The imperial mausoleum is located at the southern foot of Tianzi Mountain, after the official start of construction, Gu Qingning got Tianzi Mountain to do the supervision in the early stage, and then it is the phased inspection, and finally the supervision inspection before the completion, in short, from October of this year, to the end of September of the following year, she has to frequently go back and forth between Tianzi Mountain and the inner city of Chang'an.

This is not the first time she has gone to Tianzi Mountain to supervise the repair of the imperial tomb, but the last time it didn't take so long, and the matter was urgent, she was in a hurry to finish the repair, because that time it was for the eldest princess of Jinyi to repair the tomb.

She used more thought about building a mausoleum for the emperor that time, so she left a special cemetery at the northern foot of Tianzi Mountain, just like its owner, which is unique and beautiful.

"It's wonderful, spectacular...... At that time, I felt that my lord, you have put a lot of effort into this, and you are more attentive than the previous cultivation of the Tianyi Altar, but you have not seen it with your own eyes, so it seems that the imperial mausoleum built for the emperor this time is probably only larger than the mausoleum of the eldest princess......"

After inspecting the southern foot for a day, when the sun was about to set, Zhang Yuanning accompanied Gu Qingning to the northern foot and came to the cemetery of the eldest princess of Jinyi to pay respects and observe.

Gu Qingning said: "Do you really dare to say this? Zhang Langzhong, be cautious." ”

"Yes, follow the teachings of your lords. Zhang Yuanning saw that Gu Qingning was a little depressed after coming here, so he deliberately joked.

Standing on the stone steps leading to the main mausoleum, Gu Qingning stopped and watched for a while, this is a very long staircase, standing on such a high place can overlook the many cemeteries at the foot of the mountain, she smiled for no reason, "Actually, it is also very interesting......

"Huh?" There was not even the sound of birds singing in the surrounding forests, and the late autumn was bleak, and there were only two people on such a high level, he and Gu Qingning, which made him feel very empty.

"Since ancient times, after the emperor ascended the throne, he would immediately choose a site to repair the mausoleum, and the prime minister would preside over it, but it was only in my dynasty that it was changed to start ......building three years after ascending the throne," she said, turning around and continuing to walk down.

"So what?"

"That is to say, the ancient emperors, as soon as they ascend to the supreme position, they must first plan for what is behind them...... It seems that there is always someone to be the emperor, but whether he can have a decent place behind him to sleep forever has become a question......"

Zhang Yuanning listened, and was speechless for a moment: "I also taught the subordinate officials to speak carefully, do you know what you ......said, my lord?"

"It's enough to punish my nine clans, right?" Gu Qingning was still blunt, and glanced at him from the side.

Zhang Yuanning looked at the sky, the red sun had fallen, and the sunset was about to disperse, he said: "Anyway, I haven't heard anything." ”

Walking out of the cemetery, Gu Qingning explained to Zhang Yuanning: "You can rush back today, I have to survey here for two more days, and when the cemetery tomb road is dug through, I will go back to the court, you and I are here, and I am not at ease if no one presides over the affairs of the ministry......"

"No one is presiding?" Lord Shangshu ......" He followed her words, and regretted it when he said it, bumping into Gu Qingning's puzzled eyes, he had no choice but to say, "I heard what I said...... Well, I'll go down the mountain and back to the city later. ”

"But, my lord, when it comes to this, aren't you worried about the affairs of the Criminal Department?" he asked.

Gu Qingning nodded: "Of course I'm worried, isn't there a saying?' One day is not in his position, and in the blink of an eye, I can imagine how happy the people in the Criminal Department are in the past three days, so I asked Lieutenant Lang of the Criminal Department to send a fast horse to Lingyuan Temple to send me a fast horse to send a summary of daily official affairs, and I don't tell them when I will go back...... But actually, I probably don't have time to read their nonsense at all, and I know exactly when I'm going to go back to the DPRK......"

