Chapter 796: Initial Battle of Wits
Zhong Jian tried his best to persuade Gu Mengzhen but failed. He had no choice but to leave Gu's house.
While strolling in the courtyard, Xue Yi'e accidentally got some news and hurried back to Jinchai Residence.
She gave a brief account of what she had seen and heard, and then asked questions.
"You say, should I go and persuade the master?"
Gu Yuanqiong asked back in a joking tone.
"Master Zhong is at a loss, and Auntie can actually persuade him?"
Xue Yi'e was not in the mood for joking and just stuck to the facts.
"Of course I am not as good as Lord Zhong, whose words carry weight."
"But this is after all related to your future. What should we do if the master fails?"
"Oh, it's my fault for being so short-sighted. I thought the master had a promising future and tried every means to marry into the Gu family. I never thought that he would be fooled by such a shallow trick. How could this be possible?"
Gu Yuanqiong is more than capable.
"Auntie knows where the plan comes from, so why do you insist on persuading me? Why don't we solve this matter from the source."
Xue Yi'e glanced.
"You mean, design a plan to deal with the Fang tribe?"
"You are ignorant and fearless, and you are talking nonsense. Do you know how cunning the Fang people are?"
Gu Yuanqiong was disdainful and contemptuous.
"Over the years, I have followed my father and have had many encounters with them."
"From my perspective, they are just ordinary people."
Xue Yie pointed out the facts.
"They let you go, and you took it seriously?"
Gu Yuanqiong disagreed.
"I am the enemy, why are they letting me go?"
Analysis by Xue Yie.
"You are just a boy, uncivilized. They will not bother to compete with you in intelligence."
Gu Yuanqiong is arrogant.
"I saw them trying their best every time, but I was a little restrained."
"In fact, they are no match for me at all."
Xue Yie reprimanded severely.
"Why are you so arrogant?"
"Don't rely on your own talents to look down on others. There are many people with extraordinary talents above you."
Gu Yuanqiong was upset.
"Auntie, do you want to discuss or teach the child a lesson? Can you talk about the business first and then talk about the reason?"
Out of concern for her beloved son, Xue Yi'e softened her attitude.
"Okay, okay, then tell me, what's the best plan?"
Gu Yuanqiong's plan was indeed brilliant, but his opponent was too strong and he was quickly defeated.
News came from Beitangju that Emperor Xingliang became suspicious and asked Gu Mengzhen to send a hostage over, and the hostage had to be his biological son.
Xue Yi'e's face turned pale with shock and worry, and she was almost at a loss.
"What did I tell you before? Don't be foolish and try to fight with the Fang Clan."
"Now, look, how do you clean up the mess?"
"What did I say? They don't care about you at all. Seeing this, you should believe it, right?"
"Even if the Fang clan loses power and the Gu clan gains power, they still have ways to disrupt the situation and defeat you easily."
There was a hint of panic between Gu Yuanqiong's brows.
"Hostage, you must wait until the war is over before you can return to the court."
"I will never go."
"Father has accomplished his mission, ascended the throne, and will reward people according to their merits. If, on impulse, he appoints you as the Crown Prince, wouldn't that be giving your second brother a free ride?"
"Conspiring with Xingliang is shameful, so my work can't be considered any merit. Maybe my father will tell others that the eldest son left the house willfully, and then I will be accused of being unfilial and naughty."
Xue Yi'e held her beloved son's hands tightly, reluctant to let go.
"You can't just think that the master has accomplished the task."
"If the master's plan fails, no one will care about you in Xingliang."
"Son, this is a serious matter. You must treat it carefully."
Gu Yuanqiong was in deep thought when a sudden idea came to him.
"Why not go with the flow and come up with a plan to let my second brother go to Xingliang instead of me?"
Xue Yie was uneasy.
"Gu Nianting is the legitimate son, would the master be willing to give him up?"
"Even if the master is willing to do so, the three siblings of the Zhong family are not easy to deal with, especially Zhong Hua."
Gu Yuanqiong remained calm, with a hint of pride in his eyes.
"We can't defeat the Fang clan. Why should we be afraid of the Zhong clan?"
"Auntie, don't underestimate yourself, and don't look down on my child."
