The old lady watched Gu Jianli run off, her light red cloak billowing behind her, and felt a momentary panic. However, this panic was quickly suppressed. She frowned and spoke harshly, “Prince Wuxian? Where is there still a Prince Wuxian? All that remains is the commoner Gu Jingyuan, waiting to be dealt with after the new year! If you keep shouting nonsense, you will be punished!”
“Yes, yes, it was this old servant’s slip of the tongue!” Nanny Song stepped back, bowing her head.
As the only non-royal prince of Great Ji, Gu Jingyuan’s influence was widespread. Nanny Song was so frightened by the sight of him charging into the mansion with a heavy knife that she forgot everything else.
Gu Jianli lifted her skirt and ran along the pathway, the snow-covered scenery on either side quickly receding. The cool winter wind brushed her face, forming white puffs of breath. It felt as if she had returned to her childhood in the palace. Whenever her father went to battle, she always hoped for his safe return. When he did come home, she and her sister would run hand in hand to greet him, their footsteps echoing on the stone path.
Their mother would initially stop them, shaking her head and telling them that this was improper behavior, not befitting of young ladies, and that they would be laughed at for showing themselves in public. But their father would laugh heartily and say, “Who dares to criticize the daughters of this prince? Whether they show themselves in public, ride horses, gamble, or go to the battlefield, who would dare say a word?”
Gu Jianli ran swiftly, hearing only the sound of her own footsteps. Her thoughts were filled with memories of her father’s triumphant returns.
Finally, her father’s figure appeared in her sight.
Dressed in simple cloth robes, his imposing and tall stature could not be concealed. Even the severe injuries and illnesses inflicted by imprisonment did not diminish his aura in the slightest. He held a long knife, unsmiling, moving with the decisive authority of a general with over twenty years of battlefield experience.
The tall Gu Jingyuan took large, steady steps. The men of the Guangping Marquis’s household followed behind him, their steps hurried. Even though the Guangping Marquis’s household members were dressed in luxurious silks and brocades, next to Gu Jingyuan, they seemed dim and insignificant, like mere servants.
Gu Jianli’s pace slowed. Seeing her father for real, she began to doubt herself, wondering if she was dreaming. Her hand at her side clenched tightly. She tried to suppress her emotions, but her eyes still welled up with tears. It seemed that if she blinked, the tears would fall.
“Sister!” Gu Chuan saw Gu Jianli and ran towards her.
The sound of “Sister” made Gu Jianli’s heart skip a beat. When Gu Chuan appeared in front of her, firmly holding her hand, she knew it was real.
Her father was awake. Her father and brother were right in front of her. She was no longer alone, filled with fear and anxiety.
Gu Jianli did not cry. She smiled and softly responded, “Yes, Sister is here.”
Gu Chuan held her hand tightly and turned towards Gu Jingyuan, saying, “Let’s go home!”
Standing before Gu Jingyuan, Gu Jianli had a thousand things to say, but all that came out was a near-whisper, “Father…”
Gu Jingyuan looked at his daughter, who was clearly trying not to cry, and stiffly nodded, patting her shoulder with his broad hand.
“What is the meaning of this?” The Guangping Marquis, having caught up, asked, “On the first day of the new year, you barge into my house with a knife…”
Gu Jingyuan twisted his wrist, and the heavy knife emitted a deep hum. He sneered, his voice booming like thunder, “This knife was bestowed by the late emperor and can be worn in and out of the palace. Do you, a mere Marquis, want me to put it down?”
Gu Jingyuan did not need to get angry; his years of leading troops and fighting battles gave him an imposing presence. Moreover, today, he had come with anger.
“This…” The Marquis of Guangping opened his mouth, unable to find any words to refute, and finally squeezed out from between his teeth, “I dare not.”
Although he said this, he felt somewhat indignant and aggrieved inside. How could Gu Jingyuan, who once had such prestige, still dare to act as he did in the past?
The Marquis of Guangping wanted to assert his status as a royal relative, but when he looked up and saw the murderous expression on Gu Jingyuan’s face, he couldn’t muster the courage. He could only say, “Are you here as a guest today?”
“I’m here to take my daughter home!” Gu Jingyuan grasped Gu Jianli’s wrist.
The Marquis of Guangping, infuriated by Gu Jingyuan’s attitude, blurted out, “She is already married into our family and is one of us now!”
Gu Jingyuan’s tone was firm, “A marriage between two families must first adhere to the parents’ wishes. This marriage was never approved by me, so it doesn’t count! Whether it’s the useless Ji Shao or the half-dead old monster Ji Zhao, neither is worthy of my daughter!”
“You…” The Marquis of Guangping was so angry that he was left speechless.
Without even looking at him, Gu Jingyuan pulled Gu Jianli along and started to leave.
Gu Jianli was slightly taken aback, hesitating for a moment.
Noticing her hesitation, Gu Jingyuan turned to look at her. Gu Jianli bit her lip, her expression a mix of confusion and panic. She stammered, “I-I need to pack my things.”
“No need to pack!”
“There are some things I need to take…” Gu Jianli’s voice trailed off.
Gu Jingyuan gave his daughter a deep look, released her hand, and said, “Quickly then, go and return fast!”
“Okay!” Gu Jianli replied, turning and running back in small steps.
In truth, her father was right; there wasn’t much to pack. Once back, Gu Jianli instructed Jixia to gather the clothes made by Madam Tao, leaving everything else behind.
Standing still, Gu Jianli looked down at the colorful carpet, hesitating for a moment before pushing the door open and entering the inner room. Compared to the clear skies outside, the inner room was always dark.