Zhang Yuanning listened, thought for a while, and tried to ask, "So when do you plan to return to the court?"

Gu Qingning didn't answer, only looked at him with a smile, and raised his eyebrows at him, Zhang Yuanning instantly understood again, "Oh...... When I get back, I'll send you a summary of my daily business and I'm going to send you a fast horse......"

Gu Qingning still looked at him like that, and he immediately added: "Of course, Lord Shangshu will also receive a copy of the same, but he won't know that he will receive it, unless he asks why you received it......"

Gu Qingning finally put on a relieved smile, nodded, looked away, patted him on the shoulder and praised: "Lord Zhang, as long as you react faster, you will definitely have a bright future." ”

As they were talking, they walked to the mountain gate, where there were people waiting for them, and a messenger from the inner city who sent Gu Qingning a summary of official affairs.

Zhang Yuanning counted the people and prepared to say goodbye to Gu Qingning and rush back to the city, but Gu Qingning took the summary of today's official affairs, took advantage of this leisure time to take a look, and didn't want to change his face greatly, so he immediately stopped Zhang Yuanning and asked him to stay and supervise the work for her, she wanted to go back to the city immediately.

"My lord, what happened?" Zhang Yuanning was inevitably puzzled.

She smiled bitterly, put away the summary of official affairs, looked back at Tianzi Mountain at the time of twilight, and laughed at herself: "Sure enough, you can't talk nonsense, retribution will come so soon......"

……

Gu Mansion, Gu Qinghuan and Gu Qingxuan were playing chess in the study, and the night was the quietest, and even the sound of birds outside could be heard clearly. Gu Qinghuan was wearing a light coat, sitting around the fireplace, with chess pieces in his hand, but he was actually drowsy, and kept yawning: "Father, I can't do it anymore...... Wait alone, I'm going to sleep...... I'm going to go to the court in two hours, and I want to squint for a while......"

Gu Qingxuan watched the chess game, didn't look up, and didn't let him go, "Wait a while, it's almost ...... What do you sleep when you're young?"

Gu Qinghuan was helpless, so he had to sit in place, poured himself a cup of hot tea, and complained: "Aren't you just afraid that when she comes, you can't quarrel with her alone?" Anyway, father, I'm leaving the words here, that matter has nothing to do with me, I'm on my sister's side, if she starts a fire against you, I can't support you......

"Then you support her?" Gu Qingxuan angrily threw down a chess piece.

Gu Qinghuan took a step, "No, I can't argue with her, so I can only stand on her side." ”

After the end of the first game, Gu Qinghuan was defeated miserably and was about to end the game, and Gu Qingxuan had to start another game, he couldn't help but beg for mercy again and again, and finally heard movement outside.

Uncle Tang came to report in his clothes: "My lord, my son, the eldest lady is back!"

"Uncle Tang, are you in such a hurry that you are afraid that I will scare them?" A voice then came, seven points cold, three points sarcastic, "Don't worry, I can't scare them, only they scare me." ”

"Miss...... Tang Bo helped her open the door of the study, and retreated with a smile, "The adults and the sons haven't slept yet...... Finally waited for the young lady to come back......"

When the people in the room heard this, they all trembled slightly, and Tang Bo successfully retreated.

As soon as the door opened, Gu Qingning confronted them directly, his face was frighteningly cold, Gu Qinghuan hurriedly welcomed her in and poured hot tea for her: "Sister, why did you rush back so late? I said that my father didn't sleep so late and dragged me to play chess? It turned out that he was waiting for you to ......"

Before he finished covering himself, he heard Gu Qingning and Gu Qingxuan shouting in unison: "Don't pretend to be garlic!"

All of a sudden, the three of them couldn't help but look at each other, their faces were different, Gu Qinghuan was caught in the middle, so he had to play a round game, and said with a smile: "Look, this is a family, what a tacit understanding? How good? Why are you in a hurry to be white-faced? No one pays attention to anyone?"

