Resignation

After sitting with the two women for a while, Gao Yuan finally stood up.

"The Gao Family has reached a critical moment of survival. If you two sisters-in-law do not wish to perish with us, I can issue letters of divorce on behalf of my two elder brothers."

Zheng Wan looked up, her large, tearful eyes revealing a hint of determination.

"Since I married into the Gao Family, I am a member of the Gao Family in life and will be a ghost of the Gao Family in death."

Song Yao also looked at Gao Yuan with a firm gaze.

"Me too."

"Alas... why bother? In the current situation, the Emperor will continue to suppress the Gao Family. I'm afraid that next..."

"Even if I have to eat chaff and vegetables, I will never leave."

Looking at the woman before him, a sense of admiration couldn't help but arise in Gao Yuan's heart.

Having made up his mind, Gao Yuan sat back down.

"In that case, I won't hide it from you two sisters-in-law. I plan to resign from office and live in seclusion."

Hearing Gao Yuan's decision, the two women were greatly shocked.

"Resign and live in seclusion? Why?"

"I've thought about it. Since the Emperor wants us to step back, we might as well retreat completely. This way, the Emperor will have no pretext and won't make things difficult for us anymore;"

"Otherwise, if we continue to stay in this treacherous Luoyang, I'm afraid we'll be devoured until nothing is left sooner or later."

"Is... is this really necessary?"

Regarding Gao Yuan's speculation, the two women were actually still a bit reluctant to believe it.

But it was no wonder; after all, they still held a certain status, and the influence of the Gao Family's father and sons in the army remained.

However, over the next few days, a series of Crown Prince edicts were issued, forcing both women to believe it.

Among the Sixteen Guards of the Capital, two Great Generals of the Gao Family lineage were transferred to Yangzhou and Luzhou to serve as Area Commanders.

Although their rank remained unchanged, a Great General of the Sixteen Guards commanded tens of thousands of elite troops.

Whereas an Area Commander in stable prefectures like Yangzhou or Luzhou had only one or two Zhechong Garrisons and a few thousand local militia under them.

Their power and influence were simply incomparable.

All of a sudden, throughout the court and the commonality, anyone with eyes could see that the Emperor intended to weaken the Gao Family.

The Grand Generals Residence, once bustling with visitors, could now be described as deserted.

Seeing this, many who originally belonged to the Gao Family's faction immediately began to have other thoughts.

Now, several princes began to be active, with various banquets cropping up one after another.

It was truly a case of the Gao Family falling so that everyone else could feast.

On the fifth day of the fourth month in the tenth year of Taichu, the Emperor's second move finally arrived.

Early in the morning, palace guards arrived carrying a plaque, saying they were there to replace the Gao Family's plaque.

A plaque inscribed with "marquis of loyalty and valors Residence" in the Crown Prince's own handwriting replaced the golden "Grand Generals Residence" plaque.

Logically, since Gao Wu had passed away, it was indeed inappropriate to keep the Grand Generals Residence plaque hanging.

However, for the Emperor to do this before even returning to the capital was a bit too impatient.

This caused many to sigh in lament, though of course, there were even more who kicked them while they were down or mocked them.

Yet the usually incredibly powerful Grand Generals Residence—no, it was now the marquis of loyalty and valors Residence—remained silent, with only the white cloth on the plaque at the entrance telling of the change.

Inside the manor, the spirit tablets of the three Gao Family men had been set up, and three empty coffins were placed in the center of the mourning hall, yet not a single mourner came.

The twelve halberd-bearing guards at the gate wanted to leave? They could leave as they pleased. Gao Yuan even smilingly accepted the beauties bestowed by the Crown Prince.

This caused many who still held hope for the Gao Family to shake their heads and sigh, eventually switching their allegiances.

In the days that followed, the Gao Family finally enjoyed a period of peace.

Until the twenty-fifth day of the fourth month, when the army returned in triumph and the Great Qian Emperor, Emperor, returned to the imperial capital, Luoyang.

That day, Luoyang was decorated everywhere with lanterns and streamers; yellow sand cushioned the roads and pure water was sprinkled on the ground to celebrate the army's triumphant return.

As for the over one hundred thousand casualties among the soldiers, they had become cold numbers in the merit books and history records.

In another year or two, or even just a month or two, no one but their families would care at all.

