Chapter 30: The Peerless Son-in-law

Ziling knew how Dongling Marquis had angered the Emperor.

Ziling felt weak all over.

But since she was allowed to stay in the palace for self-reflection, it meant the issue wasn't significant.

She had saved the Emperor's life and pleaded for her father's release, so the Emperor would surely let him go.

Ming Wan felt slightly relieved.

However, the result was different. Qianqian comforted Gu Yunfeng, saying, "Brother-in-law, don't worry. The Emperor is generous and magnanimous. Marquis won't be in trouble."

Ziling's face turned black.

"You're comforting him instead of me?" Ziling knocked on Qianqian's head.

"Brother-in-law seems to be more worried about Marquis than you are, Miss," Qianqian said.

"..." Can this be possible?

It was her own father who was being punished, not Gu Yunfeng's father. Gu Yunfeng should be secretly delighted that her father was being punished; he would have a conscience if he didn't take pleasure in it.

Ziling tilted her head slightly.

She saw Gu Yunfeng's grim expression, raising his hand to support his forehead, looking exhausted.

This expression... it didn't seem like he was worried about her father, but more like he was worried about himself.

It was strange. Her father was the one who made the mistake, so why did the Emperor specifically call for Gu Yunfeng to enter the palace to save him?

Compared to Gu Yunfeng, she, his own daughter, seemed more like a spectator in the palace.

Seeing Ziling staring at him, Gu Yunfeng furrowed his brow slightly.

"Why are you staring at me?" he asked.

"Is there something happening that I don't know about?" Ziling was curious.

After a moment of silence, Gu Yunfeng said, "You can freely vent your anger on me now."

Ziling raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to vomit blood and faint?"

Gu Yunfeng didn't say anything, which was equivalent to agreeing.

Ziling said, "Take a deep breath, calm your heart, my father is still waiting for you to save him from the Emperor's hands. If you really want to faint, you can do it after we leave the palace."

Gu Yunfeng remained silent.

Did he still need to faint after leaving the palace?

He didn't want to see the Emperor.

He had a strong premonition.

This trip to the palace was like jumping into a fire pit.

He had revealed his intentions, and Ziling firmly did not blame him.

They walked in silence.

Straight to the study.

Then, Ziling was stopped outside the door.

The eunuch spoke in a gentle tone, "The Emperor is very angry. Wait until he finishes scolding Young Master before you go in."

Ziling "..."

Gu Yunfeng "..."

"Understood!"

Ziling readily agreed.

Gu Yunfeng "..."

As he bravely stepped into the study, Ziling wandered outside the door.

She noticed that the eunuch guarding the door treated her kindly, with a smiling and fawning manner. Ziling shamelessly eavesdropped outside the door.

Inside the study.

Gu Yunfeng maintained a respectful posture.

The Emperor didn't allow him to kneel down.

"I heard people on the street praising you as an exceptional husband. Is that true?" The Emperor's face tightened.

Gu Yunfeng remained silent.

He didn't want to answer that question at all.

But when the Emperor asked, he couldn't remain silent.

"That's a false praise, Your Majesty. I am unworthy of such compliments," he replied.

The Emperor laughed.

His laughter sent chills down Gu Yunfeng's spine.

Bang!

The Emperor slammed the table and said, "In my opinion, 'exceptional husband' is not enough to describe you. We should add another title, 'exceptional son-in-law!'"

Gu Yunfeng remained silent with a solemn expression.

Outside the study room, Ziling was stunned.

"Exceptional son-in-law?" she thought. "Isn't that too high of an evaluation?"

It doesn't match the reality.

But the Emperor wouldn't get angry for no reason. Could it be that Gu Yunfeng colluded with her father behind her back?

Ziling continued to eavesdrop.

Inside the study room, the eunuch advised the Emperor to calm down.

The Emperor's anger didn't subside. He threw the reflection memorial given by Dongling Marquis at Gu Yunfeng.

Following that, he scolded him, saying, "This memorial is written with beautiful prose, citing classics, and is truly impressive. But it's a hidden criticism that can drive people to their deaths. Did you write this memorial on behalf of Dongling Marquis?!"

