Still frightened, Gu Yunrong struggled desperately to break free. Just then, a tense voice came from above her head.
“Stop moving.”
She immediately froze.
It was Huan Che’s voice.
If the surrounding crowd had not been so noisy, she would have thought she was dreaming.
No, even in her dreams, she would never have imagined something this absurd.
Huan Che quickly looked around at the tightly packed crowd. He estimated that carrying Gu Yunrong in his arms would make it extremely difficult to move through the people.
Gu Yunrong was still completely bewildered. Her mind could not keep up with what was happening. Before she could make sense of the situation, she suddenly felt her body lift off the ground.
By the time she realized what was going on, Huan Che had already thrown her over his shoulder like a sack of rice or flour.
Gu Yunrong was startled. She quickly understood what he was doing, but since she was hanging upside down over his shoulder, she could not see his face. She could only tug at his clothes and ask whether he could help rescue the other members of the Gu family.
Huan Che said nothing. He simply held her securely and carried her away.
With her head hanging downward, Gu Yunrong felt dizzy for a while. When she finally found herself standing on solid ground again, she was already in front of a spacious carriage.
In the distance, hundreds or even thousands of soldiers stood in formation, their armor clearly visible.
“Get inside and take shelter for now. The rest of your family will be brought here shortly.”
After giving her these instructions, he turned around and was about to leave.
In her anxiety, Gu Yunrong called after him.
“Your Highness, how will you find them?”
This was the first time in many days that she had voluntarily spoken to him. Huan Che felt a slight stir in his heart.
He turned his head.
“I have my own way.”
Half an hour later, Gu Yunrong was finally reunited with the rest of the Gu family.
Since the surrounding area had been placed under strict security, they could not return home yet. Huan Che had arranged for their carriages to be parked in an open area near the temporary military camp.
He ordered Nayun to stay behind and look after them, then turned around and left with several deputy generals to coordinate the troops at the front.
As soon as Huan Che left, Madam Xu pulled Gu Yunrong aside and lowered her voice.
“And you still claim you don’t know Young Master Wang? If you don’t know him, why would he go out of his way to help us?”
Gu Yunrong was startled.
“Young Master Wang?”
Madam Xu looked at her strangely.
“I’m talking about the young man who brought us here just now! Don’t change the subject. Answer me honestly!”
Gu Yunrong pretended not to understand and simply said she had no idea.
In fact, she really did not know what to make of it. Whenever she thought about Huan Che’s actions earlier, she still felt as though she had imagined the whole thing.
Lin Jiao studied her cousin’s expression, then glanced in the direction Huan Che had gone.
She felt that Gu Yunrong was not telling the truth.
That evening, Nayun arranged food for the Gu family.
Huan Che had said he was leaving Nayun behind to look after them, but there was not much for him to do. The entire area was surrounded by soldiers, so they were perfectly safe.
After a whole day of fleeing and rushing around, Gu Yunrong was utterly exhausted. She began feeling sleepy as soon as she finished dinner.
This time, the Gu family had brought four or five related households with them, including their cousins. Since there were not enough carriages, the women had to squeeze into two carriages, while the men gathered in another large one.
Whether Huan Che had simply overlooked it or had done so intentionally, he had initially brought only Gu Tongfu and the female members of the family to the camp.
Only after Madam Xu anxiously reminded him that there was another group of relatives did he send men to retrieve the young male cousins.
When Gu Yunrong saw her cousins return, each of them looking disheveled and exhausted, she could not help drawing in a sharp breath.
It seemed the situation at the front was extremely serious.
She was just about to rest her head on Madam Xu’s lap and take a nap when a maid lifted the carriage curtain.
After giving a respectful greeting, the maid smiled at her.
“Didn’t Miss say earlier that she needed to relieve herself? This servant has found a suitable place.”
Gu Yunrong had been half asleep, but the moment she heard that voice, her eyes flew open.
The maid was Qingdai.
In her previous life, Qingdai had been one of the maids who served her personally. She was also one of the only two people who had witnessed her assassination.
Huan Che did not have any personal maids serving him, but he did have maids who handled miscellaneous household duties. After all, not every task could be left to the male servants.
Later, when Gu Yunrong married into his household, he assigned several maids to serve her. Qingdai was one of them.
Qingdai’s words were strange. Gu Yunrong had never mentioned needing to relieve herself.
But she quickly understood what the maid was trying to tell her.
“I don’t need to go anymore.”
Qingdai’s smile did not change.
“Miss should still go. It will help you sleep more comfortably afterward.”
Gu Yunrong knew she could not avoid it. She informed Madam Xu before getting out of the carriage with Qingdai’s help.
Under Qingdai’s guidance, she arrived at the edge of a wooded area some distance from the military camp.
