Give Him a Slap to the Face!
Yu Fu did not know where she was. It was as if she was in a dream in some distant land.
In this dream, she seemed to have returned to a distant time and space. She saw an old man with a white beard dressed in white clothes carrying a medicine gourd and walking along a busy street.
The old man was relaxedly smiling and would occasionally raise his head to look up and observe the sky. His expression suddenly became solemn, as he muttered under his breath, “It was nice to meet here today. Since it was fated, I should help him.”
The old man’s figure became a blur, as he rushed toward the palace’s gates like the wind. He laughed and said to the guards: “Go and report to your ruler that the Deity of Medicine, Xun Chi, has come to visit.”
“Deity of Medicine?”
Before the guard could react, Xun Chi helplessly shook his head, “Forget it. The child could be born by the time that you’ve reported to your emperor. It would be better if I just went in!”
After saying this, he disappeared into thin air in front of everyone. The guards were completely stupefied and only remembered the most pressing matter after a long moment, “Quickly! Quickly go in and report to His Majesty!”
The scene shifted to a magnificent hall inside a palace. A middle-aged man in dragon robes quickly rushed over but was stopped by a palace maid at the entrance to the hall.
“Your Majesty, you must not go in. The delivery room is ominous!”
The man who had been addressed as Your Majesty waved his hand and pushed the palace maid to the side, “Who cares about ominous or not, the empress is having a difficult delivery. How can We just sit idly by?”
After saying this, he ignored everyone’s pleas and strode into the hall.
Inside, the empress’ forehead was soaked with sweat, as she cried out in pain, “Your Majesty! If this wife cannot safely deliver this child, you must promise this wife that you will do everything in your power to protect this child!”
His Majesty held her hand, “No, We are here, and We will not allow anything to happen to you! You and your child need to be well. This is Our first child with you. Regardless of whether it’s a boy or a girl, they will become Northern Li’s next ruler!”
These words caused everyone in the hall to feel shocked. Since the empress was also dealing with a difficult delivery, they were even more cautious. Regardless of what the empress did, she could not deliver the child.
Her breath was becoming thin and weak. A sudden gust of wind came from outside of the hall, as Xun Chi laughed loudly, “I came at the right time. Everyone, stand aside. Let me deliver the little girl!”
The emperor looked at the old man in white robes that looked vaguely divine and was extremely shocked, “This mountain man… who is he?”
A guard following behind gasped for air and reported: “Your Majesty, this person claims to be the Deity of Medicine, Xun Chi. When he walks, he moves like the wind. This subordinate truly could not stop him!”
The scene changed once more, as Xun Chi held the newborn child in his arms. Emperor and empress were both exceptionally happy, “Many thanks, Deity of Medicine. It’s thanks to Deity of Medicine that empress and princess were able to get through the childbirth safely. Deity of Medicine, how did you know that the empress was pregnant with a daughter?”
Xun Chi held the child and patted her, muttering: “While passing through the capital, I noticed that the skies seemed abnormal, thus I knew that a future leading figure of this continent was about to be born and came to congratulate you.”
“What? A future leading figure of this continent?”
The emperor was extremely shocked, and Xun Chi laughed, “Your Majesty, in accordance with the instructions of your ancestors, you have been working toward uniting the three countries, but you just have not had that opportunity. What, now that I said that this child will unite the continent, is Your Majesty unhappy?”
“No, no, no, of course not!”
The emperor let out a faint sigh, “The instructions left behind by my ancestors is no small task. Northern Li has accumulated a strong army over the course of many generations; however, We have been unable to send troops to Western Kun and Eastern Ling. It’s not that We don’t dare. It’s that We are worried that sending out troops would cause too much bloodshed and the citizens will be displaced. We initially thought that there would come a day when the three countries would be united while We were still alive. We did not think that Deity of Medicine would tell Us that this important task would fall to Our daughter. She is so small and so soft. How could We be willing to leave this task to her?”
Xun Chi closed his eyes slightly, handing the child to the emperor, “The heavens naturally have their ways that people cannot understand. There is one more thing that I must tell Your Majesty and the empress. This child is born to accomplish great things but is also destined to be in danger. Many years later, the imperial family of Northern Li will go through great hardship. This child cannot stay in the country. Allow me to bring her back to Immortals Valley.”
“No, don’t take my child away!”
