Gu HuaiJiang Is Reprimanded
Yin Yan was absolutely furious.
This was the first time that the son whom he had been proud of had refused one of his orders, and it had happened in front of Gu ShuBai and Yu Fu- two outsiders. This made it absolutely impossible for him to save face.
He was not an old man who viewed himself as infallible and feared having his power snatched by the younger generation. He had already learned to let go of certain things after a year of suffering at the family home.
The thing that he absolutely could not tolerate was not that Yin Shuo had refused his order. It was that he had done so many absurd things during the year that he had been away!
He sought personal profits, he rebelled, he killed his ruler!
Even if he won that gamble, in the eyes of Yin Yan, a man who had learned from generations of loyalty to the ruler and care for the people, this was a black mark that could not be wiped away.
He had no way of reprimanding Yin Shuo and no way of telling everyone the truth. After all, this was his son, but this did not mean that he would continue to tolerate Yin Shuo.
After returning to the capital and finding out the truth, he had been infuriated countless times. Finally, he let it all out at this moment-
“Smack!”
This slap landed directly on Yin Shuo’s face. Yu Fu and Gu ShuBai were left completely stunned.
This was not Yu Fu’s original intention. Seeing the discord between Yin Yan and his son did not make them feel even the slightest shred of delight. On the contrary, it made them feel a little sad.
Yin Shuo had been slapped, and when he raised his head, the left half of his face was bloody.
Yin Yan had always been proud of him and had never struck him before. Even though he was much older, he had put all of his strength into that slap, and he had done it in front of the two people he wanted to give face to the least. Yin Shuo could not help but mock himself.
He looked at Gu ShuBai and Yu Fu.
One was a bitter rival whom he had tried multiple times to get rid of, while the other was the girl whom he loved the most. From the moment that they first met, he felt as if they were destined to be together.
He did not want his sorry state to be seen by these two.
Yin JiYao suddenly ran in from outside, and this was the first scene that she saw. She was so scared that she froze and did not know what to say.
This was the first time that she had ever seen Yin Shuo get hit. She felt a wide range of emotions. She was shocked and concerned, but more than that, she felt relieved.
“JiYao.”
Yin Yan suddenly called to her, “Lead princess and eldest young sir out first. Father and I have something to discuss.”
Yin JiYao looked at Yin Yan, and the latter did not argue, thus she looked at Yu Fu and Gu ShuBai. The two bid farewell and left.
After moving a bit further away, Yin JiYao looked at the quiet study and quietly wondered to herself what Yin Yan and Yin Shuo were discussing, “Yu Fu, did you manage to convince father?”
“It seems like it, but I feel that the discord between former prime minister and Yin Shuo did not seem to start today. What happened today was just a result of everything building up and blowing up.”
Yu Fu saw through the situation very clearly and frowned, “I just feel that with things becoming like this, Yin Shuo will be even more unlikely to help advise His Majesty.”
Yin JiYao sighed, “Your guess is correct. After father returned, he would often visit the ancestral hall to pay respects to our ancestors. I once heard him say something about being ashamed about letting our ancestors down and letting down the late emperor. He is absolutely displeased with what eldest brother has done, but because of their relation as father and son, he cannot report what eldest brother has done.”
Nobody could understand this feeling better than Yin JiYao.
Yu Fu said: “I understand.”
On the ride back to the manor, Gu ShuBai remained silent. It looked as if he had something important on his mind.
Yu Fu carefully leaned on his shoulder, “Eldest brother, what are you thinking about?”
Gu ShuBai came back to his senses and saw a pair of hair loops coming from the small head that was leaning against his shoulder. They were only adorned with a pair of silver lilac ornaments, which made her hair look as black as ink.
He was a little distracted, only saying after a pause: “I was wondering, why did Yin Shuo’s attitude look so strange? He wasn’t even willing to let go after the former prime minister made an appearance. Did he think that Marquis Gu’s Manor would surely be able to stop this on its own, or is he not at all worried about you being appointed empress?”
Yu Fu thought back to what she had heard while standing at the door and then thought about what Yin Shuo had said to her on his wedding day. It was all very contradictory.
She said: “It could be that we are overthinking it. Someone who is incapable of affection is capable of abusing his own younger sister. How much can his love be worth?”
