Chapter 294: Palace Fate ( words long chapter! Thanks to my friend "Do I Still Have a Chance" for the generous reward!)
At the hour of Yin in the morning in Luoan, when the sky was just getting light, Taifu Gao Changde walked towards the imperial city with an attendant.

Although Emperor Hui Jiang Rui had been on the throne for eight years, he was only ten years old and therefore could not rule the country. He still had to study hard in the palace every day under the guidance of Taifu Gao Changde, so as to learn how to govern the country as soon as possible.

The group of three arrived at the Meridian Gate of the Imperial City. Wang Liangbi, the commander of the guarding Yulin Army, saw the highly respected Taifu outside the door. He naturally knew that this was the same person as always, coming to teach the little emperor regardless of rain or shine. So he did not check carefully and opened the door to welcome in Taifu Gao Changde and his entourage.

Under the protection of the Yulin Army, Gao Changde, leaning on a crutch, slowly came to the Ziwei Palace with his entourage. This palace was where the young emperor Jiang Rui studied every day.

Even with the help of a cane, the very old and dying Taifu Gao Changde still had great difficulty walking up the high and long steps of the Ziwei Palace.

Gao Changde waved his sleeves, and the follower behind him, who was wearing gray servant clothes and lowered his head without saying a word, stepped forward and supported Gao Changde's arm, wanting to help Gao Changde walk into the Ziwei Palace.

Seeing this, Wang Liangbi, the commander of the Yulin Army guards, frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, stepped forward, and bowed to Gao Changde to remind him:
"Master Taifu, according to the rules, this follower cannot enter the Ziwei Palace..."

Hearing this, Gao Changde glanced at Wang Liangbi with cloudy eyes and said lightly:

"I am old and frail, and it is difficult for me to move these days. Can't I find someone to help me?"

"Taifu, that's not what I meant, it's just that..." Feeling the unkindness in Gao Changde's words, Wang Liangbi hurriedly explained:
"Humph! It's not your turn as a mere Yulin Army commander to lecture me about my duties.

"You can report this matter to the higher-ups and see if Shangguan Hongyuan will punish me!"

After saying this, Gao Changde ignored Wang Liangbi and walked towards Ziwei Palace with the help of his followers.

Looking at the departing backs of Gao Changde and his follower, Wang Liangbi could only shake his head helplessly.

Although the rules have clearly prohibited it, these rules are made by people after all. If it were someone else, he would just give an order and arrest the person.

However, if Gao Changde, the Grand Tutor, really took advantage of his seniority and started to show off his power, then as a commander, he would be completely helpless. He couldn't kill this old man who had many students all over the world and was highly respected just because of this matter, could he?

In that case, the civil and military officials in the court would be absolutely excited, and the memorials impeaching him would fly like snowflakes. In that case, even the Prime Minister would not be able to protect himself...
Forget it, just let an attendant enter the hall to support him, it’s not a big deal, just report it to the higher-ups and let them handle it!

With this thought in mind, Wang Liangbi didn't think much about it, turned around and walked towards the Meridian Gate.

With the help of his followers, Gao Changde walked very slowly. It took him nearly a cup of tea to walk up the stairs and enter the hall.

"Thank you for your help, Master Taifu!"

The attendant who was supporting Gao Changde's arm, seeing that no one was around, whispered to Gao Changde:
"Your Highness Prince Zheng, you are too kind. I can only help you get here. You have to go on your own. I will leave at noon. I hope you will return on time!" Gao Changde whispered:
Prince Zheng Jiang Guang, who disguised himself as an attendant and followed Gao Changde into the imperial city, nodded and said, "Master Taifu, don't worry!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Guang flashed and entered the courtyard wall next to Ziwei Palace, while Gao Changde tidied his appearance and walked slowly towards the depths of the palace with his crutches...
As a prince of the court, Prince Zheng Jiang Guang is the uncle of the current Emperor Hui. He is a descendant of a noble family and holds a high status. Although he appears to be like other royal family members, living a life of sensual pleasures and in a daze, he lives in this world like a walking corpse.

But few people know that Jiang Guang has been practicing martial arts since he was a child, and he has become a disciple of the imperial master Qiu Jun, nicknamed the Winged Tiger. He has been training hard in the coldest and hottest days of winter and has acquired excellent martial arts skills!

