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After Gu Jiao had worked tirelessly as a physician for a day and a night, she was carried by Xiao Heng to the west room and fell into a deep sleep.
Perhaps it was because she was unfamiliar with the bed, or perhaps it was because there was a comforting atmosphere on this bed that she liked. She slept until the afternoon.
And just before she was about to wake up, she had a dream.
In her dream, she saw an endless expanse of sea, above which was a battlefield in fierce combat. Marquis Xuanping was on a heavily damaged warship, wielding a longsword and wearing black iron armor, fighting fiercely on the blood-stained deck.
In front of him was an island, and behind him was a city.
Gu Jiao had never been to that city, but in her dream, she could utter the name of that city—Nanhai City, a small city in the southernmost part of the State of Zhao.
As for the island, it was originally part of Nanhai City but had been occupied by marauding pirates.
Marquis Xuanping's purpose on this journey was to sweep the pirates and reclaim the island.
But the matter this time wasn’t as simple as dealing with pirates, because as Marquis Xuanping was heading south to deal with the pirates, there came distressing news from the borderlands of the State of Zhao. The remnants of the previous dynasty had conspired with the State of Chen, and Tang Yueshan had suffered a defeat while Princess Ning'an had been captured.
To rescue Princess Ning'an, Old Marquis ventured alone and unfortunately fell into a trap set by the remnants of the previous dynasty.
Three cities were lost at the borderlands, and the Emperor was furious. He immediately summoned Gu Changqing, who was near Mount Fengdu, to return to the capital and ordered him to reorganize the Gu Family Army and march north to confront the enemy.
Unexpectedly, before the army could set out, news came from the borderlands that Gu Chengfeng and Old Marquis had both perished.
It turned out that Gu Chengfeng, upon learning that his grandfather had been captured, secretly left the capital and went to the borderlands with the intention of rescuing his grandfather.
He was Fei Shuang, and in theory, stealing a person from the enemy camp should have been a trivial matter.
But it was unclear what went wrong along the way. He was discovered by the remnants of the previous dynasty and shot to death with random arrows.
The enemy then severed his head and hung it on the city wall alongside Old Marquis's head.
This was a premeditated trap.
The borderlands were cold, and the heads of the two men hung on the city wall for a whole month without any signs of decomposition. Old Marquis had watched his grandson being shot to death by arrows right in front of him before dying in his own grave.
A mix of anger and despair could be seen in his pair of frozen, blood-red eyes.
Gu Changqing, despite mentally preparing himself on the way, couldn't help but feel his blood boil when he witnessed the scene of his brother and grandfather's heads being displayed in humiliation. He even spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot!
Gu Changqing eventually reclaimed the borderlands, exterminated the remnants of the previous dynasty, and annihilated the army of the State of Chen.
However, the price he paid was his own legs and the lives of 100,000 Gu Family soldiers, with 80,000 never returning. Brave young men and heroes, their spirits now forever guarding the borderlands.
Because of the extremely gruesome dream, Gu Jiao didn't immediately realize that she was sleeping in Xiao Heng's bed upon waking up. She sat at the edge of the bed in a daze for a moment, and the small tuft of hair on her head stood on end.
The events in the dream occurred half a year later. However, due to the previous incident when Xiao Heng was captured by the Dual Blade Sect, Gu Jiao couldn't guarantee that the events she dreamed of wouldn't happen ahead of time.
Why they might happen ahead of time, she didn't know.
All this time, she had felt that her dreams were prophetic, but recently, she had this illusion that those events had actually already occurred.
She had lived through them but somehow she had forgotten.
This speculation was audacious and almost absurd, which was why she said it was her illusion.
Suddenly, she remembered her senior transmigrator from the State of Yan. She wondered if they had similar experiences to hers.
If only she could ask them in person.
Forget it, now wasn’t the time to dwell on this. She should think about what happened in her dream.
If her guess was correct, the most pressing issue right now was whether the tragedy involving the Gu Family's grandfather and grandson and the 100,000 Gu Family soldiers would happen ahead of time.
......
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"
The Emperor was in his study in Huaqing Palace, reviewing memorandums, when Eunuch Wei hurriedly entered.
"What's the matter that you're in such a hurry?" The Emperor frowned and glared at Eunuch Wei.
Eunuch Wei had been by the Emperor's side for a long time and should have known better than to act so improperly.
Eunuch Wei felt bitter in his heart. He didn't want to act like this either, but this time, it was indeed a major issue!