Gu ShuBai looked at her earnest expression and laughed: “Yu Fu, I understand a man’s heart a little better than you do. When I mocked him and called his love cheap, his anger was very really and definitely not fake.”
“You’re saying…”
“I am saying that his feelings for you are not fake. I was just unable to understand why he would be willing to sit to the side and allow His Majesty to appoint you empress when he loves you so much.”
Gu ShuBai carefully pondered this question, “There is definitely something wrong here. Let me carefully think about it.”
“Eldest young sir, isn’t that General Jin and the others?”
The soldiers accompanying them outside shouted through the curtain, and Gu ShuBai poked his head out to take a look. Lao Jin, Yan HuaShi, and the others looked imposing and were in a rush. Based on the direction that they were going, it looked like they were going toward the palace.
“Have them stop.”
The soldier received the order and immediately called out in their direction, “General Jin, General Yan!”
Lao Jin and the others saw that it was someone from Marquis Gu’s Manor and came over to take a look. He then saw Gu ShuBai step out of the carriage, “What happened? What are you all planning to do, heading to the palace in such a rush?”
Yan HuaShi said: “Does young general still not know? Head general went into the palace today and was reprimanded. Word of this was brought back by the one who accompanied head general into the palace. After Steward Qi found out, he informed us. That’s it. We’re rushing to the palace to seek justice for head general!”
“Head general was punished?”
Yu Fu also climbed out of the carriage, “Is he still in the palace?”
Lao Jin urgently said: “But of course! Our head general is of the same generation as the late emperor. Thinking back to before His Majesty ascended the throne, he would address head general as uncle Gu! Now that he has ascended the throne, he refuses to acknowledge him and even dares to reprimand head general. Has he forgotten who it was that did his best to clear his name?”
“You must not say that sort of thing so mindlessly!”
Gu ShuBai looked around. Fortunately, the soldiers had created some space between them and the citizens. It was likely that nobody heard what Lao Jin had just said.
He lowered his voice, “Let’s go back to the manor first to talk.”
Nobody followed this instruction, “Young general, could it be that you are willing to allow head general to suffer this humiliation in the palace?”
Gu ShuBai glanced around at everyone and faintly furrowed his brow, “I am telling you to go back. This is an order! Have you forgotten what father said last night?”
Gu HuaiJiang had said that if they went into the palace to try and dissuade His Majesty, it would just make His Majesty think that he was being threatened.
When they heard that Gu HuaiJiang had been reprimanded, they caused such a huge fuss. Would this not give those with ulterior motives even more fodder to use against the Gu family’s army and cause even more trouble for Gu HuaiJiang?
They all fell silent. Facing Gu ShuBai, they subconsciously regained memory of Gu HuaiJiang’s order.
Yu Fu worriedly said: “You guys go back first. I will go into the palace to take a look. It’s a bit easier for me to go into the palace with my status. If head general…”
“There is no if. You’re coming back to the manor too.”
Gu ShuBai did not give her a chance to continue down that train of thought. Pressing down on her shoulder, he did not give her a chance to refuse, as he pushed her to sit back down inside the carriage.
His face was directly above her, and he was staring straight into her eyes, as he spoke very clearly: “Do you understand your own situation? The one in the palace that is like a wolf is waiting to eat you up, and you want to deliver yourself on a platter?”
“But head general, he…”
“Don’t worry. Father will be fine. We can discuss everything after we return to the manor.”
…
When they all returned to the manor, Gu JiuGe and the others were gathered in the main hall and anxiously waiting for news.
Seeing Lao Jin and the others follow Gu ShuBai inside, Gu JiuGe quickly came over and said: “What is going on?”
Gu ShuBai glanced at Qi Zhou, and the latter guiltily lowered his head, “It was all my fault for telling the generals about what happened to Lord Marquis in the palace. I regretted it after doing it. I should have listened to Lord Marquis!”
Lao Jin spoke up for Qi Zhou, “Young general, don’t blame Steward Qi. Didn’t this only happen because we felt anxious? Steward Qi also did it for our sake.”
Only now did Qi An find out about what Qi Zhou had done behind his hand, “Foolish, how could you be so foolish? It’s fortunate that the generals did not go into the palace; otherwise, His Majesty would really think that the Gu family’s army was threatening him. Do you know how serious that outcome would be?”
