The Cloud Feather of the Red Chamber: A Marriage Arranged with Gong Yuanzheng at the Start

Young Master Yue's face turned ashen. He opened his mouth to speak, but didn't know how to refute it.

Young Master Hua stammered, "It's not that serious, is it? Aren't you exaggerating?"

Gong Zishang curled her lips slightly and glanced coldly at Young Master Hua, "Whether it's serious or not, is it up to us to decide?"

Elder Xue said with a stern face, "Enough! Zi Shang, you don't need to scare them. The imperial court and the palace have already formed a marriage alliance, so this matter must have been resolved. You don't need to confuse the issue here!"

"The problem is solved once the poison is neutralized." Gong Zishang straightened up and walked outside.

"Elders, it's time to go to the Blade-Holding Hall."

The three elders looked at each other in silence.

Elder Xue sighed, "Let's go."

After saying that, he took the lead and walked out. Elder Hua shook his head and followed Elder Xue out the door.

Elder Yue looked at Young Master Yue kneeling on the ground with complicated emotions. He had raised him, taught him martial arts and medicine, and he would inherit his position as elder in the future.

Elder Yue never imagined that the child she raised would collude with Wu Feng.

He closed his eyes, feeling as disappointed as he had been when he was in front of Gong Zishang.

As he passed by Young Master Yue, he sighed deeply, "Let's go."

Looking at Elder Yue's somewhat hunched back, Young Master Yue felt a pang of regret.

Young Master Hua helped Young Master Yue up, and looked at him with concern, "Little Yue, let's go to the Blade-Holding Hall first."

Upon exiting the courtyard, a tall, elegant man stood beside Gong Zishang.

He gently waved his folding fan, smiling as he looked at the crowd. Behind him were three guards, one of whom was a guard from the Corner Palace, and the other two were probably his personal guards.

"Who are you? What are you doing at the palace gate?" Elder Hua asked Qi Yan'an, but his gaze was fixed on Gong Zishang.

Gong Zishang nodded, "This is the thirteenth prince of the current dynasty, the younger brother of His Highness the Crown Prince."

The three elders' expressions changed slightly. Was the emperor's own son coming to the palace gates at this time because of the poison?

Was the incident at the palace gate tonight also orchestrated by this prince?

Perhaps only the imperial court has the ability to uncover Wu Feng, who has been lurking in the palace for over a decade.

Despite their dissatisfaction with the prince, the three elders, being members of the royal family, could only bow and pay their respects.

Qi Yan'an returned the greeting with a cupped hand.

"Gentlemen, shall we go to the Blade Hall now?"

Elder Yue suppressed his resentment and said, "Of course we have to go, but the palace gates still need to capture the Wufeng assassin. Swords have no eyes, and if His Highness is injured, I'm afraid we won't be able to explain it to the court."

Qi Yan'an waved his folding fan, his smile kind and approachable. "With the imperial guards here, there's nothing to worry about."

He pointed again at the Blade Hall, "I also assigned a few guards to my brother Yuanzheng. Now, it's time to take down Gong Huanyu."

The three elders' expressions grew even uglier. As expected, it was related to the imperial court. Even if it was a marriage alliance, the imperial court should not interfere in the internal affairs of the palace.

Qi Yan'an added fuel to the fire, "By the way, Shang Jiao specifically instructed Yuan Zheng's younger brother to make sure to protect Zhi Ren's life, so the three elders don't need to worry too much."

"Gong Shangjiao!" Elder Hua said with displeasure, "He knew about tonight's events, so why didn't he inform us beforehand?"

"To seek justice," Gong Zishang said calmly.

"Gong Zishang, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that the three of us have acted unfairly?" Elder Hua's eyes widened, his anger and dissatisfaction overflowing.

Gong Zishang nodded. "Is your way of doing things really fair? Then why does Gong Ziyu, who is neither the young master nor the wielder, have a Hongyu bodyguard by his side?"

Elder Hua was momentarily speechless. It was indeed Gong Hongyu who proposed this matter, and they had tacitly approved of it.

"This isn't...this isn't because Gong Ziyu was physically weak from a young age..."

Gong Zishang interrupted him directly, "He is physically weak, but he has his father and brothers to look after him, and Mingwu Ji to take care of him."

“Your younger brother is just a child, and the palace servants bully him at will, yet you do not look after him!”

"I am not yet of marriageable age, I know nothing about the affairs of the Shang Palace, and I have not seen you offer any assistance!"

“Over the years, we have seen clearly how the three elders have treated the four palaces differently!”

"Zishang, I know you have grievances in your heart," Elder Xue said earnestly, "but Gong Huanyu's collusion with Wufeng to assassinate Zhiren is of great importance. You cannot disregard the safety of the palace gates because of personal grudges."

"Ha! Elder Xue, there's no need to rush to condemn me," Gong Zishang sneered.

"If you are truly fair, I hope none of the three of you will interfere when dealing with Young Master Yue!"

After saying that, he ignored the expressions on their faces and walked towards the Hall of Blade Mastery with a flick of his sleeve.

The three elders, their faces ashen, had no choice but to follow Gong Zishang to the Blade-Holding Hall.

