Chapter 459 The Welcome-Away Banquet 4
Unexpectedly, something he never imagined was brought to fruition by a single sentence from the Crown Prince of Wei.
The Empress was pleased and unconsciously felt a greater fondness for the Crown Prince and Princess of Wei.
If it weren't for the fact that Lu Tianhua couldn't possibly change his wife right now, the Empress would have wanted him to marry this foreign princess.
"Mother, if you don't drink, then don't drink."
After watching the farce, Gu Shuyan turned around and saw Ji Shi drinking. She couldn't help but reach out and stop her.
"It's okay, I'll just have a little bit."
Unlike before, Ji Shi did not simply obey Gu Shuyan's every word. Instead, she smiled reassuringly at her and picked up her wine glass again.
Seeing that Ji Shi was not in a good mood, Gu Shuyan quickly looked at Gu Jin beside her, as if to ask him what was wrong with Ji Shi.
However, Gu Jin simply shook his head at her, indicating that he didn't know what was wrong either.
"Mother, drinking alcohol is bad for your health, you should stop drinking."
Without a second thought, Gu Shuyan snatched Ji's wine cup and placed it directly on the small table in front of her. Seeing this, Ji gave a wry smile and said nothing more.
"By the way, Your Majesty, which one of you is the young lady from the Marquis of Yi'an's household?"
Princess Chuxia spoke again, and Gu Shuyan turned around, momentarily wondering why she would ask her.
Logically speaking, she was merely a young lady from a marquis's household. In terms of status and position, even Yun Yichen seemed to be unfamiliar with Princess Chuxia, so how could she possibly know her? Could it be that they came to the Great Zhou to plot against her?
Gu Shuyan's smile widened as she thought about it. Anyone who knew her well would know that Gu Shuyan was angry.
"The young lady of the Marquis of Yi'an's mansion? How would the princess know about Miss Gu?"
The Empress's gaze swept across Gu Shuyan's face, her probing eyes revealing no attempt to conceal her intent.
Upon hearing this, the emperor also looked over. How could someone who didn't even know Yun Yichen know Gu Shuyan? Could there be some conspiracy involved?
Or will they say that the Gu family has been sold out and become their spies in Da Zhou?
It is said that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. The most unpredictable person in the world is the emperor. One second he may trust you completely, and the next he may suspect that you are a spy.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, may I ask the Eighth Princess a question: how did you come to know my daughter?"
Sensing the suspicions of the two men, Gu Jin naturally couldn't sit idly by and wait for the emperor to make endless guesses. Having served the emperor for so many years, he had a good understanding of the emperor's thoughts.
If I remain silent and do not step forward to clarify the situation at this time, the emperor will definitely overthink things and eventually become wary of me.
"Yes, I was raised in the countryside since I was a child. Your Highness should not know me."
Gu Shuyan knew the emperor quite well, and seeing that Gu Jin had already asked the question, she quickly stood up and bowed to the people in the upper seats to ask as well.
Princess Chuxia was surprised that she had only asked one question and was questioned by so many people, so she couldn't help but take another look at Gu Shuyan.
Today, Gu Shuyan wore a light green, elegant long dress that perfectly accentuated her figure. Combined with her now-grown-up face, she was truly a beauty in the making.
“Miss Gu, you misunderstand. I do not know you, but many people in Wei know about you. In Wei, Miss Gu is a true genius! A girl who was lost among the common people has mastered in a short period of time what we have studied for more than ten years. We young ladies of Wei admire you greatly.”
Princess Chuxia looked innocent and adoring, but Gu Shuyan's eyes grew even colder after hearing this.
This isn't self-admiration at all; it's clearly self-sabotage. Calling her a genius girl is just telling everyone that she was deliberately hidden and groomed by Gu Shuyan.
Although Gu Shuyan didn't learn those things very quickly, she didn't learn them in the countryside either. This Princess Chuxia is indeed quite different from what she seems!
"Thank you for your kind words, Princess and ladies of your country. To be honest, I am not a genius. The things I learned before were thanks to a kind old lady I met when I was at Xiufang. So, she was my mentor in reading and painting. It's just a pity that she was old and passed away while I was still working at Xiufang."
Since these people are going to doubt me, I'll just go along with what they're saying. Anyway, my mother-in-law is long gone now, so I'm not afraid of anyone finding out about her amazing background.
If the emperor still has doubts, he can certainly send someone to investigate. Everyone knows that I worked in Yuzhou back then. I'm not afraid that he will find out other things.
Gu Shuyan's open and honest demeanor lessened the emperor's suspicions. However, since doubts had arisen, an investigation was still necessary. He wouldn't be able to sleep soundly until he found out the specifics.
"So that's how it is! We all thought Miss Gu only started her education after arriving at the Marquis's residence!"
Princess Chuxia's words were somewhat sarcastic, but Gu Shuyan didn't care whether she was slandering her or not. She was just like this, and she didn't care what others said.
"I never imagined that Minister Gu's daughter would be so famous in the State of Wei. I am very pleased to hear this."
The emperor then gestured, and Gu Jin and Gu Shuyan sat back down.
Regardless of whether the emperor was truly pleased or not, the Gu family still had to be given face. After all, they were facing the people of Wei. If the Gu family showed suspicion from the inside out, wouldn't that give the people of Wei an even greater opportunity to take advantage of them?
Princess Chuxia glanced at Gu Shuyan's face and, seeing that she remained unmoved, lowered her head slightly.
When she looked up again, Princess Chuxia's face was once again filled with that arrogant look, as if she wasn't the one who had been digging traps with her words just moments before.
"This Princess Chuxia is probably not simple!"
Minister Sun glanced at Sun Ruoyun, and seeing that Sun Ruoyun's gaze was fixed on Gu Shuyan, he couldn't help but ask.
"Father, be careful what you say."
Sun Ruoyun gently reminded him, and Minister Sun immediately shut his mouth and said nothing more.
Seeing her daughter being harassed, Madam Ji looked over with concern and asked, "Shu'er, are you alright?"
Although Gu Shuyan appeared calm on the surface, Madam Ji was still worried that Princess Chuxia's words might have upset her. After all, Gu Shuyan was truly diligent in her studies of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; whenever she had time, she was either practicing calligraphy, playing the zither, or painting, rarely giving herself any rest.
However, apart from her family, no one else knew about these things. Princess Chuxia's words just now directly negated all of Gu Shuyan's efforts, which was extremely unfair to her.
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