in2ebook Chapter 357 Your Highness, please retract your decree
Chapter 357 Your Highness, please retract your decree
Lord Gui angrily said, "I have no say in whether you agree or not! Gui Yuan, I have raised you so well, and now that you have grown up, it is time for you to repay your father. The Crown Prince needs to win over Lord He, and the best way is for you to marry into his family. Once the Crown Prince and Lord He are brothers-in-law, Lord He will be willing to serve His Highness the Crown Prince."
After saying this, Lord Gui turned and left.
Gui Yuan was shocked and furious. Just a moment ago she was still dreaming of marrying into the Feng family and becoming the fourth young mistress, but now her dream was shattered.
Her father actually wanted her to become the second wife of an ordinary fifth-rank official.
Is this the Crown Prince's idea, or the elder sister's?
Gui Yuan stormed into Gui Shan's courtyard, pushed open Gui Shan's door, and shouted angrily, "Sister, did you do this?"
Gui Shan had just taken her medicine and was feeling dizzy and unsteady on her feet. When a gust of wind blew in through the door, she shivered from the cold.
The maidservant hurriedly said, "Second Miss, you are unwell and cannot be exposed to the wind..."
"Get out!" Gui Yuan shoved the maid aside, furious, and grabbed Gui Shan's collar. "Sister, it was you who did it! You were the one who made the Crown Prince marry me off to that official in the Ministry of Works, weren't you?"
"No..." Gui Shan wanted to argue, but fearing that others would overhear and gossip, she quickly waved her hand to let the maid leave.
Gui Yuan shoved her into a chair, furious: "How could it not be you? You just can't stand to see me doing well. You were unhappy when I said I wanted to marry Feng Zizhou. So you were afraid I'd marry too well? You can marry the Crown Prince, so why can I only marry a minor official, and a second wife at that? Why?!"
Gui Shan paused for a moment, then forced herself to say, "Yuanyuan, listen to me..."
"What else do you want to say? Gui Shan, are you very proud of yourself?" Gui Yuan said angrily, "It's always been like this since we were little. You're good at everything, outstanding in everything. When people talk about the Gui family girls, you're the first one they think of. As for me, I'm just someone they praise as one of the two beauties of the Gui family!"
"Everything in the family revolves around you. When you were little, your grandparents raised you with great care. After they passed away, your father and mother still prioritize you in everything. And me? Am I just an appendage to you?"
"You're going to be the Crown Prince's concubine, a concubine who will be listed in the imperial genealogy! When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, there will be many concubines, and you'll be one of them. I ask for nothing more than a future husband who is high-ranking and powerful, I only ask for a lifetime of wealth and peace, and even that, you won't grant me that?"
"You don't need to belittle Feng Zizhou. At least the Feng family is good; they are a Duke's mansion. Besides, he's only twenty-two or twenty-three, and he's handsome and virtuous. How can the Ministry of Works' assistant clerk compare to him? Let me ask you, what makes you think Feng Zizhou is bad, and that the Ministry of Works' assistant clerk is good?"
"Is it because, in your heart, your sister, I am only fit to marry a fifth-rank official as his second wife, and not just any official, but an old, ugly man with an arrogant and haughty attitude?"
Upon hearing these words, Gui Shan burst into tears, heartbroken. She shook her head desperately, "Yuan Yuan, I didn't. That man is not good enough for you. I won't let you marry him, Yuan Yuan, please listen to me..."
"Shut up! I feel disgusted just looking at you!" Gui Yuan slapped Gui Shan across the face, covered her face, and ran out crying.
Gui Shan was so stunned by the beating that she coughed up a mouthful of blood after a long while.
The maid came in and hugged Gui Shan, crying, "Miss, how could Second Miss lay a hand on you? You were already ill and didn't want Madam and Second Miss to worry, so you didn't say anything. How could Second Miss be so inconsiderate of you?"
It took Gui Shan a long time to recover: "Don't blame her, blame me. I was the one who conspired with a tiger and ruined her future."
“Miss, you are already like this, yet you are still thinking about the Second Miss, but the Second Miss doesn’t understand you at all.”
Gui Shan remained silent for a long time before instructing her maid to prepare pen and ink. She then wrote a letter and instructed the maid to deliver it to the residence outside the Crown Prince's palace.
She was inviting the Crown Prince to a meeting. She would not agree to let Yuan Yuan marry that official in charge of the Ministry of Works. If the Crown Prince insisted on this, she would rather die than comply. She would rather not be the Crown Prince's concubine.
Gui Shan murmured softly, "It's my fault for being useless, but no matter what, I can't push my sister into the fire."
The Crown Prince quickly replied and invited Gui Shan to meet him at a teahouse.
Upon seeing Gui Shan, the Crown Prince's expression turned somewhat displeased. He asked, "Are you ill? Why did you still invite me to meet?"
He was so cold-hearted; when he saw she was sick, his first words weren't concern, but questioning, as if he was afraid she would pass on her illness to him.
Really cool.
Gui Shan calmly said, "It's just a minor illness, I'm perfectly healthy now."
"Too thin, I don't like it," the Crown Prince said.
Gui Shan remained expressionless, simply saying, "His Highness told me last time that he wanted to marry my sister to the Minister of Works as his second wife."
"Hmm, your father told you?"
Gui Shan's hand clenched slightly: "Please, Your Highness, rescind your order."
The Crown Prince chuckled and looked at her coldly: "Who do you think you are, to think you can bargain with me? I only took you as a concubine because of your reputation, which is already giving you a lot of face."
He said slowly, "Actually, someone like your father would come over if I just beckoned, wouldn't he?"
Gui Shan's hands were hidden under her sleeves, her fingers almost digging into her palms.
She knew why. The Crown Prince had indeed shown some liking for her father before and had indeed tried to win him over. However, the situation in the court was different then. The Third Prince's power was not to be underestimated, so the Crown Prince could only act more humbly.
Now that the threat of the Third Prince is gone, and the Crown Prince is all-powerful, who can he still respect?
Gui Shan raised her head and looked at the Crown Prince, saying, "If Your Highness is unwilling to retract your decree, my sister and I are afraid that neither of us can serve Your Highness."
"Are you threatening me?"
Gui Shan smiled calmly: "Of course, our lives are not a threat. It will just leave a little mud on Your Highness's feet, which will be a bit troublesome to clean."
"Humph."
Gui Shan continued, "However, I want to enter the Eastern Palace, not just to be His Highness's parasitic vine. I can do many things for His Highness."
"for example?"
Gui Shan smiled and said, "For example... Your Highness may not be able to get involved in matters of the inner quarters, but I can. When it comes to infighting within the inner quarters, Zuo Xiangwan is certainly no match for me."
The crown prince's smiling face slowly turned cold: "Do you know what you're saying?"
Gui Shan smiled again: "Of course I know."
The Crown Prince and Gui Shan stared at each other for a long time before he realized that he had underestimated this frail woman.
And she actually knew that he disliked the Zuo family.
It's true that the Zuo family is his maternal uncle's family; he has been able to remain in the position of crown prince for so many years thanks to the Zuo family. But because of this, he will always be subject to the Zuo family. Although he and his uncle are clearly ruler and subject, his uncle only wants to be his elder, above him.