The Word of Heaven

Chapter 190 Betrayal
The atmosphere in the study was still peaceful.

The night wind blows in through the window, causing the solitary lamp to sway.

As a result, the face of the master was illuminated by the light and sometimes dimmed, but his expression never changed, just like the smile that lingered at the corner of his mouth, gentle, decent, and with a bit of kindness of an elder.

He looked at Gu Zhuo, his tone just as sincere.

"I think you have thought about the consequences of this decision before coming here, right?"

"If it weren't for this, I wouldn't be sitting in front of you."

Gu Zhuo's eyes were firm and bright, just like the rising sun.

The Master looked at Gu Zhuo very seriously, and could not see any falsehood in him. He was exactly the same as before, but his Dao heart felt uncomfortable again.

This is also where the confusion lies.

There shouldn't be any younger generation in this world who could make his Tao heart feel so strange, because his realm is really very high and rare in the world.

"What does Her Royal Highness the Princess think?" the Chief suddenly asked.

Gu Zhuo said: "She agreed."

The Sizhu laughed and said, "Then I agree."

Gu Zhuo said, "Sorry for the trouble, senior."

"It's just a small matter."

Thinking about the current situation in the capital, the chief couldn't help but sighed and said, "Everyone knows that I tried to kill you but failed, and was forced to resign. Now if I speak for you again, it will only be considered as a last resort. Aren't there only a few people in the court and in the world who are qualified to force me to do something? They must be able to realize this, so there is no reason for them not to retreat."

Gu Zhuo smiled and said, "And I only want the Qing Xiaoyue part."

The Sizhu tapped his index finger on the armrest lightly, and the sound sounded a bit like tapping an abacus. He said, "Then this thing will definitely be accomplished."

"You are so measured in your actions... You really don't look like a young person."

He looked at Gu Zhuo and praised him, "Even back then, I wasn't as calm as you."

Gu Zhuo shook his head and said simply and modestly, "It is only because you are willing to help me, senior."

Hearing this, the boss smiled and said nothing.

Everything that needs to be discussed about the Sky Patrol has been discussed. There may be some minor details left, but they are no longer important.

The conversation wasn't over.

It was like the sound of beads colliding and then suddenly disappeared.

The door of the study was clearly not closed, but there was a sudden silence between the two of them, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Gu Zhuo's expression remained unchanged, his mind calm, and he said, "Senior, please speak."

The smile on Sizhu's face faded, and an undisguised sense of loss appeared on his face.

He was clearly looking at Gu Zhuo, but his eyes were filled with memories of the past and the shadow of his own youth.

After an unknown amount of time, his voice rang out, with a hint of sigh and emotion: "What was it like before Yingxu died?"

Gu Zhuo didn't say anything.

The Sizhu's expression became a little complicated, and he said, "Did he specifically tell you?"

Gu Zhuo remained silent.

The Sizhu slowly closed his eyes, as if he understood something, and sighed, "Indeed, I was too impatient."

Hearing this, Gu Zhuo said sincerely: "Actually, you think too much."

The chief said, "Why am I overthinking?"

Gu Zhuo looked at him calmly and seriously, and said: "No matter how long it takes, no matter how anxious you are, I will remain silent to the end."

After the words were spoken, the atmosphere in the study seemed no longer peaceful, but a little more depressing.

One moment you were still thanking your seniors, and the next moment you even forgot about that "you" and threw all the previous respect behind you.

No matter how you look at it, this is the behavior of a capricious and mean person.

Gu Zhuo, however, was completely unaware of it, as if he was doing something just. He was not afraid of any rumors and behaved very uprightly.

The master asked, "Why?"

"It's very simple."

Gu Zhuo smiled slightly and said, "I think that in the long time to come, I will discover countless secrets in the process of monitoring the Sky Patrol Bureau, and I need to keep the secret from this moment on."

The boss was silent.

There is something very clever about this sentence, for it makes sense, and that sense is exactly what he cannot avoid.

