Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 116

Wang Yan sat outside his room in resentment for an entire day. It was not until evening that he finally heard a faint noise from inside.

Wang Yan quickly jumped up from the ground. Ouch, oh no, his legs were numb.

“Your Highness,” he asked in a low voice while rubbing his stiff legs, “Is there anything this servant needs to prepare?”

“Fetch me a decent set of clothes,” Yun Ke replied, quite refreshed after waking up, “Bring some hot water. This prince needs a bath and to change clothes.” He felt uncomfortably sticky. Wang Yan received the order and after a while, he returned with a large tub of hot water and placed it in the side room. He assisted Yun Ke with his bath and then helped him dress in a new set of clothes that he had hurriedly went out to purchase.

“This place is nothing like the capital. Your Highness, please overlook the shortcomings,” Wang Yan apologised after he had helped Yun Ke get dressed.

Yun Ke dried his long hair before asking Wang Yan to tie it into a braid that hung down his back.

He moved to the bronze mirror in Wang Yan’s room and examined himself from all angles. Wang Yan’s jaw almost dropped in shock.

Wang Yan really wanted to pinch Yun Ke’s face to see if Prince An was being impersonated by someone else. In his impression, Prince An was always indifferent and composed. When had he ever cared about his appearance?

However, he had to admit that his master looked impressive. The dark blue robe he wore was simple and plain with its unadorned double lapels and common styled wide sleeves. Yet, it appeared quite luxurious when worn by the prince.

“Wang Yan, who looks better, this prince or that Lou Xiao?” Yun Ke asked, dissatisfied despite looking at his reflection left and right.

Wang Yan was busy cleaning up Yun Ke’s dirty clothes. Hearing this, he nearly tumbled down.

Not hearing a response from his subordinate for a long while, Yun Ke turned around, “What? Is this prince not as good as Lou Xiao?” His eyes flashed, emitting a cold glare that sent a shiver down Wang Yan’s spine, snapping him back to attention.

“Not at all, not at all,” Wang Yan quickly shook his head vigorously, “Your Highness is as elegant as a jade tree in the wind, how could Lou Xiao even compare?” Oh heavens, forgive him for being just a warrior. His vocabulary for praising others was severely limited, and “elegant as a jade tree in the wind” was already the best he could muster.

Wang Yan now realised that the prince was jealous again! He was starting to be jealous of Young Master Lou. What a situation. Young Master Lou had already left the Liang residence, alright? He had returned to the capital of Daliang, far, far away and unlikely to be seen again.

Recently, the prince’s mood had been erratic, so Wang Yan had to tread carefully. He glanced at Yun Ke and thought it was easier to deal with the prince when he maintained his usual cold demeanour. At least then, Wang Yan could mirror the prince’s stoicism. Now that the prince was more talkative, it required Wang Yan to think more, making his job as a bodyguard much harder.

“Indeed,” Yun Ke turned his head and raised an eyebrow at his reflection in the bronze mirror, murmuring to himself.

There was no reason why Gu Yu Qi would fall in love with that pretty boy! Just as he started to feel a bit pleased, he became a little discouraged again. That pretty boy had given Gu Yu Qi a book that she treasured, keeping it by her pillow. No, he had to find something for her to wear and never take off.

It was just that Gu Yu Qi was so wary of him, wanting nothing more than to stay as far away as possible. In fact, she had already done this, had she not? Sigh, she had fled from the capital to Kuizhou. How much more could she hide? How much farther could she go? Yun Ke felt a deep sense of gloom about the future.

Damn it, if only he could go back to the previous life when Gu Yu Qi still loved him dearly with all her heart.

Wang Yan stood to the side and watched Yun Ke’s changing expressions carefully, realising there was something really wrong with the prince.

His mood was shifting like the weather in March. It was clear skies and sunny one moment, then overcast with dark clouds the next.

“By the way, how is Gu Huai Zhong doing lately?” Yun Ke suddenly asked coldly.

Wang Yan was stunned and promptly replied, “He’s been very taken with the two Rouran women sent by the Garrison Commander. He has basically indulged in pleasure to the point of forgetting his responsibilities.” Speaking of this, Wang Yan felt great contempt for the Ding Yuan Marquis.

