The emperor was holding something in his hand and seemed to be thinking about something. His face was full of contemplation.
After a while, the queen called out,
"His Majesty."
The emperor finally came to his senses.
A pair of eyes, as deep as a pool, looked at Gu Qingyuan calmly.
"Go. Send him in."
A few simple words made Gu Qingyuan's eyelids jump.
All the ministers also looked at each other in confusion, wondering who the emperor was going to summon.
Such a vaguely solemn look.
The emperor picked up the tea cup and took a sip. His eyes were complicated and he squinted as if chatting,
"My dear friends, how do you think today's matter should be resolved?"
The emperor suddenly spoke, and all the officials looked at him in shock or panic.
But no one dared to make a sound, and the sound of a needle dropping could be heard in the hall.
No one knew whether the emperor's question was true or false.
After an unknown amount of time, the emperor raised his head and asked the Minister of War,
"Ai Qing, do you still remember how many years it has been since Duke Zhenguo returned to Kyoto? He lost his wife in his early years and left his daughter to be taught by his brothers and his wife."
The ministers who originally spoke for Lu Wenze couldn't help but feel uneasy when they heard this.
Originally, it was a bit reluctant to bring this matter before His Majesty today.
If His Majesty uses the excuse that the Duke of Zhen is stationed at the border and neglects to teach his daughter, then the Emperor will definitely protect the Gu family.
As for Pei Jinting, there is nothing else to say. This is not the first time that the emperor has shown mercy to him.
If the emperor refuses to pursue the case, there is nothing anyone can do.
However, what they didn't know was that Gu Qingyuan would be equally worried.
The emperor's thoughts were unfathomable, and no one knew what he meant by mentioning Duke Zhen at this moment.
Just as everyone was feeling their own stomachs, there was a burst of heavy footsteps outside the hall.
The emperor slowly stood up and looked steadily outside the door. Everyone in the palace followed his gaze and paid attention.
When the footsteps outside sounded in front of the palace door, and the tall figure appeared in front of the emperor,
The emperor staggered and almost fell due to the violent excitement. The eunuch beside him immediately stepped forward to support him.
"As expected, I love you. After more than ten years, our monarch and his ministers finally meet again..."
The emperor murmured, and then gave instructions in a low voice,
"Here comes someone. Bring the chairs over quickly. Serve tea, not in small cups, but in big sea bowls..."
"Also, dim sum... dim sum... Zitong, I will leave the dim sum to you..."
At this time, Pei Jinting finally felt relieved, while the bearded official and the others were already ashen-faced.
Only the bearded official who couldn't hold his hands clearly was still chattering.
"Your Majesty... if this is not dealt with, and all the daughters' families in Beijing will follow suit, wouldn't it be chaos?"
The emperor responded by slamming a white porcelain tea cup directly at the feet of the bearded official, spilling tea soup on his feet.
"It's chaos, it's chaos. If everyone is like you and insists on one thing, then it's chaos."
The queen, who was originally shouting to drag Gu Qingyuan to the reflection room in the harem, said nothing at the moment and stared at the door of the palace.
In the shadow of the floating light, several figures appeared at the door of the palace. Gu Qingyuan looked at the tall and burly figure and was in a trance for a moment.
In her mind, she seemed to see the heroic general asking her if she wanted to go to the border with him many years ago.
The emperor's hand holding the table trembled slightly, and the queen saw the glimmer of water in his eyes and turned away, feeling vaguely displeased.
The emperor slowly stepped down from his seat, bent down and pressed his hands on the shoulders of the kneeling minister, who was always calm and loyal.
A tear fell down.
There was silence in the hall for a while.
The Duke of Zhenguo, who everyone thought would be buried in a distant border, was actually kneeling in the Chongming Hall at this moment.
In the Chongming Hall, which is as bright as day, a middle-aged man in ordinary clothes kneels before the emperor.
The monarch and his ministers have not seen each other for many years, so they naturally have endless things to talk about at this moment.
The Duke of Zhen Guo, Gu Shao, was a famous general with great ambitions. He went into battle to kill the enemy every day, and beheaded thousands of people while talking and laughing. Even though he was only wearing ordinary clothes and dusty, he still had a majestic and murderous aura.
After reminiscing with the emperor, we must talk about the border affairs in detail.
"Your Majesty, before I report the war on the border, could you please allow me to deal with the private affairs at home first?"
These words were so powerful that they shocked people's hearts.
The minister standing beside him with his hands hanging down looked slightly blue.
Gu Shao turned around and walked slowly to Gu Qingyuan, who was kneeling in front of the hall. His chest felt astringent, and he bent down to help Gu Qingyuan up.
"I haven't seen you for many years. You have grown up. Good."
Gu Qingyuan's palms were sweating. Although she had always exchanged letters with this father, she had never had any contact with him since she became an adult.
Gu Shao looked at Gu Qingyuan quietly and said in a deep voice,
"Ayuan."
"My father is far away in the frontier and was not involved in your marriage. I heard some news about you a few days ago."
"I wanted to take you to the frontier back then, but the frontier was bitter and cold, and my father couldn't bear for you to suffer."
"It's just that now I feel a little regretful."
Gu Shao should not have returned to Beijing so quickly, but he was extremely worried and frightened after hearing about Gu Qingyuan on the way.
Immediately, he walked under the stars and the moon all the way, and returned to Kyoto in only ten days.
What he thought was a good relationship turned out to be nothing more than a mirror image. That kid Lu Wenze had already had other ideas.
It was argued that he, the father, should take action in such matters, but A-Yuan chose to take action himself.
He felt guilty and sad, and wanted to teach him a few words but couldn't bear it.
It's his fault that he has been busy with military affairs in recent years and cannot stay in Beijing to take care of it himself.
Therefore, even if A-Yuan encounters such a big event, she does not want to ask her parents for help like other children.
Unable to hide the look of exhaustion and guilt on his brows, he raised his hands and said to the ministers who were still stunned aside,
"My lords, Gu has been away from the capital for so many years. I would like to thank you for taking care of your family."
All the ministers looked at each other, their hearts pounding.
I don’t understand why Gu Shao said this.
But he saw Gu Shao walking up to Lu Wenze, looking at Lu Wenze up and down, and suddenly said,
"Boy from the Lu family, I was happy to see the marriage between Ayuan and you happen. I just thought that my son would be trusted for life."
He paused and said, "Are you very angry, thinking that my son is sorry for you and you are the one who was let down?"
"But ask yourself, was my son like this from the beginning?"
"If not, then it must be something you did in the past that made my son, a well-educated and well-educated girl, choose to perish."
"Even if it's not your fault, self-destruction is not the only excuse."
"Then there must be certain things or certain people that caused today's situation."
"Boy from the Lu family, what do you think?"
His face was always gentle, and he spoke slowly and slowly, which was completely different from his tall, burly appearance with a curly beard.
If you don't know better, you will just think that it is a knowledgeable minister talking to others.
When Lu Wenze was speechless, Gu Shao turned to the ministers,
"Colleagues, is my son really guilty of an unforgivable crime? She just doesn't want to live with a guy with a human face and an animal heart. What's wrong with her?"
"The only fault lies with me, Gu Shao. I haven't been by her side to support her for many years."