AWB Chapter 417: Suspicions in the East Palace!
Chapter 417: Suspicions in the East Palace!
In the following days, nothing major happened in the capital.
However, after the incident in the Eastern Palace, Gu Jingzhi still transferred the secret guards out.
No one in the Xiling Marquis Mansion knew what Gu Jingzhi was thinking. They only knew that the secret guards had been busy these days, and news was constantly coming into the mansion every day.
Chen Yu couldn't contain himself any longer and went straight to Gu Jingzhi's study.
Seeing his wife coming over, Gu Jingzhi placed the file the secret guard had handed him on the table and said gently, "Why are you here today? Are the little ones asleep?"
Chen Yu never let him worry about matters at home. Most of the time, she was at home waiting for Gu Jingzhi to come back.
Occasionally I would go to the Lin Mansion to sit down.
Ever since the brothers Lin Chong and Lin Feng established themselves in the army, Gu Jingzhi's grandparents also moved to the capital to live.
Gu Jingzhi knew that the old man traveled a long distance because he wanted to see his grandson. After all, his biological mother passed away and he suffered a lot in Gu Heng's family. The old man felt sorry for his daughter, so he migrated a long distance despite his old age.
Gu Jingzhi was in the court, holding power. Most of the time he was busy with official duties and did not have much time to visit the old man. Chen Yu also brought up the worldly affairs of these interpersonal relationships.
In addition, the couple has a tacit understanding. Chen Yu usually won't come to the study unless there is something important!
Seeing her husband's gentle smile, Chen Yu walked slowly to his side, placed her hands on his shoulders, and said softly, "My husband seems a little anxious these days. I have watched as the past few days have passed, but I don't see his mood getting any better. What happened?"
"Uh……"
Gu Jingzhi pondered for a moment, then said, "It's not a big deal. It's just that after entering the palace that day, His Majesty asked me to go to the East Palace and discovered some problems. So, in the past few days, I sent the secret guards to investigate!"
"Donggong?"
Chen Yu asked suspiciously, "What kind of big event could possibly happen in the Eastern Palace that would require the dispatch of secret guards?"
"Na!"
Gu Jingzhi handed the file to Chen Yu. Chen Yu let go of Gu Jingzhi's shoulder, took the file and started reading.
After a while, she frowned and said, "My husband has gone to so much trouble these days... just to investigate this woman named Qingxuan?"
"..."
Gu Jingzhi smiled bitterly.
If it was really this woman, he would investigate, but he would not send so many people. What he really wanted to investigate was the issue of Zhou Quan being misled. He asked the internal security to go out and investigate just to see if they could find any evidence.
Otherwise, any clues would be fine!
But after searching for a long time, he only found the woman named Qingxuan.
Gu Jingzhi smiled bitterly and said, "That woman was just a sideline. I was mainly investigating other things. I didn't find out what I wanted to find out, but I did find out the whole family background of this woman!"
Chen Yu put down the file, frowning slightly, and said, "My husband, even so, this woman's identity cannot be ignored. Although I don't know what you are investigating, I'm afraid this woman alone... is not that simple!"
"Ok!"
Gu Jingzhi nodded and said, "Indeed!"
The girl named Qingxuan that I met in the East Palace was actually the youngest daughter of the family in Ningzhou in the early years... that Jin Lehuang disguised herself as.
That is Mr. Cong!
Based on Jin Lehuang's confession, Liu Sandao and others also interrogated Cong Juren, but they did not get any results. At least they did not find any evidence to prove that there was anything wrong with Cong Juren.
But six years later, the youngest daughter of Mr. Cong, the ten-year-old girl who had played with Zhou Quan and his sister in Ningzhou... actually appeared in the Eastern Palace.
Moreover, judging from the looks of Zhou Quan and Qingxuan, I'm afraid they've already had some sexual activity.
As a second-rank minister, he had no intention of prying into the prince's private affairs. However, when Qingxuan served tea that day, he thought the woman looked familiar.
The most crucial thing is that a court official like Gu Jingzhi, who looks like neither a servant nor a master, follows the prince.
It would be fine if she was just a maid, but she was obviously a concubine, yet Zhou Quan kept her by his side.
It only means that Zhou Quan likes this woman very much!
Zhou Quan understood Gu Jingzhi, and Gu Jingzhi also knew that Zhou Quan had a secret awe of him in his heart, so he would never make such a mistake, but he made it that day!
Perhaps when Gu Jingzhi came, some unspeakable things were happening between the two of them, causing Yu Zhouquan to lose his usual composure.
But it is precisely because of this that we can see the problem.
What kind of good family would have guests come over, disturb the hosts while they are having sex, and then run out together to entertain the guests?
At least, this woman can just stay in the backyard!
Gu Jingzhi didn't expect that he only felt that the man looked familiar when he first saw him, but when he checked, he found out that he was indeed an acquaintance.
If he hadn't seen her again, he would have almost forgotten the ten-year-old girl and her eyes that didn't look like those of someone her age.
If it was just this woman, it would not have aroused Gu Jingzhi's vigilance. After all, she was Zhou Quan's childhood playmate. Now that Zhou Quan is the prince, it is understandable if he wants to find a woman to stay by his side.
Although Gu Jingzhi didn't know how deep their relationship was, he didn't care too much.
But after the secret guard dug out the file of Mr. Cong, he smelled a hint of something unusual.
That scholar Cong has now been transferred to the capital to serve as an official.
He participated in the first imperial examination after Gu Jingzhi returned to Beijing. He was of the same year as Lin Yong, but his ranking was average. He was just a fellow Jinshi. However, such a person was assigned an official position very early.
Then, in just a few years, he was promoted from an eighth-rank official to a fifth-rank official, and now he is working in the Ministry of Personnel.
Five levels in six years...
The speed of his promotion is almost catching up with Gu Jingzhi!
But why did Gu Jingzhi get promoted so quickly?
One reason was because of his own outstanding achievements, and the other was that he inherited the Gu family's legacy. Emperor Xia originally considered that the Gu family also contributed to the surrender of the Yun Kingdom, so he passed the credit to Gu Jingzhi.
He was thus conferred the title of Marquis.
But he was promoted to the current position of Minister of War entirely because of his merits.
Although his apparent achievements are only a few, what is the reality?
The aristocratic families will be surrounded and suppressed, and will no longer be able to stir up trouble in the court. Gu Jingzhi can definitely be regarded as the main contributor, and the Royal Bank has also achieved its original goal. Under his leadership, the tax revenue of Daxia has increased by an unknown amount compared to before.
This is all real credit.
But that Cong Juren...
Although judging from his resume, he has done a good job, but it is completely beyond his ability to achieve such a speed. However, he was promoted to level five in just six years!
An average of one level up per year!
Starting from the eighth rank...
Even if the lower ranks were to be promoted faster, without notable achievements, how could they deserve such a speed?
How could Gu Jingzhi believe that there was no one pushing him forward?