The two worked together to set up a series of plans and successfully escaped from the predicament.
Unexpectedly, the ruler of Xingliang disliked Gu Nianting because he was too young and slow to learn, and was unwilling to accept him. He also added a requirement that he could only accept a genius hostage.
Just when Gu Mengzhen was at a loss and felt distressed and helpless, Ning Fengzhe stepped forward and solved a concern that was worrying Gu Mengzhen.
Time flies by like a white horse passing by.
Zhong Jian persevered in persuading Gu Mengzhen; Lin Ranhua worked diligently and conscientiously to implement the beauty trap.
As one can imagine, Gu Mengzhen fell deeper and deeper into the trap, and was unable to extricate himself from his love for Lin Ranhua.
Lin Ranhua never spoke out her feelings, but just followed the plan and whetted Gu Mengzhen's appetite.
During this period, Lin Ran's paintings were just right, exaggerating the brotherhood between Yan Yumo and Gu Mengzhen, and subtly deepening Gu Mengzhen's inner emotions.
When the time was ripe, Yan Yumo summoned all the ministers to discuss the matter and successfully promulgated a new decree, allowing the imperial daughter to be conferred the title of Crown Princess, whose status was equal to that of the Crown Prince and who could also succeed to the throne.
In fact, this decree does not need to be promulgated.
With the medical skills of Fang Lingyi and Fang Linhao, they had already confirmed that Lin Ranhua was pregnant with a prince, and Fang Renshu was pregnant with a girl. At the same time, the Fang family began to plan for future events.
However, to be on the safe side, they still decided to pray to the emperor to issue a decree.
The moment they heard about the new decree, Zhong Jian and Zhong Hua could already imagine what would happen to Gu Mengzhen in the future: the emperor would not be like an emperor, and the ministers would not be like ministers. If he advanced, he would not win a good reputation; if he retreated, he would be replaced at any time.
Zhong Suluo and Zhong Hua discussed that being loyal to Gu Mengzhen would not bring good results, so they had to pave the way for Gu Nianting and help him become independent when he grew up.
Zhong Jian was very persistent and insisted on not changing his mind, hoping that Gu Mengzhen would return to his original appearance and cooperate with him seamlessly. Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished.
The moon is bright and the stars are shining, and the decisive battle is about to begin.
Considering the friendship between old friends, Yan Yumo conveyed an oral instruction, intending to give Gu Mengzhen and Zhong Jian one last chance to reform.
The content of the oral order was simple and clear. It sent Zhong Jian to the north to appease the people and ordered Gu Mengzhen to go south to recover the lost territory.
As long as they obey, stay away from right and wrong, and let the Fang clan plan to retake Batai, the Yan clan and the Lin clan will not have to sacrifice themselves, and it will not be difficult to destroy Xingliang.
Gu Mengzhen did not consider the pros and cons, but was only worried that Zhong Jian would take advantage of his unpreparedness and take the painting for himself. So, he took advantage of the emperor's oral order and tried to lure the tiger away from the mountain.
He advised him not to fall into the beauty trap. In a blink of an eye, several months had passed. Zhong Jian was exhausted and could not say a word. Gu Mengzhen was even more unwilling to listen. He fell into the trap of alienation and distanced himself from Zhong Jian.
Knowing Gu Mengzhen's evil intentions, Lin Ranhua continued to implement the Fang clan's plan.
She made a shy promise before leaving for the battle.
"When the prince is born, I will pledge myself to my young man."
Gu Mengzhen was surprised.
"Is this true?"
Lin Ranhua smiled and nodded.
"Unexamined, what do you think, Lord Gu?"
Gu Mengzhen joked.
"Your business is private, why are you asking me?"
Lin Ranhua pouted.
"Master Gu, what you said means you disagree?"
Seeing that she was angry and wanted to leave, Gu Mengzhen quickly changed the subject.
"Just kidding."
"I agree. I totally agree."
Lin Ranhua smiled again.
"On the day of my triumphant return, I want to formally express my feelings to him, and I have another gift for him as a token of our love."
"Look at you, you're sweating so much from practicing martial arts."
She took out a silk handkerchief embroidered with white apricot flowers and considerately wiped away the sweat for him.
The two looked at each other and smiled, feeling infinite warmth.