When Lu Zhao said this, his eyebrows were slightly lowered, his deep eyes staring at Gu Chaoxi, and his whole body exuded the aura of a superior looking down on others.
He spoke with pride but not arrogance. The regent held power, and the emperor was still young. The stability of the throne depended entirely on the regent.
Seeing how serious he was, Gu Chaoxi seemed somewhat tempted, but then she remembered something and her wavering expression calmed down again.
Lu Zhao saw through it. "What other concerns do you have?"
“I just heard it. The Emperor is wary of you. If the Emperor can’t tolerate you, wouldn’t it be a waste of my time to marry you? I don’t want to be a widow in the future.”
Ordinary women consider a man's family background, appearance, and character when considering marriage. Seeing that she was worried about such a thing, Lu Zhao assured her, "No, I will not give the emperor that opportunity. Do you know how the emperor ascended the throne?"
Gu Chaoxi shook her head.
Lu Zhao explained to her in detail, "Back then, the late emperor wanted to pass the throne to me, but I was poisoned when I was young, which made it impossible for me to have children. If the court officials knew this, they would never agree to a prince who was destined to have no heir ascend the throne. So the throne was passed to the eldest son of the deposed crown prince, who is the current emperor, and I was asked to assist him. But after all, the emperor was already seven years old when he ascended the throne and began to understand things. The late emperor was worried that he would turn against me when he grew up, so he left a decree that allowed me to be deposed and installed as emperor. So you don't need to worry about this matter."
Lu Zhao told Gu Chaoxi about such a confidential matter that was related to his life without blinking.
But at this moment he was nervous about something else. Lu Zhao held his breath slightly, and his fingers curled up involuntarily. He was waiting for Gu Chaoxi to react.
The fact that he was unable to have children was known only to the late emperor and his close confidants. This was the first time he had revealed it to outsiders, and it was in front of the woman he loved and cared about.
Gu Chaoxi was already not very satisfied with him. Now that she knows she can't have her own children if she marries him, will she still agree?
Gu Chaoxi, just as he had hoped, grasped the key information. Her beautiful, bright eyes widened in surprise. "You...you're infertile? Then, then how did you...that day..."
She couldn't continue. A blush crept onto her fair and delicate face. She was so embarrassed that she didn't know what to do and could only lower her head to hide her embarrassment.
Lu Zhao immediately understood what Gu Chaoxi meant. He looked at Gu Chaoxi with wolf-like eyes and his voice was hoarse, "I'm just unable to have children. I'm fine in other aspects. Don't you know that?"
Gu Chaoxi blushed even more. After all, she was still an unmarried young girl. Although she could say that she would not marry because of losing her virginity, she did not have the face to talk about such things with a man.
She looked around with her eyes downcast, avoiding Lu Zhao's gaze. "What did you do with Aunt Wu and her son?"
She didn't respond. Lu Zhao knew she hadn't made a decision yet, and he also knew the principle of moderation, so he didn't continue the topic. When she mentioned the Wu family mother and son, Lu Zhao said, "They used such despicable methods as drugging and forcibly taking him, so they should be punished. I had someone beat up Wu Tiancheng."
He didn't tell him that beating Wu Tiancheng would kill him. If he had drunk that soup and been drugged in the Wu family, it was obvious what would have happened to Gu Chaoxi. Just thinking about that scene made him unable to stop his murderous intent. Killing him would be too good for him.
As for the accomplice, Aunt Wu, losing her son is enough to destroy her conscience.
But he didn't want the girl to think he was ruthless and disregarded human life, so he didn't tell her the truth.
Gu Chaoxi nodded in satisfaction, "Giving him a beating was too lenient. If I had my whip, I would definitely give him a few lashes myself to vent my anger."
...
They floated on the river for an hour and arrived at Jeju Island, but the journey back to the capital by land would take four or five days. After resting for a day at an inn in the town, they set off on their journey back to the capital.
Five days later, they returned to the capital. Upon entering the capital, Gu Chaoxi was shocked to hear that the emperor had bestowed the title of concubine upon Gu Ruiyun the day before.
In just a few days, Gu Ruiyun became the emperor's concubine.
Lu Zhao seemed to have expected this all along; no one knew that he was the one who orchestrated this whole thing behind the scenes.
He escorted Gu Chaoxi back to the Gu residence, and then went back to bathe, change clothes, and tidy himself up before entering the palace to see the emperor.
Inside the palace, the emperor's expression changed slightly upon hearing that Lu Zhao had returned. Before he could even be summoned, Lu Zhao strode in from outside the hall.
The emperor was displeased, but he smiled and said, "Uncle has finally returned safely. I heard that you encountered danger and went missing at Panyue Lake. I have been sending people to search for you these past few days. Now that you are back safely, I am relieved."
Lu Zhao greeted the emperor and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am unharmed. I escaped danger this time, but it is a pity that I do not know who hates me so much and has sent people to take my life time and time again. I was lucky to survive. The person behind this must be disappointed."
As Lu Zhao spoke, he looked up at the emperor. The emperor's expression was solemn, and he slammed the memorial in his hand onto the table. "Your Imperial Uncle has entrusted this matter to me. I will definitely help you find out who is behind this."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Lu Zhao readily agreed.
The emperor asked again, his tone somewhat anxious, "I heard that the eldest daughter of the Gu family has also gone missing. I wonder if she encountered danger with my uncle?"
The emperor couldn't forget Gu Chaoxi, and the next day he sent the Fifth Princess to invite Gu Chaoxi to the palace. However, the people in the Gu family said that Gu Chaoxi had disappeared after going to Panyue Lake.
The emperor was furious, cursing inwardly that these useless people had even harmed the person he cherished most, and he had been worried about them for the past few days. Now that Lu Zhao had returned, he immediately inquired about Gu Chaoxi's whereabouts.
Lu Zhao said, "Miss Gu was implicated and fell into the river with me. She has now returned home safely."
The emperor's eyes lit up, "Then the marriage..."
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