Panyue Lake is located in the suburbs of Beijing and is famous for its crescent-shaped shape. It is surrounded by lush green grass and willow trees, with long willow branches hanging over the lake surface. When the wind blows gently, the lake surface ripples.
Many young men and women from the capital city come here to visit.
Upon arriving at Panyue Lake, Gu Ruiyun made an excuse to separate from Gu Chaoxi. Before leaving, she reminded her, "Sister, you must make sure your veil is on properly. It would be a loss if you were targeted by some thugs."
Gu Chaoxi ignored her. After learning from the system that Lu Zhao had not yet arrived, she found a secluded spot by the lake to feed the fish.
Panyue Lake has all kinds of fish, but the most numerous are koi. Gu Chaoxi fed them for a while, and the fish all gathered around her.
She was seized by a playful impulse and dumped the last of her fish food into the lake, causing the fish to scramble for it. She then squatted down and reached her hand out of the lake to tease the koi that poked their heads out.
The veil was too long and would easily get wet from the lake. Gu Chaoxi looked around to make sure no one was watching, then took off the veil and handed it to Qiushuang behind her.
The fish were slippery and nimble, trying to dodge Gu Chaoxi's fingers while also trying to open their mouths to grab food, which made Gu Chaoxi laugh out loud, and Qiu Shuang couldn't help but join in.
...
After the Fifth Princess had been pestering him for a long time, and the Emperor was also getting rather bored staying in the palace, he agreed to take the Fifth Princess out of the palace for a trip.
It just so happened that Regent Lu Zhao was also in the palace after giving him a lesson, and the emperor invited him to go with him.
After resting for two days, Lu Zhao's wounds had healed considerably, and he had a vague idea of who had ambushed him. In order to lure out the person behind the attack, Lu Zhao agreed to go with them.
There were few people at Panyue Lake today. As soon as she got off the carriage, the Fifth Princess stood on tiptoe and looked around.
The emperor laughed and said, "My sister has made an appointment? If I had known this, my uncle and I would not have come with you."
"Your Majesty, I have made an appointment with the second young lady of the Marquis of Changshan's mansion. She is both beautiful and talented. If Your Majesty meets her, I am sure you will admire her as much as I do."
The Fifth Princess was on good terms with Gu Ruiyun and had some understanding of Gu Ruiyun's thoughts. She also needed someone in the harem to support her in the future, so she praised Gu Ruiyun to the Emperor without making a sound.
Because Lu Zhao was also by her side, the Fifth Princess dared not say much. She was somewhat reserved about this ruthless and cold-blooded imperial uncle.
Lu Zhao was the late emperor's most beloved prince. When the late emperor passed away at the age of twenty, he swiftly purged the court and assisted the seven-year-old emperor to ascend the throne. From then on, he served as regent, and the emperor and the fifth princess had to respectfully address him as Imperial Uncle.
Lu Zhao suggested going for a walk by the lake. The emperor understood the meaning behind the Fifth Princess's words and didn't want to stay there with her while she searched for someone, so he followed Lu Zhao.
When Lu Zhao saw the emperor follow, he asked him without any politeness about the strategy for governing the country. The emperor had been taught by Lu Zhao since childhood and knew that Lu Zhao was going to test him again, so he thought about how to answer.
The emperor was speaking eloquently about reforming the tax system for the people when suddenly his voice paused and his steps stopped.
Following the emperor's gaze, Lu Zhao saw two women squatting on a low wooden bridge by the lake not far ahead, teasing the fish in the water.
The woman in red had an exquisitely beautiful profile; her lips were naturally red, and two hairpins held up her jet-black hair. She wore a red dress, had fair skin, and a slender figure.
The woman was stunningly beautiful, with a voice as clear as a bell. The emperor was captivated, staring blankly at her graceful figure by the lake.
Qiu Shuang caught a glimpse of someone not far behind her out of the corner of her eye. When she turned around, she found two men staring intently at her young lady.
She was startled and quickly reminded him, "Miss, there are two men looking this way from behind."
Gu Chaoxi stood up and turned around to see two men staring at her.
When her gaze fell upon Lu Zhao, meeting his deep, unfathomable eyes, Gu Chaoxi felt guilty and quickly lowered her eyes, taking a small step back.
Lu Zhao noticed, but didn't pay it any mind, assuming the other person was simply offended and startled. He also looked away.
The emperor was still staring blankly at her when Gu Chaoxi stood up, finally seeing her face clearly. The emperor, a righteous young man at the age of budding romance, was utterly captivated by Gu Chaoxi's beauty, his heart fluttering.
Gu Chaoxi hadn't attended palace banquets for several years and didn't know he was the emperor. She glared at him, took the veil from Qiu Shuang's hand, hurriedly put it on, and was about to leave.
But the emperor stopped him.
"Miss, I was immediately struck by your beauty when I first saw you. May I ask your name, so that we may get to know each other?"
Gu Chaoxi said, embarrassed and annoyed, "You... get out of my way!"
Qiu Shuang also blocked Gu Chaoxi's way, glaring angrily, "Where did this scoundrel come from? We are from the Marquis of Changshan's mansion, so put away your eyes!"
Realizing his rudeness, the emperor withdrew his hand. "I meant no harm; I just wanted to get to know you, young lady."
Gu Chaoxi ignored him and left with Qiu Shuang.
As she passed Lu Zhao, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the long, white veil brushed against Lu Zhao's fingertips, lifting a corner of the veil to reveal the woman's rosy lips and delicate chin.
Lu Zhao took in this beautiful scene, and a faint fragrance seemed to linger around his nose.
It felt somewhat familiar, but I couldn't quite place where I'd encountered it before.
Lu Zhao ignored the slight ripple in his heart.
Only after the beauty's figure disappeared did the emperor reluctantly withdraw his gaze.
He immediately made a request to Lu Zhao, "Uncle, I want to marry her! She is the daughter of the Marquis of Changshan. Could you please help me propose marriage to her?"
Upon hearing the emperor's words, Lu Zhao's train of thought was interrupted, and he asked in surprise, "Does Your Majesty intend to marry the woman from earlier as your empress?"
If she were to be granted the rank of a concubine, the emperor could simply issue an imperial edict to bring her into the palace. Only when marrying the empress would it be necessary for elders to formally propose marriage.
Although it was called a marriage proposal, who would dare to refuse the emperor's offer of marriage?
"Yes, this is the first time I have ever been so fond of a woman. The Marquis of Changshan's family has little real power in the court, so there is no need to worry about interference from the maternal relatives if I marry a girl from the Marquis of Changshan's family as my empress."
Lu Zhao pondered silently.
Since Old Madam Gu was still alive, the Changshan Marquis's mansion had not yet divided its property, and the three brothers lived together. There were twenty or thirty masters and servants in the mansion alone, so it would not be easy to find the woman from the previous two days.
The woman from earlier was quite timid; she was frightened by the sight of two strangers and quickly left, unlike the bold and enthusiastic woman in the woodshed a couple of days ago.
Therefore, Lu Zhao mentally ruled out the possibility that Gu Chaoxi was the woman he had been with the other day.
The Emperor is right. The Marquis of Changshan only holds a sinecure in the capital, and marrying the daughter of a marquis can prevent interference from relatives of the empress. Furthermore, with the Marquis's checks and balances over the years, the Emperor can indeed marry whomever he wants.
He could go to the emperor's door to propose marriage, or he could personally go to see and find the woman.
After thinking it over, Lu Zhao agreed to the emperor's request, "Since Your Majesty is interested in her, I will go back and find out her identity and then propose marriage on your behalf."
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