"Although I have a clear conscience, my mother's family, the Qi family and the Yu family, are both in Yingchuan, and this matter will never end if it is dragged into question."
"Sister Meng, you are about to marry into the palace of Prince Kang. If something happens at home, with so many eyes watching you, I'm afraid someone will come out and oppose your marriage to Prince Kang. Grandmother loves you and is afraid that it will delay your marriage, so... Alas!"
"Later, when the family split up, we moved out of the mansion, but Lei's mother and son were unwilling to leave. Now it seems that Lei must have taken refuge with Yuan Ge'er..."
Old Mrs. Gu rubbed her eyebrows weakly, her face full of fatigue and anxiety.
What she said was half true and half false, and her statement was actually full of mistakes and omissions.
Gu Jian and Wang exchanged glances quickly, and Wang said hurriedly, "Sister Meng, you know that your grandmother has always loved you the most. She has always considered everything for you, and she is just afraid that there will be any more twists and turns in your marriage."
"Hey, we are all family, so we shouldn't have different opinions." Gu Jian also sighed deeply, looking very reasonable.
"Grandma..." Gu Yun'er was moved and supported Grandma Gu's back again.
It was wrong for my grandmother to take in Lei, but Gu Yuan was too cruel. He totally disregarded the blood relationship. Although the second branch had inherited the title that originally belonged to the first branch, it has now lost the title. Both the first branch and the second branch have suffered losses.
Gu Yuan still refused to give up...
She used to think that Gu Yuan was a person with a cold exterior but a warm heart. She had misjudged Gu Yuan. Ever since Gu Yanfei came back, Gu Yuan had changed. He was no longer the big brother in her memory.
"Sister Meng," Old Madam Gu held Gu Yunmeng's hand tightly, her old eyes filled with tears, and she said regretfully, "Grandma was wrong. Grandma shouldn't have let your second sister come back. I have caused you so many twists and turns for nothing. Grandma is sorry for you."
"If you have a chance to go out, don't worry about us. As long as you are well, grandma will be satisfied."
Gu Yun'er felt a warm current flowing through his heart, his eyes welled up, and he held the old lady's cold hand with his backhand.
She knew that Gu Jian and Wang had their own selfish motives, but her grandmother, who had raised her since she was a child, was the only one who truly loved her and cared about her.
"Grandma, please calm down." Gu Yun'er calmed down, her eyes bright as morning stars, and she said calmly, "As for me, my wedding with King Kang is only three days away, so I have to get married from here."
"The Imperial Guards will not be closed for many days. Tomorrow the Imperial Household Department will come to the mansion to let me try on the wedding dress."
Gu Yunyan was marrying a prince, so she didn't need to make her own wedding dress. Her wedding dress was a royal dress, which was prepared by the Imperial Household Department. Now that the wedding date was approaching, the Imperial Household Department had already arranged for her to try on the wedding dress tomorrow.
Gu Yun'er's eyes were burning. She believed that with King Kang's sharp ears and eyes, he would soon know what was happening here. King Kang would never allow the Jinyiwei to abuse their power.
The other members of the Gu family also understood what Gu Yunmeng meant, and hope was rekindled in their hearts. Even Gu Xiao, who had been depressed, cheered up again.
Just as Gu Yun'er expected, Prince Kang Chu You knew about this matter within one stick of incense.
Chu You has always been paying attention to the movements of the Jinyiwei. When he heard that the Jinyiwei went to the Gu residence in Luwei Hutong, he specially ordered his confidants to investigate what had happened. Only then did he find out that Old Lady Gu was harboring the remnants of the Yu family, and that the Gu residence had been sealed off by the Jinyiwei.
Chu You was worried about Gu Yunyan's safety and went into the palace immediately.
He originally wanted to file a complaint with the Embroidered Uniform Guards and ask the emperor to release the person immediately and end the matter with a quick and decisive decision.
However, he did not expect that the Qianqing Palace was more lively than he had expected.
The emperor sat on a gilded throne with carved dragon patterns at the top, while the eldest prince Chu Yi, dressed in an apricot-yellow dragon robe, sat at the bottom. On both sides of the hall below, the emperor's close ministers including Prime Minister Xiao, Wang Kangyin, He Lie and even the Duke of Wei were all there.
A solemn atmosphere permeated the East Side Hall. Chu You's heart sank as he heard the emperor speak gently but majestically: "Lei, your confession is very serious. This is a serious crime that will lead to the confiscation of property and extermination of the clan!"
In the center of the hall, there was kneeling a delicate and graceful beautiful woman. Against the backdrop of the magnificent hall, her figure seemed particularly thin, as if she would fall down at the slightest wind.
"Your Majesty, every word I said is true, not a single word is false." The beautiful woman said pitifully, her eyes red and filled with tears.
