Upon hearing Chu Yu’s words, Wei Yun finally realized that, given the Princess Royal’s temperament, Gu Chusheng going to her mansion was like a lamb entering a tiger’s den – and a particularly tasty lamb at that.
He couldn’t help but chuckle, “Lord Gu is quite fortunate. It should be a pleasant experience for him.”
“Stop joking around,” Chu Yu turned to look at him. “Now that Gu Chusheng has filed a complaint, what’s our next move?”
“I’ll write to Song Shilan,” Wei Yun calmly replied. “We’ll wait and see.”
Chu Yu nodded, but after a moment’s thought, she sighed, “I feel sorry for the common people.”
Wei Yun remained silent. Fearing he might take on the responsibility himself, Chu Yu added, “I’m just thinking out loud. Don’t take it to heart. The fault lies with Yao Yong, not you.”
“How can the fault not be mine when my soldiers are hiding in the rear, playing tricks instead of fighting on the battlefield?” Wei Yun smiled wryly. “Yao Yong is at fault, but so am I. It’s just that,” his gaze grew distant, “I won’t regret it.”
Chu Yu was at a loss for words, unsure how to comfort him. Wei Yun looked at her for a long while before saying, “Let’s set these matters aside for now. I came today mainly to discuss something with you, Sister-in-law.”
“Go ahead.”
Seeing Wei Yun’s serious expression, Chu Yu sat up straight. Wei Yun’s eyes held a hint of bitterness as he spoke, “The Wei family is full of talented people. Many things don’t require your involvement, Sister-in-law. In the future, please take better care of yourself. The past is like smoke; let it dissipate if it should. If it can’t be forgotten, why not pick it up again and mend it properly?”
Chu Yu was momentarily stunned but soon understood that Wei Yun was referring to her rescue of Gu Chusheng. She quickly said, “Saving him was just a small gesture. I only felt I was the most suitable for the task. Whoever is best suited should handle it. Little Seven, what are you worried about?”
Wei Yun remained silent. Chu Yu thought for a moment and said, “Are you concerned I might get hurt? You needn’t worry about that. I know what I’m doing.”
Wei Yun silently lowered his head. Sensing something was amiss, Chu Yu continued, “Or do you still think that as the Wei family’s principal wife, doing such things is beneath my status?”
She smiled, “It’s not like this is being done openly. No one knows about it. It’s about making the best use of resources. I can help…”
Before she could finish, Wei Yun stood up and said to Chu Yu, “I have other matters to attend to. Please excuse me, Sister-in-law.”
Confused by his abrupt actions, Chu Yu watched as Wei Xia and Wei Qiu followed Wei Yun out. Wei Xia tried to console him, “The principal wife means well, even if she was a bit rash. We should focus on the result. You…”
“That’s enough,” Wei Yun calmly interrupted Wei Xia’s words. Wei Xia looked up at him as Wei Yun continued with a composed expression, “It’s my fault. Sister-in-law’s words make sense. She has her own choices. This task is indeed most suitable for her. If she’s willing to do it and does it well, I have no reason to overthink it beyond worrying.”
“Gu Chusheng is a talented young man. Their affairs are not for me to concern myself with. My elder brother is gone; I can’t expect Sister-in-law to remain a widow for life. Let it be.”
As he spoke, he turned and entered his study. “I won’t interfere. I can’t anyway.”
Wei Xia was left speechless by his words, unsure how to respond. Seeing Wei Yun sit at his desk and begin reviewing reports from various Wei family locations, Wei Xia said with a pained expression, “I’ll go check if the Marquis’s medicine is ready in the kitchen.”
With that, Wei Xia turned and left. Wei Qiu remained behind Wei Yun. After a long while, Wei Qiu slowly said, “Why are you displeased about matters that don’t concern you?”
Hearing this, Wei Yun’s hand paused briefly, ink staining the paper. He lowered his eyes, concealing the emotion within them.
“I dislike it,” he said flatly. “Yet I don’t know why I dislike it. Perhaps it’s for my elder brother’s sake, or maybe I’m selfish, too dependent on Sister-in-law, always wanting her to stay in the mansion forever.”
“Sometimes I don’t understand why these women must marry. It’s as if not marrying, not having a wedding, not having a child would ruin their entire lives. But if they don’t meet someone they like, isn’t it good to live with family for a lifetime?”
