Chapter 472 Seeking Benevolence

After careful consideration, he still believed that Gu Yan was the most suitable candidate.

Even so, it still took him almost an hour to persuade Gu Yan to agree to 'persuade' the officials using his method.

Wen Kehao was still somewhat surprised after hearing this.

“I really didn’t think of this method, Your Majesty. I’m willing to accept the consequences of my gamble, but aren’t you worried that although this move will achieve its goal, it will inevitably affect your image as a devoted lover and a man in the eyes of the officials? They will think that your devotion to one person is just a pretense to cover up your hidden illness, and that your abdication to go to the northern frontier is a choice you have to make because of your health.”

Men in the world, regardless of their status, wealth, or poverty, place great importance on their masculine image. Even if they are truly ill, they will either hide their weakness and pretend to be strong, or blame women for their mistakes and infertility, and will never admit to such defects.

Wen Zhiming, on the contrary, feigned illness, thus diminishing his masculine virtue, which surprised and impressed him.

Upon hearing this, Wen Zhiming smiled gently.

"No matter how legitimate the reasons for this abdication may be, or how beneficial it may be, once I abdicate and leave, the court officials and the people will still think that the biggest reason is that the Empress and I have no children. They may praise my devotion or laugh at my foolishness, but most people will blame the Empress and think that it is because she cannot bear children that this series of consequences has occurred."

"I do not want there to be any voices in the capital that are detrimental to the Empress after I leave. Since someone has to bear the reputation of being infertile, I would rather it be myself than my wife. Besides, if the officials suspect that the Empress is infertile, they will only try to get me to take other women. If I can make them suspect that it is my problem, they will naturally have no choice but to accept the solution of replacing the emperor."

His abilities don't need to be demonstrated through masculinity; in this respect, his wife's satisfaction is enough.

When he achieves great things in the northern frontier, the court officials and the people will only remember his merits and will not belittle him because of this.

But his wife was different; he didn't want anyone to look down on her in the slightest.

Moreover, the Meng family was still in the capital, and his wife's reputation in her family was especially important. He did not want any bad gossip about his wife to reach the Meng family.

Seeing the Emperor's pleasant expression, and his particularly gentle eyes when he spoke of the Empress, Gu Yan felt completely at peace with himself for having been a traitor to the officials.

After being persuaded by the Emperor to agree yesterday, he returned to his residence still feeling uneasy, unsure whether agreeing to do so was the right or wrong thing to do. Meng Xiyao noticed that he was acting strangely and comforted him after asking him what was wrong.

"You have obtained what you seek, so what is there to complain about? The Emperor and Empress want to leave the capital and go to the northern frontier to make a name for themselves. The court officials hope that the Emperor will restore the imperial harem and raise more imperial heirs. Now that you have helped the Emperor, both sides can get what they want. As long as neither the Emperor nor you tell anyone, and the result is good, then you are not a traitor, but a benevolent act of granting their wish."

At the time, he thought Meng Xiyao was oversimplifying things, but now he thinks there's some truth to what she said.

The Emperor was determined to protect the Empress, resolve the crisis between the two countries, and help the northern frontier escape poverty.

Prince Zhong needs the throne to escape his predicament and is willing to accept the heavy responsibility of the emperor's abdication.

He hoped to repay the emperor's kindness from years past and also wanted to be loyal to the country and serve it.

The officials and courtiers not only hoped for peace and prosperity for the Golden Moon Kingdom, but also for the Emperor to have many children and produce many imperial heirs.

With the abdication settled, everyone went to their respective positions and performed their duties.

All that people hope for, wish for, are responsible for, and protect will be fulfilled.

Gu Yan had only returned to report on the progress of the matter, and now that he had said everything he needed to say, he could not stay to listen to the Emperor and the Prince hand over the imperial power. Seeing that Wen Zhiming had no other instructions, he bowed his head and took his leave.

After hearing Wen Zhiming's words, Wen Kehao felt a little lost and guilty.

"My elder brother truly showed deep affection for my sister-in-law, but I..."

He trailed off halfway through his sentence.

Between him and Su Leyan, he truly owed Su Leyan more; he owed her his life and his unwavering devotion.

He originally thought that, at least on the surface, he only had Su Leyan as his woman, but the circumstances forced him to eventually embark on the path of having three palaces and six courtyards, with a large number of wives and concubines.

What he owes Su Leyan is even more difficult to repay.

Wen Zhiming understood what he meant and patted him on the shoulder.

"Your body is affected by the Gu King. When it takes effect, it is beyond your control. Your sister-in-law is a doctor, and she knows this better than you do. No matter how many women you have in the future, always remember to put your sister-in-law first. Whether it is in the harem or in your heart, never let any woman surpass her position. This is how you show your deep affection for your sister-in-law."

"If you can do it, you and Doctor Su will be a loving couple. Doctor Su will not regret falling in love with you, saving your life, and marrying you. But if you can't do it, then you will not only be letting her down, but also being ungrateful, because Doctor Su saved your life, and she is your lawfully wedded wife. In three days, she will be your empress."

Wen Zhiming looked at Wen Kehao and solemnly gave his instructions.

"Third brother, I know you wouldn't do that, but I still can't help but remind you again: you know how Dr. Su treats you, so you must never let her down."

Su Leyan and Meng Lingge are close friends. He said this on behalf of his wife. Moreover, Su Leyan is the person in the world who knows the Gu King best. If Wen Kehao goes too far, Su Leyan may have a way to destroy the Gu King and harm Wen Kehao.

By letting Wen Kehao treat Su Leyan well, he is treating himself well.

Wen Kehao nodded.

“I have remembered everything my brother said. Without Su Leyan, there would be no Wen Kehao today. If I do not cherish her, I would be worse than a pig or a dog.”

Seeing that he had come to this realization, Wen Zhiming felt relieved and walked to the dragon table, placing the jade seal and stamp into Wen Kehao's hands.

"These next two days, you will learn to handle the memorials. After the formal handover in two days, all matters in the palace will be entrusted to you. However, once you ascend the throne, Consort Chen will naturally become the new Empress Dowager, and my mother... I will take them to the northern frontier as soon as possible. These next few days, have someone keep an eye on Consort Chen and make sure she doesn't make things difficult for my mother."

Consort Chen was not actually a bad person, but she was vain and held grudges.

She must have a deep impression of the last time the Empress Dowager ordered Granny Qian to slap her. Now that she has turned the tables, she will definitely want to show off her power.

As a son, Wen Zhiming's actions in sending the Empress Dowager to guard the northern frontier caused her status to fall below that of her former enemies. This already put the Empress Dowager in a somewhat unfair position, so it was impossible for Wen Zhiming to allow Consort Chen to further humiliate her.

Wen Kehao was not surprised at all upon hearing this.

He solemnly replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I already have a plan to deal with this matter."

The two brothers spent the entire day communicating and discussing in the Hall of Diligent Governance, even having their meals delivered to their rooms, and they did not part until dark.

Meanwhile, the people the officials sent to gather information successfully extracted information and found out the details.