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

Chapter 168 Please ask Mother for a divorce! (Two chapters combined)

Ning Caiyong was naturally worried when he heard that the Ziji Palace had summoned Gu Fangchen again, so he waited at the gate of the Prince's Mansion.

Over the past few days, she has pondered the matter for a long time and has become increasingly certain that whether it was the switching of children or everything that Chen'er has suffered over the years, it was all Gu Yuye's scheme.

Gu Yuye boasted that he understood her, but how could she not understand Gu Yuye?

Previously, I was unaware of the situation and treated Gu Fangchen as my own child, so I subconsciously ignored many things that I should have noticed.

After all, as the saying goes, even a tiger won't eat its cubs...

No matter what, Ning Caiyong couldn't believe that Gu Yuye would deliberately harm her son.

But now that they know Gu Fangchen is not their biological daughter, some things they couldn't understand before suddenly make sense.

She remembered that every time Chen'er was harmed, Gu Yuye was never there, and the offerings at the Prince's Mansion always went wrong.

She didn't know if those who harmed Chen'er were arranged by Gu Yuye, but Gu Yuye must have had the intention of going with the flow, just to turn Chen'er into a useless person!
Ning Caiyong found this hard to accept, even more so than Gu Yuye and his son deceiving him.

The child she had raised and pampered since childhood was gradually turned into a useless person who was ridiculed by others.

How could she not be heartbroken?
She even occasionally wondered if Chen'er resented her for not noticing sooner and for not being able to protect him...

Seeing how diligently Gu Fangchen was practicing martial arts with Ding Xingfeng these days, Ning Caiyong felt gratified, but also became increasingly timid. She dared not disturb her too much and could only instruct Xuexiang to report to her every day.

But today, Gu Fangchen was summoned to the Ziji Palace again, and she knew that Gu Yuye would never let Chen'er go and allow someone who was not related to her by blood to continue sitting in the position of heir.

As the Princess Consort of Zhenbei, she naturally knew that Gu Yuye was ruthless and not easy to deal with.

In fact, she could say she watched Gu Yuye rise to his current position step by step, including how he eliminated his political enemies.

"Chen'er, what's wrong?"

Ning Caiyong also saw how sinister Gu Yuye's face had been just now, but still habitually treated Gu Fangchen like a child. She pursed her lips, reached out and hugged him back, then lifted her head and stroked the young man's cheek.

The beautiful woman frowned slightly and said softly:
"If there's anything, just tell your mother. You never used to make requests..."

Gu Fangchen took her hand and led her to Ning Caiyong's courtyard, but instead of letting go, she gripped it even tighter. Looking at the beautiful woman before her, she solemnly said:

"I want to ask my mother for a divorce!"

Ning Caiyong's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously exerted force as well.

She had been tossing and turning these past few days, thinking about this issue, but getting a divorce wasn't an easy thing.

She can return to Sword Pavilion at any time, but what about Youren and Lianxian...?

Furthermore, although she knew that Gu Yuye was the culprit behind all these events, he had cut ties completely and there was no evidence whatsoever.

As long as he still holds significant military power, he can request an imperial decree from Emperor Yong'an to forcibly bind Ning Caiyong.

Therefore, Ning Caiyong only thought about it; if they were to actually get a divorce... it would probably be difficult.

Gu Fangchen squeezed the beautiful woman's hand and whispered:
"Mother, do you believe me? As long as you believe me, there is a way to solve everything."

Ning Caiyong nodded, his concern undisguised:

"Of course I believe in you, but Chen'er... we must not rush things. Your safety is my top priority."

Gu Fangchen shook her head, but her gaze was sharp and cold, something Ning Caiyong had never seen before.

"Indecisiveness leads to disaster."

Gu Yuye's plans have been disrupted by him, and he has been repeatedly mocked by him. He is extremely angry and determined to get rid of him. This is the most aggressive stage of his life.

At this stage, this "legendary longevity king" will not even think about running away.

In other words, this is the perfect opportunity to kill him!
Gu Fangchen didn't kill him before because he controlled half of Shuobei's defenses. Once the news of Zhenbei King's death spread, Qingman would immediately attack.

Without having control of the situation, it is necessary to keep Gu Yuye in check.

Now, with Xiao Yinghao's abilities and the strategy he gave her, she can eliminate the traitor with uncanny foresight, which would be enough to suppress the Qingman front.

Even if Gu Yuye falls, Xiao Yinghao can maintain stability for a while.

This would be enough time for Gu Fangchen to make a trip to Qingman and resolve this side quest as well.

To achieve several positive endings in "The Mirror in the Dust," it is necessary to first resolve external threats and then pacify internal conflicts.

The danger posed by the Qingman is far less than that of the two hidden old men of the Great Wei itself...