The empress, who had endured a difficult childbirth, lay in bed and could faintly hear Xun Chi. She subconsciously reached out to try and stop him, “Deity of Medicine, I beg you to not take away my child. I am already 35 years of age, but this is my only child. She is my first child, and she will be my only child!”
The emperor seemed to realize something, as he sat down next to the empress, “Empress, the child was delivered by the Deity of Medicine. Could it be that you don’t trust him? If Northern Li’s imperial family is destined to go through hardship, keeping the child here will just put her in danger. It would be better to have her go with the Deity of Medicine, no?”
Xun Chi faintly nodded, “Uniting the continent is a mission handed down through Northern Li’s imperial family over many generations. I want to give a helping hand, as I cannot bear to watch the three countries continue to fight, while the citizens continue to suffer. I will definitely take good care of this child and allow her to grow into someone worthy of being the leading figure of this world.”
The empress’ tears flowed down her face. She was filled with reluctance to let go of her daughter, but she also understood that this was the best choice for the child.
Xun Chi placed the swaddling clothes next to her pillow, “If you two are unwilling to part with the princess, give her a name.”
The emperor took a few steps outside and looked out through the bedroom door. He saw the colorful clouds scattered across the sky, forming a scattered but magnificent scene, thus he said: “When the clouds disperse, the plum branches spread. Let us name her Yu Fu!”*
…
“Eldest brother!”
Yu Fu suddenly woke from her dream, and the first thing that she saw was Yue Hu’s face. Behind her were Gu HanMo and the others.
“She’s awake, she’s awake. Yu Fu woke up!”
Gu Yi happily shouted, and Yu Fu furrowed her brow, “I remember that immediately after second brother left with the people from the Imperial Court of Justice, a messenger from the army came to report. He… He said that eldest brother died in battle?”
She thought that this had also been a dream like the scene about her birth. Both were just distant and unknowable things.
Gu ShuBai was so proficient in martial arts, and he was just as proficient in military strategy and tactics. How could he have died in battle?
Yue Hu uneasily averted her gaze, while Gu HanMo tightly furrowed his brow. Gu WenQing and the others deliberately avoided her gaze, seemingly not daring to talk to her.
Yu Fu’s heart sank, finally understanding that it had not been a dream. It was reality.
She lowered her head and did not speak. The more they waited, the more worried they became, and Gu Yi was the first to find the silence unbearable and was about to speak. Yu Fu suddenly raised her head, “Where’s the report? Let me take a look. I refuse to believe that he’s really dead.”
Gu HanMo stared at her for a long time. Over the course of just two hours, Yu Fu had fainted from hearing about Gu ShuBai’s death to being completely calm. Her change left everyone feeling overwhelmed.
He confirmed that Yu Fu could indeed handle this matter and pulled the letter from his sleeve. Yu Fu quickly received it and read it over from beginning to end.
While she read it, Gu WenQing explained, “The report says that it was Western Kun’s border guards that attacked at night, and the Gu family’s army was caught off-guard. Though the situation was rectified, and the attack was repelled, eldest brother…”
Yu Fu said: “Where’s the body? Why is there nothing on here about the body?”
Gu HanMo suppressed the feeling in his chest and said: “I asked the messenger, and he said that someone heard the sound of fighting inside eldest brother’s tent. When the situation finally came under control, they found that there was nothing there except a giant pool of blood on the ground. Eldest brother’s body… it might have been taken away by Kun WuShang’s people.”
“Without a corpse, we cannot say that he is dead. He won’t die. He definitely won’t!”
Yu Fu lifted her blanket and tried to get out of bed, “I want to go to the border to look for him. If he’s alive, I want to see him. If he’s dead, I want to see the body. Head general will definitely agree… Where’s head general?”
Gu Xiang said with difficulty: “Yu Fu, after father heard the contents of the report, he coughed up blood. Fortunately, Yue Hu was there to help him. Eldest brother does need to be found, but you can’t personally go to look for him. Two pieces of bad news have already come at once, father is already exhausted enough. How could he endure seeing you leave now?”
Yu Fu was confused and said: “Two pieces of bad news? What else is there?”
Gu Xiang knew that he had misspoken and looked around. Gritting his teeth, he said: “In the two hours that you have been unconscious, the Imperial Court of Justice has sent another group. Second brother has already been locked up by the Imperial Court of Justice, and they are still trying to summon father. They only left Marquis Gu’s Manor after seeing father cough up blood…”
At this moment, Marquis Gu’s Manor was in a storm.
