The fake prince was exposed at the beginning, and I took office as emperor on the spot

Chapter 146 Who is the Prince Consort? (Part 2)

Gu Fangchen was taken aback upon hearing this, raised an eyebrow, and her gaze fell on the empty seat.

He raised his hand and said:
"Thank you for the seat, Your Majesty..."

Clearly, there are still quite a few other empty seats.

Although they were the last to arrive, a royal banquet wouldn't be so cramped with seating.

Especially since the people present are all of high status, they must have designated seats, all arranged in advance.

In fact, even excluding those who couldn't come temporarily, there were at least four or five extra spots available.

But Emperor Yong'an specifically requested that Gu Fangchen sit in the seat that belonged to a prince!

Everyone present turned to look, their eyes filled with shock, but also with a different meaning in their gazes towards Gu Fangchen.

After a month of uproar, the fact that Gu Fangchen was ultimately recognized as the heir of the Prince of Zhenbei, rather than the much-anticipated Gu Yuandao, who had already been the subject of much speculation, is already quite surprising.

However, that was still limited to the family affairs of the Prince of Zhenbei. Apart from those who had taken sides early and were aligned with the Prince of Zhenbei, who might be very annoyed by this matter, others were just watching the show for the time being.

Although it was unexpected that Gu Fangchen was still the heir apparent, news of his suppression of the Seven Sects Rebellion in Sword Pavilion and his rapid increase in cultivation had already reached Huangtian City a few days ago.

Some people initially questioned whether it was true or false, but now the truth is clear.

Emperor Yong'an's attitude at this moment is enough to prove everything.

The implications of this can be broad or narrow.

On a smaller scale, judging from what Gu Fangchen said, the reason he went to Sword Pavilion to suppress the rebellion of the Seven Sects was actually on the orders of Emperor Yong'an.

So, the reason and the person behind the Emperor Yong'an's sudden whim at today's banquet should actually be Gu Fangchen.

This is a celebration banquet specially held for Gu Fangchen!
Therefore, it was only natural for Emperor Yong'an to bestow a seat upon a meritorious official, allowing him to sit closer to himself.

But if we're talking about something much bigger, then the possibilities are endless...

Although Emperor Yong'an never intended to abdicate, and even nearly killed the current crown prince, this did not mean that his mind would not change.

People who live too long inevitably become more and more abnormal.

What if Emperor Yong'an and the Crown Prince really dislike each other and don't like the other princes and princesses, and want to overturn the table and choose an outsider to come in?
Now it's obvious that Gu Fangchen has completely broken ties with the Prince of Zhenbei, and has even taken over the position of the Prince of Zhenbei's heir, skipping the entire process of being granted the title of prince.

In the past, there were emperors who, because their descendants were not capable, passed the throne to their adopted sons.

In any case, it seems that Gu Fangchen is most likely not Gu Yuye's biological daughter, and it would be easy for her to change her surname to Xiao...

Even if we take a step back, Emperor Yong'an's actions at least indicate that he intends to cultivate Gu Fangchen to replace Gu Yuye.

That might mean they want him to be a loyal subject who supports the emperor.

Does Gu Fangchen's current closeness to someone represent Emperor Yong'an's intentions?
Everyone present was shrewd and calculating, thinking three steps ahead for every one step they took. In an instant, they were already preparing how to flatter and ingratiate themselves with the Crown Prince.

Everyone else felt uneasy seeing Emperor Yong'an's attitude, but Gu Fangchen, who knew more, looked even more peculiar.

He did indeed speculate that he might be the only descendant of the Lord of Hengchang Dao—

Note that this is not Emperor Yong'an, but the Lord of Hengchang Dao.

Emperor Yong'an, as well as the founding or last emperors of various dynasties, were merely incarnations of [Hengchang Daozhu·Shigu Renhuang] in the cycle of reincarnation.

The two are fundamentally different.

The First Grade Eternal Realm, to put it bluntly, consists of higher-dimensional beings who are reproductively isolated from humans.

Emperor Yong'an could have eight sons, but if the Lord of Hengchang Dao hadn't met with an accident, he would never have had any descendants.

But the most puzzling thing is why Emperor Yong'an would give the original body to Gu Yuye as the groom's son.

From Gu Fangchen's perspective now, Emperor Yong'an undoubtedly values ​​her highly.

When he was at the dentist's, he used that scale to test Emperor Yong'an's attitude towards him, to see how much he valued him, which is why he casually wrote "I'm happy".

That scale originally belonged to the Lord of Hengchang, so if he wanted to, he could certainly press it down to the bottom.