As the former chief of the Sky Patrol Department, he must be aware of the importance of keeping secrets. He is also Gu Zhuo's predecessor, so he should not force his junior to break the rules, because that would be too much to ask.

Thinking of this, Master Si clapped his hands very seriously.

Applause echoed in the study.

Gu Zhuo put away his smile, thanked him, and asked, "Do you have anything else to ask?"

The Sizhu looked at him and shook his head, saying self-deprecatingly: "I'm afraid everything I want to know is against the rules."

Gu Zhuo said with regret: "That's such a pity."

"The world is always like this, there is always something you can't get."

The Director said calmly: "But keeping this thought may not be a bad thing."

Gu Zhuo asked, "What does this mean?"

The head of the department said with a half-smile: "If I have something to worry about, maybe I won't grow old so quickly."

"Makes sense."

Gu Zhuo nodded, as if he could not detect the other meaning in the words, and said: "Then this is indeed a good thing."

The conversation ended here. Both of them knew that there was no point in continuing the conversation. It would be nothing more than a waste of time.

Why not just leave.

The Master Si stood up and saw Gu Zhuo off from the study. He did not return to the study until his back disappeared from his sight.

After a moment, someone came up to him.

That man was the chief steward of this mansion and also the confidant of the Lord Si.

"Master... Gu Zhuo seems to have great hostility towards you." The butler said in a low voice.

The chief officer turned a deaf ear to it.

As he stood here, Gu Zhuo's back seemed to still be in his eyes. Wasn't it because he was thinking about this problem?

There may be only one answer, that is, Taoist Yingxu mentioned his existence before his death and gave him a very bad evaluation.

But he always felt that things shouldn't be like this, because he knew very well what kind of person Yingxu was, so there must be another side to this matter.

This made his Tao heart somewhat uneasy.

"I thought..."

The chief minister said softly, "The reason why I feel uncomfortable is because of the decision made by Her Royal Highness the Princess and His Majesty the Emperor. Now that I think about it carefully, it may only be related to him."

The housekeeper was very surprised when he heard this, and subconsciously asked, "Gu Zhuo?"

The Sizhu waved his sleeves lightly, turned around and walked into the study, and said casually: "Yes."

As he spoke, he picked up his pen and put pen to paper, fulfilling his promise to Gu Zhuo.

The butler was waiting nearby.

Not long after, the director put down his pen and said after a moment of silence, "But I still don't believe it."

The housekeeper's expression became serious, and he said, "Are you referring to the rumor that Gu Zhuo and the Taoist master have an unclear relationship?"

"Or else?"

The Director said indifferently: "I have seen the Taoist Master and fought with him. I know how proud he is, so I am sure that he could never be the person he is now."

The housekeeper thought this was too subjective and asked in confusion, "Why?"

The Master looked at him and asked word by word, "Can you imagine the Master calling me senior and always mentioning your name?"

The butler was silent.

The Sizhu finally said: "So I never believed that rumor."

Just then, the butler asked a question very seriously.

"Then why did Yingxu give his mantle to Gu Zhuo?"

The director did not say anything, because he could not think of the answer now.

……

……

The next day, there was another disturbance in the capital.

The Queen had just kept the Chief's resignation unsent, when another new memorial was sent to her, which clearly recommended Gu Zhuo to become the Inspector of the Astronomical Survey Department.

With instructions from all sides, the Lord's intentions were soon known to all the officials in the court, leaving almost everyone stunned and puzzled, feeling that they were still dreaming and had not yet woken up.

It was not until the sun reached its zenith that the increasingly hot sunlight spread over the earth, and the wind brought an unbearable breath of heat. People were then awakened physically and mentally by the breath of the coming midsummer.

The palace outside the capital city is still cool.

Gu Zhuo got up very early today. After having breakfast with Yu Sheng, he called Qiuzhi to walk to the lake.

The lake water dilutes the summer heat, and the cool breeze is so pleasant.

The two were not very familiar with each other, so they were too lazy to walk along the lake. They simply found a place to sit down and chatted about something while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the lake and mountains.

