"If someone hit you, would you be so bent on revenge that you’d even sacrifice your own son?" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Elder Gu shook his head. "Absolutely not."

"So, I think someone must have planted the idea. Only then would Prime Minister Gao think along these lines. Besides, Gao Qi is sickly and will have trouble finding a wife when he’s older, which is why they thought of me."

"This... Who would make such a wicked suggestion?"

"The Emperor."

Ye Qianning hadn’t been able to figure it out just a moment ago, but now it all made sense.

Elder Gu’s eyes darkened, and he froze. If it were anyone else, the combined power of the Gu family, the Zhan family, the Xiang family, and Lou Mountain could easily crush them.

But the Emperor was a different matter...

If an imperial decree were issued, who would dare to defy it?

A surge of anger shot to his head, and he slammed his large hand heavily on the table.

Ye Qianning loathed imperial power, and she found this nauseating practice of bestowing marriages even more repulsive. ’Imperial power...’

"What are you all talking about? Why the long faces?" Dean Chen asked as he walked in from outside.

"Sigh, it’s about Prime Minister Gao," Elder Gu sighed.

"What about Prime Minister Gao?"

With a bitter expression, Elder Gu recounted what had happened at the palace today. Dean Chen immediately guessed it was the Emperor’s doing; he knew the sovereign’s character all too well.

"I’m going to the palace right now." Dean Chen’s face darkened.

"Master, the Emperor hasn’t made a move yet. If you go to the palace rashly, it will look like you’re prying into the imperial family’s affairs," Ye Qianning stopped him. "There’s no rush. Even if the decree is issued, I’m still young. It’ll be a long time before I come of age."

In Beili, girls could only marry at the age of sixteen. By the time she turned sixteen, who knew how much the world would have changed?

"That may be so, but once an imperial decree is issued, no one can defy it. You’ll be trapped for the rest of your life."

"Exactly. We must come up with a plan before the decree is issued. If it comes to that, little girl, you should go travel the world and never come back to the Capital City." Elder Gu couldn’t bear the thought of the little one suffering in Prime Minister Gao’s household.

Seeing the two old men looking so worried for her sake, Ye Qianning felt a warmth spread through her heart. "Elder Gu, Master, please don’t worry. You don’t need to trouble yourselves with this. They won’t succeed."

"You silly girl, you don’t understand the gravity of the situation. What kind of people are in the Gao family? Do you think you’ll have a good life if you marry into it?"

"If the imperial decree is truly issued, it won’t even take ten years. I guarantee that within two years, there will be no Prime Minister Gao’s residence left in the Capital City." Ye Qianning’s voice was not loud, but her words were audacious.

Elder Gu loved seeing this audacious streak in the little girl. He also disdained imperial power, but when it came to sheer nerve, he was no match for her.

"You cannot act recklessly. You must think things through carefully before you act," Dean Chen said, afraid she would be too impatient.

"I understand. But for now, please don’t tell my father about this." Ye Qianning was afraid her dad would charge straight into the Prime Minister’s residence if he found out.

"You’re right, we can’t tell him. With Xiang Minghou’s explosive temper... tsk. For Prime Minister Gao to dare become his in-law, he’s got some real nerve," Elder Gu tutted.

Ye Qianning could guess the reason. ’No matter how short-tempered her father is, he dotes on his daughter. And no matter how unruly she acts, in their eyes, she’s still just a girl.’

’Once a girl marries, she’s expected to obey her husband. Even if she’s hard to discipline, they’d ultimately be tied together. They’d have to support each other, whether they liked it or not.’

"Elder Gu, what’s the status of your family’s marriage alliance with Prime Minister Gao’s family?" Ye Qianning asked suddenly.

Elder Gu was sick to death of the topic. "Ugh, don’t even get me started. That brat is dead set on marrying that girl from the Gao family. The whole reason I went to the palace today was about their engagement, but the Emperor not only refused, he gave me a lecture."

"I see..."

’Since they’re to become in-laws, I won’t go after Gao Yunyue. I have to give Elder Gu some face.’