As they walked, Young Master Xue couldn't help but ask Xue Chongzi, "Does Gong Ziyu really have a Red Jade bodyguard by his side?"

Yukishigeko gently shook her head, indicating that she did not know.

Young Master Hua looked at Young Master Yue with a worried expression, then at his father's back, and finally at Gong Zishang.

So much happened tonight, his mind is still a bit fuzzy.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Zhiren Hall, they unexpectedly encountered Gong Shangjiao, whose guards were still holding several people captive.

Elder Hua wanted to put on airs of an elder in front of him, but Gong Shangjiao completely ignored him.

The man bowed directly to Qi Yan'an and said, "Thank you for your help tonight, Your Highness."

"It was nothing," Qi Yan'an said, fanning himself with a folding fan.

After saying this, the two walked together toward the Hall of Blade Master, with Gong Zishang following closely behind.

The three elders exchanged glances, and finally Elder Xue sighed, "Let's go with them."

Gong Zishang is right. Over the past ten years, the Elders' Council has indeed acted unfairly, which explains why Gong Shangjiao has been giving them the cold shoulder.

At the entrance of the Blade-Holding Hall, Princess Mingwu was being held and stood to one side, blood still lingering at the corner of her mouth. When she looked up, she saw her younger brother being dragged in.

She immediately began to struggle violently, shouting, "Let him go! Let him go! Let my brother go!"

Gong Shangjiao ignored her and walked past her.

Gong Zishang looked at Mingwu Ji on the road, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes, but he immediately hardened his heart.

Gong Liushang, who died tragically at the palace gates ten years ago, is now paralyzed in bed.

Myo-hime, you brought this upon yourself!

Under the siege of eight imperial guards, Gong Huanyu was already showing signs of defeat. When he saw Gong Shangjiao, he revealed a faint smile.

"Miyasaka Kaku, you've finally arrived."

As he spoke, he suddenly increased his internal strength, forced back the imperial guards with a single move, and flew towards Gong Shangjiao.

The two guards behind Jin Fu and Qi Yan'an immediately stepped forward to meet the enemy.

Before they could even get close, they were swept aside by the force of the palm strike.

Just as Gong Shangjiao was about to make a move, someone behind him caught the palm strike for him, forcing Gong Huanyu back while simultaneously placing a longsword against his neck.

It was Yukishigeko.

Gong Shangjiao bowed and thanked him, saying, "Thank you."

Yuki nods slightly, without saying anything more.

Gong Huanyu lay prostrate on the ground, coughing up blood, his face filled with regret. "If I had mastered my martial arts, none of you would have been my match."

He looked up at Gong Shangjiao, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and asked breathlessly, "I'm very curious, how did you discover the flaw in my plan, which was so perfect?"

Gong Shangjiao casually replied, "On the way to Yangzhou, I accidentally saw someone who looked a lot like Mingwu Ji. Following the clues, I found some interesting things."

"I never expected it to be that piece of trash. I should have just killed him back then," Gong Huanyu sneered.

"And what about Steward Jia? How did you find out?"

"His son was seriously ill, and his brother, who was on a mission, wanted to use him as a test subject for medicine. Unexpectedly, he recovered. Out of curiosity, he investigated the matter."

"I see." Gong Huanyu gave a self-deprecating smile. "I was simply outmatched. My defeat was not unjust."

Hearing the noise, Gong Yuanzheng, who was inside the house, immediately ran towards Shangjiao. As he passed Gong Huanyu, he didn't forget to throw some poison powder at him.

"elder brother!"

A smile appeared on Gong Shangjiao's tense face. "Yuanzheng, little brother."

He ignored Gong Huanyu, who had been instantly poisoned, and stepped into the house.

Gong Hongyu was still lying in the same spot, on the verge of death.

Gong Yuanzheng had no intention of giving him an antidote; he was just using some medicine to keep him alive.

Elder Xue quickly had someone help Gong Hongyu to the couch.

"Zhi Ren, are you alright?"

Gong Hongyu shook his head. "Gong Yuanzheng has already given me the antidote."

The Moon Elder looked at Gong Yuanzheng with suspicion in his eyes. Given Gong Yuanzheng's current mindset, would he be willing to detoxify Gong Hongyu?

He didn't believe it.

Gong Yuanzheng crossed his arms, his face full of disdain and mockery. "If you think I'm deliberately not saving him, then let your good son treat him."

Elder Yue was left in an awkward position, unsure whether to call out to Young Master Yue or not.

Given the current situation, if we were to summon Young Master Yue, the rift between the Elder Council and the Horn Palace and the Zheng Palace would likely widen further.

"Shangjiao, you've gone to all this trouble to call us all here, it must be something important, right? Just say it," Elder Xue asked.

Gong Shangjiao nodded. "No rush, there's still one person who hasn't arrived yet."

Elder Xue then realized that despite the huge commotion tonight, Gong Ziyu had not shown up at all.

"Where is Gong Ziyu? Where is he? Where did he go?"

"I've already sent someone to invite them from Wan Hua Lou," Gong Yuanzheng replied lazily.

Elder Hua was furious. He knew the man was a scoundrel, but he never expected him to be this scoundrel, spending his time in a brothel and never even going home.