Yu Fu sat back down in a heap, as countless thoughts emerged in her mind. She did her best to suppress thoughts about Gu ShuBai dying in battle and forced herself to calm down to sort out her thoughts.
The usually quiet Gu HanMo smiled at her, “If we had known that things would be like this, I would not have allowed second brother to go to the Imperial Court of Justice. If second brother was at the manor, at the very least, we could come up with a plan. But I, as your elder brother, am useless. At this time, I am powerless and cannot help father, nor can I protect you guys.”
Gu WenQing hastily said: “How can third brother say that? You have always focused your training on martial arts and nothing else. It’s because of this that father would bring you to battle and the late emperor would confer you a military rank. How could you say that you’re useless?”
Yue Hu also chimed in: “That’s right, that’s right. This isn’t the time to be feeling guilty. Three cobblers working together can outsmart Zhuge Liang, so let’s work together to think of a plan. The people from the Imperial Court of Justice can be back at any time! At that time, if they aren’t here to summon Marquis Gu and are instead here to arrest Marquis Gu, what would we do?”
“Senior disciple sister is right.”
Yu Fu let out a long sigh, finally managing to clear up her thoughts, “We have to set out priorities. Let’s take care of things one thing at a time. Senior disciple sister, head general’s condition isn’t serious, right?”
Yue Hu said: “Don’t worry. It was just a result of being overwhelmed with emotion. As long as he obediently takes his medicine, he will be back to normal within a week. During this time, he cannot go and sit in prison.”
Prison would not have medicine, nor would it provide him with a good place to recover. If GU HuaiJiang went to prison, his condition would surely get worse and worse.
Yu Fu nodded, “The most pressing matter at hand is head general’s health. Before head general has recovered, we absolutely cannot allow the Imperial Court of Justice to take him away. Third brother, please visit the Yan Manor and Huo Manor to invite the generals to Marquis Gu’s Manor.”
Yu Fu’s tone did not contain any doubt, and Gu HanMo subconsciously start to walk out when he suddenly realized that the one who had given the order was not Gu HuaiJiang or Gu ShuBai.
He turned back and looked at Yu Fu, “Why?”
Yu Fu said: “First, it’s to prevent the other generals from acting rashly in a panic. Marquis Gu’s Manor is already in this situation, so we cannot have the other generals get implicated. Second, if the other generals can come to sit in the manor, it might shock the people from the Imperial Court of Justice. As long as it’s not His Majesty giving the decree, I think that nobody would dare to try and take head general away from under the eyes of so many generals.”
“Yes! I will go immediately!”
Yu Fu then said to Gu WenQing: “Fourth brother, please visit the Ji Manor and Chen Manor. Ask the loyal officials in court who support head general to write letters to His Majesty. Even if His Majesty has been blinded by Yin Shuo and won’t listen to his officials, at the very least, it will offer a bit of resistance.”
Gu WenQing said: “Understood, but old Lord Ji has been ill for a long time. Will he really want to make an appearance?”
Yu Fu said: “I trust that he will. He is expressing his disappointment in His Majesty by claiming to be ill. He’s hiding his strength and biding his time, thus he decided to pretend to be ignorant of what is happening around him. With Marquis Gu’s Manor facing this sort of situation, I think that he will definitely make an appearance!”
“Then I will go right now!”
Gu WenQing quickly walked out, and Gu Xiang and Gu Yi were reluctant to be left behind, “Then what about us? What can we do?”
Yu Fu sat up and put her shoes on, saying while walking: “The manor has many affairs to tend to, and they will be given to fifth brother and sixth brother to handle. Our elder brothers are all too busy with other matters to take care of the manor’s affairs. Head general is also sick, so we can only rely on you now.”
Yue Hu said: “Yu Fu, then what about you?”
“I have to pay the Imperial Court of Justice a visit to see second brother’s situation. Eldest brother’s situation is unclear, but nothing must be allowed to happen to second brother.”
…
Princess ZhenJiang’s carriage stopped outside of the Imperial Court of Justice’s main gate. The guards saw it from far away and immediately rushed inside to report. Liu Zhen sat at his desk and delightedly jutted out his chin, “Isn’t that Princess ZhenJiang really arrogant? His Majesty conferred her the position of empress, yet she did not want it, and she even caused the death of my daughter!”
He sneered, “Today, it’s finally her turn to come and plead with this official. This is truly heartwarming. Hahaha!”