As Wei Yun spoke, his eyes filled with confusion. “I would be filial to Sister-in-law. If she’s worried about having no one to care for her in old age, we have five young masters in the Wei family now. Any one of them could be entrusted to her care. If she’s concerned about being bullied by others in the future, I’ll earn her an official title. With my protection, what harm could come to her even if she stirred up trouble?”
“If she marries, especially someone like Gu Chusheng, what if she’s mistreated in the future? How should we handle that? Family matters are for the family to deal with. Am I supposed to force Gu Chusheng to divorce her?”
Wei Yun grew increasingly troubled as he spoke. Finally, he set down his brush and sighed heavily, “I just feel that Gu Chusheng is not good enough, but I can’t stop it. What can I do?”
“If Gu Chusheng is not good enough, are others acceptable?” Wei Qiu calmly asked.
Wei Yun was taken aback. After a long pause, he stammered, “For now… I suppose we haven’t met anyone suitable yet.”
Wei Qiu said no more. The conversation had reached a point where there was nothing left to say.
He watched as Wei Yun sat there, seemingly lost in thought, and said, “Master, perhaps we should return to reviewing the reports.”
“Mm.” Wei Yun, snapped back to his senses, no longer wishing to dwell on these thoughts, and lowered his head to look at the reports.
However, he felt that something unusual had stirred in his heart following Wei Qiu’s question. He seemed to have realized something, yet didn’t quite understand it. So he buried it deep inside, choosing to guard it from afar without touching it further.
The day after Wei Yun’s conversation with Chu Yu, Gu Chusheng woke up in the Princess Royal’s mansion.
When he awoke, the room was warm from a blazing charcoal stove, feeling like the height of summer with no trace of winter’s chill. His wounds had been bandaged, and he wore only a light blue ice silk robe, exposing most of his chest.
The Princess Royal sat beside him. Seeing Gu Chusheng open his eyes, she quickly leaned over, fanning him and casting a flirtatious glance, “Oh, you’re awake?”
Realizing the situation wasn’t good, Gu Chusheng tried to remain calm. He raised his hand to pull his robe closer and addressed the Princess Royal hovering above him, “Your Highness, please show restraint. I am an outsider. I beg you to keep your distance to avoid tarnishing your reputation.”
“Oh my, why talk about reputation?” The Princess Royal blinked. “You’ve already entered the Princess Royal’s mansion. What reputation is there left to discuss?”
Gu Chusheng remained silent, clutching his robe tightly and staring at the ceiling, visibly nervous.
Just then, a light chuckle came from outside. “What are you two up to?”
The Princess Royal looked up to see a man enter, his long hair tied back with a jade band, wearing a light blue robe. He carried a bowl of medicinal soup as he walked in gracefully.
His features were handsome and refined, his facial features soft, giving no sense of threat. His appearance made him seem particularly approachable.
Hearing this voice, Gu Chusheng let out a sigh of relief. The Princess Royal moved away from him slightly and looked at the newcomer, saying, “Gu Chusheng has arrived, and you seem even more anxious than I am.”
“Easing Your Highness’s worries is my duty,” the man replied as he walked to Gu Chusheng’s side. He helped Gu Chusheng sit up and handed him the medicinal soup.
Gu Chusheng accepted the soup in silence. After a while, he finally spoke carefully, “Thank you…”
“There’s no need to mention past names,” the man said lightly, cutting off the rest of Gu Chusheng’s words. Gu Chusheng thought for a moment and nodded, “Very well.”
He raised the bowl and drank the medicine, seemingly unaffected by its bitterness. The man stood watch beside him. The Princess Royal watched for a while, then, finding it uninteresting, said to the man, “You two can talk. I’ll take my leave.”
Without waiting for a response, the Princess Royal turned and left.
Once the Princess Royal was out of sight, Gu Chusheng turned his head to examine the man before him.
The man dismissed the other servants and skillfully went to change the charcoal in the stove, adding some incense to the fire.
“She likes the scent of incense. Her preferences change with her mood,” the man suddenly spoke, his voice calm. “I’ve become quite skilled at perfumery now, but compared to you, I’m still a novice. Since you have time now, why not teach me a thing or two while you’re in the Princess’s mansion?”
“How could I refuse when you ask?” Gu Chusheng smiled bitterly. After a moment, he still asked, “Are you doing well now?”
“Very well,” the man nodded. “Never in my life have I slept so peacefully as I do now.”
“That’s good,” Gu Chusheng nodded, repeating, “That’s good.”