Qiuzhi has now rebelled against Wuyou Mountain. It cannot be said that he will have difficulty in the cultivation world in the future, but there will inevitably be great risks. He may be assassinated by his former companions at any time.

Gu Zhuo had promised Jin Cancan that he would let this person live a good life, and he has never had the habit of going back on his word.

At the beginning, he wanted Yu Sheng to help make arrangements, such as letting Qiuzhi study in the military, which would undoubtedly be an excellent way out.

But now he had another idea.

"Are you interested in going to the Sky Patrol?"

"I?"

Qiuzhi was stunned.

The court was too far away from him, so of course he didn't know about the memorial that was just submitted today, and he never thought about it in this direction.

Gu Zhuo said: "Yeah."

Qiuzhi opened his eyes wide, thinking that there could be such a good thing, and said without hesitation: "Of course I'm interested!"

Gu Zhuo was not surprised by his reaction.

The more evil and unorthodox the practitioners are, the more they hide in the dark corners, the more they know how terrifying the Sky Patrol is.

Not to mention that last autumn, the Sky Patrol Division slaughtered the entire Tianming Sect in Southern Qi and nearly caused it to collapse.

These are far away from the people living in the capital of gods and are just topics of conversation after dinner. But for the practitioners in the demonic sects, they are enough to keep them awake at night and fill them with fear and yearning.

"As long as you're interested."

Gu Zhuo said calmly: "I will let Qing Xiaoyue take care of you and try my best to ensure that you don't die."

Qiuzhi was stunned again, wondering if he was really dreaming.

Qing Xiaoyue is indeed not as good as Pei Jinge, but to the killers of Wuyou Mountain, this name has a heavier weight.

the reason is simple.

In the past, Wuyou Mountain had several clashes with the Sky Patrol led by Qing Xiaoyue over certain business matters, and the results were always dismal.

Compared with Pei Jinge, Qing Xiaoyue is more unscrupulous, more insidious and cunning, more cruel and indifferent... If you put aside his identity, he is definitely a master of magic.

How can you not feel excited about learning when working under such a person?

However, in the next moment, he calmed himself down with great willpower and asked an extremely crucial question.

"So what do you want me to do?"

"No need to do anything, just proceed as usual." Gu Zhuo's voice was casual and without any deep meaning.

"what?"

The pursuit of knowledge is so confusing that it is unbelievable.

In his opinion, Gu Zhuo asked him to join the Sky Patrol Bureau because he wanted him to shoulder heavy responsibilities such as being a spy, which was unreasonable.

Gu Zhuo stood up and walked away, leaving only one sentence behind.

"Since you agree, it's good. Wait for Qing Xiaoyue to come to you."

Qiuzhi stood up subconsciously and looked at Gu Zhuo's back. He was excited and at a loss. He muttered to himself, "So, am I abandoning the dark and joining the light?"

"If the Sky Patrol is not considered the right path, then there is no right path, right?"

The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't calm down. He looked up at the brilliant sun, letting his eyes be blurred by tears. He couldn't help but open his arms to embrace the lake, and praised sincerely: "Master, you are doing a really good business!"

At this time, Gu Zhuo had not really walked far, so he heard these words.

Hearing a certain hastily changed word in the conversation, he could not help but stand there in silence for a moment, thinking that fortunately his eldest disciple was filial in another way.

However... Jin Cancan, in the underworld, would probably feel that his death was worth it, right?

……

……

"do you remember?"

"Ok?"

"Last year in the Old Imperial City, I invited you to join the Sky Patrol Department."

"That's what happened."

"You refused at that time."

"You didn't give me the position I have now."

Chatting with Pei Jinge about the past, Gu Zhuo sat in the carriage heading to the Divine Capital Palace and closed his eyes to rest.

Less than half an hour ago, Eunuch Cao went to the palace again and brought new news.

——The Queen invited Gu Zhuo to meet in the Imperial Study to discuss matters related to the future of the Astronomical Survey Department.

