“No way, both of us are going with you to Dadu!”
Ye Anlan and Zhang Yao pouted in unison, clearly unhappy with Gu Fei’s explanation.
Gu Fei was helpless and had to pull out his trump card, “Alright then, how about this? When I return from Dadu, I’ll bring each of you a gift. Satisfied?”
As soon as they heard “gifts,” their anger turned into delight. Zhang Yao looked at Gu Fei like a cunning little fox and said, “Hehe, I wonder what kind of gift you’re thinking of bringing us. You know ordinary gifts won’t cut it.”
“You two have been eyeing Xiaolongxiang’s jewelry, haven’t you? I’ll get each of you a golden hairpin. How’s that?”
The two girls secretly rejoiced and tossed back, “Now that’s more like it!”
Then they shot each other a glare before leaving in opposite directions.
Watching their backs, Gu Fei shook his head and muttered to himself, “These two girls are really a headache.”
He turned and went back inside. The empress was glaring at him coldly, which made Gu Fei feel a little uneasy.
He rubbed his head sheepishly and asked, “You heard all that?”
The empress responded icily, “Hmph, I didn’t expect a shameless bandit like you to be so popular with girls.”
Gu Fei ran a hand over his forehead and said narcissistically, “Of course… I’m just that handsome.”
The empress snorted, but for some reason, she felt a bit uncomfortable in her heart.
Suddenly, she scolded herself, “I’m the empress! How could I have such thoughts? This damned bandit has defiled me—I must kill him!”
What Gu Fei didn’t know was that after parting ways, Ye Anlan and Zhang Yao met up again.
“Ye Anlan, I did a pretty good job playing along, didn’t I?” Zhang Yao smirked.
Ye Anlan replied smugly, “You did alright. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gotten those gifts. But don’t go belittling me so much!”
“Heh… you’re not as pretty as me, and not as tall either. Remember, I’m the first wife, you’re the second. I’m Sister Zhang Yao!”
“Get lost! I’m the first wife—you’re the second! We’ll see about that!”
The two bickered again.
Suddenly, Zhang Yao paused and asked, “Do you think that woman with the surname Leng… could she really have something going on with Gu Fei?”
“My brother said last night that Lord Gu seemed to really like her—even made her call him ‘husband.'”
Ye Anlan suddenly recalled the scene at Gu Fei’s house where Da Ya and Er Ya called that woman ‘madam.’ A sense of unease welled up in her heart.
The thought left Ye Anlan more frustrated.
“Zhang Yao, have your brother keep an eye on Gu Fei on the road. Don’t let him do anything inappropriate with that Leng woman.”
Zhang Yao pinched the tip of her delicate nose and said, “Don’t worry. My brother won’t need me to say anything—he’ll know what to do. But you’re right, I’ll still remind him.”
“If he dares neglect his little sister’s future happiness, I’ll definitely teach him a lesson.”
Ye Anlan thought Zhang Yao made sense. How could Zhang Biao not care about his own sister’s future?
Still, she felt uneasy remembering how Gu Fei had carried Leng Lingshuang and how everyone in the Gu family called her ‘madam.’ That image made her anxious.
Before they knew it, night had fallen.
The sky was sprinkled with stars, deep and dazzling like blue gems.
After dinner, the empress sat in the courtyard, lost in thought.
She had been away from Dadu for some time now and didn’t know if things had spiraled into chaos… or how bad it had gotten.
Could Marquis of Julu, Leng Hongyi, really withstand the pressure from Marquis of Changxin, Yuwen Du, and the second prince?
Sigh… the empress let out a long breath.
At that moment, Gu Fei walked over with a cup of hot water in hand.
He set the cup on the table before her and smiled, “Why all the sighing? Don’t want to leave here?”
The empress rolled her eyes, “Of course not… I was just thinking about something.”
“Here, drink some hot tea and warm up. We’ll be setting out at the hour of the tiger tomorrow.”
The empress didn’t refuse the cup he offered. She did feel a slight chill in the air.
She took a small sip and was visibly surprised, her eyes lighting up. Whatever was steeped in that water was incredibly fragrant and left a sweet aftertaste lingering in her mouth.
She had never tasted such refreshing tea before.
“What did you put in this? It’s so aromatic and invigorating. Also, why are we leaving so early?”
Gu Fei could tell she liked it, and felt a bit smug inside.
“Hehe, this is a special local tea called Biluochun. And we’re leaving early to avoid attention. Can’t let anyone know I’m not in the city.”
Xiao Lingshuang nodded, thinking this sneaky bandit was indeed crafty.
In Dadu, ordinary people made tea by boiling water with barley, goat milk, horse milk, and salt—turning it into greasy butter tea.
Just one sip made her dizzy. How could it compare to this fragrant and refreshing tea?
She couldn’t help but ask, “This… Biluochun, can I take some back with me?”
When Gu Fei heard her ask for the tea herself, his pride swelled even more.
“This tea is expensive, and I wouldn’t give it away unless someone begged me. But you—being my wife and all—I guess I can make an exception.”
“No problem. I’ll have Da Ya prepare some for you.”
The empress snorted at his cheeky words, “I’m not going to bother with you!”
Then she asked, “Where am I sleeping tonight?”
Gu Fei grinned like a scoundrel, “Of course, with me. Aren’t we husband and wife?”
“Do you believe I’ll smash this teacup on your head?” the empress said coldly.
Gu Fei instantly lost interest. “Tch… so boring. There are plenty of rooms in this house. Pick whichever one you like.”
He lifted his cup, drained the tea, and left.
He still needed to double-check the defense and setup of Shangyuan City. While he was away, the house couldn’t fall into disorder.
If it got looted, he’d be done for.
Shangyuan City didn’t have a curfew.
Even late at night, the streets were still bustling.
Carriages came and went at the city gates, but the guards meticulously inspected every vehicle entering the city to prevent any unexpected incidents.
Since its founding, Shangyuan City had gone through dozens of large and small battles—every time resisting with blood and sacrifice. So, no matter when, they always maintained the highest level of alert.
However, as weapons became more advanced and powerful, people began to relax a bit.
As long as it wasn’t a massive attack with tens of thousands of troops, Shangyuan City had nothing to fear now.
Whoever came—they would die.
But even so, Gu Fei never allowed the gatekeepers to slack off. He ordered strict checks on all people and materials entering the city, just as always.