He had accompanied Gu Yu Qi this whole way and faced multiple assassination attempts by the Reincarnation Pavilion. As a bodyguard, Wang Yan had seen Gu Yu Qi’s true character. As for Gu Huai Zhong, Wang Yan could only think of one word, ah, no, two words. Very hypocritical.

He had knelt in front of the Liang residence for so long that the entire Kuizhou City knew he was doing it for Liang Huai Yu and had praised him for his deep love for his wife. On the contrary, they criticised Liang Huai Yu, saying that as a woman, she should have stayed home to take care of her husband and their children instead of running away with her daughter and even making her husband kneel until he fainted. If Gu Huai Zhong was really so affectionate, how could he have moved into the Garrison Commander’s residence and immediately indulged himself with women as soon as Liang Huai Yu was unconscious?

Others did not know that the Garrison Commander had kept the news tightly under wraps in order to please Gu Huai Zhong. However, no matter how tight, it could not be hidden from Wang Yan.

Wang Yan had long received orders from Yun Ke to keep a constant watch on Gu Huai Zhong. The more he observed, the more he found the Ding Yuan Marquis’ character to be worrying. It was no wonder that Liang Huai Yu and Gu Yu Qi had wanted to leave the Ding Yuan Marquis’ residence.

Yun Ke was slightly startled when hearing this.Then his lips curled into a disdainful smile, “This prince used to think he was a man indifferent to women, but he turned out to be so deeply affectionate towards women.” That was the impression he had of Gu Huai Zhong in his previous life.

He remembered that in the previous life, Gu Huai Zhong had sided with Yun Yi in the battle for the throne. However, he was cunning. When Yun Yi had forced the emperor to abdicate the throne, he had claimed illness and stayed home, thus being able to escape. Later, Yun Ke considered the fact that Gu Huai Zhong’s daughter was serving by his side and had not pursued the matter further, allowing him to get away with it. The man was indeed very clever. Once he saw Yun Ke had not held a grudge, he quickly took initiative and pledged his loyalty. At that time, Yun Ke needed people, so he had still treated him with respect.

“Do you know what tricks Gu Huai Zhong used that day when Liang-shi fell off her horse?” Yun Ke asked.

“Your Highness, this subordinate has not found anything yet,” Wang Yan replied, cupping his fists, “Only the Ding Yuan Marquis’ trusted aides could have come into contact with the horse, and afterwards, he had the horse burned, cutting off this subordinate’s clues.”

“Hmm,” Yun Ke nodded, “Continue investigating, even if there’s no hope.”

“Yes,” Wang Yan accepted the order.

Gu Huai Zhong was indeed a real character. He was actually able to cover his tracks so meticulously.

If it were not for the fact that he was targeting Gu Yu Qi, Yun Ke might have considered recruiting him for his personal use. Unfortunately, he had chosen the wrong path.

In his previous life, Yun Ke had let him go but in this life, Yun Ke would never allow Gu Huai Zhong to escape unscathed as he had before. Who told him to target Gu Yu Qi multiple times? No matter how meticulous he was, once something was done, it would be exposed one day.

“By the way, do you have any money on you?” Yun Ke suddenly remembered something and asked Wang Yan.

Wang Yan was initially taken aback, then quickly asked, “How much does Your Highness need?”

Yun Ke touched his nose and thought for a moment, “Bring a few thousand taels first.” He had left the palace in a hurry, remembering to bring medicine but forgetting to take any money.

Your Highness! Do you think I own a bank? Wang Yan was startled and immediately put on a bitter expression, “Your Highness, you overestimate this subordinate,” he said with a woeful expression, “You only give so much salary to this subordinate. How can this servant come up with a few thousand taels? How about Your Highness waits while his subordinate goes and robs a bank?”

As soon as Wang Yan finished speaking, Yun Ke flicked his forehead with his finger, causing him to wince in pain.

“Stop crying poor! Protect Gu Yu Qi well, and you’ll be rewarded when you return!” Yun Ke said coldly. However, he also realised he might have asked for too much. He wanted to buy a nice piece of jewellery for Gu Yu Qi but had not considered that his subordinate was a pauper. “Bring whatever you have. Consider it a loan, this prince will repay you when we return to the capital.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Wang Yan hurried to the wardrobe, opened it, and pulled out a bundle. He handed Yun Ke a neatly folded stack of banknotes, “This is all this subordinate has.”

