Gu Jiu agreed to let Princess Ruyang go to sea, but the process was quite tortuous.
Many years ago, Gu Jiu made a promise to Ruyang.
As long as Ruyang can figure out why she wants to go to sea and what she will do there before she turns sixteen, Gu Jiu will agree to let her go to sea.
Finally, Ruyang had the answer.
She wanted to go to sea, and her heart was longing to go to sea, not just to broaden her horizons, nor just for fun.
She yearns for the sea and the vast world.
The small palace was like a cage to her.
The sisters and cousins around her were obsessed with their boudoir struggles, which she saw as not only childish but also stupid.
Is it true that a girl's talent is limited to the small space of the inner house?
Why can't I be like a man, make great achievements and go anywhere in the world?
She figured it out.
She finally understood why she was unhappy and why she didn't want to interact with her sisters.
She wants to break free from the cage.
She wants to leave the palace!
She solemnly told Gu Jiu, "Mother, I want to go out to sea and conquer the world. Others can carve out a kingdom overseas, and so can I!"
Gu Jiu was surprised, but also filled with pride and approval.
"Have you really figured it out?"
Ruyang nodded heavily. "My daughter has thought it through clearly. I don't want to cause trouble to my father, the emperor, and my mother, the empress. That's why I don't ask to be an official in the court or to participate in government affairs. I just want to go to sea, and only by going to sea can I conquer the land and become the king. I am the master of my own territory. I want to be not only a princess of the Great Zhou, but also the queen of the outer regions. I have the final say in everything."
have to!
The girl's desire for control is so strong that even Gu Jiu has to admit defeat.
At least at Ruyang's age, Gu Jiu doesn't have such a strong desire for control or power.
Of course, it is also because the mother and daughter are in completely different environments at this age that they have different ideas.
Different paths lead to the same destination!
They all want to have their own world, they all want to achieve something, they all want to break free from the constraints of their female bodies, and they all want to create their own miracles.
They are indeed mother and daughter, inheriting the same bloodline.
Gu Jiu had to pour cold water on Ruyang.
Ruyang can be hot-blooded and impulsive, but Gu Jiu cannot.
She said to Ruyang, "Having ambition is a good thing! But are you ready? Do you know how to go overseas? Once you're there, how to carve out territory and establish yourself as a king? How to manage it? Where will the supplies come from? How will you provide blood transfusions for your territory? Do you understand all of this? Do you understand the entire overseas expansion plan? Do you understand the connection between the ocean and the southern countries?"
A lot of questions came crashing down on Ruyang.
Ruyang was almost stunned.
After a while, she came to her senses. "My daughter has set her ambition and will definitely move towards it with determination. She has already learned to swim and even secretly went to the Wei River. She can swim for an hour, several times back and forth."
Gu Jiu held his forehead!
She knew that Ruyang had left the palace and secretly gone to the Wei River to swim.
But she kept it a secret from Liu Zhao.
If Liu Zhao knew that his beloved daughter had gone to swim in the Wei River, the servants who served her would probably be beheaded.
She waved her hand, "I know you can swim. Don't mention swimming in the Wei River again. Be careful that your father will beat you."
"Oh!" Ruyang agreed obediently.
Gu Jiu asked her, "Besides learning to swim, what other preparations have you made? How much do you know about overseas?"
Ruyang was unconvinced. "Mother, please don't underestimate me! I haven't wasted my time in the past few years. Whether it's Lantai Temple or the archives, I've searched through all the information on overseas regions. From local customs and practices to climate and specialties, ethnic groups and beliefs... I've filled more than a dozen notebooks. The only thing I lack now is practical experience and talent. If you, mother, are willing to give me some talent, I'd be grateful."
Gu Jiu asked her, "Can you understand the map?"
When you go out, being able to understand maps is the most basic requirement.
If you can't even understand a map, forget about going out.
There is no navigation here!
Ruyang nodded repeatedly, "Of course my daughter can understand it."
Gu Jiu laughed, picked up his pen, and casually drew a map on the manuscript paper. He also made it easier by marking two small place names.
