A thunderous shout rang out, stunning everyone present. Wei Yun grabbed Gu Chusheng’s head and slammed it to the ground. Chu Yu was the first to react, rushing to restrain the enraged Wei Yun, urgently pleading, “Stop! Master Gongsun, let go!”
As she spoke, Chu Yu pulled Wei Yun to his feet, but he wouldn’t relent, desperately struggling to kick Gu Chusheng. Chu Yu anxiously raised her hand to block him. As they grappled, Wei Yun felt as if someone had crashed into his arms. Only then did he freeze, finally calming down.
At this moment, Zhao Yue arrived with her entourage. The palace servants hurriedly went to help Gu Chusheng up. His head was bleeding from the impact. He pressed a handkerchief to his forehead and looked up at Wei Yun, panting as he said, “Gongsun Lan, who do you think you are…”
“What’s going on here?”
The Princess Regent emerged from behind, casting a cold glance at the three before curling her lips into a smile. “My, my, quite the commotion we have here.”
As she spoke, Gu Chusheng was helped to his feet by the palace servants and managed to bow to Zhao Yue and the Princess Regent.
Wei Yun and Chu Yu bowed simultaneously from the side. Zhao Yue frowned as she looked at the three, her gaze lingering on Chu Yu’s disheveled hair and crimson lips. She seemed to find the situation awkward, opening her mouth as if to speak, but finally just waved her hand and said, “Enough. Take him to see the Imperial Physician first.”
“Your Majesty,” Wei Yun spoke coldly, “Are we just letting this go?”
Hearing this, Zhao Yue laughed bitterly at Wei Yun’s audacity. “What? Do you want to pursue this matter further?”
“He…”
Before he could finish, Wei Yun was pulled back by Chu Yu. She bowed slightly and said, “Your Majesty’s arrangement is most appropriate. This humble servant will escort Master Gongsun out now.”
Wei Yun furrowed his brow, visibly displeased. As he struggled to say something more, Chu Yu firmly grasped his wrist and dragged him towards Gu Chusheng.
Gu Chusheng coldly watched them approach, his gaze falling on Chu Yu’s hand pulling Wei Yun along.
“Lord Gu,” Chu Yu spoke calmly, “I don’t know what rumors you’ve heard, but there’s one thing I must make clear to you.”
“I’m grateful for your kindness. All along, I’ve only regarded you as a friend. During the four years the Marquis was away, you took great care of me, and I believed this care was due to your friendship with the Marquis.”
Because Zhao Yue was present, the term “friendship” was used diplomatically. However, everyone present understood that Chu Yu meant not friendship, but alliance.
Just as in their previous life, Gu Chusheng and Wei Yun had been allies – Wei Yun provided Gu Chusheng with the support he needed, while Gu Chusheng offered Wei Yun advantages in the imperial court.
Gu Chusheng’s lips trembled as he tried to speak, but no words came out. Chu Yu continued calmly, “My Lord, I rejected your words once before. If you still insist now, I must refuse again.”
“I love one person, and I love him devotedly. Even if I were to give up, I would never look back.”
Gu Chusheng stared at her, tears welling up in his eyes.
“In this life, I may come to like someone else, I may marry someone else. If it’s not Master Gongsun, it will be someone else, Lord Gu,” Chu Yu sighed softly. “There are many wonderful young ladies in this world. You needn’t be so fixated.”
“I don’t believe it…” Gu Chusheng spoke hoarsely. Chu Yu smiled gently, “Master Gongsun and I are now in love…”
“I don’t believe it!” Gu Chusheng suddenly raised his voice. “Who is he? Where did he come from? How many times have you even met him?! What does he amount to?!”
Chu Yu remained silent, just quietly looking at him. Her expression was gentle but tinged with pity. Under her gaze, Gu Chusheng slowly calmed down.
He stared blankly at the two people standing before him, holding hands.
They both wore plain white robes with identical embroidered patterns on the hems. Wei Yun was exactly a head taller than Chu Yu. Standing side by side, their sleeves intertwined, they looked uniquely compatible.
It was as if they were destined for each other, a union that others couldn’t break or separate.
Seeing him calm down, Chu Yu smiled and bowed, saying, “Lord Gu, I hope that next time we meet, you will have let this go.”
With that, she turned around, holding Wei Yun’s hand as they walked away.
Wei Yun’s heart was racing. Even though he knew Chu Yu was only using him to reject Gu Chusheng, he still felt an odd happiness lingering in his heart.
He carefully reached out and enveloped Chu Yu’s hand in his. Chu Yu was slightly startled but aware that Gu Chusheng was watching, she didn’t dare to struggle. She only glared fiercely at Wei Yun as a warning.
Wei Yun pressed his lips together, feeling as if her gaze was clawing at his heart. He lowered his head and chuckled softly, holding her hand as they slowly walked away. As they walked, he couldn’t resist turning back to look at Gu Chusheng one more time. Seeing the other man’s cold gaze tinged with barely suppressed gloom, Wei Yun couldn’t help but smirk. He turned back to Chu Yu and called out loudly, “Come on, wife, let’s go home!”
