The Righteous Conspiracy 010: Meeting with Empress Dowager Guo

  The women in the insane asylum, who had been locked up for so long, were suddenly stirred up by the sound of the guqin and all became hysterical at once, turning the place into a chaotic mess.

  There's crazy twisting together, you pulling my hair and me scratching your face, there's enduring unbearable holding head and fiercely banging against the wall, and long fingernails scraping back and forth on the wall making an ear-piercing sound...

  Fu Gonggong looked at Wei Gonggong with a sorrowful face, his ears stuffed with cotton, and begged: "Dry father, think of a way to stop Princess Wuyou from playing the pipa again. Stuffing my ears with cotton doesn't work, my ears are buzzing nonstop, she's been playing in our big courtyard for almost half a month now. The crazy women in the Lost Heart Palace fight every time they reach this hour, if it continues like this, it will really cause big trouble."

  Wei Zhong covered his ears, and there were still cotton balls stuffed inside, but the cotton balls had been in for a long time and seemed to be useless. The music played by Princess Worry-Free was like a magical sound that pierced through his ears, and if this continued, his ears would become deaf prematurely.

  "Dry dad, I can't take it anymore. These past few days, I've been having nightmares every night, dreaming of that terrifying and hair-raising piano sound."

  Wei Zhong glared at him and said angrily, "If you appear in front of me again, I'll let you take over Xiaohua's and Xiaogao's chores."

  Fu Gong closed his mouth and didn't dare to speak again, bitterly stuffing cotton balls into his ears, but the sound still couldn't be blocked out. He now regarded Xiaohua Zi and Xiaogao Zi as freaks, they could hear it from so far away that they wanted to bang their heads against the wall, yet those two little slaves were standing next to Princess Wuyou, listening, and still managed to stand there without moving, freaks indeed!

  In the front hall corridor, right in the middle of the courtyard where Xishen Hall and Wei Gonggong lived.

  Yu Wuyou played the piano very seriously, every day for an hour, and had been doing so for half a month, and it seemed that he would continue to do so.

  Xiao Hua Zi and Xiao Gao Zi, for the past half month, from initially being pale to now being numb, every day at this time they see Princess Wu You and their hearts feel apprehensive, wanting to escape. But looking at Yu Zhu and Yu Cui standing beside them with unchanged expressions, as if it's nothing out of the ordinary, they think that actually they themselves are useless. They're also ears, no reason why Yu Zhu and Yu Cui can hear without reacting, but they want to run away in hatred?

  Half a time had passed, and a small eunuch with a vegetable-colored face hurried over, not daring to glance at Yuan Wuyou, and rushed into the tightly closed palace gate.

  Listening to the report of the eunuch on duty, Wei Zhong's eyebrows were knitted into a straight line: "Who is dead?"

  The eunuch who was guarding the door suppressed his urge to cover his ears and respectfully replied, "It is a noble lady from Yan who was demoted and transferred here by the previous emperor one year ago."

  Wei Zhong's face was cold and he waved his hand slightly, and the little eunuch retreated.

  "Master, this..." Although this nobleman has been mad for over thirty years, now he's become emotionally frenzied and died after hitting the wall because of hearing Princess Worry-Free play the zither. Should we report this to the Emperor?

  "Wei Zhong gave him a cold glance: 'No need to report, just inform the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and someone will come to take care of it.'"

  As for this Wan Gui Ren, he had a pretty deep impression of him. At that time, he had just entered the cold palace as a small eunuch.

  This noble lady was a palace maid who entered the palace in the forty-seventh year of the Zheng dynasty, and she received great favor from Emperor Zheng. Unexpectedly, just half a year later, Emperor Zheng suddenly died, and she, because of her arrogance due to imperial favor, offended the previous emperor who had ascended to the throne, and the previous emperor banished her to the Cold Palace.

  The former emperor was in power for twenty years, and the current sage has been on the throne for thirty-five years. Whether she is mad or dead, no one asks about her, nor would anyone care. Of course, he cannot report this to the emperor; if he dares to do so, he will probably be killed too.

  "Are we going to let this carefree princess continue playing like this every day?" Fu Gonggong asked, trembling with fear.

  Wei Zhong closed his eyes, then resolutely stood up and walked out!

  "That's enough."

  The gate of the inner hall was heavily pushed open, and Wei Zhong came out with a cold face.

  The sound of the guqin continued, and Yuan Wuyou, who was still immersed in playing, seemed to have not heard his voice at all.

  Wei Zhong's face turned beet red, his intestines were about to turn green with regret, he was simply asking for trouble. For half a month now, he had been hating himself every day for accepting that pearl and sending a zither to this carefree princess?

  Yu Zhu raised her eyelids and glanced at Duke Wei, then respectfully stepped forward and whispered loudly in Yuan Wuyou's ear: "Your Highness."

  Qin's sound stopped, Xiao Hua Zi and Xiao Gao Zi only felt their feet go soft, dizzy and blurred vision. Fu Gonggong, who was following behind Wei Gonggong, also vigorously poked the wooden mallet into his ear.

  Wei Gong's lips curled up into a stiff smile, and he stepped forward to bow respectfully: "Your Highness, please forgive me for speaking bluntly. If you want to play the zither well, it won't work if you play like this."

  Yu Worryless frowned: "Is the sound of the qin really unbearable to listen to?"

