Everyone looked in the direction the Emperor pointed. Among the assembled officials’ seats, Gu Chaodong’s face was blank with shock.

“The Minister of Revenue holds proper second rank, yet Gu Aiqing still has no principal wife to this day. I deeply grieve for this. This beauty—why not give her to him?”

All around were envious congratulations, but Gu Chaodong’s face turned iron blue. He stepped forward and knelt in the center of the hall. “This subject thanks Your Majesty for your great favor, but though this subject has no principal wife, someone resides in his heart. I fear I would wrong this beauty.”

The smile on Gu Chaobei’s face faded slightly, a flash of light darting through his eyes. “Who resides in Aiqing’s heart? Speak up—I might just be able to arrange that marriage as well.”

Gu Chaodong closed his eyes. “This subject begs Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”

Someone he couldn’t name—even if he spoke, the Emperor could never bestow that marriage.

Seeing his reaction, Consorts Hua and Xi beside them couldn’t help but look toward Shen Guiyan. Below, Prime Minister Gu also frowned slightly and rebuked in a low voice, “Lord Gu, an imperial marriage bestowal is supreme honor. What reason is there to refuse?”

The smile on the Emperor’s face had completely withdrawn. His fingers lightly tapped the dragon throne as he simply watched him.

Just now when he’d been teasing, Gu Chaodong’s gaze had shot toward him like knives, making him deeply uncomfortable. He’d pulled him out to air him out, but the words also made him uncomfortable.

What was this? Back then he’d been fickle and heartless, flitting from flower to flower—now he was here performing devoted constancy? For whose benefit?

Shen Guiyan’s intuition told her this scene boded ill for her. She simply watched her nose with her eyes and her heart with her nose, looking as if she were meditating.

Gu Chaodong took a deep breath. “This subject has already wronged someone and does not wish to neglect such a beautiful maiden from a foreign land. To be honest with Your Sage Majesty, this subject already has the intention to enter Buddhist practice and is preparing to become a lay disciple of Jingxiang Temple, so I cannot accept His Majesty’s kind intention.”

The envoy and the beauty stood to one side, thoroughly embarrassed. So such a beautiful person was being repeatedly rejected? The Emperor didn’t want her—fine. But a minister also didn’t want her? He’d rather become a monk?

The beauty’s eyes filled with tears as she gazed resentfully at Gu Chaobei on his seat.

Gu Chaobei was also laughing from anger. How come Gu Chaodong never had this backbone before? When he married Shen Guiya and abandoned Yan’er, he’d been smooth as silk. Now look at him—he’d rather remain unwed for life.

Seeing the Emperor’s expression was about to turn furious, Prime Minister Gu, as a father, naturally understood Gu Chaodong’s thoughts. He immediately stepped forward. “Your Majesty, my unworthy son is absurd. Your Majesty need not take his words to heart. As Lord Gu’s father, I have the right to decide his marriage. Your Majesty’s bestowal of marriage brings the Gu family great honor. This old subject accepts on behalf of my unworthy son.”

“Father!” Gu Chaodong looked up at him in disbelief.

“You be quiet.” Prime Minister Gu rebuked him in a low voice, then bowed to the Emperor again.

This was a state banquet. That marriage bestowal just now was the sage’s will. Did Gu Chaodong still think they were one family of brothers, that words spoken wrongly could still be taken back? Now Gu Chaobei was the Emperor. When the Emperor raged, corpses floated for a thousand li and blood flowed into rivers. How did this person not understand?

Gu Chaodong was unwilling. Looking at all those women in the seats above, Yan’er in the rear palace was surely unhappy. Day and night he thought of ways to make Yan’er’s life a little better. Sometimes he even dreamed of taking Yan’er away from the imperial palace to live a life with mountains and waters.

And now, Gu Chaobei wanted to force a marriage upon him, completely severing his hopes?

