Guo Gaoyi was dumbfounded. He stood on the couch trembling all over and had no idea what to do.

When Madam Guo heard this, she immediately shouted in panic, "Xiu Yun, no! If Gao Yi goes to see His Majesty like this, he will die!"

Mrs. Guo also reacted. She crawled to General Guo and collapsed on the ground crying her heart out.

"Husband, please think of a way to save Gao Yi! Don't be so cruel, he is our child!"

General Guo's face was full of disappointment, and he said in a sad voice: "When you did such a treasonous thing, did you ever think that I am your son, your husband, and your father!"

"I have fought on the battlefield for half my life, brought glory to the Guo family, and provided you with a life of luxury. How could you have the heart to stab me in the back?"

"It is a grave crime to cause trouble in the imperial examination! The entire family of Duke Qing was executed. If you still want to cover it up, once someone reports it to His Majesty, the Guo family will be finished!"

When Mrs. Guo heard this, her whole body suddenly tilted and she almost fell to the ground.

Guo Gaoyi reacted and quickly jumped off the couch to support Mrs. Guo. She looked pale and kept muttering:

"Why is it so? Why is it so? My dear grandson, he just wants to make his father happy!"

Mrs. Guo was already crying her heart out, feeling regretful and painful, and could only hold onto General Guo's clothes tightly, begging:

"My dear, no matter what, at least save Gao Yi's life! I was bewildered and I failed to persuade him back then!"

"My dear husband, can you drag me before His Majesty? This is all my fault as a mother. I am willing to die for Gao Yi!"

General Guo ignored his mother and wife and kept looking at Guo Gaoyi from beginning to end.

Seeing his grandmother and mother so grief-stricken, Guo Gaoyi couldn't help but burst into tears.

He was the most useless of the three brothers, neither good at literature nor martial arts. At first, he really just wanted to make his father proud of him.

It's too late. It's too late to say anything now.

He couldn't possibly let the entire Guo family be buried with him.

"Father, I am willing to go with you to the emperor and plead guilty. I will not complain as long as the Guo family is not implicated."

When Guo Gaoyi said this, Mrs. Guo and Madam Guo were struck by lightning. They could not cry anymore and fell to the ground, almost fainting.

General Guo pulled the hem back from Madam Guo's hands and said with a cold face, "Follow me now!"

Guo Gaoyi put on his coat, kowtowed three times to his mother and grandmother who were lying on the ground, and stood up resolutely.

"Gao Yi!"

"Children!"

Mrs. Guo cried so much that she fainted. She beat her chest again and again, tears streaming down her face.

The door was opened, and Mrs. Guo was seen standing outside the door holding the child. Her face was pale, and it was obvious that she had heard everything.

The child was still ignorant, and when he saw his father, he babbled and reached out to ask for a hug. His childish calls of "Daddy" broke everyone's heart.

General Guo couldn't bear to stay any longer and strode out.

Guo Gaoyi stood in front of his wife and daughter and couldn't help but burst into tears again.

"Take good care of Sister Qiu. No, if...if I can't come back, let me give you a divorce letter. You can go home. I will definitely treat Sister Qiu well."

Mrs. Guo's eyes were red, and she suddenly raised her hand and slapped Guo Gaoyi hard.

"You are such a loser! I will hate you for the rest of my life!"

This was to tell Guo Gaoyi that she would never leave the Guo family in her life.

Guo Gaoyi felt a severe pain in his heart and did not dare to see his wife again. He touched his daughter's little face and turned around to leave the hospital.

The child waited a long time without reaching his father's arms, and burst into tears, mixed with the low sobs of a woman.

General Guo had a gloomy look on his face, and he rode his horse straight to the palace with Guo Gaoyi.

————

Emperor Yong was still in the imperial study. He didn't have much government affairs to attend to, but he was just used to sitting quietly here.

There was a sudden knock on the door, but Emperor Yong was not startled.

Huang Gong opened the palace door and went out, and saw the young eunuch reporting with a serious face:

"Eunuch, General Guo has an urgent matter to discuss with His Majesty."

Eunuch Huang was slightly startled, as he had heard the emperor and Lord Tan talking about General Guo during the day.

"You wait here."

Eunuch Huang turned and went into the imperial study.

"Your Majesty, General Guo is requesting an audience outside the palace."

Emperor Yong looked up in surprise and waved his hand: "Announce."

Eunuch Huang responded, and Emperor Yong added, "Call Tan Xiuzhuan."

Emperor Yong remembered that it was Tan Hanchi who was on duty in the Hanlin Academy tonight.

"Yes." Eunuch Huang hurried out.

When Tan Hanchi arrived from the Hanlin Academy, he just saw General Guo leading his son into the imperial study.

He was slightly surprised, but then he couldn't help but feel admiration.

Just yesterday, Brother Qiao told him that General Guo’s son was involved in cheating in the Spring Examination. Today, General Guo brought his son to confess his guilt.

He didn't believe that Brother Qiao had no hand in this.

Since Brother Qiao has already taken ninety-nine steps, he will naturally not let Brother Qiao down in the remaining step!

The military power in the southern border must be handed over to the clean and impeccable General Guo!

When Tan Hanchi walked into the imperial study under the guidance of Eunuch Huang, General Guo was confessing everything to Emperor Yong with great sorrow.

Guo Gaoyi knelt aside with his forehead touching the ground, not daring to raise his head.

Emperor Yong's face turned gloomy when he heard this, and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry.

Seeing Tan Hanchi coming in, Emperor Yong motioned him to stand aside and listen.

After General Guo finished speaking, Emperor Yong asked calmly:

"Lord Guo, the cheating incident in the Spring Examination is long over, and the list left by Sheng Qishan is nowhere to be found. If you don't tell us today, no one will know about it."

This sentence is a test.

Test General Guo's true intentions, test the whereabouts of the list of cheating in the Spring Examination, and test whether General Guo is still qualified to take over the military power of the southern border.

If General Guo makes one wrong move, he might lose the whole game!

On the way here, General Guo had already thought it through.

In front of Emperor Yong, you cannot tell all the truth, nor can you tell all lies. The best strategy is to tell 80% truth and 20% lies.

So, he told the whole story of how Guo Gaoyi was framed and almost fell into the trap tonight, but the two secret guards who acted in time really became members of the Guo family.

"Your Majesty, I am terrified. Someone is already plotting against my son. How deep must one's scheming be to start plotting against him before the selection of the General of the Cavalry has even been made?"

"So I asked him sternly whether he had any omissions in his daily conduct and whether he had done anything wrong."

"My son is timid and dull. He could not stand my questioning and told me about the cheating in the imperial examination. I was so frightened that I was chilled to the bone!"

"Your Majesty, I am loyal to you, and heaven and earth can bear witness to that. Your son has indeed done something unforgivable, and I am unworthy of your Majesty's trust."

"I dare not condone it, let alone cover it up. Otherwise, it will leave a handle for someone with ulterior motives to take advantage of it in the future, which will be even more of a betrayal of the grace of the emperor."

"Therefore, I have the audacity to ask for an audience at night, and ask Your Majesty to punish me and eliminate all hidden dangers. I have a pure and loyal heart!"