Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 80

The door opened again and Yan Zhi curtseyed to Yun Ke at the door, “Young Miss invites Your Highness to come in.”

Only then did Yun Ke step in.

Gu Yu Qi had already washed up and was wearing a bright red dress. Her long hair had been pulled back into a double loop behind her head. Two red ribbons hung down in the midst of her thick, dark hair. She was not wearing makeup, her face plain, but she could not conceal her picturesque features. She also was not wearing any jewellery and was just simply red all over. It made her seem full of vigour and beauty.

A real beauty did not need any decorations and Gu Yu Qi was obviously such a beauty.

“Greetings, Your Highness.” Gu Yu Qi curtseyed properly, then politely gave up her seat. Although she was courteous, there was a touch of alienation and indifference in her every movement and tone of voice.

This made Yun Ke feel uneasy.

Yes, uneasy. Yun Ke could not help but laugh. Whenever he faced Gu Yu Qi, he would become uneasy.

Having been stuck inside the room for a few days, her skin was transparently white and it seemed like those black eyes were even more sharply contrasted.

“I wonder what Your Highness is here for?” After Yan Zhi withdrew after bringing tea, Gu Yu Qi asked.

I just wanted to see you. Yun Ke held back the words in his heart. He picked up the teacup and sipped lightly. He looked at Gu Yu Qi in surprise. This tea was something he had never tasted before and it had a strong rice aroma.

“What kind of tea is this?” Yun Ke asked.

“In reply to Your Highness, I just made some fried rice tea when I had nothing to do.” Gu Yu Qi replied, “If it is not to Your Highness’ liking, this civilian girl will ask Yan Zhi to change it.”

“No need, it’s quite good.” The tea tasted bitter with a strong rice fragrance. After drinking, the fragrance stayed on the palate and it was very smooth.

And then what? Yun Ke lowered his eyes slightly to cover his eyes. What should he say to Gu Yu Qi? Say that he was wrong? And that in the previous life, it was indeed Gu Yu Qi who had come up with the prescription, it was indeed Gu Yu Qi who had scoured through books without eating or sleeping for days because she wanted to save him?

“This prince sent Du Xia to Jiangnan.” Yun Ke said softly after thinking for a while. He did not realise that his tone of voice towards Gu Yu Qi no longer held his usual coldness.

Gu Yu Qi did not move and just stood there with her hands down. It seemed like Du Xia was just a stranger to her.

“You’re not asking why this prince sent Du Xia to Jiangnan?” Yun Ke saw that Gu Yu Qi did not respond and could not help but ask one more question.

“Where Your Highness sends who is Your Highness’ business. This civilian girl is not qualified to question.” Gu Yu Qi said lightly.

Yun Ke was slightly taken aback. Gu Yu Qi being so cold really left him at a loss. He was used to her obsessiveness, even her anger, but the Gu Yu Qi standing in front of him now was a Gu Yu Qi who had completely isolated herself from him. She was impeccably courteous and he could not find a single fault with her.

In front of her, Yun Ke returned to the previous life like he was in a trance. He was the lofty emperor and standing in front of him were his ministers. He would ask one thing, and his ministers would answer one thing. There were no mistakes, but it was also boring.

In order to not let Du Xia be in much contact with Gu Yu Qi, Yun Ke had simply given Du Xia a task to hurry to Jiangnan overnight and get in touch with the Liang family. He had to deliver the letter to the head of the Liang family within five days.

To go from here to Jiangnan, it would take seven days even at top speed. Five days was indeed a bit difficult for Du Xia, but Yun Ke knew Du Xia would definitely complete the task.

The Liang family had not received a reply from Liang-shi for a long time. They probably felt that Liang Huai Yu did not have the cure for the plague at all so they did not urge her again. However, Liang Huai Yu’s early warning about the flood made the Liang family’s losses much smaller.

The current patriarch of the Liang family is Liang Huai Yu’s elder cousin, Huai Jin. After taking over the Liang family, his ambition was strong and he wanted this century old family to leave Jiangnan and return to the capital. He thought over it a lot, but after leaving the capital for so many years coupled with the death of the general, the Liang family had even less contact with the capital. He originally wanted to use Liang Huai Yu, but the news came back that Liang Huai Yu and the Ding Yuan Marquis had divorced. It annoyed him very much so when he first received Liang Huai Yu’s letter, he burned it after reading it.

