and saluted: "Please come in first, my prince."

Zhou Jingyun nodded slightly and walked out slowly.

Gao Twelve was walking behind him on purpose. Even if Zhou Jingyun thought his steps were dignified, he could still see the stiffness. Also, his official hat was tilted, his official robe was wrinkled, and his hair was scattered from under his official hat...
Tsk tsk tsk, this is the first time I see Zhou Jingyun so embarrassed. No matter how he looks like an immortal, he is no different from an ordinary person.

As soon as Zhou Jingyun walked out, he was surrounded by officials and asked what was going on.

"Private matter." Zhou Jingyun said, "My wife died unexpectedly in the palace. I ask Your Majesty to conduct a thorough investigation to see if the building has fallen into disrepair to prevent further tragedies."

So, his wife’s death was indeed a tragedy, and it was reasonable to make such a request. The officials nodded sympathetically, and Zhou Jingyun walked away without saying anything more.

The officials grabbed Gao Twelve again and urged him to report.

Gao Twelve looked at them and said, "Your Majesty has summoned Zhang Ze."

These words were like an evil curse, and the people surrounding Gao Twelve immediately dispersed.

"…Do you all still want to see His Majesty now?"

Of course it's gone.

Too bad.

Zhang Ze is a man of many words and evil intentions. If he deliberately asks them questions in front of the emperor and they give inappropriate answers, it will be bad if they are caught. Forget it, today is not the right time to see the emperor.

Everyone stepped back and watched Gao Twelve send someone to pass the message. Zhang Ze came over quickly, entered the hall and came out quickly. The next moment, an official from the Supervisory Council came running over and led soldiers to the harem...
"What happened?" Everyone hurriedly asked Gao Twelve.

When the emperor was talking to Zhang Ze, he did not ask Gao Twelve to avoid him.

Gao Twelve's expression became even uglier: "His Majesty asked him to check the broken railings of the neighboring building."

Several officials looked stunned. What did this mean?
Shouldn't the broken railing be the responsibility of the Ministry of Internal Affairs? At worst, the Ministry of Works can investigate, but what can the Board of Supervisors investigate?
That's not the repair of the railing.
This matter cannot be concealed, and His Majesty will not conceal it, and Zhang Ze will not conceal it either. Gao Twelve gritted his teeth and said, "Because Zhou Jingyun, the son of Dongyang Marquis, said that his wife was murdered, His Majesty ordered the Supervisory Council to investigate in order to give him an explanation."

Everyone was in an uproar.

"Let the Board of Supervisors investigate! That way we can find out what's wrong even if there's nothing wrong!"

"Is Zhou Jingyun crazy?"

When a huge uproar broke out behind him, Zhou Jingyun had already walked out of the imperial city, and the guards outside the gate came up to him.

Seeing him, the guard hesitated and asked, "Sir, are you going to ride a horse or a carriage?"

Do I look embarrassed now? Zhou Jingyun was thinking, and before he could say anything, a voice came from the side.

"Zhou Jingyun, you look so ridiculous right now..."

Zhou Jingyun turned his head and saw someone slowly walking out.

Shen Qing.

This was the first time I saw him since the palace banquet that night.

That night was chaotic. Zhou Jingyun took Zhuang Li's body home. Then there was the funeral. He never paid any attention to Shen Qing again.

However, the two eunuchs in the palace asked someone to tell him that not long after he left that night, Shen Qing stopped being crazy and just held the zither without saying a word. Then he disappeared after the banquet.

At this moment, Shen Qing looked no different from before except that he looked a little haggard.

He approached Zhou Jingyun.

"You know whether your wife is dead or not. In order to make the fake play real, you instigated His Majesty to use the Supervisory Council." He whispered, looking Zhou Jingyun up and down, with a sneer in his eyes: "It turns out that you are not a good person either, stirring up trouble for personal gain."

Zhou Jingyun clenched his hands hanging at his sides, his fingernails digging into his palms, causing a stinging pain.

The pain can remind him whether what he sees is an illusion or reality, so that he won't be confused and say something he shouldn't say.

Shen Qing noticed his movements and sneered: "No need to do that, I'm too lazy to look at you any more now!"

Then he threw up his sleeves and left.

Zhou Jingyun let go of his clenched hands. Although Shen Qing didn't go crazy like he did that night, he didn't look normal either.

He probably didn't believe that Zhuang Li was dead, and didn't know what to do next.
"Prince." The guard held down the sword at his waist and asked in a low voice, "Are you okay?"

Zhou Jingyun lowered his eyes and said, "It's okay, ignore him." Then he took the reins and climbed onto the horse.

……

……

"Prince, would you like to eat first or wash up first?"

Chunyue walked in and saw Zhou Jingyun standing in front of the dressing table, looking at the mirror.

The prince is looking in the mirror?

Zhou Jingyun looked at himself in the mirror. Did he look different? His face was just a little paler, his eyes were a little darker, his hair was a little messier…
During those years, he was patrolling the schools outside, and he looked much more embarrassed than now.

This is nothing.

The people in the Imperial City had never seen him like that.

Gao Twelve was gloating, Shen Qing was looking at him with disdain, and the guards... were also making a fuss and even let him ride in the car.

Later, they will get used to it.

But before I go to see my mother, I still need to sort things out first. This year has already brought her too many things to get used to.

Zhou Jingyun stood up straight and looked away from the mirror.

"Wash first," he said.

……

……

"Mr. Shen, you're back."

In the small building in Sanqufang, a woman standing on the second floor greeted Shen Qing with a smile as she walked in.

But Shen Qing didn't even raise his head and walked straight into the building.

The woman who greeted her put down her hand awkwardly, and the woman next to her giggled.

"Mr. Shen and Ms. Huang had a quarrel and he is in a bad mood. I often saw Ms. Huang crying these days, and I also heard the sound of a piano being smashed in the house." She lowered her voice and said, "It's better to stay away."

As the women were talking, Shen Qing stood in front of the door, reached out and opened it, and saw Mrs. Huang sitting inside, wiping her tears with her head down.

"You're back." Huang Niangzi said, tears falling again, "The butterfly still doesn't move."

Shen Qing looked at the bamboo cage in front of her. The once colorful butterflies had turned gray and were as motionless as a wooden sculpture.

Shen Qing looked expressionless: "This butterfly is dead, it was killed by someone!"

Huang Niangzi laughed and said, "Who killed him?"

Is she smiling? Shen Qing was slightly startled. Was she going crazy because of excessive sadness? He glanced at the mirror beside him from the corner of his eye, and suddenly his expression froze. The mirror reflected him and the people around him.

The person sitting next to him was not Lady Huang.

This was a plump and beautiful girl, she was wearing an apricot yellow skirt, sitting cross-legged with her chin propped up, looking at him in the mirror with a smile on her face.

"This person is so powerful that he can kill your butterfly." She continued what she had just said and raised her hands to clap.

Shen Qing slowly turned around and looked at the person in front of him.

Accompanied by the crisp sound of clapping beside her ears, the yellow lady shattered and the girl in the mirror appeared.

"Bai Li." Shen Qing slowly uttered two words.

Bai Li nodded with a smile: "Yes, remember my name and call me by my name. After that night, you finally become a polite person."

(End of this chapter)