Chapter 329 Imperial Marriage (Two Updates)
Consort Jing shook her head weakly: "Alright, I'm fine now. It's time to go back. Your Majesty, please don't bring me into the palace so often in the future. It's not proper. Now that I've become a nun, I will spend the rest of my life in the nunnery, keeping company with the ancient Buddha and the dim lamp."
The Emperor said, “If Mother wishes to worship Buddha, it doesn’t matter where she is. I will build a temple for Mother in the palace, so that Mother can worship Buddha there in the future. This will also make it easier for me to take care of Mother.”
Consort Jing's expression changed slightly. She grabbed the emperor's hand and said solemnly, "This is absolutely unacceptable!"
The Emperor patted Consort Jing's hand: "My mind is made up. Before moving into the nunnery, Mother Consort, you can live peacefully in Huaqing Palace. No one can harm you, not even that person in Renshou Palace!"
"Hong'er!" In her anxiety, Consort Jing actually called out his name.
This is actually a major taboo, as in the palace, only Empress Dowager Zhuang was qualified to address him by his given name.
The emperor naturally didn't mind these things. He had a deep bond with Consort Jing, and in his heart, Consort Jing was no different from his own mother. No matter what the rules were, he was Consort Jing's son, and Consort Jing absolutely had the right to call him Hong'er.
He grasped Consort Jing's hand and solemnly said, "I should have brought my mother back long ago. My repeated forbearance has only resulted in Renshou Palace becoming increasingly ruthless. Now, Renshou Palace is even openly framing my mother. Since my mother is no longer safe outside the palace, it would be better to move her back openly! I will risk my life to protect my mother!"
The following morning at court, the emperor announced two important matters: the marriage of Prince An, Zhuang Yuheng, to Gu Jinyu, the daughter of the Marquis of Ding'an; and the bringing back of Consort Jing to the palace for the separate renovation of her nunnery.
Both of these were earth-shattering. Gu Jinyu was clearly unworthy of Zhuang Yuheng, and the return of Consort Jing to the palace was obviously against etiquette and rules. The court was instantly in an uproar.
Grand Tutor Zhuang was furious. He truly hadn't expected His Majesty to arrange a marriage between Zhuang Yuheng and Gu Jinyu. He could guess with his own eyes that it was that old fellow Gu Chao who had begged the Emperor for a favor.
Gu Chao has the nerve to report this to the Emperor!
Grand Tutor Zhuang was so embarrassed!
In the old Marquis's view, shouldn't Grand Tutor Zhuang be ashamed? It was Prince An who did wrong, not Gu Jinyu. Gu Jinyu was just a victim.
The old Marquis was stubborn and pedantic in some ways, yet he was more open-minded and insightful than the average person when it came to this matter.
If it were someone else, and their daughter had been humiliated and ruined, making it impossible for her to get married, they would only wish that the other party would take her in, even if it meant being a concubine.
The old marquis refused.
If you're upright, you have nothing to fear; if you haven't done anything wrong, you're not a coward!
The victims deserve justice, and the perpetrators should pay the price!
Grand Tutor Zhuang stepped forward, holding his official tablet, and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, this matter is extremely inappropriate. Please rescind your decree!"
The emperor sat on the dragon throne, his gaze majestic, and said, "Grand Tutor Zhuang, which matter is inappropriate? Is it the matter of arranging a marriage for your grandson that is inappropriate, or is it the matter of repairing the nunnery for Consort Jing in the palace that is inappropriate?"
Grand Tutor Zhuang glanced at the place where Empress Dowager Zhuang held court behind the curtain, and mustered his courage to ask, "May I ask if Your Majesty consulted with the Empress Dowager beforehand?"
The emperor smiled faintly and mocked, "Even trivial matters like arranging marriages and repairing nunneries require me to report to the Empress Dowager and obtain her approval... I had no idea when the Great Zhao Kingdom's rule changed hands to the Zhuang family?"
Grand Tutor Zhuang's expression changed, and he knelt down, holding his official tablet: "Your Majesty, I have no such intention! Please see the truth!"
The ministers had different expressions.
Although it was the truth that half of the Zhao Kingdom was controlled by Empress Dowager Zhuang, everyone knew it but no one would actually reveal it.
The emperor has completely torn away the last fig leaf of the royal family.
What does he want to do?
Should they completely break ties with Empress Dowager Zhuang?
