jdhmnovel Chapter 328 He's a real old fox.
Chapter 328 He's a real old fox.
It's no wonder Gu Zhanghua asked that question. Xia Guo clearly benefited greatly from the alliance, suddenly gaining a well-trained navy to act as a surprise force in cooperation with Xia Guo.
Despite the kinship ties, Emperor Song, who had invested heavily in building his navy, would not easily reveal his trump card.
Guan Liushui carefully placed the jade seal back into the wooden box.
"Emperor Song told me that after defeating Yue, Xia would just settle the expenses for Song's navy's expedition, and he didn't mention anything else or make any other demands."
Guan Liushui finally acted like a special envoy, standing tall and imposing, patting the lid of the wooden box and looking around at everyone.
"As long as His Majesty agrees to cooperate, I can immediately sign the treaty on behalf of the Song Emperor! And affix the imperial seal on the spot!"
Little Fairy Doctor, who had been listening quietly, suddenly raised a question.
"Is the Song Emperor really that reckless? Isn't he afraid that you might use this imperial seal to do something detrimental to him?"
"Am I that kind of person?"
When his character was questioned, Guan Liushui was so angry he almost overturned the table—oh, it was a stone table, he couldn't overturn it.
Gu Zhanghua had been silently pondering when he suddenly slapped his thigh.
"Impressive, truly impressive! This is what makes Emperor Song so remarkable. More than the importance of this imperial seal, he hopes that our Xia Kingdom will win. With our Xia Kingdom protecting him, and especially with my mother's connection to him, he can continue to rest easy!"
Gu Zhanghua looked around at everyone, his smile tinged with helplessness.
"Moreover, his move is a timely help, which not only helps the Xia Kingdom but also attracts its attention. The Song Kingdom has the only navy on the Qiankun Continent, and it is certainly not made of clay; it has the strength to fight."
"I understand!"
Zhao Xuan crossed her arms and scoffed.
"He helped us out, and we won. He then reaped the benefits and continued to live a carefree life. He also told us not to underestimate him, not to think he was easy to bully, and not to harbor any evil intentions or try to annex the Song Kingdom. This is him showing his sword to Father Emperor!"
Hao Xiong couldn't help but exclaim, "What a cunning old fox!"
"There's no time to lose!" Gu Zhanghua stood up and said to Guan Liushui, "Take the imperial seal, I'll take you to the palace to see Father Emperor now!"
Zhao Xuan immediately stood up: "I'll go too. I have something to discuss with my father."
Of course, she had to discuss the matter of sending crossbows to the northern border with Emperor Xia. Without Emperor Xia's approval, she could not make the decision on her own.
Little Fairy Doctor then stood up: "I'll join you too, I also have something to discuss with His Majesty."
Hao Xiong quickly darted to Gu Zhanghua's side: "Me too!"
Zhao Xuan looked Hao Xiong up and down, completely puzzled.
"After all, Little Fairy Doctor is Third Brother's master. It's perfectly normal for her to talk to Father about Third Brother's studies. What business do you have of interfering?"
Hao Xiong spoke lazily.
"It's been a long time since I've seen His Majesty. I miss him a bit. Is it alright if I pay my respects to him?"
Zhao Xuan really couldn't refute this reason; respecting the elderly and caring for the young is a virtue.
But Zhao Xuan really couldn't remember when Hao Xiong had ever met Emperor Xia.
Forget it, it's not important.
So, the five friends tidied themselves up a bit, got into the carriage, and headed towards the palace.
In the imperial study room.
Gu Li was discussing tactics for the war against Yue with Minister of War Jiang Song and Gu Jiancheng when Han Gu came to report. Gu Zhanghua and Zhao Xuan, along with several friends, entered the palace to discuss important matters.
Gu Li didn't take it seriously; nothing was more important to the children than the current war.
"Go and tell them to wait at Consort Shu's place first. I will go and have dinner with them when I am done."
"Yes."
Han Gu responded and went to relay the message to Gu Zhanghua and the others.
The five of them arrived at Qilan Palace, which made Xiao Aiyue extremely happy!
Her palace hadn't been this lively in a long time; so many children had suddenly arrived, so she hurriedly ordered people to serve pastries and tea.
