"Am I insane, or have I gone mad? How could that be?!"
Eunuch Zhang stood silently to the side, not daring to utter a sound.
After a long while, the emperor forced himself to accept the fact and spoke weakly.
"Zhang Dehai, deal with them. I don't want to see them again."
"Yes." Eunuch De understood and ordered his men to take the struggling and begging women away.
Outside the palace, the Regent, who had arrived gracefully, stopped the group upon seeing the scene and inquired about the cause and effect of the matter.
Then Lu Zhao said, "The Emperor doesn't have many concubines in his harem. He finally favors a few, but then he punishes them. If word gets out, it will damage his reputation. Since the Emperor doesn't like these women, let them leave the palace. Out of sight, out of mind."
Eunuch De hesitated, "But His Majesty's intention is..." to silence them.
"I'll take care of the Emperor's side. Just do as I say."
"yes."
Then, Lu Zhao stepped into the hall.
The emperor, still sitting irritably on his dragon bed, was surprised to see Lu Zhao. "Uncle, what brings you here? Didn't you leave the capital?"
"I returned overnight after dealing with matters in Qingzhou, and went straight to the palace upon arriving in the capital."
"I just heard that His Majesty favored four women last night, but was displeased when he woke up today. I have decided to release them."
The emperor looked displeased. "I'm merely disciplining a few people, and my uncle dares to interfere with my decision?"
"May I ask what wrong they committed? The Emperor punished them after favoring them. If the civil and military officials knew that the Emperor was so unpredictable, who would dare to send their daughters into the palace? This would be detrimental to the stability of the court."
The emperor had a bitter pill to swallow; was he supposed to say he had been raped by several women?
"Your Royal Uncle has no women and doesn't understand my feelings. I wasn't fully conscious last night... These women are ugly; how could they be worthy of my favor!"
Lu Zhao smiled. He not only had her, but he also had the most beautiful woman!
Let this kid try other flavors, eat his fill until he's sick of them, so he won't be thinking about his woman every day!
A mere brat dares to oppose him? Lu Zhao's thirty years of life haven't been wasted.
Lu Zhao's words calmed the emperor down somewhat. He wanted to bring Lu Zhao down, but he needed the support of his ministers. The best way was to bring their daughters into the palace so as not to discourage them.
"Then get them out of the capital and never let them appear before me again!"
If Lu Zhao had been in the capital last night, the emperor would have suspected him of being behind it, but Lu Zhao only returned to the capital this morning.
Immediately afterwards, the emperor remembered that he had brought Gu Chaoxi back to the palace from Lu Zhao's villa the day before.
"Uncle, the eldest daughter of the Gu family has been staying at your villa all this time. Why didn't you tell me? You know I've been looking for her!" The emperor looked at Lu Zhao with piercing eyes, trying to read something from his face.
Lu Zhao remained calm and said, "Miss Gu is pregnant and has nowhere to go, so I have arranged for her to stay in another courtyard."
"So what? She is my woman, and how I deal with her is my business," the emperor said matter-of-factly. "Yesterday I brought her into the palace and specifically informed my uncle."
"Then how did Your Majesty know that Miss Gu was in my villa? Did Your Majesty send someone to secretly investigate my whereabouts?" Suddenly, Lu Zhao blurted out.
The emperor's expression changed drastically in an instant. He didn't know how to answer, and his lips trembled as he stammered, "I just..."
"Your Majesty, don't forget who has supported you on this throne for so many years. Please, Your Majesty, do not do anything that would chill my heart!" Lu Zhao's voice was slightly cold, and his gaze was as cold and icy as a sharp blade.
The emperor was immediately stunned by that gaze, as if nothing he had done over the years had escaped his eyes.
"I, Zixuan, will never forget your teachings, Imperial Uncle." After a long silence, the Emperor gritted his teeth and bowed his head in response.
Lu Zhao nodded. "As for Miss Gu, the original investiture ceremony was not held. Now that she is pregnant and living in the palace, it is not proper for her to do so. It is against etiquette. Let's send her back to the Marquis's residence."
Lu Zhao spoke in words of discussion, but his tone left no room for argument.
The emperor, having lost some of his momentum earlier, dared not resist now. Despite his dissatisfaction, he reluctantly agreed, "Fine."
Lu Zhao nodded and strode away.
After Lu Zhao walked away, the emperor loosened his clenched fist and slammed the pillow on the bed against the door.
Lu Zhao! Who is the emperor, you or me? Who truly rules this palace?
...
Gu Chaoxi was overjoyed when she woke up to find out that the emperor was going to send someone to take her home.
It's obvious that Lu Zhao must have persuaded the emperor to relent.
In a cheerful mood, he took Xiangzhu and boarded the carriage to leave the palace and return home.
Upon returning to the mansion, Gu Chaoxi first went to pay her respects to Old Madam Gu.
Old Madam Gu hugged her tenderly, calling her her darling, "You've lost weight in the month I haven't seen you. Have you not been eating properly?"
Gu Chaoxi muttered, "What? You've actually gained weight. I think you're the one who's lost weight."
Lu Zhao secretly sent someone to deliver a message to her. Although Madam Gu knew that Gu Chaoxi was safe and sound, she was still a little uneasy. She hadn't seen him for a month and was thinking about it, which made her lose some weight.
At this moment, Lord Gu politely saw off the eunuch who had escorted Gu Chaoxi back from the palace, and walked in with a dark face.
"Kneel down! You unfilial daughter!"
Just now, when he heard the eunuch convey the emperor's words, instructing Gu Chaoxi to stay at the Marquis's residence to give birth and then enter the palace after the child was born, and that the emperor would arrange a place for the child, Marquis Gu thought he was hallucinating.
My daughter disappeared for a month, and when she came back, she was pregnant!
The father of the child is still unknown!
Lord Gu was so angry that his vision blurred. He valued his reputation above all else and wished he could give this disgraceful daughter a good beating!
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