Ruisha suddenly raised her head and said, "Father, I don't want to get married. I will stay with you all my life."
"Nonsense!" The King of Yan said in awe, "It's not reasonable for a girl not to get married, especially since you are a princess."
The King of Yan took Ruisha's hand and said, "At the banquet just now, the emperor from the Central Plains was indeed outstanding. Not only was he handsome, but his conversation and temperament were also rare. He was so calm and reserved at such a young age. It was really rare to see him!"
Hearing her father praising Gu Yanwei, Ruisha's face blushed again.
Seeing his daughter's deep affection, King Yan was even more certain of Ruisha's thoughts. He smiled and said, "Risha, you like the Emperor of Zhongyuan."
"Father." Having been hit on the point, Risa stood up quickly, with two blushes on her cheeks, "Father, I, I didn't."
King Yan smiled and motioned his daughter to sit down, saying: "You are my daughter, how can I not know what you are thinking? The Emperor of Zhongyuan is so young and promising, and father likes him very much. If you marry him, it will be a marriage between our two countries, which is a good thing."
"Really, father? You think he is a good person too?" Risa was still overjoyed.
But suddenly she thought of Shen Qingqiu who had been standing beside Gu Yanwei, and couldn't help but frowned.
Seeing his daughter's expression, King Yan asked, "What's wrong, Ruisha?"
"Father, even though your daughter likes him and you are very satisfied with him, he seems to care a lot about the women around him. I..."
"You don't have to worry about that. As long as you like him, father will naturally let you two be together. What's more, my daughter is so beautiful, not inferior to that Shen Qingqiu. It's normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines, not to mention that he is the emperor."
Ruisha nodded. "If that's true, that would be great."
This was the only good sleep Shen Qingqiu and Gu Yanwei had had since the incident in the palace. When they woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
The sunlight shone into the room through the window, just right on Gu Yanwei's face. Gu Yanwei blinked uncomfortably.
Shen Qingqiu beside him was still asleep. She had lost a lot of weight after accompanying him on these days of running around. Gu Yanwei half-supported himself and tucked the loose hair on her temples behind her ears, observing her carefully for a while.
In his dream, Shen Qingqiu only felt a warm feeling on his face. Although it disappeared quickly, the warmth in his heart continued to spread.
When Gu Yanwei pushed the door open, Gu Hou was already standing outside.
"emperor."
"Lord Gu."
"Your Majesty, of the 100,000 elite soldiers you gave me when I first came to Yan State, only 8,000 are left. They are currently training in the training grounds, waiting for orders at any time."
Gu Yanwei nodded, "We don't know how many people in the court have surrendered to Gu Cheng. Eight thousand elite soldiers are definitely not enough. Didn't the King of Yan promise to lend us 200,000 elite soldiers? The way Yan fights is very different from ours. When Chen Jie's injury heals, we will also return to the Central Plains to fight. We can take this opportunity to train our troops."
Gu Cheng nodded and said, "Okay, I will go find King Yan now."
——
Seeing Gu Cheng and Gu Yanwei coming in together, the Emperor of Yan immediately put down the memorial in his hand and walked over with a smile.
"Hahaha, I wonder if the emperor slept well yesterday?"
Gu Yanwei nodded, "Thank you for your arrangement, Your Majesty. Everything is fine."
"That's good, that's good. If you like, you can stay for a few more days."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty. However, the Central Plains has not yet resolved its problems. Gu Cheng is too ambitious and lacks strategy. This time he colluded with the Xiongnu. The Xiongnu are always cunning. I am afraid that in the long run, the people of the Central Plains will suffer."
King Yan nodded, "Your Majesty really works for the country and the people."
"Your Majesty." Marquis Gu, who had been silent the whole time, said, "At the moment, I only have 8,000 elite soldiers left. If I want to go back to the court to fight against the Seventh Prince, I will definitely not be able to match him. You promised me to lend us 200,000 elite soldiers before. I wonder if you can do that now..."
