Chapter 497: You Sought a Royal Woman

When Gu Xian came out of Wu Wang Fu, his legs were weak.

Hmm! It was all fear, no choice; Prince Wu's overwhelming murderous aura was terrifying. Though he had trained in martial arts, he had never seen blood. Seeing Prince Wu, who had killed countless people, being scared to death would be a mercy.

He leaned on the carriage sideboard and stood for a while, waiting for his legs to stop trembling before climbing back onto the carriage.

The driver Lao Zhou turned his head and gave him a startled glance.

"Young master, why does your complexion look so pale? Are you heat‑stroke?"

"No… let's go home."

The carriage set off.

Gu Xian leaned against the carriage wall, eyes closed, his mind still replaying the day's events.

Those two massive hammers.

He had seen them when he entered the manor, leaning under a locust tree, larger than a human head, their black‑gold sheen rippling in the sunlight.

He dared not stare longer, but a corner of his eye swept over them, and he thought he saw dark red spots on the hammers, like blood.

He recalled the anecdotes the storytellers in the tea house had told.

Prince Zhen Guo's war‑drum jar golden hammer—one weighed six hundred jin, the pair weighed twelve hundred jin; three of them broke the gate of Kaiping City, one shattered the gate of Helin City, killing countless foes, leaving no living person beneath the hammer.

He had previously thought it exaggerated; after all, storytellers only exaggerate to earn their reward.

Today he believed it.

Not only did he believe it, he also felt lingering fear.

Those two hammers lay less than Three Zhang away; he sat on a stone bench, the hammers leaning under the locust tree, just a few steps apart.

His hands trembled even while drinking tea.

And His Majesty's gaze.

Zhu Yuanzhang's glance at him would stay etched in his memory for life.

It wasn't fierce nor indifferent, just a subtle stare, like looking at a stone or a tree.

Yet that gaze was more frightening than any ferocity.

He recalled another anecdote the storytellers had shared.

When His Majesty ascended the throne at Yingtian Prefecture, an assassin mingled in the crowd attempted an attack, but was stunned by a single glare from the prince, his legs went weak and he knelt on the spot.

He hadn't believed it before; now he did.

The carriage rocked lazily toward Jinling.

Gu Xian leaned against the carriage wall, his hand still trembling.

He looked down at his hand, clenched it into a fist, and rubbed it against his knee.

Huanhuan is Prince Wu's daughter.

He first saw her outside the town school; she came to deliver books, dressed in a goose‑yellow padded robe, quiet and gentle, her brows and eyes soft.

He assumed she was the daughter of a scholar's family, speaking softly, courteous in her dealings.

Later he met her a few more times in the tea house, each encounter a chance meeting.

Back then he thought his luck was great; now he wonders how many chance meetings there could really be.

She never mentioned who her father was, and he never asked.

He felt it unnecessary; he liked her as a person, not her lineage.

But lineage isn't something that vanishes just because you don't want it.

Wu Wang Fu, the princess, Prince Zhen Guo.

He had seen those terms in the court gazette and heard them mentioned in the tea house, but never imagined they would involve him.

The carriage stopped in front of the Gu family gate.

Gu Xian stepped down, stood at the doorway, inhaled deeply, straightened his attire, and pushed the door open.

Gu Mingyuan was seated in the main hall, drinking tea.

He was in his forties, fair and plump, with three long strands of beard, wearing a half‑worn silk robe, looking like an ordinary merchant.

The tea cup in his hand had just reached his lips when he saw his son enter, and his hand froze.

"Xian'er, why does your complexion look so pale? What happened?"

Mrs. Li emerged from the inner room, holding needle and thread, and startled at the sight of her son.

"Xian'er! What's wrong with you? Are you ill?"

She came over, placed her hand on his forehead, and felt cold sweat all over; she hurriedly exclaimed, "Oh dear! Why so much sweat? Your clothes are soaked! Sit down quickly, mother will pour you a bowl of tea."

Gu Xian sat down in the chair.

Mrs. Li poured a bowl of hot tea and handed it to him; he took a sip, the heat numbing his tongue, but he swallowed without spitting.

"Father, mother, today I went to Wu Wang Fu."

"Wu Wang Fu… which Wu Wang Fu?" Gu Mingyuan paused, then asked.