As the civil and military officials stood solemnly in the Golden Palace, a sense of impending storm suddenly arose.
The emperor smiled casually, glancing at Empress Dowager Zhuang, who was sitting slightly above him and ruling from behind a curtain. His gaze, through the beaded curtain, fell on her imposing figure: "So, it turns out that without consulting my mother, I don't even have the right to decide on a marriage or build a nunnery myself? Is that what my mother thinks too?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang ignored him and simply sat there calmly.
The emperor chuckled, not necessarily demanding an answer from her. He then turned to look at Grand Tutor Zhuang, who was kneeling in the main hall, his smile gradually freezing: "Grand Tutor Zhuang knows perfectly well why I bestowed this marriage upon Zhuang Yuheng and Miss Gu. Or does Grand Tutor Zhuang not mind that I reveal the inside story of this marriage to the public?"
Grand Tutor Zhuang's heart skipped a beat!
If we announce it to the public, wouldn't that make all the civil and military officials, and the whole world, aware of Zhuang Yuheng's moral failings?
At that time, Zhuang Yuheng's good reputation of nearly 20 years will be ruined.
Not everyone can rise to the pinnacle of power with infamy. Among the six kingdoms, only Marquis Xuanping was an exception. Zhuang Yuheng still had some sense of shame, or rather, the Zhuang family had a sense of shame.
The emperor hadn't said anything yet, but the civil and military officials had already started whispering among themselves, and even Grand Tutor Zhuang felt that the way they looked at him had changed.
Grand Tutor Zhuang dared not raise any further objections. He kowtowed and said with deep sorrow and humiliation, "Your Majesty, I... thank you for your grace!"
After the court session ended, Grand Tutor Zhuang stopped Empress Dowager Zhuang's imperial carriage.
He walked around to the front of the phoenix carriage, staring intently at Empress Dowager Zhuang behind the gauze curtain: "Why doesn't the Empress Dowager stop His Majesty? Does the Empress Dowager just stand by and watch Heng'er marry that infamous woman, Gu Jinyu?"
In contrast, whether Consort Jing returns to the palace or not is not within Grand Tutor Zhuang's concern. She is just a powerless consort, and the overall situation is already set. No matter what, she cannot be made another empress dowager.
On the imperial carriage, Empress Dowager Zhuang remained silent.
Grand Tutor Zhuang's expression was uncertain.
Eunuch Qin gave a slight bow to Grand Tutor Zhuang: "Let's begin the journey—"
Empress Dowager Zhuang's imperial carriage departed.
Back at Renshou Palace, the phoenix carriage landed steadily, and Eunuch Qin stretched out his arm.
Empress Dowager Zhuang helped him down from the imperial carriage.
He served Empress Dowager Zhuang as she walked towards her bedchamber, saying as they went, "Is the Empress Dowager giving the Zhuang family a warning? This servant remembers that the Empress Dowager once told the Grand Tutor that this world belongs to the Qin family, and the country belongs to the Qin family, not the Zhuang family. Today's events have finally made the Grand Tutor Zhuang personally realize this point."
"Hmph." Empress Dowager Zhuang gave a cold snort.
Eunuch Qin was taken aback. He was familiar with any tone of Empress Dowager Zhuang's voice, and this was clearly a mockery of his mistake. He widened his eyes: "Isn't that right? Then why have you remained silent all this time?"
Empress Dowager Zhuang said sternly, "Jiaojiao told me to use my voice less."
Eunuch Qin: "..."
That's it? That's it?!
-
The news of Gu Jinyu's marriage to Prince An spread quickly, and in less than a day, the whole capital knew that she was going to marry Prince An.
"Will she be a concubine or a secondary wife?"
"None of those! I heard she's the principal wife! She'll be formally betrothed with all the proper matchmakers and carried back to the Zhuang family in a bridal sedan chair!"
The female students were stunned.
Of course, they were also extremely jealous.
Gu Jinyu had a good reputation in the capital at first, but then she made a series of mistakes. First, her background was exposed. Then, she was greedy for credit and made reckless changes to the bellows, which resulted in many craftsmen in the Ministry of Works being injured. Even more, some people said that the bellows was not invented by her at all, and that she took credit for other people's work.
In short, her reputation is terrible, and she hasn't been to the girls' school for months.
Everyone guessed that she was too ashamed to show her face.