Coincidentally, Gu Fangchen has now been randomly assigned a pretty good job.

A skill that can be used for both offense and defense.

Therefore, this time when he went to Gushu, he not only wanted to ruin Gu Yuye's reputation, but also take Gu Yuye's life!
However, there is one prerequisite: first, one must escape the pursuit of the matriarch.

He's using his skills to kite the enemy, relying on the fact that the Grandmaster's speed isn't as fast as his own teleportation... After all, finding the rift between the two worlds isn't an easy task.

This means he can't be too free to choose who to kill; he has to pick those he can kill as quickly as possible.

Gu Yuye's "soldier puppet" can take his place, and he still has two chances. He must try his best to kill Gu Yuye while he is unable to escape.

Otherwise, he'll have to switch to "endurance mode".

This is also why Gu Fangchen had no objection to going to Gushu Road.

Because Luk Tai Road is right next to Kau Shu Road.

Yaoshan Academy is located on Lutai Road.

He pried away one of the most important earth veins of "Eternal Heaven and Earth," and the academy will certainly not sit idly by and let this good opportunity slip by.

With the academy's capabilities, keeping this sword would not be difficult.

At that time, they will draw away the Grandmother's firepower, and Gu Fangchen will naturally be able to use the [King of Hell's Decree] to attack Gu Yuye.

Ning Caiyong saw the coldness in Gu Fangchen's eyes and understood that from the night Gu Yuye returned from the Ziji Palace, this was the destined ending.

There will inevitably be a day when her husband and Chen'er face a life-or-death struggle.

Ning Caiyong lowered her eyes, her heart filled with mixed feelings. There was a sliver of clarity, yet also a chaotic jumble of emotions surging within her.

"Mother... I need to think about it."

Afraid that Chen'er would misunderstand her meaning, after speaking, she gently hugged the young man in front of her, bit her lip, and said:
"Tonight, I will give you an answer tonight. No matter what, I will not make things difficult for my Chen'er."

Gu Fangchen knew that giving up everything would indeed require some determination from Ning Caiyong, and she was willing to give her room to think it over, so she nodded.

"it is good."

……

"Boom!"

Summer had already begun in early May, and the weather was becoming more unpredictable.

Just moments ago, the sky was clear, but now it was filled with dark clouds, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and the wind howled fiercely across everything.

Huangtian City was not spared either. In the dust of the world, all things are equal. Even the high-ranking officials and nobles in the inner city could not avoid being drenched by the rain in their haste.

Gu Fangchen shook her fan, while Xuexiang held an umbrella close to her.

He looked up and saw a brightly lit pavilion. The people inside seemed unaffected by the bad weather, still drinking and chatting. Through the open windows, he could vaguely see women dressed in light clothing, laughing and chatting happily.

Occasionally, some decadent music could be heard mixed in with the sounds of string and wind instruments.

It wasn't hard to tell that this was the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment district). Gu Fangchen used to frequent this place and was a familiar face; she was immediately recognized as soon as she appeared.

"Oh dear, Your Highness!"

Upon receiving the news, Madam Feng, though past her prime, still possessed a captivating charm and immediately came to greet her.

"Your Highness hasn't come for a while... Did you come to see Xiuxiu? You redeemed her a few days ago, and she just happened to pack her things today, preparing to leave Huangtian City and return to Gushu."

"I couldn't persuade her no matter what I said..."

Mrs. Feng sighed with some regret, then her sharp eyes spotted a graceful figure walking down the street and she waved:

"Xiuxiu, come quick, look who's here."

Zhu Xiuxiu looked up at the sound and met Gu Fangchen's gaze. Her face paled instinctively, but she quickly recovered and hurriedly ran over with her bundle, bowing respectfully.

"Your Highness."

Gu Fangchen raised an eyebrow, clearly hearing the girl's voice trembling, and clicked her tongue inwardly.

The biggest victim of his original sins was Miss Zhu, the most beautiful courtesan in the brothel.

To admire such a quiet, melancholic, artistic beauty, like a lilac in a rainy alley, with such intense affection... that's really quite perverted.

He redeemed Miss Zhu the day before yesterday as a matter of convenience, and he didn't come here today with any intention of looking for her.

It was Zhao Wenyuan who told him that the Yang Division of the Eye Heaven Division had finally found some time.

The meeting place was this Jiaofangsi (a type of entertainment venue).

Well... in other words, the place where Yang Si inserted his eye was in the Jiaofangsi (a type of entertainment venue).

Gu Fangchen already knew this, so she wasn't surprised.

Moreover, the Jiaofangsi, as an important social venue for high-ranking officials and nobles in Huangtian City, did indeed circulate a large amount of information.

Now that we've run into each other, it's as if he deliberately came to ambush us...

