Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 110

The pendant was something she had given him when they were young. Perhaps she had forgotten the words she had said to him back then, but he would never forget.

That sentence was etched into his heart as clearly as if it had been engraved there forever, constantly driving him forward.

His Highness was going to Kuizhou.

Ever since Du Xia started following Yun Ke, he had never noticed Yun Ke disrupt his plans and arrangements for anything before. But this time, he was risking the crime of deceiving the Emperor to leave the capital and go so far to find her.

Back in Jiangxia City, he should have already guessed the Prince’s feelings for her when he had seen the Prince carrying her back while he had hid in the dark.

Du Xia took a deep breath and calmed his emotions. If the prince could truly care for her wholeheartedly, perhaps it would not be bad. At least his status and identity were compatible with hers, while he, as she had said, was just a lowly guard.

The prince was going to Kuizhou probably because he could solve her problems.

He was perhaps worrying too much. After all, what he could do for her was quite limited.

Yun Ke slipped away from Du Xia and immediately left to find Yun Yi.

With the decline of the Crown Prince, Yun Yi was currently riding high on success. Many ministers in the court had sided with him due to Prime Minister Zhang’s influence, making Yun Yi a highly sought-after prince.

In such a situation, he should have been more reserved, but instead, he became even more flamboyant.

It was the same in his previous life. Yun Ke watched as his fifth brother went further and further astray, knowing that Father the Emperor was as clear-sighted as a mirror. With Yun Yi acting like this, it was clear that he would never ascend to the throne.

Sometimes, Yun Ke wondered if Father the Emperor had intended to pass the throne to him all along and everything that had happened before was just a test for him.

Facing the entanglements of the aristocratic families and the declining national power, the Qi dynasty needed someone with strong capabilities to reverse the trend of continued decline.

In his previous life, he had never thought about it like this, but since he had been an emperor and then gained a chance to relive his life, he had a new perspective. In the past, he was just a prince and all he wanted was to constantly strive upwards. Only this way, he would not perish in the struggle between the other princes. Once he had actually ascended to that position and looked back, he found that his perspective on the issues had completely changed.

He had already reported to Father the Emperor about Yun Qing secretly raising soldiers and horses. Instead of receiving praise from his Father the Emperor, he was harshly scolded, accused of making baseless guesses and disturbing the Emperor’s mind. He had clearly collected all the physical evidence and even had eyewitnesses, and he had sent Du Xia to Jiangxia to handle this matter.

At first, he was puzzled by his Father the Emperor’s blatant lying, but then he immediately realised. Even if he could uncover the truth, how could his Father the Emperor be unaware?

He could not act against Yun Qing now!

Yun Ke remembered his previous life. After the chaos of the Gengzi Rebellion, Yun Qing’s reputation had soared. Father the Emperor had bestowed countless treasures upon Yun Qing and even gave him the title of Prince Qin.

It turned out that Father the Emperor understood them brothers the best. Yun Qing, proud and arrogant, was elated by the title of Prince Qin and immediately rode back to the capital to thank Father the Emperor. Hence, he left the Jiangbei Camp, which was the foundation of his power.

Then he himself was assigned to the Jiangbei Camp, replacing Yun Qing.

When he arrived, he found many generals unwilling to obey his orders. So he dismissed those generals to various places and appointed some of his own trusted secret guards to take over instead. That was when Du Xia went from being a guard to a captain.

From taking over the War Cavalry Camp from the Crown Prince, to Father the Emperor assigning him to replace Yun Qing at the Jiangbei Camp, and later the battle with the Rouran, in fact his Father the Emperor had been cultivating him either intentionally or unintentionally.

This realisation made Yun Ke feel like he was in a trance.

In the previous life, he always felt that his Father the Emperor had never valued him. Everything he had was achieved bit by bit through his own efforts. Even when his hands were stained with the blood of his brothers, it was out of necessity as the last resort.

Yet, now he would not think like that anymore. Hard work was important, but if his Father the Emperor had always turned a blind eye to him, how could he have stood out? How could he have been the one to lead troops back to the capital during Yun Yi’s rebellious coup? Indeed, the blood on his hands was that of his brother’s, but there had always been a pair of big hands pushing him from behind.

That was his Father the Emperor.

Entering Prince Jing’s palace, Yun Ke regained his composure and quietly waited in the study for his Fifth Brother. However, his mind had long flown to Kuizhou.

“How come Seventh Brother has the time to visit Elder Brother’s residence today?” Yun Yi entered with a smile, his face full of pride.

There was no way he would not be proud. Since marrying Zhang Wan Yi, most of the prominent ministers in the court had shown loyalty to him openly or secretly.

Delighted, he had doted fiercely on Zhang Wan Yi as soon as he came back.

Although the woman had caused a fuss before their marriage, she had indeed married him with innocence. And these days, she had not met up with anyone suspicious. Zhang Wan Yi might not be as stunning as Gu Yu Qi, but she was still a beauty. Especially after being handled by him in bed, the delicate charm between her brows was truly enticing. So Yun Yi did not care much about the fact that Zhang Wan Yi already had a lover.

After all, everyone was using each other. What use was it to talk about love and affection? It was just too sentimental.

Even the matter of Zhang Wan Yi killing a beautiful concubine in his residence did not bother him.