The carriage came to a stop, and Yao Lan subconsciously wanted to lift the carriage’s curtain, but her hand was grabbed by Yu Fu before she could reach the curtain, “No, we won’t be getting out yet.”
“We aren’t getting out?”
Yao Lan cast a puzzled look at her, and Yu Fu leaned close and whispered something into her ear. Yao Lan immediately understood.
She cleared her throat and lifted the curtain, “Princess ZhenJiang has arrived. Why hasn’t the chief investigator from the Imperial Court of Justice come to receive her?”
Everyone in the Imperial Court of Justice knew that she had come because Gu JiuGe had been detained, and they were waiting to watch the grudge between her and Liu Zhen play out. Who knew that not only would Yu Fu not come to plead, but she would actually put on such airs.
The subordinates from the Imperial Court of Justice looked at each other. For a while, they did not know what to do. Yao Lan furrowed her brow, “Impudence! Is our princess unable to order you around, is that it? Be careful that you don’t end up getting executed and fed to the dogs!”
One person muttered, “Marquis Gu’s Manor is almost done for. What is an adopted daughter like her acting so arrogant for? She should be pleading for forgiveness, yet she still puts on such airs…”
Another person immediately poked his arm, shutting him up, “Stop that nonsense. She’s the one that His Majesty wants to make the empress. As long as she’s willing to agree, she will be the mother of the country. Whether Marquis Gu’s Manor falls or not, it won’t have any impact on princess. Why haven’t you gone in to report to Lord Liu?”
“Hah, I’ll go now!”
Liu Zhen was in the middle of fantasizing about Yu Fu lowering her head and pleading for forgiveness when he suddenly heard his subordinate enter and report: “My lord, princess’ carriage is currently stopped outside, and she refuses to come in. She said that my lord needs to personally go out to receive her!”
“What?!”
Liu Zhen stood up in anger, “Has she come to plead for forgiveness or not? She dares to put on such airs? Is she not afraid that I might make things more difficult for Gu JiuGe or even have Gu HuaiJiang brought in out of anger?”
The subordinate was troubled and lowered his head. This was reasonable, but Princess ZhenJiang never played by what was reasonable. What could they do?
Liu Zhen paced back and forth in the room. In the end, he raised his hand, “Alright, take this official to meet with this princess. This official just happened to want to get revenge on her for my daughter!”
Liu Zhen arrived in front of Yu Fu’s carriage and cupped his hands with displeasure in a salute, “This subject, Liu Zhen, greets Princess ZhenJiang.”
There was no reaction from inside the carriage. After a long pause, they saw a girl reach her hand out. Yao Lan was the first to exit the carriage and waited for Yu Fu outside.
Her lazy voice came from inside the carriage, “I’m feeling very tired today. The carriage that the late emperor conferred is indeed good, but it’s a little too tall. I am worried that I might fall if I lose my footing when I step outside in a moment. What should I do…”
Yao Lan stood to the side with a dignified posture. During her two years in the capital, the unrestrained attitude that she had brought from Immortals Valley had not disappeared; however, she had learned how to act as a proper maidservant in front of others.
Aside from the people of Marquis Gu’s Manor knowing that she liked to act wildly, outsiders thought that she was very dignified and proper, thus she was worthy of being Yu Fu’s maidservant.
They just saw her squint at Liu Zhen, “Did you not hear what princess said? Why haven’t you kneeled to become a step stool for princess?”
“Wh… What?”
Liu Zhen’s jaw was about to fall off from the shock. He was the dignified chief investigator of the Imperial Court of Justice. Why did he have to kneel to act as a step stool for Yu Fu?
There were so many people present. Which one of them could not act as a step stool?
“Nonsense! This official is the chief investigator of the Imperial Court of Justice. A maidservant like you dares to tell this official to do something so worthless?!”
Thinking of how Yu Fu was sitting in the carriage, he forced himself to suppress his temper. He then randomly pointed at a subordinate, “Go, you go and be the princess’ step stool!”
“Yes, this subordinate will do so immediately!”
Yu Fu lifted the carriage’s curtain but did not say anything. She just stepped on the subordinate and slowly descended from the carriage.
Liu Zhen was a bit delighted. He thought to himself that Yu Fu truly did not dare to do much. She still needed to plead for Gu JiuGe’s forgiveness. How could she dare to get angry with him?
Yu Fu walked up to him with a smile, and her expression suddenly changed, as she raised her hand and slapped him across the face!
*TN: Her name comes from a poem, where her name refers to the plum branches growing.
