"I'm just handling some odd jobs."
Gu Qingyan pursed his lips. "Father has entrusted the safety of the hunting grounds to the Imperial Guards."
To be able to attack him at the hunting grounds, one must have received permission from the Emperor.
"I thought I was very vigilant, but I never expected that my father would make a move against me right here in the hunting grounds." Gu Qingyan pursed his lips. He had always been on guard against schemes outside the hunting grounds.
“The Third Prince is still young. If the person behind him could attack you inside the arena, there must have been many hidden attacks outside as well. The Third Prince has managed to dodge them all.” Gu Lin comforted Gu Qingyan, saying that after all, he was still just a ten-year-old child.
"Does the Third Prince know about the 'Umbrella of Ten Thousand People'?"
Gu Qingyan remained silent, clearly having already heard the rumors.
"I am very grateful to the people of Hengxian for giving me the 'Ten Thousand People's Umbrella'," Gu Qingyan said with a wry smile. "But I'm afraid that 'Ten Thousand People's Umbrella' will not end up in my hands."
"The Umbrella of Ten Thousand People should either be given to a good official who serves the people or to a wise and virtuous monarch." Gu Lin's tone was soft, but it struck Gu Qingyan like a thunderbolt. "Is the Third Prince the former or the latter?"
He could hear his mother's thoughts, so he always knew that she was planning to help him seize the throne.
But this is the first time someone has asked him so bluntly, asking him if he has this ambition.
"If I could, I would naturally want to be the latter."
Gu Qingyan stopped and looked up at Gu Lin, "Please help me, sir."
"nature."
Gu Lin's lips curled up. "You brat, not only Daqing, but Da Ning is yours too."
The two walked towards Jiang Yu's tent one after the other, while Gu Heng was in a terrible mood.
"The Third Prince arrived at the hunting grounds early this morning, but he hasn't caught anything all day!" Gu Heng said, panting heavily. "Am I raising a bunch of good-for-nothings?"
"Your Majesty, please calm down." Deng Yu, the leader of the Imperial Guards, knelt on one knee. "The people around the Third Prince were all appointed by the Empress. They guard the Third Prince like an iron barrel, never leaving his side."
Gu Heng remained silent upon hearing this, until Deng Yu's legs were almost numb from kneeling, before Gu Heng slowly spoke:
"It seems the Empress is starting to be wary of me."
"Go down and receive thirty strokes of the military rod."
Deng Yu walked away shakily. Gu Heng, with nowhere to vent his anger, summoned Consort Li to his tent.
......
"emperor......"
Consort Li's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but Gu Heng only vented his anger, his movements were extremely rough, and Consort Li shed tears of pain.
Why are you crying?
Gu Heng asked casually, without being moved in the slightest.
"I am the Emperor, and all the concubines in the harem should learn to be obedient in front of me." Gu Heng tightened his grip, and Consort Li immediately cried out in pain.
A look of satisfaction flashed in Gu Heng's eyes. Back when he was a prince, the Grand Tutor had picked on him quite a bit.
After the second time the emperor had his way with her, Consort Li lay on the couch, her face ashen. The emperor today was a completely different person from the one who had been so rude yesterday.
The pain kept coming from that spot. Consort Li thought of the many instructions her family had given her before she entered the palace, and she struggled to get up and wrap her arms around Gu Heng's waist.
"What? Still not enough?"
A hint of mockery flashed in Gu Heng's eyes. He reached out and touched her, saying that concubines should be obedient, but he found this kind of behavior of lowering oneself to please others utterly tasteless.
"Your Majesty, I am in pain..." Consort Li grabbed Gu Heng's hand, which was starting to thrash around. "I just saw that Your Majesty was in a bad mood, so I wanted to talk to you."
"I am in a bad mood?"
Consort Li's hand slowly moved up from her waist, finally settling on her neck. Sensing danger, Consort Li didn't dare to breathe, letting Gu Heng play with her back and forth. "Tell me, why am I in a bad mood?"
It was as if if Consort Li uttered even half a wrong word, she would be reduced to ashes in the next second.
"The Emperor always has the Empress in his heart."
A few breaths later, a low laugh rang out, and Gu Heng moved away from Li Guiren's body, saying, "You're quite clever."
"If it were you, how would you treat your husband?"
A bitter taste filled her mouth, and Consort Li felt a sharp pain in her heart. The Emperor was the Empress's husband, and she was just a concubine, an object.
"I am my husband's woman, and I have given birth to his children. My husband is naturally my heaven."
Gu Heng paused noticeably, then abruptly pulled off the quilt covering the two of them.
With her snow-white skin completely exposed to the air, Consort Li didn't even have the courage to pull back the quilt to cover herself, and could only plead with Gu Heng in a low voice.
But Gu Heng smiled. He understood. He understood the meaning of what Consort Li had just said.
"For her meritorious service to me, Consort Li is hereby promoted to Lady Li."
His empress was neither his woman nor the child he bore.
......
"Won't this medicine harm my body?" Gu Heng looked at the colorless and odorless powder in front of him, which Cen Hai had personally found for him.
"Your Majesty, this medicine itself has very little potency. It needs to be combined with specially made spices to be effective. Your Majesty can rest assured." Cen Hai naturally knew Gu Heng's thoughts; this medicine would not harm a woman's fertility.
"We'll roast a whole lamb tomorrow night, and have everyone come out of the tents to drink and have a good time," Gu Heng said, his eyes dark. "We'll also call in some dancers to perform some songs and dances to liven things up."
......
The next day, Gu Lin's right eyelid kept twitching from the moment he woke up in the morning.
After another round of hunting, Jiang Yu was chatting with Gu Qingyan in the tent.
"Mother, Father has withheld my umbrella of justice."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu glanced at Gu Qingyan with some surprise, then quickly composed herself.
This seems to be the first time Ayan has expressed dissatisfaction with Gu Heng.
"Everyone knows that the 'Umbrella of Ten Thousand People' was a gift to you," Jiang Yu said half-jokingly. "If you're not happy about it, then you'll have to find a way to take it back."
"Of course I disagree."
Gu Qingyan lowered his head and carefully peeled almonds for Jiang Yu, saying, "When the child is fully grown, we will go and take them back."
Good boy!
Jiang Yu couldn't contain her excitement and smiled. She had been worried that Gu Qingyan didn't like the throne and would be in a dilemma.
"Now that you've made up your mind, you should work even harder in the future."
The mother and son chatted for a while longer before Gu Qingyan took his leave, saying, "Father is hosting a banquet for everyone tonight, so I'll go back and make some preparations."
"Go quickly."
Jiang Yu was still wearing the same ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and still had a jade hairpin in her hair.
The moment Jiang Yu stepped out of the tent, her heart suddenly pounded like thunder.
"Your Majesty, I'd better stand behind you tonight," Gu Lin couldn't help but say. With each twitch of his right eyelid, a bloodthirsty glint rose in Gu Lin's heart.
"I am still worried about Ayan."
Jiang Yu was naturally aware of what had happened yesterday, and she couldn't help but feel lingering fear. "Mr. Huo, now that my brother is gone, I can only rest assured when you are watching over Ayan."
"Then Your Majesty, you..."
“My position is right next to the Emperor, not far from Ayan, and Mr. Huo can also see me.”
If there is danger, even if you are only one centimeter away, you may not be able to save Ayan.
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