After being reborn, I was won over by the heartfelt words of my loyal bodyguard.

Chapter 17: Attending Court

Gan Luo must have heard correctly. Even with her reputation, Zhao Wuji wouldn't be interested in her. Besides, she and Xin Ruyu had spent some time together, and she didn't realize he had such intentions.

"Yes, isn't that just wishful thinking?"

Gan Yanling appeared furious, unaware that Gan Luo had overheard every word of his thoughts and sighed at the lack of familial affection within the royal family, even though she had genuinely supported Gan Yanling.

"Xin Ruyu might just be joking. I'll be there when he reports to the court tomorrow morning to see what tricks he's up to."

Gan Yanling was relieved and bestowed many gifts upon Gan Luo, sending him off with great care.

Lin Fengmian and Yuan Zheng stood on either side of the ceremonial guard, like door gods.

"Princess, shall we arrange to meet with Prince Yu tonight?" Yuan Zheng thought that no matter what Xin Ruyu was going to do tomorrow, meeting him in advance would be a good precaution.

"No need." Coming to her door on her own initiative makes it seem like she's afraid of Xin Ruyu. Besides, it's not good for a man and a woman to meet so late at night. Although she's lost her reputation, she doesn't want to get involved with Xin Ruyu.

Lin Fengmian remained silent, his mind constantly processing the information about Xin Ruyu. Since Xin Ruyu went to his fiefdom, the news he sent back had become increasingly scarce, and some of it might not even be true. Therefore, the information that was truly valuable was still the information from before.

Gan Luo was thus forced to learn more about Xin Ruyu, and finally remarked that the Shadow Guard Camp had a pretty thorough understanding of Xin Ruyu, knowing everything except a few secrets.

Gan Luo's promotion of Lin Fengmian was obvious and alarmed the ministers, because Lin Fengmian was a secret guard and difficult to win over. His high martial arts skills meant that he could not be captured and used as a hostage, which meant that Gan Luo had no weakness.

Having no weaknesses means being difficult to control, which is a major taboo. It's not as good as when Zhao Wuji was causing trouble.

Xu Xiang has kept Xu Jinxin locked up at home for several days. Every time Xu Jinxin tries to escape, she is caught and starved, and she has lost a lot of weight.

"Dad, please, I'm going to get moldy if I stay at home any longer. Please let me out."

Xu Xiang was naturally reluctant, but although the rumors outside had subsided considerably, some still lingered: "Do you know what the Eldest Princess has been up to lately?"

When Gan Luo was mentioned, Xu Jinxin said with disdain: "How would I know what she's doing? She's just chasing after handsome men and has no sense of propriety."

"She's been spoiling a bodyguard named Lin Fengmian lately, taking him sightseeing all day long. He's living a very comfortable life, and he seems to be the second Zhao Wuji."

"Tch, Gan Luo's taste is getting worse and worse. He'll take in just anyone. I want to go out."

A young girl in her late teens always has a powerful charm, and in the end, Prime Minister Xu could not resist it: "Alright, in a couple of days, you can hold a poetry gathering, invite the Princess, and also invite some scholars."

"Why invite her and the students? It's a waste of her drinks."

Xu Xiang had no choice but to explain his plan in detail. Xu Jinxin finally stopped offering any opinions. On the contrary, she was already eager to see Gan Luo make a fool of himself.

The next day at court, the ministers arrived early because two important figures were there: Gan Luo and Xin Ruyu. These two were not going to arrive early; they arrived at the appointed time with remarkable speed and precision.

However, the seats were arranged one above the other. Gan Luo's seat was next to Gan Yanling, with a chair carved with a phoenix placed on it. There was no beaded curtain, and he sat on equal footing with Gan Yanling.

Xin Ruyu stood in front of Xu Xiang. Although he was a king of a different surname, he didn't even have a chair unless Gan Yanling specially granted one.