Chapter 692: with translation of chapter title

According to the usual practice of Southern Qi, anyone who had become the emperor's son‑in‑law should not hold high office again.

Gu Kang was summoned by Xiao Yin the next day into the Hall of Nourishing the Heart.

Xiao Yin frowned tightly, staring fixedly at Gu Kang kneeling beneath the Dragon Desk; even now, facing Gu Kang, his feelings were especially complicated.

This person before me is probably the most legendary figure in Southern Qi history, right?

From being the most notorious troublemaker in Shang Jing at the start, to later becoming a treacherous minister who held power over court and countryside.

Yes, Xiao Yin used the term 'treacherous minister' to describe Gu Kang.

This person will stop at nothing, yet in the talent‑starved Southern Qi dynasty, Xiao Yin feels both love and hate for him.

If we set aside the unpleasantness between him and Gu Kang earlier, Xiao Yin actually admires this rascal.

He can even see a bit of himself in Gu Kang, but placing such a dangerous figure beside him makes Xiao Yin unable to sleep well.

While Xiao Yin was establishing the left and right chancellors, preparing to move against Gu Kang, he never expected Gu Kang himself to take such a big step back, willingly becoming the son‑in‑law of Princess Fuching.

Xiao Yin was instead bewildered by Gu Kang's move.

If he refuses to be Prime Minister, all the price he paid earlier seems to have lost its basis.

Xiao Yin thinks Gu Kang is also someone who pursues power; he wouldn't be so willing to withdraw from the stage of Southern Qi history.

But Gu Kang's recent actions have left him somewhat unable to see through him.

"Why are you willing to be the son‑in‑law of Princess Fuching?"

Xiao Yin asked coldly.

Gu Kang's body hunched a little more; under Xiao Yin's immense pressure, his aura drew in a bit.

Gu Kang kowtowed to Xiao Yin and said, "Your Majesty, I like Princess Fuching."

"Before, the princess chose that Li family man; I thought there was no chance left."

"Not wanting the Li family to make such a big joke, I dare not hesitate any further; I rushed to the princess's mansion and, in front of the empress, asked to marry the princess—please grant my request, Your Majesty."

Xiao Yin's eyes narrowed slightly; he suddenly raised his hand, and the paperweight in his hand flew toward Gu Kang's head.

A red mark bloomed on Gu Kang's forehead, yet he didn't move at all, his body bowing even lower.

"Listen to your nonsense—do you think I would believe you?"

"Princess Fuching has long dwelled in the deep palace; as an outsider official, when would you have seen her? Without even having met her face, how could you speak of mutual affection? Speak! What is your scheme?"

Gu Kang's voice showed no trace of panic; he still spoke loudly, "Your Majesty, that day at the princess's mansion, the princess herself had already made things perfectly clear."

"She also favors me; I have attended one or two palace banquets before, though I never spoke with Princess Fuching, yet she had already entered my heart—I fell for her at first sight; please grant this, Your Majesty."

Xiao Yin's gaze darkened; this is what he least understands.

Princess Fuching actually favors him?

Xiao Yin let out a cold laugh: "Gu Kang, I remember you once went nearly mad for Li Ruoxi—how could you forget that old love so easily?"

The three characters 'Li Ruoxi' spilled from Xiao Yin's mouth, suddenly drilling into Gu Kang's ears.

Gu Kang's usually calm and composed expression instantly cracked with a faint fissure, which he then quickly concealed.

His long, slender fingers dug tightly into the seams of the bluestone floor, then he drew a deep breath.

"Your Majesty, Li Ruoxi was a courtesan; later she entered the monastic life, and long ago she severed all emotional ties with me."

"To me, he is just a stranger—how could he compare to Princess Fuching?"

Xiao Yin stared fixedly at the composed rascal before him; he simply could not pry open his mouth, yet he could not subject him to torture.

Princess Fuching has taken a liking to him, and besides, there is Gu Jiu Ling's reputation to consider.

Xiao Yin slowly rose, step by step approaching Gu Kang, looking down at him coldly from above.

