Upon hearing these words, Gu Chusheng was briefly stunned, but he quickly regained his composure.
He wasn’t surprised that Zhao Yue would target Wei Yun’s loved ones. Given his vicious and narrow-minded nature, he wouldn’t engage in a confrontation with Wei Yun on the battlefield.
Wei Yun was an upright gentleman, while Zhao Yue was truly a petty man. Therefore, Wei Yun and Chu Yu could never anticipate what Zhao Yue might do, but Gu Chusheng could foresee it.
Gu Chusheng remained silent for a moment before he couldn’t help but ask, “You can give anything?”
“Yes.”
“What if I ask you to let her go and separate from her?”
“I can do that.”
“What if I want you to never enter Hua Jing in the future, and for you to be my support in the outer court while I’m in the inner court?”
“As long as you don’t do evil, then I can do that.”
“What if I want you to spare Yao Yong and Zhao Yue, and not seek revenge for your family?”
Wei Yun trembled slightly, but he clenched his fists and gritted out, “That’s acceptable.”
Gu Chusheng silently looked at him. Wei Yun spoke hoarsely, “I know you must still have people in Hua Jing. If I were to enter the city directly now, Zhao Yue would likely make his move. I’m asking you to return to Hua Jing and, together with the Princess, protect her. I’ll launch a frontal attack to enter the city. Once I’m in Hua Jing, everything will be over.”
“Then why don’t you negotiate directly with Zhao Yue? Give him whatever he wants, wouldn’t that work?”
“I still have so many people under me, and there are so many people in this world,” Wei Yun replied without hesitation. “I can give up everything of my own, but if I exchange other people’s lives and futures for A’Yu, I fear she would look down on me for the rest of her life, and I would look down on myself too.”
“Then why are you negotiating with me?”
Gu Chusheng stared at him. Wei Yun looked up, “The fact that you’re standing in Quan Yong right now makes me willing to talk to you.”
A Grand Secretary who would travel thousands of miles to personally provide disaster relief couldn’t be that bad, no matter what.
Gu Chusheng scrutinized Wei Yun, who calmly returned his gaze. After a long while, Gu Chusheng looked up at the dawn sky, blinking his moist eyes, “Fine, how could I not act when she’s in trouble? I’ll go back.”
“Here’s a list,” Wei Yun took a list and a jade pendant from his sleeve, “These are my informants in the capital. You can mobilize them if necessary.”
Gu Chusheng glanced at the list and nodded, then said, “I’ll go prepare now.”
Wei Yun agreed. Before Gu Chusheng turned to leave, he finally said, “There’s one more thing.”
Gu Chusheng turned back with a questioning “Hmm?” Wei Yun looked up, his eyes full of restrained emotion, “The child in her womb…”
“She’s pregnant?!” Gu Chusheng’s voice suddenly rose. Wei Yun didn’t dare look at him, his gaze falling on the weeds at his feet as he finished speaking, “If she’s willing to give birth to it, regardless of whether it’s a boy or girl, it will be the heir to my princedom in the future…”
Gu Chusheng’s expression turned extremely unpleasant. Wei Yun took a deep breath, stepped back, and bowed respectfully, “Lord Gu, I entrust my wife and child to you!”
“This is…” Gu Chusheng was at a loss for words. Looking at Wei Yun bowing respectfully, he finally flung his sleeve in anger, “Even if it’s born, it might not bear your surname. Don’t think too much about it. Now that we’ve come to this point, I’ll go back and proceed according to the original plan. Within a month, when Zhao Yue’s poison takes effect, the Princess and I will govern together. By then, we’ll have control over Zhao Yue and issue a pardon to the world. You can then lead your troops directly to Kun Zhou and replace all the people in Hua Jing with your own and those of Chu Lingyang and Song Shilan.”
“All right.”
With this agreement, Gu Chusheng didn’t delay. He immediately packed his things and, escorted by Wei Yun’s men, set off towards Hua Jing.
Chu Yu had arrived in Hua Jing four days before Gu Chusheng. She had been drugged throughout the journey and slept heavily. When she finally woke up completely, she found herself in a small, pitch-black room.
The room had no light at all, and she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face. Chu Yu called out, “Is anyone there?”
An echo came back; the room wasn’t very large. Chu Yu groped around randomly until she finally touched a wall. She untied a handkerchief from her body and dropped it on the ground, then used her body to measure along the wall. After going around once, she roughly guessed the size of the room.
Then she sat down, hugging herself in the darkness.
Keeping a person in darkness, without talking or doing anything, is fine at first. However, it wasn’t long before Chu Yu started to feel restless. She felt a ringing in her ears as if there was a sharp sound of a cat scratching something. She began to have a headache and couldn’t help but stand up and call out, “Is anyone there?! Is there anyone?!”
