Chapter 366: It's Time to Lay Everything to Rest!

Morning.

Jin Wang Fu.

The icicles hanging from the eaves stretch long, catching the early sun and scattering fine glints.

The wind whirls fragments of snow foam against the paper windows, producing a soft rustle.

Clang—clang—clang!

Yuwen Ze adjusted his sable fur coat, stood outside the Shufang door, and tapped the vermilion door panel three gentle times, the force just right—neither eager nor lazy.

A moment later, a low hoarse reply came from within, bearing the husky tone of a sleepless night: "Enter!"

As the door opened, a scent of ink mingled with faint pine smoke assaulted his face, colliding with the biting outside chill, forming a thin veil of white vapor at the threshold.

Yuwen Hu was crouched before the desk, the Brothel's sleeve rolled up to his forearm, the veins on his exposed wrist faintly bulging, clearly having held the pose for a long time.

On the desk lay a gold‑splashed xuan paper, ink spreading from the tip of a Wolf-hair Brush Pen, the characters "Chang'an" written with vigorous strokes.

However, the final stroke's ending trembled slightly, bleeding a tiny ink dot—a trace left by an unsteady wrist when fatigue could not be concealed.

"Father…," Yuwen Ze said as he approached the desk.

"You're here?"

Yuwen Hu lightly licked the pen tip on the inkstone, the "tap" of ink droplets sounding unusually clear in the silent Shufang, and calmly asked, "Has everything been settled?"

"Mm."

Yuwen Ze gave a slight nod, his voice deep as he replied, "The Du Gu clan has already succumbed to Poison…"

He paused, then continued, "The child has already ordered a servant to restrain her corpse!"

"Handled very cleanly, well done!"

Yuwen Hu lifted his gaze, his eyes rimmed with blood vessels yet still as sharp as an eagle's, set down the pen, tapped the "Chang'an" characters lightly with his fingertip, and praised, "These days, it wasn't in vain to stay by your A Xiong's side; you've been diligent!"

Between the lines, all was satisfaction.

Now he has a hint of a prince's bearing, but it's still insufficient; further honing is needed…

When he can maneuver like A Yan one day, that will be truly graduating!

"Thank you, Father, for the praise!"

Yuwen Ze first felt joy, then steadied his excitement, bent his knee and bowed, his voice bearing solemnity: "The child is still far from A Xiong; you must be even more diligent in the future!"

From childhood to now, his father has rarely praised him…

Yet Yuwen Ze dared not become complacent, for he deeply knew the gap between him and A Xiong, and his own shortcomings!

To be arrogant at least he must learn to reach a tenth of A Xiong's skill, then speak…

"No rush; you still have plenty of time left…"

Yuwen Hu pursed his lips in a light smile, gestured unhurriedly, and said.

His voice carried a weary hoarseness, his gaze scanning the piled documents on the desk, his fingertip lingering on a dark‑red‑covered volume, "Yuwen Ze, come, take a look at this!"

He said so, bent down, pulled the volume from the stack of memorials, its corners still tinged with a bit of settled cinnabar, clearly drafted long ago.

"Father, what is this…?" Yuwen Ze blinked, puzzled, and asked.

"Marriage contract!"

Yuwen Hu lifted his hand, pushing the volume over; the motion stirred a slight breeze, causing the candle flame to flicker, making the double‑joy character on the cover flash intermittently.

Marriage contract?! …… Yuwen Ze startled, yet reached out to take it; the moment his fingertip touched the paper, the dark‑red cover felt unusually heavy, and as he opened it, the heading that rose up shocked him further: "Jing Zhao Du Clan?!"

Scrolling further, the woman's given name was Du Shuying…

That Du Clan's legitimate daughter.

Yuwen Ze knew that after Du Gu Mi Luo's death, his father would arrange a new marriage for him, but he never expected it to be so swift, already prepared…

Hmm, that woman seemed still to be his sister‑in‑law's close confidante.

Her conduct would certainly not be lacking.

"This is what Father and A Yan have chosen for you!"

Yuwen Hu leaned back on the chair draped with a sable coat, his well‑defined fingers idly rubbing; the Jade Ring on his fingertip warmed by his body heat, its jade surface glistening, clinking softly against the sleeve's dark‑patterned silver button as it turned.

He closed his eyes briefly, the red veins in his eyes becoming more pronounced in the candlelight, his voice steadier than before: "Long ago, I already made this marriage contract with your future father‑in‑law..."

Before granting marriage to Du Gu Mi Luo, Yuwen Hu had already reached a verbal agreement with the future in‑laws.

After A Yan's grand wedding, he secretly arranged this marriage contract with the Du Clan…

There's no way around it; the Du Clan's legitimate daughter is highly sought after, and with only one son, she'll surely be cherished.

Yuwen Ze felt a surge of heat rush from his core, instantly spreading through his limbs and bones, even making the corners of his eyes tingle.

His hand gripping the marriage contract tightened within his sleeve, the crimson warmth seeping through the brocade silk, pressing so that his heart trembled.

"Thank you, Father!" He cleared his throat, his voice trembling with an uncontainable choke, then solemnly bowed and clasped his fists; the sable coat's hem brushed the cold floor tiles, producing a faint rustle, "Thank you, A Xiong!"

How could Yuwen Ze not understand his father's and elder brother's thoughtful considerations for him?

Wei Du of Jing Zhao, go five chi to the heavens!

After marrying Du Shuying, he also gained a powerful wife's clan, able to better assist his father and A Xiong.

