The guards behind untied Chu Yu’s ropes. She quickly grasped Gu Chusheng’s hand for support as she descended from the carriage.
Gu Chusheng turned to greet Zhang Hui, then had someone help the Princess out. The Princess and Chu Yu’s gazes met briefly; she nodded coldly before leaving with Zhang Hui.
Chu Yu followed Gu Chusheng into the Gu residence, immediately understanding, “You exchanged the Princess for me?”
“Yes.” Gu Chusheng responded softly while instructing the housekeeper, “Bring the physician over.”
He then turned back, asking calmly, “Have you been feeling unwell lately? Did they do anything to you?”
“No,” Chu Yu shook her head. She thought carefully, placing her hand on her belly, and smiled, “I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but I feel like the child has grown a bit.”
Gu Chusheng remained silent, turning his back to her and closing his eyes. After a moment, he opened them and led her towards the main hall, asking, “When is your wedding date with him?”
“It’s not certain,” Chu Yu shrugged, “Who knows?”
“Preposterous!” Gu Chusheng shouted angrily, stopping in his tracks. He raised his voice, “Does he not have any plans for his affairs?!”
Chu Yu was taken aback, then replied somewhat embarrassedly, “He wants to marry soon, but I think it’s not quite right… His mother doesn’t like me… If I were to marry into the Wei family, I might as well live on my own.”
As she spoke, Chu Yu’s gaze unconsciously fell on the courtyard, casually saying, “You don’t know, but when a mother-in-law dislikes you, it’s troublesome.”
Gu Chusheng remained silent. This courtyard was identical to the one in her previous life. As she spoke while looking at it, she must be recalling something from the past.
He opened his mouth, and for a moment, he desperately wanted to say that things were different now.
This life was completely different from the previous one.
If she married him in this life, he wouldn’t let her suffer the grievances she experienced in her past life.
However, these words couldn’t be spoken. The differences in this life weren’t just about him, but also about Chu Yu. He restrained himself and sighed, “Come in first, let’s see if there are any other issues.”
Chu Yu followed Gu Chusheng inside. The physician entered the main hall with his medicine box, checked Chu Yu’s pulse, and inquired about her specific condition. Afterward, he frowned.
“Is there something wrong?” Chu Yu asked, puzzled.
The physician sighed and said, “Madam has been traveling extensively since becoming pregnant, and has also consumed a large amount of sleeping drugs. Although Madam’s health is good, I’m afraid the child’s foundation isn’t strong. You should rest well in the coming days. I’ll prescribe some medicine for Madam to take daily, and please avoid excessive worry.”
Chu Yu agreed, while Gu Chusheng looked concerned but didn’t say much.
After the physician left, Chu Yu rested her chin on her hand and sighed, “Do you think I’ll give birth to a fool?”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Gu Chusheng glared at her.
Chu Yu laughed, “I’m just joking. How did you and Xiao Qi plan to rescue me, and what’s the next step?”
“Wei Yun should have taken Qingzhou by now and is heading towards Kunzhou. The Princess has returned to the palace and will find an opportunity to increase Zhao Yue’s dosage. Once Zhao Yue is too weak to move, the Princess and I will control the inner palace. Then I’ll summon Wei Yun back to the capital. When he brings his troops into the city, the empire can be pacified.”
“Still the same plan as before?”
“Yes,” Gu Chusheng replied.
Chu Yu nodded, then asked curiously, “After all this time, hasn’t Zhao Yue become suspicious?”
“He has,” Gu Chusheng’s eyes turned cold. “He’s brought in many wandering physicians, and recently it’s said he brought Yu Linlang into the palace. Now Yu Linlang is being guarded in the inner palace, and we’re looking for an opportunity to deal with her.”
Then, Gu Chusheng suddenly remembered, “Don’t worry about these things. Just focus on taking care of yourself and the baby for now.”
“Alright, I won’t think about it then,” Chu Yu nodded, then asked, “Can you contact Wei Yun?”
Gu Chusheng was silent for a moment, imperceptibly clenching his sleeves, but said, “Now that Zhao Yue has us both under house arrest, we’ll have to wait for the Princess to succeed.”
As he spoke, he removed the melon seeds from in front of Chu Yu and stood up, “Stop eating these. From now on, eat less of these unclear things.”
Chu Yu was puzzled, wondering when melon seeds had become “unclear things.”
As the Princess was being escorted back to the palace, her accompanying maid quickly briefed her on the events that had transpired in the inner palace.
“His Majesty seems to be able to see now, and he values Yu Linlang highly.”
The Princess remained silent, lowering her eyes, and said, “In the coming days, have Guo Shou try to assign a batch of soldiers to guard outside my palace, and have him arrange for our people to be on duty at the same time and hour if possible, preferably at night.”
Guo Shou was someone the Princess had planted in the Imperial Guard, lying low for five years and now holding a position of some importance.
