After the milk ball arrived, the father who had no heirs had a string of good luck.

"Nanyu!" Madam Liu was displeased upon hearing this and earnestly advised, "You are six or seven years older than Princess Zhaohua. Wouldn't you have to wait until your early twenties to get married?"

Gu Nanyu remained unmoved, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes: "So what? Is she that old? Even without Zhaohua, she couldn't possibly be your niece from your maternal family. Mother, you should save your worries!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Liu's face stiffened, and her eyes darted left and right: "I...I didn't mean that..."

"Whether or not a mother is present, she knows perfectly well!" Gu Nanyu didn't want to waste words with her.

Gu Hengzhang looked at Liu Shi speechlessly: "How many times have I told you, your niece is not good enough for Nan Yu, and you still haven't given up?"

What kind of family is the Gu family?

The Liu family is just a local official of the sixth rank. How could their daughter be worthy of the eldest grandson of the Gu family?

Is this a joke?

As for Liu, if the Gu family hadn't been so poor back then, and if his mother hadn't arranged a marriage between him and the Liu family when they were still alive, and if he hadn't wanted to avoid gossip, Liu wouldn't have been qualified to marry him.

Now they want to squeeze their niece in too? Dream on!

Liu smiled awkwardly, feeling somewhat embarrassed, but still stubbornly insisted, "My niece is quite good too. She's proficient in all the arts, so how could she not be a good match for Nan Yu?"

The second wife chuckled lightly: "Sister-in-law, those things like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting are for pleasing men. If you want to be the head of the household, you should learn how to manage the household, not those things like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting."

The third wife covered her mouth and smiled, her beautiful eyes sparkling: "Second sister-in-law, after all, my eldest sister-in-law comes from such a background, her perspective is limited, why make things difficult for her!"

The second wife sighed, "I'm just worried about Nanyu. He has a mother who doesn't know what's good for him. Even after he's married, she still sides with her own family and is worried that her nieces won't be able to get married."

The third wife chimed in, "That's right! She doesn't seem to care much about her own son. Anyone who didn't know better would think Nanyu was adopted!"

"You...you've gone too far!" Madam Liu suddenly stood up, glaring at the two men. "How is playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting considered a skill for pleasing men? Second son, you raised your daughter well, but in the end she still became a concubine. What are you so proud of?"

"And you, the third son's wife, you've been married in for two years and haven't laid a single egg. All you do all day is try to sow discord between me and Nanyu. What are you really up to?"

Got it!

Now the second son's wife and the third son's wife were the ones who turned black-faced.

"Enough!" Prime Minister Gu interrupted the farce, rubbing his temples with a headache. "Eldest daughter-in-law, say less. Although Ruoxue is a concubine, she married into the imperial family and is listed in the royal register. The third son's wife is still young; there's no rush!"

that is!

The second and third sons looked at Liu with smug satisfaction.

Liu was so angry her nose almost twisted out of shape.

The old man is so biased; these two women are practically jumping in her face, and he's still protecting them.

Isn't it just because these two women are of higher status than her?

This is enough to show how important a good family background is. She is helping her family so wholeheartedly, isn't it all to elevate her family and make them her support?

"I'm very satisfied with this marriage. Mother won't have to do anything futile. I'm tired, I'm going home to rest!"

Gu Nanyu was already used to Liu's favoritism and had no interest in getting involved in their conflict. He said something and turned to leave.

Prime Minister Gu: "..." I still have something to ask you!

Gu Hengzhang was clearly used to his son's temper, and looked anxiously at Prime Minister Gu: "Father, this..."

"Let's leave it at that for now, Eldest daughter-in-law. Princess Zhaohua is your future daughter-in-law now. Visit her often and get to know her better."

With Prime Minister Gu making the final decision, Lady Liu had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

What she was really thinking was: let whoever wants to go, go ahead; she wouldn't go, and she wouldn't accept a baby who hadn't even been weaned as her daughter-in-law.

...

On the way back, Gu Nanyu's servant was a little confused: "Young Master, you like Princess Zhaohua?"

In his memory, his young master was cold-hearted and especially disliked girls.

His close relationship with Princess Zhaohua in the Imperial Academy was quite an eye-opener for him, and now that he's been betrothed, he's not in a hurry at all.

"Since I'm going to get married and have children anyway, at least I find her agreeable!" Gu Nanyu recalled his interactions with Tang Rui again, and indeed, he didn't feel any aversion towards her.

Her eyes were bright, and occasionally, when she was thinking of a wicked idea, they would reveal a hint of cunning.

Unlike Situ Qiang, who was full of ambition and possessiveness that were beyond her years.

It's as if Gu Nanyu isn't a person, but just an object.

That's absolutely disgusting!

The servant nodded as if he understood, and secretly changed Tang Rui's position.

He used to treat Tang Rui only as Princess Zhaohua, but now he has placed her in the position of mistress.

"Oh, right!" Gu Nanyu suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Did you clean up the mess completely? Don't give them any leverage against you!"

"Young master, you can rest assured that I'll handle things properly." The servant's attention was quickly diverted, and he asked with great confusion, "But young master, why would we deliberately spread this news, giving the Crown Prince something to criticize us for?"

Yes, the matter of the owner behind Zhencui Pavilion was deliberately revealed to the Crown Prince by Gu Nanyu after he discovered that the Crown Prince was investigating him.

Otherwise, with Gu Nanyu's abilities and the Emperor's Dragon Guards providing cover, how could the Crown Prince possibly have found out?

Gu Nanyu gave a cold laugh: "Because I'm worried the emperor will be soft-hearted."

This further shook the crown prince's resolve to depose him!

Since Tang Rui appeared, he clearly sensed that the emperor was considering deposing the crown prince.

Tang Rui's existence aroused Situ Qiang's dissatisfaction, which in turn deepened the conflict between Prince Li and the Crown Prince.

As long as the Crown Prince harbors hatred towards Prince Li, this position will never be his.

Coincidentally, he also didn't want the crown prince to ascend the throne, so he simply went along with it, making the emperor even more disappointed in the crown prince.

The servant had no idea about these things. He scratched his forehead and nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

...

Besides the two parties involved, this imperial edict also sent shockwaves through Beijing's elite circles.

Every prince was trying to figure out what his emperor father was thinking.

Prince Chen’s Mansion!

Prince Chen sighed, "It seems that Father still favors the seventh prince."

Princess Consort Chen smiled and said, "Seventh Brother is better than the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince were to ascend the throne, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to tolerate Your Highness at all."

Prince Rui's Mansion!

Prince Rui ran to his wife, looking aggrieved: "Since I was little, Father has always favored the seventh prince. I really don't understand. Aren't I his child too? Why doesn't he look at me?"

Princess Rui rolled her eyes at him, not even wanting to complain.

She knows her own man best!

Whether Prince Rui, with his talent, can become an emperor and a wise ruler depends on the times.

With the Great Xia Dynasty at peace and assisted by wise ministers, he was able to safeguard the ancestral foundation of the Great Xia Dynasty.

He cannot be a wise ruler if the Great Xia Dynasty is not stable.

Prince Xiang's Mansion!

The King of Xiang spread his hands, seemingly unconcerned: "As long as it's not the crown prince, I'll support whoever becomes emperor."