Read Novel Full CHAPTER 35 PART2
CHAPTER 35 PART2
Once, the northern border had the father-and-son duo of Xie Yimo and Xie Wuduan to rely on.
But now, Dajing had already lost one arm.
It could not afford to break the other.
As the Emperor brooded, his gaze darkened, and he let out a long, weary sigh.
“It’s the Liu family’s own incompetence that brought us here.”
A breeze from the lake stirred the air, scattering the last of his words.
Back then, the emperor had judged the frontlines to be relatively stable. He had sent Duke Cheng’en, Liu Chuan, to garrison Lanshan City in the northern territories—intending to grant him military merit and eventually ease the transfer of command from the Xie family to his own in-laws.
But who could’ve expected the Liu family to be such a disappointment?
Now, instead of gaining leverage, they had handed Gu Feichi a weapon to use against them.
The memory of Gu Feichi’s public provocation just now ignited a slow-burning fury in the emperor’s chest.
Gu Feichi was like a thorned bramble—bristling with sharp edges.
If those barbs weren’t removed, one day, when placed into the hands of his son, they would surely wound him.
“Father, please calm your anger,” Tang Yueze said gently, though inwardly, he too felt some frustration. The Liu family truly lacked the competence for statecraft, yet his father still had to clean up their mess.
The emperor’s tone turned irritable.
“I had originally thought that if Gu Feichi married your cousin, and the Gu family bore a grandson of the Liu bloodline, then the Duke of Weiguo’s command could naturally pass to that heir.”
“With the heir carrying Liu blood, the military power would ultimately return to you.”
Tang Yueze listened quietly.
But he knew his proud cousin would never submit willingly, and Gu Feichi was anything but obedient. Even if the emperor forced the marriage, it wouldn’t be enough to tame the Duke of Weiguo’s household.
After a moment’s thought, Tang Yueze said, “Father, Gu Feichi is too arrogant. He needs a wife who is gentle and yielding—someone who can temper his nature with softness.”
As soon as the words left his lips, a thought flickered in Tang Yueze’s mind.
His eyes gleamed, the beginnings of a new plan taking shape.
In terms of family background, the Duke of Weiguo’s household held a position of great prestige—one of the highest among the nobility.
As for future prospects, Gu Feichi was the heir apparent. Sooner or later, he would inherit command of the Tianfu Army from his father.
As for looks… well, looks weren’t important.
From every angle, Gu Feichi was, in truth, an excellent candidate for a husband.
Tang Yueze’s heart stirred. After only a brief moment of hesitation, he spoke.
“Father, if my cousin from the Liu family is not suitable, then we can simply choose someone else.”
He fixed his gaze steadily on the emperor. In the sunlight, his eyes shone with clarity and determination.
“Who?” the emperor asked offhandedly, raising a brow in curiosity.
Tang Yueze replied slowly, “The second daughter of the Marquis of Wu’an.”
“The second daughter of the Marquis?” The emperor was momentarily stunned. His brow arched even higher as surprise crossed his face.
Wasn’t that the younger sister of the very girl his son had shown interest in?
“That’s right.”
Tang Yueze met his father’s inquisitive stare with composure and gave a slight nod.
The emperor folded his hands behind his back, thinking.
The Empress had once voiced her dissatisfaction with the Marquis of Wu’an’s household—mainly because her son had taken a liking to Xiao Luanfei. From what he vaguely remembered, the Marquis seemed to have only one legitimate daughter.
The emperor frowned slightly. “A concubine’s daughter?”
Tang Yueze nodded again.
The emperor turned to gaze at the shimmering lake to his right, his brows furrowed in quiet contemplation. He absently twisted the jade thumb ring on his finger—again and again, lost in thought.
After a long pause, he looked back at Tang Yueze, his deep eyes now tinged with deliberation.
That his son would propose such a marriage… the emperor hadn’t expected it at all.