"Do you know where this map is from?"
Ruyang stared at the map and was stunned!
Where is this?
Gu Jiu knocked on the table. "Can't you answer? I drew a map of the southwest border."
Ruyang knew his studies weren't solid enough, but he couldn't help but defend himself, "My daughter isn't going to the southwest border, so it doesn't matter whether she recognizes the map or not."
Gu Jiu shook his head, picked up the pen and continued drawing the map.
Based on the first map, extend all the way south.
The sea and the islands gradually took shape.
"You said you were going to sea. Look at this map. Do you still dare to say it has nothing to do with you?"
Ruyang opened his mouth wide, but no sound came out.
“Is this what it’s like overseas?”
Gu Jiu dropped the pen in his hand and said, "I remember that Lantai Temple has some overseas maps, and the archives also have maps. You said you understood the map, but it is obvious that your so-called understanding is still based on seeing it.
When you can draw a map as effortlessly as I can, and chart your own course wherever you are overseas, I'll know you're ready to go out to sea. Remember, you're the king of the land out there; you're a pioneer. Pioneers must understand maps, and even draw them themselves; this is fundamental."
Ruyang looked depressed.
If drawing a map is considered basic skill, then he hasn't even touched the edge of the basics.
Gu Jiu pinched her cheek and said, "Discouraged? Are you planning to give up?"
Ruyang shook her head repeatedly in denial, "My daughter will never give up."
Gu Jiu praised: "Excellent! Under no circumstances should you lose your momentum. I agree to let you go to sea, provided you are well prepared. I will give you six months to go south to Jiangnan for training after the spring of next year. Do you have the confidence?"
Ruyang covered his mouth, unable to believe it.
She thought she had lost hope and would be rejected again.
But she didn't expect that in the blink of an eye, her wish would come true.
The dream that she had been pursuing for many years was finally within her reach. Ruyang hugged Gu Jiu and cried and laughed. This was like a little girl.
Gu Jiu took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears. "Crying and laughing at the same time, how ugly."
"No matter how ugly you are, you are still my mother's daughter. My mother cannot dislike her daughter."
Gu Jiu laughed heartily, "I don't dislike you! You are my daughter, and I love you so much."
"Does the Queen Mother really agree to her daughter going to sea?"
Gu Jiu stroked her cheek gently, "Yes, I agree that you can go to sea. I really don't want to let you go!"
"Mother is so kind!"
At this moment, Ruyang was complete. Both his body and mind were satisfied.
Gu Jiu poked her forehead and said, "Keep this a secret! Your father will definitely not agree with you going to sea. If you want to get past your father, don't show off and let your father know the news in advance."
Ruyang nodded repeatedly, "My daughter obeys the Queen Mother completely. If the Queen Mother tells me to go east, I will never go west."
It's rare that a child becomes so well behaved!
…
Gu Jiu is a man of his word.
Agree to let Ruyang go to sea and he will definitely help her persuade Liu Zhao.
They chose a sunny day when Liu Zhao was in a good mood.
Gu Jiu mentioned Ruyang's future. "Ruyang, this girl, was clamoring to go to sea a few days ago. This has been going on for several years. I think she is determined."
There was no need to think about this question. Liu Zhao already had the answer. "She's a girl. Even if she's determined, she can't be allowed to go to sea. It's simply nonsense. I don't know who is whispering in her ear, making her think about the sea so much. Since ancient times, those who go to sea are those who are poor and have no way to make a living. As long as they can make a living, no one is willing to go to sea."
Gu Jiu rolled his eyes at him, "From what you said, you're blaming me for making her obsessed with going out to sea."
Liu Zhao immediately admitted his mistake and said with a smile: "How could it be! It's definitely not you, you are just suspicious."
"Humph! One moment you say I didn't teach my daughter well, and the next moment you say I'm overly suspicious. Mr. Liu, do you dislike me?"
"Your Majesty, please understand. I never meant that. It was my inappropriate choice of words that caused Your Majesty to misunderstand." Liu Zhao was not serious and was just joking.