“I have a new name now. It’s Xue Hanmei,” the man suddenly said as he slowly walked back. Gu Chusheng was surprised, not understanding why he suddenly shared this information.
The man smiled, his voice tinged with bitterness, “She still thinks of him, you see. That person was called Mei Hanxue, and now my name is just his reversed.”
“You shouldn’t think too much about it…” Gu Chusheng didn’t know how to respond.
The relationship between this man and the Princess Royal had always been complicated. In his previous life, the man had died of illness not long after this. Following his death, the Princess Royal had dismissed all her other companions and insisted on posthumously conferring the title of Prince Consort upon him, placing him in the imperial mausoleum.
In his previous life, this man often told Gu Chusheng that the Princess Royal’s affection for him was merely out of consideration for Mei Hanxue. However, when he truly died and Gu Chusheng accompanied Princess Royal to inter him in the imperial mausoleum, he asked her, “If you kept him all these years for Mei Hanxue’s sake, why is it him and not Mei Hanxue being buried in the imperial mausoleum?”
The Princess Royal had remained silent then. After a long while, she laughed softly.
Age had never seemed to affect the Princess Royal; she remained beautiful and alluring regardless of her years. It was only at that moment that Gu Chusheng suddenly realized the Princess Royal had grown old.
With tears in her eyes, she laughed mockingly, “I’ve buried him in the imperial mausoleum, and you still don’t believe that I truly loved him?”
“I told him this a thousand times, and he didn’t believe it.”
“Even on his deathbed, he asked me this question, still not believing.”
“What do I have to do,” Princess Royal’s tears fell as she clutched her chest, gritting her teeth, “Do I have to cut out my heart for you to understand that I truly loved him?”
“My love for Mei Hanxue back then was genuine, and my love for him later was also genuine.”
Remembering the fate of this man and the Princess Royal, Gu Chusheng felt a pang of sympathy and could only say, “Her Highness the Princess Royal truly loves you.”
“I know,” the man smiled. “She has told me many times.”
However, he had never believed it.
He didn’t voice the latter part, but Gu Chusheng understood his meaning. This man’s thoughts had always been difficult to change. Seeing that he couldn’t persuade him, Gu Chusheng didn’t press further and instead asked, “Do you have any discomfort now?”
“Why do you ask?” Xue Hanmei found it strange, then said, “I’m certainly much better off than you.”
“It’s good that you’re well,” Gu Chusheng sighed. “I’m sure my father would be relieved to know that.”
At the mention of Gu Chusheng’s father, Xue Hanmei fell silent.
He knelt by the bed, and after a long while, he slowly spoke, uttering just two words: “I’m sorry.”
Gu Chusheng was taken aback and quickly said, “You needn’t think too much of it. This was what my father wanted.”
Xue Hanmei shook his head but refused to say more.
Gu Chusheng thought for a moment and changed the subject, “Do you have any plans for the near future?”
“What plans could I have?” Xue Hanmei smiled. “I’ve always wished to spend my life by her side. Now that I can finally do so, what more could I want?”
“That’s… good then,” Gu Chusheng nodded, smiling sincerely. “If you can come to terms with it, that’s for the best.”
The two chatted for a while longer before Xue Hanmei left. That night, a heavy winter snow fell.
That year, the Great Chu experienced several heavy snowfalls, and many battles were fought. The frontlines suffered continuous defeats, enraging the Emperor. In many places, even messengers were intercepted and killed by the Northern Di army, making it impossible to transmit any news.
Chu Yu would check the intelligence reports at fixed times every day to stay informed about the situation in various regions. Recently, she and Wei Yun have been talking less. Wei Yun noticed this but didn’t say much, seemingly feeling that this reduced communication was somehow right.
However, there were times when he felt somewhat upset, so the moments they spent reviewing reports together became particularly precious. They quietly shared information, passing valuable intelligence to each other.
“This place is quite interesting,” Wei Yun suddenly noticed a report and said with a smile. “They’ve been constantly sending people to ask the court for help, but this place isn’t actually under siege. Three groups of messengers have been intercepted. I wonder if the county magistrate is just scared out of his wits, seeking help so urgently?”
“Oh?” Chu Yu wasn’t interested but still asked out of courtesy, “Which place has such a cowardly official? If they were all like this, these troops…”
“Fengling,” Wei Yun blurted out the name before Chu Yu could finish.
Chu Yu suddenly looked up, shocked. She hurriedly asked, “Say that again, which place?!”
“Fengling in Luozhou.”