Anyway, Gu Huai Zhong had already gone to Kuizhou and this was something everyone in the capital knew. Gu Yu Qi will be back in the capital soon, and once she returned, she would definitely be his. So what if he lost a beautiful concubine? Compared to Gu Yu Qi, that concubine was far inferior.

When he obtained Gu Yu Qi, then he would be truly satisfied. With a lovely wife and a beautiful concubine, as well as the support of the imperial ministers, all he needed was for the Crown Prince to make another mistake. Then, everyone would impeach him and he himself would ascend to the throne amid the cheers of the people. His life would be perfect!

“Father the Emperor mentioned a few days ago about sending me to inspect the military camps in Huzhou. I plan to leave today and came to bid goodbye to Fifth Brother before leaving,” Yun Ke said.

“Oh. Then go ahead,” Yun Yi said nonchalantly. “There’s no need to come all the way here.”

“Imperial Brother has always taken care of me. How could I not come to say goodbye to Imperial Brother?” Yun Ke replied, lowering his hand.

“Haha.” Yun Yi was pleased by Yun Ke’s words. He did not doubt him at all and patted him heavily on the shoulder, “You’re thoughtful!” he said, though deep down, he felt disdain. It was just a military camp in Huzhou. This silly brother valued it more than anything else. Compared to the real power of the Ministry of War, the 20,000 strong cavalry in the Huzhou camp was a mere drop in the ocean.

However, this younger brother was not entirely useless. Ever since Father the Emperor handed over the Huzhou camp to him from the Crown Prince, he voluntarily resigned from his position in the Ministry of War, allowing this good role to fall onto him instead.

Yun Yi felt smug. Little did he know that the Minister of War Murong’s family had long become fully committed to Yun Ke.

Yun Ke was willing to give up his position in the Ministry of War to Yun Yi because he already knew the Ministry of War well.

“Have you said goodbye to Father the Emperor yet?” Yun Yi did not forget to ask.

“Not yet. I came to tell Imperial Brother first,” Yun Ke replied.

Yun Yi was even more pleased. Knowing that he came to him first before setting off, he was naturally relieved about this obedient younger brother. He thought this in his heart, but he did not say it out loud. “Then that’s your fault. Before leaving the capital, you should’ve gone to Father the Emperor, why did you come to me first?”

“Doesn’t Imperial Brother know how much he means to me?” Yun Ke said calmly.

“Haha, alright, I get it. Hurry up and go to the palace to bid farewell to Father the Emperor,” Yun Yi said triumphantly.

Yun Ke left Prince Jing’s residence and entered the palace. Then he returned to his own residence and instructed people to prepare for the journey.

While everyone else thought Yun Ke was in his residence preparing to go to the Huzhou military camp, a fast horse quietly left Prince An’s residence, left the capital from the north gate, and galloped wildly towards Kuizhou.

Gu Yu Qi felt like she was going crazy.

Despite using one century-old ginseng after another, Liang Huai Yu still lay motionless like a lifeless porcelain doll with no response whatsoever. Moreover, her breathing grew weaker by the day. Gu Yu Qi dared not even sleep now, fearing that if she closed her eyes, the person on the bed might stop breathing altogether.

Gu Yu Qi had invited over almost every reputable doctor in Kuizhou City, but they all shook their heads after the examination, advising her to prepare for the worst.

Using the excuse of having a sick person in the residence, in order to avoid passing on the illness to the Ding Yuan Marquis, Gu Yu Qi sent a letter to the Kuizhou Garrison Commander, asking him to invite Gu Huai Zhong to temporarily reside in the Garrison Commander’s residence.

At first, Gu Huai Zhong was reluctant to leave. He refused several times until Gu Yu Qi personally went to him. He saw the hatred in Gu Yu Qi’s eyes, so he humbly accepted the invitation from the Garrison Commander and moved out of the Liang residence.

He had seen Gu Yu Qi lose control before. Liang Huai Yu was definitely not going to wake up now, unless there was some miraculous life-saving medicine like a millennium-old ginseng or unless some passing Bodhisattva intervened.

He had also taken the divorce letter from her hands, which he had long burned. What else did he have to fear now?

Even if Gu Yu Qi suspected him, was there any evidence? He had even burned the corpse of the crazed horse. What else could Gu Yu Qi find to accuse him?

Without evidence, what could Gu Yu Qi, a mere commoner woman, use to accuse him, a Ding Yuan Marquis?

The only thing he could be blamed for is knowing Liang Huai Yu too well. He was familiar with her habits, even her habit of hiding things. She was still as naive and romantic as she was when she was a young girl.

Gu Yu Qi was his biological daughter. Even if she knew something, no one would believe her words if they came from her mouth. He had done enough, kneeling in front of the Liang residence in front of so many officials from Kuizhou, begging for Liang Huai Yu’s forgiveness. Everyone thought he was affectionate and deeply in love. Who would believe the words of Gu Yu Qi, a woman with a history of defying her father?

Haha, everything was under his control. After some consideration, Gu Huai Zhong decided to temporarily move out of the Liang residence to treat his leg injury.

He still needed to coax Gu Yu Qi into returning to the capital with him. He could not afford to anger her now.

She was a mere little girl now without her mother’s protection. Who else could she rely on in the future if not him?