Chapter 561 This? Is it the same person?
In Kunning Palace, Queen Su Wan was personally trimming a pot of Impatiens in full bloom.
When she heard the eunuch announce that the emperor had arrived, she put down the silver scissors in her hand, put on a gentle smile that was just right, and went to greet him.
"Your Majesty, why do you have time to come to my place today?"
Zhao Yunci waved away his attendants and sat down directly in the main seat.
"It's all because of the good wife you found for the prince." He picked up the tea offered by the palace maid, and his tone was unremarkable.
Su Wan's heart moved, and she sat down beside him and asked softly, "But General Gu has entered the palace?"
"It's more than just entering the palace." Zhao Yunci snorted coldly and placed the teacup heavily on the table. "My Duke Zhenguo gave me a good lecture in the imperial study today."
He repeated Gu Junze's words that "my daughter is too naughty, and I dare not marry her to the crown prince, so as to prevent the foreign relatives from becoming too powerful", but he omitted the most crucial sentence "return to the countryside".
That was the bottom line between him and Gu Junze. He didn't want anyone else to know about it, not even his queen.
Su Wan listened quietly, the smile on her face remained unchanged, but her eyes gradually became calm.
She was so smart that she immediately heard the toughness behind these words.
"It seems that General Gu is determined not to do this."
She sighed softly, as if with some regret, "I was too naive. I only thought Qingchen was a straightforward and cute child, a perfect match for the Crown Prince, but I forgot that General Gu loved his daughter dearly."
Zhao Yunci looked at her and softened her tone a bit: "It's good that you understand. You know Junze's personality, he's just a stubborn bull."
"If we push too hard on this matter, it will only damage the harmony between the monarch and his subjects, and the loss will outweigh the gain."
He paused, then changed the subject, adding meaningfully, "Besides, the children are still young, and no one can predict what will happen in the future. Let's put this matter aside for now and don't mention it again."
"Let it go for now" instead of "let it go".
Su Wan lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes hiding the brilliance in them.
She nodded meekly. "Your Majesty is right. I was too hasty. I will obey your Majesty."
A marriage proposal that could have caused a stir in the court was lightly brushed aside by the emperor and empress in their understated remarks.
After seeing the emperor off, the gentle smile on Su Wan's face faded away little by little, replaced by a deep thought.
She walked to the window and looked at the carefully trimmed pot of Impatiens in the courtyard for a long time without saying a word.
A trusted female official stepped forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, does His Majesty mean to give up?"
"Give up?" Su Wan curled the corners of his mouth and revealed a meaningful smile.
"My prince is the future emperor. How can I let his princess consort, the future empress, be rejected just because of a minister?"
She turned around, and there was no longer any gentleness in her eyes, only the decisiveness and wisdom of the mother of the country.
"Your Majesty is right. Forcing him won't work. For a war god like Gu Junze, the more you push him, the more fierce his resistance will be."
"What does the Queen mean?" The female official was a little confused.
Su Wan paced slowly, her voice cold, "Since the arranged marriage doesn't work, let's try another route."
Her gaze was fixed on the distance, as if she had been looking several years into the future.
"I simply don't believe there is a wall of steel in this world that can withstand the fate of heaven."
She instructed calmly, "Pass the word along. If there's a banquet in the palace in the future, or if the Crown Prince goes out hunting, remember to send a letter to the young lady of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."
The female official instantly understood what she meant, and her heart trembled. She responded respectfully: "Yes, I understand."
Since a forced melon is not sweet, let the vine follow the path it wants and wrap itself around it.
By then, Gu Junze would have no choice but to admit it.
A few days later, Chu Chenyu took a day off and came to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion on purpose.
Chu Ruohan was accompanying Qingchen in the warm room to paint. Although it was called painting, she was actually watching her daughter use a brush to poke one ink dot after another on the rice paper.
"Sister." Chu Chenyu walked in quickly, glanced around the room, and walked straight towards Chu Ruohan.
"How come you have time to come here today?" Chu Ruohan put down the book in her hand, smiled and asked the maid to serve him tea.
Chu Chenyu sat down on the embroidered cushion opposite her, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She almost couldn't wait to ask, "Sister, did you see the daughter of Minister Zhao on the day of the Begonia Banquet? How was she...?"
Chu Ruohan paused slightly as she picked up the teacup.
She looked at her brother's expectant face and thought of Zhao Qingzhi that day.
How could she say those words without hurting her brother's beautiful thoughts of first love?
Seeing Chu Ruohan's serious expression and her reluctance to speak, the smile on Chu Chenyu's face faded little by little.
The light in his eyes dimmed, and his tone was filled with disappointment.
"Why isn't Sister talking? Could it be that... Sister doesn't like her?"
Chu Ruohan opened her mouth, but didn't know where to start.
Chu Chenyu understood what was going on when he saw this. He smiled self-deprecatingly, stood up from the embroidery cushion, and bowed to Chu Ruohan.
"If you don't want to, I understand." He took a deep breath, his tone carrying a hint of youthful stubbornness, "I'll go to the Zhao Mansion and propose marriage myself, so as to save you the trouble."
"Stop!" Chu Ruohan became anxious when she heard that he was going to act so impulsively, and stood up as well.
She walked quickly to him, took his hand, and pushed him back onto the embroidery cushion.
"Why are you in such a hurry?"
Chu Ruohan stared at him, her expression more serious than ever before. "Chenyu, please sit down first. Tell me honestly, what is it about her that you like? How did you two meet?"
When she asked this, Chu Chenyu felt a little embarrassed and his ears turned slightly red.
He gathered himself and spoke slowly, "It's fate. A month ago, I was ordered to investigate a case of land occupation. The victim was an elderly Confucian scholar. Because he had offended the powerful, he had no recourse and was instead framed and imprisoned."
"When I was investigating the case, I happened to see the steward of that powerful family beating and scolding the old scholar's granddaughter in the street. There were many onlookers, but no one dared to step forward."
A soft light appeared in Chu Chenyu's eyes.
"Just then, Miss Zhao's carriage passed by. She didn't show up, but asked the maid beside her to get off the carriage. She not only scolded the evil slave, but also gave the little girl a bag of silver and asked her to go and ask a doctor and buy medicine for her grandfather."
"She left after she finished and didn't leave her name. If I hadn't tracked her down later, I wouldn't have known it was her who helped me."
He looked at Chu Ruohan, his tone full of admiration and love.
"Sister, she is different from those noble ladies in the capital who only know how to compete and show off. She has a kind heart and integrity, but she also knows how to be modest and not show off."
"Later, I saw her from a distance a few times. She was always quiet, reading, playing the piano, graceful and gentle. This kind of woman is exactly what I want in my heart."
Chu Ruohan listened quietly, but her brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
In his brother's words, Zhao Qingzhi is gentle, polite, sincere and considerate.
But the Zhao Qingzhi she saw in the Imperial Garden that day was scheming and ambitious, with too many things hidden in her eyes.
Of these two completely different people, which one is the real one?
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