newbobooks Chapter 560 The Imperial Study: A Battle Between Emperor and Minister
Chapter 560 The Imperial Study: A Battle Between Emperor and Minister
The next day, the sky was bright.
In the imperial study, the scent of sandalwood wafts through the air.
Zhao Yunci looked at the Duke of Zhenguo, who had followed him silently to his study after the court session, and felt a throbbing pain in his temples.
His handsome face was so black it seemed to drip ink, and his entire being exuded an aura of "I'm here to collect a debt today."
Zhao Yunci put down his vermilion brush, rubbed his temples, and said irritably, "You look like I owe you millions of taels of silver. Tell me, who has upset our Duke of Zhenguo this time?"
The courtier, with keen insight, served tea and then quietly withdrew, leaving the vast imperial study to the emperor and his minister.
Gu Junze neither sat down nor touched the cup of hot tea.
He stood in the hall, his posture as straight as a pine tree, and addressed the emperor behind the dragon desk in a deep voice: "Your subject has come to discuss the matter of my daughter, Qingchen."
Zhao Yunci paused slightly in the teacup, a knowing glint in her eyes.
Sure enough, it was for this.
He raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance: "Oh? I've heard the Empress mention Qingchen too. Yesterday in the Imperial Garden, my Crown Prince was given a good scolding by her."
Upon hearing this, Gu Junze bowed again: "My daughter is unruly and has offended His Highness the Crown Prince. It is my fault for failing to properly educate her. I beg Your Majesty to punish her."
"Punish her?" Zhao Yunci chuckled. "If I really wanted to punish her, I wouldn't have had the Empress personally escort your wife out of the palace yesterday."
He changed the subject, his gaze becoming profound, "I think that Qingchen is a straightforward child, quite like you were back then. The Crown Prince is surrounded by mostly law-abiding people, having a playmate like her might bring some life to the place."
These words, seemingly a compliment, actually revealed seven or eight tenths of the Empress's meaning.
The air inside the hall seemed to freeze for a moment.
Gu Junze slowly raised his head and looked directly at the emperor on the dragon throne.
"Your Majesty, I, Qingchen, am unworthy of your position and have an unruly nature. I am unfit to be a good companion to the Crown Prince, much less the Empress."
His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear and resounding.
The smile on Zhao Yunci's face vanished completely. He stared fixedly at Gu Junze, and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly plummeted to freezing point.
"Gu Junze, do you know what you're saying?"
"I know."
"The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has already received the Emperor's favor to the fullest extent. I dare not allow my daughter to marry the Crown Prince, lest the maternal relatives become too powerful in the future and repeat the mistakes of the previous dynasty. This is my duty as a subject."
He paused, and finally his tone carried a hint of a father's almost stubborn emotion.
“Your Majesty, you are also a father. I only have this one daughter. I do not ask her to be rich and powerful, but only hope that she can be safe and happy and live a carefree life. Those deep palace walls are not a place for her.”
Zhao Yunci remained silent.
He looked at Gu Junze, the brother who had fought alongside him through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
He knew, of course, that Gu Junze was telling the truth.
But as an emperor, he had his own considerations.
The military power of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was the cornerstone of his consolidation of power, and Gu Junze was his right-hand man.
Arranged marriages are the best form of restraint.
“Junze.” Zhao Yunci’s voice softened, carrying a hint of admonition, “This matter is a good thing for the Crown Prince, for Qingchen, for our royal family, and for the Gu family.”
"I can guarantee that as long as I am here, I will not let Qingchen suffer the slightest grievance."
This was the emperor's promise, and also his final ultimatum.
Gu Junze's heart sank inch by inch.
He knew that ordinary reasons could no longer sway the emperor's mind.
He took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and suddenly lifted his robe and knelt on one knee.
"His Majesty!"
This kneeling was different from the previous etiquette between ruler and subject.
Zhao Yunci's pupils suddenly contracted.
"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you rescind your decree," Gu Junze said in a low voice. "If Your Majesty insists on placing this shackle on Qingchen, in order to protect my daughter and to avoid putting Your Majesty in a difficult position..."
He raised his head, his eyes no longer showing any of his usual laziness, but only the indomitable spirit and pride of a battlefield god.
"Your Majesty, I have no choice but to resign from this Duke's position, retire from the military, and take my wife and daughter away from this troublesome capital!"
Retire from military service and return to rural life!
These four words, like a heavy hammer, slammed into the imperial study, causing even the lingering sandalwood incense to pause.
Zhao Yunci suddenly stood up, walked around the imperial desk, and stood in front of Gu Junze, looking down at him.
His face showed no anger, only a deep, complex disappointment.
"Are you using your numerous military achievements to threaten me?"
"Your subject dares not." Gu Junze lowered his head, but his tone remained unwavering. "Your subject is merely doing what a father should do."
The two remained locked in this stalemate, one standing and the other kneeling.
The emperor's imposing aura and the war god's unyielding spirit are locked in a silent battle within this small space.
After a long while, Zhao Yunci suddenly let out a long sigh, as if all her strength had been drained away in an instant.
He turned around, walked back to the dragon throne, and slowly sat down.
"That's all."
He waved his hand, his voice tinged with weariness.
"I know you love your daughter dearly and are as stubborn as a mule. The Empress has oversimplified this matter."
He looked at Gu Junze, who was still kneeling on the ground, and said calmly, "Get up. Go back and tell your wife that I will persuade the Empress to give up this idea."
Upon hearing this, Gu Junze felt a slight easing of tension in his heart.
He knew that he had won this high-stakes gamble for the time being.
"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty."
He kowtowed, then stood up, bowed, and left the imperial study.
When the palace doors closed again, cutting off the outside sunlight,
Zhao Yunci's face gradually darkened in the dim light.
He picked up a jade lion paperweight from the imperial desk and slowly stroked it in his hand, his eyes deep and unfathomable, lost in thought.
Gu Junze, you're willing to go this far for the sake of your daughter.
Then I can't let go even more.
Gu Junze won this round, but it wasn't an easy victory.
Gu Junze knew in his heart that today's audience with the emperor had created an irreparable rift between the emperor and his minister, a tacit understanding forged through shared life and death.
Back at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Chu Ruohan was already waiting at the second gate, her face showing undisguised anxiety.
Upon seeing his figure returning on horseback, she hurried to greet him, her voice trembling slightly.
"how?"
Gu Junze dismounted, handed the reins to a servant, grasped her cold hand, and said in a deep voice, "Let's go inside and talk."
After dismissing all the servants and closing the door, Chu Ruohan could no longer contain herself and pressed for an answer: "Has His Majesty punished me?"
Gu Junze pulled her to sit down beside him, poured her a cup of hot tea, and then recounted the conversation that had taken place in the Imperial Study.
Chu Ruohan's tense nerves, which had been taut for a whole night and day, finally began to relax.
But she also knew that this matter was far from over.
A marriage that the emperor had his eye on would not simply vanish because of the fierce resistance of his subjects.