Pooh!
Gu Jiu was not polite. "In the final analysis, in your heart, women are too weak and can never compare to men."
"Nonsense, I didn't say that." Liu Zhao denied it flatly.
Gu Jiu smiled, "Brother Heng said he wanted to go to sea, and you agreed so readily. If it was Ruyang, you would have disagreed on both sides. Isn't it because Ruyang is a girl, and in your heart she is not as good as a man?"
Liu Zhao waved his hands repeatedly. "I don't agree to let Ruyang go to sea, not because women are inferior to men, but because I love her and can't bear it. A girl is delicate and weak, and I have to pamper her. How cruel I must be to allow her to go to sea, exposed to the wind and sun, and endure the hardships of the turbulence."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "I promised her to go to sea. So, I am a cruel person. I actually sent my daughter to sea. I am not a human being."
"What?"
Liu Zhao was obviously irritated. "How could you agree to let Ruyang go to sea? That's simply nonsense. Don't pick on me. I just want to ask you, why did you agree to let her go to sea? She has been making a fuss for several years, and you have never given in. Why do you suddenly change your mind now?"
"Because I made a promise to her, and I have to keep it."
"What promise?"
"She has set her ambition. She wants to go out to sea and become a king. She wants to make a difference. I'm her mother, so I have to support her."
"Nonsense!" Liu Zhao was furious.
He only has one daughter, how could he let her go to sea? It is a life-threatening thing.
"I disagree, absolutely disagree."
Gu Jiu looked at him with a serious look, "Ruyang has a very big heart, so big that he wants to attend the court and interfere in government affairs."
Liu Zhao was dumbfounded.
Gu Jiu continued, "She may be a woman, but her heart is bigger and wilder than a man's. The palace is a cage to her, and she has been making trouble all these years just to break out of it. She said that she didn't want to make things difficult for her mother and father, so she wanted to go out to sea, to claim her own territory and be the king. She wanted to be the king overseas."
Liu Zhao was stunned. "Is this really what she said?"
"Absolutely true!"
After a pause, Gu Jiu continued, "I can refuse her and force her to stay in the capital, not allowing her to leave. But have you ever thought about the consequences of doing so? She is still young and can't make a big fuss. When she grows up and leaves the palace to set up her own household, with her ability, she will be able to make a big fuss.
While we're alive, we can suppress her. But when we're gone, who else in this world can suppress her? Believe it or not, if you force her to stay in the capital, one day she'll lose control of her inner desires, interfere in state affairs, and even interfere in the appointment and removal of the crown prince.
By that time, no matter how much Yu Ge'er dotes on her, in the face of imperial power, brother and sister will only become enemies, and one of them will have to die. Can you bear it? Even if brother and sister don't turn against each other, if Yu Ge'er can't survive her and dies before her, no one can say whether the Great Zhou will be in chaos. Everything we are working hard to do now, to correct the rise and fall of the dynasty, will be ruined.
Liu Zhao frowned and gritted his teeth, "You're just exaggerating! Ruyang is our child, she wouldn't do that. She knows how to consider the overall situation."
Gu Jiu shook his head, "It is precisely because she is our child that I want to let her go and fly."
She pointed at her heart and said, "I understand a girl too well. She is unwilling to be trapped in the deep backyard of the house. The desire to break free from the cage will not be suppressed, but will only grow day by day. If she were just an ordinary girl from an official family, the rules of etiquette would restrain her. Even if her heart was inflated, she would restrain herself in front of others.
But she was a princess, on par with a prince, able to establish her own government and recruit personnel. Her status freed her from the need to suppress her desires, allowing her to realize all her ideas. You know better than I do how mad the Liu family princesses can be. When she no longer suppresses her desires, she's capable of anything. Interfering in government affairs is a piece of cake.
Liu Zhao's face was extremely sour, and he shook his head repeatedly. He was unwilling to accept Gu Jiu's statement from the bottom of his heart.
His beloved daughter could not possibly become the person that Gu Jiu described.
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