Chapter 42: You Married a Good Husband

  The atmosphere became even more tense, although Yuwen Changqing smiled harmlessly, but he wore a sword. The emperor looked up at him and Yuwen Changqing said in a low voice: "On the empress dowager's birthday, Your Majesty is a filial son, how can you not drink this wine?"

  The aroma of wine wafts through the air, but the emperor's face doesn't look too good. Holding his cup for a long time, he turns to those below him: "My dear ministers, do you think I should drink this cup?"

  All high-ranking officials of the civil and military departments above the fourth grade were present. Although many ministers had just stood up, some people still sat down.

  The empress dowager listened to this question and snorted with a smile: "This question from the emperor is quite interesting, Prime Minister Gu, you come and answer, should the emperor drink this cup of wine or not?"

  The Grand Preceptor had been sitting all along, but when the Empress Dowager asked this question, he looked at the Emperor and stiffened his body, slowly standing up: "This wine..."

  The banquet hall was silent, with no sound at all. Gu Bo Yu's back was already drenched in sweat. The empress dowager and the emperor's eyes were both fixed on him. His answer would inevitably offend one side or the other.

  He used to be neutral and obedient, but now it seems he has no choice.

  Taking a deep breath, Gu Gong closed his eyes:

  "It's time to drink."

  The emperor sneered and lowered his eyes. The empress dowager and the empress smiled together, and the prime minister stood up, followed by some ministers who had just been seated, each with different thoughts in their minds as they raised their cups.

  Shen Guiyan also stood up with her, but she accidentally dropped the palace plate hanging from her waist.

  When the outer ministers enter the palace, they will hang the palace plate on their waist. When they go out, they have to hand it over at the palace gate, which is also to prevent someone from sneaking into the palace. The palace plate needs to be approved by the empress, and it's a lot of trouble to get one, so Shen Guiyan quickly bent down to pick it up, lest she can't find it later.

  He inadvertently turned his head and saw that the token on Gu Zhaobei's waist was gone.

  "Congratulations to Empress Dowager for her good fortune as vast as the East Sea and longevity as long-lasting as Mount Nanshan." All the officials raised their cups together to celebrate, and Shen Guiyan also followed suit in congratulating.

  The Empress Dowager was overjoyed and laughed loudly: "All of you are excused from paying respects, take your seats."

  "Thank you, Empress Dowager."

  She sat down again, Shen Guiyan didn't care about the people around her, she just turned her head and asked Gu Zhaobei in a low voice: "Where is your token?"

  Gu Zhaobei was lost in thought when she asked him, and he paused for a moment before saying: "Maybe it fell off when I went to the bathroom, no big deal, I'll ask Father to mention it later."

  "Isn't it a lot of trouble?" Shen Guiyan frowned: "How could you lose it."

  "It was quite important when you came in, but it's not that serious when you leave. I don't have a plaque, they can't possibly make me stay in the palace for the rest of my life, can they? Don't worry about it."

  Shen Guiyan let out a sigh and thought that it was reasonable, so she continued staring at the head of the main seat.

  The wine was drunk, and the emperor's smile also disappeared. The empress, on the other hand, laughed heartily and beckoned to the fifth prince: "Cheng'er, come help your father pour wine."

  "It's unnecessary." The emperor said calmly.

  The empress glanced at the officials and looked at the emperor, saying: "What's the point of this? Letting the ministers see a joke. The matter of establishing Li Cheng as crown prince will be done sooner or later."

  "I think the sixth prince is more suitable for the throne." The emperor did not budge: "The fifth prince is good, but at most he can be a useless ruler, and cannot become a sage ruler in troubled times."

  The queen didn't smile either, her face was icy and terrifying, the wine in her hand wasn't drunk, and she smashed it down along with the cup.

  "Bang!" The wine splashed everywhere, like a signal. Yuwen Changqing immediately stepped forward three steps with his hand on the hilt of his sword: "Your Highness."

  "How dare you!" The emperor's eyes were stern as he looked at Yuwen Changqing: "In the great hall, I didn't call for you to come forward, why did you come forward?"

  Yuwen Changqing furrowed his brow: "I just wanted to protect Your Majesty."

  "Protect the carriage?" The emperor burst out laughing, but his eyes didn't have a hint of amusement: "Are you going to protect the phoenix carriage or the dragon carriage?"

  Yuwen Changqing lowered his head and didn't speak, while Shen Guiyan was watching with great interest, but her body was suddenly pulled to one side by Gu Zhaobei.

  "Whoa!" A large group of black-clad men rushed up from all sides of the banquet, kicking over low tables and sending palace maidens shrieking, while ministers fled in all directions.

  "Assassins! Protect the Emperor!" Someone shouted, and the peaceful banquet was completely disrupted.

  Shen Guiyan thought it was absurd, how could a group of assassins enter the palace so freely? If they really were assassins from outside the palace, she would write her name upside down!

  "Go north, towards the main hall." The surroundings were crowded with people, Shen Guiyan grabbed Gu Zhaobei's shoulder and whispered.

  Gu Zhaobei didn't even ask her why, and instead took her towards the palace.

  Yuwen Changqing protected the Empress Dowager and the Queen, several civil officials trembled with fear in front of the Emperor. Countless black-clad assassins rushed in, all rushing straight towards the Emperor, while the golden light shining Empress Dowager and Queen just stood by and watched.

  "Oh no! Quick, call the Imperial Guard!" The eunuch San Quan, pinching his fingers together in a nervous gesture, stood before the Emperor and cried out anxiously: "Your Majesty, please hurry away, hurry away!"