As it turned out, Emperor Yong'an was indeed very generous.

At that time, Gu Fangchen felt that she was probably the one who had disappeared in the original story's secrets.

However, this made Emperor Yong'an's attitude quite contradictory...

Gu Fangchen pondered for a moment, then walked over and sat down.

Xiao Yinghao had already sat in the other empty seat to his left.

Although Xiao Yinghao was not the second oldest among the many imperial heirs, as the eldest princess conferred by Emperor Yong'an, her status was second only to Crown Prince Xiao Sheng, so she was naturally placed here.

Gu Fangchen occupied the third position.

The second prince, who should have been between the two, was born with a chronic illness and was weak and sickly from childhood. He rarely went out and was only able to survive by carefully nurturing himself. Therefore, no place was prepared for him.

Gu Fangchen was about to sit down when she saw the "Heart-Planting Poison" pattern on her palm and suddenly stopped.

and many more……

In fact, Emperor Yong'an's attitude can be said to be entirely consistent.

Because the Gu Fangchen who was switched and the Gu Fangchen now are not the same person at all!
Gu Fangchen froze on the spot, feeling somewhat ashamed.

If Emperor Yong'an knew the difference between him and the original owner, then the difference in his attitude before and after would make sense.

If it were someone else, Gu Fangchen would have hesitated a bit.

The "First Grade Eternal Realm" is a level in the game that is said to transcend dimensions. Such a thing is entirely possible!

At this moment, Xiao Qiu's call of names interrupted Gu Fangchen's thoughts. Gu Yuye, who walked in afterward, was expressionless. Gu Lianxian, carrying the unconscious Gu Yuandao, once again attracted everyone's attention.

This time, however, there wasn't much surprise.

Before Gu Yuandao arrived, news of him had spread like wildfire, and those in the palace who needed to know already knew.

In the past, if Gu Yuandao had any problems, a bunch of people would have surrounded him to offer their concern and care.

This attitude is enough to show the change in Gu Yuandao's status in their hearts.

After a slight pause, Gu Fangchen remained expressionless and sat down.

Xiao Sheng, who was standing nearby, then stood up and said:
"Father, what merit has the Crown Prince accomplished that has made you so happy today?"

Emperor Yong'an laughed and said:
"I was just about to have something to say to you all."

He called out:
"Xiao Qiu, you read."

"Yes."

Xiao Qiu bowed and respectfully walked up to Gu Fangchen, took the imperial edict from his hands, and then loudly read its contents.

It's nothing more than the original agreement on how to determine who will inherit the position of heir.

Xiao Qiu read to the end:

"...The position of heir apparent belongs to the capable. The one who quells the rebellion of the Seven Sects and brings back the imperial edict will be the heir apparent of the Prince of Zhenbei!"

The more Gu Yuye read, the worse his expression became. He gripped his wine glass and closed his eyes. The more confident he was then, the more pathetic he was now.

Every word of the imperial edict read aloud in public was a slap in the face to him.

And in front of so many people!

Gu Yuye was so confident because the imperial edict stated that not only must the rebellion of the Seven Sects be quelled, but only the person who brought back the edict would be qualified to be the heir apparent.

In his opinion, neither the former nor the latter should have any problems.

The result... was that they lost both!
"This banquet I am holding today is specifically for this child. The rebellion of the Seven Sects has only been going on for three days, yet it has been completely suppressed, preventing a catastrophe for the people. This truly makes me feel very gratified!"

Emperor Yong'an's gaze fell on Gu Yuye, and he asked:
"Minister Gu, do you have any objections?"

Gu Yuye took a deep breath, stood up and said:
"A bet is a bet, and I have no objection to this matter!"

Everyone was stunned, not expecting that the Prince of Zhenbei would admit defeat so easily.

After all, it has come to the point where "the most capable should take the place," which shows that Gu Fangchen is indeed not his biological daughter.

Although the details are currently unknown, the fact that the princess was so angry that she ran back to her parents' home suggests that there are some unknown secrets involved...

That's why Gu Yuye had no choice but to have his child and Gu Fangchen put on this show.

But to just accept it like that is completely unlike the style of the military strategist he used to have.

As everyone was thinking this, they saw Gu Yuye narrow his eyes, then cup his hands and solemnly say:
"But I still have a question in my mind."

Gu Yuye looked at Xiao Yinghao and said loudly:
"Your Highness, when I heard the terrible news from Qiu'an Road, I was thrown into a panic and even misheard the military intelligence, making a fool of myself. But I never expected that it would be the Princess Consort, whom I had never heard of before, who turned the tide and repelled the Qingman army."

