In the palace, in the emperor's study.
The Crown Prince and the eldest prince stood quietly by.
The eldest prince knew very well that at this time, the emperor did not avoid the crown prince and directly asked about the results of the investigation. He must have wanted to hear the crown prince's opinion.
The emperor stared at the old woman kneeling on the ground with an expressionless face.
This old woman was the one who examined Gu Shijia in the general's mansion. Her body was trembling slightly and she lowered her head very deeply.
She felt a little sweat on her forehead, thinking about what the eldest prince had said on the way to the palace, "Ms. Shijia...is no longer a virgin."
"Then grant him death." The emperor was furious. "Come, draft the decree."
"Father." The prince immediately knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."
A strange look flashed in the emperor's eyes. He looked at the prince kneeling on the ground and said, "Speak!"
"Father," the prince said with a look of assurance, "I cannot bear to see Shijia lose his life."
The emperor frowned and stared at the prince silently, as if he wanted to see something from his face.
"Father," the prince continued, "I hope you can fulfill my son's wish. I believe that this matter is definitely not Shijia's fault."
"Father." The eldest prince knelt down, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
"Prince, please stand up first." The Emperor was dissatisfied with the eldest prince's investigation into Gu Shijia. He looked at the eldest prince with a serious face and said, "Speak."
"Please punish me, Father." The eldest prince lowered his head and said, "I have concealed something."
The emperor remained silent, and the eldest prince continued, "Before investigating whether Gu Shijia was a virgin, I privately discussed this matter with the Crown Prince. After learning of the Crown Prince's intentions, I privately instructed the old maid to tell everyone that the future Crown Princess was still a virgin. Only when the Emperor asks can we tell the truth."
"Seeking the Crown Prince privately?" The Emperor was furious. He picked up the teacup and smashed it against the eldest prince. "I asked you to investigate, so you should do it thoroughly. Why are you asking the Crown Prince? Do you obey the Crown Prince or me? Is he the emperor, or am I the emperor?"
The eldest prince was terrified, and the crown prince immediately knelt down.
"Your Majesty, please calm down." The eldest prince said immediately, "I just feel that this matter is a national affair in a big way, and a family matter in a small way.
Moreover, this matter is not suitable to be treated as a national affair, otherwise it will involve a lot of problems, especially since there have been constant harassment on the border in the past two years, and General Gu’s contribution is indeed not small.
I can only treat this matter as a family matter. Since it is a family matter, and Gu Shijia is the future wife of the prince, I asked the prince for his opinion. The prince is infatuated with Miss Shijia and I want to help him.
"I hope your Majesty will grant me this." The prince knelt on the ground and pleaded.
The emperor sees through the thoughts of the crown prince and the eldest prince.
He felt a little relieved, thinking that the prince had really grown up and was much more prudent in considering things in the long term.
At least he knew what he needed.
"Everyone, stand up and speak." The anger on the emperor's face had eased somewhat. "Eldest Prince, stand up too. Remember from now on, among you brothers, the crown prince is the leader. The crown prince is the heir to the throne. After a hundred years from now, he will be the ruler of the country.
If the prince does anything inappropriate, you, as his elder brother, must remind him and be tolerant, understand?"
"Yes." The eldest prince confirmed, "I will definitely keep this in mind."
"You can handle this matter." The emperor said, and then glanced at the old woman who had been kneeling on the ground and dared not speak. His voice was full of majesty, "After your examination, is Gu Shijia innocent?"
"Yes." The old woman trembled. "I have examined her carefully, and Gu Shijia is still a virgin."
The emperor waved his hand towards the old woman with satisfaction, "Go down."
The old woman then let out a sigh and slowly retreated.
"Since this is a family matter," the emperor said to the eldest prince, "as the eldest brother, you should also consider Ye'er."
"I was just about to report this matter," the eldest prince said, "Gu Qingyun's little daughter, Gu Shirou, had physical contact with my fourth brother the other day, and was seen by General Gu Xiong, Qin, and many others.
This matter has spread like wildfire in the General's Mansion. Miss Gu Shirou almost committed suicide because of it. Although she is a concubine's daughter, she is still the general's daughter. General Gu Xiong hopes that the emperor can make a decision for them.
When the emperor heard this, a hint of deep meaning flashed in his eyes, and he couldn't help but look at the eldest prince again.
Before the Emperor could even open his mouth, he heard the Crown Prince's objection. "How can this be? If Fourth Brother disagrees, wouldn't it ruin the General's little daughter? No, no, no."
The eldest prince and the crown prince are both thinking about themselves.
The eldest prince's move was nothing more than dividing the general's office's support for the crown prince.
The prince's opposition was simply due to his concern about whether the general's office would remain consistent in its support for him.
"As the eldest brother, you are fair." The emperor was more satisfied with what the eldest prince had done. Although the emperor favored the prince, he did not want the ministers in the court to form cliques for personal gain.
Although factionalism was unavoidable, it was still a good idea to use it wisely. So he ordered, "Come here, draft an edict. Tell the Empress and the Fourth Prince, Bei Ming Ye, to come to see me."
Seeing this, the prince was unhappy, but he could not say anything.
Soon, the imperial edict arrived at the general's mansion.
Everyone in the general's mansion knelt on the ground.
"By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: I have heard that the daughter of General Gu Qingyun, Gu Shirou, is skilled and generous, gentle and kind, and of outstanding character and appearance. I am very pleased to hear this. Now that the Fourth Prince, Bei Mingye, is of marriageable age, it is time to choose a virtuous woman to marry him. Gu Shirou is waiting in my boudoir. She and the Fourth Prince are a perfect match, and they are in love with each other. To fulfill this beautiful woman's beauty, I hereby betroth Gu Shirou to the Fourth Prince as his consort."
"Congratulations, General Gu." The eunuch who was making the announcement said with a smile, "Congratulations, Miss Shirou."
Gu Qingyun smiled and motioned Gu Shirou to come over to receive his orders.
"Shirou thanks you, eunuch." Gu Shirou smiled gently, neither humble nor arrogant, and was extremely generous. "You have worked hard, eunuch. Please take a seat."
General Gu Xiong looked at Gu Shirou with satisfaction. Although this granddaughter was born out of wedlock, she had been trained by the Meng family to be no worse than a legitimate daughter. If you look closely, she might even be better than them.
"No," the eunuch Xuanzhi refused, "I have to go back to the palace to report back."
At this time, the fourth prince Bei Ming Ye had just come out of the palace. His face was calm, but his heart was full of anger.
Bei Mingye originally intended to be with Gu Changan, but was ruined by Gu Shijia. Even if it was Gu Shijia, he would not be bad. He had originally planned to make Gu Shijia his woman, but the timing was not right.
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