"Sir, at what age did your parents pass away?"
Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Gu Qingyan, while biting the handle of a vermilion brush, asked with a conflicted expression.
"Why does Your Majesty ask me these questions?" Kui Ruo paused in her book-turning hand. Why did the Emperor seem so strange today? "It's been too long, and I can't quite remember anymore."
Gu Qingyan pursed his lips upon hearing this, thinking, "If you don't want to talk, just say so. I've forgotten what I was going to say here."
"Did your father beat you back then?" Gu Qingyan asked hesitantly. Wei Ruo's lips twitched, and she understood almost instantly what had happened without his knowledge.
Feeling Wei Ruo's gaze begin to sweep over a certain part of his body, Gu Qingyan immediately sat up straight. The wound on his buttocks had almost healed. Gu Qingyan tried to cover it up by saying, "Why are you looking at me? I was just asking casually."
Kui Ruo smiled knowingly; it seemed the Emperor had been beaten by Emperor Zhaoyuan.
Kui Ruo rolled her eyes and said leisurely, "My father doted on me when I was young and never laid a hand on me."
Seeing Gu Qingyan's expression begin to worsen, Wei Ruo deliberately added fuel to the fire, "Your Majesty, if every father has to beat his child, then where does the saying 'filial piety' come from?"
Gu Qingyan's gaze gradually turned resentful. Sure enough, his mother, uncle, and aunt were all lying to him!
"By the way," Wei Ruo said without changing her expression, "we can't rule out another possibility, which is that the child is so naughty that it has to be disciplined."
"How could I...?"
Faced with Wei Ruo's questioning gaze, Gu Qingyan stopped talking abruptly. "What I mean is that children are young after all, and it's normal for them to be naughty sometimes. As a father, one should be more tolerant."
"Your Majesty is absolutely right!"
Kui Ruo left Taihe Hall in a leisurely manner, leaving Gu Lin with a troublesome mess.
As a rival in love, one should have the stance of a rival in love.
Without affecting the overall situation, he didn't mind creating some trouble for Gu Lin.
......
In the following days, everyone began to notice Gu Qingyan's unusual behavior.
The atmosphere in the imperial court and the military camp was already extremely tense. Even the common people consciously closed their doors, and there were far fewer people on the streets.
Almost everyone anticipated that war would break out in Daqing.
But at this moment, every court official who had been summoned to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to discuss state affairs came out with a strange expression. Some of them even limped towards the Zhong residence as soon as they left the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
"Lord Wei, why do you think the Emperor asked us such a question before he left?"
The ministers racked their brains but could not come up with a reason, so they could only seek help from Kui Ruo.
"Does His Majesty ask everyone the same questions?" Kui Ruo's expression remained unchanged.
"Yes, they're all asking us if we were ever beaten by our fathers when we were little." The ministers were all sweating profusely. "Lord Wei, what do you think His Majesty means by this?"
"How did you answer the Emperor?"
"It's only natural for a father to beat his son. Who hasn't been beaten when they were a kid?"
Hearing everyone's words, Wei Ruo sighed with some regret. She hadn't expected that the Emperor would ask so many people besides him. It was a real pity that she couldn't make things difficult for Gu Lin.
"Perhaps His Majesty has just suddenly become interested; there's no need for everyone to take it to heart."
At the same time, Gu Qingyan, who was reviewing memorials in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, happily hummed a little tune.
What Wei Ruo said is just an isolated case; there are many more cases of fathers beating their sons.
snort!
He's not the only one in the world who's been beaten up!
Qin Wei breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief. Thank God, this matter is finally going to be forgotten by the Emperor.
However, Qin Wei glanced at the sky outside again. The weather in July was extremely hot and humid. Before long, dark clouds gathered in the sky outside, giving the impression of an impending doom.
Qin Wei's eyes flickered slightly; this brief moment of calm was about to vanish.
......
In late July, the Great Wei Dynasty suffered an unprecedented drought. The Wei Emperor, who was already in poor health, was hit by a series of memorials about the natural disaster, and he coughed up blood several times.
Upon learning this news, Wei Ruo simply said: "May God bless Daqing."
“Uncle, this battle will be extremely difficult. Although Great Wei is currently experiencing natural disasters, its national strength is roughly equal to that of Great Qing.” Gu Qingyan stood in front of Jiang He. “I will entrust you with 70% of Great Qing’s military strength.”
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will certainly live up to your mission."
Gu Qingyan took a few steps to the side and stood in front of Bai Qian.
“Aunt, once we go to war with Great Wei, Da Ning and the surrounding countries will certainly not stand idly by and watch Da Qing annex Great Wei.”
Gu Qingyan took a deep breath. "I entrust 20% of the remaining 30% to you. You will lead troops to garrison Heng County and must defend the border of my Daqing."
"Your subject obeys the decree."
The two military tokens were placed in the palms of Jiang He and Bai Qian respectively. Gu Qingyan took a few steps back and bowed slightly to Jiang He and Bai Qian, "This time, I'm entrusting it to my uncle and aunt."
Jiang He and Bai Qian immediately knelt down, "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty."
Large raindrops accompanied the booming thunder, and Gu Qingyan's eyes were filled with intense ambition.
This time, he left only 10% of his troops in the capital.
"Aunt, you will be meeting someone else later." Gu Qingyan and Jiang He exchanged a glance, and after an incense stick had burned, Gu Lin arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
"Gu Lin!" Bai Qian immediately stood opposite Gu Lin, their positions seemingly locked in a confrontation.
"You're the one leading the troops to Hengxian, aren't you?" At this moment, Gu Lin exuded an aura that commanded Bai Qian's respect, and Bai Qian became wary. "If Da Ning makes any unusual moves, tell me immediately."
Why should I tell you about Da Ning's affairs?
“Because in Da Ning, I am the one who calls the shots.” Gu Lin was still damp from the rain. “But I cannot guarantee that there won’t be anyone in Da Ning who sends troops without authorization. If such a situation occurs, I will handle it personally.”
"We must do everything possible to prevent war between Daning and Daqing."
"You are... the ruler of the Great Ning Kingdom?"
Bai Qian's mind was filled with Gu Lin's words "I, the lonely one," and after a few seconds of reaction, she spoke in a trembling voice.
The person before her was none other than the fearsome Emperor Zhaoyuan, the most powerful person in the world, in her opinion.
"Exactly."
Gu Lin took out a silver-white mask from his sleeve and put it on his face.
In an instant, it corresponded to the image of Emperor Zhaoyuan in Bai Qian's mind.
"Emperor Zhaoyuan, so I've been sparring with Emperor Zhaoyuan all along..." Bai Qian's hands began to tremble. "It was Emperor Zhaoyuan! It was Emperor Zhaoyuan!"
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