Really reluctant… Wang Yan watched helplessly as Yun Ke took all the banknotes, silently crying in his heart. Being a guard was truly hard. He risked his life and earned so little, only to be plundered by his master.

Yun Ke glanced at the banknotes, then dismissively remarked, “Only a little over three hundred taels?”

“Yes, it’s really too little,” Wang Yan said, feeling deflated.

“It is little, but this prince will use it for now. Stop making a long face, who are you showing that face to?” Yun Ke pocketed the banknotes and strode out of Wang Yan’s room.

Wang Yan escorted Yun Ke to the door and watched until he disappeared from view. Then he clutched his chest, so stuffy, so stuffy. All his savings! Being a guard was so hard!

Yun Ke ran to the marketplace excitedly, only to find out that Kuizhou was like this! Even though it was just past dusk, most of the shops were closed, leaving only teahouses and taverns open.

What a disappointment!

Helplessly, Yun Ke returned to the Liang residence and stealthily snuck into Gu Yu Qi’s room.

Gu Yu Qi was no longer there, but the room still carried her presence. Yun Ke explored the room of his former concubine with great interest once more, his eyes finally landing on the annoying Local Records book.

He had an urge to burn it to ashes!

If he really did, would Gu Yu Qi get angry at him?

As Yun Ke stood by the bed and stared at the book in contemplation, he heard footsteps outside the door. In a flash, he flew up and hid himself on a beam above.

“You can stay outside. I don’t need you to serve me tonight. You’ve been working hard these days. Go back and rest early.” Gu Yu Qi’s voice came from outside, causing Yun Ke’s heart to leap with joy. She was finally back.

Gu Yu Qi dismissed her maids, then pushed open the door and cautiously looked around the room. There was no one in the room and everything was as she had left it in the afternoon, indicating Yun Ke had not come.

Just as Gu Yu Qi sighed in relief, she sensed something strange behind her. Spinning around suddenly, she came face to face with Yun Ke’s icy and slightly amused eyes.

People could die from being scared by others!

He appeared suddenly without a sound and Gu Yu Qi’s heart trembled with fear.

“Greetings to Your Highness Prince An,” Gu Yu Qi quickly stepped back a few steps, putting distance between them, and knelt in respect.

A pair of hands gently lifted her from the ground. “From now on, you don’t need to kneel when you see this prince,” Yun Ke said, leaning close and whispering in Gu Yu Qi’s ear.

His slightly cold breath brushed Gu Yu Qi’s ears, stirring the hair on her cheek and making her instinctively flinch. It tickled.

Gu Yu Qi’s instinctive evasion made Yun Ke sigh silently. If it was the previous life and he came so close, her red lips would have already been on his by now. He missed those times dearly.

“This civilian girl…” Gu Yu Qi began to retreat, but Yun Ke would not let her. With each step she took back, he followed and moved closer. The two of them kept moving until Gu Yu Qi was cornered. Only when her back touched the cold wall did they stop.

“Don’t lean against the wall, it’s cold.” The moment Gu Yu Qi’s back made contact with the wall, she was pulled hard into his not particularly warm embrace.

After a moment, she quickly broke free, “Your Highness, please respect yourself!”

Her brows furrowed with a hint of anger and her bright eyes filled with an unmistakable mix of disdain and alienation. It was as if she had been burned. She quickly slipped under his arm and stood behind him, putting a significant distance between them.

Suppressing the disappointment in his heart, Yun Ke stopped forcing Gu Yu Qi. He knew any move closer would be seen by her as an ulterior motive.

“I didn’t realise that you’re now…” Yun Ke sighed softly.

“Now what?” Gu Yu Qi’s heart sank slightly, “What is Your Highness reminding this civilian girl of?” Reminding her of her shamelessness in their previous life?

“Nothing?” Yun Ke knew she had misunderstood and quickly changed the subject. He had not come all this way to argue with Gu Yu Qi and he did not want to push her further away.

He knew he had been a jerk before and had said many hurtful things to her.

“How is your mother today?” he asked, changing the topic quickly.