Pei Jinge and Qing Xiaoyue also received the invitation.

As for the director, he politely declined, saying that his opinion had already been expressed in the memorial and there was no need to elaborate on it.

As long as Pei Jinge and Qing Xiaoyue do not object, this conversation among the four people can basically determine the next direction of the Sky Patrol, unless a figure like the Prime Minister inexplicably stands up to oppose.

However, that is impossible to happen.

Perhaps some censors would stand up and argue that this decision is inappropriate due to Gu Zhuo’s age, but this would ultimately be just a wave that would pass away in a flash.

In the eyes of the people in the court, the person who really wanted to leave the Sky Patrol was never Gu Zhuo, but Her Royal Highness the Princess.

She just used her junior fellow apprentice to accomplish this.

……

……

Enter the imperial city, get off the carriage, and go straight to the imperial study.

Before that, Qing Xiaoyue pushed the door open and met Gu Zhuo and Pei Jinge.

"I have said everything I need to say."

He looked into Gu Zhuo's eyes and said seriously: "Don't forget what you said."

Gu Zhuo nodded and said, "There's someone I can take care of for you."

Pei Jinge couldn't help but glance at him, thinking, don't you know what you're talking about?

Qing Xiaoyue had no expression on her face and asked, "Who?"

Gu Zhuo said, "He is from Wuyou Mountain, and he is at the same realm as me."

Qing Xiaoyue was silent for a moment, then said, "Okay."

The three of them said goodbye.

The scenery outside the imperial study immediately came into view.

A pool of spring water is filled with afternoon sunshine. Hundreds of koi fish are swimming in the pond under the skylight. The lush green branches and leaves are waving in the wind. From time to time, the sound of birds can be heard, and it seems that the sound of cicadas will come soon.

The imperial study is located deep in this landscape. It looks very ordinary and there is nothing special about it.

However, when ordinary people witness it with their own eyes, they always tend to be dazed, thinking that His Majesty the Emperor had made many important decisions here, and even more so the appearance of the world, they suddenly feel that there is an extra layer of sacred and solemn veil.

Gu Zhuo didn't have such an idea at all.

The two walked to the outside of the imperial study, where the Queen was standing under a chestnut tree.

The Queen looked at the two of them.

The two saluted.

The queen nodded, looked at Pei Jinge, and said, "Agree?"

Pei Jinge smiled and said, "Of course."

The Queen said calmly, "Reason."

The affiliation of the Sky Patrol is not a trivial matter, but a matter of national importance. Of course, a practical reason is needed and it cannot be treated lightly.

Not long ago, Qing Xiaoyue also gave an explanation for this.

Pei Jinge had thought about this question a long time ago, and said calmly: "The killing game in Wangjing started from a little girl's illness and ended with the purification spell. The whole process can be said to be linked to each other perfectly. Gu Zhuo put himself in the game and carried out the counter-killing, which is enough to prove that he can bear this responsibility in the most critical aspect."

The queen was silent for a long time, then said, "Okay."

Pei Jinge was very polite and asked, "Do you need me to give you specific examples? If you think what happened in Wangjing is not enough, I can also tell you what happened in Yunmeng Lake."

The queen narrowed her eyes slightly, shook her head and said, "No need."

Pei Jinge nodded, said goodbye and prepared to leave.

At this moment, the queen suddenly asked: "Did Qing Xiaoyue tell you what kind of reason he gave me?"

Pei Jinge said: "No."

The queen thought about that reason, chuckled, and said, "It's quite interesting. I'll tell you some other day."

Pei Jinge stopped, looked back at her, and then walked away.

The Sri Lankans have gone.

All was quiet under the shade of the chestnut trees.

Gu Zhuo knew very well that the Queen's words were actually meant for him to hear, making him curious and even suspicious of Qing Xiaoyue.

This method is common, but often effective.

Suddenly the wind started blowing.

The Queen's skirt was slightly messy.

