RPAGF Chapter 366 Your subject believes in her character
Chapter 366 Your subject believes in her character
Gui Yuan pointed at her second sister: "You hypocrite, trying to create an image of justice, integrity, and fearlessness for yourself! In reality, you are clearly after Prince Ning and Feng Zizhou. Otherwise, why would a woman like you show your face in public and take a position at the Dali Temple?"
She roared furiously, and Gui Shan desperately tried to pull her away.
"Yuanyuan, stop talking, please stop talking!"
"And you, Guishan! You're the most hypocritical one." Guiyuan shoved Guishan away. "You pretend to be sisters in public, but you're the one who's selfish and self-serving. Father, Mother, and you are all the same. You all curry favor with His Highness the Crown Prince, trying to turn me into his pawn and bargaining chip. Whoever the Crown Prince wants me to marry, you'll give me away to that person!"
"How dare you!" Madam Gui exclaimed in shock.
Since it involved His Highness the Crown Prince, how could Princess He dare to let her continue speaking? She quickly ordered her mouth to be gagged and her to be taken away to await Prince Ning's decision.
The second sister's eyes darkened, and she pursed her lips without saying a word.
Si Muyan, standing behind, gaped for a long while before finally saying, "Equal creation kills everyone..."
The younger sister asked in confusion, "Big sister, what did you say?"
“I said, her mind is twisted, she can no longer distinguish right from wrong, but the Gui family is not innocent.”
No one knows what a seemingly peaceful and tranquil family is really like behind the scenes. This is true for the Wan family, and it is also true for the Gui family.
The next day, I received news from the Gui family again.
Upon hearing of Guiyuan's death, he committed suicide by swallowing gold.
Before the Dali Temple could arrest her...
Lord Gui was so angry that he cursed loudly, while Madam Gui cried her heart out, beating her chest in regret for not spending more time with Gui Yuan.
Gui Shan locked herself in her room for a whole day, refusing to eat, drink, or talk to anyone.
When she came out again, she found her father and two uncles and spoke to them.
"After Yuanyuan's funeral, Father went to the palace to report to the Emperor and asked him to withdraw the decree of marriage."
Lord Gui was astonished: "Shanshan, do you know what you're saying? You finally got the chance to enter the Crown Prince's Palace. This is your chance, and it's also the Gui family's chance. How can you give it up?"
Uncle Gui also said, "Yes, Shanshan, is it because the Crown Prince heard what Gui Yuan said that day? Are you worried that the Crown Prince will be displeased, so you are trying to back down? You absolutely cannot go to the Emperor to ask for permission. You can have your father go to the Crown Prince in private to apologize!"
"My father and uncles understand the principle that a new emperor brings a new court. The emperor is no longer young."
These words startled the three elders. Uncle Gui looked around and, seeing that no one else was serving them, quickly went to close the door.
"Shanshan, this is extremely disrespectful and should not be said again."
Gui Shan said calmly, "To be honest, since Father and Uncle are considering the Gui family's future, they should take this opportunity to retire gracefully. Otherwise, the reputation that my Gui family has built up over twenty years will be completely lost."
This is also what worries Lord Gui; maintaining a good reputation is so difficult. Over the years, everyone in the family has been cautious and careful, and has devoted themselves to raising their two daughters, thus establishing a firm foothold in the capital.
He had originally planned to use his two daughters' marriages to advance his career, but now... it's all ruined.
Thinking of this, Lord Gui hated Gui Yuan even more.
"But if the engagement is not broken off, you will remain the Crown Prince's concubine."
Gui Shan saw her father's coldness and selfishness, but lowered her eyes and didn't care. She only said, "If His Highness the Crown Prince harbors resentment towards the Gui family because of this matter, then my position as the Crown Prince's concubine will be undeserved. What if the Crown Prince holds a grudge and does something detrimental to our family in the future?"
“Yes, if the marriage doesn’t work out, fine. But if it turns into enmity, that would be terrible.” Uncle Gui agreed wholeheartedly. “Brother, let’s listen to Shanshan and call off this marriage.”
After hesitating for a moment, Gui Daren gritted his teeth and agreed.
Gui Shan added, "This is still not enough, Father, and my two uncles. You should take the initiative to resign."
"What? Our Gui family has come this far with great difficulty. Not being able to marry the Crown Prince only means we can't advance any further. But to ask us to resign? Wouldn't that mean..." Lord Gui looked at his daughter in disbelief.
Gui Shan said firmly, "Yes, I resign. I also want to tell His Majesty that it is because you, Father, have not managed the household properly and are not fit to serve the court. As for my two uncles, I will do my best to resign. If His Majesty is unwilling, I will request to be demoted."
Lord Gui and his two younger brothers looked at each other, knowing that this was a tough decision, and after hesitating for a long time, they gritted their teeth and agreed.
When Gui Shan returned to her room, her maid asked in a low voice, "Does Miss really want Master to resign from his official post? And... does Miss really not want to marry the Crown Prince?"
"How could that be?" Gui Shan's eyes were cold. "I want the Crown Prince to choose me willingly, and I also want my father to understand that Yuan Yuan and I are not able to reach higher positions solely because of our family!"
Several days later, the three adults of the Gui family submitted their resignations.
In addition, Lord Gui wept bitterly before the Emperor, saying that he had failed in his duties and had caused the Crown Prince to be implicated. He felt guilty and begged the Emperor to withdraw the decree of marriage.
The Emperor granted permission to dissolve the engagement, but he did not approve the resignations of the three officials.
However, another incident occurred: Zuo Xiangwan eloped with a stable boy in the manor, which caused quite a stir.
Duke Zuo was so angry he almost fainted, declaring that he would find Zuo Xiangwan no matter what!
This sealed Zuo Xiangwan's fate.
Many women who used to be close to Zuo Xiangwan were shocked and panicked when they heard about this. They were afraid of being implicated and worried about their friend.
Except for Gui Shan.
She sat in the room, holding a silk handkerchief in her hand, which Zuo Xiangwan had given her at the last banquet.
She originally planned to get rid of Zuo Xiangwan for the Crown Prince, but she found that although Zuo Xiangwan was somewhat arrogant, she was not a bad person, and she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Having discovered Zuo Xiangwan's secret, he simply granted her wish.
Unable to find Zuo Xiangwan, the Zuo family prepared many things for her and even managed to ask someone to borrow a cargo ship to send them to Southeast Asia.
Although that man was a stable boy, he seemed to be of good character and not someone who would curry favor with the powerful.
I only hope that Zuo Xiangwan can lose his status and reputation and that everything will go smoothly for him.
Unable to find Zuo Xiangwan, the Zuo family went to find the Crown Prince at night, requesting that the Zuo family's choice to enter the Eastern Palace be changed to a concubine's daughter, but the Crown Prince flatly refused.
The uncle and nephew argued and parted on bad terms.
The Crown Prince went to the Emperor again to plead his case, saying that Gui Yuan had been talking nonsense at the crab banquet, and that he had never intended to form cliques or pursue personal gain, nor did he want to use the Gui sisters as pawns to win over powerful officials.
The Emperor did not express his opinion, so the Crown Prince knelt down and begged the Emperor to bestow Gui Yuan upon him as his principal wife.
He said, "Father, on that day at the hunting grounds, I fell in love with Miss Gui at first sight. Now, after experiencing all sorts of events, I realize that I cannot live without her."
The Emperor squinted at him for a long time: "Do you know that Lord Gui has already resigned? If I approve his resignation, Miss Gui will just be an ordinary commoner, and she is not a good match for you!"
"Your subject has never cared about family background, and believes in her character."