They ignored him, Gu Qingning glared at Gu Qingxuan angrily, and asked him: "Why did Yushitai recommend Song Zhiyi as the secretary of the criminal department? That old Confucian student of the bachelor's mansion only knew how to write and write essays, and he relied on his own family background to be famous among the literati, so he specifically opposed us, criticizing the style of the official office and the behavior of the bureaucracy, so he is willing to make a scholar?"

Gu Qingxuan said: "You can put a Wang Yunshen in the Ministry of Industry, why can't you tolerate one more Song Zhiyi in the Criminal Department? ”

"How can it be the same? Is Song Zhiyi easy to provoke? Can he be as obedient as Wang Yunshen? He is the best at causing trouble! When he arrives at the Criminal Department, he will definitely suppress me, and besides, I haven't even figured out the Criminal Department myself, so I will bring another boss?" Gu Qingning became more and more angry, "Why on the hell, Father, why did you do this? And you recommended him when I was not in the court? This is really too ...... for you?"

She almost lost her words, but stopped in time and bit her lip silently.

There was an embarrassing silence between the three of them, and Gu Qingxuan's face also became very bad, glaring at her and knocking on the chessboard, "What's too much? Is it too despicable? Is it too shameful? Do you want to say that?"

"Father, sister, don't you......" Gu Qinghuan hurriedly pressed Gu Qingxuan, trying to stabilize both sides.

Gu Qingning shook his face away and didn't look at Gu Qingxuan, "Otherwise, why is it at this time?"

"Yes. Gu Qingxuan's tone changed again, and he became calm: "I just deliberately picked this time to let them watch, I did it on purpose! I just did it while you were away! They didn't dare to come over and say that I was despicable to my face, only you dare! Only when you rushed back in a hurry and quarreled with me, I would have a reason to resign from King Jin's arrangement!"

"King Jin?" Gu Qingning was stunned again, "How can it be related to King Jin?"

"Of course it will be related to the King of Jin, think about it with your brain, why do the old Confucian students in the Bachelor's Mansion have no merit or no work, they are all vain, and they can still shout in the court every day? Because they have all been auxiliary scribes of the prince's noble relatives, they are closely connected with the royal family, the emperor and the prince all call them 'sir', and the most important thing is ......" Gu Qingxuan's strength in knocking on the case was heavier, and he said word by word: "Those articles and speeches that praise the royal merits of the Son of Heaven are all written by them! Those historians and heirs are their protégés!"

"Hmm......" Gu Qingning's arrogance completely disappeared, and he suddenly understood, "I remember, Song Zhiyi's father, Old Master Song, seems to be the auxiliary scribe of the Jin prince...... Song Zhiyi seems to have helped King Jin do a lot of paperwork and polishing...... Then why did he suddenly want to be a real official? Didn't he mix well in the Academy?"

Gu Qingxuan also eased up, "Half a month ago, he found me, saying that the post of Shangshu of the Criminal Department has been vacant for a long time, which is very unfavorable to the situation in the court or something, a lot of nonsense, anyway, it means that he has taken a fancy to that position, and then hinted that King Jin also wants him to sit in that position...... I had no choice but to respond to him first, otherwise I wouldn't have directly pushed off the face of King Jin, did I? Do you think I am willing to deal with him? He is not one of us, and he has never given gifts to his colleagues in Yushitai, let alone a father who needs to apologize when I scolded and cried in front of me, why should I give him an official position for nothing?"

Being sarcastic by him, Gu Qingning's face froze, he thought for a while, and asked again: "So father, you deliberately dragged it to this time, provoked me to anger me, and provoked me to rush back from Tianzi Mountain to make a scene, you have an excuse to dissuade him?"

Gu Qingxuan stretched out his hands, "Of course, who made you unable to hold your breath and be easily provoked? And now everyone knows that you are throwing a tantrum with me...... Children's enemies are the best excuse. ”

Gu Qingning was puzzled, thinking of the real problem, and he didn't bother with anything else: "Father, you know what this means, right?"