"I wonder what this prince consort's name is, and what his status is. He is so talented and brilliant, it is a pity that I have never met him. Could the princess please tell me?"

In an instant, an uproar erupted within the Purple Palace.

After the previous leak, Xiao Yinghao became even more vigilant in controlling the military intelligence of Qiu'an Road.

Aside from the great victory, it was not revealed that the person in command at the time was actually Xiao Yinghao's husband.

After all, Gu Fangchen was using the White Dragon Army Formation at the time, so even the cultivators from the nearby sects would only think that Xiao Yinghao was activating the formation.

Therefore, everyone was naturally stunned when Gu Yuye said this.

The younger generation of cultivators who remained were especially heartbroken.

Immediately, someone stood up and angrily said:

"Your Highness, I knew you and the Princess were at odds, but there was no need to resort to such despicable means, fabricating stories and maliciously spreading rumors!"

"The eldest princess is wholeheartedly devoted to protecting her country; how could she possibly have a husband?"

Other young practitioners echoed his sentiments, some even expressing righteous indignation.

Sitting in the corner, Liu Xuan looked at the cultivators around him trying their best to protect him, and whispered in astonishment:
"Junior sister, is the Princess really that well-regarded among cultivators? I get the feeling that they're less defending the Princess and more expressing their own desire to prevent her from having a husband..."

Li Qingguang: "..."

She felt the angry gazes directed at her senior brother from all around, gazes that seemed to want to stab him to death. She sighed deeply, rubbing her forehead.

"Senior brother, you should still drink..."

"Junior sister, really? Didn't you say I wasn't allowed to drink?"

"You can drink it now!"

Seeing the chaotic scene below, Emperor Yong'an was not angry. Instead, he slowly spoke:

"Yinghao, what do you think?"

Xiao Ying glanced at Gu Fangchen and stood up.

The tinkling of her jade pendants was crisp and melodious, and everyone else immediately fell silent, turning their gazes to this stunningly beautiful yet extremely aloof "God of War".

Gu Fangchen's gaze couldn't help but turn over. He was sitting next to Xiao Yinghao, so close that he could smell the faint fragrance emanating from her.

It was a cool, resinous scent mixed with the floral fragrance lingering on the clothes.

The former was from years of maintenance and exposure to weapons, while the latter was the natural patina emanating from her extremely luxurious clothes.

When he looked up, he could see a layer of soft, glowing down on Xiao Yinghao's fair and delicate profile.

When martial arts reach their peak, the physical body returns to its original simplicity, retaining the purity and softness of an infant.

However, that was just an appearance. In reality, the woman's delicate hands could easily crush a person's skull and wield a spear weighing over a thousand pounds.

On the battlefield, the most outrageous rumor about Xiao Yinghao was that she was eight zhang tall, rode a tall black horse across the battlefield, and liked to string people's heads together with a long spear and eat them like candied hawthorns, just like a ghost or god.

As for Gu Fangchen, a seasoned player who knew all the information, he had to clarify something—

She simply enjoys stringing people's heads together; she doesn't actually eat them.

At this moment, what flashed through Gu Fangchen's mind was the half-smile that Xiao Yinghao gave her when she stood up.

That one glance gave Gu Fangchen a feeling that she probably did indeed know that she was the imposter who was posing as the prince consort.

This also caused him some concern.

He had indeed taken advantage of Xiao Yinghao's reputation when he did that, and if Xiao Yinghao held a grudge and wanted to take revenge, the best way would be for him to acknowledge his status as the prince consort now.

Because in this way, his status as the crown prince would become meaningless.

The eldest princess turned to look at Gu Yuye and said calmly:

"Prince Zhenbei, isn't this a private matter for this princess?"

Gu Yuye cupped his hands and said:

“Since the Princess is supported by the people of Wei, your private affairs are also public affairs of the world.”

Gu Fangchen clicked her tongue inwardly.

Gu Yuye is still so good at moral blackmail...

They treated him like he owed them something after eating at the Prince's mansion for nineteen years, but they didn't mention a word about how his meridians were completely destroyed, he couldn't enjoy any of the Prince's mansion's resources, and he even shielded Gu Yuandao from the potential traps he might have suffered.

Now, let's kidnap Xiao Ying again.

"What a righteous and righteous Prince of Zhenbei!"

Xiao Yinghao clapped her hands and said with a forced smile:
"This princess does indeed have a betrothed since childhood, but he is rather shy and doesn't like to show his face in public, so he has never mentioned it."

"Now, this is a good opportunity."

She looked around and her gaze settled on Gu Fangchen's face.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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(End of this chapter)