“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness,” Gu Yu Qi’s expression softened slightly as she replied, “Although she shows no signs of waking, her complexion is much rosier than before. The Tian Hua Pill is truly effective. This civilian girl does not know how to thank Your Highness enough.”

“If you truly want to thank this prince…” Yun Ke’s eyes sparkled and he said, “Then pledge yourself to me.”

Gu Yu Qi’s eyes widened in shock as the colour drained from her face in an instant. “Is this really what Your Highness wants?” she asked, struggling to keep her voice steady, though a slight tremor betrayed her fear and anger.

Yun Ke looked at Gu Yu Qi’s pale face, momentarily at a loss for words.

“Is one Tian Hua Pill not enough to exchange for you?” Yun Ke regretted his words the moment they left his mouth. Why had he said such a thing? Forget one Tian Hua Pill, even ten bottles could not equal one Gu Yu Qi.

He did want Gu Yu Qi to pledge herself to him, that was not a lie. However, unlike in their previous life, he would take good care of her in this life. He would no longer suspect her, no longer listen to only one side of the story, no longer be self-righteous and think that what he saw was the truth. He would no longer misunderstand and hurt her.

“Your Highness can’t even wait for this civilian girl’s period to end?” Gu Yu Qi’s lips curled into a bitter smile as she lowered her gaze. Her thick and long lashes quivered slightly. “Exchanging Tian Hua Pill for my body, isn’t that a loss for Your Highness? But since Your Highness has said it, then there’s no reason to regret it, right? Then this civilian girl will pledge herself.”

“If Your Highness doesn’t mind this civilian girl’s body being dirty, then go ahead.” Gu Yu Qi bit her lips tightly and began to untie her sash, trying hard to hold back tears. Was the humiliation of her past life not enough? Must she endure such harassment again this life?! Yet, he had really saved her mother with the Tian Hua Pill.

Either way, she could not avoid it so better to get it over with quickly than prolong the agony.

“You’re crazy!” Suddenly, her hand was gripped tightly. Gu Yu Qi looked up through tear-filled eyes and saw a blurry figure standing before her. Though she could not make out his appearance clearly through her tears of humiliation, from his tone, Gu Yu Qi could hear his helplessness and trace of heartache.

Heartache? This man was completely heartless, okay? How could he feel heartache for her?

“Isn’t this what you want?” Gu Yu Qi looked at him stubbornly, her neck stiffened. Tears blurred her vision. She had tried to hold back, but the tears cascaded down anyway.

“I do want,” came his angry reply in her ears. Then she felt herself lifted off the ground and held horizontally by him. In a daze, Gu Yu Qi felt a strange sensation that he was extremely gentle as he held her, as if he were cradling a priceless treasure and not a person.

But what I want is all of you, including your heart! What was this right now? Yun Ke was both angry and desperate, leaving his latter sentences unsaid.

“So if I pledge my body, I will no longer owe Your Highness anything?” Gu Yu Qi said with disdain, her spirit shattered.

“You never owed me anything to begin with!” Yun Ke roared, his anger flaring.

She felt herself being lowered and she was placed onto the soft bed. Tears streamed down her face as Gu Yu Qi laughed bitterly, “Your Highness is really good at saying one thing and doing another, saying I owe nothing, yet wanting me to pledge my body. Now that I’ve agreed, go ahead.” She turned her face away and shut her eyes tightly.

Instead of the expected weight, she felt the bed dip slightly beside her. Although she had closed her eyes, she could feel him lying beside her.

Was he really going to do it? Gu Yu Qi felt a sudden self-destructive thought. If she died again now, would it finally free her from this man beside her? She bit the inside of her mouth hard, the taste of blood spreading in her mouth.

“You…” Yun Ke noticed something was strange with Gu Yu Qi and turned her face towards him. Her lips were stained a shocking red with fresh blood.

Yun Ke was horrified. He grabbed Gu Yu Qi’s jaw and forced her mouth open. Sure enough, this stupid woman had actually bitten her mouth until it bled.

“Why won’t you trust me!” Yun Ke was really heartbroken and angry. He also blamed himself for being mean. Unexpectedly, Gu Yu Qi would have such a big reaction. “If you keep hurting yourself, I’ll really take you back to the capital immediately and lock you up, and I won’t allow you to see anyone but me!” What was this woman thinking?!

