Chapter 278 Gift
Gu Yan's eyes were open and honest, and he spoke frankly.
But he was young after all, and he did have feelings for Meng Xiyao, so when he defended himself, his tone was inevitably a little guilty, and his face turned red with nervousness.
This subtle detail did not escape the Emperor's notice; he smiled and remained firmly seated on his high throne.
"Is that so? I ask you, if I say that regardless of whether that thief did anything indecent to Consort Xi, just because Consort Xi was cowardly enough to be alone with the thief in the carriage for half an hour, thus giving people something to talk about, then she died unjustly. Do you have anything to say?"
Reason told Gu Yan that he should stay out of it at this time, otherwise he would not only fail to save Meng Xiyao, but the emperor would also punish him.
But if he were rational enough, he wouldn't have made this trip today.
Gu Yan said, “I think this is inappropriate. Consort Xi is just a woman who is powerless. It was not her wish to be kidnapped by the thief. She was able to remain rational and deal with the thief, helping me to capture the villain while ensuring her own safety. This should be praised. Instead of rewarding her, Your Majesty is punishing her and even wants to beat her to death.”
"If this matter gets out, women in the world will probably not dare to go out at all. If they were to encounter such a situation, wouldn't they only face certain death? And those wicked men who want to ruin a woman only need to boldly approach her and spread rumors. If this continues, it will bring disaster to the country and the people, and will surely cause great chaos!"
He was always outspoken and offered his advice, but now, due to his dissatisfaction with the matter and his concern for Meng Xiyao, his words became even more sharp. When he uttered his last sentence, even Eunuch Chu, who had been waiting silently to the side, changed his expression.
The hall was eerily quiet for a moment.
Just as Eunuch Chu and Gu Yan thought the Emperor was about to fly into a rage, the Emperor leisurely stepped down from his high seat, ignoring Gu Yan, and paced back and forth around him. The sound of his footsteps, sometimes light and sometimes heavy, made Gu Yan even more unable to guess his thoughts.
After a long silence, the Emperor said in a calm tone, "General Gu's father and brothers have been gone for more than ten years. You are the only son left in my family. I remember you should be eighteen years old this year. Why are you still not married?"
The topic suddenly shifted to Gu Yan's marriage. Gu Yan was surprised, but still answered truthfully: "I have been looking for a wife for two years, but my grandmother has very high standards and I have not yet found a suitable one."
His grandmother warned him that discord between husband and wife is the root of family chaos, so a young man from an orphanage can only marry a wife, not take a concubine or have a maidservant. He must be very careful in choosing a wife and must choose a good girl who is loyal, knowledgeable and reasonable.
There aren't many girls who can satisfy a grandmother. In the past two years, I have met two, but the families of these two girls have some complaints about the grandmother's pickiness. I should be careful that I don't end up with a difficult grandmother. I should politely decline them.
His marriage was thus delayed because he was stuck in a limbo, neither finding a suitable match nor a less desirable one.
Gu Yan didn't care about this. He didn't have any feelings for those two girls anyway. He hadn't earned any fame or fortune yet, so he wasn't in a hurry to get married.
The Emperor chuckled upon hearing this, "Is it because you can't find a suitable one, or because you haven't met someone you like? You entered the palace late at night just to exonerate Consort Xi. If you say you have no feelings for Consort Xi at all, I don't believe it."
Sweat beaded on Gu Yan's forehead. Just as he was about to explain further, the Emperor spoke first.
"Wait. Listen to me first. I've thought about it carefully. Consort Xi is in the prime of her youth and beautiful, and General Gu is a young hero. If I were to grant you both a happy ending, it would be a wonderful story. To be honest, Consort Xi has not yet served the emperor since entering the palace. I am old, and it is indeed inappropriate to keep such a beautiful flower in the palace. Since General Gu trusts Consort Xi, I might as well do you a favor and give her to you."
"Your Majesty, I dare not," Gu Yan hurriedly replied. "This matter arose because of me. I only do not wish for Consort Xi to lose her life innocently, and I would never dare to covet the Consort's life."
"It's not that I don't want to, but that I dare not."
The Emperor sneered, "It was a gift from me, why wouldn't you dare? Or do you also believe that Consort Xi is a fickle woman, and while you're advising me to be magnanimous, you don't actually want a withered flower? If that's the case, Consort Xi deserves to die. You may leave now."
Whether Gu Yan nodded or shook his head, it was all wrong.
He had always known that the emperor was not a wise ruler, but his request to the emperor to send troops to suppress the bandits while holding the body of Grand Master Sun was finally granted.
This incident made him realize that the emperor was not completely confused. As long as he explained things clearly to the emperor and pointed out the advantages and disadvantages, the emperor would be able to distinguish right from wrong.
But now that he had said what he wanted to say, the emperor gave him two choices that he did not want to make.
If he leaves now, Meng Xiyao will surely die.
Would she accept the Emperor's gift? Perhaps it wouldn't just be Meng Xiyao who died.
Throughout history, it has been extremely rare for an emperor to give away his official concubines, let alone a monarch like the current emperor who is extremely possessive and has very strict control over his concubines.
His words were most likely a test, not his true feelings.
Having come this far, Gu Yan has done his utmost. A wise person should stop here and no longer get involved.
Gu Yan had been considered clever since childhood. He wanted to stand up and leave, but his legs felt as heavy as if they weighed a ton, and he couldn't lift them no matter what he did.
The image of Meng Xiyao leaning against the window and looking out lingered in his mind for a long time.
How innocent this lively and shy girl is!
Her father had just died tragically, her eldest sister was missing, and only her disabled mother and younger brother remained in the family. If he gave up on saving her, who else could stand up for her?
The Emperor's smile widened even further.
"If you don't leave, it means you still want to save Consort Xi. Don't worry, a king's word is law. If I said I would give you away, then I will. However, one cannot accept a reward without merit, and my beauty cannot be given away for nothing."
Seeing that Gu Yan was listening attentively, the Emperor continued with a smile: "As long as you offer one thing in exchange, Consort Xi will not die, and General Gu will be promoted to my number one general. At that time, I will send Consort Xi home. If General Gu is willing, I can arrange a marriage between you. If not, you two can marry on your own."
This explanation was clearly more acceptable to Gu Yan, and it also piqued Gu Yan's curiosity.
"Your Majesty, please tell me, what is this object?"
The Emperor's eyes darkened, and he said solemnly, "The head of the King of Northern Frontier is on your neck. As long as you take the head of the King of Northern Frontier, let alone a mere Consort Xi, I would even grant you the title of King or Prime Minister, without hesitation."
The Emperor hated the King of Northern Frontier to the bone. Gu Yan knew that as a military general in the court, he would have to fight the King of Northern Frontier sooner or later, so he breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this.
"As a military officer in the court, it is my duty to fight against the rebels. I will do my utmost."
However, the emperor shook his head.
He stared coldly at Gu Yan and continued.
"Unfortunately, your skills are still slightly inferior to those of the Northern Frontier King. What I want is not for you to lead troops to fight against the Northern Frontier King. I want you to take the initiative to surrender to the Northern Frontier King, gain his trust, and then take his head when he is unprepared. If you can bring his head back then, I will grant you any request except my empire."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