  The emperor looked at the chaos in front of him, then glanced at Yuwen Changqing, who was lowering his head to protect the empress dowager and the queen, and smiled lightly, before laughing more and more fiercely.

  "What a great escort!"

  The queen was not surprised at all, supporting the empress dowager on one side, looking at the emperor surrounded by assassins and saying: "We have all said it before, Your Majesty, why must you? This throne, you can still sit for a while longer."

  The sixth prince drew his sword and stood in front of the imperial carriage, a calm expression on his face: "Your Majesty, do not worry, I am still here."

  "Who?" The fifth prince stood beside the queen and smiled softly: "Sixth imperial brother is still so stubborn."

  None of them know martial arts, how many people are blocking the holy carriage, aren't they all in vain? Empress Wen supported the empress dowager's hand and walked out, saying softly: "Empress Dowager, please restrain your grief."

  "Alas." The Empress Dowager only sighed once and had just taken two steps forward when she was pushed back by the crowded black-clad people in front.

  "What's going on?" Empress Wen was furious: "Changqing."

  "I'm here." Yuwen Changqing was a tall and slender man. He took a glance at the situation outside and bowed his head, saying: "There are too many people."

  "With so few people, do we need to mobilize so many? It's already crowded, what's the point?" The empress glared at him and quickly helped the dowager empress steady herself.

  Yuwen Changqing pursed his lips and said: "Your Majesty, forgive me, but I arranged for people... it seems there aren't that many."

  The queen was taken aback.

  Gu Zhaobei protected Shen Guiyan with one hand, and they managed to enter the grand hall smoothly, passing through a row of black-clad men, until they finally reached the side of the Sixth Prince.

  "Alright?" The Sixth Prince asked softly.

  Shen Guiyan raised her head in a daze, not knowing who he was asking, but she heard the person beside her respond faintly with a "Hmm."

  She opened her eyes wide and looked at Gu Zhaobei, who gently put her down and pushed her back, then stood with the Sixth Prince.

  "Your Majesty's rescue has arrived late!" A loud announcement came from outside, and the chaos in the grand hall subsided a lot in an instant.

  The empress was shocked, and the dowager frowned: "Isn't General Shi supposed to be on an external mission outside the capital today? How did you give him a palace pass again?"

  "The son is gone." The queen's face turned slightly pale.

  Shiwa Long is the commander of the Imperial Forest Army, loyal to the Emperor. Now that everything has been arranged, how could she let Shiwa Long enter the palace?

  It's too late to think about these now, Shi Wulong led the Imperial Guard into the main hall, and a group of black-clad men would certainly not have a good ending.

  "Kill!" In any case, there was no way out, and the black-clad men rushed even more fiercely towards the Emperor.

  Gu Zhaobei took the long sword from the Sixth Prince's hand, and with a flick of his wrist, he blocked five or six people. The officials who had just looked weak and feeble beside the Sixth Prince also stood up one after another, their heads held high, revealing that they were not officials but guards.

  This feast at Hongmen Gate, it's really unclear who outwitted whom.

  Shen Guiyan quickly reacted to the whole situation and looked at Gu Zhaobei, who was holding a sword in the black clothes pile, her heart beating violently.

  He can actually fight, he's actually involved in today's matter, and he's been hiding so many things from everyone?

  "Mrs. Gu Si Shao." Someone behind her called out to her.

  Shen Guiyan turned back with a daze.

  The emperor smiled warmly and looked at her: "At first, I thought he had married a good wife. Now it seems that you have also married a good husband."

  Shen Guiyan opened her mouth, her face looked extremely silly, and she couldn't say a word.

  "After this great chaos is over, I will reward you." The emperor looked at her: "I watched you distribute porridge on the street for three days. You taught me many things. With subjects like you, I am very pleased."

  The queen and the empress dowager were already slightly flustered, if Shi Wulong suppressed all the black-clad men, today's plot to assassinate the king would be difficult to cover up.

  "General Yuwen." The empress, quick-witted in her urgency, drew out Yuwen Changqing's sword.

  Yuwen Changqing was taken aback, and then she saw her slashing her own arm fiercely.

  "Your Majesty!"

  The great hall was in even greater chaos, Shi Fa Long wielded his large knife and slaughtered the black-clad men all the way, just like chopping cabbage. Blood flowed like a river. Shen Gui Yan felt that her shoes were already wet, but she didn't dare to look down.

  Gu Zhaobei was injured, but it wasn't too serious. She wanted to go forward several times, but thinking that she would only be a hindrance, she endured it.

  The commotion lasted for a stick of incense time, Shi Wulong arrived at the emperor's side, and everything was settled.

  "Your Majesty, please move your throne." The bearded Shi Wulong cupped his fists and said: "I, a minor official, have come late and should be punished for it."

  The emperor smiled faintly and turned his head to look at the empress, but she had already been taken back to her palace due to her injuries.

  "How did Shì Tǒnglǐng enter the palace?" The Empress Dowager asked softly.

  Shi Walong took down the token from his waist and presented it to the Sixth Prince: "Thanks to the Sixth Prince for spreading the news, I knew that there were traitors in the palace, so I was able to rescue the Emperor in time."

  The Empress Dowager glanced at the palace tablet, but the Emperor reached out and took it into his own hands: "Today's great chaos, fortunately thanks to you and the Crown Prince, according to reason should be rewarded."

  "Thank you, Your Majesty." Shi Wulong knocked his head: "But those who dare to offend the emperor should be punished. This time, the assassination attempt on Your Majesty must not be tolerated again!"