After leading her to the designated spot, Qingdai bowed slightly and quietly withdrew.
When Gu Yunrong turned around, she saw a tall, slender figure standing among the trees.
She did not even need to see his face to know who it was. She was far too familiar with his figure.
Huan Che slowly stepped out of the shadows. He walked forward until he reached a spot where the distant firelight could illuminate his face, then stopped.
He waited for a while before Gu Yunrong finally moved.
But instead of approaching him, she bowed respectfully and thanked him repeatedly for what he had done that day.
She said she owed him a favor and promised that if he ever needed anything from her in the future, she would do her best to repay him.
She was thanking him, but Huan Che was not pleased.
He did not want her to treat him with such distance and politeness.
“Do you want to repay me?”
Gu Yunrong slightly raised her eyes.
“Of course. What does Your Highness wish me to do?”
“All you need to do is…”
Huan Che suddenly stopped speaking.
He could not be too direct. It would be safer to take things slowly, one step at a time.
After thinking for a moment, he finally said, “I called you here because there is something I want to ask. That day at the teahouse, why were you so distant toward me?”
Gu Yunrong looked puzzled.
“What do you mean by distant? Was I ever particularly familiar with Your Highness before?”
For a moment, Huan Che did not know what to say.
He considered himself good at reading people’s hearts, but Gu Yunrong had left him confused.
Based on her earlier behavior, he had believed she liked him. Yet after Gu Tongfu was released from prison, her attitude toward him had clearly become much colder. She even seemed to be deliberately avoiding him.
If that was the case, perhaps her earlier attentiveness had only been because of her father.
But he still could not believe he had misread the look in her eyes and the way she had behaved around him.
Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Gu Yunrong said, “If Your Highness has nothing else to discuss…”
“Wait.”
He interrupted her, but after that, he once again found himself at a loss for words.
He had rarely felt so helpless and awkward.
While he remained silent, Gu Yunrong could not help asking out of curiosity why he had gone to so much trouble to help her family that day.
What she actually wanted to ask was whether someone had put a spell on him when he rushed over and carried her away.
Her question was easy enough to answer, but Huan Che remained silent for quite some time.
He had never imagined that he would find himself in such a situation.
He was born into the imperial family and had always remained calm amid the various struggles for power. Yet now, he was feeling awkward in front of a young woman.
Afraid that Gu Yunrong might notice the faint blush on his face, he took a step backward into the shadows.
He decided to ask about the questions that had been troubling him for days.
“All those things you did for me before… Were they because of your father? For example, the kite-flying competition and when you bought those bayberries…”
A sudden thought flashed through Gu Yunrong’s mind.
Could he have thought she had been so attentive because she liked him?
Huan Che was someone who disliked unwanted romantic attention more than anything. But if that was really what he had thought, why had he gone out of his way to help her?
Since he refused to answer her question, she decided to set her curiosity aside for the moment.
She simply nodded.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Then, to make sure there was no misunderstanding, she added, “Please don’t misunderstand, Your Highness. This common woman has no improper intentions toward you.”
Huan Che froze.
For a moment, he did not know whether to move forward or retreat.
Had he really misunderstood everything?
An indescribable sense of disappointment stirred in his heart.
He remained silent for a long time, clenching and unclenching his fists several times. Finally, he turned around.
“You may go back now.”
He had originally intended to explain that he had not deliberately made things difficult for her at the teahouse that day.
But judging from the situation, there was no longer any need to explain.
Gu Yunrong found his reaction rather strange. However, since he had told her to leave, she simply bowed and took her leave.
Huan Che heard her footsteps fade away and stopped walking.
Everything around him was silent, yet his heart was anything but peaceful.
He thought about the dreams he had been having lately and the conflicting emotions that had troubled him over the past few days.
He stood staring into the dark forest.
It seemed that he had not felt this way in many years.
His heart was unsettled, and he was completely lost.
The imperial troops continued gathering throughout the night.
The following day, the Japanese pirates retreated ten li.
Gu Tongfu asked Nayun whether it was safe for them to leave.
Nayun gave him a serious warning not to act recklessly. Some of the Japanese pirates had already landed, and if they attempted to return home now, they might run straight into the scattered groups still moving around the area.
Gu Tongfu believed him completely and decided to remain in Haining County.
During this period, Huan Che occasionally returned to the nearby military camp, but he never stayed for more than half a day before leaving again.
Half a month later, Gu Tongfu finally learned from Nayun that the group of Japanese pirates still roaming the area had been completely wiped out.
Only then did he feel relieved and prepare to take his family home.
Before leaving, he specifically asked where Yu Sixian was. He also asked Nayun to convey his apologies to the general, who was still leading troops in battle.
He explained that he regretted not being able to properly entertain Yu Sixian and his son the last time they visited. If there was another opportunity after they returned, he would invite them to a meal.