The King of Yan suddenly stroked his beard and interrupted Gu Hou, saying, "Yes, yes, yes, you see, I almost forgot about this. I did promise you these 200,000 elite soldiers, and I must fulfill my promise, but I have an unreasonable request, and I hope the emperor can agree to it."
Marquis Gu frowned, "I wonder what conditions the king has?"
King Yan looked at Gu Yanwei in front of him and said, "It depends on whether your emperor agrees. I wonder if the emperor still remembers my daughter Ruisha."
Gu Hou also began to recall the appearance of the girl from last night.
The King of Yan continued, "To be honest, I only have this one daughter. From childhood to adulthood, no matter what they ask for, I will satisfy her. Fortunately, she is also very sensible and has never made excessive demands on me. But after seeing you last night, she liked you very much. Your Majesty, if you are willing to go to Ruisha to be your queen, I will give you 200,000 elite soldiers without hesitation."
"What?" Gu Yong never expected that at the critical moment, King Yan would put forward such a condition. He looked at Gu Yanwei, only to see that Gu Yanwei's face was ashen.
Realizing that the atmosphere was not right, King Yan looked at Gu Yanwei and said, "I have already asked Lord Chen about the matter between you and the lady beside you last night. I know this may be a little sudden for you, and even a little embarrassing for you, but if you are willing, I am willing to send an extra 100,000 elite soldiers."
So Shen Qingqiu is his daughter, but when it comes to state affairs, Gu Yong cannot speak for his daughter.
After waiting for a long time, Gu Yanwei still didn't speak. Just when King Yan wanted to persuade him again, Gu Yanwei suddenly said, "If Your Majesty is unwilling to help, we will not force you." After that, Gu Yanwei left.
Gu Yong was left in the bedroom in a dilemma.
Looking at Gu Yong, the King of Yan smiled and said, "Lord Gu, I know it is not gentlemanly to put forward conditions at this moment, but you are also a father, and you know how a father feels about his daughter. I hope you will consider it carefully."
Gu Yong looked at King Yan, sighed, turned around and left without saying a word.
After coming out from King Yan's place, Gu Yanwei did not return to the bedroom, but went to the back garden alone. Only he knew how difficult it was for him to say what he had just said to King Yan. He had a responsibility to the court and his subjects, but he had already let Shen Qingqiu down once. If he let her down again for the court this time, he, Gu Yanwei, could not do it.
Before they knew it, it was already past lunchtime. Shen Qingqiu asked Suo Xin to reheat the dishes on the table, but Gu Yanwei did not come back.
"Suo Xin, go outside and take a look. Why hasn't the emperor come back for dinner yet? Has he been asked to stay to eat with the king?"
Suo Xin nodded, "Okay, I will go out and ask."
But before he could lock the door and go out, someone knocked on it.
"Qingqiu."
"Yes, Dad, lock the cylinder and open the door."
"My Lord, you are here."
Gu Hou nodded and walked towards Shen Qingqiu. Looking at the food on the table, Gu Hou looked a little embarrassed.
Shen Qingqiu looked at his expression and said, "Dad, what happened? Why do you look like that?"
Marquis Gu raised his head, looked at his daughter and said, "Qingqiu, after thinking about it, I still think you need to know this."
Shen Qingqiu frowned, "What's the matter?"
"This morning, the Emperor and I went to ask the King of Yan to fulfill his promise of the 200,000 elite troops, but the King suddenly changed his mind."
"Repent? Why is that?"
"Qingqiu, do you still remember Princess Ruisha from yesterday?"
Shen Qingqiu frowned and nodded, "What's wrong?"
"The king still lent us the 200,000 elite soldiers, but he had a condition. He hoped that the emperor could marry Princess Ruisha as the queen."
"What?!" Shen Qingqiu never expected that the King of Yan suddenly changed his mind because of this matter.