Unexpectedly, the next news I heard about her was that she was going to marry Prince An and become his princess.
Before the new top scholar emerged, Prince An was the dream lover of all the young ladies in the capital, and he still is now. After all, the new top scholar is already taken, but Prince An belongs to them all.
Whoever Prince An marries will inevitably become the public enemy of the young ladies of the capital, and Gu Jinyu has drawn the utmost hatred from everyone.
How could such a morally flawed woman be worthy of the handsome and refined Prince An?
God is blind!
No matter how much they curse Gu Jinyu, Gu Jinyu is a woman they can't be jealous of.
The news soon reached the Ding'an Marquis's residence, where Marquis Gu, who was ordered to oversee the construction of the mansion for Empress Dowager Zhuang, finally enjoyed his first day off.
He has been staying at the construction site day and night, supervising the work. He has been sunburned and lost a lot of weight.
He returned to his residence first, intending to pay his respects to the old Marquis and Madam Gu, and then go to Biyue Alley to visit Madam Yao and his son. However, he overheard Madam Gu saying that Gu Jinyu's marriage had been arranged, and the groom was Prince An.
The old Marquis is not at home; it was Old Madam Gu who told him.
Lord Gu's first reaction was shock, after all, from the perspective of matching social status or partisan struggle, the two families were not very suitable.
The second reaction was one of surprise, because in terms of appearance, character, and family background, there were few in the entire capital who were more outstanding than Prince An.
If his daughter could marry him, it would be an impeccable marriage.
As for factional strife, who can say for sure what will happen in the future? Perhaps after Prince An inherits the estate, he will be willing to join His Majesty's camp for the sake of his daughter?
His Jin Yu is so gentle and virtuous, I'm afraid no man in the world would be willing to hurt her.
Lord Gu immediately went to Gu Jinyu's courtyard.
"Father, you've lost weight," Gu Jinyu said with concern. "Was supervising the construction of the mansion very arduous?"
Lord Gu rubbed his sore shoulders and sighed, "It was hard work, but it's a great achievement to get it done."
Gu Jinyu asked curiously, "For whom is the Empress Dowager building this mansion? Why is she making such a big fuss? Half of the Ministry of Works has been summoned."
Lord Gu pondered, "I heard it was built for the second young lady of the Zhuang family. The garden inside is truly beautiful, and the scenery is unique. I've lived in the capital for so many years, and I've never seen such a beautiful and auspicious place. I just don't know why the courtyard is modeled after the layout of that family in Biyue Alley..."
“Bishui Hutong?” Gu Jinyu asked, puzzled.
Lord Gu waved his hand and laughed, "Alright, let's not talk about that. I just heard from your grandmother that His Majesty has bestowed a marriage upon you and Prince An. After you marry into the Zhuang family, you'll have the opportunity to visit that mansion. Speaking of which... could that mansion be the Prince An's residence built by the Empress Dowager? So that he can move out and live separately after his wedding? If that's the case, Jinyu, you're incredibly lucky!"
Gu Jinyu's face flushed slightly: "This... it's too early to say right now."
Lord Gu laughed heartily, "That's right. The marriage has just been arranged, and there are still the formalities to be observed. We can't rush it." Lord Gu smiled and said with great satisfaction, "In any case, I congratulate you on finding your ideal husband."
"It's all thanks to my grandfather," Gu Jinyu said shyly, her eyes lowered.
Lord Gu assumed that his grandfather had taken a liking to Prince An as his grandson-in-law and didn't think too much about it. He grasped Gu Jinyu's hand, unable to hide his joy, and said, "I'll go to Biyue Alley to tell your mother and brother this good news, so they can be happy for you too!"
Gu Jinyu smiled and nodded: "Mm."
Lord Gu went to Bishui Hutong.
He was in high spirits the whole way.
From this day forward, he will be the Prince's father-in-law!
Just thinking about it makes me feel incredibly glamorous!
Jin Yu really made him proud, unlike that brat who married a poor country boy and wouldn't even agree to a divorce.
Although he has now become the top scholar by sheer luck, he is still worlds apart from Prince An.
He arrived at Bishui Hutong, where Gu Jiao and Gu Yan were setting up a newly made swing set in the front yard. It was originally made for Xiao Jingkong, but Gu Yan had just broken it.
Gu Yan quickly called his sister to save the day, otherwise the little monk would start crying loudly.
