Upon seeing this, Empress Dowager Guo frowned slightly. "Wait!"
Gu Heng turned around, "Does Mother have any further instructions?"
Empress Dowager Guo's gaze fell on Wen Ruyi's face. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Since she saved the Emperor, it would be inappropriate to keep her in the palace as a maid. I see that the Emperor seems to treat her quite differently, so why don't we take her as a concubine?"
Gu Heng paused, looked down at the weak girl in his arms, and pursed his lips, "Very well..."
"No!"
Just then, a low, cold voice interrupted him.
The mother and son looked outside and saw Gu Linchao walk in.
Upon seeing him, Empress Dowager Guo's eyes flickered slightly, and she asked in a slow voice, "Why do you say such a thing, Hengzhi?"
Gu Linchao's gaze fell on Wen Ruyi in Gu Heng's arms. "This woman's origins are unknown, yet the Empress Dowager and the Emperor want to take her into the harem. This is really inappropriate."
“But she saved me. And didn’t my uncle not object last night?” Gu Heng frowned.
“Last night, I didn’t see her clearly and thought she was just an ordinary peasant girl from the manor,” Gu Linchao said calmly.
Gu Heng was somewhat surprised upon hearing this, "Could it be that Imperial Uncle knows Liu'er?"
"Liu'er?" Gu Linchao asked in confusion.
"Liu'er has lost her memory and doesn't remember who she is. I saw that she was as fragile yet resilient as a willow branch, so I named her Liu'er," Gu Heng explained, a slight smile playing on his lips, a sense of accomplishment on his face.
From the moment Wen Ruyi saw Gu Linchao enter, her face turned ashen, and her hands, hidden in her sleeves, trembled uncontrollably.
Gu Linchao's arrival was ill-intentioned; was he trying to prevent the emperor from taking her into his harem?
After listening to Gu Heng's words, Gu Linchao did not comment, but only said, "But does Your Majesty know that she is the adopted daughter of the Duke of Dingguo? And why was she driven to the estate?"
"The Duke of Dingguo?" Not only was Gu Heng surprised, but Empress Dowager Guo was also quite taken aback.
“Exactly,” Gu Linchao explained. “This woman had impure intentions and wanted to harm my queen. I caught her in the act, and the evidence was conclusive. Therefore, the Duke of Dingguo sent her to the estate so that she could reflect on her mistakes.”
Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Guo frowned and said, "Since her intentions are impure, she naturally cannot stay in the palace. Send her back to where she came from."
Wen Ruyi quickly grabbed Gu Heng's sleeve and shook her head desperately at him, looking innocent and pitiful.
Gu Heng's heart tightened, and he frowned, saying, "Uncle, are you mistaken? If Liu'er were malicious, why would she have saved me yesterday? Whatever happened in the past is in the past. She has amnesia now and doesn't remember anything. Why is Uncle holding onto the past?"
Even criminals are given a chance to reform, let alone Liu'er, who is just a weak woman.
Before Gu Linchao could say anything, Empress Dowager Guo spoke first: "Heng'er, you mustn't speak to your royal uncle like that. He's only doing it for your own good."
Is it all for his own good?
Gu Heng became even more disgusted. "Your subject is only stating the facts. I hope that Your Majesty and Mother will give Liu'er a chance. She is so weak. If she is driven out of the palace, she will not survive."
"You insolent fool! I think you've been bewitched by this vixen!" Empress Dowager Guo's face turned ashen with rage, her hatred for Wen Ruyi growing ever stronger. How could Heng'er have openly defied her and Hengzhi for her sake after only one night? If such a person were allowed to remain in the palace, who knows what even greater trouble she might cause in the future.
"In short, I do not agree to her staying in the palace." Her attitude was very firm and resolute.
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