"The one at Yingtian Prefecture, Prince Zhen Guo's residence."

The main hall fell silent for a moment.

Gu Mingyuan's tea cup lingered at his lips, and Mrs. Li's needle and thread slipped to the floor.

The two watched their son, their complexion gradually changing.

"You… what did you go to Wu Wang Fu for?" Gu Mingyuan set down his tea cup, his voice tightening.

"Huanhuan is Prince Wu's daughter."

Another silence fell.

Gu Mingyuan opened his mouth, but said nothing.

Mrs. Li was the first to respond, her voice trembling: "Xian'er, what did you say… that girl you met a few times in the tea house, is she Prince Wu's daughter?"

Gu Xian nodded...

"She said her father holds an office in the court, neither high nor low; today when I went to the residence I learned that her father is the King of the Nation, His Majesty's legitimate second son, and Crown Prince's own younger brother."

Gu Mingyuan's complexion changed.

He stood up, sat down again, stood up once more, walked two steps in the main hall, turned around to look at his son, his eyes full of disbelief.

"You... you sought a royal woman? You went looking for a royal woman? Do you know what crime that is? You, a merchant's son, how could you dare..."

"Father, I myself approached her to propose marriage," Gu Xian's voice sounded somewhat helpless.

Gu Mingyuan was stunned.

Gu Xian recounted today's events from beginning to end.

From seeing the two hammers upon entering the gate, to meeting the King of the Nation under the locust tree, to the Crown Prince arriving, His Majesty arriving, the Empress arriving, to him kneeling again and again, kowtowing repeatedly, to the King of the Nation saying, "Go back and have your father pick an auspicious day for the proposal."

With that sentence, Gu Mingyuan's complexion shifted a shade.

By the end, Gu Mingyuan slumped in his chair, half a day unable to recover his senses.

Li Shi was the first to react, grabbing her son's hand, looking him over from head to toe, both crying and laughing.

"Xian'er, you... you really intend to marry the daughter of the Wu King?"

"Mother, the Princess has already nodded, Prince has also nodded, His Majesty and the Empress have also met, Crown Prince has also met, all have nodded."

"Now it's just up to us to go propose."

Li Shi's tears fell.

"Good, good, you're finally going to start a family; I've waited so many years, finally... the daughter of the Wu King, she's a Princess, must be beautiful, I've heard her temperament is good too; Xian'er, to find such a fine wife, how wonderful..."

She wiped away a handful of tears and smiled.

Gu Mingyuan sat in his chair, taking half a day to regain his composure.

He looked at his son, remained silent for a while, then spoke.

"Xian'er, be honest with your father: how far have you and that Princess progressed? Do you have...?"

"Father! No! My relationship with the Princess is pure; we only talked a few times at the tea house, met a few times at the school, never even held hands."

Gu Xian's face flushed instantly.

Gu Mingyuan stared at his son for a while, confirming he hadn't lied, then finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good, that's good; a royal woman must not be touched before marriage—touching her is a capital crime."

"Father, I understand," Gu Xian nodded heavily.

Gu Mingyuan fell silent again for a moment, then suddenly stood up, pacing back and forth in the main hall.

"The daughter of the Wu King, she's a Princess, a granddaughter of the royal family; our Gu family, a small merchant family, how could we be worthy..."

"Father, Prince said it's permissible," Gu Xian interrupted.

Gu Mingyuan halted his steps, looking at his son.

"Did Prince really say it's permissible?"

"Indeed, Prince said, let me return to you, pick an auspicious day, go propose; he also said that when the Princess of Wu Wang Fu gets married, it must not be modest, the betrothal gifts cannot be lacking, and the dowry must not be lacking either."

Gu Mingyuan stood in place, silent for a long time.

Then he suddenly burst into laughter, laughing until tears streamed.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said "good" three times in a row, walked over and patted his son's shoulder, patting again, then again, saying, "Xian'er, you've made progress; I've spent my whole life in business, my biggest deal was a silk order worth a few tens of thousands taels of silver."

"And you, you strike with a Princess, with Wu Wang Fu, with the royal family!"

Gu Xian's shoulder ached from the pats, but he didn't dodge.

"Father, I simply like her, not seeking to cling to power."

"Father knows, father knows; if you were seeking to cling to power, you wouldn't even know who her father is."