The maid acknowledged, and the Princess asked, “Is there no way to deal with that Yu Linlang?”
“His Majesty’s people guard her in shifts,” the maid said in a low voice. “It’s indeed impossible.”
The Princess nodded, a cold glint appearing in her eyes.
“Then we must act quickly.”
While undercurrents surged in the capital, Wei Yun had just led his forces to the border of Kunzhou. Not daring to get too close, he quietly lay in wait at the border between Baizhou and Kunzhou, waiting for news from Gu Chusheng.
This wait was one of the rare moments of quiet in recent times. Shen You and Wei Yun were drinking on the city wall, gazing into the distance.
“Does Your Highness miss the First Madam?” Shen You asked, noticing Wei Yun’s gaze constantly fixed in the direction of the capital.
“Of course I do.”
“Gu Chusheng likes the First Madam, doesn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“Is Your Highness at ease letting Gu Chusheng rescue the First Madam?” Shen You frowned. “Women often admire strength. What if the First Madam develops feelings for Gu Chusheng?”
Wei Yun was taken aback by these words. He held the wine jug, and after a moment, he smiled, “I don’t know what I’d do.”
“I wanted to answer that I’d take her back. But I feel I have no right to say such things. Shen You, I’ve realized that over all these years, I’ve never been by her side at crucial moments. Back in Fengling City, it was Gu Chusheng who was with her while I was dealing with the Northern Di’s surprise attack on the imperial court. Now it’s still Gu Chusheng by her side, while I’m here with the army, waiting to attack the capital at any moment.”
“What difference does it make whether a husband like me exists or not?”
Shen You remained silent. Wei Yun gently put down the wine jug and sighed, “So I think, if I can’t win her back, I might as well die on the battlefield with no regrets. But that answer doesn’t work either. If I die in battle, who will protect her if she’s bullied? The Northern Di threat isn’t gone, and the Chen Kingdom is restless. If I’m gone, can the Great Chu and she rely on a scholar like Gu Chusheng?”
“So,” Wei Yun turned to look at Shen You, “I guess if she falls for Gu Chusheng, the most likely scenario is that I’ll protect her for a lifetime. If there’s another Fengling City, another situation like now, Gu Chusheng will be by her side, and I’ll be guarding her.”
“Your Highness…” Shen You sighed softly. Wei Yun raised his hand and patted his shoulder.
“Don’t overthink it,” Wei Yun stood up and turned around. “Go and rest.”
“Your Highness,” Shen You called out to him, “What if the First Madam returns safely?”
Wei Yun didn’t speak. He clasped his hands in his sleeves and lowered his eyes. After a long while, he chuckled softly, “If she returns safely to my side after this battle, I never want to fight again in this life.”
“I’ve guarded the Great Chu empire for over twenty years,” Wei Yun slowly said. “For the rest of my life, I want to accompany her.”
“That’s good,” Shen You smiled. “It’s a good thing to have someone to wait for.”
Then Shen You remembered, “Has Song Shilan gone to Bailing?”
At this, Wei Yun couldn’t help but smile, “When he heard Bailing was surrounded, he immediately wrote to inquire about the situation, then said he’d go over after finishing his business. He had just conquered Cao Quan’s territory and headed straight to Bailing. He should have arrived by now. The last time he left Bailing, he told me that if his Second Sister-in-law didn’t accept him, he wouldn’t come back. Now it seems he couldn’t resist after all.”
As they were talking, Song Shilan had just arrived in Bailing.
He first paid his respects to Liu Xueyang, as Jiang Chun claimed to be ill. After meeting with Liu Xueyang, Song Shilan used the excuse of visiting the young master to sneak off to Jiang Chun’s residence. Jiang Chun was alone in her room writing when she heard a knock at the door. She went to open it, and as soon as she did, she saw a smiling face with fox-like eyes outside. Jiang Chun immediately tried to close the door, but Song Shilan quickly held it open, saying, “Let me in to talk!”
“Lord Song, this is improper.”
Song Shilan didn’t move, holding the door with his hand. Jiang Chun used all her strength to push against the door. They struggled for a while, and finally, Song Shilan sighed.
“Chun,” he said helplessly, “In the end, you’ve won.”
He slowly began, “Last time when I said I would marry Wei Qingping, I was lying to you.”
Jiang Chun was taken aback. Song Shilan stayed outside the door, not taking advantage of the moment to push it open, but said, “This time I’ve come, I’ve brought the betrothal gifts. Whether you accept them or not, I’ve left them at the Wei residence. I won’t marry anyone else. I’ll wait for you. Whenever you agree, you can just accept me directly, and I won’t need to propose again.”
Jiang Chun hesitated for a moment, then sighed, “Why do you insist on this?”
“You may not marry me,” Song Shilan chuckled lightly, “But no one else will bring betrothal gifts to your door in front of me! I’ve come first, so if you want to marry someone else, they’ll have to get in line behind me.”