Could it be that she had already believed that he would ignore her body and her feelings like in the previous life?

If he really did not care, why would he travel thousands of miles to bring the life-saving medicine to her?! Yun Ke felt a little angry now. She was usually so intelligent, but why was she so irrational in front of him?!

Gu Yu Qi kept her eyes shut tight. She felt overwhelmed with resentment. Memories of her past life kept replaying before her eyes and her depressed heart was about to burst. Her stomach cramped and she almost fainted from the pain. Cold sweat covered her small face and she felt like she was about to die.

She felt someone force her mouth open and there was pain from Jing Chuang ointment being sprinkled on the wound in her mouth. The pain, instead of clearing her mind, made her consciousness even more blurred. Her body alternated between feeling icy cold and burning hot, as if she were being tossed between an ice cellar and a blazing fire. She wanted to scream in pain but could not make a sound when she opened her lips.

“Ah Nan?” Seeing Gu Yu Qi look like she had fainted, Yun Ke’s earlier anger and frustration vanished instantly. He quickly raised his hand and pinched her philtrum, urgently calling her name.

Gu Yu Qi felt trapped in a nightmarish web woven from past experiences.

In a flow of light and shadow, she was running desperately with her hair loose. She had picked up her skirts and her inky hair was flying wildly as she tried to escape a black net that relentlessly pursued her. No matter how fast she ran, she could not evade it. She stumbled and fell in panic, and the net ensnared her completely.

She struggled like a fish caught in a net, but her efforts were in vain.

Dragged along a corridor of shifting light and shadow, scenes from her past flashed by. Some were clear, others were blurred. The big net dragged her to a place and there, and she found herself as a mere spectator, watching a scene from her previous life replay before her eyes.

It was the time she had just left Zhang Wan Yi’s palace. Zhang Wan Yi had hinted at some troubling information whether intentionally or unintentionally. Back at her own palace, the more she had thought about it, the more panicked she had become. She had asked Yan Zhi to take the residue of the tonic given by Concubine Xu to an imperial physician. The imperial physician, upon inspection, was shocked and knelt down immediately, saying that the residue contained safflower. She had been so foolish, believing that Concubine Xu was trying to harm her. Enraged, she went to the gates of Concubine Xu’s palace and cursed her loudly.

Coincidentally, Yun Ke was passing by and ordered people to detain her, demanding she admit that she was wrong. At that time, she had stubbornly refused, insisting Yun Ke take her side… Concubine Xu had also cried and asked Yun Ke for justice. She had someone fetch the tonic residue and Yun Ke asked another imperial physician to examine it. The imperial physician confirmed it was purely a tonic. Enraged and shocked, she had sent for the first physician, who then falsely accused her of bribing him to say those things. Furious, she had even lashed out at Yun Ke, accusing him of being blind to the plot against her and questioning his competence as an emperor.

Her attitude angered Yun Ke and he ordered his men to slap her in the face 20 times. Her cheeks became swollen and the insides of her mouth were badly injured from colliding with her teeth. It was painful and she had bled a lot. She was terrified and had not dared to curse Yun Ke again. Instead, she still tried to explain to Yun Ke but her mouth was already swollen so what more could she say? The more anxious she became, the more she reached out to Yun Ke. At that time, she clearly remembered him walking over with an expressionless face, grabbing her jaw, looking coldly at her bleeding mouth, and saying, “If you keep spouting such foul nonsense, this emperor will pull out all your teeth.”

Her body began to tremble uncontrollably as memories from her past life overlapped with her current pain, making Gu Yu Qi unable to distinguish where she was. Tears streamed down her face even more freely.

“Ah Nan, what’s wrong?” Yun Ke was frightened by Gu Yu Qi’s state. She seemed to have woken up, but her eyes were still closed. It was as if she were experiencing a nightmare, helplessly wrapping her arms tightly around her thin body as if trying to protect herself, attempting to curl up into a ball.

“Don’t hit me!” Gu Yu Qi said almost unconsciously.

Her trembling voice nearly broke Yun Ke’s heart.