It must be said that Emperor was a total workaholic; he rested for only one day after returning and held a Grand Court Assembly on the twenty-seventh day of the fourth month.

The opportunity Gao Yuan had long been waiting for had finally arrived.

A Grand Court Assembly meant that all officials in the capital had to attend; as a marquis of loyalty and valor of the junior third rank, Gao Yuan was qualified to enter the great hall.

Before dawn, Gao Yuan was woken up and, served by maids, dizzily dressed and washed.

He didn't dare eat anything; although one was allowed to use the latrine during the assembly, it was ultimately unseemly.

So, after drinking a bowl of ginseng soup, he went to court on an empty stomach.

Getting into his new carriage, Gao Yuan seized the time to close his eyes and sleep a bit more.

Previously, the Gao Family men always traveled on horseback; only Gao Yuan and the female family members used carriages.

However, he had been a commoner before, and the carriages he used were small and simple.

Now, although he was a marquis in name only, he was still a marquis.

Thus, immediately after the title was conferred, Gao Fu went to order a new carriage that met the regulations.

Compared to the previous small carriage, this new one was larger and more grand; lined with soft fur, it was quite comfortable to lie in.

The carriage soon reached the palace gates. Since he was preparing to leave soon anyway, Gao Yuan didn't bother to get out and socialize with other officials, content to catch up on his sleep.

As time reached the end of the Mao hour, the palace gates were about to open, and Gao Fu finally woke Gao Yuan.

The civil and military officials attending the court stood in two rows according to their rank, waiting for the gates to open.

At the Chen hour, with a dull thud, the palace gates slowly opened, and the officials were searched one by one before entering the palace.

Attending court at this time wasn't as inhumane as in later dynasties; everyone had a cushion to sit on.

However, Gao Yuan wasn't very used to sitting upright and formally. He moved his cushion, found a pillar to hide behind, and switched to sitting cross-legged.

Once all the officials had arrived, after a while, with a loud cry from Chief Eunuch Chief Eunuch, Emperor, wearing a black dragon robe and a ceremonial crown, ascended the imperial dais.

The subsequent process mainly consisted of the Emperor showing off his military achievements, supplemented by the officials' flattery.

Gao Yuan struggled to stay awake, but he basically didn't take in a single word.

Finally, near the end, seeing that the Grand Court Assembly was about to conclude, Gao Yuan finally caught an opening, scrambled up, and shouted—

"Your servant Gao Yuan has a petition to present."

Everyone in the hall was startled by Gao Yuan's shout. After a moment of silence, people began to whisper and discuss among themselves.

"What does the third son of the Gao Family want to do?"

"He wouldn't be trying to cry injustice, would he? Although the suppression of his family was a Crown Prince edict, who doesn't know it was the Emperor's intent?"

"Who knows? Maybe he's lost his mind."

"Who cares? A piece of trash can do whatever he wants."

Only some noble families and ministers friendly with the Gao Family looked anxious.

Before anyone could react, Chief Eunuch, at the Emperor's signal, called out—

"Petition granted!"

Gao Yuan didn't know much about fancy rhetoric. He came to the center of the hall, knelt, and performed a deep bow.

"Your Majesty, your servant Gao Yuan requests to retire from office."

Instantly, the entire hall erupted. Even the Emperor, who had been wearing a cold sneer and preparing to lash out, was stunned.

"Your Majesty..."

Seeing that the Emperor had no reaction for a long time, Chief Eunuch softly reminded him.

Emperor then snapped out of it.

"Beloved Minister Gao is only fifteen years old this year. How can you speak of retiring due to old age?"

Gao Yuan was determined to leave.

"Your servant has been weak and sickly since childhood. Now, having encountered such great upheavals at home, grief has turned into illness. I fear my days are numbered;"

"My widowed sisters-in-law at home miss the departed whenever they see their things, washing their faces with tears daily. Therefore, your servant hopes to take my family and leave the capital to observe the mourning period."

Emperor feigned an expression of great regret.

"I didn't expect this. I had even thought about placing you in the army for training in a year or two, so as to entrust you with heavy responsibilities."

Seeing his posturing, Gao Yuan sneered in his heart. He pulled a wooden box from his robes and offered it with both hands.

"This is the black iron token bestowed by the late Emperor. Now that your servant has decided to resign, I return it to Your Majesty."