These three words were neither light nor heavy, neither cold nor hot, and there was a hint of sharpness in the tone that left no room for doubt.

Liushuang was stunned for a moment, then stood there with his head down.

The originally peaceful atmosphere suddenly became tense again because of the emperor's words.

Meeting Empress Dowager Yuan's sharp and gloomy eyes, the emperor casually flicked his sleeves, stroked the gourd-shaped hand warmer given by Anle, and continued: "The Empress Dowager also said that I, as a father, must consult with my son."

"Yu's daughter is not suitable."

The emperor's tone became increasingly cold and sharp, and when he said the last five words, he was decisive.

"..."Empress Dowager Yuan's expression changed instantly, and she looked at the emperor, who was only a foot away from her, as if she was looking at a stranger.

The emperor has always been a soft-hearted person and rarely gets angry. To put it nicely, he has a gentle temperament, but to put it bluntly, he is cowardly and easy to manipulate.

Empress Dowager Yuan had been married to the late emperor for more than twenty years. She only saw the emperor get angry once, when the eldest prince was sent to Nanyue as a hostage eight years ago.

Eight years had passed and Empress Dowager Yuan had already forgotten about it. She never expected that the emperor would suddenly become tough today and refute her words in public. Even Chu You glanced sideways, withdrew his gaze from Gu Yunmeng, and looked at the emperor with a little surprise.

Empress Dowager Yuan's body stiffened, her face turned green and red, her wrists trembled uncontrollably, and every word she spoke was filled with frost: "Does the emperor have any objections to the noble families?"

She asked directly, her voice echoing throughout the deck and clearly heard by others around her.

The faces of those young men from noble families all turned stern, and they all looked towards the emperor and the empress dowager, with their ears pricked up.

The emperor's dragon robe was blown up by the cold wind, and the cloak he wore outside was slightly bulged, making his figure look even thinner.

The emperor looked directly into Empress Dowager Yuan's gloomy eyes without flinching, and announced slowly and firmly: "My eldest prince will not marry a daughter of an aristocratic family."

After saying that, the emperor turned his head and looked at Chu Yi beside him. When facing his son, he had that gentle smile on his face again. That loving expression seemed to be saying, Chuyi, don't worry, your dad is here.

"..." Chu Yi smiled slightly, his beautifully shaped eyes narrowed slightly, and his pupils sparkled.

Daddy is still the same, exactly the same as when he was a child, he hasn't changed at all.

Empress Dowager Yuan never expected that the emperor not only rejected her outright, but didn't even give her an excuse. Her face turned ashen in an instant.

She had lived a smooth life. When she was in her natal family, she was valued by her parents and brothers. After she married the late emperor, she was also deeply loved by him. Even after the late emperor passed away, she was still the empress dowager, the most noble woman in the Great Jing Dynasty.

Her fingertips dug deeply into the tender palm, her eyes sinister.

More and more people looked over here, and even the young man who was playing the flute put down the jade flute in his hand.

The sound of the flute stopped, and there was silence all around, except for the cold wind whistling on the plywood.

Yuan Zhe, who was standing next to Chu You, stared straight at the emperor with a gaze as deep as the abyss, and put his hands behind his back thoughtfully.

First it was Fengyang, then the emperor...

They are acting so out of character, are they planning to attack the noble families? !

It's really ridiculous.

Yuan Zhe's eyes grew colder and colder, as if a snowstorm was raging in his eyes. He sneered in his heart: What my grandfather and father said was indeed right. The current emperor is indeed incompetent and has no self-awareness.

If he were the emperor today, he would be patient and lie dormant, taking his time like the previous emperor did, slowly taking control of the court, and then planning other things.

Empress Dowager Yuan continued to stare at the emperor, and smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes. She asked, "Then I would like to ask the emperor if there is any girl he likes? I can help to judge her."

The emperor smiled leisurely and said calmly: "Emperor Taizu once said that marriage cannot be based solely on the parents' orders, but also requires mutual consent."

This sentence seemed to mean that Chu Yi would choose his own marriage and the Queen Mother would not have to worry about it.

When Yuan Zhe heard the emperor mention Emperor Taizu, his eyes became even darker.

Back then, Emperor Taizu started an uprising with unstoppable force, defeating the previous dynasty. When the overall situation in Jiangbei was settled, their Yuan family and other aristocratic families took the initiative to submit to Taizu and worship him as their master.

However, Emperor Taizu held a grudge against the aristocratic families because they had not helped him conquer the previous dynasty, and he was determined to support powerful officials from humble backgrounds to replace the aristocratic families.

Most of their noble families had been passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years, and were powerful families in the prefectures and counties under their jurisdiction. They had also suppressed scholars from poor families in the local area. However, Emperor Taizu was swift and decisive, and he immediately killed the chicken to scare the monkey, and the Wang family of Qingzhou was thus destroyed.

The other noble families did not dare to do it again.

Emperor Taizu has always been a man of his word.

However, the Dajing Dynasty only produced this one brilliant and talented Emperor Taizu.

It is said that a good father will have a good son. Everyone knows that the previous emperor was not as good as the Taizu Emperor... and the current emperor is not even as good as the previous emperor! The three generations of emperors in the Dajing Dynasty can be said to be inferior to the previous one...

Yuan Zhe looked at the emperor's profile, which could hardly conceal its old age and sickness, with an almost contemptuous look.

The current emperor was already spoiled by the previous emperor. There is nothing to be afraid of.

Just like what my father said, since this one is disobedient, let's replace him with an obedient one.

Yuan Zhe slowly shifted his gaze from the emperor to Prince Kang Chuyou.

Chu You was standing under the eaves of the pleasure boat, the shadow of the eaves casting a faint shadow on his well-defined profile, making his narrow and sharp eyes look colder than the wind, just like a leopard ready to hunt.

King Kang has the blood of an aristocratic family flowing in his body, so he naturally stands on the side of their family. Moreover, King Kang is still young and needs the support of their family.

"Seventh brother," the emperor looked at Chu You like Yuan Zhe, his eyes meaningful, and asked slowly with a smile, "Do you think this sentence is right or wrong?"

"..." Chu You's face darkened and he pursed his thin lips.

These words originally came from his mouth. They were what he said to the emperor last year when he asked the emperor to grant him and Gu Yunmeng a marriage. The emperor was just repeating his words this time.

Facing the emperor's slightly provocative eyes, a sneer gradually appeared on the corner of Chu You's thin mouth, and his eyes were gloomy.

He and his daughter Meng'er were in love with each other and truly loved each other. External family background had nothing to do with him. He loved Meng'er just because of who she was. It didn't matter whether her surname was Gu or whether she was Gu Ce's daughter.

Meng'er admired him only because he was who he was, not because he had the glory of King Kang.

The feelings between the two of them are different.

But the Emperor...

The emperor kept mentioning "Taizu" and "mutual love", but he was just using chicken feathers as a token of authority. To put it bluntly, he just wanted to suppress the aristocratic families.

(End of this chapter)