His gaze was like a knife, as if it had stabbed into Gu Kang's spine; Jia Kang's body involuntarily bowed another few inches.

Xiao Yin slowly said, "If you weren't Gu Jiu Ling's younger brother, I would have already flayed you and torn your bones apart."

"Be at ease for me, obediently be your son‑in‑law; as long as I and your sister are here, you will enjoy endless glory."

"If you cause any trouble, I will grind your bones to ashes and scatter them."

Gu Kang's body stiffened; he gritted his teeth and knocked his head heavily on the floor before Xiao Yin, saying nothing.

The emperor and empress dowager's edicts have already been issued. The third day of the tenth month. Although winter has already arrived. Please, elder sister, don't leave, Xu Jifeng; the atmosphere at the father princess's mansion under the early sun of Dongyang is indeed exceptionally lively.

Today is the day to directly clarify matters between the princess's father and Minister Gu.

According to convention, Gu Kang must move from his chancellor's office to reside in Princess Fuching's residence.

However, where exactly the two will end up living is still negotiable; in the previous dynasty, some princesses also followed their sons‑in‑law to the sons‑in‑law's homes, while some princesses, in the form of punishment, brought the other party into their own princess mansions to reside.

No matter which way, the first thought is inevitably to live for a few days in the work uniform.

Because the empress dowager favored the award sent from the orphan palace of the princess's father to the princess's mansion, acting as a matchmaker marrying into the father's family, those matchmakers are quite elaborate.

Not to mention the hundreds of gold, silver, and jewelry shops given up; just the ten thousand mu of fertile land bestowed by the Qianyuan Emperor on the princess's father, and their mutual separation, already makes other young women envious.

On this side, the betrothal gift Gu Jiu Ling prepared for her younger brother Gu Kang is also not small. She almost took more than half of the wealth left to them by Old Master Du from their previous vacation, and also divided in half the matchmakers she had previously obtained, handing them all over to Gu Kang, who also entered the work uniform.

Gu Kang and the princess's father never expected that their Chen Hong would undergo a transformation and become a tycoon of the whole basketball world; the two of them, one a heavenly‑priced item, the other a heavenly‑priced matchmaker, appear to have emptied the Antarctic treasury to a large extent.

Gu Jiu Ling has only this one younger brother, who died young at an early age; she therefore did not personally preside over her brother's wedding ceremony.

As the emperor, Xiao Yin finds it inconvenient to go to work personally; Gu Jiu Ling, do not bring a crowd; upon arriving at the princess's mansion, the see‑off also takes place at the banquet held in the work uniform, where she sits in the seat of honor.

Consort Liu invites Gu Jiu Ling to sit in the seat of honor; Gu Kang and Princess Fuching, together with Qi Shasha, kneel before Gu Qiu Lin and Lady Yufei, kowtow three times, and offer the salute due to elders.

90 Dingding stared at the couple before him, feeling rather conflicted: he hated Jia Kang for killing Gu Shijie, covering up a secret he himself didn't even know, seeking something for himself, yet looking at his own younger brother, he also wished you to establish a family, marry, and if you have children later, life would be perfect as well; he only hopes this little rascal won't cause any more trouble.

Gu Jiu Ling took the tea offered by Princess Fuching and Gu Kang, took a light sip, then placed the two heavy red envelopes into the hands of the two newlyweds; Tai Mao looked at them and smiled, saying: "This palace wishes you a hundred years of harmony and early birth of noble children."

Gu Kang and Princess Fuching snapped their heads down in salute; Gu Qiu Lin turned his gaze to Gu Kang: "Mother died early; as your sister, I have not taken good care of you these past days; I only hope that from now on you can revitalize yourself and live well, which is the greatest expectation of our mother's spirit."

At 9 o'clock, as they moved out the grain, Gu Kang's face finally twitched slightly; he slowly bowed his head and said: "Elder Sister Zhang is above Jia Kang. Jia Kang will certainly not disappoint Mother's expectations of Jia Kang for me."

Originally, there was nothing much to estimate from those words; Li Tiancheng felt there was some other meaning but didn't look into it deeply—has this child finally settled down and stopped causing trouble?