Gu Chusheng’s face suddenly crumpled. The Princess Regent couldn’t hold back her laughter, while Zhao Yue shook her head resignedly, placing her hand on the Princess Regent’s shoulder and whispering, “Control yourself, stop laughing.”
Chu Yu, meanwhile, quietly observed Wei Yun’s actions without saying a word.
Once they were out of Gu Chusheng’s sight, Wei Yun was still elated, pulling Chu Yu’s hand as they walked out. Then he heard Chu Yu say with a smile in her voice, “Master Gongsun, haven’t you had enough fun yet?”
Wei Yun froze, suddenly realizing that his recent behavior was vastly different from that of the strategist Gongsun Lan. He quickly withdrew his hand and bowed to Chu Yu, saying, “I apologize for my impropriety earlier, Madam. I hope you can forgive me.”
Chu Yu didn’t respond. She held her hand, gently rotating her wrist as she slowly walked out with Wei Yun. “Only today did I realize that Master Gongsun, as a strategist, whom I thought would be someone we should protect, is quite skilled.”
“It’s just a smattering of martial arts, hardly worth mentioning as skill.”
Wei Yun felt inexplicably nervous. He followed behind Chu Yu, desperately trying to figure out what she was thinking.
“I’m well aware of Gu Chusheng’s martial arts abilities. While he’s not particularly skilled, he certainly wouldn’t be beaten so easily by someone with just a smattering of martial arts. More importantly, when we first met, Master Gongsun, I sensed that your martial arts were extraordinary. I was curious about your background, so I had someone investigate. To my surprise, according to the information, you only learned some basic swordsmanship for self-defense as a child?”
Gongsun Lan’s martial arts skills were indeed not high, barely above average. So when impersonating Gongsun Lan, Wei Yun rarely engaged in physical confrontations.
Now that Chu Yu was asking about this, Wei Yun felt a wave of panic, a cold sweat breaking out.
As they reached the carriage, Chu Yu glanced at Wei Yun, aware of his current unease. She spoke coldly, “Think carefully on the way back. When we get home, give me a satisfactory answer, or I won’t let you off easily!”
With that, Chu Yu got into the carriage. Seeing her enter, Wei Yun smacked his forehead.
He had miscalculated.
After Chu Yu entered the carriage, Wan Yue handed her some tea. Chu Yu raised her hand and said to Wan Yue, “Let me see the Marquis’s latest reply.”
Wan Yue was a bit puzzled but still retrieved the letter Wei Yun had received last night from a nearby drawer and handed it to Chu Yu.
The letter was full of instructions for Chu Yu to rely on Gongsun Lan and also answered some of Chu Yu’s questions. Chu Yu flipped through the letter, sniffing the fragrance on it, then looked up and asked Chang Yue, “Have you finished investigating the paper matter I asked you about last time?”
“Yes, it’s done,” Chang Yue quickly replied. “This paper is from the Seven Fragrances Pavilion. Our mansion also uses this type of paper.”
“Oh? How come I haven’t used it?” Chu Yu was a bit surprised.
Chang Yue smiled and explained, “Actually, our mansion uses three types of paper. One is the most common, used by us servants. The other two are ‘Ling Yun’ and ‘Yao Yue’ from the Seven Fragrances Pavilion. ‘Yao Yue’ has a more feminine scent, so it’s provided for the women of the household, while ‘Ling Yun’ is used by the men.”
Chu Yu pondered this, sniffing the paper again. “How many branches does the Seven Fragrances Pavilion have?”
“Just one.”
“Only one?” Chu Yu looked up at Chang Yue, who nodded. “They don’t produce much paper, it’s only supplied to the nobility in the capital.”
Hearing this, Chu Yu felt more certain. She looked at the paper and gave a cold laugh, without saying more.
After a while, they finally arrived at the entrance. Chu Yu rolled up the curtain and saw Wei Yun standing respectfully beside the carriage. She walked past him, saying coolly, “Follow me.”
Wei Yun maintained a calm exterior, but inside, his thoughts were in turmoil. He reluctantly followed Chu Yu, pondering what he should say.
Chu Yu’s attitude indicated that she knew who he was and was just waiting for him to confess. But he truly didn’t know how to go about confessing.
As he knelt there, Wei Yun’s mind was in turmoil. He had originally planned to act recklessly under the guise of Gongsun Lan’s identity for a while, intending to pin all the blame on Gongsun Lan later. But now that Chu Yu knew he was Wei Yun, how could he explain his previous actions?
Without this mask, he found all his past deeds embarrassing to recall.
His heart was in chaos. Unable to face her or raise his head, he simply followed Chu Yu to her chambers. Chu Yu sat on the main couch and gestured, “Sit.”
Wei Yun immediately knelt on the ground, his back straight as a rod, hands nervously placed on his knees. He kept his head lowered, staring at the floor as if prostrating himself before Chu Yu.
