Chapter 453 The Wind Has Changed
If I could marry this princess, I would gain the support of the Wei Kingdom, and then the position of crown prince would be mine for the taking.
However, while imagination is beautiful, reality is harsh. Putting aside whether the other party can marry him, the wife in his family is still alive. Does he really want a princess to become his wife?
Of course, Lu Yuanbin didn't care about any of that. If he could really win the princess's favor, it wouldn't be impossible for him to have his wife give up her position as the principal wife.
"She was the youngest in the family, and because she was young, her father doted on her, so she became a bit mischievous."
The Crown Prince of Wei spoke with a look of affection on his face, which showed that he really liked the princess.
In this sense, marrying this princess would mean gaining the support of both the Emperor of Wei and the Crown Prince of Wei.
Thinking this way, the Fifth Prince became a little closer to the Crown Prince of Wei.
At the Gu residence, Gu Shuyan was reading a book by the window when Pearl rushed to her side like a gust of wind.
"What's wrong? Why are you in such a rush?" Gu Shuyan didn't even need to look up to know whose footsteps were coming.
"Miss, an envoy from the Wei Kingdom has arrived in the capital."
"Oh? So fast?"
Gu Shuyan thought it would take a month or two for the Wei envoy to arrive when Gu Jin mentioned it, but she didn't expect the Wei envoy to arrive so quickly.
Who is the envoy sent on this mission?
When a ruler of another country travels to another country, he will send a special imperial envoy. The selection of this envoy naturally determines the country's attitude towards that country, or rather, the degree to which it values it.
Before returning, Pearl had already inquired about these matters thoroughly. When Gu Shuyan asked, Pearl quickly replied, "It was the Crown Prince of Wei who came as an envoy. It seems that a princess was also accompanying him, but I don't know who she is."
Gu Shuyan listened to Pearl's words without ever taking her eyes off the book.
She leisurely turned the page before slowly saying, "It seems the wind is about to change."
The Great Zhou has just deposed its crown prince, and a struggle for succession is about to erupt. But at this critical moment, the Wei Kingdom has sent a crown prince.
Thinking of this, Gu Shuyan closed the book and helped Yu Fei stand up.
"Go see if Father and Brother have returned yet?"
As Gu Shuyan spoke, she walked outside. Now that the Crown Prince of Wei had arrived in Da Zhou, Gu Jin, as a key minister in the court, naturally had to get busy.
With her maidservant by her side, Gu Shuyan walked a few steps to the study, where she saw Gu Jin and Gu Renjie returning together from afar.
"Father, brother."
Gu Shuyan walked a few steps quickly toward the two of them. Seeing this, Gu Jin was afraid that she would fall, so he hurried over and said, "Slow down, don't fall."
“Daughter is not a child anymore, but Father always treats her like one.” Gu Shuyan said, quickly grabbing Gu Jin’s sleeve. Her girlish mannerisms were on full display in front of Gu Jin.
"In Father's eyes, Shu'er will always be a child who never grows up."
After Gu Jin finished speaking with a doting expression, he asked, "So, what brings you here to see your father?"
Gu Shuyan would only come to his study when she had something to say; otherwise, she would try her best to avoid disturbing his work.
"I heard that the envoy from Wei arrived today." Gu Shuyan naturally wouldn't hide the news she knew from Gu Jin.
Gu Jin guessed that she had come for this matter, so he nodded and said, "It is the Crown Prince and Princess of Wei. Judging from their demeanor, they seem to be interested in a marriage alliance."
Although Gu Jin did not personally go to greet them, his information network was indeed very efficient.
The Wei people's envoys arrived in such a grand manner that news of it had already reached the ears of various factions along the way. However, the princess was nowhere to be seen until she arrived outside the capital, marking her first public appearance.
"By sending the Crown Prince and Princess here, Wei probably doesn't just want to marry the Princess to Zhou, but also wants to find a Crown Princess or a concubine for the Crown Prince."
Gu Renjie shared his guess from the side.
Today, his men brought news that Wei's visit was merely a spur-of-the-moment decision, and that before this, the King of Wei had never expressed any intention to make peace with the Great Zhou through marriage.
As for why he suddenly made this decision, Gu Renjie was really puzzled.
“My thoughts are the same as my brother’s. However, I’m afraid that the Crown Prince of Wei’s visit this time is not solely for this matter. Wei’s national strength is so great that it is truly illogical for the Crown Prince to come to the Great Zhou.”
Furthermore, His Majesty currently only has one daughter, which is far too young for the Crown Prince of Wei. If the princess were to be sent to Wei, not only would the princess disagree, but His Majesty himself would likely not agree either.
The State of Wei was fully aware of this situation, yet they still chose their crown prince to come, clearly indicating they didn't care about the choice of a marriage alliance. If this trip was truly for a marriage alliance, they would likely choose someone from the royal family or a powerful clan.
Given the strength of the Wei Kingdom, would the Crown Prince need to marry the daughter of a subject from another country? So it's not that Gu Shuyan is overthinking things; facts prove that there is definitely a conspiracy behind this.
"Whatever Wei's purpose may be, His Majesty surely knows better than we do, so we should just observe and not make any unnecessary guesses."
Ultimately, this matter is none of their concern. The emperor has already considered everything they can think of, so they should worry about their own family rather than the emperor.
"Father, do you think we should have Brother Yun come and ask about this?"
Gu Shuyan knew that even if she wanted to, she couldn't control this matter, but for some reason, she felt uneasy, as if something bad was about to happen.
"Very well. Yichen has always been valued by His Majesty. Perhaps summoning him will reveal some things we don't know."
Gu Jin said that His Majesty would handle it and that he didn't need to worry, but in reality, he couldn't help but want to know more.
After all, the matter of Wei coming to court was a matter of great importance to the Great Zhou court. If there were any mishaps, it would be bad news for both the royal family and ordinary people.
"Xu Feng, go and call Brother Yun here."
With Gu Jin's nod of agreement, Gu Shuyan turned around and gave instructions to Xu Feng.
Xu Feng accepted the order and left. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yun Yichen was taken to Gu Jin's study.
Seeing Gu Jin, Gu Renjie, and Gu Shuyan sitting together in the study, Yun Yichen immediately knew why they had called him over.
"Father-in-law."
Yun Yichen clasped his hands in a fist salute to Gu Jin, then nodded to Gu Renjie and Gu Shuyan before sitting down beside them at Gu Jin's prompting.
"Father-in-law, why did you call me here so urgently? Is it because of the envoy from Wei?"
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