Clearly, Zhu Xiuxiu on the other side thought so too.

She has been in a daze these past few days, as if waking from a dream, still unable to believe that she has become a free person.

Her family fell into decline, and she was reduced from a noblewoman to a courtesan for three years. She didn't dare to hope that she would ever regain her freedom and return home...

But as she walked out happily, she ran into the Prince of Zhenbei, who had become a nightmare, right in front of her again. It was like a bolt from the blue. What a coincidence!
This guy is probably trying to play a trick on her on purpose!

Just when she thought she could leave, they came back to block her, extinguishing the little hope that had just sprouted in her heart.

Zhu Xiuxiu clutched her small bundle tightly, her expression sorrowful, biting her lower lip, almost on the verge of tears, but she still obediently went to the Crown Prince's side.

Gu Fangchen, who was still despising herself, couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of understanding upon seeing this situation.

This courtesan looked exactly like a well-behaved girl, only sixteen or seventeen years old. Even without makeup, she was still pretty and charming, resembling a high school girl who was exceptionally good at her studies and had a very strict upbringing.

Then he did this and that... Ugh!

Gu Fangchen shook her head inwardly, trying to dispel the images that were flashing through her mind.

If it's someone he has a grudge against, like Gu Lianxian, he doesn't mind using underhanded methods.

But someone like Zhu Xiuxiu clearly wasn't willing. Although he could continue to pretend to be that playboy, he couldn't fool himself.

"Go back now, be careful on the way."

Gu Fangchen shook her fan and sighed:
"If traveling alone is troublesome, I can point out some guards for you..."

Zhu Xiuxiu was stunned, her eyes filled with disbelief, as if she couldn't believe that he had let her off so easily.

She snapped out of her daze and quickly lowered her head, saying:
"Thank you, Your Highness. It's no trouble at all. I've already hired someone!"

"Although they are just ordinary martial artists, escorting me to Gushu is still a simple matter..."

After she finished speaking, she hurriedly bowed, lifted her skirt, and left, seemingly unwilling to stay a moment longer, for fear that Gu Fangchen would change her mind.

Gu Fangchen twitched her lips.

I feel that although I have tried my best, it is not easy to reverse the original reputation in a short period of time.

He turned his head and told Mrs. Feng the room he wanted, and she immediately led him there.

Gu Fangchen entered the room, told Xuexiang to close the door, and then tapped the wall with the hilt of her sword.

A blood-red eye suddenly opened on the wall, which looked very eerie and frightening at first glance, but Gu Fangchen smiled and said:
"The Lord of the Eyes is so busy with his duties that it's really difficult to meet him."

The eyes on the wall belong to the "Yang Division," one of the Yin and Yang Divisions of the Eye Heaven Division.

"The Prince of Zhenbei is truly skilled. He hid for nineteen years, and I, the Chief of the Heavenly Bureau, didn't find a single clue. He is truly admirable."

"Not only did his cultivation level break through to the sixth rank without anyone noticing... um? The fifth rank?!"

His eyes widened suddenly, staring intently at Gu Fangchen as if he were looking at a monster; the scene was indeed rather bizarre.

The eye that was emerging from the wall looked more like some kind of evil spirit.

As a result, when these eyes looked at Gu Fangchen, a living, breathing person, it was as if they were seeing something dirty that shouldn't exist.

Gu Fangchen raised an eyebrow and said:
"I recently had a breakthrough, which happened to break through the bottleneck."

Yang Si remained silent for a long time, clearly unable to accept such a perfunctory reason.

According to their assessment of Gu Fangchen at the time, the evaluation was actually inflated based on her battle record.

When the rankings of the Lesser Heavenly Rankings were announced, Gu Fangchen's true cultivation level should actually only be at the early stage of the sixth rank.

They estimated that Gu Fangchen's true combat strength was at the peak of the sixth rank.

But unexpectedly, in just a few days, Gu Fangchen transformed and broke through to the fifth-grade Grandmaster!

Just outrageous!
If breaking through to the fifth rank were so easy, the Crown Prince wouldn't have been stuck there for over a hundred years, frustrated and nearly driven mad.

It’s so irritating that people are so different from each other…

However, this time, Yang Si wasn't there to update intelligence. He quickly regained his composure and said:
"What information does Your Highness wish to obtain by speaking with me specifically?"

Gu Fangchen said:

"It's simple, I want to know my origins."

……

night.

Gu Fangchen sat cross-legged on the bed, sorting out her thoughts, when she suddenly opened her eyes and looked towards the door.

Ning Caiyong pushed open the door and came in, sitting on the edge of Gu Fangchen's bedside, speaking softly.

"Mother will go to Gushu with you."

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.

P.S.: Post first, edit later.

(End of this chapter)