Gu Qingxuan's eyes were white, and he said willfully: "I don't know, I'm old and confused, how can I know ......?"

"King Jin has made a move...... Gu Qingning ignored him, and only thought to himself: "If he really wants to do this...... Can he be a friend or an enemy? What is his ambition?"

Gu Qingxuan pulled his face and didn't talk, Gu Qinghuan may not have spoken for a long time.

Gu Qingning turned his face to look at Gu Qinghuan, who was already settled, and asked him, "Qinghuan, what are you doing in a daze? You are not old and confused, why don't you speak?"

Gu Qinghuan looked at the chessboard, shook his head solemnly, and said slowly: "It's nothing, I'm just thinking, should I reconsider my career prospect......s?"

Gu Qingning glanced at him, thought about it for a while, and also felt sleepy and tired.

In the end, she said, "Father, perhaps, you don't have to dissuade him...... It's just an old Confucian student, anyway, the Ministry of Industry already has one, am I afraid of another one? Anyway, one is fooling and the other is also fooling. ”

"You just don't want to be a shield, do you?" Gu Qinghuan interjected very uninterestingly, and was really glared at by Gu Qingning.

She continued: "First of all, we haven't figured out King Jin's mind yet, so before we determine whether he is a friend or foe, it is better for us to show favor first, so it will not be wrong." ”

Gu Qingxuan regained his positive color, looked at Gu Qingning, and sighed: "Qingning, it's finally time for you to say this." ”

"What words, compromise?" Gu Qingning was inexplicable.

Gu Qinghuan said: "No, my father is talking about 'we' ...... you said, sister."

"Qingning, welcome home. Gu Qingxuan smiled peacefully.

Gu Qingning was stunned for a moment, looking at where he was, the familiar people in front of him, and the familiar scenes......

She only smiled coldly and shook her head.

Gu Qingxuan and Gu Qinghuan's hearts were half cold again, and they didn't know what to do with her.

She spoke again, as if nothing had happened, and only continued with the most unforgiving topics, about power and entitlement.

"There is one more thing, father, I think you should know that if this matter is true, it will be related to the country, enough to shake the royal family, and the position of King Jin will be very different......"

"Sister, what is it?"

"Your Majesty, you may not be able to have children......," she said, trying to be as cautious as possible.

Gu Qingxuan and Gu Qinghuan were both dumbfounded: "What?"

"The emperor is about to be established, but there has been no heir, this is a fact, and I happened to learn that Hua Shenyi has been developing some kind of prescription for the emperor to treat infertility, but so far to no avail......"

Gu Qingxuan came back to his senses, his surprise faded away, and he thought deeply: "If this is true...... As the only living imperial uncle, King Jin's youngest son, the only remaining descendant of the royal family, may become the future prince...... No wonder His Majesty rewarded the Jin Mansion so generously after the birth of the little prince, and the Queen Mother went to visit ...... in person."

Gu Qinghuan kept looking at Gu Qingning, as if he had other associations, until Gu Qingning turned his eyes to look at him, he turned his head away, and said, "Yes...... It is very possible for the prince of Jin, but father, don't forget, there is also the ninth prince, although the ninth prince went to the fief after the emperor ascended the throne and never participated in the court dispute, but after all, he is His Majesty's own brother, and the only one among the princes who was named the Prince of Qizhu is still alive...... Doesn't he still have a chance?"

"It's hard to say. Gu Qingxuan thought about it and said to his children: "In short, the first step is to determine whether His Majesty really can't have children." ”

Gu Qingning agreed, "Yes, you have to start with Doctor Hua." ”

The night will pass, the sky will be bright, in the misty morning, how many lights have not stopped, in Chang'an City, the official roads are stripped, the wheels of the carriage are rolling and turning, and they go straight to that place......