Give Him a Slap to the Face!
Yu Fu did not know where she was. It was as if she was in a dream in some distant land.
In this dream, she seemed to have returned to a distant time and space. She saw an old man with a white beard dressed in white clothes carrying a medicine gourd and walking along a busy street.
The old man was relaxedly smiling and would occasionally raise his head to look up and observe the sky. His expression suddenly became solemn, as he muttered under his breath, “It was nice to meet here today. Since it was fated, I should help him.”
The old man’s figure became a blur, as he rushed toward the palace’s gates like the wind. He laughed and said to the guards: “Go and report to your ruler that the Deity of Medicine, Xun Chi, has come to visit.”
“Deity of Medicine?”
Before the guard could react, Xun Chi helplessly shook his head, “Forget it. The child could be born by the time that you’ve reported to your emperor. It would be better if I just went in!”
After saying this, he disappeared into thin air in front of everyone. The guards were completely stupefied and only remembered the most pressing matter after a long moment, “Quickly! Quickly go in and report to His Majesty!”
The scene shifted to a magnificent hall inside a palace. A middle-aged man in dragon robes quickly rushed over but was stopped by a palace maid at the entrance to the hall.
“Your Majesty, you must not go in. The delivery room is ominous!”
The man who had been addressed as Your Majesty waved his hand and pushed the palace maid to the side, “Who cares about ominous or not, the empress is having a difficult delivery. How can We just sit idly by?”
After saying this, he ignored everyone’s pleas and strode into the hall.
Inside, the empress’ forehead was soaked with sweat, as she cried out in pain, “Your Majesty! If this wife cannot safely deliver this child, you must promise this wife that you will do everything in your power to protect this child!”
His Majesty held her hand, “No, We are here, and We will not allow anything to happen to you! You and your child need to be well. This is Our first child with you. Regardless of whether it’s a boy or a girl, they will become Northern Li’s next ruler!”
These words caused everyone in the hall to feel shocked. Since the empress was also dealing with a difficult delivery, they were even more cautious. Regardless of what the empress did, she could not deliver the child.
Her breath was becoming thin and weak. A sudden gust of wind came from outside of the hall, as Xun Chi laughed loudly, “I came at the right time. Everyone, stand aside. Let me deliver the little girl!”
The emperor looked at the old man in white robes that looked vaguely divine and was extremely shocked, “This mountain man… who is he?”
A guard following behind gasped for air and reported: “Your Majesty, this person claims to be the Deity of Medicine, Xun Chi. When he walks, he moves like the wind. This subordinate truly could not stop him!”
The scene changed once more, as Xun Chi held the newborn child in his arms. Emperor and empress were both exceptionally happy, “Many thanks, Deity of Medicine. It’s thanks to Deity of Medicine that empress and princess were able to get through the childbirth safely. Deity of Medicine, how did you know that the empress was pregnant with a daughter?”
Xun Chi held the child and patted her, muttering: “While passing through the capital, I noticed that the skies seemed abnormal, thus I knew that a future leading figure of this continent was about to be born and came to congratulate you.”
“What? A future leading figure of this continent?”
The emperor was extremely shocked, and Xun Chi laughed, “Your Majesty, in accordance with the instructions of your ancestors, you have been working toward uniting the three countries, but you just have not had that opportunity. What, now that I said that this child will unite the continent, is Your Majesty unhappy?”
“No, no, no, of course not!”
The emperor let out a faint sigh, “The instructions left behind by my ancestors is no small task. Northern Li has accumulated a strong army over the course of many generations; however, We have been unable to send troops to Western Kun and Eastern Ling. It’s not that We don’t dare. It’s that We are worried that sending out troops would cause too much bloodshed and the citizens will be displaced. We initially thought that there would come a day when the three countries would be united while We were still alive. We did not think that Deity of Medicine would tell Us that this important task would fall to Our daughter. She is so small and so soft. How could We be willing to leave this task to her?”
Xun Chi closed his eyes slightly, handing the child to the emperor, “The heavens naturally have their ways that people cannot understand. There is one more thing that I must tell Your Majesty and the empress. This child is born to accomplish great things but is also destined to be in danger. Many years later, the imperial family of Northern Li will go through great hardship. This child cannot stay in the country. Allow me to bring her back to Immortals Valley.”
“No, don’t take my child away!”
