No sooner had Gu Chaoxi returned to her residence after leaving the palace than the emperor's decree of investiture arrived.
Although Madam Gu was unwilling, she could only force a smile and accept the imperial decree.
The emperor bestowed upon the title of Imperial Concubine. Although the rank of Imperial Concubine was lower than that of Empress, the investiture ceremony for Imperial Concubine in the Great Yu Dynasty was extremely complicated. It required selecting an auspicious day, the Ministry of Rites preparing the appropriate palace attire and ceremonial items, decorating the palace, and conducting a sacrificial ceremony on the day of the investiture. All these procedures took at least a month to prepare for the investiture.
The emperor had already calculated the timing and set it for October 16th, a little over a month later.
Once the imperial edict was issued, the news that the emperor had bestowed titles upon the two daughters of the Marquis of Changshan spread like wildfire throughout the streets and alleys. Some said that the emperor was captivated by the daughters of the Gu family, while others said that the emperor was about to give important positions to the Marquis of Changshan. For a time, all sorts of opinions were circulating.
The Regent's Palace.
Jin Yang learned of the emperor's intention to bestow titles upon Gu Chaoxi the moment the imperial edict arrived at the Gu family's residence. Standing outside, he was at a loss as to how to inform Lu Zhao.
I'm really afraid that if I say it, I'll lose my life.
On the way back to the capital from Jeju, Jin Yang could see how much his master cared for the eldest daughter of the Gu family. Everything she ate, drank, and lived in was exquisite. Even when she acted as a maid and was ordered around by the eldest daughter of the Gu family, the prince did not show the slightest anger.
Now the emperor actually wants Miss Gu to enter the palace, isn't this like stabbing the prince in the heart!
Jin Yang cursed the emperor in his heart to encourage himself, and knocked on the door of Lu Zhao's study.
"Enter."
Jin Yang pushed open the door and stepped inside in a few steps. He braced himself and reported, "Your Majesty, Miss Gu has already left the palace and returned home. However... she also needs an imperial decree to be sent with her to... confer the title of Noble Consort on Miss Gu. The Ministry of Rites has already begun preparing for the investiture. Miss Gu will... enter the palace on the sixteenth of October."
With a snap, the man at the desk stopped writing, the wolf-hair brush in his hand breaking in two.
Lu Zhao's usually composed face was now dark and brooding. He tossed the broken pen aside and asked, "Is what you're saying true?"
Jin Yang was terrified. "Your subordinate dares not deceive you."
Lu Zhao gritted his teeth, his voice filled with ruthlessness, "What a fine emperor!"
He forbade the emperor from marrying Gu Chaoxi, so he secretly took Gu Chaoxi as a concubine.
Thinking back to Gu Chaoxi's words about wanting to enter the palace, Lu Zhao could imagine the bright and happy smile on Gu Chaoxi's face when she received the imperial decree.
She's provoked him and now she wants to marry someone else?
Seeing Lu Zhao's expression as if he was about to storm into the palace, Jin Yang cautiously said, "Perhaps Miss Gu is unwilling, but the Emperor is forcing her to enter the palace. Why don't you ask Miss Gu's wishes, Your Majesty? If she is unwilling, Your Majesty can intervene, and the Emperor will not be able to force her into the palace."
However, Jin Yang thought to himself, "It's probably going to be a complete falling out."
Lu Zhao suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his mind, "You can go now. Let the people who were left to protect the Gu family continue to guard them."
...
After receiving the imperial decree, Gu Chaoxi comforted the disappointed and saddened Old Madam Gu, and then went to her room alone to think about what to do next.
She couldn't marry the emperor; she was pregnant with a child no one knew about. However, she couldn't openly break off the engagement, so she had to let Lu Zhao destroy it.
This opportunity also allows her to successfully stay by Lu Zhao's side.
After washing up at night, Gu Chaoxi lay quietly in bed, waiting for Lu Zhao to come find her.
As soon as the lights in Tinghua Courtyard went out, the window of Gu Chaoxi's room was gently pushed open, and a figure nimbly climbed in through the window.
Gu Chaoxi didn't expect him to come so early. "You're too arrogant. The maids are still awake."
"Don't worry, no one will find out."
Lu Zhao strode to the bedside and reached out to pull Gu Chaoxi into his arms. It was already autumn, and the night was cold, damp, and dewy. Lu Zhao had come all the way here in the cold wind, and his clothes were damp and icy cold.
Gu Chaoxi lay in the warm bed curtains early in the morning, wearing only her inner clothes, her whole body warm.
Realizing that Lu Zhao was about to hug her, Gu Chaoxi stretched out a foot to stop him, "Don't hug me, you're so cold, don't touch me."
Lu Zhao reluctantly stopped and sat on the edge of the bed, keeping a distance of one person between them. This way, he could see her silhouette in the darkness without transmitting his chill to her.
"Are you here to ask me about the marriage bestowed by the emperor?" Gu Chaoxi asked, tilting her head.
"Jinyang said that after you entered the palace, the emperor issued an edict, but did the emperor force you?"
Lu Zhao's eyes shone brightly in the darkness, as if he could rush into the palace and force the emperor to retract the imperial edict as soon as Gu Chaoxi nodded.
Unfortunately, Gu Chaoxi is destined not to give him the response he wants today.
Lowering her head to avoid his gaze, the young girl on the bed whispered, "It wasn't His Majesty who forced me; I entered the palace voluntarily."
With just one sentence, all of Lu Zhao's expectations were dashed. In his thirty years of life, Lu Zhao experienced this boundless sense of loss and desolation for the first time.
"Why? I can give you wealth and glory if you want. The emperor will have many wives and concubines in the future, but I can promise you only.
“We have been together in Jeju Island for so long, don’t you understand my feelings for you? The emperor wanted to marry you after just one meeting, that’s lust at first sight.”
“He just took your sister into the palace a couple of days ago. Such a fickle person is not worthy of your trust.”
Lu Zhao spoke each word with difficulty, his eyes fixed on Gu Chaoxi, hoping she would remember even the smallest good thing about him.
Gu Chaoxi simply lowered her head quietly, waiting for him to finish speaking.
Lu Zhao cupped her head in his hands, forcing her to lift it. His fingers, which had just warmed up from the room, began to grow cold again.
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