Jiang Shangheng nodded: “Qingqing, I have made great contributions to the Yuan Dynasty, yet the Emperor treats me like this, which truly breaks my heart. My father and stepmother do not want me to return.”
They said the marquis’s family fortune has run out, and with Princess Zhuang Qiang insisting on sheltering the Rui Prince’s two sons, trouble was inevitable. I just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly…”
“Shangheng, let’s return to the capital,” Gu Qingtong firmly grasped his hand.
Jiang Shangheng stared at Gu Qingtong for a long time: “Qingqing, I am going back, but with Shen Yuqing around, I don’t want you to risk going to the capital. Since my father has prepared an escape route for us, you should go to Gong Yue first. Once I resolve the matters of the marquis’s mansion, I will come find you.”
“Shangheng, the Emperor and Empress Dowager are so resolute that they no longer care about your feelings. But the Empress Dowager owes me, and perhaps she might spare the marquis and stepmother for my sake.” In truth, even Gu Qingtong herself had no confidence in these words. Previously in Nandu, when Shen Yuqing had her under house arrest, the Empress Dowager and Emperor’s attitude was already quite clear.
Jiang Shangheng knew this too and mercilessly exposed the truth: “Qingqing, the Empress Dowager might owe you, but the Emperor is her biological son. Because of her hatred for the previous Emperor, she will certainly hold onto her power tightly. Shen Yuqing and Ruan Niang were once her tools and cannot be easily discarded.”
My father anticipated this long ago and prepared the household registration early to prevent us from suffering. I am a son of the Jiang family and cannot abandon it even if my father instructs me to. But you are different. Moreover, if you go back, you’ll only distract me. It’s better to wait for me in Gong Yue.”
Gu Qingtong understood all the reasoning, but her heart was still heavy, and she could only remain silent.