"Qingqiu, Dad knows that it has not been easy for you to enter the palace this year, but..." Marquis Gu lowered his head and dared not look at his daughter again, "However, in front of the country, love is nothing. Dad knows that the emperor cares about you, but you are also clear about the current situation. The longer it is delayed, the more likely the people will be pushed into dire straits. Qingqiu, Dad can't ask you to persuade the emperor, but Dad really hopes that you can think about it carefully. Even though the emperor married Ruisha, the person in his heart has always been you. You have seen it clearly in the past year, haven't you?"
Shen Qingqiu never thought that the safety of the court would be determined by just one sentence from him. Seeing that she had been silent for a long time, Gu Yong patted her on the back and stood up and left.
"Qingqiu, Dad knows you are suffering, but since you have chosen the emperor, you will eventually encounter these things in the future, whether it is Li Wanting, Xia Meng, or this princess of Yan State."
"Father, I know what to do."
Gu Yong sighed, nodded, and left.
Suoxin, who was standing by, felt sorry for his queen and tears were already welling up in his eyes.
Shen Qingqiu lowered her head and didn't say anything. Just when Suo Xin wanted to go forward to comfort her, she suddenly raised her head and said, "Suo Xin, I think the emperor should be in the back garden. Go and invite him over."
"My queen." Suoxin said, holding back tears.
"Go." Since she chose to be with the emperor, she should share his current difficulties. Since he couldn't say it, she would say it herself.
"Yes, madam."
After Suo Xin left, Shen Qingqiu sat alone in the hall, all the moments he had spent with Gu Yanwei echoing in his mind.
After an unknown amount of time, a figure appeared in front of Shen Qingqiu. Thinking it was Gu Yanwei, Shen Qingqiu secretly wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and raised his head.
"My lady."
When he saw the person in front of him clearly, Shen Qingqiu frowned, but he quickly reacted.
"Princess Raisa."
"Please take a seat, Madam."
The two sat face to face at the table. Ruisha didn't say anything. Instead, she stared at Shen Qingqiu for a long time. Shen Qingqiu felt uncomfortable being stared at by her and said, "Princess Ruisha, I wonder if there is something on my face." Shen Qingqiu touched his face unconsciously.
Ruisha also smiled awkwardly, "I'm sorry, Ruisha, I just think that Your Majesty is a rare beauty. No wonder the emperor of your Central Plains cares about you so much."
Although the woman in front of him was a princess, she did not have the slightest airs of a princess. Her shy smile made Shen Qingqiu feel very close to her.
"I just met the princess yesterday. How did the princess know that the emperor cares about me?"
Ruisha suddenly lowered her head, and Shen Qingqiu saw two blushes gradually creeping up her cheeks.
"Do you like the emperor?" Shen Qingqiu was always straightforward and asked directly what he saw.
Ruisha's face was already red. She slowly raised her head, looked at Shen Qingqiu in front of her and said a little embarrassedly: "My lady, to be honest, the emperor is not only handsome, but also brave and resourceful. Ruisha liked him the first time she saw him."
Seeing her shy appearance, Shen Qingqiu felt a little sad, but she really couldn't blame the young girl in front of her who was just beginning to fall in love. How could she control someone's feelings when they liked him/her?
Ruisha is not like Li Wanting. She is very kind. It would be great if marriage could be used to solve the current problems in the court. What's more, if such a good woman becomes a queen, she will definitely be a virtuous queen.
Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath, raised his head, and said with a smile on his face: "Risa, you want to marry the emperor and go to the Central Plains with us."
Ruisha raised her head, looked at Shen Qingqiu in panic and said: "My queen, I, I just like your emperor, and I really hope to be with him, but I have never thought of replacing you, or..."
"I know, I know." Shen Qingqiu nodded.
How could she not understand? As a noble princess of the Yan State, even if she was willing to be Gu Yanwei's concubine, how could the King of Yan agree?
"Qingqiu."
Gu Yanwei's voice suddenly came from the door. Ruisha suddenly sat up from the stool, looking panicked like a frightened deer.
Shen Qingqiu knew that she was embarrassed to see Gu Yanwei now.
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