Chapter 433 He Set His Sights on the Emperor's Position
Gu Rongchang's expression changed: "What nonsense are you talking about!"
Gu Qianling sighed softly: "Qianhan, the situation is already chaotic enough, so don't make things worse. Don't worry about A Ning, Father and I will take care of her."
“I’m not worried. I’m here to tell you that from now on, I’ll be in charge of the Gu family’s affairs, and I’ll also be in charge of A-Ning’s marriage.”
Gu Qianling was stunned: "Qianhan, are you... are you possessed?"
Gu Rongchang sneered, "I'm not dead yet, and it's none of your business to decide what happens to the Gu family! Even if I die, it still won't be your business to decide what happens to the Gu family!"
"The eldest son of the Gu family is your elder brother, and the heir of the Duke's mansion is also your elder brother! If I die, he will be the new Duke of Zhenguo! Are you trying to seize the title of Duke of Zhenguo?"
Gu Qianhan's voice was indifferent: "Father, rest assured, I will not fight for the title of Duke of Zhenguo, because I don't care about it at all. What I care about is the emperor's position."
After he finished speaking, the study fell into a deathly silence.
No one could believe what they had just heard, especially Gu Rongchang, whose mind was buzzing with shock.
What did the son say? He wants the throne?
He wouldn't have dared to say these words, or even think about them, yet his son said them so without any restraint.
He's ruined the entire Duke's mansion!
Gu Rongchang was both shocked and furious: "I think you've lost your mind! You're talking complete nonsense! Guards, drag the Second Young Master away and give him twenty strokes of the cane! No, fifty! Beat him until he's sober, until he can speak like a human being!"
Unfortunately, when he gave the order, no one responded.
He was somewhat annoyed: "Yang Ke, Su Yi? Where are you?!"
Gu Qianhan said calmly, "Is Father looking for your guards? Obsidian, bring them here!"
"Yes, young master!"
Obsidian responded and gestured outside.
Soon, Yang Ke and Su Yi were brought over, both of them bound with ropes and bruised.
The two men immediately knelt before Gu Rongchang upon entering: "Reporting to the Duke, all our men have been captured by the Second Young Master's men! We are incompetent, please punish us, Duke!"
Gu Rongchang exclaimed in disbelief, "This is impossible!"
These two henchmen are highly skilled in martial arts and have a large number of men under them. How could they all have been captured?
"Your Excellency, it's true! The Second Young Master's men far outnumber us, are highly skilled in martial arts, and are all equipped with finely crafted weapons! Your Excellency, we are no match for them!"
Gu Rongchang looked at Gu Qianhan and remained silent for a long time.
When did his neglected second son become so strong? When did he start recruiting soldiers?
His subordinates are the result of his decades of accumulation, plus what his father left him, which has brought him to his current size.
This scale was already enough to make the emperor very wary, but Gu Qianhan had even more subordinates than him!
His determination to rebel is probably real.
Previously, his second son had subtly mentioned the matter of usurping power to him, but he was severely reprimanded because although he liked power, he wouldn't take away just any power.
He only wanted to preserve the Gu family's wealth and glory, and to ensure the family's prosperity for hundreds or thousands of years. That's why he always held firm to real power and wanted to firmly hold onto the position of Empress.
He didn't want to commit treason, a heinous act that would bring him eternal infamy, because if he failed, the entire Gu family would be executed! He would become the Gu family's eternal sinner!
Moreover, the Gu family already has enough power. The Empress is the Gu family's daughter, and the Crown Prince also has half of the Gu family's blood. As long as he puts his daughter on the throne of Crown Princess and lets her give birth to the Crown Prince's eldest son, the Gu family can prosper for at least several decades!
He had absolutely no need to risk the enormous danger of having his family wiped out and his clan exterminated to usurp the throne!
Duke Gu Rongchang remained silent, and his advisors exchanged bewildered glances, all thinking that Gu Qianhan had gone mad.
They assisted Gu Rongchang not to plot a rebellion with him, but because they believed that the next empress of Dafeng would definitely be a daughter of the Gu family, and the Gu family would become the most powerful maternal relatives in Dafeng. By attaching themselves to this powerful family, they would have no worries about their future careers.
Gu Rongchang may appear domineering, and he often lectures the Crown Prince and argues with the Emperor, but he truly has no intention of rebelling, something his advisors know all too well.
Unexpectedly, this genius second son, who had never participated in politics, suddenly plotted a rebellion!
Is he a genius or a madman?
As they were thinking, Gu Qianhan's cold gaze swept over them: "My advisors, from now on you will all follow me. You don't need to follow my father anymore. He's old and has no ambition. You have no future following him."
The staff members were dumbfounded. What? They said that Duke Zhenguo Gu Rongchang had no ambition?
No one, not even a ghost, would believe that!
Everyone in the world knows that the Duke of Zhenguo is ambitious, okay? Otherwise, why would the emperor be so wary of him? His ambition is so great that he's practically ready to usurp the throne!
"Seizing power is no small matter; it requires the planning of several people."
Although Gu Qianhan said it was no small matter, he spoke as casually as if he were eating or drinking: "After this is done, everyone will be promoted and ennobled, and your descendants will also inherit titles. Isn't that much more than what you have gained by working hard with my father for half your lives?"
The advisors were all shrewd and wouldn't listen to his nonsense. They all looked at Gu Rongchang and said, "We swear to be loyal to the Duke to the death and have no other intentions!"
"We do not seek official positions or titles, but only for the sake of the nation and its people! The stability of the Great Feng land is the true blessing for the common people!"
"Young Master, you are young and impetuous, like a newborn calf, unaware of the dangers of the world. Let the words you spoke tonight be forgotten!"
Gu Rongchang nodded in satisfaction, then looked at his son with a mocking expression: "You don't actually think you can get my men to follow you with just a few words, do you?"
"Qianhan, I always thought you were a smart person. I never expected that you had the title of genius but didn't understand human relationships or how power came about."
"That's true. It's normal that you don't understand these things because I've never taught you them. After all, you're not the heir to the Duke's mansion, so teaching you too much would be useless."
"Go back. Haven't you been fighting with Xiao Qingxi for maids lately? Go back to doing these harmless things. Whether it's politics or A Ning's marriage, we don't need you to interfere."
The study door was open, and Gu Qianhan stood in the doorway, with endless darkness behind her.
The wind and rain raged, lightning streaked across the night sky, and thunder ripped through the silence.
He remained expressionless, took out a stack of documents from his sleeve, and threw them on the ground: "Of course I didn't expect to get my father's men to follow me with just a few words. After all, human nature is to bully the weak and fear the strong, and people won't give up until they've reached the Yellow River."
Gu Rongchang frowned: "What did you throw on the ground?"
"The heads of the advisors who swore to be loyal to their father to the death."
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