Wujing was already up, sitting against the headboard with his head lowered. Hearing Gu Jianli enter, he asked hoarsely, “What’s the noise outside?”
“My father has come…” Gu Jianli stopped walking and didn’t move further.
Wujing raised an eyebrow in surprise, “That old guy is still alive?”
Gu Jianli frowned, disliking his way of speaking, and silently retorted in her heart—If you can be alive, why can’t my father?
Wujing lifted his eyes to glance at Gu Jianli standing in the distance and asked, “What did he come here for?”
Gu Jianli’s hand, hidden in her sleeve, tightened slightly as she replied softly, “Father wants to take me home…”
Wujing’s gaze swept over Gu Jianli’s face, noticing the dampness at the corner of her eyes and the rare sparkle of joy in her eyes.
He responded nonchalantly with an “Oh” and said, “Then go ahead and leave.”
Yawning lazily, he added, “It’s good that you’re leaving; it’ll save me a lot of trouble.”
Gu Jianli stood quietly for a long while, then softly replied, “Oh.”
“Bang, bang, bang—” Gu Chuan knocked on the door from outside, “Sister! Jixia has packed everything, let’s go!”
Gu Jianli turned and took only a few steps to reach the door and open it. She placed one hand on the door frame and lifted her skirt with the other as she stepped over the threshold, instinctively looking back.
Gu Chuan grabbed her wrist, impatiently pulling her along, “Father said we need to leave this place quickly!”
Despite his young age, Gu Chuan was surprisingly strong, causing Gu Jianli to stumble slightly as he pulled her. Her glance back caught only a glimpse of the corner of Wujing’s robe.
Gu Jianli was pulled out of the small courtyard by Gu Chuan, and they were met by Ji Xinglan returning from outside. Ji Xinglan, held in Nanny Lin’s arms, blinked and asked, “Where are you going?”
Gu Jianli smiled with her eyes and replied, “I’m going back to my own home.”
Ji Xinglan, not understanding, asked in her soft voice, “Isn’t this your home?”
Gu Jianli shook her head with a smile.
“Oh…” Ji Xinglan nodded slowly and said seriously, “Make sure to wear more clothes, so you don’t catch a cold.”
“Sister, we need to go; Father is waiting for us!” Gu Chuan urged, pulling Gu Jianli again.
Gu Jianli nodded absently and let Gu Chuan lead her away.
Held in Nanny Lin’s arms, Ji Xinglan suddenly turned her head, stretching her neck to shout in her childish voice at Gu Jianli’s departing figure, “Come back soon!”
Gu Jianli’s steps faltered slightly, but she steeled herself and didn’t look back. She walked forward step by step, hearing only her and her brother’s footsteps. However, she felt a sense of disorientation, as if her feet weren’t quite on solid ground.
Was all this real? Was she really going home with her father? She had longed for this day since entering the manor, but now that it had arrived, it felt somewhat unreal.
Ji Xinglan asked Nanny Lin to put her down. Ignoring Nanny Lin’s questions, she ran into the house and peeked through the inner room’s doorway.
“What are you sneaking around for?” Wujing asked.
Ji Xinglan twisted her small body and ran to Wujing, asking innocently, “Daddy, aren’t you going with her for the return visit?”
“Return visit?” Wujing looked at the little girl curiously.
“Yes!” Ji Xinglan nodded vigorously, “I heard from Nanny that on the second day of the new year, the bride visits her family. But today is the first day…”
The little girl frowned, puzzled. She quickly let it go and grabbed Wujing’s hand, saying, “Daddy, even if you can’t go with her, you must bring her back!”
Wujing looked at Ji Xinglan’s chubby hand gripping his, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.
Earlier, the old Marquis had been so confused and infuriated by Gu Jingyuan’s attitude that he had blurted out, “She is already married into our family.” After the initial impulse, he wished Gu Jingyuan would quickly take Gu Jianli away, eager to sever ties with Gu Jingyuan to avoid implicating his family when punishments were handed out after the new year.
The members of the Guangping Marquis’s household all kept their distance, allowing Gu Jingyuan to leave with Gu Jianli.
On this first day of the new year, there were many people and vehicles visiting and paying respects. The snow near the main gate of the Guangping Marquis’s residence had been trampled into a muddy mess by the wheels of carriages.
Gu Jingyuan took a step forward and squatted down in front of Gu Jianli.
Gu Jianli was startled, then quickly shook her head, saying, “There’s no need, I can walk by myself. Carry my brother instead…”
“I don’t need it!” Gu Chuan jumped into the muddy snow without a care, “I’m not afraid of getting dirty like Sister!”
Gu Jianli bit her lip and, like she did when she was a child, climbed onto her father’s back.
Gu Jingyuan stood up, carrying his daughter steadily forward. Usually reticent with his daughters, he spoke in a low voice, “Nan Nan, I couldn’t protect you and let you suffer.”
“Your daughter is fine, not suffering…” Gu Jianli, who had held back her tears for so long, finally let them fall. The tears trickled down her father’s neck, slowly sliding down to his chest. Her tears burned Gu Jingyuan’s chest with a scorching pain.
He stopped and turned to look back at the Guangping Marquis’s residence, his gaze cold and fierce.
He would not forget the grievance against his daughter. Sooner or later, he would raze the Chen family and the Guangping Marquis’s household, leaving no one alive. Regardless of their royal status, he, who could assist an emperor, could also slay a dragon. Changing the country’s name meant nothing to him!
Interesting novel! Great translation!! Love the male lead – he’s so funny & interesting!