“Father,” Tang Yueze began, earnestly trying to persuade the emperor, “though Second Miss Xiao is a concubine’s daughter, she is graceful in appearance, gentle in temperament, filial to her stepmother, and deeply affectionate toward her elder sister.”
The emperor stopped absently turning the jade ring on his thumb and looked at him seriously. “A’ze, do you truly wish to marry the elder Miss Xiao?”
Tang Yueze was momentarily taken aback. He wasn’t sure why his father had suddenly asked that, but he quickly nodded. “Yes, Father. I am sincere.”
His feelings for Luan’er were as true as the heavens above—unshakable and pure.
The emperor gazed at him for a long moment, then suddenly smiled. There was a touch of emotion in his expression, part relief, part pride. With a sigh, he said, “A’ze, you’ve grown up.”
Though the Emperor often praised his eldest son—calling him talented in both civil and military matters, claiming the boy had the vigor and brilliance of his own youth—he knew in his heart that he had spoiled the child too much. That indulgence had made the crown prince somewhat willful, often acting purely on impulse without considering the consequences.
But today, it seemed his son had finally begun to mature.
Whether or not it was truly for the sake of that Miss Xiao, at least now his son was starting to consider the bigger picture.
If the crown prince married the elder Miss Xiao, and then arranged for her younger sister to marry into the Duke of Weiguo’s household, he and Gu Feichi would become brothers-in-law. In a roundabout way, it would forge a marriage alliance with the powerful Weiguo household.
“I only wish to ease Father’s burdens,” Tang Yueze said, his gaze bright and resolute.
And for Luan’er as well.
Luan’er cared so deeply for her younger sister—if he could secure a good marriage for her, it would put her heart at ease.
“The two sisters are close?” the emperor asked thoughtfully.
“Very close! Exceptionally so!” Tang Yueze nodded without hesitation.
Luan’er had nearly turned against him for her sister’s sake, and Second Miss Xiao, for her part, had shown only kindness—bearing no resentment even when he’d nearly caused her harm. She had even spoken up in his defense before her elder sister. Truly, their sisterly bond ran deep.
The emperor gave a faint nod and resumed turning the jade ring on his thumb in slow, thoughtful circles.
Xiao Luanfei might not be suited to be the principal consort of a prince, but as a secondary consort, she was more than adequate. And if the bond between the Xiao sisters was indeed as close as it seemed, this arrangement might prove better than forcing Gu Feichi to marry a daughter of the Liu family.
After all, the Duke of Weiguo had always despised the Liu family.
He was not a man to swallow grievances in silence. Neither was his daughter, Gu Mingjing—both proud and unyielding, impossible to sway with flattery or pressure.
As the Emperor mulled this over, his lips pressed into a firm line, and his gaze deepened, dark as a storm gathering on the horizon.
He had never once regretted Gu Mingjing’s death.
And yet, in the quiet hours before dawn, he sometimes wondered—if the child in Gu Mingjing’s womb had survived, how different things might be now.
At the very least, there would have been a link between him and the Duke of Weiguo—a mutual stake that could balance and restrain both sides.
Over the past days, the emperor had considered every noble family in the capital.
Originally, Liu Chaoyun, as the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Cheng’en, had seemed the most suitable candidate.
But now—even if he issued an imperial edict, the Duke of Weiguo would likely tear it to shreds. That would only escalate into a public fiasco beyond repair.
The emperor clenched his fists, the joints of his fingers audibly cracking under the strain. His eyes were cold, like a frozen river under winter moonlight.
Hah. Gu Feichi held himself in such high regard, looking down on the noble ladies carefully chosen for him?
Then let him marry a concubine’s daughter. Let’s see if his pride remains so unshakable afterward.
And yet…
“Gu Feichi’s temper…” the emperor gritted his teeth in frustration.
The Duke of Weiguo’s household would likely never accept a concubine’s daughter as the heir’s wife—it would just stir up more trouble.