"The Yu family has long had the intention of rebellion. Fifty years ago, they took back the crown prince of the previous dynasty and used this as an excuse to gather the remnants of the previous dynasty. They secretly mined in Yuzhou, smuggled salt, and privately forged weapons. They have long had the intention of rebellion."
"As far as I know, the Yu family has two sets of account books. One is the Yu family's open assets, and the other is these shady assets. All the account books are hidden in the Yu family's old house. Yu Si's brothers and uncles also know these things."
"Also... the owner behind the Zhangji Salt Shop in the capital is the Yu family. The Yu family is using the Zhangji Salt Shop to sell illegal salt for profit!"
Lei spoke intermittently, his voice soft and with a slight tremor.
From beginning to end, her little face was always lowered, staring at the golden brick ground below, and she did not dare to look at the emperor and other people around her.
After saying the last sentence, she lowered her head and knelt humbly on the ground, motionless, her body shaking constantly.
The palace was very quiet at this time. Xiao Shoufu and others around her heard her words very clearly, and their expressions all became solemn.
The Yu family is a noble family. If the Yu family is involved in treason, then it is conceivable that the emperor's suppression of other noble families will be even more severe.
Next, it will be an extremely difficult battle for the aristocratic family.
Xiao Shoufu and the others exchanged glances silently, thinking about what they should do next. For a moment, they could not care about anything else.
Chu You in the back cast an icy gaze on the shivering Lei, with a hint of solemnity in his eyes.
He has always disliked the emperor and felt that the emperor was unworthy of his position, but he was a prince of the Da Jing Dynasty and certainly did not want the Yu family to help the previous dynasty's royal family to restore the throne. A cancer like the Yu family must be eradicated as soon as possible. If it is allowed to grow, the consequences will be disastrous.
Chu You still knew the importance of this matter.
Chu You's thoughts raced as he quietly walked to He Lie's side. Every move he made was as powerful as thunder, making it impossible for anyone to ignore his presence.
His arrival attracted the attention of everyone present.
Even Chu Yi, who was sitting below, glanced at Chu You indifferently, with the corners of his lips slightly raised, and one hand gently stroked the small bloodstone seal on his waist.
Prime Minister Xiao and Minister of Revenue Wang Kangyin frowned deeply.
This Lei was found by the Embroidered Uniform Guards in the house of the second branch of the Gu family. It was obvious that Prince Kang came to the palace at this time probably because of Gu Yunmeng.
He Lie calmly clasped his fists and said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, I have ordered the Royal Guards to search and confiscate the Zhangji Salt Shop. The results will be revealed today."
"Your Majesty, please grant me permission to immediately send the Royal Guards to Yuzhou to thoroughly investigate the Yu family's accomplices!"
As he spoke, He Lie deliberately glanced at Chu You, with a hint of provocation across his brows.
They, the Jinyiwei, are never afraid of trouble and only need to report to the emperor for their actions. This is the foundation of the Jinyiwei's foothold in the court.
"Commander He," Chu You's eyes were as cold as a pool of cold water, and he snorted coldly, "Let's put it one way and one way. The Yu family is guilty of treason, which is unforgivable. If you want to arrest the Yu family, I won't stop you. But you, the Jinyiwei, sealed the Gu family today. Are you deliberately trying to sabotage my marriage?"
Everyone knows that the Jinyiwei are the emperor's men. Chu You's words are accusing the emperor of deliberately obstructing his marriage.
"I don't deserve it." He Lie bowed his hands, "I am just doing my job. The Gu family harbored the remnants of the Yu family, so they should be punished with the same crime!"
Chu You's eyes flashed with a sharp, cold light like a blade. He looked down at Lei who was lying on the ground and asked coldly, "Lei, tell me, who is hiding you?"
After lying on the ground for a while, Lei finally straightened up her upper body. Her eyes went dark and her body swayed, making her look even more fragile and pitiful.
Lei swallowed and said in a trembling voice, "It's the old lady of the Gu family... Qi."
As she spoke, she glanced timidly in the direction of Chu You, looking pitiful, with red eyes filled with tears. She seemed to be frightened by Chu You's sharp gaze and imposing aura, and her pale face suddenly turned blue.
"You have no relatives or friends, so why would Mrs. Gu take you in?" Chu You's eyes were fixed on Lei, and he asked again and again, not giving the other party any chance to think.
Lei bit her pale lower lip. This time, she did not dare to look up at Chu You. Her tear-stained eyelashes trembled slightly several times, and her voice trembled even more violently.
"The Qi family has been dependent on the Yu family since the previous dynasty and is a vassal of the Yu family."
"Over the years, the Qi family has always followed the lead of the Yu family. The Yu family promised that if they succeeded one day, they would grant the Qi family a title of king and land, allowing the Qi family to rise to prominence overnight. Yu Si said that the Qi family should have a letter from his father as proof."