However, it rained heavily and the flood Liang Huai Yu mentioned was very likely to happen so he took some measures. When the flood occurred, he remembered the plague that his clan sister Liang Huai Yu mentioned in her letter. After the catastrophe, there would be a great plague. Now that the first thing Liang Huai Yu mentioned had happened, it was likely the plague would happen. This was why he quickly wrote back to Liang Huai Yu and promised her that if she handed over the prescription, he would guarantee Gu Yu Qi’s return to the Liang clan and recognise Gu Yu Qi as a daughter of the clan.

Having that prescription was a stepping stone for the Liang family to return to the capital.

Unfortunately, after waiting for so long, Liang Huai Yu’s reply did not come. Instead, a mysterious boy arrived, bringing a letter that made him shut himself in the study for a whole day.

The letter contained many things, including a detailed introduction to the situation in the capital, the delicate relationship between the princes, and the writer also revealed to him a certain future. This made his heart skip a beat for a long time. After a whole day of contemplating, he decided to give it a go.

Wealth and prosperity are often sought when in danger. He realised that he had been too naive previously. Even if he had the prescription, it was impossible for it to reach His Majesty’s hands directly! The letter had clearly outlined the pros and cons, making him break out in a cold sweat of shock. What surprised him even more was that the sender seemed to know that Liang Huai Yu had already communicated with him through letters, and they were aware of the content of those letters. The sender also told him that if he were to side with them in the future, he would give the Liang family a bright future.

The next day, he could not wait any longer and sent someone to invite the mysterious young man, agreeing to the matters mentioned in the letter. It was only then that the young man revealed to him that his master was none other than the relatively unknown Prince An, Yun Ke.

In the midst of his astonishment, Liang Huai Jin could not help but deeply contemplate the situation. After careful consideration, he became convinced of what he had in mind. How could a seemingly idle prince have such a thorough understanding of the political situation in the capital? And how could he plan so far into the future? His low profile was only temporary. He believed that Yun Ke would undoubtedly achieve the grand plans he spoke of. He could almost envision the future glory of the Liang family.

Sometimes, opportunities came in such simple ways. As long as one had courage and determination, they would not miss out.

Gu Yu Qi calmly observed Yun Ke, waiting quietly. As long as he did not speak, she would not say anything else. Yun Ke sighed quietly in his heart.

After not seeing her for a few days, she appeared somewhat thinner. Her slender figure highlighted her distinctive facial features even more. Yun Ke gazed deeply at Gu Yu Qi, attempting to overlap her with the person she used to be. After a long while, he sighed deeply. The person before him would never again be the young girl who used to look at him with admiration in her eyes.

She was still dressed in red, but the arrogance and pride that were once present in her eyes had faded away, as if all the light had been taken away and she was aloof from the world. Within her gaze and brows, there was an indescribable depth and refinement.

“Your illness…” Yun Ke coughed lightly and asked slowly.

“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I’ve recovered significantly,” Gu Yu Qi’s tone remained indifferent, as if the person standing before her was not Yun Ke but someone unfamiliar.

“This prince has already spread the information that you’ve found the cure for the plague,” Yun Ke continued.

As he expected, a crack finally appeared on Gu Yu Qi’s calm and unwavering face. Her brows furrowed slightly for a brief moment before she regained her composure.

Gu Yu Qi could not understand why Yun Ke was doing this. In her previous life, she had indeed gone to great lengths to find the cure back then, but it was for him. At that time, she had been willing to endure any hardship for him. However, in this life, she only wanted to live peacefully. She had no desire for any attention or recognition. On the contrary, she hoped to remain inconspicuous and forgotten by others.

“Why didn’t you explain to me about what happened that night?” Yun Ke saw Gu Yu Qi’s mild surprise and continued when she did not respond, “On that night, you caused a commotion in the capital, and you banished yourself from the marquis’s residence. Why didn’t you explain the reasons to me?”

All the people he sent out had already gathered clear information about what had happened that night. When the answers were presented before him, he had indescribable emotions in his heart.

It turned out that Gu Yu Qi had banished herself from the marquis’s residence, and the cause behind it all was Gu Yu Qi’s own mother. The Ding Yuan Marquis, who appeared loyal and virtuous, had concealed a concubine and children outside for ten years. If Yun Ke had not been interested in Gu Yu Qi and investigated, he might have been kept in the dark like everyone else by the Ding Yuan Marquis Gu Huai Zhong.

Thinking about it, both mother and daughter had temperaments of the same kind. They were both strong-willed and extreme. In her previous life, Gu Yu Qi had set herself on fire due to despair while in this life, Liang Huai Yu had shocked the entire capital by divorcing her husband, Gu Huai Zhong, for the sake of her daughter.