The empress, who had endured a difficult childbirth, lay in bed and could faintly hear Xun Chi. She subconsciously reached out to try and stop him, “Deity of Medicine, I beg you to not take away my child. I am already 35 years of age, but this is my only child. She is my first child, and she will be my only child!”
The emperor seemed to realize something, as he sat down next to the empress, “Empress, the child was delivered by the Deity of Medicine. Could it be that you don’t trust him? If Northern Li’s imperial family is destined to go through hardship, keeping the child here will just put her in danger. It would be better to have her go with the Deity of Medicine, no?”
Xun Chi faintly nodded, “Uniting the continent is a mission handed down through Northern Li’s imperial family over many generations. I want to give a helping hand, as I cannot bear to watch the three countries continue to fight, while the citizens continue to suffer. I will definitely take good care of this child and allow her to grow into someone worthy of being the leading figure of this world.”
The empress’ tears flowed down her face. She was filled with reluctance to let go of her daughter, but she also understood that this was the best choice for the child.
Xun Chi placed the swaddling clothes next to her pillow, “If you two are unwilling to part with the princess, give her a name.”
The emperor took a few steps outside and looked out through the bedroom door. He saw the colorful clouds scattered across the sky, forming a scattered but magnificent scene, thus he said: “When the clouds disperse, the plum branches spread. Let us name her Yu Fu!”*
…
“Eldest brother!”
Yu Fu suddenly woke from her dream, and the first thing that she saw was Yue Hu’s face. Behind her were Gu HanMo and the others.
“She’s awake, she’s awake. Yu Fu woke up!”
Gu Yi happily shouted, and Yu Fu furrowed her brow, “I remember that immediately after second brother left with the people from the Imperial Court of Justice, a messenger from the army came to report. He… He said that eldest brother died in battle?”
She thought that this had also been a dream like the scene about her birth. Both were just distant and unknowable things.
Gu ShuBai was so proficient in martial arts, and he was just as proficient in military strategy and tactics. How could he have died in battle?
Yue Hu uneasily averted her gaze, while Gu HanMo tightly furrowed his brow. Gu WenQing and the others deliberately avoided her gaze, seemingly not daring to talk to her.
Yu Fu’s heart sank, finally understanding that it had not been a dream. It was reality.
She lowered her head and did not speak. The more they waited, the more worried they became, and Gu Yi was the first to find the silence unbearable and was about to speak. Yu Fu suddenly raised her head, “Where’s the report? Let me take a look. I refuse to believe that he’s really dead.”
Gu HanMo stared at her for a long time. Over the course of just two hours, Yu Fu had fainted from hearing about Gu ShuBai’s death to being completely calm. Her change left everyone feeling overwhelmed.
He confirmed that Yu Fu could indeed handle this matter and pulled the letter from his sleeve. Yu Fu quickly received it and read it over from beginning to end.
While she read it, Gu WenQing explained, “The report says that it was Western Kun’s border guards that attacked at night, and the Gu family’s army was caught off-guard. Though the situation was rectified, and the attack was repelled, eldest brother…”
Yu Fu said: “Where’s the body? Why is there nothing on here about the body?”
Gu HanMo suppressed the feeling in his chest and said: “I asked the messenger, and he said that someone heard the sound of fighting inside eldest brother’s tent. When the situation finally came under control, they found that there was nothing there except a giant pool of blood on the ground. Eldest brother’s body… it might have been taken away by Kun WuShang’s people.”
“Without a corpse, we cannot say that he is dead. He won’t die. He definitely won’t!”
Yu Fu lifted her blanket and tried to get out of bed, “I want to go to the border to look for him. If he’s alive, I want to see him. If he’s dead, I want to see the body. Head general will definitely agree… Where’s head general?”
Gu Xiang said with difficulty: “Yu Fu, after father heard the contents of the report, he coughed up blood. Fortunately, Yue Hu was there to help him. Eldest brother does need to be found, but you can’t personally go to look for him. Two pieces of bad news have already come at once, father is already exhausted enough. How could he endure seeing you leave now?”
Yu Fu was confused and said: “Two pieces of bad news? What else is there?”
Gu Xiang knew that he had misspoken and looked around. Gritting his teeth, he said: “In the two hours that you have been unconscious, the Imperial Court of Justice has sent another group. Second brother has already been locked up by the Imperial Court of Justice, and they are still trying to summon father. They only left Marquis Gu’s Manor after seeing father cough up blood…”
At this moment, Marquis Gu’s Manor was in a storm.
