C12 You Have a Lot of Tricks!

Gu Zhuohua, sensing the conversation had reached its peak, decided not to continue. With a sorrowful tone, she said, "I know I've committed grave wrongs. I've already confessed to my father and promised to stay by his side for life, never marrying. If some people still won't let this go, then I have no choice but to atone with my life. I only regret causing my father and brothers such heartache. I hope when the news reaches the front lines, my brothers will understand my predicament." As she spoke, she wiped away a few tears.

"Hua!" Gu Beiting was shocked.

The crowd, however, was more concerned about the mention of the front lines, the nation's first line of defense. The Gu family cherished their sister dearly. If anything happened to Gu Zhuohua, and the Gu brothers got upset, who would defend the border then?

Quickly, the crowd shifted their tone: "Miss Gu, don't do anything rash. You're the Prime Minister's only daughter. Don't cause him more grief."

"Exactly, the Prime Minister is a good man."

"Yes, yes, we were misled. After all, it takes two to tango."

The crowd buzzed with chatter, and after a moment, someone took charge and said, "Alright, everyone, let's disperse. Miss Gu has it tough."

"Let's go, let's go."

Yet, some remained unconvinced: "Hey, we can't just be swayed like this. Unwed pregnancy has always been punished..."

As the crowd thinned, about twenty people lingered, clearly Duke Lin's supporters.

Gu Beiting's eyes flashed with a sharp glare, his voice cold: "The area twenty feet outside the Gu family gate is Gu territory. If anyone gathers to cause trouble again, arrest them and take them to court. Let Judge Qin handle it."

The Gu family's guards immediately stepped forward, and the remaining people at the gate scattered in all directions.

Xiaoxi came up from behind to support Zhuohua. "Miss, I was really scared to death just now."

Fortunately, the Prime Minister's family's prestige still held strong.

Zhuohua smiled faintly, having already predicted that those people wouldn't dare to do anything. After all, the family's century-old foundation was still intact; she had merely found a loophole.

However, Beiting, standing nearby, still looked grim.

"Hua, that was foolish! How could you say you'd never marry?" Beiting's face was stern. Though the three brothers had joked about such things in private before, making a public promise was different.

Zhuohua pursed her lips, thinking that concern often leads to confusion, and even her talented brother had fallen into that trap.

"Second Brother, think about it. If I hadn't said that, Duke Lin might have gone straight to the palace, demanding to marry me. Wouldn't that be like jumping into a fire pit? I just wanted to put an end to his thoughts, so he wouldn't go to extremes to retaliate against us."

Beiting was taken aback by Zhuohua's thorough consideration, which surprised him.

"With Father and us brothers protecting you, what can Duke Lin do?" Beiting looked at her with affection.

He wondered if his lack of an official position made his little sister cautious. When their older and younger brothers were around, she wasn't so thoughtful.

"Hua has grown up, of course. I need to share the worries of Father and my brothers. I'm not a little girl of eleven or twelve anymore," Zhuohua said with a pout, a hint of playful defiance in her voice.

It was a stark contrast to her earlier fierce debate with the crowd.

Beiting rubbed his nose. It was good that his little sister had grown up, but she wasn't as adorable as she used to be. When she was younger, she would hide under her brothers' wings no matter what happened. Now, she was learning to fly on her own.

Thinking of how Zhuohua had stood up for herself just now, Beiting felt a pang of both heartache and pride.

The people outside were easy to dismiss, but those inside were not so simple to deal with.

The brother and sister stood at the closed study door, exchanging worried glances.

"Second Brother, I don't think Dad will forgive me," Zhuohua said, her voice filled with sadness.

Beiting sighed. Zhuohua had been the apple of the family's eye since she was little, growing up to be a graceful young woman. Yet, in a moment of carelessness, she had been taken advantage of, and the one responsible refused to own up to it. Even Beiting found it hard to let go, let alone their father.

"Dad's just worried about you. Give it some time, and he'll come around."

Zhuohua knew this issue wouldn't be resolved anytime soon. However, there was another matter that was even more uncertain.

Suddenly, she lifted her head, her expression full of innocent hope. "Second Brother, if Dad knew I planned to stay single and take care of him for the rest of my life, do you think he might stop being mad?"