In the main hall, the emperor's eyes were dim. After a long while, he said calmly,
"The Duke of Zhenguo is a minister of the imperial court. Whether he lives or dies, he is what a minister should suffer."
"If he is stuck in the mud, but the court is concerned about the overall situation and cannot rescue him, what if you know? What should you do?"
His Majesty's smooth voice was neither loud nor quiet, but it was deafening in this vast hall.
Gu Qingyuan pursed her lips tightly, and her heart skipped a beat.
After a while, he slowly straightened his shoulders like a sprout sprouting from the soil, and his voice was clear and brave.
"Your Majesty is the lord of the world, and he does not want to listen to the falsehoods and lies of his ministers. If Lord Zhenguo is really trapped in the northern border, he will be unable to extricate himself."
"If the court is really unable to publicly rescue her, then the courtier must do her best to pack her bags. The court will not care, but her family will take care of it."
"Although these words are treasonous and unethical, they are true. Gu Qingyuan is willing to pay any price for these words."
Sweat broke out on the back of Gu Qingyuan's neck. She forced herself to press her nerves and dig her nails into her palms to stay calm.
"My wife can also tell a lie, that is, look at the overall situation and put the court first."
The emperor looked at the girl kneeling below with confusion,
"You dare to say anything, you are so bold."
When he said the last four words, the emperor's voice showed majesty.
Pei Jinting looked at Gu Qingyuan quietly, with some thoughts in his eyes.
The eunuch who accompanied the emperor moved, fearing that the girl would be intimidated by the emperor's power.
Unexpectedly, Gu Qingyuan straightened her back and did not dodge.
"My wife pleads guilty."
Pei Jinting looked at the emperor with disapproval in his eyes.
The emperor raised his hand to stop him and said calmly,
"You are just a girl picked up from the second room of the Zhenguo Palace, an orphan girl of unknown origin."
"Which minister is the 'wife' you are referring to? Which family's wife? And in what capacity do you come to see me in front of the emperor and speak so brazenly?"
Gu Qingyuan's heart was beating wildly. From the first words the emperor said when she entered, she knew that the emperor understood the purpose of her visit to the palace.
The emperor's voice sounded again,
"Jing Heng lives alone in another courtyard and pays a lot of attention to his words and deeds. As his bride, if something goes wrong, have you ever thought about how it will affect Jing Heng?"
The emperor's words were sharp.
"Jing Heng may have acted too indulgently, but he also suffered fifty canes for you. This time because your identity was exposed, and to vent your anger, he even suffered a relapse..."
"His emotional ups and downs over the years are all because of you."
"Have you ever thought about Jing Heng?"
Gu Qingyuan clenched her hands tightly, her heart felt like waves crashing on the shore.
She knew that Pei Jinting sent her back that night and left the house again because of her... but she didn't expect it to be at such a price.
Pei Jinting sighed and looked at Gu Qingyuan who was kneeling on the ground like a quail.
"Your Majesty, if you are willing to talk about Duke Zhenguo's affairs, just do it quickly. It will be boring."
The emperor glared at him and said, "Just stay silent."
"Ms. Gu, since you want to know, let me tell you that the situation in Northern Xinjiang is very bad."
Gu Qingyuan raised her head suddenly.
"There is civil strife in the border area and we need help from the Great Zhou Dynasty. Duke Zhen Guo was ordered to go to quell the chaos. We have lost contact at the moment. According to the news sent back by the fifty secret guards, it is very likely that he was killed by mistake..."
The emperor's voice was calm, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him.
Gu Qingyuan's head buzzed, like thousands of thunders hitting her head.
Two lines of tears fell to the ground without warning.
is that true?
After all, how could His Majesty lie?
She wiped the tears from her face and asked,
"Your Majesty, Duke Zhen Guo went to the frontier for the sake of the people of Zhou Dynasty and for your country."
"Did Lord Zhen Guo really lose contact, was he accidentally killed, or was he even abandoned?"
The emperor can say these words, which means that there is no such thing as a referendum on the enemy.
It's just that now, in order to take care of the overall situation, the imperial court needs to sacrifice him in order to stabilize the overall situation.
The eunuch, standing beside the emperor, frequently visited Pei Jinting, hoping that he could persuade his bride.
With such boldness, how would it end if it really angered the emperor?
Pei Jinting pursed her lips and said nothing, just looking at Gu Qingyuan deeply.
The emperor's calm voice sounded again,
"Ms. Gu, for the sake of your sincere heart and for the sake of Duke Zhen, I allow you to inherit the blood of Duke Zhen and make you the head of the county."
"You are allowed to have stepchildren of the Gu family again, so that the Duke of Zhen Guo will not be cut off from his family..."
Gu Qingyuan seemed not to have heard the emperor's words, her hands could not stop shaking, and her tears fell to the ground drop by drop.
"Your Majesty, I don't need a county master. I can also be a wandering soul without a clan. You are the king who must be loyal to me."
"If the country does not disappoint its officers and men, then the officers and men will repay him with their lives. If the king does not disappoint his ministers, then his ministers will repay him with their lives."
Gu Qingyuan bowed deeply to the ground,
"My wife, a weak woman, will never talk about her search for the border..."
She spread out her clenched hands, as if worshiping devoutly, and spread out the bright yellow corner of her clothes that had become wet in her palms.
"Your Majesty, please honor the promise you made when you gave this thing, and send people to find the Duke of Zhen... If you want to see him alive... If you want to see his body if you die..."
The eunuch who was originally engaged in a lawsuit with Pei Jinting suddenly felt unhappy when he saw the damaged corner of Gu Qingyuan's long robe.
I saw the originally calm emperor with dark eyes, staring at the piece of clothing in Gu Qingyuan's hand.
"Mr. Gu, where did you get this old piece of cloth from?" The emperor seemed to have come back to his senses, glanced at the eunuch, and continued to ask.
Gu Qingyuan took a deep breath and said carefully,
"Your Majesty, this is what my adoptive mother left behind before she passed away that year."
"My wife took it out today because she hopes that His Majesty can fulfill his original promise and send someone to find his adoptive father."
The eunuch knew what the emperor was thinking, so he hurriedly stepped forward and took the cloth, handed it to the emperor, and then said to Pei Jinting,
"Third Young Master, your Majesty is hosting a banquet today and has invited ladies from all the palaces to come to the palace to enjoy the lotus flowers. Why don't you take the young lady to your Majesty's place to have a fun time?"
The emperor looked at the small piece of cloth over and over for a long time, then looked at Gu Qingyuan,
"Based on what you did today, fifty is too little. For Jingheng's sake, I'll let you go."
"Jingheng, please take her to the Queen's Palace for a banquet. I know what happened today."
Gu Qingyuan saw the emperor looking at the small piece of fabric with a look of reminiscence.
He woke up immediately and the emperor agreed to send someone to find the Duke of Zhen.
He immediately kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The emperor waved his hand and asked the two to retreat.
Gu Qingyuan and Pei Jinting walked quietly side by side to the queen's side for the banquet. After a long time, Pei Jinting said,
"Before, I was worried about your face. It turns out you had a plan."
Gu Qingyuan did not dodge, "Yes. You know my past days. I never let the wind blow me, and the rain fell with the current. Even if I die, I will die on the road of fighting hard."
Otherwise, she would have died in the hands of the Ruan family at some unknown time, and even if she did not die, she would have been infamous.