Chapter 138: Just Eat and Drink Obediently.
After Gu Yu was finally reunited with Gu Mengyao, the two were inseparable, much to Gu Qingheng’s perpetual exasperation.
As his brother-in-law, Gu Qingheng had previously told Gu Yu to be mindful of his image when they were at the Tang Sect.
He advised Gu Yu not to appear with Sister Lian so frequently.
However, now it was Gu Yu’s turn, and the situation was completely different!
Fortunately, he hadn’t listened to his brother-in-law at the time and had instead showered Sister Lian with affection all over Lianzhou.
Even Uncle Tang had worn a look of utter helplessness when watching them.
Thinking of Tang Lian, Gu Qingheng immediately let out a sorrowful sigh, then reached out to touch his bracelet, thinking how wonderful it was that he could give Sister Lian a gift!
After all, he had practiced carving diligently, and the statue he had made for Sister Lian was now remarkably lifelike.
Incidentally, Gu Qingheng had also carved a small figure of himself.
A pair would be perfect!
“Brother-in-law, let’s go out and have some fun!”
“Fun? Go back to your room and study.”
“I’m going to go crazy being cooped up in the house all the time! We finally made it to the capital, let’s go out and have some fun!”
This day, after Gu Mengyao went shopping with Auntie Fei, Gu Yu was lying on a lounge chair in the courtyard, enjoying the peaceful afternoon. However, his tranquility was soon shattered by Gu Qingheng.
Faced with his younger brother-in-law clamoring to go out and play, Gu Yu went from refusing to compromising in a short amount of time.
As for why… it was because Gu Qingheng wanted to go out and gather some information to see what the situation in the capital was like now.
Gu Yu was also a bit curious about this, so he didn’t refuse any further.
However, as soon as they left the house, Gu Yu felt like he had been tricked when he saw Gu Qingheng turn into a wild horse that had broken free from its reins.
Gu Qingheng just wanted to go shopping…
“Brother-in-law, let’s go somewhere with a lot of people, so it’ll be easier to gather information!”
“Still thinking about gathering information? That’s good. I thought you were planning to play all afternoon.”
“How could that be!”
Upon hearing Gu Yu’s words, Gu Qingheng stuck out his tongue and then dragged Gu Yu towards the most popular teahouse in the capital, planning to listen to others’ intelligence.
However, they were intercepted by Tang Maoyuan halfway.
“Isn’t this Brother Gu? When did you come to the capital? You didn’t even come to find us for a catch-up, that’s really not friendly!”
“Brother Tang, I only just arrived in the capital! Alas, it’s all because my father-in-law missed his daughter too much.”
Gu Yu didn’t give a straightforward answer to Tang Maoyuan’s words, but instead smiled and changed the subject.
Tang Maoyuan naturally wouldn’t take it too seriously. After running into Gu Yu and Gu Qingheng, he immediately offered to treat them to a meal at a restaurant.
His enthusiasm made it impossible for Gu Yu to refuse.
Ever since Gu Yu helped Tang Maoyuan out of a difficult situation last time, Tang Maoyuan’s good impression of Gu Yu had increased significantly, rising to the level of a close friend.
However, Tang Maoyuan and that young widow ultimately did not end up together.
Due to various reasons, it was a regret.
This was all the news that Shan Chengfeng had mentioned in his previous letter, so Gu Yu didn’t say much at this time. Instead, he ate and drank at the table, chatting about trivial matters.
Gu Qingheng, on the other hand, was stifled and seemed unable to sit still, as if there were nails under his buttocks.
Originally, the purpose of coming out this time was to gather information.
But now, as they walked, they had arrived at a restaurant. What could they possibly gather here!
It was better to just eat and drink obediently.
“Brother Gu, you’ve come at a bad time!”
“Oh? Why do you say that, Brother Tang?”
“Alas! You know my father’s status. Being an official in the imperial court, he can obtain a lot of useful information… including important news regarding the Emperor.”
However, just as Gu Qingheng was glumly stuffing his face with his bowl, ready to give up, Tang Maoyuan suddenly spoke in a gossipy manner.
What he said made both Gu Yu and Gu Qingheng’s spirits lift, thinking that it was truly a case of “mountains and rivers exhausted, yet there’s another village in the shade of willows.”
The news had come right to them.
Gu Yu, in particular, knew how to seize the opportunity.
If he didn’t get the news out of Tang Maoyuan today, he wasn’t leaving!
Fortunately, Tang Maoyuan also wanted to get the words out of his heart, so he didn’t play coy and honestly revealed all the information he knew at this time.
It turned out that the Emperor was ill.
And it was a serious illness.
It was unclear if it was because Wang Xu embezzled disaster relief grain that had angered the Emperor so much that he was bedridden for several days and hadn’t even attended the morning court.
This outcome had the civil and military officials of the imperial court greatly worried.
Even the Empress Dowager had no face to plead for Wang Xu and could only let him stay in prison to remember his lesson.
However, they thought the matter would just pass like this.
After all, Wang Xu was the Empress Dowager’s younger brother. With kinship being thicker than blood, a few days in prison would be punishment enough.
But recently, the Emperor had suddenly issued an order.
He was to uphold righteousness and eliminate relatives, and Wang Xu was to be beheaded as a warning to others.
Moreover, the supervising official was Tang Maoyuan’s father…
This supervision was not an easy task.
On one side were the Emperor’s decree, and on the other were the Empress Dowager’s commands.
It was a truly difficult situation to be in.
Tang Yaowen also had no time to hesitate. As someone loyal to the Emperor, he decided to act according to the Emperor’s will.
“Alas! It’s not just my father who is worried, I’m also extremely worried! This kind of dilemma that falls upon our Tang family, if we make a single wrong move, the consequence will be losing our heads! I’m telling you this because I consider Brother Gu one of my own. The capital during this period is a place of trouble, and it’s best not to stay long.”
“Thank you for your kind intentions, Brother Tang, but it will be difficult to explain to my father-in-law, so we can only be careful.”
“In that case, we can only proceed with caution! However, rumor has it there are some inside stories. It seems the Emperor is critically ill and incurable, and now the Empress is… ”
“Brother Tang, this is not a place to talk about this. You and I know is enough.”
As Tang Maoyuan was about to reveal bigger gossip, Gu Yu immediately stopped him.
While they were still on the road, far from the Emperor’s reach, they could say anything.
But now, they were in the capital.
So they had to speak cautiously.
After being stopped by Gu Yu, Tang Maoyuan, who was already slightly tipsy, was immediately sobered up.
He then patted his chest nervously with a raised hand, and after that, he stopped drinking and started competing with Gu Yu to see who could pick up more dishes.
However, they had obtained enough information.
Gu Yu was now one hundred percent certain that Bai Qian wanted to seize the throne and become Empress.
Gu Yu was not surprised by this outcome.
After all, he had already guessed most of it.
Gu Qingheng, who had been somewhat doubtful about this, couldn’t help but sigh at this moment, thinking that his brother-in-law had indeed guessed correctly!
Linfeng Kingdom was about to experience change.
