Helian You rested for nearly a month.
During this period, the peace talks between Dayong and Beidi on a ceasefire never stopped. After all, firstly, a marriage alliance was difficult to achieve, and secondly, there was no clear outcome on the fate of the murderer Ge Jingyang.
But after all, war is costly and the Northern Di also hoped for a ceasefire. However, because of these two things, Dayong was not in the right after all, and the Northern Di took the opportunity to ask Dayong to give up as much benefits as possible, and demanded the redivision of the disputed area and the payment of annual tribute, which made the emperor very angry, but he did not dare to break up with him.
But no one expected that Gu Ruxuan would suddenly ask for marriage.
After Huo Zhiyu learned about this, he was silent for a long time, and still went to see Gu Ruxuan.
When Xue Zhiyi accompanied her to Jinghua Palace, it was already deserted. Wu had been deposed, and the people in the palace had changed their attitudes according to the situation. The place was no longer as lively as before.
Gu Ruxuan was not in a good mood either. She was a little surprised to see the visitor. Perhaps she really didn't have the energy, so she didn't argue with Huo Zhiyu like usual.
"Please sit down," she said, and then ordered, "Bring tea."
But suddenly she saw Huo Zhiyu looking at her with worry in his eyes, and she couldn't help laughing: "What's wrong? Are you worried about me?"
After that, he sighed again: "That's really unnecessary. Our relationship is not good. What's more, it's either you or me. If you worry about me, who will worry about you?"
Huo Zhiyu didn't respond. Instead, he took a brocade box from Xue Zhiyi behind him and opened it in front of Gu Ruxuan. "My father and brother were in the northwest. The army kept some medicine. The weather in the north is bitter and cold, so these medicines might be useful. You can take them with you."
After a moment of silence, Gu Ruxuan's expression relaxed slightly: "My temper has offended too many people in the past. Now everyone wants to step on me, and I accept it. But I didn't expect that you would be the only one to come to see me."
Huo Zhiyu, who had shallow eye sockets to begin with, immediately reddened upon hearing this: "You could have stayed away, but now that things have gotten so ugly, it wouldn't be surprising if the marriage doesn't go through."
Gu Ruxuan shook her head. "Back in Nan'an, they're worried that my mother's mistakes will bring trouble to Nan'an, so they're thinking of ways to redeem themselves from the crime. That's why they sent me a letter asking me to request a marriage. Besides, this is the only bargaining chip I have to ask my father to release my mother from the cold palace."
She lowered her eyes and swallowed the bitter taste in her throat. "These past few days, I've begged for everything I could. My biological brother, being of foreign blood, has no power or influence. He could only plead with my father, but was harshly rebuked. My third and sixth brothers also only advised me to marry into the Northern Di clan. What else can I do if I don't go to the Northern Di? I can't just watch my mother be trapped in the cold palace for the rest of her life."
She just laughed at herself: "My mother tried her best but still couldn't stop me from marrying. Perhaps this is our fate."
Hearing this, Huo Zhiyu sobbed and cried her heart out, but Xue Zhiyi's heart skipped a beat: The Third Prince and the Sixth Prince... If Prince Cheng advocated peace talks, then it would be perfectly natural for him to want Princess Pingzhang to marry him.
But Gu Shichong's position is contrary to that of Prince Cheng and consistent with that of the Ge family. Why would he also choose to promote the marriage?
This is wrong, so wrong...
…
At the same time, in the Hall of Eternal Life.
After Peng Hui led his men out of the hall and gently closed the door, only the emperor and Gu Shichong and his son were left in the hall.
Recently, the imperial concubine was demoted and Ge Jingyang was imprisoned. Logically, this should have been the most depressing moment for Gu Shichong, but he seemed to be in a good mood.
He bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, your son pays homage to you."
The emperor was not displeased when he saw him, but smiled slightly: "You have done a good job, please sit down."
Gu Shichong nodded in agreement and sat down. "Your Majesty is the mastermind, and I am merely following His Majesty's orders. Who could have imagined that Your Majesty's chosen candidate for marriage from the very beginning would be Pingzhang?"
The emperor chuckled and said slowly, "If there were no dispute over the selection of relatives, how could we mobilize so many people? And how could we make the Ge family make a mistake?"
Looking at Gu Shichong, the emperor showed a look of relief. "Chong'er, you are my most preferred candidate for crown prince. However, since ancient times, the interference of foreign relatives in politics has always shaken the foundation of the country. Even though I hope you will inherit the Great Yong Dynasty, I have to be wary of the Ge family. Only when the Ge family is completely defeated can I safely entrust this country to you."
Hearing this, Gu Shichong clenched his fists slightly, his eyes surging with a desire for power. "Your Majesty is wise. I am a descendant of the Gu family. Even though I share the same blood with the Ge family, I will never allow the Gu family's kingdom to be in danger."
"Come to think of it," the emperor suddenly asked, "don't you like that girl Xue Zhiyi? You didn't inform her about this matter in advance. Aren't you afraid that something might happen to her?"
Gu Shichong's eyes moved slightly. At that time in the library, he did struggle with whether to let Xue Zhiyi stay away. He even turned back after leaving. But after thinking about it, he still knew the priorities. He could not let the position of crown prince that was within his grasp become complicated for the sake of a woman.
"This matter is of great importance, and I dare not let anyone else know."
Hearing this, the emperor nodded, very satisfied.
Suddenly, he said, "Father, I don't know about the marriage arrangement I mentioned earlier..."
At worst, he could compensate her after he married Xue Zhiyi. After the marriage was settled, Xue Zhiyi could continue to persuade the Queen Mother to stand on his side.
But the emperor said, "There's no rush. In the eyes of others, I'm already disgusted with you. If I grant you a marriage now, wouldn't it be abrupt? Besides, your wife hasn't been chosen yet, so why rush into a concubine?"
"Your Majesty is right." Although he said this, Gu Shichong knew that the emperor was still a little wary of him.
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