The next morning, when Zhu Gaoxu woke up, he found that he was the only one who was empty on the bed. The palace maids and eunuchs on duty in the bedroom had been replaced; those people did not stay overnight last night, and later Zhu Gaoxu fell asleep alone.

When he woke up, his consciousness was a little blurred. At a certain moment, he even felt that the joy of last night was just a dream.

He was in poor physical strength this morning and got up a little late, so he stopped going outside Xuanwu Gate and took the soldiers to run in person. He didn't even want to go to work at the office, but hesitated and immediately got up...

Zhu Gaoxu had a relatively simple idea for a while in his previous life; however, after suffering some pain, his requirements and expectations for people have been reduced. He never expected the world to be loyal from the bottom of his heart, but instead considered whether a person could be used from all aspects, such as whether there is a threat, whether he has talents, etc.

People like Lu Zhen and his son-in-law Zhang He, Lu Zhen had shown goodwill to the deposed crown prince Gao Chi for a long time, and was noticed by the late emperor and dismissed from office and beat him up. Zhang He was an envoy of the pseudo-dynasty during the "Prevention Campaign". However, after Zhu Gaoxu ascended the throne, they were the first officials to persuade him to advance... Zhu Gaoxu believed that they had moved closer to Gao Chi in the past just for speculation; so he forgiven them and still gave Lu Zhen the position of Minister of Rites.

Recently, there have been many articles to rectify Qi Tai's name. Zhu Gaoxu also issued an order to the Ministry of Personnel: to Qi Tai's appointment letter, appointed as the Minister of War; and to be promoted to the Minister of Works.

However, the "mainly evil" cannot be forgiven. The three courts have successively convicted them, and Zhu Gaoxu has successively issued punishments to "barrase their tribes"!

Today, the files of Xue Lu and Yang Rong were filed on the imperial case. Zhu Gaoxu took a look at them casually. When he mentioned the red pen to make a reply, he felt that his eyes were a little shaking and his fingers were not very stable.

Zhu Gaoxu felt very uncomfortable when he thought that many of them were innocent.

However, according to the law at this time, the crime of "slaughtering the king and father" must be a member of the barbarians! Otherwise, wouldn't Zhu Gaoxu and others make the conclusion that the Eastern Palace members would be very guilty?

What's more, in the "Battle of Crime", countless soldiers were killed and injured, and civilians were inevitably affected by the war! If Zhu Gaoxu was defeated, the entire family would probably be killed more than the "masters" and only more people would die. The Qing family would have been dozens of times more!

(In the time and space of the previous life, the "King of Han" almost killed nine clans. Anyone who had something to do with him, not to mention his family, relatives and subordinates, even the local court officials were destroyed, including commanders and prefects from Shandong and other places.)

People fight for survival and wealth. How cruel is it? Who can tell whether it is right or wrong?

Zhu Gaoxu's hand holding the pen paused in the air for a long time, and finally placed the pen on the paper.

Only then did he realize that the eunuch Wang Gui was quietly observing his every move.

Zhu Gaoxu turned sideways and looked at Wang Gui; Wang Gui hurriedly bent down and looked at the floor. Zhu Gaoxu pointed to the map full of red circles behind him and said, "Spring is coming, this picture is no longer suitable, so change it! Hang the map of Mongolian tribes on the left, hanging the map of Jiaozhi Province on the right, and there is a 'white space in the middle."

Wang Gui bowed and said, "I obey the order."

After saying that, Zhu Gaoxu sat on the chair, staring at the table, supporting his head with his arms, and did not move for a long time. He seemed to be thinking about something.

...

Today, outside Jinchuan Gate, the people and pedestrians avoided the road. People watched the long queues on the road.

There was a large group of people in the middle of the road, with sharp-stricken stalkers looking around the surrounding cavalry vigilantly; there were sealed vans on all sides, and even the windows were nailed to death with wooden boards. But there were no flags in front and behind the crowd! They seemed very mysterious.

Among the cavalry ranks guarding, there were two closed carriages.

There were three people in the front car, the deposed prince and two wives and concubines with the surname Zhang; there were three people in the rear car, three boys with a very different age range, and the oldest Zhanji is over ten years old.

On a carriage, Gao Chi found a gap in the carriage where the wooden board was nailed. He couldn't help but lean over and looked at the capital city tower behind him. He had expected that this was the last time he was watching the scenery of the capital.

In front of the team was a port on the river. Several naval warships were already anchored there, waiting to transport people out of the city to cross the river.

After the large group of people crossed to Jiangbei, their destination was Fengyang, Zhongdu.

Even though the deposed crown prince Gao Chi was convicted by the court and was confirmed to be the serious crime of "conspiring to kill the king and killing his father", the new emperor still did not convict him of death, but only issued an order to escort his family to Fengyang to repent for his ancestors.

In any case, Gao Chi is the eldest brother of the new emperor; in this era where ethics and morality are extremely valued, no matter what the reason is, it is not something worthy of praise to the world.

