Chapter 162: I Will Enter the Palace

Chapter 162: I Will Enter the Palace

Gao Wenting did not give her another chance to refute him and went straight to find General Gao.

The study was lit up, and General Gao sat inside with a worried expression, weighing several plans in his mind.

The door was knocked on, and he jumped, thinking it might be someone sent from the palace. It turned out to be Gao Wenting.

He opened the door irritably but saw Gao Wenyan following behind.

"Come in."

Hastily closing the door, Gao Wenting said, "Father, you must not let Wenyan enter the palace."

General Gao was surprised. "How did you know?"

The Emperor had only spoken to him privately. How did his children find out?

But Gao Wenyan reassured him, "Only we know."

General Gao's heart eased. If too many people knew, it would be troublesome, leaving no room for negotiation.

The Emperor had not made this public to gauge the Gao family's stance.

This was an opportunity for them to show their loyalty.

The Emperor promised that if Gao Wenyan entered the palace, both he and Gao Wenxi could safely return to the border, and nothing would change.

But Gao Wenyan was his cherished daughter, the one among the siblings who yearned for freedom the most. How could he bear to clip her wings and confine her within those red walls for life?

He wiped his face, tiredly saying, "You don't need to worry about this. I will handle it."

"I will enter the palace."

As soon as she spoke, father and son exclaimed in unison, "No!"

Gao Wenyan found a chair and sat down, speaking lightly, "What can Father do? In the end, isn't it just resigning from office?"

"You..."

General Gao was speechless because he had indeed prepared to retire and return home.

But Gao Wenting flushed with anger, interjecting, "Why won't you listen to me? At least my plan is better than Father's."

Sacrificing only himself, rather than having the whole family leave the capital like General Gao proposed.

Thinking he had some brilliant idea, General Gao fell silent after hearing it.

Both were his flesh and blood; how could he choose?

Gao Wenting grew impatient, saying, "What are you hesitating about? I'll just stay in the capital. Isn't that better than Wenyan being trapped in the palace for life?"

If Gao Wenxi were here, he would surely support him.

"Besides, what happens in thirty years..."

"Shut up!"

General Gao shouted at him, fearing he would continue with such treasonous words.

But Gao Wenyan had made her decision. She suddenly patted Gao Wenting's shoulder, saying, "That's right."

"Who knows what the future holds? For now, Second Brother will have to bear the burden."

Seeing her finally agree, Gao Wenting was overjoyed.

"You've finally come to your senses!"

With that, General Gao had no choice but to agree.

After seeing them off, General Gao sighed, extinguished the light, and slowly walked back to the main room.

"Have you thought of a solution?"

Madam Gao, naturally, could not sleep either.

"Yes."

"Then why are you still so gloomy?"

General Gao sat on the bed, sighing, "I just suddenly feel that our children have grown up."

"That's true."

Running her fingers through the white hair hidden beneath his, Madam Gao said, "You're getting old."

General Gao paused.

"I wasn't talking about that."

He felt that his children no longer needed his protection. They had their own minds and could handle the big picture.

This filled him with both joy and a sense of loss.