Chapter 173: False Happiness
Gu Qing sat motionless on the chair, lost in thought and doubting life, after hearing Gu Yu’s words.
So, all the imperial decrees issued these days were the doing of Bai Qian.
This meant… his belief that he was highly valued by the Emperor was completely wrong!
Thinking back to how he had celebrated, first arresting Wang Xu, then going to the Zhou family as soon as he received the imperial decrees, it was all just false happiness!
He was not truly valued by the Emperor.
Moreover, by that time, the Emperor had already passed away!
“Father-in-law, although I wanted to tell you this news earlier, the Empress had already given orders not to leak this matter…”
“Enough, enough, I know the gravity of the situation, but you and Mengyao were too reckless! Is the position of Emperor something anyone can sit on? Not to mention, Bai Qian is merely an Empress, not of the royal bloodline.”
“Regarding this, the Empress has already made up her mind. She will act as regent in the name of the Little Prince.”
“…”
After Gu Qing expressed his concerns, Gu Yu showed no panic. Instead, he revealed Bai Qian’s long-thought-out plan, leaving Gu Qing speechless.
Just seeing how thoroughly Bai Qian had prepared, no one would believe it was a spontaneous decision. It was likely premeditated.
Gu Qing even suspected that the Emperor’s death was not normal.
Perhaps Bai Qian was responsible…
“By the way, the Emperor’s death is related to the Wang Clan and the Empress Dowager.”
“???”
“It’s like this: the Wang Clan colluded with thieves from other countries and obtained a drug. They deceived the Empress Dowager into giving the drug to the Emperor… and by the time we arrived, the Emperor had been dead for a long time.”
“…”
After learning the whole story from Gu Yu, Gu Qing sighed in depression after being left speechless.
This Wang Clan was truly incompetent and only caused trouble.
They were greedy without having any strength.
And they even wanted to control the Emperor…
Moreover, the Empress Dowager was also complicit.
If it weren’t for these two “rotten apples,” the whole situation wouldn’t have been ruined.
Linfeng Kingdom was now in such a dire situation, and who knew how much more chaos would ensue before it stabilized.
However, even though Gu Qing knew this information, he was not optimistic about Bai Qian’s ability to ascend the throne.
After all, besides these issues, there was one even more serious problem.
Bai Qian was a woman.
If she were to act as regent, not to mention what the civilians would think, the civil and military officials in the imperial court would surely cause a huge uproar.
Since ancient times, no country had ever set a precedent for a woman to become Emperor.
“Father-in-law, the deed is done. Mengyao and I have already sided with the Empress. If we try to withdraw now, the Empress certainly won’t let us go… If we expose this matter in advance, although the Empress will be dealt with by others, I believe! Given the Empress’s narrow-mindedness, she would drag us down with her even if she had to die.”
“…According to you, we have to see this through to the end?”
“Exactly. However, Father-in-law, you don’t need to worry too much. I, Gu Yu, don’t fight battles I’m not prepared for. Since we are now supporting Empress Bai Qian, it’s naturally because I’ve seen her exceptional qualities and strength. Otherwise, I would never do something foolish like seeking my own death.”
Perhaps sensing Gu Qing’s hesitation, Gu Yu decided to deliver a blow for the sake of the future.
By tying himself and Gu Mengyao to Empress Bai Qian’s “ship of desperadoes,” even if Gu Qing wanted to secretly report Bai Qian, his actions would be hindered.
Although this was a forced transaction, Gu Yu had no choice but to do it.
Otherwise, given his father-in-law’s personality, he was capable of reporting the matter.
It was considered preventing trouble before it happened.
“Alright, you two can leave now. Let me think alone.”
“Yes, your son-in-law will take his leave.”
“Dad, I’m leaving too.”
Gu Qing rubbed his temples, his eyebrows furrowed into a deep ‘川’ shape. Then, he waved his sleeves, signaling Gu Yu and Gu Qingheng to leave so he could think properly.
Gu Yu did not refuse.
After leaving the study with Gu Qingheng, they did not speak. Upon returning to Gu Yu’s residence, Gu Qingheng, who had been holding back all the way, finally couldn’t help but speak.
“Brother-in-law, why did you talk about Empress Bai Qian! I originally wanted you to persuade my father to stop being so dejected, but now the situation is like a runaway wild horse, completely out of control!”
“It’s fine, not as serious as you think. Moreover, I think telling Father-in-law about Bai Qian is a good thing.”
“A good thing?”
Sinking into a chair, Gu Qingheng looked suspiciously at Gu Yu, who was lying on the bed with no regard for his image. His big eyes were filled with curiosity. He wondered why his brother-in-law would say that.
Given his father’s stubbornness, what good could come from knowing this?
He was now worried… that his father would secretly report the matter and sabotage Bai Qian’s plan.
If that happened, the Gu family would be on a path of opposition to Bai Qian.
“Of course it’s a good thing! Think about Father-in-law’s temper. If we don’t tell him now, what will happen after Bai Qian announces this matter in the imperial court?”
“…”
“Looking at your expression, you’ve already guessed it, haven’t you? The outcome will be very bad, so it’s better to let him know about this in advance, so he can react accordingly.”
“Brother-in-law is right. My foresight was too shallow.”
“Yes, learn well from your brother-in-law in the future, don’t be fooled by others! Also, don’t worry that Father-in-law will tell others about this. Even if he doesn’t consider me, he will consider your sister.”
What Gu Qingheng couldn’t understand before, he immediately understood after Gu Yu spoke.
Gu Qingheng did not stubbornly insist on his previous view. Instead, he looked at Gu Yu with admiration.
His brother-in-law was so amazing; he had thought of everything!
This look of admiration, especially coming from his brother-in-law, made Gu Yu feel incredibly pleased.
It was truly a sense of accomplishment to finally gain Gu Qingheng’s admiration like this!
Gu Yu was even considering… that in future situations like this, he could continue to guide Gu Qingheng, and he would receive even more admiring glances from his brother-in-law.
It felt more gratifying than earning a large sum of silver!
“Lord Gu! Are you in? I have something to report to you!”
“Li Wang? Why are you here?”
Since Li Wang had witnessed Gu Qingheng’s almost supernatural memory, he had been quite disheartened. To recover from this shock, he stopped being Gu Qingheng’s personal servant. Instead, he threw himself into various tasks at the Gu Residence.
He had become a versatile asset to the Gu Residence, moving wherever he was needed.
And now that he was rushing over, what important news did he have?
“Zhou Li of the Zhou family is not dead! He used a disguise technique to deceive everyone and was rescued!”
