"Father, please calm down." Bei Mingxuan immediately knelt down, "Mother didn't mean it."
At this moment, everyone knelt down, lowered their heads, and dared not utter a sound.
"Your Majesty, Concubine Tong can no longer see. She will never be able to see again." The Queen Mother's voice was filled with sobs. "Your Majesty, please spare Concubine Tong this time for my sake."
"I beg you, father, to forgive my mother." Bei Mingxuan kowtowed.
The emperor was angry tonight. His anger had been suppressed for a long time, starting from before the banquet when Gu Shirou asked Chang'an to marry Bei Mingye with her.
He already had suspicion and anger in his heart, but at this moment, especially when he saw his two princes still fighting openly and secretly, trying their best to win over others for personal gain.
He didn't feel good at all. He wanted to talk to the girl Chang'an, but who would have thought that someone would start plotting against him right under his nose.
"Concubine Tong, I ask you one last time, are you serious about adopting Chang'an as your adopted daughter?" the Emperor said, "If I marry Chang'an to your son Bei Mingxuan, would you be willing to accept?"
"I don't want to." Yi Tong said firmly, "Xuan'er can't marry only one woman in his life. In the future, there will be no shortage of jealous women around him. I don't want to see Chang'an being wronged, nor do I want to embarrass my own son. If Chang'an marries as my daughter, no matter who she marries, she has me, the emperor, and Xuan'er behind her. I guarantee that Chang'an will not suffer any injustice."
At this moment, the emperor truly believed Yi Tong and that she was sincerely concerned about Chang'an. He dispelled all his suspicions and said, "Xiao Dezi, draft an imperial decree. Grant the marriage of Gu Qingfeng's eldest daughter to the ninth prince, Bei Mingxuan."
Concubine Tong cried out, "Your Majesty, no!"
The Queen pleaded earnestly, "Your Majesty, please think twice. Sister Tong Fei is so pleading. Please, Your Majesty, grant Sister Tong Fei's wish."
"Father..." The Crown Prince's eyes were also full of expectation, "You should think twice."
"Think twice, what do you mean by that?" The emperor's anger remained undiminished. "Very good! You all don't want Chang'an to marry Old Nine. Don't think I don't know what you all are up to. I won't grant your wish."
"Issue an order that the Empress's Phoenix Seal be temporarily placed in the care of Noble Consort Xian." The Emperor then looked at the Crown Prince and said, "Prince, if you feel you've been the Crown Prince for too long, you may continue."
The queen, who was kneeling on the ground, collapsed on the ground after hearing the emperor's words.
The prince didn't dare to say another word at this time.
The emperor walked up to Concubine Tong and grabbed her neck. "Xu Yitong, don't you hate me? I will make you hate me to the end. The more you don't want to, the more I will force you to accept it. I want them to get married tomorrow!"
He looked at Concubine Tong's tears and the pain on her face, and his heart didn't feel the slightest bit of joy. "Gu Qingfeng, Gu Chang'an, why don't you thank me? Could it be that you are dissatisfied with my order?"
"I, Gu Qingfeng, am bringing my daughter Chang'an to thank the Emperor for his grace."
"My son, Bei Mingxuan, thanks the Emperor for granting me this marriage."
The emperor finally let go of Concubine Tong with satisfaction, "Yitong, I will allow you and Qiuya to become in-laws. I'm sure Qiuya will be happy to know this in the afterlife. You should thank me."
Concubine Tong took a deep breath, got up from the ground, and knelt in front of the emperor, tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips, "Your Majesty, I thank you for granting me marriage on behalf of Qiuya. Thank you for your support. Long live the emperor."
The emperor's expression was calm as he swept his eyes over the crowd. "Tomorrow, my ninth prince will marry the granddaughter of General Gu Xiong. He will be enthroned as Prince Xuan."
The emperor smiled and looked at the ministers who were bowing with trepidation, "Why don't you come over and congratulate me and Concubine Tong, congratulate Prince Xuan and General Gu."
"Congratulations to His Majesty, Concubine Tong, Prince Xuan, Miss Chang'an, and General Gu."
The emperor looked at the ministers below him, his face full of smiles, as if all the unpleasantness just now had never happened. "After the congratulations, everyone can go their separate ways. The General's Mansion and Xuan'er's Mansion will probably be busy all night preparing for tomorrow's wedding ceremony."
After everyone left, Chang'an's legs were still uncomfortable, so Shirou supported him and he followed Gu Xiong and Gu Qingfeng away. He passed by Bei Mingxuan who was walking towards Concubine Tong. The two of them never looked at each other from beginning to end.
The general's mansion was brightly lit.
Everyone is busy inside and outside.
In Gu Xiong's study, Gu Qingfeng, Gu Chang'an, three generations of grandparents and grandchildren, sat facing each other.
"What happened tonight." Gu Xiong looked at Chang'an, "What do you think?"
"It's already a foregone conclusion." Chang'an said deliberately, "You have to get married even if you don't want to."
"No! You can marry the Ninth Prince, Prince Xuan is also not bad." The old general wanted to say the Ninth Prince, but suddenly remembered that the emperor had already conferred the title of Prince Xuan on Bei Mingxuan. "For your father's sake, Prince Xuan will not treat you badly, and you have Concubine Tong to protect you.
I mean, Shirou and Shijia, they both proposed to marry you, but did you know that?"
Gu Qingfeng glanced at his daughter. He knew a little about what was going on.
"Grandpa, I do know what Sister Shirou mentioned." Chang'an confessed honestly, "It was on the way to Jiuli Bridge Lake Pavilion that day.
Sister Shirou said that she was willing to fulfill Chang'an's love for the Fourth Prince.
However, the Fourth Prince did not object. As for why my cousin did so, I really don't know."
"Shirou wants to help you and the Fourth Prince, will you agree?" Gu Xiong was a little worried.
"Chang'an just said that everything is up to the emperor."
Thinking of the emperor's question today, the old general was afraid, "What you three sisters said in front of the emperor today really hurt an old man like me.
Fortunately, you and Shirou both know when to advance and when to retreat.
If any of you had said what Shijia said, "Our General's Mansion has reached its end. The Emperor has become increasingly wary of our General in recent years."
"My granddaughter knows that it is because the emperor favors the prince, and my cousin is the future princess. Even if what she said is not in line with the emperor's heart,
The Emperor still wouldn't blame her, especially in front of so many ministers."
"Father, you should remind my eldest brother more often. The situation now is different from many years ago." Gu Qingfeng said, "In the past, the four countries were constantly at war, but now it is a year of peace.
Even if the emperor favors the prince, he still does not want the power behind the prince to be too strong.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have agreed to let Shirou marry into the Fourth Prince's residence."
"You are right, especially Shirong and Shijia. They have been spoiled by your eldest brother." The old general looked at Gu Qingfeng.
"However, there is one thing. From what I see, the Emperor seems to have a good impression of Chang'an. I have always suspected that the Emperor's decision to marry Chang'an to Prince Xuan today was a long-held idea, or was it simply forced by circumstances, as we saw today?"
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