Chapter 391: Stripping His Title
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Everyone present heard Madam Gu’s confession clearly just now. Every word on the confession was aggressive, as if it wanted to kill Gu Yuan.
It could be imagined that if Gu Yuan’s crime was determined, the Eldest Prince’s reputation would inevitably be tarnished from now on. Be it the people or the court officials, they would all question if Gu Yuan was acting under the Eldest Prince’s orders.
The Eldest Prince was the Emperor’s only son. Everyone knew that the Emperor would make him the Crown Prince sooner or later.
Once the Eldest Prince had this stain, those noble families could use it as an excuse to oppose the Emperor.
Their hearts were simply sinister.
The more the censors thought about it, the more indignant they became. Their sharp gazes shot at Gu Jian like countless sharp arrows, and they couldn’t hide their disdain.
The Dingyuan Marquis Household was clearly a noble, but they were biased towards those aristocratic families. They had no position and no principles.
Every time they thought about how the aristocratic families had secretly instigated Censor Lian to hit the wall, their hatred for the aristocratic families doubled. They were very disdainful of Gu Jian’s actions.
Seeing that the situation was one-sided, Xiao Shoufu was even more unwilling to stand up. He raised his hand in frustration and brushed the dust off his robe, making a decision.
It was useless to control the Dingyuan Marquis Household, so why should he get himself into trouble?
Gu Jian waited and waited, but he couldn’t wait for help from the aristocratic families. It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, and his entire body was bone-chilling.
He had convinced his mother to impeach Gu Yuan because of Kang Wang. But now that something had happened to the Gu family, these families seemed to be throwing their burdens away and couldn’t wait to cut ties with the Gu family!
It was really chilling!
Gu Jian’s entire body was in a mess. He turned to look at the Emperor in panic, his neck so stiff that his bones creaked.
The Emperor, sitting by the window, was still silent. Against the light, the Emperor’s facial features seemed a little blurry, and his eyes were deep and dark.
Slowly, he picked up a white piece from the chess box, seemingly thinking and hesitating.
The more the Emperor didn’t speak, the more afraid Gu Jian became. His entire body went numb.
No one from the Gu family or the aristocratic families spoke. They only heard the imperial censors talking non-stop. They wished they could take off Gu Jian’s crimson robe that was embroidered with kirin.
Those voices could no longer reach Gu Jian’s ears, and his ears were buzzing. He only stared at the Emperor in a daze, until his eyes began to dry and sore.
After an unknown period of time, the Emperor took a few sips of tea and said slowly, “Gu Jian’s false accusation and deception are irrefutable crimes. Considering that Gu Yao and Gu Xuan have made unprecedented military achievements for the Great Jin Dynasty, I’ll show mercy towards the Gu family and spare their lives.”
Hearing this, Gu Jian’s almost desperate eyes lit up slightly. His eyes widened, thinking that there was still room for negotiation.
Thud! Thud!
Gu Jian’s heart suddenly beat faster, and his heart almost jumped out of his chest. In the next moment, the Emperor’s high and mighty gaze met his, and he finished his sentence calmly. “I’ll punish him lightly. I’ll only dismiss Gu Jian and strip him of his title.”
These words were like a thunderclap in Gu Jian’s ears.
Gu Jian’s vision darkened and he almost fainted. It was as if he had swallowed bitter gallbladder, and a bitter taste spread from his mouth to his heart.
The title was his. He had worked hard for eight years before the Marquis Household improved. How could his title be snatched away so easily?!
It shouldn’t have happened!
It shouldn’t be like this!
This thought echoed repeatedly in Gu Jian’s mind.
His eyes turned completely red and he was filled with regret. We shouldn’t have submitted this petition of guilt today.
And Mother…
They had clearly agreed to let her kneel at the palace gate for a while before leaving. Why did she have to say such nonsense to Gu Yuan?! Otherwise, how could things have developed to this irreversible state!
At the thought of this, Gu Jian looked at Madam Gu with a trace of resentment, and his eyes became gloomy and ruthless.
“Your Majesty is fair!” Censor Han was the first to speak loudly.
The other censors echoed after him. They praised the Emperor for being fair and benevolent.
In the hearts of these censors, Gu Jian’s presumptuous words in front of the Emperor were a crime of deceiving and disrespecting the Emperor. He should be sentenced to exile as a punishment.
However, the Emperor had ultimately taken into account the hard work that the Gu family’s ancestors had made for the imperial court. He had only fired Gu Jian and seized his title. This was also the Emperor’s kindness to his subordinates.
The Emperor glanced at everyone and smiled slightly. As he placed another white piece on the chessboard and ate four black pieces, he felt that his moves were really wonderful.
He raised his eyebrows and gave Chu Yi, who was sitting opposite him, a look.
Chu Yi smiled slightly. The warm sunlight coated his fair face and apricot-yellow robe with a faint layer of gold leaf, making him look oppressive.
He calmly played another game of chess and smiled. “Father, Gu Yuan has contributed to protecting me…”
The Emperor’s heart skipped a beat. His bright eyes rolled slightly as he continued, “This title…”
The Emperor wanted to say that it was better to give this title to Gu Yuan, but he had only said a few words when he was interrupted by Chu Yi. “This title is a gift from Emperor Taizu to the Gu family. Although the Gu family can’t afford it now.”
