Chapter 504 The Purpose of Everyone
Xu Yunzhi gently swirled the teacup, took a slow sip, and then put it down.
"You know perfectly well why I've come here, aren't you afraid at all?"
Xu Yunzhi got straight to the point, his eyes fixed on Yun Yichen, as if afraid of missing any of his expressions.
"What are you afraid of? Afraid of you? Or afraid of him?" Yun Yichen met Xu Yunzhi's gaze and couldn't help but find it a little funny.
Over the years, Yun Yichen has never been afraid of anyone, not even when he was being chased. Moreover, he is no longer the child he once was.
Seeing his arrogance, Xu Yunzhi felt like he was going to be driven mad by the couple. Couldn't they show even a little bit of panic or fear?
He was, after all, the crown prince of a country, yet he posed no threat whatsoever. If word got out, people would laugh their heads off.
Even though he felt uncomfortable, Xu Yunzhi didn't show it. He glared at Yun Yichen before continuing, "I came here just to remind you to pay more attention to Lu Changqing. When I returned to Jin State a few days ago, I discovered that he seemed to be in contact with the old man."
Why are you telling me all this?
Yun Yichen looked at Xu Yunzhi with some suspicion. Seeing that he was looking at him warily, Xu Yunzhi was almost amused by his anger.
He went out of his way to remind them, and they treated him like a thief. His good intentions were completely wasted; he shouldn't have made the trip at all.
Xu Yunzhi picked up his teacup and drank the tea in one gulp. He then said irritably, "Believe it or not, it's up to you." After that, he turned and left the Yun residence.
Meanwhile, at the Marquis of Yi'an's residence, Gu Jin and Gu Yingjie sat in the study, watching Gu Shuyan slowly walk in. Gu Jin asked, "Has the Crown Prince of Jin left?"
"Father, they have already left."
As Gu Shuyan answered, she walked over and sat down in front of the two of them.
"Shu'er, this Crown Prince of Jin looks familiar to me from afar. Have I seen him somewhere before?"
Gu Yingjie had never seen the Crown Prince of Jin up close, but looking at him from afar always gave him a sense of déjà vu.
“Brother, the Crown Prince of Jin has just arrived in Great Zhou. How could you possibly have met him before?”
Gu Shuyan naturally dared not tell Gu Yingjie the truth, and could only try to brush it off with a laugh. But as soon as she finished speaking, Gu Jin's serious voice rang out.
"Shu'er, what do you think about the Crown Prince of Jin coming to see you?"
Gu Jin's expression turned serious, and Gu Shuyan's smiling face immediately became less cheerful. "I think the real intention is not what it seems."
Gu Jin was very satisfied with Gu Shuyan's answer. He turned to look at Gu Yingjie and asked, "Yingjie, what do you think?"
Seeing the two men's serious expressions, Gu Yingjie composed himself and said, "To be honest, I also think something's not right. Look at the past twenty years, there has been almost no contact between the three kingdoms, but as soon as Wei arrived, Jin followed right after. Doesn't that mean they have something going on?"
"So what do you think their problems will be?"
Gu Jin's question was actually similar to the one the emperor had discussed with the other officials. After listening, Gu Yingjie pondered for a moment and replied, "Although I hope they are here to win over the Great Zhou, in this situation, I'm afraid both countries have ambitions to unify the world."
Seeing that Gu Yingjie had hit the nail on the head, Gu Jin nodded in satisfaction. "You're right. Neither Wei nor Jin are easy to deal with. If they want to gain the support of the Great Zhou, they naturally need to have something to offer that His Majesty will support."
"And this bargaining chip is our Marquis's mansion?"
Gu Yingjie was somewhat uncertain. After all, the Marquis of Yi'an's mansion was just a marquis's mansion. How could it have such great power?
Seeing Gu Yingjie's suspicious look, Gu Jin explained, "The Gu family alone doesn't have that much power, but what if we add a general's mansion? Your maternal grandfather controls a third of the Great Zhou's military force. Aren't they envious?"
"But even if they come to our door, we can't help them, can we?"
Gu Yingjie felt this was rather far-fetched, after all, the Gu family was only loyal to His Majesty, so it seemed like they were overthinking things to try and use them.
"Brother, don't forget that although Father and Grandfather are loyal to His Majesty, there is still a variable, and that is me."
Gu Shuyan spoke first without waiting for Gu Jin's explanation. Actually, she hadn't understood why Xu Yun had come to the door just now, but after Gu Jin's reminder, she suddenly understood.
The Crown Prince of Wei has been here for a long time, but he has been reluctant to mention the selection of a marriage partner. Now that Jin has also proposed a marriage alliance, after thinking it over, isn't he himself the perfect candidate?
Gu Shuyan wasn't narcissistic enough to think that all these people were vying to marry her; rather, she clearly knew that they were just using her for their own ambitions.
Gu Jin was very satisfied that Gu Shuyan could understand, and nodded. He continued, "Shuyan is right. Whether it is Wei or Jin, they are hot potatoes for our Marquis's mansion, so we must not get involved."
Gu Jin's idea was exactly what Gu Shuyan was thinking. "When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked." Gu Shuyan had already tasted the bitter fruit of being used, so naturally she would not taste it again.
"Does Father want his daughter to set a wedding date?"
Seeing that Gu Jin seemed hesitant to speak, Gu Shuyan simply asked the question herself.
"I will talk to Yichen about this matter, but before that, I want to ask for your opinion. After all, it is your decision to make this important life decision."
Gu Shuyan never expected Gu Jin to say that. She thought Gu Jin was just informing her, but her father told her to make the decision herself.
Gu Shuyan was touched by Gu Jin's favoritism towards her, but it was precisely this favoritism that drew the attention of those ambitious people to her.
"Father, Shuer has only just turned sixteen and will only be here for a short time. Don't you want to stay for a couple more years?"
Gu Yingjie felt that his life had been much smoother since his younger sister came back, and he really couldn't bear to marry Gu Shuyan off right now.
"Second brother, Father is doing this for the good of our Marquis's mansion. Besides, Brother Yun and I are already engaged, so it's not a bad thing for him to get married sooner."
Gu Shuyan knew Gu Yingjie's reluctance and Gu Jin's dilemma, so in order to make everyone give up, Gu Shuyan agreed to the marriage without thinking.
"Shu'er, I'm sorry you had to go through this." Gu Jin felt guilty and didn't dare to look at Gu Shuyan.
“My daughter is not wronged. How many women in this world can choose their own husbands? My daughter is already very content to be able to marry the man she knows.”
Besides, the Yun family mansion is right next door. Although she says she's getting married, it's really no different from staying at home.
The father and his two sons discussed how to avoid being schemed against by those people, but before Gu Jin could find Yun Yichen to tell him about it, another problem arose.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