Qi An scolded his son, while Lao Jin, Yan HuaShi, and the others were embarrassed and felt very ashamed.
They had followed Gu HuaiJiang onto many battlefields over the years, yet they were still not as knowledgeable as Qi An. When it came to this, they were too impatient.
Gu JiuGe stepped forward to ease the situation, “Alright, alright, regardless of whether it was Steward Qi or the generals, it was all for father’s sake. Right now, it’s fine if His Majesty only reprimanded father, but the most pressing issue right now is: will be any other action taken?”
This was what everyone was most worried about.
Gu ShuBai turned to Qi An, “Chief Steward Qi, send someone to wait outside of the palace gates. If there is even the slightest bit of movement, immediately bring word of it back.”
“Yes, this old servant will go immediately!”
Qi An shot a displeased glance at Qi Zhou. It was as if he was telling him to take good care of this place before personally leaving the courtyard.
Gu ShuBai said: “I don’t think His Majesty will take any other action against father, and there are two reasons for this. First is father’s prestige and influence in court. It can’t be eliminated in just a single night. His Majesty has only just ascended and has not yet stabilized his rule, so doing anything radical to a senior official with many accomplishments would not be a smart move.”
Gu JiuGe thought for a bit, “His Majesty is not stupid. That could be seen based on how he previously acted to suppress Marquis Gu’s Manor. He is still afraid of the military might that father currently wields. I agree with eldest brother’s opinion. Father should be fine.”
Yan HuaShi tightly furrowed his brow, “That isn’t guaranteed! Since His Majesty’s ascension, his actions have become more and more foolish. On the night of new year’s eve, he nearly forced head general to kneel in front of all court officials! How could it be good if he decided to try and humiliate head general if they did not agree?”
Gu ShuBai said: “This is the second point that I was going to talk about. His Majesty’s goal is nothing more than to marry Yu Fu. Father is also Yu Fu’s adoptive father. If he wants to marry Yu Fu, he won’t destroy Marquis Gu’s Manor’s image for the time being.”
Everyone turned to look at Yu Fu, and the latter shrank down in her armchair and felt completely lost.
Ever since coming to Marquis Gu’s Manor, Gu HuaiJiang had always been omnipotent and could give her all of the things that others coveted, including clothes, jewelry, and rare supplements.
She had casually mentioned wanting to sail on West Lake, and he acquired an imperial boat with a number of people from the imperial family to accompany them.
The Lord Marquis Gu who doted endlessly on his daughter started a craze of “favoring daughters over sons” in the capital; however, now, he was lowering himself to go and plead with NinG ChengZhi. He was even reprimanded and humiliated.
His love for Yu Fu did not diminish in the slightest; however, Yu Fu felt that she could not bear that burden.
Gu Xiang and Gu Yi moved around the group to console her, “Little Yu Fu, don’t feel bad. Father will be fine. Think about how prominent our Marquis Gu’s Manor is in Eastern Ling. His Majesty will surely give it some face!”
“That’s right. Think back to when the late emperor wanted to engage Princess DanYang to eldest brother. Didn’t father’s persistence result in it being dropped? Now, father wants to advise His Majesty to give up on his idea of getting you, and it will surely work out!”
Yu Fu let out a faint sigh, “If His Majesty was as reasonable as the late emperor, this matter would not have reached this stage. No, I must go into the palace to take a look-”
Just as she said this, she heard a report come from outside, “Lord Marquis has returned! Lord Marquis has returned!”
Everyone hastily went out to receive him, and they saw Gu HuaiJiang walk in normally. It seemed that it was not as bad as they had expected. Seeing this, everyone smiled.
“Have you all come to wish us a happy new year?”
Yan HuaShi and the others looked at each other, while Lao Jin decided to just go for broke, “Head general, we were planning to go into the palace to wish His Majesty a happy new year but were stopped along the way by the young general! If you don’t want us to go into the palace to wish His Majesty a happy new year, just tell us about what happened today!”
Yan HuaShi looked at him as if he was courting death.
No matter how tactless Lao Jin usually was, he would never dare to disobey Gu HuaiJiang’s order, yet he had just spoken about it so openly.
He looked at Lao Jin, and Lao Jin looked at him, as he gestured toward the hem of Gu HuaiJiang’s robes with his mouth.