  Old Master Fu nodded like he was pounding garlic, while Xiao Huazai and Xiao Gaozi didn't dare to lift their heads or make a sound.

  "What profound insight does Lord Wei have?" asked Yuan Wuyou.

  Wei Zhong secretly rolled his eyes, and it seemed that this carefree princess was still enjoying herself. Although the death of Princess Wan wasn't entirely her fault, couldn't she also be held responsible for it?

  "I think, Princess, you lack a musician who is well-versed in music."

  Yu Wu's eyes drooped, her voice very calm: "Is Lord Wei joking with Yu Wu? This is the Cold Palace, where Yu Wu wears a guilty body, how can there be musicians?"

  Wei Zhong closed his eyes and gritted his teeth: "As long as the princess agrees to me, not to play the piano in the front hall again, I will recommend someone to the princess."

  Wei Zhong hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Of course, I'm just recommending her to Your Highness. Whether or not you accept her is none of my concern. Regardless of whether she becomes your disciple, you must promise me one thing: never come to the front hall to play the zither again."

  "This......" Yuan Wuyou furrowed his brow.

  Seeing her hesitate, Wei Zhong raised an eyebrow and glanced at her, his tone turning cold: "I'm not afraid to tell the princess either. Earlier in Shixin Hall, a former empress dowager died. Although she had been mad for a long time and was already old, her death wasn't due to illness, but rather being startled to death by the princess's zither music. I don't think the princess wants me to report this matter to the emperor either? If His Majesty were to blame us, I'm afraid the princess wouldn't be able to bear it."

  Yu Wuyou's face was slightly pale, but she still looked at Duke Wei with a calm and collected expression: "Duke Wei also said that the former Empress Dowager had been mentally ill for a long time. How can her death be blamed on me? So many people here listened to me play the zither without incident, how did she just happen to die by crashing into the wall? How can this be blamed on me?"

  Wei Zhong saw her expression and secretly rejoiced in his heart. Although the Princess Wuyou seemed fearless, she was actually still afraid, after all, someone had died.

  Even if she was clever and resourceful, when she entered the palace at seven years old, she was a noble princess who had never seen a dead person before, so it's natural for her to feel fearful of death!

  "Fo An, take the princess to the Return to Buddha Hall."

  Fu Gonggong was shocked, he naturally knew who lived in the Gui Fo Temple? If it is said that the Princess Worry-free is the one with the most special identity in the Cold Palace, then the second most special one is naturally the Imperial Concubine Gu of the Gui Fo Temple.

  "Princess, come with us, we'll take you to the Temple of the Returned Buddha."

  Yu Worry silently stood up, looked at Xiaohua and Xiaogao with a somewhat melancholy expression, and said in a low voice: "Xiaohua, Xiaogao, thank you for listening to me play the piano."

  "It's my good fortune to be able to listen to Your Highness play the piano." Xiao Gaozi still had a lingering fear, and Xiao Huazi's face was also pale, but facing Yuan Wuyou's eyes with a hint of hidden sadness, they didn't want this gentle and kind princess to get hurt.

  Watching Yuan Wuyou leave with a dejected back, Wei Zhong finally let out a sigh of relief and muttered: "Finally sent away this plague god." Gu Tai Fei entered the cold palace eighteen years ago, living in seclusion, devoted to Buddhism, never asking about worldly affairs. Even when meeting with Prince Huai once a year, it was just a distant glance through the palace gate before turning back.

  He thought and thought, and only Empress Dowager Gu had the identity to sternly refuse Princess Worry-Free and make her helpless.

  Xiao Huazi and Xiao Gaizi stared blankly at that slender and melancholy back, feeling uncomfortable in their hearts.

  ……

  Yu Wuyou and his two servants followed Fu Gonggong through the long corridor, across a desolate wilderness, and finally arrived at the Return to Buddha Hall.

  Looking at the humble courtyard under the high palace walls, Yu Zhu and Yu Cui were surprised to find that this place was even more quiet and secluded than the Tai Hui Hall. Because of its seclusion and quietness, the sound of the wooden fish drum inside was also clear and audible.

  Fu Gongzi took a step forward, lightly knocked on the door and pushed it open, but instead of entering, he stood still and shouted in an unusually respectful tone: "Your humble servant Fu An requests to see Her Highness, Empress Dowager Gu."

  Yu Worry lowered her eyes, covering the ripples in her pupils, quietly waiting, while Jade Pearl and Jade Emerald held their zithers with furrowed brows.

  A person walked out of the inner chamber, and Fu Gonggong saw her with a smile on his face: "Lan Ayi."

  Madam Lan glanced at the three servants standing behind Fu An and fixed her gaze on Fu Gonggong: "Fu Gonggong, who is this?"

  The smile on Fu Gonggong's face paused for a moment, and the next smile was somewhat unnatural, very awkwardly saying: "Is... is that so, Princess Worry wants to learn the piano, so... therefore..." So bringing this troublesome character here, it was hoped that Imperial Consort Gu would refuse this arrogant and willful person who still thought she was a princess, Yuan Wuyou.

  "Madam Lan, please let Princess Gong in." The knocking sound of the wooden fish in the inner hall did not stop, but a warm and gentle voice was added.

  Madam Lan nodded respectfully and then bowed her head towards Yuan Wuyou's body, her voice very calm: "Princess Wuyou, please!"