Especially this light skill, which was inherited from Qiu Jun. He was able to walk through a field of flowers without getting a single leaf on him. Even if you look around the world, there are only a few who can match his light skill!
Despite his superb martial arts skills, Jiang Guang had never thought that he could break into the heavily guarded harem by himself. He quietly slipped into the Needlework Bureau in the palace, where security was the weakest.

There Jiang Guang met Han Baosheng, the eunuch he had bribed. With Han Baosheng's help, Jiang Guang changed into eunuch's clothes and followed Han Baosheng through numerous checkpoints and entered the harem.

Looking at the magnificent and splendid Shoukang Palace in front of him, Jiang Guang, dressed in eunuch's clothes, seemed to have thought of something, and a complicated emotion appeared in his eyes...
Although he was in mixed emotions, Jiang Guang also understood where he was and what he was doing. He quickly calmed down, and when the time was right, he quietly sneaked towards Shoukang Palace!

In the warm room of Shoukang Palace, Empress Dowager Cixiao Wang Yun, who had just finished washing, was having breakfast. Perhaps she had no appetite, so she did not eat much of the porridge and side dishes carefully prepared by the imperial chef, and asked the palace maids to take all the food away.

"Zi Yan, do you know what the emperor has learned from Master Gao recently?"

Although she was the Queen Mother of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Queen Mother Wang still cared about her children's studies like an ordinary mother.

Zi Yan, the beautiful young maidservant standing by, heard the Queen Mother's question and immediately replied softly:

"Reporting to the Queen Mother, Your Majesty has recently been studying the Doctrine of the Mean with Master Gao. I heard a few days ago that Master Gao was very satisfied with Your Majesty's academic progress and said that Your Majesty is very talented and a rare gem!"

Upon hearing this, a hint of joy appeared on Wang Yun's dignified and fair face, even though she was already the empress dowager of the Great Zhou, the mother of Emperor Hui, and the most respected woman in the court of the Great Zhou.

But because she entered the palace when she was less than 20 years old, Wang Yun is only in her early 30s until now, which is the best age for a woman to be elegant, intellectual, and plump...

"Zi Yan, go make some lotus seed soup and send it to Ziwei Palace at noon. Rui'er likes this the most," Wang Yun carefully instructed her personal maid.

"clatter······"

As soon as Wang Yun finished speaking, she heard some slight strange noises coming from outside the warm room. Upon hearing the strange noises, Zi Yan immediately became alert, protected Wang Yun in front of her, and shouted sternly to the outside of the door:

"Who?"

"I!"

King Zheng Jiang Guang immediately walked into the house

Looking at the middle-aged eunuch who suddenly appeared, Zi Yan was surprised and got into a fighting stance, ready to give the man in front of her a fatal blow at any time.

Being able to be the personal maid of the Queen Mother of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Zi Yan is no ordinary person. She is Wang Yun's maiden family. The Wang family of Huainan Hou has spent a lot of money to train a death warrior since childhood. She is highly skilled in martial arts and was specially sent to protect Wang Yun.

Although Jiang Guang was wearing eunuch's clothes at this time, Wang Yun still recognized him at a glance, and there was a hint of surprise in her eyes. However, it seemed that she realized her current identity, and the light in her eyes gradually disappeared...

"Zi Yan, please leave!" Wang Yun whispered:

"Empress Dowager..." The young Zi Yan was very surprised to hear Wang Yun's order. Her intuition told her that the middle-aged eunuch in front of her was very dangerous. If he was left alone with the Empress Dowager, it would pose a serious threat to her safety!
"Don't worry, he won't hurt me!" Wang Yun whispered again:

As a warrior who had been trained since childhood, Zi Yan didn't understand much about emotions, but when she heard the Queen Mother say this, she could naturally sense that there was some unusual relationship between the Queen Mother and this middle-aged eunuch who suddenly appeared. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke to Wang Yun:

"My Queen, I'm right outside the house. If you have any questions, please call me anytime!"

Wang Yun nodded helplessly when she heard that. Seeing this, Zi Yan gave Jiang Guang another warning look before walking out of the warm room.

Watching Zi Yan leave, Jiang Guang looked at Wang Yun tenderly and said with a smile:

"Your family's warriors are still as loyal as ever!"

Wang Yun did not respond to Jiang Guang's words, but said quietly:
"We said back then that we would never see each other again in this life..."

Jiang Guang couldn't help but smile bitterly when he heard this, but he said calmly:

"Yun'er, I regret it. For the past ten years, I have regretted my decision all the time."

When Jiang Guang said this, Wang Yun, who felt his intentions, couldn't help but change her expression, and all the things in the past came back to her mind.

