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

Gu Ce knew that from this day forward, he had completely sold himself to the emperor.

If he disobeys or fails to meet the emperor's expectations, these five men could take his life at any time.

If he does a good job, these five people will be his biggest helpers.

This put him in a very difficult position, yet gave him ample power.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Gu Ce knew he had no choice; he had to accept it whether he wanted to or not.

If successful, he will be the greatest contributor.

But once the Crown Prince ascends the throne, he will be the first person the Crown Prince wants to settle scores with. Therefore, he must have the ability to make even the Crown Prince back down before the Emperor passes away.

With such a heavy burden suddenly falling on Gu Ce's shoulders, Gu Ce felt a mix of emotions.

But it also aroused a strong desire in him.

With more people at his disposal, he can do more things.

Just then, the chief eunuch of Emperor Taikang, Eunuch Gao, reported from outside the gate: "Your Majesty, something has happened in the Imperial Garden."

"Come in and give your answer." Emperor Taikang was taken aback.

Eunuch Gao bowed and came in to explain in detail how Hu Bing'er had pushed someone into the water.

"Do you know why Miss Hu pushed someone?" Emperor Taikang didn't usually care much about the thoughts of these young girls, but since the matter had reached the palace, he had to ask.

"I heard that Qi Zishuo, the second son of the Qi family's eldest branch, has been married for five years, but his wife has not been able to conceive. This Miss Hu is his cousin, and she is waiting for the Qi family to divorce his wife and marry someone else. She wants to be Qi Zishuo's wife. She pushed the second young mistress into the water, probably to worsen the second young mistress's infertility," Eunuch Gao replied.

As the emperor's chief steward, he was well-informed about all the news.

He had the spies that the emperor had allowed him to establish, and he could basically tell the emperor the details of the situation in each household in the capital, as long as the emperor asked.

Although it was only some superficial information, it was enough to appease the Emperor.

Emperor Taikang listened without commenting.

A woman who would stop at nothing to get the position she wanted is certainly courageous, but she used the wrong methods.

"Gu Ce, you heard that. This is how women do things. All these years, you've been unable to defeat your stepmother because you know too little about how women do things."

"If Miss Hu succeeds today, it will be even more difficult for the second young mistress of the Qi family to conceive. If the Qi family is not a virtuous family, they will surely divorce her and remarry, and her goal will likely be achieved. If Miss Hu is even more ruthless and finds a way to cause an accident that kills the second young mistress, her goal will be achieved even faster." Emperor Taikang took the opportunity to instruct Gu Ce.

"Your Majesty is right. I was foolish." Gu Ce lowered his head.

He lost his mother when he was two and a half years old, and no one taught him how to be a woman.

Before the age of ten, he had already been poisoned by several kinds of poisons.

In order to fulfill his father's requirements, he studied hard to pass the imperial examinations and practiced martial arts to strengthen his body, so he really didn't have much time to devote to the household.

Marrying was merely a matter of following the trend; those women were only after his status as the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

They were specially selected by the Su family; they were all women from families of officials affiliated with the Crown Prince.

Even now, the Rong family is ruled by the stepmother.

None of them genuinely liked him, nor did he like them.

"The wife you've married now, I've seen her today, and she seems quite clever. Have her help you settle things in the inner quarters, and you won't have to worry about the Su family." Emperor Taikang knew Gu Ce very well.

He was a good helper in politics, but he disdained women's methods and couldn't control his second wife even at his age.

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty. I know what to do," Gu Ce replied.

Isn't that exactly what his agreement with the Rong family was?

However, that woman wasn't truly devoted to him; she had ulterior motives.

"Gao Mingde, go and convey my imperial edict: Hu Bing'er is forbidden from entering the palace from now on. The self-punishment that Madam Hu mentioned must be submitted to the Empress for verification within one month." Emperor Taikang punished anyone who dared to commit offenses in the palace, regardless of gender.

"Your servant obeys the decree."

Gu Ce also took his leave and went with Eunuch Gao to find Rong Yingluo.

The Emperor gave him five people, and Gu Ce told them to leave the palace and settle down first, and then come to his study in the evening.

He needs to think carefully about how to make good use of these five people.

Gu Ce hadn't gone far when he ran into Rong Yingluo and Ke Miaoran heading towards Chonghua Palace.

The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet is being held there today.

"Liuli," Gu Ce called softly.

This was the first time he had called Rong Yingluo that since they had been married for so long.

"Husband, what are you doing here?" Rong Yingluo was a little surprised. Wasn't he supposed to be by the Emperor's side?

"I'll take you to play some games you've never played before." Gu Ce needed to do something to calm his racing thoughts.

He realized that what he wanted to do most at that moment was to be with Rong Yingluo, doing anything at all.

"Sure. Can Sister Ke come along?" Rong Yingluo rarely had a companion and didn't want to leave her behind.

She knew that Sister Ke could have gone out with her female friends, but she ignored everyone today in order to keep her company.

"Okay." Gu Ce smiled faintly.

On her first visit to the palace, she made friends; she was a sociable person.

Gu Ce led the two young women to a place where men liked to play.

Today's palace banquet has attracted many people, so there aren't many rules.

The Southern Xia Kingdom did not have strict requirements regarding the separation of men and women in public.

Rong Yingluo saw a group of children, some of whom were not quite adults, playing pitch-pot.

"Isn't the spout of this pot way too big? What's the point of playing with it?" Rong Yingluo muttered to herself.

"Those are for kids. There are smaller ones over there for adults. If you want to play, I'll take you there."

Gu Ce pointed to a spot not far away.

Sure enough, it was much more lively over there.

Rong Yingluo grabbed Ke Miaoran and ran over.

Gu Ce shook his head helplessly. He saw another side of her: her impulsive and unruly nature.

"Today, I, the princess, am offering a reward for a substitute. Whoever can defeat Yuwen Tai will be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver. Only women are accepted, not men."

As Rong Yingluo approached, she heard a woman in gorgeous clothes shouting. She was a beautiful young woman with a bright and lovely face.

"She is Princess Jinyang, the Emperor's most beloved little princess. She is fourteen years old this year and loves to compete with men. Horse riding, archery, and cuju are her favorite things. She is the daughter of Consort Yu," Ke Miaoran introduced to her in a low voice.

"A spoiled princess?" Rong Yingluo asked.

"No, she's very straightforward and has nothing to do with gentleness and virtue." Ke Miaoran knew a bit about this little princess's personality.

Rong Yingluo liked this kind of straightforward woman.

"The one who competed with her was the heir of the Xuan Prince's Mansion, who is also the elder brother of Princess Xiangyi. He recently acquired a fine horse, which caught the eye of Princess Jinyang, who has asked for it many times without success." Gu Ce then introduced another person to her.

Rong Yingluo glanced back and forth between the two princes a few times.

The heir of Prince Xuan's mansion is quite refined and gentle; I wonder how skilled he is at pitch-pot.

But she knew how good her pitching skills were.

The art of pitch-pot demands a steady hand, and as a Taoist practitioner, she practiced sitting as still as a mountain, her fingers never moving.

"Your Highness, are you looking for a woman skilled in pitch-pot to win the competition in your place?" Rong Yingluo stepped forward.

"That's right. Today, I, the princess, am competing with my cousin. If I win, he will give me his newly acquired Akhal-Teke horse. I have been coveting it for many days but have refused to give it to him. Today, he is using pitch-pot as a wager. If I win, he will give me the horse." Princess Jinyang explained the reason.

"Your Highness, will Prince Xuan agree to find a substitute?" Rong Yingluo needed to find out the answer, otherwise all her efforts would be in vain.