He used to avoid her whenever she took the initiative to approach him.

That's why he avoided her.

She comforted herself.

He likes her, otherwise why wouldn't he kill her instead of making her try to save her pregnancy?

She committed the grave crime of assassinating the Empress.

Maggie thought with unwavering conviction.

"I will always wait for you, waiting for you to come and get me."

Maggie sobbed, her heart pounding with anxiety.

I eagerly awaited his reply.

However.

Her only response was silence.

She thought back to the first time she met him.

They were captivated by his noble status, handsome appearance, and calm and composed demeanor.

She was so touched by his deliberate attempts to please her that her heart fluttered, and she became greedy, wanting to become the woman he cherished and loved.

Maggie was beautiful, and countless men tried to woo her.

But if she could win over the young and handsome emperor, that would be the only way to prove her charm.

She didn't know whether she had succeeded or not.

If I had done that, how could I have suffered such inhumane treatment?

But if he failed to do so, his pampering and indulgence of himself seemed so genuine.

Lu Xingjian didn't say anything more, and just left silently.

As he left the house, he unfastened his outer robe, tossed it to the eunuch, and uttered two extremely cold words:

"It was burned."

The young eunuch looked up in surprise and saw the emperor's handsome yet indifferent face appear unusually ferocious in the moonlight.

...

The assassination, carried out in full view of everyone, ended like a child's play and vanished like fireworks, leaving no trace.

Not a single rumor spread.

Those who paid attention noticed that Ma Ji was sent back to the Ma family in Xuanfu.

The Duke of Baoguo's mansion was peaceful and serene.

On the contrary, it was Zhang Mao, the Duke of Yingguo, the most powerful relative of the Gu family by marriage, who submitted two memorials at the advanced age of sixty-eight.

One account states that out of the 18,000 officers and soldiers in the Danzhong and Xiaoyi battalions, 8,000 were selected to be sent to the regimental camp for training, but fewer than 900 actually participated.

Those who are hiding should be allowed to surrender themselves; otherwise, their families should be exiled to the Nine Border Regions. Neighbors who do not report them will also be punished in the same way.

One account states that the Beijing army consisted of 23,000 soldiers, from flag bearers to commanding officers, but only one-fifth of them participated in the drills.

We request the Ministry of War to conduct a thorough investigation. Anyone over the age of seventeen must be sent to military training before inheriting their ancestral title. Those who have someone else take their place in training or conceal their absence will be demoted one rank from their ancestral title. Those who skip training three times will be demoted to commoners.

Lu Xingjian looked at the memorial and sneered a few times.

The Great Liang Dynasty had been at peace for a long time, and its army had not fought any battles, resulting in lax combat effectiveness and discipline.

The Gu family had long known about the shortcomings of the Beijing army, but they had always indulged and let it go.

Knowing that Wen Shuyi had caused a great disaster for the Gu family, they had no choice but to show some sincerity in reforming the Beijing army.

In this way, the problem of the Beijing army receiving salaries without working will be greatly improved, and the combat effectiveness of the Beijing army will be further enhanced.

But the thought that all of this was achieved through Wanwan and the child's adventures made him feel no joy at all.

However, using this investigation to cultivate mid-level generals directly loyal to the emperor within the army, rather than relying too much on eunuchs to control the capital's troops, is a viable approach.

This requires the strong cooperation of the Ministry of War.

Even more smoothly, the establishment of overseas offices was accelerated.

Given Su Wanwan's tolerance, understanding, and care for the Gu family, the Gu family has no reason not to reciprocate.

As for the establishment of the domestic office, it is also progressing slowly.

The investigation into the Jiazi database, which had been suspended, has made progress again.

Gu Ziyu went to the palace again and met the emperor directly.

"It is not appropriate for me to openly manage the foreign affairs offices. I recommend someone to His Majesty: Duke Dingguo, Xu Guangzuo."

Lu Xingjian frowned, his expression changing slightly.

This was an old acquaintance, who had once been his study companion in the Eastern Palace and a palace guard with a sword. After Lu Xingjian ascended the throne, he quickly put him in charge of the Left Wing Army of the Five Armies.

He was highly trusted and valued.

What's infuriating is that...

Two years ago, when Lu Xingjian was about to marry Xia Xueyi, Xu Guangzuo requested an imperial decree to grant them the marriage.

The betrothed was to Su Wanwan, who was widowed in Jinling.

The key point is that he spoke with great conviction, claiming that Su Wanwan's husband, Xu Peng'an, was a distant cousin of his, both being sixth-generation descendants of the founding father and the first Duke of Wei.

The saying "the younger brother succeeds the elder brother's sister-in-law" has existed since ancient times.

This almost infuriated Lu Xingjian.

The practice of younger brothers inheriting from their elder brothers' wives and sons inheriting from their fathers' wives was a marriage system favored only by nomadic barbarians in the north.

This is utterly immoral and outrageous!

Lu Xingjian not only refused the marriage decree, but also had the Minister of War intervene and use another pretext to severely berate Xu Guangzuo.

From then on, Xu Guangzuo was completely sidelined and rarely had the opportunity to meet the emperor.

Lu Xingjian remained silent for a long while before asking:

"I recall that the Duke of Dingguo is still unmarried?"

Gu Ziyu was unaware of the Duke of Dingguo's request for a marriage decree, and only said, "It is rumored that the Duke of Dingguo is a homosexual."

Lu Xingjian thought to himself, "He's a homosexual, what a joke."

Would a homosexual even defy public opinion and seek to marry a widowed distant cousin?

Black-hearted bastard.

You're not still thinking about Wanwan, are you?

He rejected the proposal outright.

Gu Ziyu insisted: "The Duke of Dingguo is decisive and resolute, loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and his character is trustworthy. He is worthy of being entrusted with important tasks."

"If I continue to intervene, I'm afraid a similar assassination attempt will occur again."

"I hope Your Majesty will consider this carefully."

This was a choice Gu Ziyu had to make after much deliberation.

With the in-depth investigation of the Nine Borders imminent, the marriage between the Gu and Wen families must not have any flaws at this time.

He not only protected Wen Shuyi in front of the Gu family elders, but also took leave from work to stay home and focus on accompanying Wen Shuyi, so that she would not have another chance to cause trouble.

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