Chapter 791 Clash - Performance

Upon hearing this, Gu Shuyan briefly recounted her trip to the disaster area to the woman. It was the first time the woman had heard of another woman being even bolder than herself, and her admiration for Gu Shuyan surged like a never-ending river.

Seeing the two women chatting happily, Yun Yichen simply gestured for Ji Wenjin and Gu Renjie to sit down. He then glanced at Geng Muqiu and asked, "What's going on between you two?"

"What do you mean, what's going on? We only met once!"

Ji Wenjin's answer was exactly the same as Geng Muqiu's, but Yun Yichen and Gu Renjie simply didn't believe it.

After feeding the baby a bowl of goat milk, the healthy baby fell asleep quickly. Gu Shuyan handed the baby to Pearl and naturally invited Geng Muqiu to have dinner together.

Geng Muqiu originally wanted to say that she had something to do in the kitchen, but when she saw Ji Wenjin sitting at the table, she inexplicably agreed.

"I wonder if Sister Muqiu is married now?"

After their conversation, Gu Shuyan had figured out Geng Muqiu completely, and even affectionately called her "Sister Muqiu".

Geng Muqiu was a straightforward person, and after hearing her words, he immediately shook his head.

"In my opinion, if I don't meet someone I like, whether or not I get married is irrelevant. If I have to follow the rules of etiquette and marry someone I don't like, or someone I've never even met, I'd rather be killed."

Geng Muqiu's words immediately caught Ji Wenjin's attention. Recalling the scene of their first meeting, Ji Wenjin couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Does the adults also find me laughable?"

Geng Muqiu looked over with some displeasure, and Ji Wenjin then realized that she had lost her composure.

"No, I think Miss Geng is absolutely right."

Ji Wenjin quickly shook his head. In fact, his reluctance to marry over the years was also due to these concerns. In addition, given the complicated interpersonal relationships within the Ji family, Ji Wenjin really didn't want the young woman to jump into this fire pit.

Seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, Geng Muqiu felt a little relieved.

When leaving Ruyi Restaurant, Geng Muqiu personally escorted Gu Shuyan out. Because they got along well, Geng Muqiu even promised Gu Shuyan that he would visit her another day.

From that day on, Ji Wenjin visited Ruyi Restaurant more and more often, without even realizing it himself.

Of course, that's all in the future. After the meal, the group went to the Marquis of Yi'an's residence again. No one knows what they discussed, but Gu Shuyan didn't see Yun Yichen return until she fell asleep.

The ministers argued again at the morning court session the following day.

Some advocated for Lu Hexuan to ascend the throne as soon as possible, while others questioned Lu Hexuan, suspecting that he had the motive to assassinate the emperor.

Just as the argument was raging, Lu Hexuan, who had been silent all along, finally snapped and rebuked everyone.

"Before my elder brother was alive, I disliked getting involved in court affairs. Now, you all have different opinions, and many even suspect that I have ulterior motives. I know that no matter how eloquent I am, I cannot explain myself. Fortunately, my elder brother left behind an edict when he was alive. The fate of this throne can be clearly seen by showing the edict."

As soon as Lu Hexuan finished speaking, someone burst out laughing.

"Your Highness's words are truly amusing. With His Majesty and the princes all gone, does His Majesty intend to pass the throne to the surviving Third Prince?"

"Exactly, everyone knows that the Prince is the only healthy member of the royal family right now. What use would it be even if he saw the imperial edict?"

Lu Hexuan had already anticipated that someone would say this, and immediately gave a wink to the old eunuch who was already standing to the side.

The eunuch nodded and stepped forward, holding an imperial edict that was half burned off.

"This is the imperial edict that His Majesty wrote himself to be disseminated. It was burned by the Fourth Prince, so it is what it is now. However, not all of the contents on it were burned."

The old eunuch handed the imperial edict to the wise king, who waved his hand, telling him to let the ministers see it first.

Thus, the Grand Secretary, who had been the most vocal opponent, was the first to obtain the tattered scroll of the imperial edict. Although some of the contents had been burned, the fact that Gu Renjie was the second prince born to Consort Yun was still clearly recorded on it.

The Grand Secretary was shocked after reading it. He couldn't help but look at Gu Renjie, who was puzzled by his gaze and couldn't help but ask, "Why are you looking at me, sir?"

The Grand Chancellor did not speak, but handed the imperial edict to Gu Renjie.

With questions in mind, Gu Renjie exchanged a few glances with the Grand Secretary before slowly looking at the incomplete imperial edict.

Upon seeing his own name, Gu Renjie was so startled that he shoved the item back into the Grand Secretary's hand.

"No, this must be fake. There must be something wrong with it."

Gu Renjie's panic and helplessness were portrayed perfectly. Yesterday, Yun Yichen and the others even practiced with him for a long time to achieve the same effect as today.

As expected, the Grand Secretary, who had initially been somewhat skeptical, immediately became almost entirely convinced after seeing Gu Renjie's performance.

As for the other one, he looked at Gu Jin. Gu Jin, seeing Gu Renjie's unusual reaction, quickly approached and accepted the imperial edict without any hesitation.

After reading the contents, Gu Jin shook his head, "No, how could this be? This is impossible!"

Gu Jin said, walking quickly toward Gu Renjie, "Renjie, you are my son, everything written here is false."

Gu Jin went from being shocked to comforting his son and even helped his son deny the truth, which left the Grand Secretary with no room for doubt.

However, there was one thing he didn't quite understand. He handed the imperial edict to his other colleagues to look at, while he himself looked at the old eunuch.

"Since the steward has this imperial edict, why didn't he produce it sooner?"

Since the emperor's body was still warm, and there was still a second prince in the world, why didn't the eunuch bring out the imperial edict?

"It was something I forbade you to take."

Lu Hexuan suddenly spoke slowly, and everyone looked at him. The Grand Secretary even questioned, "Why won't Your Highness allow it to be taken out?"

Even ordinary people value caring for their parents in old age and seeing them off in death. Since the emperor has a healthy and living son, Lu Hexuan should not have been in charge of sending off the emperor's body yesterday.

"Is the Grand Chancellor truly getting old? Have you forgotten what you've been saying about me these past few days?"

Lu Hexuan's words immediately silenced the Grand Chancellor. Then Lu Hexuan continued, "The Fourth Prince's intention to rebel is an undeniable fact, but who knows if the person who poisoned the Empress and others will turn on the royal family? If the imperial edict is presented too soon, who can guarantee that the Second Prince will be safe?"

Lu Hexuan's question silenced those who held opposing views. Indeed, if his identity had been exposed earlier, would Gu Renjie still be standing here safely?

The imperial edict was circulated once and finally fell into Yun Yichen's hands. He glanced at it and then handed it to Lu Hexuan.