By the time Gu Yunrong returned home with her elder brother, it was already close to evening.
She was exhausted. She had planned to eat something, freshen up, and go straight to bed. However, as soon as she entered the house, a maid informed her that Xie Jing had been waiting inside for quite some time.
Gu Yunrong rubbed her temples, gathered her energy, and headed to the main hall.
The moment Xie Jing saw her, he hurried forward.
“Doudou, let’s go together and talk to your mother…”
Gu Yunrong fell silent for a moment before saying, “Cousin, please calm down. Come with me for a moment. We need to talk privately.”
Huan Che knew very well that his main purpose in coming to Zhejiang was neither to investigate the cases nor to inspect the military. It was to carry out the task his father had assigned him.
Putting aside the Emperor’s personal interests, this was also something that many court officials had been hoping to see accomplished for years. If he failed to handle this matter properly, then investigating the cases or inspecting the military would only treat the symptoms, not solve the underlying problem.
That was why he had not immediately begun investigating the cases after arriving in Zhejiang.
However, once he actually started dealing with them, it did not take much effort. After returning to Listening to the Maples Retreat, Huan Che sat beneath the lamplight and carefully reviewed the case files for half an hour. By the time he finished, he already had a general understanding of both cases.
In his opinion, both Yu Sixian’s case and Gu Tongfu’s case were full of obvious loopholes.
He could not tell whether the officials and low-ranking clerks involved were simply incompetent or whether they had become so arrogant because they believed someone powerful was protecting them.
Huan Che placed the case files to one side, took out some paper and a writing brush, and began drawing diagrams.
During his inspection of the rice fields that day, he had discovered that the terrain in the south presented a major obstacle for the Great Dynasty’s soldiers.
The imperial army was organized into units of twenty-five men, who were expected to fight together. During battle, each unit formed a small formation that required at least half a mu of land to operate effectively.
However, the southern regions were filled with rice fields, ponds, and low-lying wetlands. The coastal areas of the south had enjoyed peace for so long that the military formations had been designed mainly for battles in the north.
With the existing military organization, fighting in the southern region’s fragmented waterways and fields was extremely difficult. The formations were too large and cumbersome, making it nearly impossible for the soldiers to maneuver properly.
The Japanese pirates, on the other hand, were much more flexible. They fought individually and were exceptionally fierce, putting the imperial soldiers at a disadvantage.
Their long Japanese sabers also had tremendous cutting power. On top of that, the Portuguese had supplied them with newer types of firearms.
Winning this war would be extremely difficult.
These were the problems Huan Che had discovered through various channels since arriving in Zhejiang.
There were other issues as well. The ships lacked sufficient firepower, while the iron and copper armor used by northern soldiers easily rusted and became unusable in the humid climate of Jiangnan.
All these problems should have been reported to the court in detail so that solutions could be discussed. Yet surprisingly, very few memorials mentioned them.
Still, even with these disadvantages, it was impossible for the Great Dynasty to suffer such humiliating defeats repeatedly.
The empire was vast and wealthy, with far greater manpower and resources than the tiny islands from which the Japanese pirates came. If the imperial army continued losing battles, there had to be traitors within the country secretly helping the enemy.
And there was certainly more than one.
The Emperor had apparently reached the same conclusion and had some suspicions about the powerful figures protecting these traitors.
As it happened, the Emperor had recently become displeased with a certain member of the Grand Secretariat and wanted to clean up the court. He had therefore sent Huan Che south to eliminate these parasites who were secretly draining the empire’s strength.
That was the real purpose of his trip.
Unless the internal threats are removed, the enemy cannot truly be driven away.
Huan Che studied the military formation he had sketched and made several more adjustments.
Based on the demonstration that day, he believed each unit should be reduced to around ten soldiers. They should also be equipped with more than just hand crossbows and short blades.
He spent quite some time thinking and drew five or six possible formations on the paper.
By the time the night watch reached the hour of the dog, exhaustion began to catch up with him. He finally put down his brush and went to rest.
