After being forced into a marriage with a wealthy family, the virtuous wife caused a huge uproar.

The Empress looked at Consort Qi, wanting to hear her thoughts.

The Empress knew more or less the reason behind it. This was a family matter of the Qi family, but it was brought to the palace by an ignorant fool who also harmed innocent people.

"Princess Xiangyi, I'm sorry, but our Qi family will definitely give you an explanation for this matter. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and it's not appropriate to cause any trouble and spoil the Emperor's good mood of celebrating with his ministers." Madam Qi showed her sincerity and used the Emperor to pressure Princess Xiangyi, making her consider the overall situation.

Princess Xiangyi was stunned by Lady Qi's words.

If she continues to make a scene and Hu Bing'er is punished in the palace, it will surely displease her imperial uncle, who will say that she is unreasonable and lacks magnanimity.

"Very well, then this princess will wait for your Hu family and Qi family to come and apologize." Princess Xiangyi conceded.

A farce involving the youngest daughter ended when Mrs. Hu took the initiative to punish her.

Inside the Imperial Study.

Emperor Taikang received 100,000 taels of silver notes and was in a good mood, and he was deeply impressed by Rong Yingluo.

Gu Ce stayed by his side the whole time.

"Ah Ce, are you satisfied with your new wife?" Emperor Taikang asked jokingly.

Gu Ce immediately knelt down: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for bestowing this marriage upon me."

The two married on the eighth day of the eighth lunar month, but he did not take Rong Yingluo to the palace to express his gratitude.

He's not a prince; he can come or not.

He didn't have much hope that Rong Yingluo would survive at first, so he didn't think about taking her to the palace to thank the emperor.

"Haha, get up. It seems you are quite satisfied with this Rong woman." Emperor Taikang laughed.

All four wives Gu married had died. Having been emperor for many years, he naturally knew there was something fishy going on.

But such matters concerning a subject's family are not something a ruler of the country would meddle in.

Besides, those four families didn't cause any trouble in front of him.

"Yes," Gu Ce stated his attitude with certainty.

"It's just that Rong's status is really too low, and she's far from a good match for you. However, you've had four brides die before you, and your reputation for bringing bad luck to wives is deeply ingrained in people's minds, so it will be difficult for you to marry a noblewoman."

"It all depends on whether Rong can survive. If she survives and breaks your reputation for bringing misfortune to your wives, you can choose another noblewoman to marry as your principal wife, and Rong can become a concubine." Emperor Taikang, out of affection for his favored minister, gave Gu Ce a way out.

Even a marriage bestowed by his decree can be changed.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. She is quite good. As you just saw, she is not inferior just because she was born into a merchant family. On the contrary, she is insightful and more magnanimous than many noble ladies." Gu Ce wanted to say that Rong Yingluo did not have a crush on him and was always thinking about how to get a divorce.

"In that case, pretend I never said anything." Emperor Taikang did indeed have a good impression of Rong Yingluo.

As long as she can be competent as the wife of the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, it doesn't matter if her status is a little lower. Now, based on Gu Ce's official position, he has already bestowed upon her the title of Third-Rank Lady, so she won't be ridiculed when she goes out to socialize.

"Your wife donated such a large sum of money directly to the national treasury. Do you have any objections?" Emperor Taikang deliberately took out the stack of silver notes and placed them on the table.

"Your Majesty, I was actually unaware that she had this money. It wasn't included in her dowry list." Gu Ce was so shocked by Rong Yingluo's public donation that he almost couldn't recover.

The Rong family is really good to her.

He found it amusing that he had once doubted she wasn't a member of the Rong family; if she weren't his biological daughter, why would they have given her so much money?

"You don't know?" Emperor Taikang was taken aback.

"I truly do not know. But I suspect that my stepmother and second uncle may already know." Gu Ce truthfully told Emperor Taikang about the two thefts that occurred at Yinliu Courtyard.

"This Rong family member is really clever."

