Chapter 610 He no longer wanted to see his daughter's stupid look.
Zhao Yunci finally couldn't help but let out a low laugh.
He leaned back against the dragon throne, his whole body relaxed, and said with a somewhat teasing tone: "I didn't know that your Zhenguogong Mansion has become so poor?"
"You can't even come up with a gift for the Crown Prince, yet you're asking your daughter to go to such great lengths to raise funds for your Zhenguo Mansion?"
Gu Junze lowered his eyes, closed the booklet, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, you are joking. It is my fault for not teaching my daughter well."
"Your Majesty! This is no joke!"
When the Grand Tutor heard the emperor's attitude, he became anxious and took another step forward.
"This is an act of misleading the public and undermining the royal dignity! If we don't punish them severely, everyone will follow suit and the country will be in ruins!"
Zhao Yunci waved her hand, signaling the Grand Tutor to stay calm.
He leisurely took the booklet from Gu Junze, flipped it open and glanced at it, the smile on his face growing even wider. "You are too kind, Master."
"In my opinion, this isn't blackmail, but rather the innocent words of children, the sincerity of their hearts."
He pointed to the three small words behind each item and said to the Grand Tutor, "Grand Tutor, please see, this girl knows her limits. She says 'to be pursued' behind each item, but it's not a guarantee."
"This shows that she is aware of the situation and is not deliberately deceiving."
Zhao Yunci placed the booklet on the imperial desk and her expression became more serious.
"Grandmaster, it's a good thing that the children have this kind of unity among their classmates and respect for the Crown Prince. As elders, we should guide them, rather than blindly suppress them and chill their hearts. What do you think?"
The old master felt a lump in his chest, unable to breathe out or down.
What else could he say? Say the emperor was wrong? Say he shouldn't care about students? That would be going against His Majesty.
He looked at the emperor's obvious bias, and then looked at the Duke of Zhenguo standing next to him as still as a mountain. He felt aggrieved, but he also knew that it would be difficult to pursue the matter any further.
He sighed deeply and bowed deeply to the dragon throne: "Your Majesty is wise and wise."
Zhao Yunci nodded with satisfaction, and the tense atmosphere in the imperial study finally eased.
His gaze fell back on the three little rascals standing below, and finally fixed on the culprit, Gu Qingchen.
"Alright, I understand." Zhao Yunci's voice was tinged with curiosity. "However, Gu Qingchen, I would like to ask, with all this money raised, what kind of earth-shattering gift have you prepared for the Crown Prince?"
As soon as these words came out, Gu Qingchen raised his head abruptly.
Her mind buzzed and went blank in an instant.
Gift?
What gift?
Her little face turned from white to red, and then from red to white. There was confusion in her lively eyes at first, and then it was replaced by a hint of fear.
These days, she first thought about how to make money from Manager Liu, and when that failed, she thought about how to "crowdfund" from her classmates. After getting the money, she devoted all her attention to "purchasing goods" and setting up a stall to sell jewelry.
She had long forgotten the original purpose, the reason for preparing a gift for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!
Gu Qingchen subconsciously slapped his forehead.
“Ouch!”
Lin Jiayou and Qian Zhenyun also froze. They looked at each other and saw the same surprise in each other's eyes.
They forgot too! They were just busy fooling around with her!
Gu Junze slowly closed his eyes.
He no longer wanted to see his daughter looking so stupid.
Zhao Yunci looked at Gu Qingchen's reaction, was stunned at first, then understood something, and could no longer hold back, pointing at her and laughing.
The old tutor's mouth twitched, and he felt dizzy when looking at the emperor, his minister, and his daughter.
I just felt a breath stuck in my chest and my vision went dark.
He bowed tremblingly, his voice full of fatigue and helplessness: "Your Majesty, this old minister...this old minister will take his leave first."
"Go ahead." Zhao Yunci waved her hand. "Grandmaster is old now. It's time for him to go back and have a good rest. Don't let these little things make you sick."
What else could the old tutor say? He could only bow deeply and stagger as he turned around.
Only when the old tutor's figure disappeared outside the palace gate did Zhao Yunci's laughter gradually subside.
His eyes swept over the three silent children below, and finally landed on Gu Junze's frozen face.
"Alright, you three, step back first," he ordered. "Lin Jiayou, Qian Zhenyun, go to the side hall and wait."
The two boys were as if they had been pardoned. After bowing, they almost fled.
Gu Qingchen also wanted to follow, but just as he took half a step, he was frozen in place by his father's gaze, which was so cold that ice could fall off. He could not move.
"Duke Zhenguo, please stay." Zhao Yunci's voice calmed down.
Only the emperor, his ministers, father and daughter were left in the imperial study, and the atmosphere suddenly became subtle.
Zhao Yunci walked down the imperial steps, strolled to Gu Junze, and patted his strong arm.
"Cousin," he said earnestly, "you and Chu Ruohan, there's no need to be so nervous."
Gu Junze lowered his eyes slightly and said nothing.
"It's just the prince's birthday, and the kids are just looking for an excuse to have fun."
Zhao Yunci's tone was soothing, "They are still young, and talking about marriage is still a long way off."
He paused, lowered his voice a bit, and looked at Gu Junze with deep eyes.
"Besides, I promised you."
Gu Junze finally responded. He nodded slightly, his cold face showing no emotion, and his voice remained as calm as before.
"I understand, my lord."
After saying this, he took a step back and bowed again: "If there is nothing else, I will take my daughter with me and take my leave."
"Go." Zhao Yunci nodded and sat back on the dragon throne.
Gu Qingchen shrank his neck and dared not act rashly anymore. He lowered his head and followed his father closely, like a little quail being stared at by an eagle.
The figures of father and daughter disappeared outside the hall. The solemnity on Zhao Yunci's face slowly faded away, replaced by a playful smile.
He picked up the scribbled "Crowdfunding List" on the imperial desk, and his mood suddenly brightened.
I promised you.
He had indeed promised Gu Junze that he would never force Gu Qingchen to be with the prince by means of an imperial decree to grant the marriage.
The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion commands a large number of troops and his achievements surpass those of his master. He will not use the method of in-laws to force or create suspicion.
Can……
Zhao Yunci tapped the names on the list lightly with her fingers, and the curve of her lips rose higher and higher.
What if these two kids are attracted to each other?
If they fall in love with each other over time, it would be beyond his control as a father.
I'm just going with the flow and creating more opportunities for them to get along with each other.
Seeing cracks appear on Gu Junze's face, which remained calm even when facing a crisis, was more interesting than anything else.
This girl is interesting.
It's a perfect match for his son.
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