He had barely slept the previous night. During the carriage ride that day, he had only managed to close his eyes for a short while.
Now, he was truly exhausted.
He lay down on his large canopy bed and closed his tired eyes, hoping to get through the night without dreaming.
Gu Yunrong talked with Xie Jing for quite some time, but they never reached an agreement.
She had made two things clear to him.
First, his parents had already begun looking down on the Gu family. If she married into the Xie family, she would never have a peaceful life.
Second, she still could not bring herself to love him.
Xie Jing remained silent for so long that Gu Yunrong almost thought his mind had wandered somewhere else.
When he finally stood up, she assumed he had understood her intentions and was preparing to leave.
Instead, he suggested that they go for a walk together.
There was a wooded area with a pond near the Gu residence, and Xie Jing wanted to go there.
Gu Yunrong could more or less guess what he had in mind. She agreed, hoping that a final conversation might help him give up on their engagement sooner. However, she insisted that her elder brother, Gu Jiayan, and her maid, Qiutang, accompany them.
Xie Jing wanted to spend some time alone with Gu Yunrong. But he also understood that they were no longer engaged, and at this hour, she would never agree to go out with him alone.
He had no choice but to accept her conditions.
The night in Jiangnan, at the transition between spring and summer, was peaceful and beautiful.
Fireflies flickered all around them. Flowers and bamboo cast soft shadows beneath the trees, while the gentle sound of flowing water filled the quiet night.
Gu Yunrong breathed in the cool, refreshing air near the pond. As she listened to Xie Jing speaking softly beside her, she quietly sorted through her thoughts.
She had once tried to make their relationship work.
At first, she believed that if they spent enough time together, she would eventually develop feelings for him. However, after years had passed, she realized that she simply could not feel romantic love for Xie Jing.
Not everyone could fall in love through spending time together. She was one such person.
By the same reasoning, Huan Che was probably the same toward her.
Later, Huan Che had learned that she once had a fiancé. He had seemed completely indifferent to the news, which had actually disappointed her at the time.
Now that their identities and circumstances had changed, seeing Huan Che again no longer stirred up as many emotions in her.
Perhaps that was one unexpected blessing of being given another chance at life.
Xie Jing kept recalling the moments he and Gu Yunrong had shared in the past, hoping that their memories would soften her heart.
But no matter what he said, her expression remained calm and distant.
Finally, Xie Jing stopped walking. His voice was almost pleading.
“Doudou, I truly want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’ll talk to my parents myself. As long as we keep trying and stand firm, they won’t be able to…”
When Gu Yunrong still did not respond, his face grew pale.
“Your parents don’t like me, and I have also lost confidence in the Xie family. Now that our two families have reached this point, even if you force them to compromise for a while, can you really make them sincerely accept me and my family?
“What if I or the Gu family have disagreements with your parents in the future? Can you guarantee that you will always stand firmly on my side?
“You are their only son. You will have to live with your parents no matter what happens. These are problems we cannot avoid.”
Xie Jing’s lips moved, but for a moment, he could not find anything to say.
Gu Yunrong felt that if Xie Jing’s parents were willing to sincerely accept her and the Gu family, she might have been willing to marry into the Xie family.
Although she did not love Xie Jing, she would have been satisfied if she could have a husband who cherished her and parents-in-law who treated her kindly.
In this world, that was already enough to hope for.
But the moment the Gu family fell into trouble, the Xie couple had hurried over to break off the engagement. They had not even been willing to listen to a single explanation from the Gu family.
From Madam Yang’s behavior that day, it was obvious that she had already developed a dislike for Gu Yunrong as well.
With parents-in-law like that, how could she possibly expect to live peacefully after marrying into their family?
If she had loved Xie Jing, perhaps she might have overlooked these problems and fought alongside him to save their engagement.
But she did not love him, so she had no desire to do that.
Xie Jing seemed to realize this too. He stood motionless, unable to speak.
Suddenly, he felt as though he were in a daze.
