Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 136

What should he say to Gu Yu Qi? Should he express his feelings or tell her that even though Xia Ying would marry into the household, he would not give her a second glance?

He feared that such words would now seem weak and meaningless in front of Gu Yu Qi. How hypocritical. If he had realised Gu Yu Qi’s worth earlier, he would not have missed out on her for so long. He should not have even married Princess Murong in the first place. Would saying any of this help now? He understood Gu Yu Qi’s character, he could not push her too far. If cornered, there was nothing she would not do.

Yun Ke found that, somehow, he feared her. He was afraid she would be sad, afraid that something would happen to her.

So this was what it was like to be deeply concerned about someone, painful but still with a sweetness to it.

“There have been some small-scale disturbances around the capital,” he said after a long pause, his voice slow, with a silent sigh in his heart. “It is estimated that it will reach the capital in a few days.”

“Yes,” Gu Yu Qi replied, listening calmly. Her expression was neither cold nor warm, which made Yun Ke’s heart ache even more.

Could it be that she really did not care at all?

“I have already temporarily closed my shops in the capital for now to avoid trouble,” Gu Yu Qi added with a nod.

“There is something I would like to ask of you,” Yun Ke said after a moment’s thought.

“Your Highness, just give your orders,” Gu Yu Qi replied.

“You know that there are few people close to this prince,” Yun Ke said, pausing briefly, his expression solemn, “Prince Fu and the Eldest Princess are among those few this prince cares about. This prince found a reason to bring Prince Fu back to the capital, and he is currently staying at the Eldest Princess’ residence. This prince has left a letter to Imperial Aunt, asking her to take you to her residence tomorrow to stay for a few days. This prince knows you are highly skilled in martial arts, so please help protect them.”

The Eldest Princess’ residence had more guards, making it far safer than the Ding Yuan Marquis’ household.

Moreover, Gu Huai Zhong had become very wary of Gu Yu Qi in this lifetime. If chaos broke out, he feared that Gu Huai Zhong would ignore Gu Yu Qi to protect his other children. Although Gu Yu Qi was skilled and had people around her, he still could not feel at ease.

Having her stay at the Eldest Princess’ residence would be much safer.

However, he could not speak about this matter directly to her and he could only convey it in this way. Otherwise, given her stubborn personality, she would likely refuse to go to the Eldest Princess’ residence.

“Yes,” Gu Yu Qi replied, lowering her head.

In her previous life, His Highness Prince Fu had stayed at the Huguo Temple where the guards were lax. He had suffered some injuries during the chaos and had taken a long time to recuperate after returning to the capital. Gu Yu Qi remembered this well. As for the Eldest Princess’ residence, although it had been attacked, she had been unharmed thanks to the protection of numerous guards, she had only experienced some fright but was safe. On the other hand, the Ding Yuan Marquis’ household was well-guarded, as Gu Huai Zhong had been a soldier all his life, ensuring the safety of his family. However, Gu Yu Qi was not part of that family at that time because she had already married into the imperial household.

“Does Your Highness have any further instructions?” Gu Yu Qi asked, her mind clearly elsewhere and not on Yun Ke. She had just been engrossed in a captivating section of her reading when Yun Ke had interrupted her and she found it very annoying.

Yun Ke could hear the detachment in her voice, along with a hint of wanting to dismiss him. He could only gaze at her deeply once more before turning to push open the window.

“No, this prince must return overnight,” he said, emphasising “overnight,” hoping Gu Yu Qi would understand his hard work and keep him a little longer. He placed his hand lightly on the window frame without exerting any real force.

“In that case, this civilian girl will bid farewell to His Highness,” Gu Yu Qi replied lightly.

Ah, she would not even say a single word of concern for him.

Yun Ke’s heart sank further to the very bottom. He pushed the window open with more force and looked back at Gu Yu Qi, saying, “Take care.” Since she would not say it, he would take the initiative.

After all, in only a few days she would be by his side forever. There will be plenty of time in the future.

With that, Yun Ke leapt out of the window resolutely, disappearing into the vast night.

His warhorse waited just beyond the walls of the Ding Yuan Marquis’ residence. Yun Ke mounted swiftly and galloped towards the War Cavalry Camp.

Yun Qing had now taken over Jiangxia City on the pretext of eradicating bandits. He had submitted a request to the court for an expansion of troops, which had yet to receive a response from the Emperor. The so-called expansion would result in a portion of newly formed soldiers becoming his private army. It seemed he, too, was unable to resist returning to the capital.

In fact, in the previous life, Yun Qing had used the Gengzi Rebellion as an excuse to bring his troops back to the capital, and from then on, he had refused to leave.

However, this time, Yun Ke would not allow him to do the same.

In the previous life, Yun Qing’s request to expand the army had been approved by Father the Emperor, but in this life, that request had been stalled, with no sign of being granted. This meant that his Father the Emperor had taken his reports seriously, which gave Yun Ke a sense of relief.

This time, Yun Ke was determined not to give Yun Qing any opportunity. As soon as the Gengzi Rebellion broke out, Yun Ke planned to return to the capital with the War Cavalry Camp to protect the Emperor.

He anticipated a fierce battle ahead and he could not afford any distractions.