Everyone noticed this movement and looked in the direction that he had gestured. The hem of Gu HuaiJiang’s robe was wrinkled and covered in a faint layer of ash.
Everyone had an understanding of what had happened.
Gu HuaiJiang did not move. Since it could not be hidden, he chose not to try and hide it, “Let’s go in to speak. I’m thirsty. It should be fine for me to drink something before I talk about it, right?”
Lao Jin was cheerful, “Yes, yes, this lowly general will pour you some tea!”
In front of everyone, he did his best to recount the situation in as calm a tone as possible, “… His Majesty was already furious because of what happened last night, so upon hearing me say that I wanted him to give up on Yu Fu, he smashed a teacup. I just kneeled then heard that the members of the cabinet had come to see His Majesty, thus His Majesty ordered me to leave the palace.”
He just kneeled.
He said it so casually, yet everyone became more and more furious after hearing it.
Gu ShuBai said: “The cabinet ministers are righteous. If His Majesty dared to do anything unreasonable to father, they would surely speak on it. His Majesty did not impose a heavy punishment today, and it might be related to that. I fear that His Majesty will issue a formal decree in the future, which will not permit father to refuse.”
When that time came, based on Ning ChengZhi’s personality, he definitely would not care about giving any face to Marquis Gu’s Manor.
Everyone thought about the situation that he had detailed. Once the imperial decree was made and sent to Marquis Gu’s Manor, if they refused again, they would be defying an imperial decree. That would be the grave crime of seeking personal profits.
They all felt uneasy, and Gu HuaiJiang said: “For there to be an imperial decree, it would have to go through either the cabinet or the prime minister. Was there any gain to your visit to the prime minister’s manor?”
Gu ShuBai was planning to tell everyone about what had happened in the prime minister’s manor when he suddenly saw Qi An drag his elderly body in, “Master, it’s bad!”
Gu HuaiJiang turned to look at him, “Slow down. What exactly happened?”
Qi An struggled to breathe, and his voice was full of despair, “A decree just arrived from the palace. His Majesty is abolishing the cabinet!”
Gu HuaiJiang Is Reprimanded
Yin Yan was absolutely furious.
This was the first time that the son whom he had been proud of had refused one of his orders, and it had happened in front of Gu ShuBai and Yu Fu- two outsiders. This made it absolutely impossible for him to save face.
He was not an old man who viewed himself as infallible and feared having his power snatched by the younger generation. He had already learned to let go of certain things after a year of suffering at the family home.
The thing that he absolutely could not tolerate was not that Yin Shuo had refused his order. It was that he had done so many absurd things during the year that he had been away!
He sought personal profits, he rebelled, he killed his ruler!
Even if he won that gamble, in the eyes of Yin Yan, a man who had learned from generations of loyalty to the ruler and care for the people, this was a black mark that could not be wiped away.
He had no way of reprimanding Yin Shuo and no way of telling everyone the truth. After all, this was his son, but this did not mean that he would continue to tolerate Yin Shuo.
After returning to the capital and finding out the truth, he had been infuriated countless times. Finally, he let it all out at this moment-
“Smack!”
This slap landed directly on Yin Shuo’s face. Yu Fu and Gu ShuBai were left completely stunned.
This was not Yu Fu’s original intention. Seeing the discord between Yin Yan and his son did not make them feel even the slightest shred of delight. On the contrary, it made them feel a little sad.
Yin Shuo had been slapped, and when he raised his head, the left half of his face was bloody.
Yin Yan had always been proud of him and had never struck him before. Even though he was much older, he had put all of his strength into that slap, and he had done it in front of the two people he wanted to give face to the least. Yin Shuo could not help but mock himself.
He looked at Gu ShuBai and Yu Fu.
One was a bitter rival whom he had tried multiple times to get rid of, while the other was the girl whom he loved the most. From the moment that they first met, he felt as if they were destined to be together.
He did not want his sorry state to be seen by these two.
Yin JiYao suddenly ran in from outside, and this was the first scene that she saw. She was so scared that she froze and did not know what to say.
This was the first time that she had ever seen Yin Shuo get hit. She felt a wide range of emotions. She was shocked and concerned, but more than that, she felt relieved.