Shen Hanlu above had her head bowed even lower than Shen Guiyan’s, only hoping these people wouldn’t see her. Grand Empress Dowager Wen had fallen—no one gave her support anymore. What if someone recognized her and said she was the eldest young madam of the Gu family? What would she do then?

But she was probably overthinking it. People could look similar—without evidence, who could prove the Emperor had seized his brother’s wife?

Looking at Gu Chaodong like this, Shen Hanlu’s heart was also resentful. Hadn’t he liked her very much back then? With a light hook of her finger, she’d snatched him from Shen Guiyan. But since her fake death, he seemed not to have mentioned her even once. Instead, Shen Guiyan was like his deceased first wife.

With a cold snort, Shen Hanlu stared at the tips of her embroidered shoes. Gu Chaodong would get his karmic retribution.

“Since the Prime Minister has accepted, then this marriage is settled.” The Emperor said slowly, “I will command the Bureau of Astronomy to select an auspicious date.”

“Many thanks, Your Majesty.” Prime Minister Gu bowed. Afterward, he rose and, seeing Gu Chaodong still unwilling to get up, directly pulled him back to his seat.

“Father.” Gu Chaodong said in a low voice with a stiff face, “I don’t want to marry.”

Prime Minister Gu snorted coldly. “That’s also possible. You resign from your position as Minister of Revenue and take refuge at Jingxiang Temple, and no one will be able to force you.”

Gu Chaodong froze and frowned.

“You want both to sit secure in wealth and honor and to have everything go according to your own temperament—where is there such a cheap deal?” Prime Minister Gu said coldly, “You’re a man, not a child under protection anymore.”

Gu Chaodong pressed his lips together and turned to glance at the position beside the Emperor.

Shen Guiyan had her eyes lowered, as if dozing.

He thought again of long ago when they were small. Little Yan’er came to play at the Prime Minister’s residence, sitting on the swing and swaying until she fell asleep. Her little head nodded bit by bit—she nearly fell off. He hurried forward to catch her. Her small body tumbled into his arms, soft, making his heart race.

When she woke with a red face, she glanced at him timidly.

“What’s your name?”

“I am Gu Chaodong.”

They were clearly childhood sweethearts with such feelings—how had he… squandered it all away?

His eyes reddening slightly, Gu Chaodong shifted his gaze away, only to accidentally meet the Emperor’s eyes.

Gu Chaobei smiled ambiguously, stroking his chin as he looked at him.

The defiance in his heart rose up a bit more. Gu Chaodong looked at the Emperor with determination, then looked at Shen Guiyan.

Even if he could never be with her again, at least—he loved Yan’er more than Gu Chaobei did!

The Emperor let out a cold laugh and turned his head to look at Shen Guiyan. Just as he was about to say something, he saw her nodding like a pecking chicken.

Sleepy? Looking at the hour, if it were usual, she’d be about ready for bed. Since becoming pregnant, she seemed to spend half of each day sleeping.

His heart softened. Gu Chaobei turned to look below. “Has the ambassador enjoyed himself?”

The foreign ambassador below was fuming with anger—where was the enjoyment? He clasped his hands. “Your Majesty need not rush. Our nation still has gifts to present.”

Gu Chaobei was somewhat impatient, but beside him Grand Empress Dowager Nian coughed lightly, so he still restrained his temper. “Oh? Present them for viewing.”

The ambassador clapped his hands, and two people carried up a scroll.

“This is the Ten Thousand Li Rivers and Mountains Painting.” The ambassador waved his hand, and those two people unfurled the scroll, slowly opening it.

A painting fully three zhang long slowly unrolled, extending from before the Emperor all the way to the entrance of Juhuan Pavilion. Upon it were truly ten thousand li of splendid rivers and mountains—great rivers and streams, grasslands and seas, vast and magnificent, making everyone unable to help exclaiming in admiration.

“What painstaking work on this painting.” Gu Chaobei also praised.

Grand Empress Dowager Nian glanced at him sideways and pursed her lips. “Your Majesty should praise their sincerity and artistry.”

