Prince Xin's son, Gu Zhili, is nineteen years old this year. According to seniority, he should call the emperor "cousin". Even so, the emperor is actually only two years older than Gu Zhili.
The reason why the emperor wanted to choose an heir at such a young age was that he was inhumane.
Another aspect was that he was poisoned and the imperial physician predicted that he would not live past the age of thirty.
Therefore, when he was twenty-one years old, he chose an adopted son and brought him by his side to teach him every day. In this way, even if he died after nine years, the Northern Wei Dynasty would have a successor.
The emperor looked like a gentle and elegant man, but when his brothers conspired to poison him, the emperor showed no mercy and slaughtered all of his brothers and even their descendants.
This has resulted in the emperor not having a single brother today.
If he wanted to choose an heir, he could only choose from his uncle or cousin.
Prince Xin is the emperor's cousin. Prince Xin's father, the old Prince Xin, is a legitimate brother of the late emperor. In terms of bloodline, Prince Xin is the purest.
Moreover, Prince Xin is sweet-mouthed and good at coaxing people, and the Queen Mother also likes Prince Xin very much.
However, the emperor was not actually very interested in Prince Xin. The reason was that he felt that Gu Zhili was flashy and had a bad patience.
He was more interested in Prince Shen from his third cousin's family.
It seems that Gu Zhili is really not capable of doing this.
It's not just a matter of character, but also a lack of ability.
How can a person who wants to be the crown prince leave any evidence against him for others to use?
And the incident with Jiang Lian was Gu Zhili's biggest weakness.
A man who can't even handle a woman, can be crown prince? If he's not lucky, it's hard to be a human being.
Although he thought so in his heart, the emperor had a smile on his face.
Gu Zhili knelt down with him to pay his respects, and he beckoned Gu Zhili to come closer.
"I seem to have heard some rumors today, saying that there seems to be something going on between you and the third young lady of the Marquis of Wu'an's Mansion." The emperor went straight to the point.
Gu Zhili hurriedly and nervously asked the emperor: "What did you hear?"
The emperor said, "It's nothing. It's just that you are engaged to the fifth daughter of the Marquis of Wu'an, and you are having an affair with the third daughter."
Cold sweat was about to break out on Gu Zhili's forehead.
The emperor said lightly, "It's nothing, but it's a courtesy. As a man, you have to be brave and responsible. You can't be timid and let women lead the charge. Do you understand?"
Gu Zhili actually didn’t quite understand what the emperor meant, and he responded subconsciously.
The emperor said, "Prepare a generous gift now and go to the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion. Tell everyone in the Jiang family what you did with Miss Jiang San. Apologize to Miss Jiang Wu. Then cancel the engagement with Miss Wu and let Miss Jiang San become your concubine."
"Even though you have let Miss Jiang Wu down, at least you have a chance to make amends."
Gu Zhili was a little confused, but he was not stupid, so he quickly figured out the key point. "But..."
However, the emperor did not give him a chance to refute. The emperor said, "What else? Miss Jiang San has your child. Don't you need to give her an explanation?"
Gu Zhili never thought that the emperor even knew this. He suddenly felt guilty and dared not say a word.
He was very desperate and afraid that the emperor would be disappointed in him.
He called out "Uncle".
Gu Zhili used to be often held in the lap of the empress dowager, and he and the emperor were used to playing together. Before the emperor ascended the throne, he often called him "little uncle", but after the emperor ascended the throne, this title was no longer used.
"Uncle, you won't blame me, will you?"
People in the world are so greedy. Before this, everyone told Gu Zhili that he had the opportunity to become the crown prince. After hearing this for a long time, he became greedy.
That's why he was particularly dissatisfied with Jiang Yi.
How could he, a man who was to be the crown prince, marry someone who was ugly and had lost both parents?
But the marriage was decided by the elders of both families, so it would be difficult to cancel it rashly.
He was dissatisfied, so when Jiang Lian came to him, Gu Zhili took Jiang Lian without any hesitation.
It was also intended to embarrass Jiang Yi.
Later, when his mother told him about her plan, he was also very excited.
He couldn't wait to break off the engagement with Jiang Yi.
But this is not the way to retreat.
If he tells everyone about his actions, won't everyone know that he is a treacherous person?
In this way, he would have no chance of becoming the crown prince.
He was very reluctant.
The emperor said to him earnestly, "Zhili, it is precisely because I value you that I am speaking to you and caring about your private affairs."
"Have you ever seen me meddling in other people's private affairs?"
"The future crown prince of the Northern Wei Dynasty must be an upright and magnanimous gentleman who dares to take responsibility for his actions."
"And to make amends for you, I will confer the title of Princess on Jiang Yi on behalf of the royal family. This way, the world will no longer say anything."
"Zhili, among all the younger generations, I value you the most. Please don't let me down."
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