"I do not know, but I still wish to remind you that the Crown Prince is cruel and ruthless, and with Grand Tutor Ouyang by his side, you will have no good end if you oppose them."
The Vice Minister of the Dali Temple did not deny it, and at the same time, he was reminding Gu Qianying.
Gu Qianying, however, smiled at his words: "So, I should surrender and wait for your men to kill me?"
"What the Crown Prince actually wants is that item. As long as you hand it over, I guarantee your safety."
The Vice Minister of the Dali Temple looked at Gu Qianying, his tone firm.
Although the Crown Prince had issued a kill-on-sight order, with his years of accumulating connections in the court, if he could unite these people to speak for Gu Qianying before the Emperor, he believed Gu Qianying would be fine.
He had the ability, but he would not take this step unless absolutely necessary. This step was too risky. Forming factions among officials in the imperial court was a great taboo. Even if they interacted closely in private, it should not be brought out into the open.
And at this moment, he was very willing to help Gu Qianying, so what if it was risky!
Gu Qianying looked at the Vice Minister of the Dali Temple and spoke frankly: "A ruler who takes responsibility for the world cannot lose the hearts of the people, and these hearts of the people need to be embraced by virtue, to seek a livelihood for the soldiers of this world, and to pave a path for the people of this world. His decisive killing should only be directed at enemies, not for his own power. This is the proper virtue of a ruler of this world, and Nan Rongqi is not worthy of it."
Such treasonous words coming from Gu Qianying's mouth shocked the Vice Minister of the Dali Temple. But what shocked him even more were Gu Qianying's next words: "I cannot bow to someone with an impure heart. Even if I am pushed to a dead end, even if there is no way out, then I, Gu Qianying, will fight my way out with all my might. I, Gu Qianying, will walk this path with integrity, no matter how difficult or dangerous it is. I must walk this path. If I must abide by the law of the survival of the fittest, then I, this young lady, will become an unrivaled strong one!"
With that, Gu Qianying rode away.
Watching her receding back, the Vice Minister of the Dali Temple stood frozen in place, lost in thought for a long time. Her receding figure gradually disappeared before his eyes, but it was permanently imprinted in his heart.
What a woman who spoke of becoming strong so casually! What a woman who refused to bow to someone with an impure heart! Her magnanimity was not comparable to that of a woman, but even a seven-foot man would not be her equal.
Unlike ordinary women who managed their households and taught their children, or young ladies who only studied needlework, her choice was so resolute, and her words so shocking. Such a special woman, it was a pity she was already someone's wife.
Perhaps no one could match such an extraordinary woman, and he was even less worthy.
He withdrew his gaze, turned around, and walked back to the capital alone.
On the way, he thought a lot, so much so that he wished that day had come sooner. After returning to the capital, he did not report to the Eastern Palace. Instead, he returned home to recuperate for several days, citing severe injuries. During these few days of recuperation, he mobilized all his connections and secretly united some of his close ministers to submit a memorial.
The memorial did not mention the Ninth Imperial Consort Gu Qianying at all. It only stated that although General Gu and Gu Yefeng were dead, there were many loopholes in the case of General Gu and his eldest grandson colluding with the enemy and treason, which had not yet been dealt with. Among the many loopholes, the letter exchanged with the enemy country was worth further verification. After verification,
It was proven that the letter was deliberately framed by someone to frame General Gu. Therefore, the Vice Minister of the Dali Temple and many ministers submitted another memorial, earnestly requesting the Emperor to re-investigate the case of General Gu and his eldest grandson Gu Yefeng colluding with the enemy and treason.
The Emperor approved this memorial. However, on the second day after this matter, all the ministers who were close to the Vice Minister of the Dali Temple encountered accidents one after another. After many days, only the Vice Minister of the Dali Temple was left kneeling outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
He earnestly requested the Emperor to thoroughly investigate the strange incidents of many ministers, but his words were weak, and he had made repeated mistakes recently. Not only did the Emperor not listen to his advice, but he also sent people to imprison him, telling him to calm down for a few days.
