Chapter 560: The Imperial Study, the Contest between the Emperor and His Ministers

The next day, the sky was bright.

In the imperial study, the scent of sandalwood lingered.

Zhao Yunci felt his heart pounding as he watched the Duke of Zhenguo, who had just come out of court and followed him into his imperial study without a word.

That handsome face was so dark that ink could drip out of it, and his whole body exuded the aura of "I'm here to collect a debt today."

Zhao Yunci put down the red brush in her hand, rubbed her brow, and said unhappily, "You look like I owe you millions of taels of silver. Tell me, who has upset our Zhenguo Duke again?"

The serving eunuch served tea very tactfully and then quietly retreated, leaving the huge imperial study to the emperor and his ministers.

Gu Junze did not sit down, nor did he touch the cup of hot tea.

He stood in the hall, his posture straight as a pine tree, facing the emperor behind the dragon table, and spoke in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I have come here to discuss the matter concerning my daughter Qingchen."

Zhao Yunci's hand holding the teacup paused slightly, and a hint of understanding flashed in his eyes.

It was indeed because of this matter.

He raised his eyebrows in feigned confusion. "Oh? I've also heard about Qingchen from the Queen. Yesterday in the Imperial Garden, my Crown Prince was given a good scolding by her."

Upon hearing this, Gu Junze bowed again and said, "My daughter was naughty and offended His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I have failed to educate her properly. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

"Punish me?" Zhao Yunci chuckled. "If I really wanted to punish you, I wouldn't have let the Queen personally escort your wife out of the palace yesterday."

He changed the subject, his eyes becoming penetrating. "I actually think that Qingchen is a straightforward child, quite like you back then. The prince is surrounded by people who follow the rules, and having a playmate like her might bring him some life."

These words seemed to be praise, but in fact they had already made the Queen's intentions clear to about 70%.

The air in the hall seemed to stagnate at this moment.

Gu Junze slowly raised his head and looked directly at the emperor on the dragon throne.

"Your Majesty, your humble servant, Qingchen, is unworthy of your position and possesses a stubborn disposition. I am unfit to be a companion to the Crown Prince, much less a mother to the Crown Prince."

His voice was not loud, but every word was clear and powerful.

The smile on Zhao Yunci's face completely disappeared. He looked at Gu Junze steadily, and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly dropped to freezing point.

"Gu Junze, do you know what you are saying?"

"I know."

"The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion has received the Emperor's grace, which is already the greatest honor. I dare not allow my daughter to marry the Crown Prince again, lest the power of the imperial relatives in the future increase and repeat the mistakes of the previous dynasty. This is the duty of a minister."

He paused, and his tone finally contained a hint of fatherly, almost stubborn emotion.

"Your Majesty, you are also a father. I only have this one daughter. I do not ask her to be rich and powerful, but only to be safe and happy, without worries. The deep palace walls are not the place for her."

Zhao Yunci was silent.

He looked at Gu Junze in front of him, the brother who had fought his way out of the sea of ​​blood and corpses together.

Of course he knew that Gu Junze was speaking the truth.

But as an emperor, he has his considerations.

The military power of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion is the cornerstone of his consolidation of his power, and Gu Junze is his right-hand man.

Marriage is the best shackle.

"Junze." Zhao Yunci's voice softened, with a hint of persuasion, "This matter is a good thing for the Crown Prince, for Qingchen, for our royal family, and for the Gu family."

"I can guarantee that as long as I am here, Qingchen will not be wronged in the slightest."

This is the emperor's promise and also the final ultimatum.

Gu Junze's heart sank inch by inch.

He knew that ordinary reasons could no longer shake the emperor's mind.

He took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, then he suddenly lifted up his robe and knelt on one knee.

"His Majesty!"

This kneeling was different from the previous etiquette between the monarch and his subjects.

Zhao Yunci's pupils suddenly shrank.

"I dare to ask Your Majesty to revoke your order." Gu Junze lowered his voice, "If Your Majesty insists on putting these shackles on Qingchen, in order to protect my daughter and to avoid embarrassing Your Majesty..."

He raised his head, and there was no trace of his usual laziness in his eyes, only the indomitable spirit and pride of a battlefield god of war.

"I, your humble servant, can only resign this position of Duke, retire from the army, and take them mother and daughter away from this troubled place, the capital!"

Return to the countryside!

These four words, like a heavy hammer, smashed heavily into the imperial study, causing the lingering sandalwood incense to stagnate.

Zhao Yunci stood up suddenly, walked around the imperial desk, walked in front of Gu Junze, and looked down at him condescendingly.

There was no anger on his face, only a deep, complex disappointment.

"Are you using all these military achievements to threaten me?"

"I dare not." Gu Junze lowered his head, but his tone did not waver. "I am just doing what a father should do."

The two of them were in a stalemate, one standing and the other kneeling.

The emperor's pressure and the god of war's pride are silently contested in this small space.

After a long time, Zhao Yunci suddenly let out a long sigh, as if all his strength had been drained away in an instant.

He turned around, walked back to the dragon throne, and slowly sat down.

"That's all."

He waved his hand, a hint of fatigue in his voice.

"I know you love your daughter dearly, like a stubborn donkey. The Queen is overthinking this matter."

He looked at Gu Junze, who was still kneeling on the ground, and said calmly, "Get up. Go back and tell your wife that I will go and persuade the Queen to stop thinking about this."

Upon hearing this, the tense string in Gu Junze's heart finally loosened a little.

He knew that he had temporarily won this gamble.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration."

He kowtowed, then stood up and bowed as he left the imperial study.

When the temple door closed again, blocking out the light from outside,

Zhao Yunci's face gradually darkened in the dim light.

He picked up a jade lion paperweight on the imperial desk and slowly stroked it in his hand, his eyes deep, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Gu Junze, for the sake of a daughter, you are willing to go this far.

Then I can’t let go.

Gu Junze won this game, but it was not an easy win.

But Gu Junze knew in his heart that today's conversation between the king and his subjects had created an unbridgeable rift in the tacit understanding that once defined them as living and dying together.

When she returned to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, Chu Ruohan was already waiting at the second gate, with an unconcealable look of anxiety on her face.

As soon as she saw him riding back on horseback, she hurried to meet him, her voice trembling slightly.

"how?"

Gu Junze dismounted, handed the reins to the servant, held her cold hand, and said in a deep voice, "Go in and talk."

After dismissing all the servants and closing the door, Chu Ruohan could no longer hold back and asked, "Has His Majesty punished you?"

Gu Junze pulled her to sit beside him, poured her a cup of hot tea himself, and then told her the whole conversation in the imperial study.

Chu Ruohan's heartstrings, which had been tense for a whole night and a whole day, finally relaxed slowly.

But she also knew that this matter was far from over.

How could a marriage that the emperor had in mind disappear just because of the fierce resistance of his ministers?