Gu Chaobei nodded and praised anew. “The foreign nation truly has talented people emerging in succession. Someone with such ambition must have the rivers and mountains of the realm in their heart as well, yes?”

The ambassador smiled. “This painting is the result of three years’ work by our nation’s foremost painter, specially brought to present to Your Majesty, wishing our dynasty prosperity and magnificent rivers and mountains.”

Shen Hanlu couldn’t sit still again. “Your Majesty, seeing this painting, this consort wishes to compose a poem.”

Gu Chaobei glanced at her noncommittally. But the foreign ambassador became interested. “This subject has already witnessed Consort Shen’s cleverness earlier. If I could also receive Your Ladyship’s inscription, this subject would admire you even more.”

Inscribing should have been Shen Guiyan’s task. But she was asleep now, and Gu Chaobei couldn’t bear to wake her, so he nodded. “Consort Shen, go ahead.”

Shen Hanlu smiled, lifted her skirts and stepped forward, having someone bring the four treasures of the study.

“I thought tonight’s most outstanding person would be Consort Yan, but unexpectedly it’s all been Consort Shen emerging.” Gu Chaonan was sitting in the ministers’ seats below and muttered softly.

Xu Mengdie had come along and was standing beside Gu Chaonan attending to him. Hearing this, she said quietly, “Does husband not understand?”

“Understand what?” Gu Chaonan turned his head to look at her.

“Women are divided into two types—one is to show off, the other is to protect and keep for one’s own happiness.” Xu Mengdie reached out to pour wine for Gu Chaonan. “Consort Shen is the former, Consort Yan is the latter. Which is more important is clear at a glance.”

Gu Chaonan thought about it and realized it was true. For instance, someone like Mengdie—he’d rather hide her away himself and not let others see.

Xu Mengdie had come today specifically for this, waiting for Shen Hanlu to compose her inscription.

She even knew what Shen Hanlu would write.

“How beautiful these rivers and mountains are,

Making countless heroes bow in homage.

Alas, Emperor Qin and Emperor Wu of Han

Were slightly lacking in literary grace;

Emperor Tang and Emperor Song

Were a bit inferior in poetic elegance.

The proud son of Heaven for a generation,

Genghis Khan,

Only knew how to draw his bow and shoot eagles.

All are past,

To find truly great men,

Look to this age.”

Shen Hanlu didn’t remember the first half, only these few lines. She took the brush and wrote them out crookedly, not showing them to the ambassador first but presenting them to the Emperor.

As soon as Gu Chaobei saw this handwriting, his face darkened. Had Shen Hanlu written this with her feet? It was so ugly as to be unmatched. With such characters, some even missing strokes—how could she have the nerve to show this to the ambassador?

Shen Hanlu looked at Gu Chaobei with an excited face, just waiting for his praise. Who knew the Emperor’s face showed not a hint of joy, only some helplessness.

“Your Majesty?”

“What has Your Ladyship written? Please bestow it, Your Majesty.” The envoy asked curiously.

Gu Chaobei smiled and crumpled the paper into a ball, tucking it into his sleeve. “Your Ladyship wrote words about ‘how beautiful these rivers and mountains are.’ Tomorrow I’ll have someone skilled in calligraphy inscribe it on the painting. Your Ladyship’s authentic work—the ambassador need not insist.” He paused. “This Ten Thousand Li Rivers and Mountains Painting pleases me greatly. My return gift will not be lacking.”

“Many thanks, Your Majesty.” Though the ambassador was curious, the Emperor’s latter statement was enough. The return gift was more important than the consort’s poem.

Having gained nothing good on this first day of the state banquet, the envoy would have to rack his brains when he returned.

Shen Guiyan was awakened by being carried. When the state banquet ended, Gu Chaobei directly lifted her into his arms, startling her.

“It’s over?”

“Mm.” Gu Chaobei’s features had all softened. He said in a low voice, “You seemed very sleepy. I’ll carry you back.”