Meanwhile,
Gu Qianying rode alone to a hidden place outside the city.
She dismounted, took out the dark whistle prepared at her waist, and blew it. After the whistle sounded, five or six men in green clothes appeared. They were all masked.
They walked to Gu Qianying and all knelt on one knee: "Greetings, Sect Master."
Gu Qianying stood with her back to them, her hands behind her back, and said coldly: "Where is Hall Master Duan?"
Among the five or six men in green, one replied: "Reporting to the Sect Master, Hall Master Duan went into the city, likely to find you."
Gu Qianying did not turn around and said: "Send him a message, tell him the plan has changed and he must return."
"Yes, Sect Master."
One of the men in green received the order and left.
A moment later, Gu Qianying turned around, glanced at the other men in green, and then said coldly: "One of you infiltrate the palace and await orders. One of you disguise yourself as a dancer and infiltrate the Eastern Palace to assassinate someone. That person is named Hu Biao. He is highly skilled in martial arts, so be careful. If the assassination fails, make him the assassin who tried to assassinate the Crown Prince. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sect Master."
After this person received the order, he had doubts. He asked: "Sect Master, why don't you let your subordinate directly kill the Crown Prince and avenge the blood debt for the Sect Master today?"
Gu Qianying looked at him: "Assassinating the Crown Prince's guards, you can survive. If you directly assassinate the Crown Prince, you will surely die. Although I am your Sect Master, each of you is a living person with flesh and blood. Serving this Sect Master, your life is the premise. However, if you betray me because of this, this Sect Master will not tolerate it and will punish you severely.
That person raised his head, his eyes moist, his voice choked: "Yes, Sect Master."
After he received the order and left, Gu Qianying looked at the remaining three men in green and asked two of them: "What are your names?"
"Reporting to the Sect Master, your subordinate's name is Guo Yang."
The other person said: "Reporting to the Sect Master, your subordinate's name is He Xing."
"Do you have anyone else in your family?"
Guo Yang replied: "Sect Master, your subordinate is an orphan."
He Xing replied: "Reporting to the Sect Master, your subordinate has a father and mother at home, and two younger sisters."
After roughly understanding the backgrounds of the two, Gu Qianying asked them: "Are you willing to join the army?"
Guo Yang and He Xing were slightly stunned. They looked at each other, speechless.
Gu Qianying glanced at them: "The purpose of entering the Poisonous Doctor's Sacred Hall was naturally to learn medicine and poison. However, after I took over the Poisonous Doctor's Sacred Hall, I told you that currently, you are not succeeding in learning medicine, nor are you succeeding in learning poison. By following me, you can only obey my commands, or infiltrate the palace to disguise yourselves as others, or follow me dressed as women, or do things you have never done before at my command. At that time, I gave each of you a choice: you could stay or leave, as you pleased.
In the end, all of you chose to stay voluntarily, and naturally accepted what I asked you to do. However, today, I will give you a second chance. You can all leave now if you wish."
With that,
Gu Qianying paused.
A moment later, Guo Yang and He Xing cupped their fists: "Your subordinates are willing to swear to follow the Sect Master to the death."
Their loyalty expressed, Gu Qianying understood and said to them: "Your mission is to enlist in the army and join the Gu Family Army. The current army is controlled by the newly promoted Deputy General Geng Yi, General Geng. Your objective is to become his people, investigate his background and character. If he is an upright gentleman, you can advise him. If he is a subordinate of Crown Prince Nan Rongqi, you must overthrow him and replace him.
If the mission is not completed within the stipulated time, another plan will be implemented: infiltrate the army, build good relationships with the soldiers, and await my arrival to become my support in the army. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sect Master, your subordinates obey."
Guo Yang and He Xing said in unison.
After the two left, Gu Qianying ordered the last person: "Gather a hundred disciples from the hall and hide them in the dark, awaiting my orders."