Chapter 505: Someone else’s fiancée
The following morning at court, the Crown Prince of Wei, who had been there for nearly a month, finally brought up the matter of choosing a bride for the marriage alliance with the emperor. And this chosen bride was none other than Gu Shuyan, whom the Gu family father and sons had suspected.
“Your Majesty, my daughter is already engaged to Lord Yun, and I am afraid she is not worthy of being a princess sent for a political marriage.”
Before the emperor could speak, Gu Jin had already stepped forward.
The emperor's gaze swept over Gu Jin's face, and seeing his fear and helplessness, he felt somewhat relieved.
"I have heard about the marriage between Lord Yun and Miss Gu, especially the exorbitant dowry on the day of their engagement, which even the Empress was extremely envious of."
The emperor did not directly answer the crown prince of Wei's question, but instead brought up the betrothal gifts from the time of their engagement. The crown prince of Wei knew that the emperor was using this method to make him give up the idea of marrying Gu Shuyan.
But he was not the kind of person to give up so easily. “Your Majesty, I have heard that Lord Yun and Miss Gu are engaged. However, it is ultimately a marriage arranged by parents and matchmakers. If Your Majesty decides to betroth Miss Gu to me, I guarantee that the dowry I give to Great Zhou will be ten times more abundant in goods than Lord Yun’s.”
Even if Gu Jin is a father, he is still just a subject in front of the emperor. A subject has no choice but to die when the emperor commands him, let alone just a daughter. As long as the emperor agrees, it doesn't matter if it's just an engagement or even a marriage.
The Crown Prince of Wei's words were clearly forcing the emperor to play the villain. Yun Yichen and the Gu family were two capable ministers loyal to the emperor, and a marriage alliance between the two families would only benefit the emperor.
Now that the Crown Prince of Wei is asking the Emperor to separate the two, isn't this a clear attempt to sow discord between him and both families? If the Emperor, with all his years of experience in managing his officials, can't even understand this, he doesn't deserve to sit in this position.
"The State of Jin is also willing to offer ten times the dowry to marry Miss Gu."
While the emperor was deep in thought, Xu Yunzhi slowly walked in from outside the door. He had not intended to come to court today, but upon receiving news that the Wei Kingdom would be discussing the selection of a marriage partner with the emperor today, Xu Yunzhi hurried to the palace to prevent any mishaps.
"The Crown Prince of Jin also wants to marry Miss Gu?" For some reason, the emperor's head throbbed after hearing this.
Having held a high position for so many years, when had he ever worried about matters of love and sex? Yet this young lady from the Gu family has repeatedly given him a headache.
"Miss Gu is of pure character and is a rare and virtuous wife candidate. We beseech Your Majesty of Great Zhou to grant her your request."
Xu Yunzhi already possessed a somewhat bandit-like air, and even standing in the middle of the main hall, he formed a stark contrast with the others.
After hearing Xu Yunzhi's words, the emperor inwardly rolled his eyes. Although he couldn't go out, he knew the personality of this eldest daughter of the Gu family. Sometimes she was arrogant and domineering, and sometimes she seemed a bit weak. Such a woman with a changeable personality was a candidate for a virtuous wife. This Crown Prince of Jin really dared to say that.
"Ahem!" The Emperor cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the Crown Princes of Wei and Jin before he said, "This Miss Gu is indeed gentle and virtuous, but the two families have already arranged a marriage, and I cannot very well break them up. If Your Highnesses do not mind, why not take a look at other young ladies?"
The emperor looked troubled, and his tone was not only not harsh, but even carried a hint of inquiry.
In truth, he wasn't entirely uninterested in the conditions offered by the two men, especially the gunpowder from Jin, something that was normally unattainable. Unfortunately, while he was envious, he couldn't afford to offend his capable ministers for those resources.
"A young lady from another family? If it's a young lady from another family, then I'd rather not be related to this marriage at all." Xu Yunzhi spoke arrogantly, unlike the Crown Prince of Wei, which instantly made the Emperor's face look somewhat unpleasant.
"Your Highnesses have been here for several days. Among so many outstanding young ladies in our dynasty, you two have taken a fancy to my fiancée. Do you think that just because she is a guest, you can humiliate me in this way?"
Yun Yichen's voice carried a hint of anger, and his deep voice sent chills down everyone's spines as they heard each word.
In fact, when they heard that Gu Shuyan had been chosen as the bride for the marriage alliance between the two countries, everyone was already secretly observing him. However, Yun Yichen remained silent, so no one knew what he meant.
"Your Excellency, I have no intention of humiliating you. It is said that a gentleman is eager to pursue a beautiful and virtuous lady. Miss Gu is so outstanding and unmarried, it should not affect my liking for her, right? Besides, as you said, there are so many beautiful young ladies in the Great Zhou. You should consider the overall situation."
The Crown Prince of Wei clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yun Yichen and began to persuade him.
Seeing this, Xu Yunzhi added, "Your Highness is right. I also think that the Grand Secretary should consider the overall situation."
They kept arguing about the bigger picture, as if Yun Yichen would be a traitor to the Great Zhou Dynasty if he didn't agree to abandon his idea of marrying Gu Shuyan.
"As the saying goes, a gentleman does not take what others love. Your Highnesses' attempt to steal another man's fiancée in public is certainly not the behavior of a gentleman."
Gu Renjie had long since lost her composure. These people, one after another, hadn't treated her sister like a human being at all. They were demanding this and that—why didn't they just die? If they died, they wouldn't need to remarry.
Gu Renjie's words carried a hint of displeasure, but when the emperor saw that both the Gu family and Yun Yichen were united against a common enemy, his previous regret vanished instantly.
The support from these two countries is far more important than receiving some supplies from them.
The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and finally said, "The marriage between Lord Yun and Miss Gu has already been arranged. If Your Highnesses wish to arrange a marriage, they may choose from among other young ladies!"
The emperor made the final decision: he would not allow the two to marry Gu Shuyan.
The people of Zhou breathed a sigh of relief, but the people of Wei and Jin were not so happy.
Upon leaving the palace, the Crown Prince of Wei turned around and led his men to the residence of the Fifth Prince, while Xu Yunzhi, after leaving the palace, went directly to Lu Youming's residence and returned to the residence of the Third Prince.
"Your Majesty, the two crown princes have indeed gone to the residences of the two princes."
The eunuch entered the bedchamber and, seeing the emperor changing into casual clothes, quickly dismissed the people around him and personally stepped forward to help the emperor fasten his clothes.
"The third one is one thing, but the fifth one is already like this and still can't sit still. Don't you think I should make him give up on this idea completely?"
The emperor spoke very casually, as if he were not talking about his son. The eunuch glanced at the emperor cautiously upon hearing this, but dared not utter a word.
"Why would His Highness the Crown Prince suddenly think of asking Father Emperor to marry that Miss Gu?"
As Lu Youming and Xu Yunzhi walked, he asked questions. He had found Xu Yunzhi as soon as he discovered that Xu Yunzhi was the Crown Prince of Jin.
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