"His Majesty will not believe it," Scholar Gu said with a gentle smile. Although His Majesty had been suspicious in recent years, as long as there was no concrete evidence, he would still trust an old minister like himself, especially Yin Wuyan, whom he had personally nurtured.
Thinking of Yin Wuyan's主动 offer to arrange a marriage for the young master of the Qiu family this time, Scholar Gu helplessly put down the secret letter in his hand. "Pass down the order not to act rashly. Everyone should attend to their duties."
If His Majesty did not move, they could not move either. They could only wait and see. The more such a period, the more they had to remain steady. Otherwise, it would be a chain reaction.
The man in black withdrew. In the study, Scholar Gu thought of his young disciple far away in Qianzhong Circuit. The situation in the capital had been unpredictable in recent years. He only hoped that the young girl would continue her travels abroad and not get entangled in this great vortex.
Compared to Scholar Gu's calmness, the princes who had secretly instigated censors to impeach Scholar Gu were furious.
Although they knew that this move would not do anything to Yin Wuyan, the fact that His Majesty still trusted Yin Wuyan, as well as old ministers like Scholar Gu and Minister Qiu, was truly infuriating.
The Second Prince's face was grim. He only spoke indifferently after the tea in his hand had turned cold, "My father is very wary of us his sons, yet he trusts Yin Wuyan so much! Doesn't my father worry about nurturing a tiger that will bite him back?"
The two advisors sitting below could understand the Second Prince's feelings at this moment. His Majesty not only did not establish a crown prince but also delegated power to old ministers and Commander Yin, which clearly showed his wariness of the princes. To put it bluntly, it was more ruthless than training a hawk.
The adult princes held no power, yet their younger brothers were all growing up, coveting the position of crown prince. This was intended to make the Yin princes kill each other. The officials in the court were also suffering. Without a crown prince, everyone could only serve His Majesty, but they also worried about inadvertently offending a prince. If that prince were to ascend the throne in the future, and if there were a reckoning, their entire families would be ruined.
...
It would indeed be troublesome for the young master to inherit the Qiu family in the future. The Third Young Master might not have any ambition, but he couldn't withstand the pillow talk of the Third Madam. How could the Gu family's daughter not covet the position of the mistress of the household?
"Zhan Feiyu is not old, yet she meddles in other people's business!" Wu Shi said, her words squeezed out from between her teeth. Her smile was gentle, but her eyes were terrifyingly fierce.
As soon as she finished speaking, Wu Shi grabbed the teacup on the table and threw it fiercely to the ground. The sound of "smash" made Nanny Dong tremble.
Wu Shi's courtyard was tightly controlled, with her own people inside and out. Nanny Dong did not worry about anyone gossiping about the matter. She quietly advised, "I think Zhan Feiyu also has ulterior motives. Scholar Gu looks glorious, but he is ultimately a lone minister. To put it bluntly, once Scholar Gu passes away, his influence will vanish. Won't Zhan Feiyu be back to square one?"
Seeing that Wu Shi had calmed down, Nanny Dong continued to clean up the broken teacup fragments on the ground, "She is a country girl with a humble background. The fact that she can now enter the Qiu residence is all thanks to Scholar Gu. If this marriage is successful, the Third Young Master will probably owe her a favor."
"My third brother is already of marriageable age, but in terms of cunning and depth of thought, I'm afraid neither of my two third brothers can compare to Zhan Feiyu." Wu Shi sneered, her eyes filled with contempt and disdain for Qiu Huaixin. "As a scion of a noble family, he associates with a lowly illegitimate son. Isn't he afraid of demeaning himself!"
Wu Shi looked down on the profligate Jiao Lianping, but she despised the illegitimate son Jiao Lianyu even more. Yet, Qiu Huaixin associated closely with Jiao Lianyu, and no one in the Qiu residence stopped him. As his sister-in-law, she naturally wouldn't gossip, but she was contemptuous in her heart.
Perhaps it was to vent her anger, but Wu Shi had indeed calmed down. "Later, you send a message back to have the family investigate this fifth daughter of the Gu family. Since she went to the capital to seek refuge with Scholar Gu, she must be aiming for the noble sons in the capital. Why would she fancy my third brother? Could it be that there is something she knows that I don't? As her sister-in-law, I can't just stand by and watch my third brother become a fool."
"Yes," Nanny Dong replied. However, whether it was the Gu clan of Nanling or the scholar's residence in the capital, investigating would not be easy. Especially since Scholar Gu was alone and had no female relatives in his residence, it would be even more difficult to inquire about news from the inner chambers.