“JiYao.”
Yin Yan suddenly called to her, “Lead princess and eldest young sir out first. Father and I have something to discuss.”
Yin JiYao looked at Yin Yan, and the latter did not argue, thus she looked at Yu Fu and Gu ShuBai. The two bid farewell and left.
After moving a bit further away, Yin JiYao looked at the quiet study and quietly wondered to herself what Yin Yan and Yin Shuo were discussing, “Yu Fu, did you manage to convince father?”
“It seems like it, but I feel that the discord between former prime minister and Yin Shuo did not seem to start today. What happened today was just a result of everything building up and blowing up.”
Yu Fu saw through the situation very clearly and frowned, “I just feel that with things becoming like this, Yin Shuo will be even more unlikely to help advise His Majesty.”
Yin JiYao sighed, “Your guess is correct. After father returned, he would often visit the ancestral hall to pay respects to our ancestors. I once heard him say something about being ashamed about letting our ancestors down and letting down the late emperor. He is absolutely displeased with what eldest brother has done, but because of their relation as father and son, he cannot report what eldest brother has done.”
Nobody could understand this feeling better than Yin JiYao.
Yu Fu said: “I understand.”
On the ride back to the manor, Gu ShuBai remained silent. It looked as if he had something important on his mind.
Yu Fu carefully leaned on his shoulder, “Eldest brother, what are you thinking about?”
Gu ShuBai came back to his senses and saw a pair of hair loops coming from the small head that was leaning against his shoulder. They were only adorned with a pair of silver lilac ornaments, which made her hair look as black as ink.
He was a little distracted, only saying after a pause: “I was wondering, why did Yin Shuo’s attitude look so strange? He wasn’t even willing to let go after the former prime minister made an appearance. Did he think that Marquis Gu’s Manor would surely be able to stop this on its own, or is he not at all worried about you being appointed empress?”
Yu Fu thought back to what she had heard while standing at the door and then thought about what Yin Shuo had said to her on his wedding day. It was all very contradictory.
She said: “It could be that we are overthinking it. Someone who is incapable of affection is capable of abusing his own younger sister. How much can his love be worth?”
Gu ShuBai looked at her earnest expression and laughed: “Yu Fu, I understand a man’s heart a little better than you do. When I mocked him and called his love cheap, his anger was very really and definitely not fake.”
“You’re saying…”
“I am saying that his feelings for you are not fake. I was just unable to understand why he would be willing to sit to the side and allow His Majesty to appoint you empress when he loves you so much.”
Gu ShuBai carefully pondered this question, “There is definitely something wrong here. Let me carefully think about it.”
“Eldest young sir, isn’t that General Jin and the others?”
The soldiers accompanying them outside shouted through the curtain, and Gu ShuBai poked his head out to take a look. Lao Jin, Yan HuaShi, and the others looked imposing and were in a rush. Based on the direction that they were going, it looked like they were going toward the palace.
“Have them stop.”
The soldier received the order and immediately called out in their direction, “General Jin, General Yan!”
Lao Jin and the others saw that it was someone from Marquis Gu’s Manor and came over to take a look. He then saw Gu ShuBai step out of the carriage, “What happened? What are you all planning to do, heading to the palace in such a rush?”
Yan HuaShi said: “Does young general still not know? Head general went into the palace today and was reprimanded. Word of this was brought back by the one who accompanied head general into the palace. After Steward Qi found out, he informed us. That’s it. We’re rushing to the palace to seek justice for head general!”
“Head general was punished?”
Yu Fu also climbed out of the carriage, “Is he still in the palace?”
Lao Jin urgently said: “But of course! Our head general is of the same generation as the late emperor. Thinking back to before His Majesty ascended the throne, he would address head general as uncle Gu! Now that he has ascended the throne, he refuses to acknowledge him and even dares to reprimand head general. Has he forgotten who it was that did his best to clear his name?”
“You must not say that sort of thing so mindlessly!”
Gu ShuBai looked around. Fortunately, the soldiers had created some space between them and the citizens. It was likely that nobody heard what Lao Jin had just said.
He lowered his voice, “Let’s go back to the manor first to talk.”
Nobody followed this instruction, “Young general, could it be that you are willing to allow head general to suffer this humiliation in the palace?”
