Gu Xulin was in his prime, and had just been promoted. He was full of ambitions and was in a dilemma between fame and gain. At this time, a servant came in and knelt down to report: "Master, Madam, Princess Changle and her husband are here, and they are waiting in the inner hall of the front yard."
Gu Xulin and his wife were both shocked. They had just handed in the engagement letter last night, and had asked them to come to propose marriage within three days. But how come... they came again in just one night? …………
Princess Changle is over thirty years old, but because she takes good care of herself, she looks no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Her facial features are bright and elegant, and she has nothing in common with her handsome brother, the Crown Prince, who is from the same mother. However, she is also a graceful and beautiful woman.
At this moment, the beautiful woman's eyes were flushed with a blue color that could not be concealed by makeup. She sat in the upper seat in the reception hall of the Gu Mansion. There was a sense of dignity and arrogance between her eyebrows, and the look she gave the Gu couple was full of undisguised scrutiny.
The Gu family is the most prominent family in Xuzhou, Jiangnan. As a family that has prospered for a hundred years, the children it has raised are naturally outstanding. Even Gu Xulin, who is over 40 years old, still looks handsome and extraordinary, with a great demeanor at first glance.
Mrs. Gu, Li, was also a rare beauty from the south of the Yangtze River. She was able to marry into the Gu family as a clan member, so her family background was naturally not low. Even when meeting the princess of the royal family, she did not look flustered, and her words and actions were very dignified and steady.
When Princess Changle saw this, her tense mood relaxed slightly.
With the parents being like this, I'm sure that Gu Yunran, who has bewitched his daughter, shouldn't be much worse.
As for the door lintel, compared with other aristocratic families in the capital, the Gu family's door lintel is a little lower, but it doesn't matter.
Gu Xulin is in his prime and holds real power. Since he was able to escape from the swamp in the south of the Yangtze River with ease and was transferred back to Beijing with the favor of her prince brother, he is definitely not an ordinary person. If nothing unexpected happens, he will definitely be highly valued and have a bright future.
Moreover, her brother the prince specifically asked Xiao'er to marry into the Gu family yesterday, and I'm afraid there must be some hidden meaning behind it.
The emperor's younger brother has been a little indifferent since childhood, but he is not the kind of person who would make things difficult for the younger generation. Although she doesn't know how Xiao'er violated his taboo, Princess Changle believes that as her own uncle, his younger brother will never harm her daughter in the matter of marriage.
Thinking of this, she smiled and said, "I heard that Lord Gu was returning to the capital, so my wife and I came here uninvited. Lord Gu won't blame us, right?"
"I dare not," Gu Xulin sat at the bottom, stroking his beard and smiling, "It's just that the princess is an honored guest, I am afraid that I have not entertained you well and neglected you."
Seeing his reservedness, Princess Changle smiled in her heart, and said bluntly, "Today, my husband and I have come to visit you personally. I'm sure Lord Gu has guessed what the matter is. I wonder if your family is willing to marry your children to the Duke of Qi's mansion?"
Gu Xulin's heart skipped a beat. He never expected that the princess's daughter was so eager to get married. How could she ask such a question?
This is called...
"Why?" Princess Changle saw him hesitate and frowned unhappily, "Could it be that your Gu family is unwilling?"
"That's absolutely not the case," Li interrupted, "Princess, you may not know that my son is already married to the second daughter of the loyal and brave Marquis..."
"I know about this matter, it's just a verbal agreement." Princess Changle waved her hand to interrupt her, impatiently saying: "Not to mention it's just a verbal engagement, even if it's already been engaged, it doesn't matter, just call it off. You're using this to prevaricate, but are you not happy about the marriage with the Duke of Qi's Mansion?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room fell silent.
Such aggressive remarks made even the prince consort sitting below Princess Changle, the Prince of Qi, stunned for a moment, not to mention the Gu family.
It was unheard of. A princess of the royal family was forcing a minister to marry her daughter as if her daughter could not get married...
Princess Changle was already in a bad mood because her daughter was laughed at by the whole capital yesterday. She went to the palace to complain to her father but was turned down. When she saw that the Gu couple were still hesitant and unwilling to agree to the marriage, she was immediately furious.
"Xiao'er is my only beloved daughter. She has been spoiled since she was young. I will do my best to satisfy her with whatever she wants and will never allow anyone to insult her." Princess Changle said coldly, "In order to fulfill my daughter's wish, I have come to your house in person and lost face. You have to think about it carefully. If you really want to..."
At this point, she snorted coldly: "Marriage or enmity, you Gu family choose one."
The Prince of Qi sat below his wife, his face calm and he never spoke a word, as if he was not talking about his daughter's marriage.
The weather in early summer was becoming increasingly hot and humid, but Gu Xulin and his wife looked as if they were blown by a cold wind, with pale faces.
Even Li, who was quite proud at first that the princess's daughter favored her own son, felt disappointed.
Look at the arrogant and domineering attitude of this princess. How good can the daughter's temper be?
Qi Yuxiao came to visit from time to time a few days ago, and Li had seen her several times. Now that she thought about it, that generous and kind appearance was probably a show to please her, right? If the daughter of the Qi family really got married, with this fierce princess in-law protecting her from behind, how could she, as a mother-in-law, set up rules? Wouldn't she have to coax her daughter-in-law every day in fear? It is said that a daughter-in-law will become a mother-in-law after a long time, but she is going back to her old ways? Besides, her son married such a domineering wife, wouldn't he suffer for his whole life? At this moment, the Gu family couple thought of their eldest son at the same time.
Although marriage is a matter decided by parents, it is the children themselves who have to live their lives behind closed doors.
It is true that Princess Changle is a mother who loves her daughter, but Gu Xulin is also a father who loves his son. Thinking that his son's heart is entirely devoted to the girl from the Wei family, if he does not fulfill his wish, it will probably become a hurdle that he will never be able to overcome in his life.
He was even more unwilling to let his eldest son marry a shrew and live the rest of his life in humiliation.
Thinking of this, Gu Xulin, as a third-rank official of the imperial court and the patriarch of the Gu family, was proud and determined. What if he offended the princess and the Duke of Qi's Mansion?
He stood up solemnly and bowed properly, and was about to decline, but when he looked up, he saw Princess Changle taking out a dagger from her sleeve.
She gently stroked the scabbard with her fingertips and said slowly: "You have just arrived in the capital, so you may not know that this item was given to me by my father before I got married. He said that if anyone dares to disrespect me in the future, no matter what rank they hold or what their title is, they can..."
She turned to look at Gu Xulin, who looked uneasy, and added with a smile: "You can kill first and ask for permission later."
This dagger was given to the current emperor because he was worried that if he forced the prince of Qi to divorce his wife and remarry, the prince would harbor resentment and treat his beloved daughter coldly and cruelly in the future. Therefore, when the emperor gave this dagger in front of the Qi family, he also gave the order personally.
This incident caused a huge sensation at the time, and almost everyone in the noble families in the capital knew about it. This was also the reason why Princess Changle became increasingly domineering over the years.
But time had passed so long that no one would suddenly bring up old events. The newly arrived Gu family members had no idea that a princess who ignored state affairs had the power to execute people first and report later, and they were immediately shocked.
Seeing the murderous intent in Princess Changle's eyes, Gu Xulin had no doubt that if their Gu family did not agree to the marriage with the Duke of Qi's Mansion today, the princess would really dare to let the dagger in her hand see blood.
Gu Xulin and his wife felt a chill in their hearts.
(End of this chapter)