...The deposed prince's family was sent to Zhongdu, but one person was missing: that was Concubine Guo.

More than a month after the new emperor ascended the throne, Guo Yan was still detained in a house in Chunhe Palace. However, after Xiao Jien was arrested back to the capital, the next day the eunuch Wang Gui brought a few eunuchs to Chunhe Palace.

Wang Gui waved his hand, and the eunuch beside him stepped forward and opened the iron chain and copper lock on the door.

"Crazy!" Guo Yan stared at Wang Gui with a pale face, but she didn't say a word. Her hair was messy, she lost weight, and her body looked dirty because she rarely took a shower.

Wang Gui held the whisk and bowed for a moment, and politely called him: "I have met Mrs. Guo." Then Wang Gui ordered again: "Open the shackles for Mrs. Guo!"

Guo Yan finally said, "I told you a long time ago that I was framed! Didn't I know if the Guo family did that thing?"

"Mrs. Guo calms down. The court has to judge right and wrong. There must be a process that will make you suffer." Wang Gui said kindly. He did something wrong in Yunnan. After being beaten by Zhu Gaoxu, he became much more low-key in his work.

Guo Yan was untied, rubbed her wrists, and said coldly: "You will let me go after you find out. The truth must be what Zhang did?"

Wang Gui pondered for a moment and said, "The court has made a conclusion on the reason for the death of the late emperor. It is indeed the responsibility of the Eastern Palace. All the followers of the Eastern Palace are guilty. However, only Mrs. Guo is not guilty."

Guo Yan frowned and thought for a while.

Wang Gui said quietly again: "Mrs. Guo is not guilty because you are from the Guo family. The princess (Guo Wei) is about to be named the queen. The Honglu Temple and other officials are busy preparing the ceremony. The princess and the queen are kind and wise. How could the family do something bad for such a bodhisattva-minded nobleman? The emperor also believed it, so it is innocent to believe that Mrs. Guo must be unaware of it!"

When Guo Yan heard this, she stopped talking.

Wang Gui whispered again: "The princess has pleaded with Mrs. Guo, otherwise you may be on the way to Fengyang at this moment."

When Guo Yan heard this, her face showed a bitter and painful expression, and her cold resentment just now disappeared. She murmured: "My sister has always been in good heart..."

"Not?" Wang Gui said, "A noble person who can be the queen must have accumulated a lot of virtue and is even more a kind person!"

Guo Yan suddenly smiled bitterly.

Wang Gui didn't know what her smile meant, so he could only guess: maybe he was mocking the deposed prince's empress Zhang? After all, in Guo Yan's eyes, Zhang was obviously not a good person.

Wang Gui said again: "After all, Mrs. Guo was a man who lived in the palace and had descendants of the royal family, so he could not go back to his mother's home according to the ceremony. The place in the harem would either not be suitable for your identity or the place where the family of the emperor lived; and the northeast corner is now in the coffin of the late emperor, so it is not easy for you to live there.

The princess looked at the place herself and thought that the houses near the Northwest Imperial Garden were pretty good. So she ordered the slaves to pick a yard for Mrs. Guo and then sent some steady palace maids to serve."

Guo Yan said: "Thank you for my sister."

Wang Gui responded and said, "You cannot live in the Wuding Marquis's house (when the new emperor awarded meritorious officials, he issued an order for Guo Ming to inherit the title of Guo Ying). However, if you want to go home occasionally, you have to ask the princess to be kind, and you can go back and see it from time to time."

He paused and continued to whisper: "For the sake of the princess' kindness, I will definitely not make things difficult for Mrs. Guo, and I will not lack any cost. You have forgotten all the past and are very happy to raise it in the palace. Many things have passed; in your current days, most of the women in the palace can't even dream!"

Guo Yan nodded slightly.

"Please, Madam." Wang Gui bowed and made a move.

...Guo Yan and the eunuchs walked out of the room where they had been imprisoned for nearly two years. She looked up and saw the sunlight that was sprinkling between the treetops, and a dazzling sensation. She took a deep breath of fresh air.

Everything in the palace, road and road of Chunhe Palace seems to have no change. This is where Guo Yan has lived for seven or eight years. Her best years have been spent here, so everything is still so familiar.

Guo Yan contains complex emotions and carefully observes the things around her.

There are so many memories left here, and the one that remembers the most is still Gao Chi. Gao Chi has disappointed her, made her happy, and hurt her heart... Everything is so unforgettable and difficult to erase!

Guo Yan's eyes gradually became wet and moist, and what she saw became blurred. Perhaps she missed not Gao Chi, but her own youth and life; or perhaps she missed not anyone, but just her own feelings and experiences.

Nothing has changed, only living things like people and plants are changing. The plants wither and flourish in the season, the pink petals on a tree are floating in the air, and the bricks are covered with dots.

This year she did not see the flowers blooming, but saw the flowers fading all over the sky.

"Spring seems to be over." Guo Yan choked, feeling inexplicably sad and collapsed, and tears fell down.
Chapter completed!