At this point, Chu Yi’s gaze gently swept across Gu Jian, who was sweating profusely. Of course, he was saying that Gu Jian couldn’t afford the title.
His gaze finally landed on Gu Yuan’s tall figure and was filled with smiles. “But if the younger generation of talents has the style of an ancestor and has made outstanding contributions to the country and the people, this title of the Marquis of Dingyuan can still be returned to the Gu family.”
The nobles and high-ranking officials of the Great Jin Dynasty were rare and most of them were meritorious officials who had followed Emperor Taizu and made outstanding contributions. Emperor Taizu once said, “Only those who have made military achievements for the state can be ennobled.” Therefore, after the founding of the dynasty, even if a military general had made great contributions, the highest title he could receive was that of an earl.
In the 50 years since the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty, three marquises and two earls had already had their title stripped.
“What do you think, Father?” Chu Yi asked the Emperor with a smile.
The Emperor understood his son’s intentions and laughed loudly. He clapped his hands heartily and said, “Good, that’s good!”
“Thank you, Emperor. Thank you, Eldest Prince.” Gu Yuan cupped his fists solemnly. His eyes were as bright as the warm sun outside the window because of Chu Yi’s words just now.
He still remembered that one day when he was more than four years old, his father had asked him with a smile, “Yuan’er, when you grow up, do you want Daddy’s Dragon Origin Sword?”
At that time, he nodded vigorously and said, “Yes!”
His father asked again, “What if this sword is snatched away or even destroyed before Father can pass it to you?”
To him, who was still young at that time, his father’s sword was the best sword in the world. He was extremely sad and cried.
His father told him the story of the Dragon Origin Sword. The Dragon Origin Sword was a famous sword that his father had seized when they went to the northwest to suppress bandits that year. It was forged by the famous swordsmith of the previous dynasty, Qing Hezi. It could cut hair and cut iron like mud.
“Yuan’er, the Dragon Origin Sword isn’t the only treasure in this world. Are you willing to find a better sword to be filial to me?” In the end, his father asked him teasingly.
At that time, he wiped his tears with his sleeve and said energetically, “Yes!”
If he wanted to, so could he.
Even if the Dragon Origin Sword was gone, even if the Marquis title was gone, it wouldn’t matter.
He still had this pair of hands and feet. He could also rely on himself to earn back this glory!
“…” The patriarch’s face was originally ashen, but at this moment, a little hope vaguely ignited in his gray eyes.
Given how much the Eldest Prince valued Gu Yuan, he would definitely put him in an important position. This also meant that the Gu family still had hope of regaining their former glory.
The censors present were a little surprised. They looked at Chu Yi with admiration and respect.
They originally thought that the Eldest Prince had the heart to support Gu Yuan and would take the opportunity of Gu Jian making a mistake to suggest giving the title to Gu Yuan. For example, Earl Yongxin’s Mansion had also made a huge mistake because of Earl Yongxin. Emperor Taizu made the decision and instead gave the title to the second branch, which was Earl Yongxin’s second brother.
On account of the achievements of the ancestors of the noble families, this kind of behavior was also common.
However, regarding the Dingyuan Marquis Household, Gu Yuan’s bad thing was that he had a father like Gu Ce.
Although Gu Yuan had contributed to the rescue, his small contribution wasn’t enough to make up for Gu Ce’s crime of subduing the enemy back then. It was only right and proper for the father to bear the sins.
Now, Gu Yuan had no contributions and was not worthy of his position. Even if the Emperor and the Eldest Prince wanted to give him the title, it wouldn’t be legitimate. As censors, they would definitely not sit back and do nothing. They had to impeach him on the spot!
What they didn’t expect was that the Eldest Prince was so clear about rewards and punishments. He didn’t forcefully pass the title of Marquis to Gu Yuan just because Gu Yuan was his person who could support him.
He also wasn’t like the previous Emperor who stripped titles away just like that. Instead, he took into account the relationship between the Gu family’s ancestors and left the Gu family with a last breath.
The Eldest Prince really had the demeanor of a wise ruler!
The censors sang praises to the Emperor and the Eldest Prince. Even Mu Sheng chimed in tactfully, creating a warm atmosphere.
Xiao Shoufu, Feng She, and the others had dark expressions, and Madam Gu, Gu Jian, and her son seemed to have lost half of their souls.
Especially Madam Gu. The consecutive blows were like adding insult to injury, making her spirit close to collapse.
Her heart continued to ache, her limbs were cold, and she couldn’t catch her breath. Her entire body trembled violently, and there were only two thoughts in her mind: If I become the second wife, the Marquis’ title would be gone.
The things I’ve been pursuing for most of my life would be gone all of a sudden!
Then what have 1 done with my life?!
My eldest sister is dead, and Gu Xuan is dead. I’m the only one who’s still alive. I’m the victor, right? But why did 1 end up with nothing?!
The heavens are unfair!
The heavens are so unfair!
Madam Gu’s face suddenly turned pale. She raised her hand to touch her throbbing left chest and bent down as her vision darkened..