She kept calling out, and after a long while, she finally heard footsteps coming from one direction. She turned her head sharply, and a moment later, she heard a “click” sound. The entire room was suddenly opened, and light pierced her eyes. She couldn’t help but cover her face with her hands. Then the lights came on, and she heard people entering successively. When she finally recovered and slowly lowered her hands, she saw Zhao Yue sitting in front of her.
He was wearing a bright yellow robe, sitting in a chair with his chin propped up. His handsome face bore a half-smile, his gaze falling on her, yet seemingly without focus.
“Miss Chu,” he spoke softly, “We meet again.”
Chu Yu didn’t speak, just silently looking at him. Zhao Yue gave a low laugh, “Oh, no, I shouldn’t call you Miss Chu. What should I call you? The Crown Prince’s wife?” He raised his hand and tapped his head, then put on an expression of sudden realization, “I understand now. A woman carrying the Prince of Ping’s child should be called the Princess of Ping, right? But I wonder, which number wife are you to the Prince of Ping? Even if you’re the first wife, who knows when the Prince of Ping will have a proper Princess Consort?”
“What’s the point of saying all this?” Chu Yu spoke coldly.
Zhao Yue sighed, “Wei Yun is giving me trouble, can’t I return the favor to you?”
“It’s a pity,” Zhao Yue leaned back in his chair, tapping his chin, “The Princess has old ties with my wife, and you’re pregnant. I can’t be too harsh.”
“Your Majesty cares deeply for the Princess,” Chu Yu said mockingly, “Why not send me back for her sake?”
“She wouldn’t agree,” Zhao Yue smiled, his eyes full of tenderness, “She’s my wife. Even if she’s soft-hearted and doesn’t want me to torment you, she would never help you. I’m her husband, the father of her child. Just as you would dare to defy the world for Wei Yun, so would she for me.”
Chu Yu didn’t speak. She instinctively felt that Zhao Yue’s current state was a bit strange, so after a moment of silence, she inquired, “How is the Princess doing?”
Zhao Yue was taken aback. His reaction seemed a bit slow. After a moment, he finally realized what she was asking and nodded, “She’s well.”
“The child is almost five months along now.”
Zhao Yue smiled, “I’ve heard the fetal movement. I think this one must be the Crown Prince.”
Chu Yu remained silent. Zhao Yue seemed to be tired. He stood up and said, “I’m weary. Madam, if you’re in the mood, you can write a letter to Wei Yun. If he’s willing to withdraw his troops for your sake and hand over his army to me, coming to Hua Jing alone, I’ll ensure your safety. If he doesn’t listen,” Zhao Yue turned his head, revealing a gentle smile, “I don’t mind sending you back to him piece by piece. Oh, and your child too.”
His gaze fell on Chu Yu’s belly. That gaze was somewhat unfocused as if he couldn’t see clearly. There was no warmth in it, but it was like a blade, carrying a chilling bloodthirst.
“I’ll cut your child out and hand it over to him. That way, your family of three can be reunited.”
“Your Majesty,” Chu Yu smiled, “I’m truly frightened.”
“If you’re really scared,” Zhao Yue looked up towards Chu Yu’s direction, “Then write a letter back!”
“All right,” Chu Yu nodded, “Leave the brush and ink. I’ll think about how to write it.”
“Leave them for her,” Zhao Yue waved his sleeve and turned to leave. The attendant left the writing materials for Chu Yu and was about to leave when Chu Yu tapped the inkstone with her brush, “And bring me a plate of spicy and sour chicken feet. I can’t write without something to eat.”
“You…!” The attendant turned back, glaring at Chu Yu. Chu Yu immediately met his gaze, pointing her brush at him, “Let me warn you, I’m a pregnant woman. If you scare me into a miscarriage scare me to death, or cause any mishap, your Emperor won’t have any leverage to trouble Wei Yun anymore. Then your Emperor will kill you!”
This was indeed true, so the attendant, holding his sword, was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to strike or not. After a moment of standoff, he finally let out an angry shout and turned to leave. Chu Yu lowered her head to grind the ink, raising her voice, “Don’t forget the chicken feet! If you don’t give them to me, I’ll keep bothering you until you’re driven crazy!”
Chu Yu had been confined in the room for four days when Gu Chusheng arrived in Hua Jing.
The news of his arrival in Hua Jing reached Zhao Yue’s ears while Zhang Hui was reading memorials to him. He could hardly see anything now, but he couldn’t let anyone know about this, so he had to rely on Zhang Hui to read all the memorials to him. The imperial physicians had come to examine him one after another, but none could find the cause. Zhao Yue had already instructed Zhang Hui to arrange for Yu Linlang, a renowned folk doctor, to come to the palace for a consultation.
When he heard the news of Gu Chusheng’s return, he laughed coldly, “He dares to come back!”
“Not only has he returned,” Zhang Hui said in a low voice, “but his reputation is also very high. I heard that when the common people learned of his entry into the city, they spontaneously went to welcome him.”
