Gu Chaoxi quickly lowered her eyes and said respectfully, "So the person I saw at Panyue Lake that day was actually His Majesty. I was unaware of His Majesty's identity. Please forgive my rudeness."

The emperor strode down from the head of the table and helped Gu Chaoxi up with his large hand. "I don't blame you."

"I summoned you to the palace today to ask you, is it true that you took the initiative to break off the engagement with the Zhao family?"

Gu Chaoxi nodded, "Yes, Young Master Zhao is fickle, soft-hearted and indecisive, and is really not the husband I would choose."

The emperor seemed pleased and asked the most important question, "You are currently unmarried, so would you be willing to enter the palace? The first time I saw you, I felt that you were exceptionally beautiful, and you are the first person I have ever loved. I want to make you my empress, but unfortunately, there is already a woman from the Gu family in the palace. I plan to first give you the title of Consort, and after you give birth to a prince, I will make you empress. Are you willing?"

The emperor spoke sincerely, and the heat in his eyes was almost scalding to Gu Chaoxi.

On her way here, Gu Chaoxi had already vaguely guessed why the emperor had summoned her to the palace, but she didn't expect that as soon as she entered, the emperor would get straight to the point and be so blunt.

But her mission wasn't to seduce the emperor, so of course she couldn't agree. However, to refuse the emperor and utterly humiliate him would be a terrible fate, if not death.

The hall fell silent for a moment. After receiving no response, the emperor's voice deepened, "Miss Gu, are you unwilling? This concerns the honor and disgrace of the entire Gu family. You should think carefully."

The threat in the words was clear: if they agreed, the Gu family would be promoted; if they didn't, the Gu family might face confiscation of their property and extermination.

Gu Chaoxi didn't want to implicate her beloved grandmother. She also didn't believe that Lu Zhao would openly break with the emperor for her sake. Perhaps he liked her, but not to the point of putting himself in a passive position where the emperor could easily find fault with him.

Gu Chaoxi knew that if she said her beloved was Lu Zhao, the emperor would definitely detain her in the palace immediately.

Under the emperor's watchful gaze, Gu Chaoxi thought it over and over again before finally kneeling on the ground, "This subject is willing."