After the Gu family left, Nayun watched their carriage disappear into the distance and could not help frowning.
Could Gu Tongfu be hoping to become related to Yu Sixian through marriage?
He had heard that Yu Sixian always kept his youngest son, Yu Shaoyuan, by his side to train him. On the day Gu Tongfu held the banquet, Yu Sixian had brought his son along as well.
If Gu Tongfu really had such intentions, then what about His Highness?
Nayun shook his head.
Why was he worrying about this? If His Highness was pushed far enough, he would naturally take action himself.
On the journey home, Gu Tongfu kept talking to Madam Xu about Yu Sixian.
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that their family had received such special treatment because of Yu Sixian’s help.
He assumed that Huan Che had simply brought them along when he returned to the military camp. Otherwise, what other reason could there be?
Madam Xu said, “What’s the use of him being kind to us? He’s still not someone from the same circle as our family. Can he become your in-law or something?”
“We probably can’t become in-laws, but becoming acquainted with General Yu would still be beneficial to our family.”
Gu Tongfu let out a long sigh.
“I once heard Father say that our family’s old patriarch had also served on the battlefield. Unfortunately, despite spending many years accompanying the army on military campaigns, he never earned any military achievements. When he finally returned home, he was so frustrated that he fell ill. Father tried to persuade him to accept his fate, saying that wealth, status, and success were all determined by Heaven. But the old man became obsessed with the matter and could never let it go, even until his death.”
Madam Xu sighed.
“Stop thinking about these things. We simply don’t have that kind of fortune. There’s no point forcing it.”
She then brought up their plan to move to Huizhou and tried to persuade Gu Tongfu to go with them.
“After seeing the chaos today, I realize that without someone helping us, we don’t know what might happen to our family. Qiantang County could also be affected one day. General Yu and His Highness are both here in Zhejiang. Perhaps in another year or two, they will finally eliminate the Japanese pirates completely. We can return then.”
She continued, “As for your new position, I think you should put it aside for now. Your life is more important than your job.”
Gu Tongfu nodded.
“Once we get home, we’ll start preparing for the move. You can leave first. I’ll decide later whether to stay or go.”
After returning home, Gu Yunrong began packing their belongings with Madam Xu.
She had lived in Qiantang County for many years, so the thought of leaving made her somewhat reluctant.
But then she reminded herself that they would be able to return once the Japanese pirate threat had been eliminated.
With Huan Che in Zhejiang in this lifetime, peace along the coast should return much sooner than it had in her previous life.
In her previous life, the campaign against the Japanese pirates had lasted a full twelve years. Even by the time she died, the remaining pirates had still not been completely eliminated.
The Gu family had only a limited number of servants, and they had accumulated many belongings over the years. Even after five or six days of packing, they had still not finished sorting everything out.
When Lin Jiao learned that Madam Xu and the others were temporarily moving to Huizhou, she volunteered to stay behind and help. As a result, she had been living at the Gu residence for the past few days.
That afternoon, Gu Yunrong had just woken up from her nap when Lin Jiao pulled her over to do some needlework.
Gu Yunrong was always sleepy in the afternoons. Sitting in the sunshine made her even drowsier. She kept yawning, and barely made any progress with the needle and thread in her hands.
After chatting for a while, Lin Jiao suddenly changed the subject.
“That night, I saw you going into the woods. What exactly did you go there for?”
Gu Yunrong was startled, and most of her sleepiness disappeared.
However, she quickly composed herself and pretended nothing was wrong.
“What are you talking about, Cousin? I only went to find a place to relieve myself.”
Lin Jiao smiled and lowered her voice.
“Then is it true that a certain young gentleman carried you away?”
This time, every trace of sleepiness vanished from Gu Yunrong’s mind.
She felt that no one could ever be allowed to find out about something like that. Admitting it would only create more trouble, so she continued pretending not to understand and insisted that Lin Jiao must have mistaken what she saw.
Lin Jiao sighed and put her needlework into the basket.
“It’s all right if Doudou doesn’t want to admit it. I only wanted to know who that young gentleman really was. Your aunt said he was the son of an official.”
She paused before continuing.
“If that young man is interested in you, you shouldn’t let the opportunity slip away. Have you told him that you’re moving to Huizhou? When you leave, who knows how long it will be before you see each other again?”
The aunt she mentioned was Madam Xu.
When Gu Yunrong heard this, she almost burst out laughing.
Huan Che was interested in her?
That was impossible.
They had been husband and wife for nearly half a year in her previous life, yet he had never fallen in love with her. Compared with that, they had only met a few times in this life. There was no way he could suddenly like her.
Even if she were the only woman left in the world, he still would not fall for her.
As for her move to Huizhou, it had nothing to do with him. He would not care where she went.