Zhao Yue snorted coldly, not wanting to dwell on this news. After a moment, he turned his head and asked, “How is Consort Mei doing?”
“Everything is fine,” Zhang Hui said softly, “She’s been making small clothes for the prince lately, and yesterday she asked about Your Majesty’s news.”
Hearing this, warmth appeared in Zhao Yue’s eyes. He then asked, “Has the underground passage in the palace been dug through?”
“It has,” Zhang Hui lowered his voice, “If anything goes wrong, this servant will escort Consort Mei and the little prince safely out of the city.”
Hearing this, Zhao Yue nodded in agreement.
Seeing that Zhao Yue didn’t speak, Zhang Hui hesitated for a moment before asking cautiously, “Would you like to go see Her Highness today?”
Zhao Yue remained silent for a long while before finally saying, “I’ll go over after she falls asleep. If I see her during the day, she’s so clever she might notice something amiss. It would only make her worry unnecessarily, which isn’t good for her or the child.”
Zhang Hui acknowledged this and went to make arrangements. After Zhang Hui left, Zhao Yue tried to flex his fingers.
He didn’t dare tell Zhang Hui that he seemed to have lost the ability to move several of his fingers.
Zhao Yue rested for a while, and soon news came that Gu Chusheng was seeking an audience. He had Zhang Hui draw the curtains and sat behind them, waiting for Gu Chusheng to enter.
Gu Chusheng walked into the great hall, knelt to pay respects to Zhao Yue, and calmly said, “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
“Lord Gu, you are quite bold,” Zhao Yue said with a smile, “You stole Lord Yao’s supplies to aid the disaster victims, lost Yuan City, and now you dare to return to Hua Jing?”
“I have done no wrong, so why should I not dare to return?” Gu Chusheng, kneeling on the ground, answered frankly.
Zhao Yue suddenly slammed his hand on the armrest and shouted angrily, “You still have the face to say you’ve done no wrong?! If you’ve done no wrong, how was Yuan City lost? Why did you steal Yao Yong’s supplies? Why did you disregard the imperial edict and stay in Qing Zhou for so long?!”
“Your Majesty,” Gu Chusheng looked up at him, “You are the emperor. When people face disaster, should they not be saved? If they should be saved, then in peacetime, I used military supplies to save people. Though it may be a small fault, it does not violate any major principles. What wrong is there to speak of? Yuan City was abandoned by the soldiers, not by your humble servant. I, a mere civil official, stayed in the city for the people, was captured by the enemy army, and fortunately did not die. How can this be considered wrong? Your Majesty, if I have any fault, the only fault is that in Your Majesty’s heart, I am wrong.”
Zhao Yue said nothing. He stared at Gu Chusheng through the curtain.
He couldn’t see clearly, but he felt with absolute clarity that the other man was like a fierce tiger, just behind the curtain, staring at him intently.
The silence between the two men seemed like a soundless game of chess, waiting to see who would lose first.
Zhao Yue desperately wanted to call for someone to arrest Gu Chusheng at this moment, but Gu Chusheng’s influence in the capital was deeply rooted. He feared that if he called for someone now, most of those who came might be Gu Chusheng’s people. Without knowing Gu Chusheng’s full hand, he dared not rashly start a conflict. The two of them were like each holding a knife to the other’s throat, neither daring to make a move, only able to remain in this deadlock.
After a long while, Zhao Yue let out a heavy breath. He chuckled lightly, “Lord Gu is right. It’s just that I’ve been in a bad mood lately and misdirected my anger at you. However, I’ve always considered you a brother in my heart, and I have a gift I want to give you. I hope that after receiving this gift, you’ll understand your brother’s intentions and wholeheartedly assist me in the future, rather than becoming an accomplice to villains.”
Hearing this, Gu Chusheng was somewhat puzzled, “The gift Your Majesty speaks of is…”
“Chu Yu.”
Zhao Yue leaned forward slightly. Gu Chusheng’s expression tightened. He clenched his fists, controlling his expression, but still managed to smile, “What does Your Majesty mean?”
“Chu Yu is currently a guest here, and oh, she’s carrying Wei Yun’s child. Surprising, isn’t it?”
Zhao Yue laughed, “As sister-in-law and brother-in-law, they’ve committed such an improper act. Not only did they unite without proper matchmaking, but they’ve also produced a bastard child. Chusheng,” Zhao Yue sighed, “I imagine you must be feeling quite upset. But no matter, after I kill Wei Yun, I’ll take this child for you. Then, I’ll personally arrange your marriage. How does that sound?”
Gu Chusheng remained silent, clenching his fists. He raised his head, his words full of warning, “Don’t touch her.”
This response pleased Zhao Yue. He chuckled softly and said slowly, “Whether I touch her or not,” his voice gentle, “depends on what you do, Lord Gu.”