In the TV series "Do You Know", the contradiction between the emperor and Gu Tingye was carefully set up, laying the groundwork for the subsequent palace coup and the emperor's eradication of dissidents. The amplification of this contradiction undoubtedly enhances the dramatic conflict of the plot. Relatively speaking, the original book is more delicate in laying out contradictions and conflicts, and there is no fierce battle like in the TV series.
In the original book, the emperor was quite satisfied with Gu Tingye, especially with his marriage. The emperor believed that the marriages of courtiers often had strong political overtones. Gu Tingye's choice of marriage - his brother-in-law marrying the only daughter of the British duke, Mrs. Zhang, and the queen's sister Xiao Shen marrying the Zheng family, are all to achieve political interests**.
The original marriage arrangement was that Zhang, the only daughter of the British duke, should marry into the Zheng family. However, after the new emperor ascended the throne, in order to better win over the British prince and the Zheng family, who were not involved in the battle for the throne, the marriages of the two families were skillfully swapped. Uncle Shen's sister married into the Zheng family, while Uncle Shen himself married the only daughter of the British duke. Through this marriage strategy, the emperor further consolidated his power.
In the TV series, the audience witnessed Uncle Shen's wife, Mrs. Zhang, being bullied by her concubine Xiao Zou. This left many viewers indignant. It is worth noting that although the sister-in-law of the Xiao Shen family, who married into the Zheng family, seems to be strong, she always defends her younger siblings in front of others. Relatively speaking, Xiao Shen's life is happy and happy. However, this happiness originally belonged to her sister-in-law, Mrs. Zhang.
Minglan once asked Gu Tingye why he didn't let Xiao Shen marry him. Gu Tingye explained that when the emperor first entered the capital, his foundation was still shallow, and Gu Tingye was already the emperor's person. If the Gu and Shen families marry, it will undoubtedly be a waste of resources for the emperor. It is more practical to win over the British Duke and the Zheng family.
Gu Tingye married the daughter of an ordinary civil official, which was exactly what the emperor wanted. Such a marriage arrangement ensured that Gu Tingye did not have the support of the strong Yue family, so he would not pose a threat to the emperor. When Gu Tingye marries the daughter of a middle-class civil official, the emperor may feel sorry for him, but at the same time, he will feel relieved. Such a marriage was in line with the emperor's interests, which made him less jealous of Gu Tingye.
Even for the Shen family, the emperor's brother-in-law, marrying the British Gongzhang family also made the emperor jealous. If the relationship between the Shen family and the Zhang family is too close, the emperor may not be happy. But if relations between the two families broke down, the emperor would consider the unity between the old and new courtiers. Such subtle relationships constitute the striking strife and twists and turns in the plot. Therefore, the marriage of these two families is like a double-edged sword, which makes people unable to really be happy.
From the perspective of marriage, the entanglement of rights and interests behind the two family affairs of the Shen family is too huge, which makes the emperor have to be afraid. As for Gu Tingye's move of marrying a four-rank civil official, the emperor was very satisfied. This move not only co-opted the civil power in the imperial court, but there was no need to worry too much about the threat posed by the Gu family.
At the end of the original work, Gu Tingye was sent to Shu to guard the frontier. After careful consideration, the emperor did not leave the hostages, and let the family go to the border with peace of mind. However, the eldest and second eldest of the Gu family still chose to stay in the capital and study with the princes when they grew up. Despite this, the emperor's suspicion of them was never completely dispelled. Perhaps, this is what people call "thunder, rain and dew are all Jun's grace"! Whether it is a gift or a punishment, it is a decision made by the monarch, and it is impossible to guess his true intentions.