Chapter 127

Guo Gaoyi was dumbfounded, trembling all over, clueless about what to do.

The old lady Guo panicked and shouted, “Xiuyun, you can’t do this! If he goes to see the emperor like this, Gaoyi will lose his life!”

Mrs. Guo also realized the severity of the situation. She crawled over to General Guo, collapsing on the ground and crying desperately.

“Husband, please find a way to save Gaoyi! Don’t be so heartless. He is our child!”

General Guo’s face was full of disappointment as he said mournfully, “When you committed such treachery, did you ever think about me as a son, a husband, and a father?”

“I fought on the battlefield for half my life, bringing glory to the Guo family, providing you with a life of luxury. How could you bear to stab me in the back like this?”

“Causing trouble during the Chunwei exams is a grave crime! The beheading of the Duke of Qingguo’s entire family is still fresh in my memory. If you still think about covering it up, once it’s reported to the emperor, the entire Guo family will be finished!”

Upon hearing this, the old lady Guo staggered, almost falling to the ground.

Guo Gaoyi reacted quickly, jumping off the couch to support the old lady Guo. He saw her face turn pale, murmuring softly:

“Why has it come to this? Why has it come to this! My good grandson, he just wanted to make his father proud!”

Mrs. Guo cried bitterly, full of regret and pain. She desperately grabbed General Guo’s clothes, pleading:

“Husband, please, at least save Gaoyi’s life! It’s my fault as his mother. I should have stopped him!”

“Husband, can you take me to see the emperor? It’s my fault as a mother. I’m willing to die for Gaoyi!”

General Guo paid no attention to his mother and wife, his gaze fixed on Guo Gaoyi throughout.

Seeing his grandmother and mother in such agony, Guo Gaoyi couldn’t help but shed tears.

He was the most useless of the three brothers, neither good at academics nor martial arts. At first, he just wanted his father to be proud of him.

It was too late now. No matter what he said, it was too late.

He couldn’t let the entire Guo family be ruined because of him.

“Father, I’m willing to go with you to plead guilty to the emperor. I’ll accept any punishment as long as it doesn’t implicate the Guo family. I have no complaints.”

As Guo Gaoyi spoke, the old lady Guo and Mrs. Guo were thunderstruck, unable to cry anymore, almost fainting on the ground.

General Guo pulled back his clothes from Mrs. Guo’s grasp and said coldly, “Come with me now!”

Guo Gaoyi put on his coat and respectfully kowtowed three times to his mother and grandmother, then resolutely stood up.

“Gaoyi!”

“My child!”

Mrs. Guo cried so much that she fainted, while the old lady Guo pounded her chest and burst into tears.

The door opened, and Guo’s young wife stood outside, holding their child, her face pale, obviously having heard everything.

The child, still unaware of the situation, reached out to his father, calling “Daddy” in his innocent voice, breaking everyone’s heart.

General Guo couldn’t bear to stay any longer and walked out resolutely.

Guo Gaoyi stood in front of his wife and daughter, unable to hold back his tears.

“Take good care of Sister Qiu. No, if… If I don’t come back, have Mother give you a divorce letter. Go back to your family, Mother will take good care of Sister Qiu.”

Mrs. Guo, with red eyes, suddenly raised her hand and slapped Guo Gaoyi hard.

“You useless person! I will resent you for the rest of my life!”

This was telling Guo Gaoyi that she would never leave the Guo family.

Guo Gaoyi felt a sharp pain in his heart, dared not look at his wife again, touched his daughter’s little face, and turned to leave the ward.

The child cried for his father’s embrace for a long time. Amidst the cries, there were also the soft sobs of a woman.

General Guo’s face was gloomy as he took Guo Gaoyi and rode his horse towards the palace.

Emperor Yong was still in the study, not dealing with any state affairs, just accustomed to sitting quietly there.

Suddenly, there was a very soft knock on the door outside, but Emperor Yong was not startled.

Huang Gonggong opened the door and swiftly went out, only to see a little eunuch reporting with a serious expression:

“Gonggong, General Guo urgently requests an audience with His Majesty.”

Huang Gonggong was slightly surprised; he had heard the Emperor discussing General Guo with Mr. Tan during the day.

“Wait here,” he instructed.

Huang Gonggong then entered the study.

“Your Majesty, General Guo requests an audience outside the palace,” he reported.

Emperor Yong looked up, somewhat surprised, and waved his hand, “Let him in.”

Just as Huang Gonggong was about to comply, Emperor Yong added, “Summon Tan Xiuzuan.”

Emperor Yong remembered that tonight was Tan Hanchi’s shift in the Hanlin Academy.

“Yes,” Huang Gonggong replied hurriedly before leaving.

When Tan Hanchi rushed from the Hanlin Academy, he happened to see General Guo leading his son into the study.

He was slightly surprised at first, then couldn’t help but feel admiration.

Just yesterday, Brother Qiao told him about General Guo’s son being involved in the cheating incident in the imperial examination. Today, General Guo brought his son to confess.

If there wasn’t Brother Qiao’s involvement, he wouldn’t believe it.

Since Brother Qiao had taken ninety-nine steps, he naturally wouldn’t disappoint him on the last step!

When Tan Hanchi entered the study under Huang Gonggong’s guidance, General Guo was confessing everything to Emperor Yong with a heavy heart.

Guo Gaoyi knelt aside, touching his forehead to the ground, never daring to lift his head.

Emperor Yong listened with a stern expression, his feelings inscrutable.

Seeing Tan Hanchi come in, Emperor Yong gestured for him to stand aside and listen.

After General Guo finished speaking, Emperor Yong asked calmly,

“General Guo, the incident of cheating in the imperial examination is already in the past, and the list left by Sheng Qishan is nowhere to be found. If you don’t speak of it today, no one will know.”

This was a test.

A test of General Guo’s true intentions, a test of the whereabouts of the list of cheating, and a test of whether General Guo still had the qualifications to take over the military power in the southern border.

One wrong move, and General Guo could lose everything!

General Guo had already figured it out on the way.

In front of Emperor Yong, he couldn’t tell the whole truth, nor could he tell outright lies. Eight parts truth, two parts falsehood would be the best strategy.

So, he recounted the incident where Guo Gaoyi was almost harmed and how the two timely intervening guards turned out to be from the Guo family.

“Your Majesty, I am filled with trepidation. Someone is already targeting my son. It takes deep scheming to plot against the appointment of the Biaoqi General. Hence, I sternly questioned him about his conduct and whether he had committed any other wrongdoings.”

“My son, timid and dull-witted, couldn’t withstand my questioning and revealed the truth about the cheating incident in the imperial examination. It truly chilled me to the bone!”

“Your Majesty, I am loyal to you, and heaven and earth can bear witness to that. My son has indeed committed an unforgivable mistake, and I am ashamed of your trust in me.”

“I dare not indulge him, nor can I cover up for him. Otherwise, leaving behind evidence, he could be exploited by malicious individuals in the future, which would further betray your Majesty’s favor.”

“Therefore, I boldly sought an audience tonight, to ask for your Majesty’s punishment, to eliminate all hidden dangers, and to prove my unwavering loyalty!”