Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 146

Had the Gengzi Rebellion come to an end? It was like waking from a fleeting yet unforgettable nightmare.

This lifetime’s Gengzi Rebellion left a more profound impression on Gu Yu Qi compared to the last. However, in the previous life, the Gengzi Rebellion had lasted over several days, while in this life, it had lasted only a single night. But of course, Yun Ke had prepared meticulously. How could he possibly allow Yun Qing any chance to arrive first? Before the Jiangxia forces could even arrive, he had already marched in with the War Cavalry Camp under his command. In the previous life, Yun Ke did not yet have control over theWar Cavalry Camp at this period in time. Clearly, he had put in significant effort beforehand. In the previous life, he had been trapped in the capital just like her.

This time, Yun Ke had first handed over the Ministry of War’s affairs to Yun Yi, lulling him into complacency. Then, he accepted the seemingly trivial duty of training the War Cavalry Camp, a task that appeared disadvantageous but actually granted him a tremendous advantage.

By the time Yun Yi realised what was happening in this life, it was far too late.

Gu Yu Qi held her spear as she stood silently behind the Eldest Princess. Her gaze was fixed blankly on the palace gates as they opened one after another, layer upon layer, from near to far. Through the opened palace gates and under the golden glow of dawn, a man clad in dark armour rode forth slowly on horseback. Behind him followed a vast army, disciplined and orderly under his command.

In her previous life, Gu Yu Qi had witnessed Yun Ke’s striking figure on horseback.

It could be said that the heavens truly favoured this man. Not only was he blessed with an extraordinary appearance, but he also held the most exalted position in the realm. Yet heaven was also fair, for while he had everything, he was lacking in emotions.

Gu Yu Qi sighed deeply in her heart. The chaos had ended and it was time for her to retreat gracefully.

As the Eldest Princess walked forward to greet Yun Ke, Gu Yu Qi quietly stepped back.

Gu Yu Qi understood that whether in her past life or this one, there was no place for her by his side.

In her previous life, she had exhausted herself trying to catch his attention, but his gaze toward her had remained cold and distant. Everything she did was likely nothing more than a joke to him. No matter how sincere she had been, he had always regarded her to be lying.

The only one capable of catching his eye was the “white lotus” Zhang Wan Yi. Even though she had been someone else’s wife, he had defied all objections and brought Zhang Wan Yi into the palace after her husband’s death. Zhang Wan Yi was the one he cherished the most, while Gu Yu Qi had been no more than a plaything at best.

In this life, their relationship was one of mutual benefit. She made money for him and in return, she used his power to save her mother, securing her freedom and a life of wealth and honour.

So, in this moment of triumph, what difference did her presence or absence make?

As Gu Yu Qi quietly withdrew, no one noticed the figure of a red-clad woman walking alone through the streets of the capital.

She did not know how far she had walked before it dawned on Gu Yu Qi that in this vast world, there was nowhere she could actually go.

The heavens were desolate, and so was she.

Gu Yu Qi wanted to laugh, but a trace of sorrow lingered. She felt like a mere passerby, watching the capital gradually awaken while she herself was at a loss.

Gu Yu Qi looked back and saw Wang Yan and Du Xia silently trailing behind her.

“I… would like to be alone for a while. Is that all right?” Gu Yu Qi sighed softly.

“This subordinate will not disturb Miss,” Wang Yan and Du Xia replied almost in unison.

Gu Yu Qi could only smile helplessly. Indeed, they had their duties. Their responsibility was to protect her.

“Is my mother well?” Gu Yu Qi asked.

“Miss, this subordinate went to check on Madam last night. Madam is well, so Miss need not worry,” Wang Yan replied.

“Thank you very much.” She knew her mother would be safe in Ximu Alley, but asking gave her peace of mind.

“It is this subordinate’s duty,” Wang Yan said.

Gu Yu Qi nodded again and continued walking forward lifelessly.

Du Xia’s voice drifted to her ears, “The capital is still dangerous. Please, Miss, do not wander around anymore.”

“Oh.” Gu Yu Qi stopped in her tracks. She was not a stubborn person, nor did she wish to trouble others. If they said it was unsafe, she might as well return. But where should she return to? Taking a deep breath, Gu Yu Qi turned and started walking towards Ding Yuan Marquis’ residence.

No matter what, it was still a place where she could find temporary shelter.

The Ding Yuan Marquis’ residence had been looted like the other noble estates. The main gates stood wide open. Bloodstains and other marks of desecration marred the walls. Inside, the mansion was in disarray, the maids were nowhere to be seen, and a few servants were silently tidying up with their pressions numb. Upon seeing Gu Yu Qi enter, they finally showed a flicker of reaction.

“Where is everyone else?” Gu Yu Qi asked.

“They are inside. The Marquis and Concubine Liu are safe, but Young Master has been injured,” a servant quickly replied.

Following the servant’s guidance, Gu Yu Qi made her way to the inner rooms. She found Gu Huai Zhong sitting dazedly to one side, still gripping a bloodstained spear in his hand. Liu Yue sat crying while Gu Si Yang lay on the bed, his leg heavily bandaged in layers of gauze.

At the sound of footsteps at the door, Gu Huai Zhong instinctively tightened his grip on the spear. Upon seeing that it was Gu Yu Qi, he slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

“You’re… all right?” Gu Huai Zhong hesitated before asking, his gaze flickering to Wang Yan and Du Xia behind her. These two had probably been tasked with protecting Gu Yu Qi. But where was Gu Si Yu? Gu Huai Zhong suddenly leapt up. “Where is your sister?! What have you done with her?”