Seeing that the emperor hadn’t immediately rejected the idea, Tang Yueze’s heart lifted, his eyes sparkling with renewed hope. He pressed on earnestly, “Father, not long ago, the Duke of Weiguo fell gravely ill. His wife went to the Marquis of Wu’an’s residence to request the hand of the second Miss Xiao, hoping to use her presence to lift the Duke’s spirits. Shortly after, the Duke’s health improved… I believe that, given such an auspicious sign, the Duke’s household would be willing to agree.”
Fearing he might miss this rare opportunity, he quickly added, “Just now, it was because I nearly hit Miss Xiao with a polo ball that Gu Feichi acted the way he did…”
At this, the emperor paused, then recalled the young lady dressed in the delicate hue of a consort’s robe on the polo field—rosy cheeks, fair skin, and exquisitely delicate features. Truly a rare beauty.
So, that girl was the second Miss of the Marquis of Wu’an’s household.
Indeed, the Marquis’s concubine daughter was stunningly beautiful. If Gu Feichi truly had even a hint of interest in her, then the biggest obstacle to this marriage might no longer exist.
Though the Duke’s dislike remained—and with Gu Feichi’s wild nature, he might not necessarily obey his father.
The spring breeze stirred the willow branches along the shore, sending gentle ripples across the lake’s surface, expanding outward in widening circles…
A concubine’s daughter.
Hah.
A faint, bitter satisfaction stirred within the emperor’s heart: Gu Yanzhi’s legitimate eldest son—the proud heir of the Duke of Weiguo’s household—was reduced to marrying nothing more than a mere concubine’s daughter.
In the future, the duke’s household would become a laughingstock throughout the entire capital.
The emperor’s thin lips curled slightly upward, revealing a cold, bitter smile.
“Your Majesty,”
Liang Zheng hurried over, stopping a few steps away. He bowed respectfully and reported, “The Duke’s heir, Gu Feichi, just left.”
Left?! The moment the emperor’s expression had softened, it darkened again.
Was Gu Feichi deliberately snubbing him, the emperor?
“That unruly brat Gu Feichi!” the emperor snapped irritably, pounding his fist heavily against the willow tree. The branches shook violently, scattering a shower of willow leaves onto the ground with a soft rustle.
One by one, the leaves drifted onto the lake’s surface, carried gradually away by the rippling water.
Gu Feichi had indeed left.
He had returned to the capital, but not to the duke’s mansion. Instead, he went to a teahouse called Xiangming Zhai in the western part of the city, settling quietly into an elegant room at the far end of the second-floor corridor.
By the window on a table lay a game in progress—a Go board of pale yellow boxwood, with black and white stones scattered across half the board.
Gu Feichi settled beside the Go board, focusing intently on the game. After a moment, he picked up a black stone from the box and placed it in the upper right corner of the board.
Then, without hesitation, he reached into another box, lifted a white stone, and quickly set it down.
He was playing both sides, quietly absorbed in the game.
The room was hushed, the only sound the crisp click of stones hitting the board from time to time.
After a while, there was a soft knock on the door—three quiet taps. A figure dressed in black, Ying Qi, entered silently and reported, “Young Master, the Crown Prince has proposed to the emperor that Lady Xiao, the Second Miss of the Xiao family, be granted to you as your wife.”
“…” Gu Feichi paused, the black stone frozen in mid-air between his fingers. Sunlight streamed through the window facing the street, casting a gentle glow on the stone’s polished surface.
Even the half-mask covering part of his face couldn’t hide the surprise flashing in his eyes.
Images of Xiao Yanfei’s delicate face came to mind—her pouring wine earlier in a toast to countless heroic spirits…
Ying Qi repeated the details once more, then added with a complex expression, “It seems the emperor is… somewhat moved.”
As he spoke, Ying Qi glanced up at his Young Master and noticed a faint blush on the earlobe visible beyond the mask. Against his snsow-white skin, it stood out vividly.
Huh?
Was it possible that he, too, was moved by the news?
***