Lu Yunxi walked alongside Gu Liyue and said, "I'm not going back to the palace today. I'll stay in the prince's mansion. I've already told the Empress Dowager about it."
Gu Liyue nodded and advised her, "Yunxi, I know you like to have fun, but you should rein it in a bit from now on. It's really not good to be disrespectful in front of the palace."
Lu Yunxi nodded vaguely. "I got it. I didn't mean to scare the emperor in the first place. Usually, I only play with boys of similar age. I won't scare the girls casually. I'm afraid of scaring them too much. Then everyone will blame me."
Seeing that Lu Yunxi didn't seem to take her advice, Gu Liyue could only give up. "Your temper... sigh..."
Lu Yunxi grinned. "I'm just like this. Before, I used to... play around with your fourth brother."
She originally wanted to say that she was used to fooling around with Gu Chengzhi, but just the mention of his name made her feel unhappy. Since she realized that her feelings for Gu Chengzhi were more than just those for an ordinary boy, she didn't have as much of a playful spirit as before.
Noticing this, Gu Liyue quickly said, "By the way, have you heard about Qin Caiyin's betrothal to the third young master Jiang? You've been in the palace recently, so I haven't had the chance to tell you."
Lu Yunxi asked, "So? Do you think it's okay for me now?"
Gu Liyue was stunned for a moment and didn't know how to respond.
Lu Yunxi spread her hands. "I'm just friends with your fourth brother now. If I really were to lay my feelings on the table and he didn't like me, wouldn't that mean we couldn't even be friends anymore?"
Gu Liyue asked carefully, "What if... he likes you?"
But Lu Yunxi didn't look happy at all. Instead, she looked extremely aggrieved. "They say I'm uneducated. Even the Prince of Liang said so. I didn't show it, but I know it in my heart. What kind of girl like me would anyone like? Your fourth brother isn't blind, and he isn't..."
Gu Liyue quickly said, "Why would you say that? My fourth brother is definitely not that kind of person. Do you remember when we first met? My fourth brother comforted me and said that although you were naughty, you were actually a very nice person."
Lu Yunxi found a stone bench and sat down. She told her attendants not to follow and then said to Gu Liyue, "Everyone says I'm annoying. How could I not know that I'm annoying? But the more I act like this, the more relieved the Empress Dowager and the emperor will be."
Gu Liyue was a bit confused. "What?"
Lu Yunxi forced a bitter smile. "You know, don't you? I've lost both my elder brothers. My parents are guarding the border. My father was so seriously injured that he can't have any more children."
Gu Liyue had heard something about this. Hearing Lu Yunxi say it so straightforwardly made her feel even worse, but she didn't know how to comfort her.
Lu Yunxi said, "The emperor is a wise ruler, but he also has his soft spots. He always feels extremely guilty towards my father. He has issued several edicts to replace the general guarding the border. But my parents have spent their whole lives there. Would they be able to get used to coming back and being idle princes? Moreover, they couldn't possibly trust others. "
Gu Liyue stared blankly at her. She always thought Lu Yunxi was an immature child, but it turned out she knew better than anyone else.
"The Empress Dowager and the emperor dote on me out of guilt and debt towards my parents. But my father told me that it's only right to give one's all for the country and the emperor. The emperor doesn't owe our Prince Qingling's Mansion anything, and neither do the common people or the world. Every time I cause a ruckus, the emperor indulges me unconditionally. Only in this way can he feel more at ease and balanced."
Gu Liyue's eyes turned a bit red. She held Lu Yunxi's hand and said, "Your father is a heroic and upright man."
Lu Yunxi spread her hands. "There are many heroes in this world. My father is just one of them."
Gu Liyue shook her head. "Even if he's just one of them, he's the most imposing one."
Lu Yunxi grinned and straightened her back. "Yes, I think so too. Others like to compare my father with the Prince of Liang, but I think my father is much more capable than the Prince of Liang. Although the Prince of Liang also believes in devoting his life to the people, he's a bit muddle - headed."
Gu Liyue quickly said, "Don't talk nonsense. You can't use the word'muddle - headed' like that."
Lu Yunxi didn't care. "It's the truth. I even told my step - mother before that it's a good thing the Prince of Liang isn't the emperor. Otherwise, with an unstable harem, how could the court be peaceful?"
Gu Liyue quickly covered her mouth and glared at her fiercely. "You're being even more reckless."
"Hey, the bigger the trouble I cause, the more at ease the emperor will feel. So you don't have to worry about me."
Gu Liyue simply gave up. She just frowned and said, "Although I also think the Prince of Liang isn't that great, after all... everyone praises him, so he can't be too bad."
Lu Yunxi nodded. "Yes, but he is really stupid. You've never met my parents, so you don't know what kind of person my father is. My father has a main wife, two concubines, and two secondary concubines. But only my mother gave birth to three children. The others didn't have any children because he always believed that until the legitimate son was born, there shouldn't be any illegitimate sons to avoid future chaos. Later, he injured his body and didn't have the fate of having more children. He then let my mother decide whether the concubines could be remarried. But my four step - mothers have always been willing to serve my parents and have never had any other thoughts."
Gu Liyue had only heard about things like a man having a large number of wives and concubines in operas. After she went to the Feng and Jiang families, she knew how terrifying the infighting in the inner courtyard was and how complicated the struggle between the legitimate and illegitimate children could be. When she returned to the Gu family, she was even more convinced that the peace and stability in the Gu family's inner courtyard were because there were no concubines.
But now, hearing Lu Yunxi talk about the Prince of Qingling, she thought it was quite a strange story.
Lu Yunxi continued, "My father knows very well about the difference between a wife and a concubine, but the Prince of Liang doesn't. He only thinks that women should depend on men. So what if the current princess is virtuous? Lu Jinchen and Lu Jinxuan were born less than half a year apart. The Prince of Liang didn't understand these things from the start. How could there be an illegitimate son before the legitimate son was born? He didn't respect the previous princess from the beginning."
Gu Liyue agreed whole - heartedly and nodded vigorously. "Actually, once a woman falls in love, she doesn't really want or need much. If the former princess was really a jealous person, she wouldn't have allowed the concubines to enter the mansion in the first place. How could she have started a fight after she was pregnant or even after the children were born? It's a pity that most men don't understand this truth."
Lu Yunxi put her arm around Gu Liyue's shoulder with a big smile. "So, Liyue, if my cousin takes a concubine in the future, will you allow it or not?"
Gu Liyue's face flushed instantly. She gave Lu Yunxi a reproachful look but said seriously, "If he falls in love with someone else, he can just tell me. I'll divorce him."
"Is it really necessary to divorce?"
Gu Liyue nodded. "Yes. This is the family tradition of the Gu family. The men in the Gu family are not allowed to take concubines. In other families, they might take concubines if they don't have many children, but not in the Gu family. A lifetime with only one beloved is the family motto of the Gu family. Since your cousin wants to be the son - in - law of the Gu family, he should naturally abide by it. If he can't, I'm willing to step down."
Lu Yunxi burst out laughing. "According to what you said, I think the Gu family suits me best. In the future, I'll marry into your Gu family, and I won't have to worry about my husband taking concubines for the rest of my life."