Yu Fu sat back down in a heap, as countless thoughts emerged in her mind. She did her best to suppress thoughts about Gu ShuBai dying in battle and forced herself to calm down to sort out her thoughts.
The usually quiet Gu HanMo smiled at her, “If we had known that things would be like this, I would not have allowed second brother to go to the Imperial Court of Justice. If second brother was at the manor, at the very least, we could come up with a plan. But I, as your elder brother, am useless. At this time, I am powerless and cannot help father, nor can I protect you guys.”
Gu WenQing hastily said: “How can third brother say that? You have always focused your training on martial arts and nothing else. It’s because of this that father would bring you to battle and the late emperor would confer you a military rank. How could you say that you’re useless?”
Yue Hu also chimed in: “That’s right, that’s right. This isn’t the time to be feeling guilty. Three cobblers working together can outsmart Zhuge Liang, so let’s work together to think of a plan. The people from the Imperial Court of Justice can be back at any time! At that time, if they aren’t here to summon Marquis Gu and are instead here to arrest Marquis Gu, what would we do?”
“Senior disciple sister is right.”
Yu Fu let out a long sigh, finally managing to clear up her thoughts, “We have to set out priorities. Let’s take care of things one thing at a time. Senior disciple sister, head general’s condition isn’t serious, right?”
Yue Hu said: “Don’t worry. It was just a result of being overwhelmed with emotion. As long as he obediently takes his medicine, he will be back to normal within a week. During this time, he cannot go and sit in prison.”
Prison would not have medicine, nor would it provide him with a good place to recover. If GU HuaiJiang went to prison, his condition would surely get worse and worse.
Yu Fu nodded, “The most pressing matter at hand is head general’s health. Before head general has recovered, we absolutely cannot allow the Imperial Court of Justice to take him away. Third brother, please visit the Yan Manor and Huo Manor to invite the generals to Marquis Gu’s Manor.”
Yu Fu’s tone did not contain any doubt, and Gu HanMo subconsciously start to walk out when he suddenly realized that the one who had given the order was not Gu HuaiJiang or Gu ShuBai.
He turned back and looked at Yu Fu, “Why?”
Yu Fu said: “First, it’s to prevent the other generals from acting rashly in a panic. Marquis Gu’s Manor is already in this situation, so we cannot have the other generals get implicated. Second, if the other generals can come to sit in the manor, it might shock the people from the Imperial Court of Justice. As long as it’s not His Majesty giving the decree, I think that nobody would dare to try and take head general away from under the eyes of so many generals.”
“Yes! I will go immediately!”
Yu Fu then said to Gu WenQing: “Fourth brother, please visit the Ji Manor and Chen Manor. Ask the loyal officials in court who support head general to write letters to His Majesty. Even if His Majesty has been blinded by Yin Shuo and won’t listen to his officials, at the very least, it will offer a bit of resistance.”
Gu WenQing said: “Understood, but old Lord Ji has been ill for a long time. Will he really want to make an appearance?”
Yu Fu said: “I trust that he will. He is expressing his disappointment in His Majesty by claiming to be ill. He’s hiding his strength and biding his time, thus he decided to pretend to be ignorant of what is happening around him. With Marquis Gu’s Manor facing this sort of situation, I think that he will definitely make an appearance!”
“Then I will go right now!”
Gu WenQing quickly walked out, and Gu Xiang and Gu Yi were reluctant to be left behind, “Then what about us? What can we do?”
Yu Fu sat up and put her shoes on, saying while walking: “The manor has many affairs to tend to, and they will be given to fifth brother and sixth brother to handle. Our elder brothers are all too busy with other matters to take care of the manor’s affairs. Head general is also sick, so we can only rely on you now.”
Yue Hu said: “Yu Fu, then what about you?”
“I have to pay the Imperial Court of Justice a visit to see second brother’s situation. Eldest brother’s situation is unclear, but nothing must be allowed to happen to second brother.”
…
Princess ZhenJiang’s carriage stopped outside of the Imperial Court of Justice’s main gate. The guards saw it from far away and immediately rushed inside to report. Liu Zhen sat at his desk and delightedly jutted out his chin, “Isn’t that Princess ZhenJiang really arrogant? His Majesty conferred her the position of empress, yet she did not want it, and she even caused the death of my daughter!”
He sneered, “Today, it’s finally her turn to come and plead with this official. This is truly heartwarming. Hahaha!”