“I won’t, don’t worry, no one will ever dare hurt you again,” Yun Ke immediately comforted her softly. He was panicked by Gu Yu Qi’s condition and was not sure if she was even fully awake now.

“It wasn’t me… It wasn’t me being foul-mouthed. That Imperial Physician Liu really said it was Concubine Xu who ordered someone to add safflower to my tonic. It was because I was so angry that I went to Yanxi Palace to curse her. It’s true… Right, ou can ask Zhang Wan Yi, she was the one who reminded me! I really didn’t mean to insult you as a bad emperor, I was just desperate. I really wanted a baby at that time,” Gu Yu Qi said in a panic.

Yun Ke was slightly stunned at first, then he felt a sharp pain in his heart which drained all the strength from his body. He took Gu Yu Qi’s trembling body into his arms and placed his palm on her lower back, slowly channelling his inner strength into her body. “Mhmm, I know now, it wasn’t your fault, it was all my fault. Please forgive me, okay?” He pressed his lips tightly to Gu Yu Qi’s ear, whispering repeatedly, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Ah Nan, I was really wrong. I misunderstood you. I blamed you without getting the facts straight. It’s all my fault.”

Yun Ke’s heart ached deeply as Gu Yu Qi’s fragmented words brought back memories of that situation.

During that incident, he had truly frightened Gu Yu Qi by beating her. For a long time after that, whenever she saw him, she would only perform the necessary greetings and dared not speak anything more. The gradual estrangement between them likely started from that moment. Her deliberate avoidance and lack of enthusiasm made Yun Ke exceedingly angry.

It turned out that his anger was not directed at her but at her growing distance and lack of warmth and affection she previously showered upon him, and she no longer prioritised him in everything.

Yun Ke realised this now, but it was already too late. The fault was his for not recognising his own feelings at the time and foolishly hurting the woman who had silently planted herself in his heart.

What fault did she have? The blame was his! In fact, he had eventually discovered the whole truth behind the incident, but because it involved Zhang Wan Yi, he did not want to tarnish her reputation, so he let the matter pass and secretly executed the imperial physician involved. He had never apologised to Gu Yu Qi. He had been so arrogant, thinking that as the ruler of the world, there was no reason for him to apologise no matter what he did.

Faced with her subsequent wariness and distancing of herself, he thought that he was despising her actions. Ironically, now he realised it was not her he hated, but rather the fact that she no longer came close to him.

Now, with her bringing up the incident in her unconscious state, Yun Ke’s heart felt as if a large piece had been gouged out. She was tormented by her memories, so how could he not be as well?

In his previous life, he had truly been a bastard!

His low, resonant voice seemed to have a special magic and it gradually dispelled Gu Yu Qi’s nightmares little by little. She slowly calmed down, warmth spreading from her back into her body, and Gu Yu Qi fell into a deep sleep without knowing.

Noticing that the person in his arms had stopped struggling, Yun Ke finally breathed a long sigh of relief. He slowly withdrew his internal strength, brushed away the dishevelled hair from her cheek, and gently kissed her, “I was really wrong in the previous life. In this life, can you forgive me? Give me one chance, so we can start over?”

Unfortunately, the person in his arms had fallen into a deep sleep and could not hear a word he had said.

Even though the person in his arms had quieted down, Yun Ke’s heart could no longer find peace.

In his previous life, how many times had he misunderstood her? In fact, he could not even say for sure right now.

In the previous life, all she had wanted was a baby. This filled Yun Ke with both shame and regret, plunging him into an endless abyss of remorse.

He gently lifted his sleeve and meticulously wiped away the tears on her face bit by bit, as if handling a fragile treasure, afraid that if he used even a bit more pressure, he would break her.

In the middle of the night, Gu Yu Qi suddenly woke up. The person who had been by her side in bed was gone. She turned over and got up. The room was silent as if nothing had happened, except for the indentation on the bed beside her, reminding her that what she experienced was not just a dream.

A neatly folded letter lay by her pillow.

Gu Yu Qi stared at the envelope blankly for a long while before picking it up and opening it.

The letter was from Yun Ke, with only a few words: “I’m returning to the capital first. Remember your promise to marry me. Find Gu Huai Zhong tomorrow and return to the capital with your mother before the Gengzi Rebellion. Leave everything else to me.”