In the front hall of the main courtyard.
Taking advantage of Minister Qiu and Yin Wuyan's conversation, Qiu Huaixin darted out and blocked Zhan Feiyu, who was returning after changing her clothes, in the corridor. "Is this the method you thought of?"
Anyone who was suddenly brought up for marriage at the dinner table, and the other party was a young lady from the Gu clan of Nanling, and seeing that his own father did not intend to refuse, Qiu Huaixin could be considered to have good self-control to have waited until now to "question" Zhan Feiyu.
Zhan Feiyu squinted and smiled. This was outside Scholar Gu's study. Although there was no need to worry about anyone eavesdropping, she still lowered her voice. "Miss Gu Wu is far away in the capital, and the Wu family probably wouldn't dare to act in the capital. Therefore, if this marriage fails, it must be because of a problem on your end."
Qiu Huaixin was not stupid. If his elder sister-in-law truly feared him or even secretly attacked him, she would definitely not let him marry a noble wife. With this precaution this time, it would be much easier to catch her.
Even if he still couldn't find evidence, if something happened to him and the marriage didn't work out, the result would be obvious.
Thinking that it was indeed Wu Shi who might have made the move, Qiu Huaixin felt a little uneasy. His past spirit and pride had now turned into bitterness. "Since you're saving someone, save them to the end. Send the Buddha to the west. Lend me two more people."
He couldn't use people from the residence, and although Qiu Huaixin's friends over the years were scholars, Jiao Lianyu and the others only had scholarly titles and had not yet entered officialdom. They couldn't possibly have elite guards.
Moreover, this was a family disgrace. Qiu Huaixin would rather Zhan Feiyu be the only one to know about it than let everyone in Qianzhong Circuit know, thus losing face for the Qiu family.
Zhan Feiyu nodded. Since his elder brother had proactively brought up Miss Gu Wu, he was definitely going to get involved in this matter. It wouldn't be difficult to lend two people to protect Qiu Huaixin. He couldn't let anything happen to him.
...
The news of Zhan Feiyu's visit to Minister Qiu was sent back to the capital at the fastest speed. Others in Qianzhong Circuit might not recognize Yin Wuyan, but once the various news reached the capital, combined with the description of Yin Wuyan, and coupled with Minister Qiu personally going to the entrance to welcome him, the capital immediately guessed that this was the Commander of the Imperial Dragon Guard.
In the Imperial Study.
Putting down the seventh secret memorial impeaching the Commander of the Imperial Dragon Guard that he had seen today, His Majesty didn't even bother to look at the remaining memorials. His good sons and good ministers were all very well-informed.
"Your Majesty, Concubine Min just sent some soup, and it's just the right temperature now," Eunuch Liu asked cautiously. His Majesty's temper had been unpredictable in the past two years. The palace maids and eunuchs serving before the emperor had been dragged out and beaten to death, more than in the previous ten years combined.
Eunuch Liu had become even more cautious. He didn't interfere with the concubines in the harem or the princes and princesses. He only had His Majesty as his master. If it weren't for the fact that His Majesty was in a good mood, Eunuch Liu wouldn't have dared to mention Concubine Min, lest His Majesty become suspicious.
"Bring it in," His Majesty was indeed in a good mood. He got up and descended from the dragon throne. Thinking of the secret memorial he had just seen, he opened his mouth and said, "I heard that the fifth daughter of the Gu family is still ill?"
As the chief eunuch serving before the emperor, Eunuch Liu knew all the news from the palace and the gossip from outside the palace. As soon as His Majesty spoke, Eunuch Liu quickly replied.
"I also heard a bit. Miss Gu Wu was amazed when she saw Lord Yin, but Your Majesty knows the nature of the people around Lord Yin. At that time, a雁翎刀 was placed on Miss Gu Wu's neck."
Eunuch Liu shivered as he said this. It wasn't that he, an old eunuch, was afraid of death, but Commander Yin was too terrifying. His face was indeed handsome and extraordinary, but he had killed too many people, and his hands were stained with too much human life. Commander Yin's gaze alone could scare people to death.
This Miss Gu Wu was also visiting the capital for the first time. Look at the noble daughters in the capital, which one dared to covet Commander Yin? They must be tired of living.
"Wuyan is also of marriageable age," His Majesty sighed, seeming to be very helpless about his nephew. However, the tone clearly indicated His Majesty's indulgence towards Yin Wuyan. Even if he offended the Gu clan of Nanling, it didn't matter.
Eunuch Liu took out the soup from the food box and personally served His Majesty to wash his hands before daring to continue, "Commander Yin..."