Xiao Aiyue held Gu Zhanghua's hand with her left hand and Zhao Xuan's hand with her right hand. There were three well-behaved children around her, one of whom was particularly pleasing to the eye.
Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that she was the top performer at Dengyue Tower, a renowned singer and dancer.
Xiao Aiyue immediately let go, abandoning her son and daughter-in-law, and grabbed Guan Liushui's hands, staring intently at Guan Liushui's face.
"This child is so handsome! How old is he? Is he married? Where is he from? Does he have any siblings?"
Its eyes were fixed on the flowing water, while its mouth gestured towards the green ivy standing beside it.
"The chief personal maid will be released from the palace next year. Rather than marrying her off to a stranger, it's better to give her to one of our own. She's beautiful, gentle, well-educated, and a perfect person to manage the household!"
With the idea of keeping the benefits within the family, Xiao Aiyue vigorously promoted the pothos, finding it increasingly appealing as she looked at it and admired its flowing water.
It's not that Guan Liushui is more handsome than Gu Zhanghua, but rather that even the most handsome man gets tiresome after a while. It was only when a fresh and handsome young man from elsewhere appeared that Xiao Aiyue became infatuated.
As I listened to the flowing water, I broke out in a cold sweat. It was the first time I had ever lost my composure in the face of someone's praise.
The person holding his hand right in front of him was none other than Consort Shu!
Guan Liushui was afraid that the Empress might suddenly decide to issue a decree to marry him, which would force him to marry this chief personal maid whom he had only met once and had no feelings for!
Guan Liushui gave Gu Zhanghua a pleading look, then immediately looked away.
What kind of expression did Gu Zhanghua have?
They were gloating and drooling, even rubbing their hands together, their eyes darting back and forth between themselves and the green ivy.
Not to mention Gu Zhanghua, the other three friends were even more eager to watch the fun and started making a fuss, one after another.
“Mother, Guan Liushui is only seventeen years old and unmarried. He lives in Jinyang City and has no brothers or sisters. He is the only son in his family. He is a perfect match for Green Luo!”
Zhao Xuan started the joke.
She recalled the painful past when her mother-in-law pressured her to have children, and now, seeing Guanliushui being pressured by her mother-in-law to get married, she laughed inwardly.
"Since this Green Ivy is the Empress's chief personal maid, she can't be wrong! Brother Shui, you should agree quickly. With the Empress acting as matchmaker, it's an immense blessing!"
Hao Xiong fired directly.
Seeing that his good brother's marriage was about to be settled, he, as the elder brother, was happy to see it happen.
After saying that, he winked at Guan Liushui.
"If I weren't so old, I would want to be the Empress's chief personal maid, so that the Empress could help me find a good marriage!"
Little Fairy Doctor, a staunch advocate of remaining single, ultimately contradicted herself, feigning sighs and uttering a soft, melancholic remark.
Gu Zhanghua grabbed Xiao Aiyue's arm and shook it three times, his voice sweet and coquettish, but to Guan Liushui's ears it sounded like a morning bell and evening drum.
"Mother, what a wonderful marriage! You've directly bestowed this marriage upon us—how elegant and grand!"
Gu Zhanghua, you bastard! You scoundrel! You're full of evil intentions!
Guan Liushui silently cursed Gu Zhanghua in his heart, but on the surface he didn't show it, remaining respectful and wearing his signature smile.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I already have someone I love. We fell in love at first sight and have vowed to never leave each other in this life, to be one and only for each other for all eternity!"
Anyone can talk nonsense. He not only perfectly and politely rejected the Empress's attempt to play matchmaker, but also directly eliminated the possibility that the Empress might give him Green Ivy as a concubine.
As expected, Xiao Aiyue shook her head regretfully. The woman was already taken, and even though she was an empress, she could not force a marriage between them.
To everyone's surprise, Zhao Xuan suddenly widened her eyes and looked at Guan Liushui with a gossipy expression.
"You have someone you like? How come I didn't know?"
Suddenly, Guan Liushui broke out in a cold sweat again, and he gave a dry laugh.
"The person I met during this tour of Yue, as you know, was inexplicably placed under house arrest in the palace by the Song Emperor for many days. During those days, she suffered unbearable pain and lived in fear, making her easily susceptible to temptation..."
Then, he gave Zhao Xuan a knowing look.