She raised her hand to push her hair behind her ear, her eyes fell on the white clouds reflected on the lake, and she said softly, "According to the rules, I should now ask you about your vision, listen to your thoughts on the position you are about to take, and explain the future you hope to see."

Gu Zhuo said: "But you don't plan to ask?"

The Queen responded calmly: "Because it is meaningless."

Gu Zhuo sighed, his expression showing obvious regret, and said, "In fact, I have seriously prepared for this question. I stayed up all night last night and carefully read many files of the Sky Patrol Department. I just want to give you a satisfactory answer."

The Queen said, "I remember you didn't like Zen very much."

Gu Zhuo said: "To be precise, I hate it, but many things in this world are fine as long as they are useful, right?"

“I am very surprised by this statement,” said the Queen.

Gu Zhuo asked: "Where is the accident?"

The Queen said calmly, "Pride."

"When I first heard your name, my impression of you was one of pride, and many things that happened later proved that I was right about you."

She said, "For example, the murder on Chang Street, the cliff during the summer festival, and the Cihang Temple."

Gu Zhuo thought for a moment and said, "That only proves that you misjudged me."

The queen hinted at something and said calmly, "Or maybe I underestimated you."

“People are never one type of person.”

For some reason, Gu Zhuo suddenly became interested in talking and said, "This sentence means that humans can never have only one idea, but it also explains that humans have countless faces."

The queen whispered, "You are proud, you are shameless, you are sincere, and you are hypocritical."

Gu Zhuo didn't respond.

Everyone living in the world can agree with words like this, so why should he add such a derogatory word to himself?

"Then let's stop here."

The queen seemed to be tired. She said these words wearily and prepared to leave the shade of the chestnut tree.

"I have a story to tell you."

Gu Zhuo's voice was very gentle: "It's a follow-up to the story I told you last time we met."

The queen had turned around and was now facing away from him. After a long silence, she said, "I remember it, but the story is really not interesting."

Gu Zhuo said: "Maybe it's boring, but since you've heard the following part, why don't you listen to the previous part?"

The Queen raised her eyebrows and said, "The above?"

The story is about the beginning, the twilight, the development and the conclusion.

No story begins from below.

unless.

That's not a story.

Gu Zhuo's voice sounded again, like a spring breeze, touching people's hearts.

"In fact, I was also surprised. I didn't expect to see the previous part of that story in the files of the Sky Patrol Department. I couldn't help but read it for a long time. So if you really asked me about my vision before, I would probably have answered it in a mess. Fortunately, you gave up on your own initiative."

The Queen said, "I can ask now."

Gu Zhuo chuckled and said, "Excuse me."

The queen did not speak, but said: "Since you want to talk to me about that story so much, then let's talk."

The branches and leaves of the chestnut tree swayed in the wind, and the shade it cast was no longer still, covering the two of them like a silk thread.

It's like three thousand strands of worries.

As luck would have it, the next moment Gu Zhuo said the name of a temple.

"Ganye Temple."

"The monk Du Hai once practiced in this temple for a long time. For some reason, such an ordinary thing was recorded in the files of the Sky Patrol Department. I couldn't resist my curiosity, so I looked through the relevant records again."

"It turns out that Monk Du Hai once taught a little girl in Ganye Temple, from learning to read and write to how to behave in society and then to practice. It's strange that all this happened in a temple."

"What's even more interesting is that the files of the Sky Patrol clearly state that the monk Du Hai had an affair with evil heretics, and after returning to Cihang Temple, Master Daoxiu personally banned his skills. This is also why the monk Du Hai was shivering in the cold wind wrapped in his coat when I last saw him."

Gu Zhuo looked at the queen's back and said, "But there is one thing that is a pity."

The Queen asked, "What's the pity?"

"I don't know why..."

Gu Zhuo sighed and said, "It seems that the files of the Sky Patrol Department did not record who that little girl was."

The wind has stopped.

Under the shade of the chestnut tree, the queen looked indifferent.

　Still six thousand

　　
　
(End of this chapter)