The siblings had great chemistry, and the scene was quite heartwarming.
Lord Gu admired the scene for a while before striding over and saying, "Yan'er, Father is here!" His gaze fell on Gu Jiao, and he reluctantly called out, "Jiao Jiao."
The siblings glanced at him and continued to fix the swing.
Well……
Lord Gu looked at himself, then at his feet. He had come in, hadn't he?
He was in a good mood today, so he decided not to argue with the two little ones.
He walked over with a radiant smile, ruffled Gu Yan's hair, and said, "You've grown taller."
"Don't touch me." Gu Yan frowned slightly and removed his hand.
Lord Gu didn't seem to mind. He smiled and said, "I came to see you all, and I have some good news to tell you. Jin Yu is getting married, and Yan'er will soon have a second brother-in-law. That brother-in-law is no ordinary poor scholar from the countryside."
Gu Yan said coldly, "I only have one brother-in-law!"
"You only say that because you don't know who your second brother-in-law is. Once I tell you his identity, you'll be eager for him to become your brother-in-law." Lord Gu paused here, took a deep breath, and said with pride, "He is—Prince An!"
How about it?
Surprised? Excited?
Lord Gu laughed loudly three times, then turned to look at the twins, but they had already gone far away; one went to the east room and the other went into the main room.
Lord Gu, who was ignored: "..."
Empress Dowager Zhuang had injured her throat, and Gu Jiao went to the palace to visit her again in the afternoon.
While passing through the Imperial Garden, Gu Jiao unexpectedly encountered the Emperor, who was coming from Huaqing Palace.
The emperor's eyes lit up when he saw her. Despite their argument yesterday, he secretly thought they should make up today. But Gu Jiao turned her face away, took a step, and walked away down the side path with a haughty expression.
emperor:"……"
Not far away, Consort Jing, who was being helped out for a walk by Eunuch Wei, saw this scene and asked softly, "Was that Miss Gu just now?"
"Ah, yes." Eunuch Wei nodded.
The reason why Eunuch Wei was exposed in front of Gu Jiao was because Gu Jiao was also present when he went to visit Consort Jing.
His identity as a eunuch could no longer be hidden, and his imperial disguise was completely exposed.
In short, it's not surprising that Consort Jing would recognize Gu Jiao after meeting her.
Thinking of something, Consort Jing pondered, "Could the doctor who treated my injuries last night have also been Miss Gu?"
"Ah...yes." Eunuch Wei nodded with an awkward smile.
Consort Jing lowered her eyes, pondered for a moment, and then smiled slightly: "His Majesty truly dotes on Miss Gu."
Eunuch Wei smiled and said, "Miss Gu is a highly skilled doctor and also very intelligent. His Majesty certainly values her highly."
He used the word "value highly," implying that he was distancing himself from romantic feelings for the man and woman.
At this moment, the emperor walked over dejectedly, like a defeated fighting rooster. Only when he saw Consort Jing did he compose himself and said calmly, "I will accompany my mother to sit in the pavilion for a while."
The mother and son sat down in the pavilion, where Eunuch Wei served them tea and snacks.
Looking at the Emperor with his furrowed brows, Consort Jing said with a smile, "The last time Your Majesty was turned away was when Ning An was in the palace. I remember Ning An had worked hard all afternoon practicing her calligraphy and showed it off to Your Majesty, but Your Majesty ridiculed it as ugly. Ning An ran to my place and ignored Your Majesty for several days."
That happened when the emperor had just ascended the throne.
Consort Jing has moved to the nunnery.
Princess Ning'an still resides in the inner palace.
There are very few people who dare to give the emperor such a hard time.
Consort Jing pointed to her left cheek: "Does Your Majesty remember that when Ning'an was young, she was naughty and climbed a tree to pick peaches, but she fell and scraped her left cheek, leaving a small scar? The scar has actually faded quite a bit as she grew up, but girls love beauty, so she always put a flower-shaped decoration there. It's red, just like a begonia. Miss Gu's birthmark on her left cheek is somewhat similar to Ning'an's flower decoration. Every time I see her, I think of Ning'an."
The emperor was stunned.
When the emperor met Gu Jiao, he hadn't actually thought of Ning An, but after Consort Jing mentioned it, he felt that the two did indeed have some similarities.
Could it be that he likes the Little Divine Doctor so much because he sees her as a substitute for Ning An?
(End of this chapter)
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