At least by keeping Gu Ziyu hanging on, she hasn't run away!

Even now, she still doesn't think she did anything wrong by confronting Su Wanwan.

Su Wanwan's behavior was improper and wrong, and now people can't even say anything about it?!

Gu Ziyu's expression gradually turned cold.

His skin flushed red with excitement, veins bulged on his forehead, and his voice was forceful and resounding, growing angrier as he spoke.

"Sister Wanwan is sensible and considerate of the big picture; she would rather sacrifice herself than let others suffer."

"You have absolutely no idea about her greatness and the circumstances she was forced into. What right do you have to judge her?!"

"She's ruined you like this, and she really has no fault at all?!" Wen Ruyi stood up and shouted at him without backing down.

Gu Ziyu calmed down instead, gave a cool laugh, and her eyes were full of disappointment.

"When has she ever harmed me or our Gu family?"

What kind of nonsense are you thinking about?

"The fact that the Gu family is safe and sound today is due to her kindness and magnanimity."

"I, Gu Ziyu, am still alive and kicking because she risked her life to save me!"

"On the contrary, you, the daughter-in-law of the Gu family, eat the Gu family's food, do things that harm the Gu family, and in the end, you show no remorse!"

"Wen Shuyi, you've disappointed me so much."

After saying that, Gu Ziyu took a deep breath to calm himself down, put the bowl of porridge he was still holding on the table, and left the inner courtyard to go to the outer study.

Wen Shuyi's face was extremely pale, her gaze falling on the bowl of porridge, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes.

She had no idea that Empress Su had such a good impression on Gu Ziyu, and that she had even saved Gu Ziyu's life.

Could it be that I misunderstood and made a mistake?

Duke Dingguo, Xu Guangzuo, happened to be visiting and was waiting in the outer study.

Seeing Gu Ziyu rushing over angrily, he casually joked:

"Is the inner courtyard on fire?"

Gu Ziyu waved his hand helplessly, slowly calming down, "You're quite clever, never getting married."

Xu Guangzuo was the same age as Lu Xingjian. At a young age, he was already a Duke and held a real position. In the capital, he was a highly sought-after husband, even more popular than Gu Ziyu.

However, due to his reputation for homosexuality, good families were unwilling to push their daughters into a pit of fire, while less desirable families refused to take him in. He remained unmarried, unable to find a wife despite his high standards.

Gu Ziyu's seemingly sarcastic remark about flattering Xu Guangzuo was actually a subtle but effective jab at him.

Xu Guangzuo didn't mind, patted Gu Ziyu on the shoulder, and changed the subject.

"The elite troops selected from the Five Armies Camp are ready. When shall we go and take a look?"

Gu Ziyu paused for a moment, then subtly distanced herself from him.

He wasn't interested in men, but he didn't want Xu Guangzuo to misunderstand.

Xu Guangzu noticed his avoidance but didn't mind, and simply handed over a roster.

It contains the family backgrounds and personal introductions of the selected elite soldiers.

Gu Ziyu carefully flipped through it and nodded to himself.

This took a lot of effort.

Those selected were all soldiers from ordinary military households, aged seventeen or older, young and ambitious, and all of them were skilled individuals who had undergone years of rigorous training.

"Let's go take a look now." Gu Ziyu said and left immediately.

Xu Guangzu suppressed the urge to raise his eyebrows.

Gu Ziyu's relationship with the emperor was much closer than his.

Having also served as a tutor to the Crown Prince and a bodyguard, Gu Ziyu was able to accompany the emperor.

He could only spend his days in the Fifth Army Battalion, training soldiers to a miserable existence.

There's nothing we can do about it; Gu Jiajian is favored by the emperor and controls the capital's military.

Their Duke Dingguo's family was granted the title of Duke for their meritorious service in the Jingnan Campaign during the reign of Emperor Taizong. In recent decades, his grandfather had been living in retirement at home, and it was only in his generation that he returned to officialdom.

It was incomparable to the highly sought-after Duke Baoguo's mansion.

Xu Guangzuo selected about two thousand elite soldiers. Gu Ziyu, having served in the border army, watched them practice with real weapons and nodded in satisfaction.

"The cavalry has been trained to a very high standard."

"However, cavalry alone is not enough. We also need spearmen and artillerymen."

He himself had nearly lost his life to muskets and had also witnessed the power of artillery; he could not ignore these two highly lethal types of soldiers.

Xu Guangzuo suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and asked calmly:

"Is this for training the Emperor's personal guards?"

Gu Ziyu didn't hide it from him anymore. She lowered her voice and said carefully, "No, it's not that. It's someone chosen for Her Majesty the Empress. It's just that it hasn't been announced to the public yet, and it must be kept secret."

Xu Guangzuo paused for a moment, then slowly nodded.

Gu Ziyu thinks more and further ahead.

In addition to this elite force, we also need to select some skilled individuals from the Divine Machine Battalion, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Zhenfu Division also needs to select some capable individuals who excel at investigating cases and tracking.

His actions did not escape the notice of some observant people.

Ma Yongcheng, the director of the Eastern Depot, became somewhat wary. After pondering for a while, he went to discuss it with Liu Jin.

...

He Ying hurried back to Kunning Palace, her face showing some anxiety:

"Your Majesty, I heard that Guard Xiao did not back out of his marriage to Miss Wanxiu."

Su Wanwan's breath caught in her throat for a moment.

I feel so suffocated.

She had to admit that Xiao Bin would get married sooner or later.

The phrase "Waiting for you" that was once on the canal has now become an empty promise.

Zhou Wanxiu was, after all, the legitimate daughter of the Zhou family, carefully cultivated by them, and her personal qualities and appearance were quite good.

It was the Zhou family who took the initiative to propose marriage again, and Xiao Bin would probably find it hard to refuse.

only……

Zhou Wanxiu is really not good enough for such a good bodyguard as Xiao.

A thousand thoughts raced through her mind, like a tangled mess with no clues, and in the end, she could only laugh self-deprecatingly.

She knew this day would come as soon as they parted ways in Weizhou City.

Ultimately, it was because she was too selfish.

She herself is already married, yet she still doesn't want to see Xiao Bin get married.

Perhaps it wasn't that she didn't want to see him marry someone else, but rather that she hoped he could marry a woman who was worthy of her and who was compatible with him, so they could live happily ever after.

After all, he had once considered that the woman might be himself.

Su Wanwan finally instructed Heying:

"Go and pass on a message for me: if he doesn't want to marry her, or if he has someone he prefers, I can make the decision for him."

After all, this is a major life event for him, and she still wants to leave the choice to him to prevent the Zhou family from using their power to bully him.

He Ying nodded solemnly:

“Your Majesty, I always felt that Guard Xiao was not an ordinary guard. His demeanor is in no way inferior to that of a young master like Second Master Gu.”

Su Wanwan gave a bitter smile.

"Of course not."

"Not what?" A quiet male voice came from outside the door.

Lu Xingjian was standing at the door at some point.

Su Wanwan paused slightly, but still brought it up: "I just feel they're not a good match."

Lu Xingjian stared at her for a long while, his eyes cold and his tone indifferent, revealing no emotion.

"Oh, so who do you think is a good match for him?"

Su Wanwan remained calm and said indifferently, "I don't know."

Do you really not know?

Lu Xingjian gestured for Heying to leave, then looked at her scrutinizingly, his tone tinged with coldness:

"Why don't you choose a suitable one from among the many noble ladies and I will bestow a marriage upon them?"