Chu Yu pulled out a whip from her sleeve and quietly observed him. “Remove your mask,” she said.
Wei Yun promptly raised his hand to take off the mask, placing it aside before lowering his head again.
Chu Yu frowned, looking at the burn scar, and said dissatisfied, “There’s still another layer.”
Wei Yun hesitated. Chu Yu sighed, “You’ve grown up. I can’t control you anymore. After four years away, being a Marquis at the border, you’ve probably forgotten everyone back home. How could you still remember your sister-in-law…”
“I’ll take it off,” Wei Yun, afraid of Chu Yu’s reaction, quickly raised his hand to stop her words. “I’ll take it off.”
He reached up to peel off the layer adhered to his face. His heart raced rapidly. Chu Yu watched quietly, inexplicably feeling nervous as she observed his movements.
After four years, she was finally about to see this person again. Unexpectedly, she felt a sense of trepidation, like one returning to their hometown after a long absence.
But she maintained a calm exterior, watching as Wei Yun slowly peeled off the mask and set it aside, still keeping his head lowered.
Chu Yu stood up and stopped in front of him, saying calmly, “Why won’t you raise your head?”
Wei Yun answered honestly in a low voice, “I’m ashamed.”
Chu Yu couldn’t help but smile at his words. Ever since he had struck Gu Chusheng, she felt his temperament was unlike that of a scholarly strategist, but rather reminiscent of the unruly young Marquis from years past.
Chu Yu pressed her lips together, suppressing her amusement, and said sternly, “If you know you should be ashamed, how dare you deceive me like this?”
Wei Yun remained silent, seeming to acknowledge his mistake.
Looking at him, Chu Yu thought he appeared childlike. She sighed, speaking with resignation, “You’re already nineteen, with your coming of age ceremony next year. How can you still act like a child? Did you find it amusing to trick your sister-in-law like this?”
Wei Yun pressed his lips together. Hearing Chu Yu’s words, a sense of helplessness washed over him again.
It was always like this.
In her heart, he would probably always be a child.
But he was no longer one.
If four years ago he could still be called a youth unaware of his feelings, now he had seen four years of vast landscapes, witnessed countless people come and go, drifted through the turbulent world, and still held onto the memory of that one person. Surely now, he could be considered a man.
He resented her tone, but when the words reached his lips, he felt powerless. He dared not speak, could not speak, and could only lower his head, using his hair to hide his emotions.
Seeing him not respond, Chu Yu crouched down to look at him at eye level. “Never mind. Even if you feel ashamed, you should raise your head. Let me see how our little Seventh has grown.”
Wei Yun still kept his head down, unmoving. Chu Yu used her whip to lift his chin.
A handsome face suddenly came into her view.
He had become much thinner, his features more defined and angular. Gone was the adorable roundness of youth, replaced by clean, sharp lines that gave him the appearance of a young man.
He was strikingly handsome, perfectly balanced between masculine and feminine. Any more softness would be too delicate, any less would be too harsh. His eyes and brows held a beautiful hue. Looking into his phoenix eyes, one felt as if those eyes contained countless, indescribable sentiments, making one’s heart race. Yet this beauty did not make him appear effeminate or coquettish. His entire face carried a resolute and heroic air rare in Huajing. He was like a tall, slender bamboo – beautiful, resilient, and strong.
Looking at that face, Chu Yu was suddenly transported back to her previous life. She was leaving Huajing, and he stood outside her carriage, talking to her.
At that time, he had been even more handsome than now, carrying the air of a mature man, cold and lonely. But that was mainly a change in demeanor. His facial features now were almost identical to them.
Chu Yu stared at him, lost in thought. Perhaps because the gaze lasted too long, Wei Yun began to feel uncomfortable. He softly called, “Sister-in-law…”
Chu Yu snapped back to reality, withdrawing her whip. She stood up, took a step back, and composed herself before smiling.
“Four years apart, and you’ve changed so much. I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Chu Yu sighed, her expression gentle. “Little Seventh, you’ve been alone out there. You must have suffered, haven’t you?”
Wei Yun knelt on the ground. Through all the wind, frost, snow, and rain he had endured abroad, he had never felt any hardship or grievance. But hearing these words from Chu Yu, he suddenly felt like a child again. The loneliness of his solitary journey and four years of yearning mingled together, making him feel utterly aggrieved.
His voice turned hoarse as he looked up at her.
He wanted to ask her to step closer, so he could reach out and embrace her, rest his forehead against her abdomen, and say, “Yes, it was hard.”
But he couldn’t do that. He could only gaze at her quietly, slowly breaking into a smile.
“How can a man speak of hardship when he’s away from home?”
Chu Yu said nothing, staring at him intently as he continued, “Except for the bitterness of longing, distilled and poured out, there was no other hardship.”
“Was the military campaign not hard?”
“It wasn’t.”
“Was the fighting not hard?”
“It wasn’t.”
A thousand hardships, ten thousand hardships, none compare to the hardship of longing for you.