Water Reflects Peach Blossoms

The night Gong Yunzheng returned to the palace.

Presbytery.

Everyone at the palace gate gathered in the Elders' Hall.

When Gong Yuanzheng arrived, everyone's eyes in the hall were focused on him. Gong Yuanzheng was unaware of this and walked straight to his seat and sat down.

Sitting at the top is Gong Ziyu, holding a sword.

Sitting opposite the three palace masters in the main hall were Elders Hua and Xue, as well as Elder Yue who had come out of the secret room of the Elders' Court.

The three young masters Hua, Xue and Yue from the back mountain sat behind their respective fathers.

Qinglan stood in the center of the hall, and Jin Fan stood guard at the door.

At this point, everyone is gathered.

Seeing Gong Yuanzheng sitting down, Gong Ziyu was the first to speak: "How is Sister Ayun?"

Gong Yuanzheng clenched his fists on his knees. "I'm asleep now, so my body has no adverse reactions. But after the effects of Izumo Chonglian's medicine wear off...it's hard to say."

He spoke the last words quickly and quietly, clearly unwilling to accept this reality.

Everyone's mood instantly plummeted. Gong Zishang secretly wiped away her tears, and the hall was filled with silence.

Elder Yue sighed and shook his head: "Yun Zheng, this child... why is he so..."

Elder Hua's eyes also became moist as he praised loudly, "Yun Zheng is trying to protect the palace. He is the pride of our palace!"

"That's what I said," Elder Xue said reluctantly, "but the truth is... she's still so young!"

"We will find a way to save Sister Ayun." Gongzi Yu looked at Elder Yue, who had been killed by Mingwu Ji but had suddenly resurrected, and asked in confusion, "Elder Yue, what is going on? Weren't you assassinated by Mingwu Ji and died?"

Elder Yue stroked his beard, exchanged a glance with Elders Hua and Xue, and said, "This all goes back to the day after the funerals of Old Zhiren and Gong Huanyu. Yunzheng had a heart attack, and after recovering, he came to the Elders' Hall to meet me, Elders Xue, and Elder Hua."

"She told us her suspicions that Gong Huanyu was not dead."

"However, upon seeing Gong Huanyu's body, we were skeptical and didn't fully believe her theory. She simply said, 'It's easy to determine whether Gong Huanyu was faking his death. He'll definitely use the people within the palace to cause chaos, targeting the three elders first. If anything goes wrong, they'll be on guard against anyone who approaches you alone under any pretext. Then, you'll know if my theory is true.' After giving us this warning, Yun Zheng asked us to investigate the bride's poisoning."

Gong Ziyu's voice was filled with guilt: "Sister Ayun went to find the assassin without a front, but because of me, she chose to take a step back."

Elder Yue nodded. "Then I received a message from Ming Wuji, saying it was about the death of Old Zhiren. She asked me to dismiss my personal guards late at night when no one was around and to meet with her alone in the Elders' Hall."

"Yun Zheng was right about someone using an excuse to see us alone. I was on guard. When Ming Wuji wordlessly drew her sword and prepared to kill me, I dodged her attack on my neck and deliberately let her stab me in the chest. The wound looked profuse, but it wasn't fatal."

"Next, when Ming Wuji was panicking and trying to test my breathing, Qing Lan, who had been guarding the Elders' Court, suddenly appeared outside. Hearing the footsteps, Ming Wuji fled in panic, while Qing Lan entered the main hall. Unsure if Gong Huanyu was observing from the dark, Qing Lan used the breath test to press my acupuncture points and seal my heart meridian, temporarily saving my life. Then, she fed me winter cicada grass, pretending I was dead, and ran out to call the Huang Yu guard."

"I faked my own death and escaped, and Elders Hua and Xue hid me in a secret room beneath the Elders' Hall to recuperate."

"Secretly guarding against Gong Huanyu."

Gong Zishang was puzzled: "Sister Yunzheng has long suspected that Gong Huanyu is not dead? Why didn't you discuss it with us?"

It was Gong Shangjiao who answered her: "Because, she needs Gong Huanyu or Wufeng to stand in front of her to distract us so that we won't notice her plan. Another point is that Yunzheng wants to practice wielding a blade."

Gong Shangjiao and Gong Ziyu's eyes met, and Gong Shangjiao said in a low voice, "I guess when Yun Zheng first found out that Gong Huanyu was alive, he wanted to eliminate the assassins sent by Wu Feng, so that he could deal with Gong Huanyu in peace. After all, no matter how powerful the external enemies are, they are not as threatening as the internal troubles."

"So, after her heart attack had just eased, she came to the Elders' Council to alert the three elders and request an investigation into the bride's poisoning. But at that time, brother Zi Yu, who had just become the Sword Master, was captivated by Wu Feng's beauty. Yun Zheng was angry at him for not fighting back, and I was not at the palace gate. If I brought the incident to the Elders' Council, Wu Feng would probably take advantage of it. In addition, brother Zi Yu was at loggerheads with Jiao Gong and Zheng Gong at that time, and he suspected that Zheng Gong had poisoned the old Sword Master and Gong Huanyu. The more he denied him, the more he would protect the assassin. If he really went against Jiao Gong and Zheng Gong for an assassin named Wu Feng, you, brother Zi Yu, who hadn't even secured your position as Sword Master yet, would probably be driven out. Your fate would most likely be driven to death by the rumor that 'you weren't born in the palace gate,' and that's why you became the Sword Master and then were driven out."

"Yun Zheng couldn't bear it." Gong Shangjiao raised the corner of his mouth with a bitter smile: "So she chose to deal with Gong Huanyu and Wu Feng at the same time."

"At that time, she had no idea of Gong Huanyu's intentions, and was completely unaware of the palace's inner secrets. You can imagine how much pressure she was under."

Gong Ziyu clenched his fists, full of guilt: "It was all because of me in the beginning."

"Of course it's because of you!" Gong Yuanzheng felt sorry for his sister. "If you hadn't succumbed to temptation and been mesmerized by her beauty, I would have dealt with Gong Huanyu long ago. Although I can't get rid of Wu Feng, I can ensure that the palace will be worry-free for the next twenty years, and I won't be in any trouble!"

"Something will happen." Gong Shangjiao said.

Gong Yuanzheng was shocked: "Brother..."

Gong Shangjiao couldn't bear it, but he still told Gong Yuanzheng the truth: "Even if Yunzheng only took out Gong Huanyu, she would still die. As for her internal energy, I'm afraid she will pass it on to me, so that I won't have to worry about being besieged by Wufeng anymore when I'm in charge of dealing with the various martial arts sects."

"And now, Wufeng has been destroyed, with no possibility of rising again. Yuanzheng, Yunzheng wants you to live a peaceful and smooth life."

Gong Yuanzheng's nose felt sore, and tears welled up in his eyes: "I know."

Then, he looked at Qinglan who was standing in the middle of the hall and asked her, "You have been following my sister. When did you know her plan?"

Qing Lan shook her head and replied coldly, "I was just following orders. I did whatever she told me to do without asking why or what she was thinking. She never said anything to me either. I was the one who prepared the horse for her to leave the palace. At that moment, I just had a feeling that she would never come back."

Qinglan is very loyal.

But the atmosphere in the entire Elders' Hall became increasingly depressing.

Gong Shangjiao took in everyone's expressions and said, "I can roughly deduce Sister Yunzheng's plan. But before that, I would like Elder Yue to explain to everyone how Sister Yunzheng, who has been weak since childhood, suddenly developed such profound internal strength."