RPAGF Chapter 558 At worst, I'll just retire and go back to my hometown.
Chapter 558 At worst, I'll just retire and go back to my hometown.
Upon hearing this, Chu Ruohan's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly stood up and grabbed his arm.
"Are you crazy? What time is it? The palace gates are locked long ago. How are you going to get into the palace?"
Her voice held a hint of urgency as she tried to pull him back.
"Even if you are allowed into the palace, who do you plan to see? Will you question the Empress or argue with the Emperor?"
She gripped his arm tightly, her fingertips turning white from the force.
"If you barge in like this in a fit of rage, before you even have a chance to speak, you'll be charged with disobeying an imperial decree and trespassing into the palace at night! Then we'll only be in a more passive position!"
Gu Junze was pulled back by her and stopped in his tracks.
He turned around, and in the candlelight, the languid ease on his face vanished, replaced by a cold melancholy.
Those eyes were sharp as an eagle's, radiating a chilling light that sent shivers down one's spine.
"Passive?" He sneered, grabbing her hand and pulling her close. "Are you no longer passive now?"
"Ruohan, she's testing us today, she's informing us. What she values isn't Qingchen himself, but the military power and loyalty of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion for the next few decades!"
His voice wasn't loud, but every word struck Chu Ruohan's heart like iron.
“My daughter, Gu Junze’s daughter, is not a bargaining chip. I’d rather she live a life of unbridled power at home than allow her to enter that cannibalistic place and become a worshipped memorial tablet!”
“I understand, of course I understand!” Chu Ruohan’s eyes were slightly red. “How could I want Qingchen to go down that path? But Junze, this is not like buying and selling things in the market, where you can just refuse outright.”
"That's royalty! That's the Emperor! One wrong step and the entire Duke's mansion could be ruined!"
She knew better than anyone the consequences of refusing a royal marriage.
That was not only a slap in the face to the royal family, but also a demonstration of non-cooperation and non-submission to the imperial power.
From now on, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion will be thrust into the spotlight, becoming a thorn in the side of countless people.
Seeing the fear and worry in her eyes, Gu Junze's fierce aura subsided slightly.
He reached out his other hand and gently stroked her cheek, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips.
“I know.” His voice softened slightly, but remained firm. “I won’t risk myself, much less you and the children. But this matter cannot be delayed.”
He pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed, his expression regaining the composure and decisiveness befitting a Duke of Zhenguo.
"Since the Empress has this idea, she will surely mention it to the Emperor. If I don't go, it will be considered as tacit agreement. I must go and make things clear to the Emperor before she does."
Chu Ruohan looked up at him, "What are you going to say?"
Gu Junze's gaze calmed down, a complex and unfathomable light flashing in his eyes.
"Your Majesty and I have been ruler and subject for many years, and we were once brothers who shared life and death."
He said slowly, "I will tell him that my daughter, Gu Junze's daughter, is unruly and unfit to be the mother of the nation. My Zhenguo Duke's Mansion has made great contributions and dares not marry into the Crown Prince again, lest the disaster of the maternal relatives be repeated."
He paused, his tone carrying an undeniable force.
"I would also tell him that I only have this one daughter, and I only wish for her to be safe, happy, and carefree for the rest of her life."
“If he insists on putting these shackles on Qingchen, then I, Gu Junze, will have no choice but to resign from my position as Duke, retire from the army, and take the three of them, mother and daughters, away from this troublesome place in the capital.”
Chu Ruohan gasped, staring at him in shock.
Retiring from military service and returning to rural life?
These four words, spoken by the Duke of Zhenguo, carried enough weight to shake the entire court.
This was no longer a refusal, but a threat. They were using the power and illustrious military achievements of the entire Zhenguo Duke's mansion to make a high-stakes gamble.
"Junze, you..."
"Ruohan, trust me." Gu Junze interrupted her, his hand tightly enveloping hers, conveying an unwavering strength.
"The Emperor is a wise ruler. What he needs is a Duke who can protect the country for him, not a resentful father-in-law who is forced to offer up his daughter."
He will understand what I mean.
Looking into her husband's eyes, with that familiar confidence and determination he displayed on the battlefield, Chu Ruohan's chaotic heart finally calmed down little by little.
Yes, how could she forget?
Her husband was never a lazy nobleman who only knew how to pamper his daughter.
He was a war god who carved a path to survival for the Eastern Jin Dynasty amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and the pillar of the state whom the emperor relied on most and feared most.
He has his pride, and he also has his trump cards.
"Alright." Chu Ruohan nodded and gripped his hand tightly. "I won't stop you. But not tonight. Tomorrow morning, you will present your nameplate and enter the palace to see the Emperor with dignity."
Gu Junze looked at her, and the icy look in his eyes finally melted away, revealing a gentle smile.
He pulled her into his arms, his chin gently resting on the top of her head.
"I'm so sorry to have wronged you. Today in the Imperial Garden, you had to suffer such humiliation because of Qingchen."
Chu Ruohan leaned against his chest, listening to his steady and powerful heartbeat, and her nerves, which had been tense all day, finally relaxed completely.
"As long as our family is together, it's not a hardship."
she whispered.
Outside the window, the night was deep, and the moonlight was like water.
Inside the Duke's mansion, a storm that could shake the very foundations of the nation had already been set in motion by the couple in just a few words.
But none of them expected that the vortex they were trying their best to avoid would not always calm down just because you backed down.
Meanwhile, inside the Prince Yong's mansion, the atmosphere was completely different from the warmth of the Duke Zhenguo's mansion; it was as cold as the dead of winter.
"This is unreasonable! This is simply unreasonable!"
The precious porcelain was slammed to the ground with a sharp, mournful sound, shattering into pieces.
Princess Yong was so angry that her chest heaved violently, and her well-maintained face was contorted with rage.
"A vulgar and rude young girl, a sharp-tongued shrew! The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, what a show of power!" She leaned on the table, panting heavily.
Lin Xingyao quickly stepped forward, gently patted her back, and softly comforted her, "Mother, please calm down. Getting angry over such a person will only harm your health."
As she spoke, she squatted down and seemingly unintentionally brushed a sharp shard of porcelain aside.
"Chu Ruohan was just pushed to the limit and spoke recklessly. It's just a pity that our Yongwang Mansion has been humiliated in public like this."
She paused, raised her eyes, and looked at her silent brother with a deep gaze.
"I have also seen the noble ladies present today. The one from the Minister's family is too petty, and the one from the Vice Minister's family seems timid... There is really no one who is worthy of you, brother."
In his words, he belittled all the noble ladies in the capital, while highlighting only his own brother's noble and extraordinary status.