Gu Huai Zhong’s abrupt movement prompted Liu Yue to jump up as well. She rushed to Gu Yu Qi’s side, looking around everywhere but finding no trace of Gu Si Yu.

“Where’s Si Yu?! How is she?” She grabbed Gu Yu Qi’s arm like crazy and shook her forcefully, “Didn’t she go to the princess’s mansion with you? Why didn’t she come back with you?”

“She’s fine,” Gu Yu Qi replied, impatiently brushing Liu Yue’s hand away. Her gaze shifted to Gu Si Yang. She was exhausted and had no desire to argue with Liu Yue. She should not have returned alone. Inwardly, she laughed coldly.

“Eldest Sister.” Gu Si Yang struggled to sit up, but Gu Yu Qi pressed him back down. If there was one person in this family who genuinely cared for her, it was Gu Si Yang. Gu Yu Qi sighed heavily.

“What happened to your leg?”

“It’s nothing, I was just cut by someone,” Gu Si Yang replied, smiling with a pale face.

“You still call this nothing?!” Liu Yue screamed again, sharp and loud. Gu Yu Qi could not help but turn her head slightly to the side, her voice was so loud. “His leg tendon was severed! We don’t even know if he can ever walk again!” After saying that, she burst into tears again and began pounding on Gu Huai Zhong’s chest, “It’s all your fault! I told you to come back earlier, but you refused. Now our son is crippled! And all the money in the house has been stolen!”

“Enough! How annoying are you? Even at this time, all you think about is money, money, money!” Gu Huai Zhong was fed up with Liu Yue’s tirade. He bellowed and shoved her aside. “Watch over your mistress!” he snapped at the maids before grabbing his spear and storming out of the room.

Gu Yu Qi noticed the dimming light in Gu Si Yang’s eyes. She said to him softly, “Don’t worry. We’ll have an imperial physician examine you.”

“An imperial physician?” Liu Yue’s sharp voice grated against Gu Yu Qi’s ears again, causing her to frown slightly. Did she have to be so loud? She was not deaf.

“Do you even know how busy the imperial physicians are right now?! Where do you think we can find one?” After speaking, Liu Yue suddenly clutched Gu Yu Qi’s arm again, “Wait, aren’t you Prince An’s concubine? I heard it was His Highness Prince An who led the troops to rescue the capital. You go and ask him to send an imperial physician! Go quickly!”

Liu Yue’s nails dug painfully into Gu Yu Qi’s arm and for a moment, she truly wanted to kick the woman across the room. However, she restrained herself in Gu Si Yang’s presence.

Even Gu Si Yang who was lying on the bed felt that his mother was being too unreasonable. Gu Yu Qi’s exhaustion was evident in the faint dark circles under her eyes. When his eldest sister had entered, she was holding a spear and she had a few bloodstains on her body. She had clearly been fighting the enemy. Gu Si Yang could not help but admire his eldest sister. As a woman, she could fight for the nation while he, despite years of study, was utterly useless against the ruthless bandits.

“Mother, stop it. Eldest Sister is already very tired!” Gu Si Yang spoke up, displeased.

“Tired my foot!” Liu Yue snapped. She really could not stand her son. The situation was already like this, but he was still speaking for Gu Yu Qi. Did he not want his leg anymore? “She’s just been staying at the Princess’ palace, why would she be tired?! She had so many people protecting her!”

“Enough. I’ll go.” Gu Yu Qi could not be bothered to argue further. If it were Liu Yue who was injured, she would have left them without a second thought. But since it was Gu Si Yang, she rose to her feet and headed for the door.

“I told you she would find a way,” Liu Yue exclaimed, her joy evident as she plopped down beside her son and grasped his hand, “Don’t worry. Your eldest sister will definitely bring back an imperial physician to tend to your leg.”

“Mother, you are really too much,” Gu Si Yang said helplessly, his gaze following Gu Yu Qi’s solitary figure as she walked away. A surge of inexplicable sadness welled up within him. His eldest sister’s silhouette seemed so frail and lonely.

Du Xia and Wang Yan had been silently observing the entire scene. They exchanged glances, both seeing the same helplessness mirrored in each other’s eyes.

Du Xia had always known that Gu Yu Qi’s relationship with her family was strained, but he had not realised it was this bad. Unfortunately, as a mere guard, all he could do was silently watch Gu Yu Qi, unable to do anything for her.. From the moment he saw her again at the Princess’ palace until now, a profound sense of helplessness had lingered in Du Xia’s heart.

He desperately wanted to pull the person walking ahead of him into his arms and gently assure her that from now on, he would take care of everything. But what qualifications did he have? He had no power, no influence, nothing at all…

“If you are tired, please rest for a while. This subordinate can go and bring back the imperial physician,” Du Xia hesitated before speaking up.

Gu Yu Qi stopped and looked back at Du Xia. The young man’s eyes were clear and sincere, with a deep concern that made Gu Yu Qi’s almost frozen heart feel a glimmer of warmth.

“Mhmm. Thank you,” Gu Yu Qi nodded.

She did not want to face Yun Ke herself anyway. It would be better to let Du Xia go. She trusted that Du Xia would definitely bring back an imperial physician.

Du Xia turned and left. This was all he could do for Gu Yu Qi… However, in the future, he would definitely be able to do much, much more.