An idea suddenly flashed through Hua Yizheng's mind, and he sat up straight immediately, "You just want to make sure no one dares to marry Zhi'er?"
Gu Yanxi's smile remained unchanged.
"You want people in the capital to fear Zhi'er?"
"You want her to have a bad reputation?"
With every word he said, Hua Yizheng's heart sank a little. This man had never left Zhier any way out. It would be fine if the two of them would be together in the future, but if not, how would Zhier continue to live
"Prince, are you really in love with Zhi'er?"
As expected, she guessed his identity. Gu Yanxi was in a good mood when she saw that Mr. Hua was worried about Ah Zhi. "I love her more than my own life."
"Is this how you please her?"
"Old man, you underestimated Ah Zhi. Even though you now know that she has good skills, knows how to do business, can endure hardships, is responsible, and is willing to sacrifice her life for her family... you still underestimated her."
Hua Yi was about to say that he knew, but he opened his mouth and closed it again. He knew more than that, but he didn't know what else.
Gu Yanxi smiled softly and said, "Do you know what nickname Ah Zhi has in the capital? The Prickly Rose. All those noble family boys want to get close to her but have no intention of playing with her. It's not that they have become better, but that they dare not. They are afraid of getting pricked. Doesn't Ah Zhi know this? She knows. She said that if this method can make everyone remember the Hua family without being too eye-catching, it's good. She is afraid that she is not powerful enough. After the Queen Mother's protection expires, someone will take action against the Hua family. You know, this kind of thing is too common in the capital. You have been in the court for so many years, and you are not without political enemies. With more people watching, those who want to take action will not dare to be so unscrupulous."
"As long as she can protect her family, she doesn't care about her reputation at all. She even gave up the idea of getting married a long time ago. She said that when Bolin grows up, she will hand over the Hua family to her family, buy a small house and live in it with her maids who don't want to get married. Do you think she doesn't know what I'm thinking?"
Gu Yanxi smiled, "She knows, but it doesn't conflict with her plan, so she doesn't care."
Hua Yizhen had to admit that judging from Zhier's behavior, that was indeed the case. The fiancé they had taken the trouble to choose for her probably didn't matter to her.
Precisely because it didn't matter, she canceled the engagement decisively and had no resentment towards the Shen family or Shen Qi.
Hua Yizheng sighed, his shoulders slumped, and he looked a few years older. "The situation of the Hua family is not as good as Zhier said. I wonder if the prince can reveal something. We must know what Zhier has endured in places we can't see."
"It's not that I don't want to tell the truth, the Hua family is indeed doing very well. The clan school is full of students, the inner house is peaceful, and the branches are united. They are much more harmonious than ordinary families."
"Zhi'er didn't hide anything?" Hua Yi was staring at him. He didn't necessarily want something to happen at home, but the fact that things were too good to be true made him even more uneasy. It was as if he had to know what Zhi'er was hiding so that he could feel at ease.
How could it be possible that there wasn't one? Gu Yanxi thought about this and said, "Hua Jing is dead."
Hua Yi's heart skipped a beat. He had never thought that his eldest daughter would... How could she... With her personality, she should be the best one in the Hua family!
"He hanged himself."
"Emperor Song Zhengzu!" Hua Yizheng slammed the table and stood up, his beard standing up in anger.
Gu Yanxi's lips curled slightly, "She originally wanted to hang herself in the Hua family, but my subordinates found out in time and didn't let her succeed."
The anger had not yet dissipated, and hearing these words, Hua Yizheng's hands began to tremble. He closed his eyes for a moment, suppressing the overwhelming emotions, and said, "Please tell me in more detail, Your Highness."
"Hua Jing wanted to get more benefits from her natal family, but the old lady disagreed and severed ties with her. The Song family treated her worse than before. She thought it was her natal family that caused her to be like this, so she wanted to avenge her natal family by committing suicide. Ah Zhi burned her life tablet and expelled her from the family."
In just a few words, the truth was made clear. However, Hua Yi had been in officialdom for his entire life, so how could he not know how many things were hidden in it? Zhi'er, who had not yet established a firm foothold at the time, had to put in a lot of effort to turn the situation around.
"Azhi doesn't want to talk about it, so just pretend you don't know. I wonder if the old man agrees to write a memorial now?"
Hua Yi was touching the rough armrest of the chair and said in a deep voice, "I will write it, but I don't know if the prince can tell me the truth first. How far will this matter go? That person will definitely hate Zhi'er for ruining his good deeds and will never let Zhi'er go."
"When Ah Zhi returns to Beijing, all the people and matters that need to be dealt with have been dealt with. If the old man trusts me, cooperate with Wu Yong and build Yinshan Pass into an iron wall. Don't let the tribes outside the pass take advantage of it. This will be an opportunity for the Hua family. The family rules of the Hua family don't allow you to just take a beating when you are passive."
Gu Yanxi stood up. Hua Yizhen was not the kind of person who would wait for rescue after falling into despair. He was already saving himself, otherwise he would not have helped Wu Yong manage Yinshan Pass. He was also worried that the Daqing Dynasty would lose a pure minister family from then on, but he trusted Azhi more.
"Prince."
Gu Yanxi turned around at the door.
"In March, General Sun sent someone to visit me and brought me some words. He said that the east has been too stable in the past few years. He felt a little uneasy and trained his troops every day. A few days ago, Pingyang learned from General Wu that the Seven Stars had arrested Yuan Shifang, the governor of Yuzhou, saying that he was a remnant of the Chaoli tribe. Now the northern border is not very stable either."
Hua Yizheng walked out from behind the desk and looked at Gu Yanxi deeply, "I want to ask what the prince thinks about this matter."
"So I asked the Hua family to help Wu Yong guard Yinshan Pass, so that the court can be free from worries and focus on dealing with the Chaoli tribe. Taizu was able to drive them out back then, but now they can never hope to make a comeback!"
Gu Yanxi took two steps inside. "Azhi has some knowledge in military tactics. I think the Hua family must know more than just those classic historical collections. Use all your skills to cooperate with Wu Yong to defend Yinshan Pass. Don't let the enemy take a step forward! When the time comes, it will be time for you to return to the capital."
Hua Yizheng suddenly laughed, "Your Highness, you don't need to add the last sentence. I would do the same. Your Majesty probably doesn't know that the Hua family has a will that has been passed down from our ancestor Hua Jingyan: The Hua family will live and die with the Daqing Dynasty. This was the promise our ancestor made to Emperor Taizu when he was dying. However, the Hua family has never experienced such a turbulent time. I am afraid that I cannot wait until I die to make a will, lest I be ashamed to see Taizu after I die."
Looking at the man in front of him who somewhat resembled the young emperor, Hua Yizhen felt a little regretful. They had once been a perfect match between emperor and subject.
"Your Majesty, why should you be on guard against me?"
Gu Yanxi's eyes felt like they were pricked by needles. He couldn't help but blink a few times, but in the end he couldn't say anything. He bowed with his hands clasped, not knowing whether this was a gesture for himself or for the emperor.
PS: It’s still a bit bitter, so that’s it, I’ll update one chapter first.