Servant Yamen brought out all the members of the Gu clan who were imprisoned in various cells. Meanwhile, Gu Xingno (星星诺) and Gu Xinyan (星星言) helped carry their third brother out of his own prison cell.
"You didn't touch Qingyu?" Gu Xinyan asked as he looked back at the bitterly sobbing girl tagging along behind them.
Gu Xinglan shook his head.
"Are you completely stupid? We spent so much effort to send it to you!
— Oh, Second! Gu Xingno shook his head at Gu Xinyan to stop him from saying anything else.
Gu Xinglan only lowered his eyes and whispered in response:
There are also my older brothers. The Gu Clan doesn't need me to leave an heir.
Gu Xinyan's eyes turned red as he croaked out:
- Don't talk nonsense. We haven't even heard the imperial decree yet. How do you know what it's about?
Gu Xinglan remained silent. Since he's going to die anyway, it's best if he doesn't drag his family along with him. By this time, Old Madame was already kneeling beside Supreme Commander Gu. As soon as she saw her three grandchildren, she burst into tears and exclaimed:
— Sinlan?
Jing Zhong smiled and said:
"Old Mistress, don't worry just yet. Let me first complete the pronouncement of His Majesty's decree.
The old Madame lifted her head to look at the head eunuch, and fear froze on her face.
"Everyone, kneel down to accept this decree," Old Supreme Commander Gu said in a heavy tone.
Gu Xinglan's older brothers carefully helped him down to the floor. Jing Zhong unfolded the decree and cleared his throat before reading its contents. After listening to him to the end, the Gu clan began to wonder if Xianzong was joking with them. The imperial clan had only one princess, and she was born from the empress herself. She is not yet 14 years old this year, but now they are marrying her to Gu Xinglan, a cripple? This decree was more like a joke!
As soon as Jing Zhong finished reading, he walked over to Gu Xinglang and took his hand to place a decree on it.
"Third Young Master Gu, the marriage between you and the Senior Princess was arranged by order of the Old Empress Dowager. His Majesty's words are worth thousands of gold coins, so he will never go back on his promise.
Gu Xinglan's head turned sharply towards Jing Zhong as his handsome face contorted in indignation. Gu Xingno and Gu Xinyan used all their strength to restrain their little brother. If he fights here with the chief eunuch, what will become of his family?
"Today, you can all leave the prisons," Jing Zhong said, confident that Gu Xinglan would not have the courage to fight him. Even if he did, his crippled legs would make it impossible. The young man who stepped onto the battlefield at the age of 15 and became a young general by right was now powerless. Without wasting another word, he straightened his sleeves and went out with his retinue.
The Gu Clan men were still kneeling on the ground, still stunned by these revelations. Meanwhile, Supreme Commander Gu Chen (顾辰) was approached by a judicial officer and looked at him coldly.
"Old Gu, take your children and leave. Are you waiting for this official to escort you?
The Gu clan spent about two months in prison awaiting their verdict. They never thought that the officer would go after them instead. When the family stopped in front of the entrance, they exchanged glances, unable to utter a word. When the whole family came out of the prisons, the Gu clan guards who were watching them had to double check to see if their masters were really free. In the next second, they were already rushing forward to kneel at the feet of Supreme Commander Gu. One of the guards whimpered.
"Supreme Commander, y-have you regained your freedom?"
Supreme Commander Gu was still flying in the clouds, but he looked at his family standing on either side of him, then at the guards at his feet, and said:
Have you regained your freedom?
The entire Gu Clan was still at a loss.
Gu Xingno asked:
"So, Sinlan is getting married?"
Now all the guards were confused too.
Meanwhile, Ying Nianyong and the others hurried from the entrance to offer their congratulations.
Gu Chen asked:
"Ying, old brother, am I sleeping?"
Ying Nianyong remembered the scene in the prison. From his point of view, the only reason Emperor Xianzong arranged this marriage in a fit of rage was because Princess Linglong had persuaded him to do it. So he explained:
"It's rare to have someone like a princess around. In order to save you, old brother, Xinglan and the others, Her Royal Highness personally asked His Majesty for mercy.
"Exactly," another official cut in, "I'm afraid that Xinglan would be in danger if Her Royal Highness didn't talk about marriage first."
Hearing this, the Gu clan was speechless. Their hearts filled with gratitude, but they didn't know what to say.
Gu Xinyan suddenly exclaimed:
"My God, thank God, Xinglan didn't do anything to Qinyu. How then would we be worthy of Her Royal Highness?
Old Madame felt fear when she remembered her preparations. If Qinyu had given birth to a child before the princess after her marriage, wouldn't that be a slap in the face for the princess?
Qingyu stood at the very back of the crowd, still dressed in her prisoner's clothes. She only felt insulted in her heart.