"You hated him back then."
Gu Lin's words almost instantly transported Gu Qingyan back to that night: "Ayan, people always have to look forward, and besides, people aren't just one-dimensional."
“You may be a wise and enlightened monarch in front of the people, but a well-behaved child in Zhaoning Palace. You see, we each have more than one face.”
Gu Qingyan's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing this. "Father, was there even a moment when Qin Wei was truly kind to me?"
Ling Hai, hidden in the shadows, sighed inwardly. If Qin Wei hadn't gone astray, his position in the young master's heart should have been second only to the master and his wife.
What a pity...
"If he didn't, why would he take the knife for you?"
Gu Lin looked at Gu Qingyan, the child he was most proud of, and said, "If Qin Wei hadn't betrayed us, even your mother and I would have treated him with gratitude and respect."
"Because he protected you for us for many years."
As Gu Qingyan spoke, the knot in his heart slowly untied. It turned out that his father also thought that Qin Wei had a good side.
He wasn't the only one who missed this "traitor".
Seeing Gu Qingyan begin to eat heartily, Gu Lin's eyes crinkled with a smile.
"After you finish eating, tell me about what happened at the Prince of Xiang's residence." Gu Lin's words made Gu Qingyan pause. "What? You still don't want to tell me?"
"You never asked me before, I thought you already knew."
"Of course I know." Gu Lin twitched the corner of his mouth. "It's just that what Qin Wei told me is probably different from what you said. I want to hear it from you yourself."
"What about the affairs of the court..."
"Approve it yourself."
"How ruthless." The light that had been shining in Gu Qingyan's eyes slowly faded. He had thought that the great demon in front of him would take pity on him and help him with some court affairs.
"Handling state affairs is the emperor's business; one should fulfill one's duties in one's position."
Gu Lin saw through Gu Qingyan's thoughts at a glance and refused decisively.
The sound of Gu Qingyan's heart breaking seemed to echo in the air, and Gu Lin couldn't help but laugh, "Eat quickly, I'll be staying at Taihe Palace tonight."
......
That night, Gu Qingyan talked on and on about many things from the past to Gu Lin. Gu Lin's understanding of Qin Wei deepened, and in Gu Lin's eyes, Qin Wei was already like family to Gu Qingyan.
Early in the morning, Gu Qingyan was forcibly dragged out of bed by Gu Lin.
"Father, I am so tired, can I skip court today?"
Gu Qingyan hugged the quilt tightly, while Yingzhi watched from the side, not daring to breathe. Good heavens, if the retired emperor and the emperor start fighting, will he land on his head or his butt?
"If it's not the emperor, then who will hold court if the emperor doesn't?"
"I am the emperor, and I rule the entire Great Yu. If I say I won't hold court today, then I won't." Gu Qingyan didn't even open his eyes. "Please, please attend court for me this once, I'm so sleepy..."
As they were talking, Gu Qingyan fell asleep again, his even breathing filling the air. Gu Lin frowned deeply.
"The Emperor Emeritus..."
Ying Zhi's weak voice rang out, "His Majesty has been sleeping late these past few days. If possible, let His Majesty get more rest, otherwise even an iron body can't withstand it."
The next second, Gu Lin's sharp gaze fell on Ying Zhi, and Ying Zhi's legs went weak and he knelt on the ground.
That's it...
The expected pain did not come; instead, he felt a chill emanating from the Emperor Emeritus as he walked past him.
"Alright, get up and serve the Emperor Emeritus at court."
Ling Hai's voice rang out, and his gaze towards Ying Zhi changed slightly. This little eunuch seemed quite good; at least this time he had caught the emperor's eye.
Gu Qingyan was fast asleep in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, while the civil and military officials in the court had been waiting for a long time.
"The Emperor Emeritus has arrived!"
Yingzhi’s high-pitched voice rang out, and the court officials were all stunned. This was clearly still the voice of Eunuch Yingzhi, so how did it become the voice of the retired emperor?
Before anyone could think further, Gu Lin stepped into the court, his white hair and his whole body exuding a chill.
The former officials of Da Ning immediately knelt down, and the familiar sense of fear resurfaced.
"Greetings to the Emperor Emeritus! Long live the Emperor Emeritus!"
Gu Lin flicked his sleeves and sat upright on the dragon throne. "Rise."
"Get to the point."
Gu Lin clearly didn't have Gu Qingyan's good temper. He went straight to the point, and the court officials who wanted to submit a memorial below trembled with fear, silently weighing whether it was feasible to report the matter the next day.
"What, isn't there anything to discuss?"
Gu Lin casually flipped through the documents on the table. "Who told you to write such long and tedious documents like foot-binding cloths?"
"And these greetings and petitions, stop submitting them from now on. Don't you see how many petitions the Emperor has to review every day?"
"Kui Ruo."
"Your subject is here." Upon hearing Gu Lin's words, Kui Ruo felt somewhat pleased.
He had mentioned these matters to the Emperor, but the Emperor himself could not say them directly, nor did he want the retired Emperor to bear a bad reputation. Now that the retired Emperor had taken the initiative to bring them up, it was the perfect time.
“Draft a set of rules for writing memorials to the emperor, so that if anyone submits a memorial in this way in the future, just throw it back.”
"I obey the order."
Seeing that no courtiers had spoken up, Gu Lin continued to peruse the memorials. "They are all trivial matters. I ask you, are there any people in Dayu suffering from cold and hunger?"
The entire court of officials stammered and hesitated.
"Ignoring so many important matters and not investigating or reporting them, you spend your days focusing on these trivial matters. What have I been feeding you for?" Gu Lin slammed his hand on the table. "If I find anything amiss in anyone's territory in the future, don't blame me for not laying it all out in advance."
"Alright, if there's nothing else, the court may adjourn."
Gu Lin stood up and left, leaving Ying Zhi somewhat dumbfounded. After a few moments, he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Court adjourned!"
On the way back to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Yingzhi was still wondering why the Emperor's court sessions were completely different from those of the Retired Emperor.
Gu Qingyan slept until the sun was high in the sky before getting up. As soon as he got up, he asked about the court proceedings.
"What? Those old guys didn't say a word?"
Gu Qingyan immediately sobered up and shouted, "Why is it that when I attend court, those old guys nitpick over trivial matters, but when my father attends court, he's as obedient as a grandson?"
"That's right. No one spoke up the whole time, and the Emperor Emeritus even brought up the matter of the memorial."
Gu Qingyan's chest heaved with anger. "These people are going too far. They even treat me and Father Emperor differently."
"However, the number of memorials submitted by the Emperor should decrease significantly in the future."
"Hmph."
Gu Qingyan walked to the bronze mirror and made a few funny faces. "Yingzhi, tell me what expressions Father Emperor used to keep those old men in check today."
Yingzhi: ......
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