Gu ShuBai glanced around at everyone and faintly furrowed his brow, “I am telling you to go back. This is an order! Have you forgotten what father said last night?”
Gu HuaiJiang had said that if they went into the palace to try and dissuade His Majesty, it would just make His Majesty think that he was being threatened.
When they heard that Gu HuaiJiang had been reprimanded, they caused such a huge fuss. Would this not give those with ulterior motives even more fodder to use against the Gu family’s army and cause even more trouble for Gu HuaiJiang?
They all fell silent. Facing Gu ShuBai, they subconsciously regained memory of Gu HuaiJiang’s order.
Yu Fu worriedly said: “You guys go back first. I will go into the palace to take a look. It’s a bit easier for me to go into the palace with my status. If head general…”
“There is no if. You’re coming back to the manor too.”
Gu ShuBai did not give her a chance to continue down that train of thought. Pressing down on her shoulder, he did not give her a chance to refuse, as he pushed her to sit back down inside the carriage.
His face was directly above her, and he was staring straight into her eyes, as he spoke very clearly: “Do you understand your own situation? The one in the palace that is like a wolf is waiting to eat you up, and you want to deliver yourself on a platter?”
“But head general, he…”
“Don’t worry. Father will be fine. We can discuss everything after we return to the manor.”
…
When they all returned to the manor, Gu JiuGe and the others were gathered in the main hall and anxiously waiting for news.
Seeing Lao Jin and the others follow Gu ShuBai inside, Gu JiuGe quickly came over and said: “What is going on?”
Gu ShuBai glanced at Qi Zhou, and the latter guiltily lowered his head, “It was all my fault for telling the generals about what happened to Lord Marquis in the palace. I regretted it after doing it. I should have listened to Lord Marquis!”
Lao Jin spoke up for Qi Zhou, “Young general, don’t blame Steward Qi. Didn’t this only happen because we felt anxious? Steward Qi also did it for our sake.”
Only now did Qi An find out about what Qi Zhou had done behind his hand, “Foolish, how could you be so foolish? It’s fortunate that the generals did not go into the palace; otherwise, His Majesty would really think that the Gu family’s army was threatening him. Do you know how serious that outcome would be?”
Qi An scolded his son, while Lao Jin, Yan HuaShi, and the others were embarrassed and felt very ashamed.
They had followed Gu HuaiJiang onto many battlefields over the years, yet they were still not as knowledgeable as Qi An. When it came to this, they were too impatient.
Gu JiuGe stepped forward to ease the situation, “Alright, alright, regardless of whether it was Steward Qi or the generals, it was all for father’s sake. Right now, it’s fine if His Majesty only reprimanded father, but the most pressing issue right now is: will be any other action taken?”
This was what everyone was most worried about.
Gu ShuBai turned to Qi An, “Chief Steward Qi, send someone to wait outside of the palace gates. If there is even the slightest bit of movement, immediately bring word of it back.”
“Yes, this old servant will go immediately!”
Qi An shot a displeased glance at Qi Zhou. It was as if he was telling him to take good care of this place before personally leaving the courtyard.
Gu ShuBai said: “I don’t think His Majesty will take any other action against father, and there are two reasons for this. First is father’s prestige and influence in court. It can’t be eliminated in just a single night. His Majesty has only just ascended and has not yet stabilized his rule, so doing anything radical to a senior official with many accomplishments would not be a smart move.”
Gu JiuGe thought for a bit, “His Majesty is not stupid. That could be seen based on how he previously acted to suppress Marquis Gu’s Manor. He is still afraid of the military might that father currently wields. I agree with eldest brother’s opinion. Father should be fine.”
Yan HuaShi tightly furrowed his brow, “That isn’t guaranteed! Since His Majesty’s ascension, his actions have become more and more foolish. On the night of new year’s eve, he nearly forced head general to kneel in front of all court officials! How could it be good if he decided to try and humiliate head general if they did not agree?”
Gu ShuBai said: “This is the second point that I was going to talk about. His Majesty’s goal is nothing more than to marry Yu Fu. Father is also Yu Fu’s adoptive father. If he wants to marry Yu Fu, he won’t destroy Marquis Gu’s Manor’s image for the time being.”
Everyone turned to look at Yu Fu, and the latter shrank down in her armchair and felt completely lost.
