Seeing Minister Gu's state, the officials felt sorry for him. Those who were nearby stepped forward and gently supported him to prevent him from becoming emotionally unstable, and also softly comforted him.
001 continued, flipping through the documents, "Minister Gu, who hadn't summoned the yamen runners, returned to the scene of the incident, only to find everyone gone, including Lianyi. After searching for several days, Minister Gu heard from nearby villagers that the bandits had kidnapped a girl a few days earlier. Minister Gu was overjoyed, as this proved Lianyi was still alive. However, given his status at the time, he couldn't send anyone to break into the mountain stronghold to rescue his wife."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Yes, at that time, Minister Gu was just a scholar, and the yamen runners were so incompetent. How could he possibly break into the mountain stronghold to rescue his wife?
001 continued, "So Minister Gu hardened his heart and went to the capital to participate in the examination, thinking that if he passed with high honors, he could meet the Emperor and request him to send troops to suppress the bandits. During that time, he studied with all his might and finally achieved his goal of ranking among the top three. However, he believed the rumors spread by the still-living Prince Xian and thought that the Emperor was incompetent. Therefore, he did not raise this matter during the palace examination. Instead, after the palace examination, he used his status as the top scholar to lead a group to suppress the bandits."
Your Majesty: So what was my reputation like back then? That idle prince was really something, always slandering me. Luckily, he's dead, otherwise my reputation might not be what it is now.
001 paused for a moment before continuing, "Unfortunately, it was too late. By the time Minister Gu arrived, those wicked bandits had already tortured Lianyi to death. In the end, Minister Gu only found Lianyi's wounded body and a letter written in blood."
001 manipulated the light screen, allowing Qin Qianluo to see the blood letter: "Lianyi is very smart and understands Minister Gu. When she was kidnapped, she already knew that Minister Gu had not yet brought anyone to suppress the bandits. She also knew that Minister Gu would definitely go to the capital to take the imperial examination in order to save her. After he got an official position, he would come to save her. When he learned that she was dead, he would definitely choose to follow her in death."
So she left a letter written in blood, instructing Minister Gu to be a good official. She warned him that if he dared to follow her in death, she would never forgive him and would never see him again, whether in life or death. When Minister Gu saw the letter, he wept uncontrollably, but dared not follow Lianyi. He could only follow her instructions and strive to be a good official, hoping to see her again after death.
The ministers stared in silence at the blood-written letter on the screen. What a fine woman she was, to die so tragically. If Lianyi were still alive, how radiant she would be now.
Gu Qingshi looked at the blood-written letter, and at himself and Lianyi in the light screen. Tears streamed down his face. Lianyi truly understood him. She was always so thoughtful, which forced him to live a life of mere survival.
Unexpectedly, 001 then revealed something even more unacceptable to Minister Gu: "It's not so easy for the newly appointed top scholar to lead troops to suppress bandits. It was Prince Xian who harmed Minister Gu. If Minister Gu had directly requested the Emperor to send troops to suppress the bandits in front of the palace, instead of delaying for several days after becoming the top scholar, Lianyi might have been saved."
Gu Qingshi suddenly looked up, trembling all over. So he was too late, right? Lianyi was able to survive back then, right? He really deserved to die. How could he have believed the rumors back then? And now he brought someone else back to the manor thinking she was her. He was truly unworthy of being a human being.
The officials watched as Minister Gu trembled, his eyes filled with regret and self-reproach, and they felt a pang of sorrow. The Emperor was also somewhat helpless; in the end, it was all caused by Prince Xian. Alas.
Qin Qianluo was somewhat angry, her eyes reddening slightly. "That damned idle prince, he doesn't do a single thing!"
001 agreed, "That's right. When Minister Gu returned from suppressing the bandits, he went on a rampage against those incompetent yamen runners. He also managed to remove some of the Prince's henchmen. Later, he worked diligently and wiped out several bandit groups, caught many corrupt officials in the court, and rose all the way to become Minister of Revenue."
However, he remained unmarried, and his parents began pressuring him. Unable to bear the stigma of being unfilial, Minister Gu had no choice but to marry and have children. He eventually married his current wife. Although there wasn't much love between them, they had grown close over the years and developed a strong bond. Even after taking several concubines, Minister Gu always treated his wife with respect and never disgraced the matriarch of the household.
The ministers were at a loss for words. Not being married and having no offspring meant the end of the family line, which was unacceptable. Even if Minister Gu was unwilling, he had no choice but to accept the label of being unfilial. After all, he needed to have descendants, regardless of gender, as they were his blood relatives.
Gu Qingshi was too weak to be angry at this moment. He had no choice but to marry later, but Lian'er was indeed someone he brought into the manor. Only now did he understand what Princess Qingyun meant when she said that no matter how similar she was, she was not the same person. The same person was unique and irreplaceable. Yes, no matter how similar she was, she was not Lianyi. How could he have been so confused?
The Emperor was at a loss for words. Perhaps he truly missed her so much that he brought such a similar person back to his residence. However, doing so was somewhat of an insult to Lianyi, a woman of such talent and virtue.
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