A hidden criticism?

Gu Yunfeng frowned.

He opened the memorial and eight characters caught his eye.

"I am not at fault and have no need for self-reflection."

Gu Yunfeng remained silent.

He looked at the memorial.

Gu Yunfeng had nothing to say.

He did write this memorial, and Dongling Marquis didn't add or remove a single word.

But after Dongling Marquis copied it, the concealed phrase "I am not guilty" was rearranged into a hidden poem, and an additional sentence of "no need for self-reflection" was added.

It was a blatant provocation!

Gu Yunfeng massaged his temples.

Like father, like daughter.

Equally deserving of a beating.

Just when his eyes, which had started to ache, reminded him not to forget Zhou Qingyu.

Gu Yunfeng remained silent.

The Emperor seethed with anger.

Based on this attitude of self-reflection and the fact that he made a censor faint during the court session today, it was clear that he was unrepentant and becoming even more audacious.

The Emperor demanded to know who wrote this memorial on behalf of Dongling Marquis.

Dongling Marquis claimed he wrote it.

The Emperor ordered him to rewrite it in the side chamber. If he couldn't, he would be punished with twenty heavy beatings.

Dongling Marquis didn't beg for mercy and said something that almost got his head chopped off by the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, why don't you just give me twenty hard spankings and let me leave the palace early? I have an appointment to keep," said Dongling Marquis.

He was tough-skinned and twenty spankings would only be like scratching an itch to him.

Unless they beat him to death.

Otherwise, before others could even calm down, he would be back to his lively self.

Once the Emperor found out that the self-reflection memorial was written by Gu Yunfeng on behalf of Dongling Marquis, would he spare him?

He had never seen a eunuch and son-in-law like this!

Initially, when he granted the marriage, the Emperor hoped that Ziling would enter the Duke Zhen State's residence and remove her bandit-like qualities, becoming a dignified and graceful young lady. It was meant to guide Dongling Marquis—what a result!

Ziling hadn't changed much, but the young master of the Duke Zhen State's residence had gone astray!

It had only been a few days since their marriage, and already one person had fallen. What if one day the entire Duke Zhen State's residence turned into a den of bandits!

Taking a deep breath, the Emperor asked, "Did Dongling Marquis hold a knife to your neck and force you to write this?"

Gu Yunfeng "..."

"No."

The Emperor laughed in anger.

"You haven't even acted like a bandit, yet your self-reflection is so profound. It seems like you, as a filial son-in-law, are planning to inherit your eunuch's bandit business?!"

Gu Yunfeng "..."

"Why are you still standing here? Your good eunuch is waiting for you in the side hall. Write another self-reflection memorial with hidden meanings. If I'm not satisfied, both you and your eunuch will receive fifty spankings each!"

Gu Yunfeng "..."

His eunuch led him to the side hall.

Dongling Marquis sat there with a stern expression.

But Gu Yunfeng could tell at a glance that he was still in the first stage of self-reflection—pondering where he had gone wrong.

Why did he feel like spitting blood?

What made him want to spit blood even more was yet to come.

Dongling Marquis slapped the table, stood up, and said, "I've written the hidden meanings. It's up to you to finish it."

Gu Yunfeng frowned.

He looked at the table.

Hidden meaning at the beginning: "I deserve ten thousand deaths!"

Hidden meaning at the end: "I will definitely repent!"

Blank space in the middle.

Gu Yunfeng "...!!!"

Writing a hidden meaning poem was difficult enough, let alone having to hide the ending as well.

If his eunuch didn't help, it would have been fine, but he ended up making it even harder by specifying hidden meanings at both the beginning and the end. The difficulty had increased by at least tenfold. Did he want to infuriate him to death?

Did he think this was the most infuriating part?

It wasn't!

Dongling Marquis couldn't leave and wandered around in the main hall. He asked the eunuch, "Where is my daughter? Why hasn't she arrived yet?"

The eunuch replied, "The Emperor had the imperial kitchen prepare delicious food. The young mistress and the maidservants are currently having lunch."

Gu Yunfeng "...!!!"