"These things were told to me personally by Yu Si when he sent me away. I don't know much..."
Lei's body was shaking and her lips were quivering, like a withered flower in the wind and rain, weak and innocent.
She clutched the hem of her skirt tightly with her hands. After a while, she calmed down a little and continued, "I hid in a house arranged by Yu Si at first, but I waited and waited, but Yu Si's people didn't come to find me. Later, I heard that the Jinyiwei was searching for Yu's family everywhere in the capital... I was very scared and didn't know what to do. I could only take the child to find Old Madam Gu."
"During this period of time, it was Old Madam Gu who has been helping me. Otherwise, I, a weak woman with no power to even tie a chicken, and with a crying child to feed, would not have been able to make it this far."
After saying this, Yu's tear-stained little face drooped again, and her eyelashes trembled violently twice.
Chu You pursed his lips into a straight line in annoyance, and his heart sank little by little into the abyss.
Things were more troublesome than he expected.
The Yu family was unexpectedly suspected of treason, which was a serious crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of the family.
If Mrs. Gu knew that the Yu family had the intention of rebellion and still harbored Lei's mother and son, then this crime is not a small one. In serious cases, it can even be considered as treason.
This is a serious crime punishable by exile!
Chu You thought quickly about what to do, and in the blink of an eye, his mind was turning.
Things have come to this point, and if one wants to save the second branch of the Gu family, they have no choice but to cut off the tail and save the big by sacrificing the small.
Chu You gritted his teeth secretly, his thick eyebrows jumped, and he made a decision in a very short time. He raised his eyes to look at the emperor who had been silent for a long time sitting on the dragon throne in front of him, "Royal brother!"
Chu You stared deeply into the emperor's eyes, raised his chin, and said with great momentum, "Even if the Gu family is guilty of harboring the remnants of the Yu family, it is the fault of Old Lady Gu alone, and has nothing to do with the rest of the Gu family."
"It's just one person's fault?" Chu Yi's gentle and elegant voice suddenly sounded from the front.
The handsome young man, who had kept his eyes half-closed, raised his eyelids and looked accurately in the direction of Chu You, his eyes as clear as the morning star.
The elegant young man said slowly, "At the end of October in the fourth year of Xuanren, General Hu Dingguo of Dingxi took a risk and killed Zhu Ye, the governor of Yongzhou. He called himself the Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expedition and raised an army in Yongzhou. He was captured in February of the fifth year of Xuanren, and the entire Hu family was executed."
"In the twelfth month of the tenth year of Xuanren, Zhu Xianxi secretly contacted the ministers in the court and tried to assassinate the late emperor at the imperial banquet, but failed. Instead, he was surrounded by the imperial guards. Zhu Xianxi fought desperately and held the seventh uncle hostage to threaten the late emperor. In the end, Zhu Xianxi was beheaded in the imperial garden. The late emperor was furious and ordered the extermination of Zhu Xianxi's ten clans. Later, because the case implicated a wide range of people, the Jinyiwei launched a comprehensive manhunt, including the then cabinet chief Li Yong and others. They were all implicated, and their homes were confiscated or they were exiled."
Chu Yi spoke slowly and leisurely, without any anger or shouting, but with a unique aura that made people admire him.
He is like a mountain, standing there majestically.
Chu You's face became more and more gloomy.
The fact that the late emperor, in a fit of rage, issued an order to exterminate Zhu Xianxi's ten clans has always been criticized by those self-righteous censors and literati, who think that the late emperor was too cruel.
But Chu You knew that the late emperor did this because he felt sorry for him. He wanted to intimidate the world and make those traitors who harbored rebellious intentions not dare to attack him again.
Chu Yi stared at Chu You from a distance, smiling gently, and asked, "Seventh Uncle, do you think the late emperor's judgment was right?"
"..." Chu You was speechless for a moment, his eyes were sinister, and he couldn't utter a word.
As a son, he naturally could not question the late emperor's fatherly love for him.
One of the uncle and nephew looked murderous, while the other smiled sweetly.
After a long silence, Chu You said word by word: "Gu Yunyan is my princess consort."
This sentence seemed to be a declaration of sovereignty, and also a warning to the emperor and Chu Yi not to go too far.
His daughter is his bottom line.
Chu You's eyes flashed with a ferocious light like that of a tiger, and he was so imposing that he would not allow anyone to invade his territory.
Chu Yi smiled lightly, smoothed his sleeves gracefully, turned his head and looked towards the emperor, and said seriously: "Father, in my opinion, the Queen Mother's marriage is not feasible. Father, please issue an order to cancel the engagement."
"Fortunately, this marriage has not yet taken place..."