He reported, "Your Majesty, Marquis Xuanping has bullied Grand Preceptor Zhuang in public, and now Grand Preceptor Zhuang has come to complain to you!"
The Emperor furrowed his brow and asked, "Grand Preceptor Zhuang?"
Marquis Xuanping had bullied Grand Preceptor Zhuang?
To be honest, he didn't have a very favorable impression of Grand Preceptor Zhuang. The Zhuang Family held immense power, and while Grand Preceptor Zhuang appeared to show great respect for him as the Emperor, he could only wonder how many schemes and obstacles he had placed in secret.
In any case, Grand Preceptor Zhuang was a senior official who had served two dynasties. He was a prominent court official and the elder brother of Empress Dowager Zhuang, in essence, his uncle.
The Emperor decided to meet with him in his study.
Grand Preceptor Zhuang was a scholar, and scholars had a way with words. In a lengthy and eloquent indictment, he vividly described Marquis Xuanping's behavior as that of a tyrant who showed no regard for the court officials, wantonly humiliating them publicly.
The Emperor thought to himself, can I not know that Marquis Xuanping is a tyrannical bully? What’s the use of complaining to me? Even I can do nothing to him.
Grand Preceptor Zhuang understood that the Emperor was inclined to favor Marquis Xuanping, but what of it? The Emperor couldn't possibly show favoritism to the extent of forgetting proper protocol.
Grand Preceptor Zhuang spoke earnestly, "Your Majesty, if he dares to act so ruthlessly under the foot of the Emperor, disregarding Your Majesty’s dignity, one can only wonder how he might further trample upon the honor of the imperial family in the future!”
These words were just short of saying that Marquis Xuanping had become too powerful and arrogant. Today, he dared to bully the Emperor’s uncle, tomorrow he might dare to sit over the Emperor’s head and act atrociously everywhere!
If the late Emperor had heard such words, it would undoubtedly have led to complications.
However, this Emperor wasn't his predecessor and didn't harbor as many suspicions. Moreover, he considered Marquis Xuanping's behavior to be part of his character. If Marquis Xuanping didn't act arrogantly and domineeringly for one day, he wouldn't be Marquis Xuanping.
"Summon Marquis Xuanping for Zhen." the Emperor ordered solemnly.
He couldn't afford to turn a blind eye to such a public incident, as the entire populace had witnessed it.
Soon, Eunuch Wei brought Marquis Xuanping into the palace.
"Your Majesty, this official is guilty."
Marquis Xuanping admitted his guilt the moment he entered the study. He then confessed to publicly humiliating Grand Preceptor Zhuang and An Junwang in the streets.
This unexpected maneuver left Grand Preceptor Zhuang completely stunned!
He had considered the possibility that Marquis Xuanping might use the Emperor's favor to deny his guilt or shift the blame onto him, claiming that he had initially used his status to suppress Xiao Liulang, and he, Marquis Xuanping, had merely intervened to uphold justice.
But Marquis Xuanping had actually admitted to everything!
“Ahem.” The Emperor cleared his throat, thinking to himself, Marquis Xuanping, this fellow, truly has a knack for constantly pushing the boundaries of people's understanding of him.
Forget it, just get used to it. This guy is shameless after all, so what doesn’t he dare to acknowledge?
If he denied it, he would be subjected to a hundred lashes, but by confessing, he could have his punishment reduced by half.
The Emperor had long given up on trying to reform Marquis Xuanping. In the earlier years, he had considered Marquis Xuanping a court official he valued, whose every action and word affected the reputation of the imperial court and his own as the Emperor. But gradually, the people's criticism of Marquis Xuanping had become directed solely at him personally, rather than at the court as a whole. The Emperor had grown tired of worrying about it.
The Emperor looked at Marquis Xuanping and said in a serious tone, "Considering your upright attitude and active confession, you may go and receive fifty lashes yourself. Additionally, you will forfeit half a year's salary."
Marquis Xuanping's face turned dark.
He could accept the whipping, but losing his salary was unacceptable!
Grand Preceptor Zhuang was also dissatisfied with this outcome. Marquis Xuanping was immensely wealthy, and losing half a year's salary was a paltry punishment.
As for the fifty lashes, for a martial arts practitioner like him, it was akin to tickling him!
Grand Preceptor Zhuang’s face was livid with anger, and his clenched fists audibly cracked.
Marquis Xuanping calmly walked out, glanced at Grand Preceptor Zhuang, and sighed, "Just how old are you? Haven't you been weaned off yet? Still running to tattle."
Grand Preceptor Zhuang: "...!!"
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