eurekapd Chapter 557 His daughter is only 7 years old, and someone has already set their sights on her?
Chapter 557 His daughter is only 7 years old, and someone has already set their sights on her?
Su Wan's unfinished words, like an icicle, instantly pierced the last trace of warmth in the hall.
Chu Ruohan's fingers tightened suddenly as she held the teacup; the warm tea seemed unable to warm the chill rising in her heart.
Entering the palace?
Those two words were like an invisible shackle, meant to bind her lawless daughter who only knew how to chase after the wind and butterflies.
She raised her eyes and looked at Su Wan.
Su Wan still wore a gentle smile, but behind that smile lay the considerations of an empress and the calculations of a mother. In this palace, there was never any kindness without a reason, nor any idle gossip.
Today, the Crown Prince was beaten, but instead of being punished, he was protected in every way, and even personally taught Qingchen. All this goodwill turned out to be for this very reason.
Chu Ruohan composed herself, slowly put down the teacup, making a soft, crisp sound.
She concealed all her emotions, reverting to her impeccable demeanor as the Duchess of Zhenguo, her voice carrying a hint of self-deprecating bitterness.
"Your Majesty is joking. You have seen Qingchen yourself; she is unruly and wild, and I have a headache for her every day. She is completely ignorant of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and she is even less capable of needlework and etiquette. All she has is brute strength; she can climb trees and walls more nimbly than boys."
She shook her head slightly, as if she were talking about an extremely thorny family matter.
"With such a temperament, I only hope that she will live a peaceful and smooth life in the future, and that she will not cause any great disaster. That would be a blessing from our ancestors. How could I dare to dream of such immense wealth? His Highness the Crown Prince is of noble birth and his future Crown Princess should be a noble lady from a prestigious family who is virtuous, eloquent, beautiful, and capable in every way. Qingchen... is really not worthy of her."
These words both belittled her daughter and elevated the position of the Crown Princess, completely absolving herself of any wrongdoing.
Su Wan listened quietly, her smile undiminished; she could naturally hear the refusal in those words.
She didn't point it out, but simply picked up her teacup and took a small sip.
"Sister Ruohan, you're too kind. The children are still young, and who can predict what the future holds?"
With a slight change of tone, the matter was dropped.
But Chu Ruohan knew in her heart that the seed had already been planted.
After leaving the palace gates and boarding the carriage to return home, the atmosphere inside was somewhat somber.
Xuan sat quietly to the side, watching his mother's tense profile and his younger sister's carefree expression, and wisely remained silent.
After having some snacks in the palace, Gu Qingchen regained her energy and was now lifting a corner of the carriage curtain, watching the street scene rushing past outside the window with great interest.
"Qingchen".
Chu Ruohan finally spoke, her voice cold and clear.
Gu Qingchen turned around, blinked her phoenix eyes that looked just like Gu Junze's, and looked completely innocent.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
"Today in the Imperial Garden, you offended the Crown Prince. Do you know your mistake?" Chu Ruohan stared at her, trying to see even a trace of remorse on her face.
However she was disappointed.
Gu Qingchen straightened his small frame, his reasoning perfectly valid.
"He was wrong first! He tried to steal my butterfly and pushed me!" She clenched her little fist, her tone full of righteous indignation. "Besides, I won!"
Chu Ruohan felt a lump in her throat, unable to breathe.
She held her forehead, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness. Reasoning with this child was harder than looking at account books in a shop.
Looking at her daughter's "I did nothing wrong, I'm right, and I'm proud of myself" little face, Chu Ruohan sighed inwardly. The road to raising a daughter is truly long and endless.
At night, after the two children had fallen asleep, Chu Ruohan sat in front of her dressing table, listlessly removing the hairpins from her hair, her brows furrowed with worry.
When Gu Junze came out of the shower and saw her like this, he walked up to her, wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"What's wrong? Did things not go well at the palace today?" His warm breath brushed against her ear.
Chu Ruohan recounted the entire series of events that had occurred in the Imperial Garden that day, from Zhao Qingzhi's ambition to Gu Qingchen's "one punch to victory," and how she had verbally battled the old Princess Yong.
She had thought that after hearing this, Gu Junze would share her concern for her daughter's future.
To everyone's surprise, Gu Junze chuckled softly after hearing this.
"Well played."
Chu Ruohan turned around abruptly, looking at him incredulously.
Gu Junze reached out, took the jade hairpin from her hand, and placed it on the dressing table, his tone full of indifference and indulgence.
"So what if he's the Crown Prince? He's tough and thick-skinned; a beating won't hurt him. If our Qingchen has this spirit of not being taken advantage of, we won't be bullied in the future."
"You!" Chu Ruohan was furious. "Is this how you raise your daughter?"
“That’s called nature.” Gu Junze turned her around to face him, his expression becoming more serious. “Ruohan, there is no shortage of gentle and virtuous ladies in the capital, but how many of them can live a truly happy life? I only wish that my daughter can live as she pleases, and always have the strength to fight back and the courage to never bow her head.”
Looking at her husband's handsome yet indifferent face, Chu Ruohan felt even more resentful.
She knew he loved his daughter dearly, but he simply didn't understand how harsh the world was on women.
She took a breath and finally voiced her deepest worries.
Do you really think this is just a childish squabble?
Her voice turned serious, "Gu Junze, you should have expected Her Majesty the Empress's attitude today. I'm afraid she's concerned about the Crown Prince and Qingchen..."
Before the words were finished, the meaning was already obvious.
The smile on Gu Junze's face finally froze little by little.
His phoenix eyes, which always carried a hint of lazy smile, suddenly darkened, as if an undercurrent had been suddenly stirred up beneath the calm surface of a lake.
"She's taken a liking to Qingchen?" His voice turned cold.
Chu Ruohan nodded, her expression solemn.
“Qingchen is only seven years old.” Gu Junze slowly uttered these words, each one as if tempered with ice.
His daughter, his precious darling, is so young, yet she's already being targeted as a pawn to consolidate power.
The warm candlelight inside the hall seemed unable to dispel the sudden chill that rose around him.
Chu Ruohan looked at him and knew that he was truly angry this time.
Gu Junze released her, paced around the room a couple of times, and finally stopped.
He turned around, his eyes no longer showing any of his usual leisure, but only the unquestionable decisiveness that belonged to the Duke of Zhenguo.
"No."
"I have to go to the palace."