Chapter 557 His daughter is only seven years old, and she is already being targeted by someone?
Su Wan's unfinished words were like an ice spike, instantly piercing the last trace of warmth in the hall.
Chu Ruohan's fingers holding the teacup suddenly tightened. The warm tea seemed unable to warm the chill in her heart.
Enter the palace?
Those two words were like an invisible shackle, about to be put on her lawless daughter who only knew how to chase the wind and butterflies.
She raised her eyes and looked at Su Wan.
Su Wan still wore a gentle smile, but behind that smile lay the considerations of a queen mother, the calculations of a mother. In this palace, there was never any unprovoked kindness, nor was there any casual chat.
Today, the prince was beaten, but not only did he not punish him, but he protected him everywhere and even went so far as to teach Qingchen personally. It turns out that all these gestures of goodwill ended here.
Chu Ruohan calmed herself down, slowly put down the teacup, and a slight crisp sound was heard.
She suppressed all the emotions in her eyes and put on the flawless face of the Duke of Zhenguo again, with a self-deprecating wry smile in her voice.
"Your Majesty, you're joking. Qingchen, as you've seen, is incredibly unruly and wild, giving me daily headaches. She's completely clueless about music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and has no experience with needlework. She's just incredibly strong, climbing trees and walls more skillfully than any other boy."
She shook her head slightly, as if she was talking about a very difficult family matter.
"With such a personality, I only hope that she will have a safe and smooth future. It would be a blessing from our ancestors if she doesn't get into trouble. How could I dare to dream of overwhelming wealth? His Highness the Crown Prince is as precious as gold and jade. The future Crown Princess should be a lady from an aristocratic family, possessing all the qualities of virtue, speech, beauty and merit. Qingchen... is simply unworthy."
These words not only belittled his daughter, but also elevated the position of the Crown Princess, clearing himself of all blame.
Su Wan listened quietly, the smile in her eyes not diminishing at all. She could naturally hear the rejection in these words.
She didn't point it out, but just picked up the teacup and took a sip.
"Sister Ruohan, you're too serious. The children are still young. Who can predict what will happen in the future?"
He changed the subject slightly and let the matter go.
But Chu Ruohan knew in her heart that the seed had already been planted.
After leaving the palace and getting on the carriage back home, the atmosphere in the carriage was a bit depressing.
Xuan Ge'er sat quietly by the side, looking at his mother's tense face and his sister You Buzhi's worried look, and he was sensible and didn't say anything.
Gu Qingchen had some snacks in the palace and regained his energy. He lifted a corner of the car curtain and looked at the street scene outside the window rapidly receding with interest.
"Qingchen."
Chu Ruohan finally spoke, her voice cold.
Gu Qingchen turned around and blinked his phoenix eyes that looked exactly like Gu Junze's, with an innocent look on his face.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
"Today in the Imperial Garden, you bumped into the Crown Prince. Do you realize your mistake?" Chu Ruohan stared at her, trying to see a trace of regret on her face.
However, she was disappointed.
Gu Qingchen straightened his small body, with very good reasons.
"He was wrong first! He tried to snatch my butterfly and pushed me!" She clenched her fists, her tone full of self-righteousness, "Besides, I won!"
Chu Ruohan felt as if a breath was stuck in her chest, unable to go up or down.
She held her forehead, feeling a wave of weakness. Talking to this child was harder than trying to read the account books in a shop.
Looking at her daughter's look of "I'm not wrong, I'm right, and I'm proud", Chu Ruohan sighed in her heart. The road of raising a daughter is really endless.
At night, after the two children fell asleep, Chu Ruohan sat in front of the dressing table, taking off the pearl hairpins on her head from time to time, with the sadness between her brows lingering.
Gu Junze came out of the shower and saw her like this. He walked up to her, put his arms around her waist from behind, and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"What's wrong? Didn't you have a smooth journey into the palace today?" His warm breath brushed past her ears.
Chu Ruohan recounted the series of events that took place in the Imperial Garden today, from Zhao Qingzhi's ambition, to Gu Qingchen's "one punch to show off his power", to how she argued with the old Princess Yong.
She thought that after hearing this, Gu Junze would be as worried about his daughter's future as she was.
Unexpectedly, Gu Junze laughed softly after hearing this.
"Well done."
Chu Ruohan turned around suddenly and looked at him in disbelief.
Gu Junze reached out, took the jade hairpin from her hand, and placed it on the dressing table, his tone full of nonchalant indulgence.
"So what if he's the prince? He's got thick skin and a beating won't hurt him. We in Qingchen have this spirit of not wanting to suffer any loss, so we won't be bullied in the future."
"You!" Chu Ruohan was furious. "Is this how you teach your daughter?"
"It's called nature." Gu Junze turned her body around so that she was facing him, his expression becoming more serious. "Ruohan, this capital city is not short of gentle and virtuous ladies, but how many of them can live truly happily? I only hope that my daughter can live according to her heart, and always have the strength to fight back and the courage not to bow down."
Chu Ruohan looked at her husband's handsome but nonchalant face, and the depression in her heart deepened.
She knew that he loved his daughter, but he had no idea how harsh the world was to women.
She took a breath and finally expressed her deepest concerns.
"Do you really think this is just a fight between children?"
Her voice sank. "Gu Junze, you should be able to imagine the Queen's attitude today. I'm afraid she feels very bad about the Crown Prince and Qingchen..."
Before he finished speaking, his meaning was already clear.
The smile on Gu Junze's face finally froze bit by bit.
His phoenix eyes, which always wore a lazy smile, suddenly sank, like an undercurrent suddenly rising beneath the calm surface of a lake.
"She likes Qingchen?" His voice turned cold.
Chu Ruohan nodded, her expression solemn.
"Qingchen is only seven years old." Gu Junze uttered these words slowly, and each word seemed to be tempered by ice.
His daughter, the apple of his eye, is only this young, but she has already been targeted as a pawn to consolidate power.
The warm candlelight in the hall seemed unable to dispel the sudden chill that rose around him.
Chu Ruohan looked at him and knew that he was really angry this time.
Gu Junze let her go, paced around the room for two steps, and finally stopped.
He turned around, and there was no trace of his usual indolence in his eyes, only the decision that belonged to the Duke of Zhenguo and could not be questioned.
"no."
"I have to go to the palace."
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