"You two should talk it over. I'm sitting here to hear what's going on. It's worth it for both of you to come out one by one." Gu Zhen sat on the chair, signaling them not to care about him and just to solve their own conflicts. He calmly poured tea for himself and Song Jiaren and drank it slowly.
Song Jiaren held her forehead with her hand. With His Royal Highness the Crown Prince as a big light bulb here, it would be difficult to elaborate on any conflicts between the male and female protagonists.
The tent was quiet for a moment, so quiet that only the faint sound of Gu Zhen drinking tea could be heard.
After a long time, Su Su took a deep breath slowly. Now even His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has gotten involved. What qualifications does she have?
Su Su knelt down before His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, then laughed at herself and said calmly, "It's none of Your Majesty's business. It's my unreasonable behavior that has put Your Majesty in a difficult position."
After a pause, she continued, "Originally, Ying Fei's pregnancy was a great joyous event, but I was like a jealous woman and had no tolerance for others. In anger, I left the palace without permission, causing His Majesty to worry. I have committed seven offenses, and I hope Your Highness will punish me." After saying this, she pursed her lips tightly.
She felt as if her chest was being strangled and she couldn't breathe. Her face was pale and she was about to cry. Under Gu Shen's shocked gaze, she took all the blame on herself. She was lifeless as if she was determined to die.
What's going on?
Why do you say that?
Gu Shen's shoulders slumped weakly, and he pleaded, "Su Su, stand up! What are you doing? It was my own idea to leave the palace. I don't blame you."
Gu Zhen gently put down the large bowl of tea he was drinking and said, "You said that you left the palace secretly because Concubine Ying was pregnant? What does her pregnancy have to do with you? Are you jealous because you don't have any children?"
Song Jiaren almost wanted to roll her eyes and despise His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for asking such a straight-minded question. The heroine was not jealous of Concubine Ying at all, she simply could not accept that the hero favored other women!
Gu Shen seemed to realize the problem between him and Su Su. His heart began to beat violently. He was a little bit incredulous. "Are you blaming me for favoring someone else?"
Su Su's silence seemed to confirm Gu Shen's guess. "Could it be that you are the only woman I want? Do you want to be a lifelong couple like our grandparents? But I am the emperor, how can that be possible... This is impossible..."
Su Su laughed sarcastically and said, "That's why I left the palace."
For a moment, no one spoke in the tent, even Gu Zhen frowned slightly.
Song Jiaren was still shocked. She thought that only a woman who traveled through time would naively want to find an ideal partner like a monogamous one. It turned out that the heroine also thought so.
Unfortunately, in the original text, although the heroine and the hero returned to the palace, she was sent to the cold palace. Many concubines took advantage of her misfortune. Although she was taken care of by the hero, she still had a hard life. She was even schemed against by Concubine Ying and framed for drugging her, causing her to have a miscarriage. The hero and the heroine quarreled again, and then met a killer who entered the palace to assassinate her and was kidnapped.
Gu Zhen snorted coldly and left with a flick of his sleeves, obviously not caring about the matter anymore.
Song Jiaren didn't want to stay and watch the show any longer, so she followed the Crown Prince out. In fact, she really wanted to hear how the hero coaxed the heroine into returning to Beijing with him.
"Su'er, I didn't know you thought this way...this..." Gu Shen had heard the beautiful stories of his royal grandparents when he was young, but he never quite understood that kind of feeling, a man marrying only one woman.
This would be nothing if it happened to an ordinary citizen, but he was the emperor, and the affairs of the harem and court were inseparable. How could he ignore everything?
Su Su stood up and suddenly felt a little discouraged. "In order not to embarrass His Majesty, let me stay here." She didn't want to go back and face those concubines. She didn't want to guess where he was going every night, whether he stayed in other concubines' rooms, whether he fell in love with someone else. She even felt that the nights in the palace were particularly long.
Gu Shen clenched his fists and said firmly, "At least you have to have some sense of propriety. Let's not talk about this anymore. Let me think about it."
Su Su secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to push too hard. She understood Gu Shen's feelings for her, otherwise he wouldn't have risked his life to leave the palace alone to find her. It was just that she was greedy and wanted all of him and didn't want to share with others.
Seeing Su Su's attitude soften, Gu Shen also softened his tone and complained, "I've been worried about your safety every day all this time. I couldn't eat, and I relied on my perseverance to keep from collapsing. I always believed that I would find you, and I swore that if I did, I would never let you leave my side. But I didn't expect our reunion to be like this. Won't you come to comfort me?"
Su Su's anger was still there, she just glared at him and said, "When you return to the palace, you will naturally have countless beauties to comfort you, and you won't need me as your concubine."
"What are you talking about? Have you ever seen me being humble to them? Have I ever worried about whether they are happy or sad? Have I ever been so desperate and anxious? I have no conscience!" The more Gu Shen thought about it, the more he understood how much he cared about Su Su.
Su Su didn't mean that, she just said it hastily, "Your Majesty, please have a good rest tonight and go back tomorrow. If you stay out for too long, the court will surely be in chaos and everyone will be waiting for you to return."