“That was just a trivial matter concerning this civilian daughter’s family and need not concern Your Highness,” Gu Yu Qi slightly furrowed her brows, instantly understanding. Yun Ke had specifically dispatched people to investigate the events of that night.

Gu Yu Qi’s indifference left Yun Ke’s heart dull. How could he not be concerned?

In the past, due to various misunderstandings, he had already lost her once. Did the heavens give him a chance to live again, only to become the emperor once more? If that were the case, he would rather quietly lie in that cold and magnificent tomb. At least Gu Yu Qi’s ashes were beneath the coffin and they could be together forever.

In his previous life, he owed her so much. In this life, he would make up for everything one by one. He would slowly restore Gu Yu Qi’s reputation and give her everything she wanted, as long as he could achieve it. Even for the things he could not accomplish, he would defy the heavens if necessary.

“The throne” was now just two vague words to Yun Ke. In his previous life, he ruled over the entire Qi dynasty, but what was hidden behind that seemingly glorious life? It was decades of exhausting efforts, it was nights of troubled dreams, and it was a perpetually solitary and helpless existence.

He had lived countless years alone, sitting on that icy throne, gazing upon the world with cold eyes. In that state, he had never truly experienced happiness.

His heart grew harder and colder with time, until all that remained was the memory of that beautiful yet despairing face in the flames. In the end, he could hardly think of anyone else.

Yun Ke stood up and walked slowly towards Gu Yu Qi. She took a step back, raising her eyes and looking at him with a hint of wariness. Her demeanour caused another pang of pain in his heart.

It seemed like he had grown accustomed to this kind of pain because whenever she was involved, he would be like this.

“Ah Nan,” he said gently, using what he thought was the softest tone, calling Gu Yu Qi by her nickname.

In his previous life, he had never known that Gu Yuqi’s childhood name was Ah Nan. In this life, he had heard Liang Huai Yu call her by that name. He realised that the woman in front of him actually had such an endearing nickname.

“Your Highness, that’s just the name my mother uses to address this civilian girl,” Gu Yu Gi’s brows furrowed deeply just as he had anticipated, as she replied displeased.

Finally, there was an emotion other than indifference. Yun Ke let out a low sigh in his heart. He wanted to reach out and stroke Gu Yu Qi’s long hair, but she quickly recoiled, moving back two steps until she was against the wall with no more space to retreat. “Your Highness, please have restraint.”

It seemed that he was still scaring her.

“Don’t be afraid of this prince, alright?” Yun Ke took a deep breath, saying words he could never have spoken in his previous life, “Don’t avoid me.” The first sentence was a plea, while the second one carried a commanding tone.

He could tell that Gu Yu Qi would definitely avoid him. If possible, she would vanish from his sight as quickly as she could, running far away, making sure he could never find her again.

He would not allow it, absolutely could not allow that to happen.

As long as she was still by his side, he had a chance to mend everything between them. If she left or if he let her go, he knew he would lose her completely.

Call him ruthless or heartless, he would never let go.

In the previous life, he had hurt her deeply, so deeply. In this life, he would take it upon himself to cherish her, to protect her. He had been really stupid in the previous life. He had clearly already fallen in love with her, but had let her slip away because of ridiculous reasons and misunderstandings.

His arrogance, stubbornness, self-centeredness, and dismissive attitude after ascending the throne had caused him to miss out on the person he had already fallen deeply in love with, the person who loved him just as deeply.

He also understood why he had not proclaimed Zhang Wan Yi as empress after Gu Yu Qi’s death, even though it had been the expected choice.

He even understood why he had left the throne empty for so many years until his own passing. He had been waiting, waiting for that position, for that person, and it could only be Gu Yu Qi. Deep down, even if he had refused to admit it, he had been wrong.

One wrong step led to many more wrongs. A single misunderstanding persisted into countless more. By not giving her a chance, he had not given himself a chance either.

But, thank the heavens, they were both given a chance to be reborn.

Yun Ke gazed at Gu Yu Qi’s furrowed brows. If he could, he wished to pull her into his embrace, to smooth away the discontent and sorrow between her brows. He wanted to tell her the three words she had always said to him in his past life, “I love you.”

However, he could not do that yet.

His wings had not fully grown and he could not yet offer the best to Gu Yu Qi. So he had to endure, he had to wait.

In this moment, even compared to his past life, Yun Ke longed for himself to ascend to that position that stood above everything else. The pinnacle of power.

Only when he became stronger could he better protect Gu Yu Qi and give her everything in the world.