Although she had a lot of thoughts in her mind, Wang Yun was no longer the little girl she used to be. Being the Queen Mother of the Zhou Dynasty for nearly ten years had greatly tempered her character. She suppressed her emotions, shook her head at Jiang Guang and said:

"Spilled water cannot be reversed, and a broken mirror cannot be mended."

"You are the King Zheng of the Great Zhou, and I am the Queen Mother of the Great Zhou. In this life, you and I are destined to be apart..."

"Your Highness, Prince Zheng, please go!"

Hearing the person in his dream say such heartless words, Jiang Guang's face was immediately filled with disappointment, but he was also a tough person, so he quickly restrained his emotions, forced a smile on his face and said:

"Yun'er, I know what you are worried about. Don't worry, I, Jiang Guang, did not force you ten years ago, and I will not do the same ten years later..."

"As long as I see you and Rui'er living a happy and blissful life, I will be satisfied!"

When Wang Yun heard Jiang Guang mention Rui'er, her bright eyes flickered slightly, but she didn't say anything.

"I came here this time to tell you something important!" Jiang Guang said solemnly:

"I am a woman living in this deep palace, what important matters can I have?" Wang Yun said softly:
"The mountains and rivers are shattered, and the country is overturned!" Jiang Guang said in a low voice, emphasizing each word:

As the Queen Mother, Wang Yun's face changed immediately when she heard this. Although she had lived in the deep palace for a long time, she was born in an aristocratic family. She had been accustomed to the political struggles of intrigues since childhood. She also had a very keen political sense. She naturally understood what Jiang Guang was talking about...

"Is he going to take action?" Wang Yun said with a trembling voice.
Seeing his beloved woman so frightened, Jiang Guang couldn't help but feel pity for her. He shook his head and said, "It's not him who's going to do it, but us who are going to do it!"

"You guys?" Wang Yun asked in surprise:
"That's right! It's us!" Jiang Guang said firmly:

"Over the years, he has been perverse, bullying loyal people, and arbitrarily excluding dissidents in the court. He has beheaded and exiled people at will. He has especially oppressed us royal family members to the extreme, forcing us to pretend to be crazy and stupid in order to survive!"

"His ambition is so great that even if we just pick up an ordinary person from the streets of Luoan, we will know that he wants to be the emperor!"

"He thought he could succeed and eat away the world step by step, but he forgot one thing. As long as this world is called the Great Zhou, it will be the world of my Jiang family!"

"Our Great Zhou has existed for hundreds of years, and there are countless loyal and righteous people who have benefited from the country. As long as we plan carefully, I believe we can thwart his plot and grind his bones to ashes to comfort the spirits of our ancestors in heaven..."

Jiang Guang said a lot, but Wang Yun immediately grasped the key point and asked calmly:

"Have the royal family and Lin Shize joined forces?"

Facing Wang Yun's question, Jiang Guang did not hide anything and directly admitted:

"We've almost finished the discussion. It is said that Lin Shize only has more than a year to live. If he dies, no one will be able to stop Shangguan Hongyuan, and the Lin family is about to be wiped out. Therefore, Lin Shize must defeat Shangguan Hongyuan before he dies!"

Wang Yun was silent for a while after hearing this, then looked into Jiang Guang’s eyes and said:
"You told me all this, aren't you afraid that I will tell him all this?"

“I can become the Queen Mother, and Rui’er can become the Emperor, all because of his great help back then…”

"I don't believe you will betray me, Yun'er!" Facing Wang Yun's gaze, Jiang Guang said confidently;
After Jiang Guang finished speaking, the two of them looked at each other, their eyes gradually blending in the air. Perhaps feeling that the atmosphere was a little bit wrong, Wang Yun, as the Queen Mother, was the first to regain her senses and looked away from Jiang Guang.

Feeling Wang Yun's attitude, Jiang Guang was indeed somewhat unwilling. He gritted his teeth and asked in a deep voice:

"Yun'er, I have a question that has been hidden in my heart for ten years. If you tell me the answer today, even if I, Jiang Guang, die now, I can still smile in my grave..."

Although Jiang Guang hadn't asked the question yet, Wang Yun seemed to have guessed what he wanted to ask. She took a deep breath and said:

"The bad fate between you and me is already a mistake, why do you have to keep entangled in it?

"This is not good for you or me. Are you willing to give up until everyone knows about it and it is irreversible?"

(End of this chapter)