"We'll talk about tomorrow's matters tomorrow. Have a good talk with me today." Gu Shen hugged Su Su and sat on the couch. He had been on the road for several days in a row. Now he relaxed and felt a little tired and sleepy. He fell asleep while listening to her slowly talking about the things she encountered along the way and the scenery she saw.
Song Jiaren returned to the tent. She was somewhat curious about the Crown Prince's opinion on the matter. She sat by the couch and watched the man taking off his coat and preparing to rest. "Your Highness, do you think that Young Master Su... oh, no, Concubine Su, will His Majesty consider what she said?"
Gu Zhen said casually, "It's not without precedent. The Emperor's grandfather only had the Emperor's grandmother, but at that time, the country was magnificent and the court didn't need to have a large harem to consolidate its power. Now, the surrounding small countries are ready to make a move, and the Imperial Tutor and the Regent are in opposition in the court. The harem dispute is a microcosm of the court."
Song Jiaren said "oh" and understood a little. What she meant was that the male protagonist was in a difficult situation now. If he didn't rely on the harem to balance the government, things would probably get into chaos.
"What about Concubine Su? She doesn't want to share a husband with anyone else."
Gu Zhen got on the couch and lay down on the inner side. He stretched out his long arm and pulled Song Jiaren to lie on the couch. "It's nothing more than a step back. If Gu Shen really dismisses the harem, then this country will be unstable."
Song Jiaren sighed, "It seems that it is really difficult for Concubine Su to change His Majesty. She is not facing one person, but the entire court."
She was lucky. Although she had no status or position, she was the only woman by the Crown Prince's side. He didn't even have a maid, so she didn't have so many worries.
Although Gu Zhen also grew up under the education of male superiority and female inferiority, he never thought that women were inferior and men were noble.
He has always pursued someone who is in tune with his soul and a woman who can keep up with his pace.
"They are who they are, and I am who I am. You are the only one by my side now, so there is no need to test my opinion."
He already had a headache dealing with Song Jiaren alone, and if there were more of them, the roof might be blown off.
Song Jiaren was touched by the thought, and she coughed shyly and explained, "I didn't think so."
Gu Zhen helplessly held his forehead and said, "Yes, you don't think so. I just want to be good to you."
Song Jiaren grasped the corner of the quilt, closed her eyes, and said, "Your Highness, aren't you sleepy?" Go to sleep, you can dream about anything.
Luo Wenhao didn't sleep all night, and the next day he had stubble, messy hair, a haggard face, and looked exhausted.
After a night of struggle, he finally cleared his mind, but it was too late. Young Master Su was the emperor's concubine, and he could not overstep his authority.
"General Luo, you must prepare as soon as possible and send a team to escort the emperor and Concubine Su back to the capital." Gu Zhen received news from the capital. Many people in the court already knew that the emperor had left the capital, but his whereabouts had not been revealed. The safest way now is to let them go back as soon as possible. If the news gets out, Luosha Kingdom and other major countries may take action.
Are you going back so soon?
Luo Wenhao looked at the emperor and Concubine Su, who was still wearing men's clothes, in surprise. The two of them standing together were a perfect match, and he couldn't help feeling melancholy.
"I will arrange it right away."
Gu Shen was confused and asked, "What happened to General Luo?" He looked shocked.
"He's fine, he's probably just sick. Don't worry about others. What are your plans? When are you leaving?" Gu Zhen saw through it but didn't say anything, just drinking tea calmly.
Gu Shen pondered for a long time. He knew he had to return to Beijing as soon as possible, but...
He looked at Su Su, who was sitting next to him with an expressionless face, and whispered, "Su'er, come back to Beijing with me."
Su Su didn't want to go back and face Concubine Ying, nor did she want to face the child who would be born soon. She was afraid that she would not be able to control herself and do something, and become the kind of person she hated.
"Your Majesty, I can go back to the capital with you, but can you agree to one request of mine?"
Gu Shen was stunned for a moment, then asked, "What request?"
"I want to stay in the cold palace and don't want to go back and face your concubines."
"Cold Palace?!"
"Yes, I just want to live a quiet life. Please don't force me to become the kind of person you hate the most, full of intrigue and conspiracy. If then, I will have no dignity to live in this world." Su Su thought, since she couldn't leave the palace to live the life she wanted, she didn't want to have any delusions about Gu Shen like before. She wanted to live for herself.
Gu Shen's heart ached, and he took a deep breath. "Okay, as long as you come back to the palace with me, I will allow you to move to the cold palace."
He didn't understand why Su Su was unwilling to give in. Or maybe if he was given more time, he could handle these problems. He even blamed her for not understanding.
Song Jiaren was drinking tea and watching the show. She didn't dare to come forward to offer any advice. This was the main storyline of the male and female protagonists. If anything went wrong because of her, the world would probably collapse. She really didn't dare to take the risk.
Gu Zhen only wanted Emperor Gu Shen to return and stabilize the court, and he didn't want to care about other things.
So, under the arrangement of the depressed and sad Luo Wenhao, Gu Shen and Su Su set off for Beijing two days later, still disguising themselves as a young master and his wife returning home from a trip, and sent a team of soldiers dressed in the clothes of ordinary guards to escort them.
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