Ever since coming to Marquis Gu’s Manor, Gu HuaiJiang had always been omnipotent and could give her all of the things that others coveted, including clothes, jewelry, and rare supplements.
She had casually mentioned wanting to sail on West Lake, and he acquired an imperial boat with a number of people from the imperial family to accompany them.
The Lord Marquis Gu who doted endlessly on his daughter started a craze of “favoring daughters over sons” in the capital; however, now, he was lowering himself to go and plead with NinG ChengZhi. He was even reprimanded and humiliated.
His love for Yu Fu did not diminish in the slightest; however, Yu Fu felt that she could not bear that burden.
Gu Xiang and Gu Yi moved around the group to console her, “Little Yu Fu, don’t feel bad. Father will be fine. Think about how prominent our Marquis Gu’s Manor is in Eastern Ling. His Majesty will surely give it some face!”
“That’s right. Think back to when the late emperor wanted to engage Princess DanYang to eldest brother. Didn’t father’s persistence result in it being dropped? Now, father wants to advise His Majesty to give up on his idea of getting you, and it will surely work out!”
Yu Fu let out a faint sigh, “If His Majesty was as reasonable as the late emperor, this matter would not have reached this stage. No, I must go into the palace to take a look-”
Just as she said this, she heard a report come from outside, “Lord Marquis has returned! Lord Marquis has returned!”
Everyone hastily went out to receive him, and they saw Gu HuaiJiang walk in normally. It seemed that it was not as bad as they had expected. Seeing this, everyone smiled.
“Have you all come to wish us a happy new year?”
Yan HuaShi and the others looked at each other, while Lao Jin decided to just go for broke, “Head general, we were planning to go into the palace to wish His Majesty a happy new year but were stopped along the way by the young general! If you don’t want us to go into the palace to wish His Majesty a happy new year, just tell us about what happened today!”
Yan HuaShi looked at him as if he was courting death.
No matter how tactless Lao Jin usually was, he would never dare to disobey Gu HuaiJiang’s order, yet he had just spoken about it so openly.
He looked at Lao Jin, and Lao Jin looked at him, as he gestured toward the hem of Gu HuaiJiang’s robes with his mouth.
Everyone noticed this movement and looked in the direction that he had gestured. The hem of Gu HuaiJiang’s robe was wrinkled and covered in a faint layer of ash.
Everyone had an understanding of what had happened.
Gu HuaiJiang did not move. Since it could not be hidden, he chose not to try and hide it, “Let’s go in to speak. I’m thirsty. It should be fine for me to drink something before I talk about it, right?”
Lao Jin was cheerful, “Yes, yes, this lowly general will pour you some tea!”
In front of everyone, he did his best to recount the situation in as calm a tone as possible, “… His Majesty was already furious because of what happened last night, so upon hearing me say that I wanted him to give up on Yu Fu, he smashed a teacup. I just kneeled then heard that the members of the cabinet had come to see His Majesty, thus His Majesty ordered me to leave the palace.”
He just kneeled.
He said it so casually, yet everyone became more and more furious after hearing it.
Gu ShuBai said: “The cabinet ministers are righteous. If His Majesty dared to do anything unreasonable to father, they would surely speak on it. His Majesty did not impose a heavy punishment today, and it might be related to that. I fear that His Majesty will issue a formal decree in the future, which will not permit father to refuse.”
When that time came, based on Ning ChengZhi’s personality, he definitely would not care about giving any face to Marquis Gu’s Manor.
Everyone thought about the situation that he had detailed. Once the imperial decree was made and sent to Marquis Gu’s Manor, if they refused again, they would be defying an imperial decree. That would be the grave crime of seeking personal profits.
They all felt uneasy, and Gu HuaiJiang said: “For there to be an imperial decree, it would have to go through either the cabinet or the prime minister. Was there any gain to your visit to the prime minister’s manor?”
Gu ShuBai was planning to tell everyone about what had happened in the prime minister’s manor when he suddenly saw Qi An drag his elderly body in, “Master, it’s bad!”
Gu HuaiJiang turned to look at him, “Slow down. What exactly happened?”
Qi An struggled to breathe, and his voice was full of despair, “A decree just arrived from the palace. His Majesty is abolishing the cabinet!”