Currently, Prince Fu was on his way back to the capital, protected by Du Xia, while Wang Yan would always be by Gu Yu Qi’s side. Both were reliable individuals, so once Gu Yu Qi went to the Eldest Princess’ residence the next day, Yun Ke would have no further worries.

Indeed, as Prince An had said, the Eldest Princess’s residence sent someone to fetch Gu Yu Qi the next day, claiming that the Eldest Princess had fallen ill and hoped that Gu Yu Qi would come to attend to her.

The Eldest Princess had no children, so it was not unusual for her to request the company of her nephew’s future wife when she was unwell. However, Gu Yu Qi had not yet married, and being summoned in this way indicated that she had a special place in the Eldest Princess’ favour, seemingly more esteemed than the future Prince An’s Princess Consort from the Xia family.

When Liu Yue heard that the Eldest Princess was ill and had requested Gu Yu Qi to tend to her, she saw it as an opportunity she could not miss. She hurried to Danxia Courtyard with Gu Si Yu, insisting that Gu Yu Qi take Gu Si Yu along as well.

She was shameless enough, engaging in conversation with Gu Yu Qi without the slightest hint of awkwardness. Gu Yu Qi could not help but mentally applaud her audacity.

Did she not know how much Gu Yu Qi disliked her? And yet, she still dared to make demands.

Originally, Gu Yu Qi had no intention of bringing Gu Si Yu along, but upon reconsideration, she thought about how Prince Fu was also at the Eldest Princess’ residence. It would be good for Gu Si Yu to meet him in advance, especially since she had been saying she was scared.

For Gu Si Yang and Gu Si Yu, Gu Yu Qi still harboured some goodwill.

Seeing that Gu Yu Qi agreed, Liu Yue was overjoyed and hurried off to prepare things for Gu Si Yu. However, Gu Yu Qi said that she would only wait for the time it took for one incense stick to burn. If Gu Si Yu had not appeared by then, she would leave on her own.

Liu Yue hastily agreed but silently cursed Gu Yu Qi inside and out. She knew that when Gu Yu Qi made a statement, she meant it, so she dared not waste time. She immediately returned to prepare for Gu Si Yu.

Liu Yue was thinking for Gu Si Yu. Her daughter was too young.

Being a daughter of a concubine, it was not often that Gu Si Yu got a chance to shine. Though Gu Huai Zhong had once hired a palace tutor to teach the sisters courtly etiquette, Gu Si Yu’s performance had always been underwhelming. In comparison to Gu Yu Qi, they were worlds apart.

Having Gu Si Yu accompany Gu Yu Qi to the Eldest Princess’ residence was to give her exposure to the world. After all, she was destined to be a princess consort, so how could she be afraid of people?

Perhaps with the Eldest Princess’ guidance, after a few days, she might carry herself more like a future lady of the house.

Even though Prince Fu had yet to have any woman by his side due to his frail health, it was not guaranteed he would not have one in the future. If her daughter remained this timid, how could she manage?

Gu Si Yu had once been a lively girl, but the trauma of being abducted by the Rouran people alongside Gu Si Yang had left her with a psychological scar. Gu Yu Qi understood this well.

Gu Si Yang, being a boy, had recovered faster by engaging in his studies and social circles, but Gu Si Yu was different. It was rare for her to go outside, and she had experienced something like that. The traumatic experience had made her more fearful of the outside world. The last time they visited Huguo Temple, she had seemed cheerful, but that was because she had been surrounded by familiar people. On her own, in an unfamiliar environment, Gu Si Yu would likely retreat into her shell.

Liu Yue carefully selected some of Gu Si Yu’s finest clothes and jewellery, packing them up while chattering to Gu Si Yu, “You must observe and learn while you are there. See how others manage a household. And don’t trust your eldest sister’s words. She’s not a good person.”

Gu Si Yu was confused. If her mother kept saying that her eldest sister was not a good person, why would she want her to go out with her?

“Oh, and Prince Fu probably hasn’t seen your eldest sister’s bewitching looks,” Liu Yue suddenly mused, after rambling on for a while. “When you marry into Prince Fu’s household, be more wary of your eldest sister! Men always want what they can’t have!”

“But isn’t Eldest Sister supposed to marry Prince An?” Gu Si Yu asked curiously. “What does that have to do with Prince Fu?”

Liu Yue was slightly startled, then replied, “You silly girl, be more careful. Do you think the imperial family is free from scandals? There have been plenty of cases where fathers took their sons’ wives, or brothers took each other’s concubines. Even though Gu Yu Qi will have a title, she will only be a concubine, not the main wife. If the brothers are close, it’s not unheard of for a concubine to be passed along.”

Liu Yue scolded her further, “You’re so stupid and have no brains. One day, you might end up being deceived by your eldest sister, sold off, and still be thanking her for it.”

“Eldest Sister is not that kind of person,” Gu Si Yu murmured, though fear began to creep into her heart.

“Not that kind of person?” Liu Yue’s voice rose sharply, “She dared to hit your father when she wanted. If she is that bold with her elders, do you think she would hesitate to be harsh with you, her younger half-sister? You foolish girl, are you even my daughter? How can you be so gullible?”

Gu Si Yu was silenced by her mother’s reprimand. She no longer dared to argue with her mother but was left feeling deeply unsettled, uncertain whether to trust Gu Yu Qi or not.