Knowing that the news of her wealth had leaked and attracted unwanted attention, she decisively donated it to the emperor in public.

This not only dispelled your stepmother and second uncle's greed, but also won you favor with me and a good reputation among the nobles in the capital—a triple win.

"It seems she's quite a good match for you." Emperor Taikang changed his mind in a short time.

In Emperor Taikang's eyes, a clever woman was far more important than a social status.

"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty." Gu Ce also understood Rong Yingluo's purpose. She was much smarter than her younger sisters.

"I asked you to investigate in private how the Crown Prince amassed wealth. Is there any progress?" Emperor Taikang asked, addressing state affairs.

The crown prince is twenty-five years old, and as he gets older, his ambition grows stronger.

How could he possibly allow his son to have more power?

Even if he is the only son who can inherit the throne, no one can play tricks under his nose.

If left unchecked, it will only fuel his ambition to kill his father and seize the throne sooner or later.

"I have limited manpower. So far, I have only found out that he has an underground gambling den in the capital and a manor outside the city where he keeps many entertainers for his amusement."

He even frequently invited officials to disguise themselves and visit his estate for entertainment. 'Gu Ce replied.'

As the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and with his father not in the capital, he should logically hand over some of the mansion's power to him.

But he was already twenty-three years old, yet he still hadn't handed it over to him.

Even now, he doesn't have many people at his disposal.

He was not allowed to have any contact with the government's businesses, and was only allowed to focus on his official career.

He couldn't understand why.

However, even though his father didn't care about him, he still hired famous teachers to tutor him.

Every time he was in danger, two hidden guards would always appear to save him, but they would not obey his orders.

He knew that the person his father had placed by his side was only responsible for his safety and nothing else.

These things also show that his father cared about him very much.

"A-Ce, you have been in the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel for a year now, and you have performed well in this year."

He performed particularly well in the power struggle with the Crown Prince's faction in the court.

You know perfectly well what my purpose is.

Over the years, you have never disappointed me. You should know the extent of my trust in you.

Gu Ce knelt down again and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your cultivation over the years. I will certainly live up to Your Majesty's expectations."

He knew that the emperor supported him in order to restrain the crown prince and form a tripartite balance of power to prevent the crown prince from seizing the throne.

"Alright, I know you don't have your own power base. The Duke of Zhenguo has had a tough time at the border these past years. He wants to defend the border and save his life, so he must have the means to do so. You should understand your father's situation." Emperor Taikang spoke up for the Duke of Zhenguo.

"I know Father's difficulties." Gu Ce never blamed the Duke of Zhenguo.

Get up.

Emperor Taikang turned to face the window, and a cool breeze blew in from outside.

Emperor Taikang fell into deep thought, his expression changing several times.

Gu Ce stood silently behind him.

About a quarter of an hour later, Emperor Taikang turned around and scrutinized Gu Ce for a long time.

Gu Ce didn't know why the Emperor was looking at him like that, but he politely lowered his head slightly, letting the Emperor scrutinize him.

Suddenly, Emperor Taikang clapped his hands twice.

Five figures suddenly appeared in the imperial study, all of them men around thirty years old.

Gu Ce was startled. These people were so skilled in martial arts, could they be the Emperor's shadow guards?

"A-Ce, these men are all my men, who have served me for many years. Today I am giving them to you, hoping that you will live up to my expectations and perform your duties well."

"They are highly skilled; if you use them well, they will be your greatest helpers," Emperor Taikang said solemnly.

Upon hearing this, Gu Ce immediately knelt down again: "Your Majesty, I am ashamed and unworthy of such praise."

How can this be done?

These five men are close to the Emperor, and must be responsible for his safety. How could a mere third-rank official like him deserve such great trust from the Emperor? It's too much of an insult to him.

"I say you're worthy, so you are. Whether the Crown Prince can successfully inherit the throne depends on your actions. I hope you won't disappoint me." Emperor Taikang's voice turned cold.