Would You Like to Have a Drink

After sending Zong Yuanwu away, Zong Luo stood in the center of the main hall, speechless for a long time.

 

He didn’t know what expression he should have.

 

In his previous life, when he was at the border, he received a secret letter from Imperial Censor Xue. He rushed back without stopping, but was unexpectedly ambushed on the way.

 

At that time, there was a change in the Imperial City, and Imperial Censor Xue was directly slandered and thrown into prison, resulting in the leakage of information in the end.

 

The subsequent suicide made Zong Luo feel disheartened, but he had wondered who was behind the ambush.

 

The Fifth and Fourth were naturally the most suspicious.

 

The former had military power, and the latter not only had military power, but also had the secret assistance of Yu Beizhou.

 

But looking at Yu Beizhou’s reaction after the rebirth, he should not have known about his death in his previous life. So the most suspicious one was the Fifth, all the conditions also fit, this was why Zong Luo was particularly cold to this imperial brother who had a good relationship with him after his rebirth.

 

Although the Fifth had spoken for him in his previous life, father and son could turn their faces without saying a word for many years, who knew if the brotherly love was just a show.

 

Unexpectedly, the truth of the matter turned out to be like this.

 

Zong Luo knew about the ambition of the Dingbei Marquis Mansion.

 

Back then, the Dingbei Marquis Mansion and the Rong family were both powerful aristocratic families in the Imperial City.

 

It’s just that the Rong family was bold, and when the late emperor was in power, they vaguely showed signs of wanting to rebel, made friends with families of other countries, and were later directly strangled in the bud by Emperor Yuan.

 

The Dingbei Marquis Mansion didn’t have that courage, and now the old general of the Dingbei Marquis Mansion was really scared of being beaten by Emperor Yuan. When the  Emperor Yuan was in power, he was as obedient as a quail, and dared to send his beloved daughter into the palace, taking the roundabout route of giving birth to a prince to support the throne.

 

Now the Imperial City looked calm, but that’s just because there’s a big Buddha on top.

 

If this big Buddha ever had an accident…

 

Zong Luo closed his eyes.

 

The matter of ambushing him in his previous life must have been done without the knowledge of Emperor Yuan.

 

It could be inferred from this that since the Dingbei Marquis Mansion dared to do this, the situation of Emperor Yuan at that time might not have been optimistic.

 

What’s more, Zong Yuanwu’s dream was as incomplete as Zong Ruichen’s, only dreaming of the previous ambush, but not knowing what the old marquis and the Fourth and Sixth were going to conspire.

 

From the ambush to arriving at the foot of the Imperial City, it was just over a day’s work. Under such circumstances, could Emperor Yuan really wake up as the secret letter said, start rectifying the government, and issue a death edict for him?

 

Or is there some kind of scheming plot in it, or as Yu Beizhou said, did he hate the wrong person from beginning to end?

 

Zong Luo didn’t dare to think about this possibility.

 

Everything in his life was built on this possibility.

 

Death escape, plotting, even stepping into the throne, these were not his real intentions.

 

Inside the Yuchun Palace, the charcoal basin with gold threads was still burning hot.

 

This palace, specially prepared for the crown prince, was exquisite and beautiful in every way, looking as if it was built on floating clouds, and would become illusory with a blink of an eye.

 

After a long time, he made up his mind, picked up the box of the immortal pill on the table, and hurriedly tucked it into his sleeve.

 

Yuan Jia, who was preparing decorations outside, saw this and said in a low voice, “Your Highness, the New Year’s festival is in two days. His Majesty said this year, since the birthday banquet has been made up, there will be no banquet in the palace.”

 

Every New Year’s festival was the busiest time in the imperial city. On this day, the Imperial City would exceptionally cancel the curfew for one day. As soon as night falls, it’s time to really get into the theme.

 

The final result of the Baijia Banquet would also be announced on the day of the New Year’s festival. The winning students would take a boat ride, lighting lanterns along the way, and the people would rush to grab them, just to get a good start for the New Year.

 

Even the Quartet Witch Temple would be open together. People could go to the witch Temple to draw lots, then slowly walk home and keep New Year’s vigil by the stove.

 

This bright scene would continue until midnight, and the vigil would also end gradually.

 

In the past years when he was leading troops outside, the New Year’s festival was just the brothers sitting around the bonfire eating a meal of mutton. Zong Luo hadn’t come back for the New Year in recent years.

 

Emperor Yuan had always disliked extravagance and waste. The birthday banquet was just a few days ago, so it’s normal not to have a New Year’s banquet this year.

 

He nodded, “I know, help me prepare the horse.”

 

That day he came by carriage, and Zhao Yebai was left at the mansion.

 

Just then, Steward Liao, who happened to be guarding the front of the mansion, saw him, “Your Highness, how come you are back?”

 

Everyone in the Prince’s Mansion knew that the Third Highness had moved into the palace, and these days there were always palace people moving things in and out of the Third Prince’s Mansion.

 

“I came back for a little matter,” Zong Luo was vague.

 

He got off his horse and hurried to his study.

 

When he got to the study, he closed the door, then covered his ears with his internal strength. After making sure there was no one around, Zong Luo went to the back of the bookcase and opened the secret compartment of the bookcase.

 

Inside, a piece of crystal clear, unfinished Shenlong Jade was still lying there quietly.

 

Zong Luo stared at it for a long time before he fished out the jade and stuffed two boxes of the immortal pills into it.

 

Knock, knock, knock.

 

At this moment, there was a knock on the door, “Your Highness, Young Master Gu seeks an audience.”

 

Since Zong Luo entered the palace on the night of Emperor Yuan ’s birthday, he had never come out again, but had been squatting in the palace honestly, not daring to act rashly.

 

Pei Qianxue and Mu Yuanlong were both court-appointed officials, and they could enter the palace at any time after asking for a request.

 

Only Gu Ziyuan, by status, was just a small disciple of the Confucian school. Even if he won the first place in calligraphy, the closing banquet of the Baijia Banquet had not yet been held, and he had not officially been assigned any official or half official position. Both emotionally and rationally, he couldn’t enter the palace.

 

Although Steward Liao, later conveyed the news that Zong Luo was fine, Gu Ziyuan was still a little depressed.

 

It was not until this moment that he realized the huge gap between his identity and Brother Luo’s.