Yuwen Hu watched his foolish son's reddening eyes, his motion with the ring slowing as if recalling something, then shifting tone, he continued, "But you, having just lost your wife…"

"The remarriage will need more time!"

"Let the grand wedding wait until after the year!"

Even though the court's great calamity has now been eliminated, with no one left to restrain…

The necessary outward formalities still must be performed!

After the year, choose an auspicious day, and bringing the Du daughter into the household won't be too late.

"Everything will follow Father's arrangements!"

Yuwen Ze nodded heavily, his eyes shining astonishingly, the candlelight dancing within, reflecting a scorching, sincere crimson.

Yuwen Hu rose from his seat, shaking off a few fine specks of ink from the folds of his Brothel; he lifted his hand and lightly flicked his sleeve, brushing away the stray threads clinging to the cuff.

He placed his hands slowly behind his back; the Jade Ring on his knuckles caught the morning light, emitting a gentle glow that mirrored his upright figure, surprisingly easing some of the fatigue from a sleepless night.

He looked at the sky brightening outside the window, a faint curve lifting his mouth: "Father should go attend court now!"

"It's time to seal the coffin and settle everything!"

Chang'an.

Tai Ji Hall.

The first strand of sandalwood incense just lit in the copper crane incense burner was blown apart by the cold wind sweeping through the hall.

Below the steps, the officials gathered in heavy court robes; the sable fur collars and purple sable ear warmers could not hide the white frost gathered at the corners of their hair.

The exhaled white vapor swirled among the flaps of the official hats, only to be torn apart in an instant by the howling north wind outside the hall.

The cracks in the golden brick floor of the hall still held a thin layer of ice, and each step produced a faint slipping sound from the soles.

The officials arrived one after another.

"What's going on today?"

Standing in the middle of the formation, Minister Deng Xiaoru adjusted his crooked jade sash, his gaze passing over the black silk hats of the front‑row officials toward the empty spot at the front—

There, which should have been the stations of two old pillars of the state, now only the cold golden brick floor remained, with no trace even of court robes having brushed past.

He furrowed his brows slightly, turned his body quietly, shielding half his face with a court tablet, and whispered to the Minister of Wood beside him: "Why haven't the Grand Minister of Education and the Grand Minister of Justice arrived yet?"

"Indeed!"

Su Rang followed his gaze, his graying beard trembling slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Usually these two old pillars arrive early…"

Except for after the Laji Festival, Dugu Lao Zhuguo fell gravely ill; at every morning court, the two old pillars had never been absent.

Yet today, both failed to appear…

"Eh!"

Beside them, Minister Yin Shou of Contracts let out a sound, lifted his hand to adjust his official hat, his gaze passing over the bustling black silk hats of the front row, lingering a moment at the front of the formation, and said with a hint of startled doubt: "Even General Yang and General Yan haven't come…"

"Strange!"

The moment those words were spoken, several nearby officials' faces changed, and they all looked up.

Sure enough, those two spots were also empty now, leaving only lingering cold on the floor tiles.

Yang and Yan, former troops of the two old pillars, had always advanced and retreated together; now both are absent, a fact whose implications are truly intriguing.

Imperial Censor-in-Chief Zhangsun Lan cleared his throat lightly, interjected, his voice carrying a subtle tension: "To be precise, the officials who were close to the two old pillars have almost all not arrived!"

"Why say almost?"

"Because Gao Bing has arrived…"

Su Rang twisted his eyebrows into a knot, his voice low yet unusually heavy: "It must be that something major has happened!"

"I think so too…" He gazed at the increasingly dense morning mist outside the hall, the worry in his eyes like ink that would not dissolve, and agreed.

Zhangsun Lan seemed thoughtful, stroking his beard, yet his fingertips trembled: "The only possible explanation for this situation is…"

It wasn't only them who noticed the anomaly.

Whispers immediately began inside the hall, discussions erupting…

As the debate boiled, Deng Xiaoru suddenly froze, raised his hand pointing at the hall doors, his voice trembling with alarm: "Look over there!"

"It's Governor Chen!"

The words struck the hall like a bolt of thunder; all whispers were instantly cut off as the officials all turned their heads together.

A handsome young man dressed in the Governor's official robe stepped across the doorway.

"So it really is Governor Chen!" Yin Shou also recognized Chen Yan at a glance.

He paused, as if recalling something, and asked in puzzlement: "Wasn't it said that the Duke of Wei fell victim to an assassin and is already beyond cure…"

"The Duke of Wei is the bright sky of our Great Zhou today, revered by all the people; naturally his fate is blessed and his destiny grand!" an official nearby exclaimed upon hearing.

"Exactly!"

The remark prompted immediate agreement from both civil and military officials on either side.

"Just rumors circulating among the populace!"

"The Governor merely caught a chill of wind…"

"…and has been recuperating at home for some time!"

"Colleagues, long time no see!"

Chen Yan gave a calm smile, his gaze sweeping the room, hands clasped in fists, and loudly refuted the rumors.

"Is it truly just a rumor?..." Zhangsun Lan muttered to himself upon hearing, his face plastered with a smile, and said: "As long as the Governor's health is sound, that is the best!"

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Chen Yan walked straight to the front row and took his place.

At that moment, from outside the hall came the sharp chant of an inner attendant, piercing the howling cold wind, booming through the great hall: "Your Majesty arrives—"

"Grand Minister of the Mausoleum arrives—!"