Chu Yi's tone was always gentle and soothing, but the meaning in his words was as sharp as a sword, intimidating.
In just a few words, he and Chu You were like swords clashing, neither giving in, sparks flying.
Chu You's face suddenly changed, turning ashen, and he almost wanted to say "you dare", but he barely held back.
Given his current understanding of the emperor's nephew, Chu Yi was really bold.
The most suitable person to speak on his marriage was actually the Queen Mother, but the Queen Mother disliked Gu Yunmeng and wanted him to marry the Princess of Yue. Chu You could only look for help to Chief Minister Xiao, Wang Kangyin and others.
What greeted him was silence, as deep as death. Even the birdsong outside the palace seemed a little harsh.
Xiao Shoufu and the others did not speak. They all stood with their heads bowed, and their minds reached a consensus through silent communication.
In their view, it would be better if the marriage between Prince Kang and Gu Yunyan failed. Gu Yunyan's father, Gu Jian, would lose his title and have no place to stand in the court. This marriage would be of no benefit to Prince Kang at all.
Once the marriage is cancelled, King Kang can marry the Princess of Yue.
It should be said that Prime Minister Xiao had actually asked Yuan Zhe to persuade Prince Kang. The situation in the court had changed drastically. However, too many things had happened in just a few months. The emperor was almost sitting firmly on the throne with the help of the eldest prince, while Prince Kang was clearly at a disadvantage... They could no longer allow the situation to develop like this.
During the long silence, Chu You stared at Prime Minister Xiao with a tense and gloomy face.
Chu You is not a fool, so he can naturally guess what Xiao Shoufu and others are thinking.
At this moment, he felt like he was excluded by everyone present, and everyone stood against him.
Chu You slowly looked around at everyone, his eyes passing over Chu Yi, the emperor, Prime Minister Xiao, Wang Kangyin, He Lie and others one by one, his heart as cold as ice.
They all had their own thoughts and agenda, but they all agreed on one thing: they all wanted to break up him and Gu Yunmeng.
In an instant, Chu You felt an almost suffocating pressure that made it hard for him to breathe.
He can't stay here any longer!
Chu You stopped talking and left with a heavy wave of his sleeves.
He must consider this matter separately. As long as the emperor has not issued an edict, there is still room for this marriage to be turned around!
In the back, Xiao Shoufu and others looked at Chu You's departing back with complicated expressions, still silent and still determined.
Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back.
Chu You, upset, left the palace without looking back.
Before we knew it, a thick, heavy cloud had gathered in the sky, seeming to be about to fall at any moment.
Chu You mounted his horse at the palace gate and rode away along Suzaku Avenue.
“Snap! Snap!”
Chu You waved the whip high in the air, whipping the horse's buttocks repeatedly, one after another.
He was anxious to see Gu Yunmeng, and rode his horse recklessly on the street with the sound of his horse's hooves flying.
“De de, de de de…”
When pedestrians saw someone riding a horse, they quickly moved to the sides. The street vendors also hurried to drag the baskets and goods on the ground.
A vegetable basket on the roadside was kicked by a horse's hoof. As the basket flew up, some vegetables also flew out of the basket and scattered randomly on the street...
"My food!" a 40-something vendor exclaimed, feeling extremely heartbroken. He then watched the man on the horse leave without looking back, without stopping for a moment.
"Who is this! He is riding a horse in the market!" The vendor squatted down and picked up a trampled vegetable from the ground, but he didn't dare to chase the man riding the horse.
It can be imagined that anyone who dares to ride a horse in the capital city is definitely not an ordinary person.
The vendor could only think that he was unlucky and cursed. Then he saw another brown horse galloping past him only two feet away. The young man on the horse shouted in a shrill voice: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
"This is a prince." A woman on the side of the road said in disbelief, "He is too domineering and overbearing."
"Yes, yes." Another old woman came over to speak, frowning tightly, "I heard that the eldest prince is gentle and elegant. The difference between this prince and the eldest prince is too big!"
"Which prince is this?"
"I think he looks like he's in his twenties. It's rare to see a prince this young."
“…”
The people in the rear were talking and speculating.
But these noisy sounds could not reach Chu You's ears at all. He was so worried that he didn't notice that he had knocked over someone else's stall.
“Bang!”
Chu You whipped his horse whip hard for the umpteenth time and rode at full speed all the way to Gu's residence in Luwei Hutong.
At the gate of Gu's house, there were four Jinyiwei armed with embroidered spring swords guarding.
Chu You jumped off his horse swiftly, threw away the reins, and rushed into the gate regardless of anything. The guards rudely held their scabbards across their swords and prevented them from entering.
"Get out of the way." Chu You slowly uttered two words, each word was as heavy as a thousand pounds and as cold as frost.
(End of this chapter)
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