The carriage came to a stop, and Yao Lan subconsciously wanted to lift the carriage’s curtain, but her hand was grabbed by Yu Fu before she could reach the curtain, “No, we won’t be getting out yet.”
“We aren’t getting out?”
Yao Lan cast a puzzled look at her, and Yu Fu leaned close and whispered something into her ear. Yao Lan immediately understood.
She cleared her throat and lifted the curtain, “Princess ZhenJiang has arrived. Why hasn’t the chief investigator from the Imperial Court of Justice come to receive her?”
Everyone in the Imperial Court of Justice knew that she had come because Gu JiuGe had been detained, and they were waiting to watch the grudge between her and Liu Zhen play out. Who knew that not only would Yu Fu not come to plead, but she would actually put on such airs.
The subordinates from the Imperial Court of Justice looked at each other. For a while, they did not know what to do. Yao Lan furrowed her brow, “Impudence! Is our princess unable to order you around, is that it? Be careful that you don’t end up getting executed and fed to the dogs!”
One person muttered, “Marquis Gu’s Manor is almost done for. What is an adopted daughter like her acting so arrogant for? She should be pleading for forgiveness, yet she still puts on such airs…”
Another person immediately poked his arm, shutting him up, “Stop that nonsense. She’s the one that His Majesty wants to make the empress. As long as she’s willing to agree, she will be the mother of the country. Whether Marquis Gu’s Manor falls or not, it won’t have any impact on princess. Why haven’t you gone in to report to Lord Liu?”
“Hah, I’ll go now!”
Liu Zhen was in the middle of fantasizing about Yu Fu lowering her head and pleading for forgiveness when he suddenly heard his subordinate enter and report: “My lord, princess’ carriage is currently stopped outside, and she refuses to come in. She said that my lord needs to personally go out to receive her!”
“What?!”
Liu Zhen stood up in anger, “Has she come to plead for forgiveness or not? She dares to put on such airs? Is she not afraid that I might make things more difficult for Gu JiuGe or even have Gu HuaiJiang brought in out of anger?”
The subordinate was troubled and lowered his head. This was reasonable, but Princess ZhenJiang never played by what was reasonable. What could they do?
Liu Zhen paced back and forth in the room. In the end, he raised his hand, “Alright, take this official to meet with this princess. This official just happened to want to get revenge on her for my daughter!”
Liu Zhen arrived in front of Yu Fu’s carriage and cupped his hands with displeasure in a salute, “This subject, Liu Zhen, greets Princess ZhenJiang.”
There was no reaction from inside the carriage. After a long pause, they saw a girl reach her hand out. Yao Lan was the first to exit the carriage and waited for Yu Fu outside.
Her lazy voice came from inside the carriage, “I’m feeling very tired today. The carriage that the late emperor conferred is indeed good, but it’s a little too tall. I am worried that I might fall if I lose my footing when I step outside in a moment. What should I do…”
Yao Lan stood to the side with a dignified posture. During her two years in the capital, the unrestrained attitude that she had brought from Immortals Valley had not disappeared; however, she had learned how to act as a proper maidservant in front of others.
Aside from the people of Marquis Gu’s Manor knowing that she liked to act wildly, outsiders thought that she was very dignified and proper, thus she was worthy of being Yu Fu’s maidservant.
They just saw her squint at Liu Zhen, “Did you not hear what princess said? Why haven’t you kneeled to become a step stool for princess?”
“Wh… What?”
Liu Zhen’s jaw was about to fall off from the shock. He was the dignified chief investigator of the Imperial Court of Justice. Why did he have to kneel to act as a step stool for Yu Fu?
There were so many people present. Which one of them could not act as a step stool?
“Nonsense! This official is the chief investigator of the Imperial Court of Justice. A maidservant like you dares to tell this official to do something so worthless?!”
Thinking of how Yu Fu was sitting in the carriage, he forced himself to suppress his temper. He then randomly pointed at a subordinate, “Go, you go and be the princess’ step stool!”
“Yes, this subordinate will do so immediately!”
Yu Fu lifted the carriage’s curtain but did not say anything. She just stepped on the subordinate and slowly descended from the carriage.
Liu Zhen was a bit delighted. He thought to himself that Yu Fu truly did not dare to do much. She still needed to plead for Gu JiuGe’s forgiveness. How could she dare to get angry with him?
Yu Fu walked up to him with a smile, and her expression suddenly changed, as she raised her hand and slapped him across the face!
*TN: Her name comes from a poem, where her name refers to the plum branches growing.
