newbobooks Chapter 561 This? Is it the same person?
Chapter 561 This? Is it the same person?
Inside Kunning Palace, Empress Su Wan was personally pruning a pot of balsam flowers that were in full bloom.
Upon hearing the eunuch announce the Emperor's arrival, she put down the silver scissors in her hand, a perfectly measured gentle smile on her face, and went to greet him.
"Your Majesty, what brings you to my humble abode today?"
Zhao Yunci dismissed his attendants and sat down directly in the main seat.
"Isn't it all for the good wife you chose for the Crown Prince?" He picked up the tea served by the palace maid, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.
Su Wan's heart skipped a beat. She sat down beside him and asked softly, "Has General Gu entered the palace?"
“It’s more than just entering the palace.” Zhao Yunci snorted coldly and slammed his teacup down on the table. “My Duke Zhenguo gave me quite a lecture in the Imperial Study today.”
He repeated Gu Junze's statement that "his daughter is unruly and dares not marry the crown prince, lest the maternal relatives become too powerful," but omitted the most crucial phrase, "retiring from military service to farm."
That was his bottom line with Gu Junze, and he didn't want a third person to know it, not even his empress.
Su Wan listened quietly, her smile unchanged, but her eyes gradually calmed down.
She was incredibly intelligent and immediately discerned the underlying forcefulness in those words.
"It seems that General Gu is determined not to go."
She sighed softly, as if with some regret, "I was too naive. I only thought that Qingchen was a straightforward and lovely child, a perfect match for the Crown Prince, but I forgot that General Gu loved his daughter dearly."
Zhao Yunci looked at her, her voice softening slightly: "It's good that you understand. You know Junze's personality; he's a stubborn mule."
"If we push this matter too hard, it will only damage the harmony between the ruler and his subjects, and the losses will outweigh the gains."
He paused, then changed the subject, saying meaningfully, "Besides, the children are still young, and no one can predict the future. Let's put this matter aside for now and not bring it up again."
"Put it aside for now," rather than "give up on it."
Su Wan lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes concealing the sharp glint in them.
She nodded obediently: "Your Majesty is right. I was too hasty. I will listen to Your Majesty."
A marriage proposal that could have stirred up a storm in the court was thus lightly dismissed in the emperor and empress's casual remarks.
After seeing the emperor off, the gentle smile on Su Wan's face gradually faded, replaced by a deep contemplation.
She walked to the window, looked at the carefully trimmed balsam in the courtyard, and remained silent for a long time.
A trusted female official stepped forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, does His Majesty mean to give up now?"
"Give up?" Su Wan twitched the corners of her mouth, revealing a meaningful smile.
"My son is the future emperor. How can I let a mere subject decide whether to discard his crown princess and future empress?"
She turned around, her eyes devoid of any gentleness, only displaying the decisiveness and wisdom befitting a national mother.
“Your Majesty is right, forcing him won’t work. The more you push a war god like Gu Junze, the more fiercely he will resist.”
"What does Your Highness mean?" the female official asked, somewhat puzzled.
Su Wan paced slowly, her voice cold: "Since the path of an openly arranged marriage is not feasible, then let's try another path."
Her gaze fell into the distance, as if she could already see several years into the future.
"I refuse to believe that there is any in this world with an iron will that can withstand a preordained destiny."
She casually instructed, "Pass down the message: whenever there are banquets in the palace or the Crown Prince goes hunting outside the palace, remember to send an invitation to the young lady of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."
The female official instantly understood her meaning, her heart skipped a beat, and she respectfully replied, "Yes, this servant understands."
Since forced relationships are never sweet, let this vine follow its own desired path and twine around itself.
At that point, Gu Junze will have no choice but to acknowledge it.
A few days later, Chu Chenyu took a day off and made a special trip to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
Chu Ruohan was in the warm pavilion accompanying Qingchen as she painted. To put it simply, she was watching her daughter use a brush to poke ink dots one after another on the rice paper.
"Sister." Chu Chenyu strode in, glanced around the room, and walked straight toward Chu Ruohan.
"What brings you here today?" Chu Ruohan put down the book in her hand and smiled as she instructed the maid to serve her tea.
Chu Chenyu sat down on the embroidered stool opposite her, her eyes shining brightly, and asked almost impatiently, "Sister, did you see the Zhao family's daughter at the Begonia Banquet? How was she?"
Chu Ruohan paused slightly as she picked up the teacup.
Looking at her younger brother's expectant face, she recalled that day with Zhao Qingzhi.
How could she say those words without hurting her brother's beautiful, budding romantic feelings?
Seeing Chu Ruohan's solemn expression and her silence, Chu Chenyu's smile gradually faded.
The light in his eyes dimmed, and his tone carried a hint of disappointment.
"Why isn't Sister speaking? Could it be... that Sister doesn't like her?"
Chu Ruohan opened her mouth, but didn't know where to begin.
Seeing this, Chu Chenyu understood. He smiled self-deprecatingly, stood up from the embroidered stool, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Chu Ruohan.
“If you are unwilling, I understand.” He took a deep breath, his tone carrying a hint of youthful stubbornness. “I will go to the Zhao family to propose marriage myself, so as not to make things difficult for you.”
"Stop!" Chu Ruohan was alarmed when she heard that he was about to act so impulsively, and she stood up as well.
She walked quickly to him, took his hand, and pressed him back onto the embroidered stool.
"What are you in a hurry for?"
Chu Ruohan stared at him, her expression more serious than ever before. "Chen Yu, sit down first. Tell me honestly, what do you see in her? And how did you two meet?"
When asked this question, Chu Chenyu became a little embarrassed, and her ears turned slightly red.
He composed himself before slowly speaking: "It's quite a coincidence. A month ago, I was ordered to investigate a case of land encroachment. The victim was an elderly scholar who had offended powerful figures and had no way to appeal, and was instead falsely imprisoned."
"When I was investigating the case, I happened to see the steward of that powerful family beating and scolding the old scholar's granddaughter in the street. There were many onlookers, but no one dared to step forward."
A gentle light appeared in Chu Chenyu's eyes.
"Just then, Miss Zhao's carriage passed by. She did not show herself, but simply told her maid to get out of the carriage. She not only scolded the wicked servant, but also gave the girl a bag of silver money and told her to go and ask her grandfather to fetch a doctor and medicine."
"She left after she finished, without leaving her name. If I hadn't investigated later, I wouldn't have known that it was she who had helped me."
He looked at Chu Ruohan, his tone full of admiration and affection.
“Sister, she is different from those noble ladies in the capital who only know how to compare and show off. She has a kind heart and integrity, but she also knows how to keep a low profile and not be ostentatious.”
"Later, I saw her from afar a few times. She was always quiet, reading, playing the piano, and gentle and graceful. This kind of woman is exactly what I've been looking for."
Chu Ruohan listened quietly, but her brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
The younger brother described Zhao Qingzhi as gentle, polite, sincere, and understanding.
But the Zhao Qingzhi she saw in the Imperial Garden that day was cunning, ambitious, and her eyes held a lot of hidden meaning.
Which of these two completely different people is the real one?