He had always thought of Doudou as the same little girl who spoke softly and sweetly. But what she had just said made him realize that she was now capable of seeing things with such clarity.
While he had been so angry with his parents that he had nearly lost his mind, she had remained completely calm.
Perhaps that was proof that she truly had no romantic feelings for him.
For a moment, Xie Jing’s mind went completely blank.
After learning that something had happened to Gu Tongfu, he had tried his best to find a way to help. However, Gu Tongfu was being held at the Governor’s Office, and the Xie family’s connections only reached the lower and middle levels of the local administration.
There was little he could do.
Later, while he was away from home, his parents had taken the opportunity to visit the Gu residence and break off the engagement.
When he found out, he had been furious.
He thought there might still be a chance to change their minds. But not only was Gu Yunrong’s attitude firm, even Madam Xu had become noticeably colder toward him.
It seemed that the Gu family had already given up on the marriage.
Behind them, Gu Jiayan watched Xie Jing’s helpless expression and curled his lips into a faint sneer.
He truly could not stand the behavior of the Xie couple. If his younger sister married into that family, she would undoubtedly be mistreated.
It was better for the engagement to end.
Behind Listening to the Maples Retreat
Huan Che stood in the night breeze for quite some time before he finally managed to calm himself down.
He had only just managed to fall asleep when, at some point, he began dreaming again.
It was almost exactly the same dream he had experienced the previous night.
The girl’s body was as delicate and beautiful as a jade sculpture. Her cheeks were a soft pink, and her eyes seemed to hold the clear waters of an autumn lake…
As he leaned closer to her, he could clearly feel how smooth and delicate her skin was. The overwhelming sensations made his blood run hot. He could even feel her body trembling faintly beneath his touch.
After their intimate moments, she had grown so tired that she was nearly asleep. Her hair was damp with sweat around her temples, and the redness in her cheeks had not yet faded. Her long eyelashes drooped gently over her eyes, and she looked peaceful as she slept.
The dream felt so real that it was almost as though it had truly happened.
He could even vaguely remember that he had kissed her lips until they were swollen.
However, the dream did not continue uninterrupted. Some parts were extremely unclear.
Moreover, although the girl in the dream was Gu Yunrong, her features no longer carried the innocence of a young girl. Instead, she looked like…
A fully grown Gu Yunrong.
Huan Che’s expression darkened, and his brows drew together slightly.
This dream was truly strange.
He had only met Gu Yunrong two or three times. Why was he repeatedly having such dreams about her?
If this continued, how was he supposed to get a decent night’s sleep?
After waking from the dream and realizing that he could no longer fall asleep, Huan Che decided to get dressed and go outside for a walk.
He wandered aimlessly for some time before Wuwu suddenly spoke in a low voice.
“Your Highness, look. There are people over there.”
Huan Che followed Wuwu’s gaze.
Under the moonlight, several figures dressed in gray martial outfits quickly slipped through the trees.
Huan Che immediately focused his attention and ordered in a deep voice, “Follow them.”
Gu Yunrong felt that she probably would not be able to settle things with Xie Jing that night.
He seemed unable to accept the fact that their engagement, which had lasted for so many years, had suddenly come to an end. He was still clinging to hope.
He repeatedly assured her that he would do everything he could to help Gu Tongfu and persuade his parents. He also asked her to reconsider their engagement.
Seeing that she could not convince him in one conversation, Gu Yunrong decided not to say anything more.
She simply reminded him that it was getting late and told him to return home soon.
The moonlight was as clear as water. A gentle breeze passed through the trees, carrying down a single cherry blossom petal.
It landed in Gu Yunrong’s dark hair, adding a delicate touch of pink against her smooth black locks.
Standing beneath the moonlight, she looked like a beautiful flower surrounded by mist, her appearance graceful and captivating, unlike that of an ordinary girl.
For a moment, Xie Jing was completely entranced.
He raised his hand to brush the delicate pink petal from her hair.
Gu Yunrong took a step backward to avoid his touch.
Xie Jing came back to his senses, but he did not lower his hand. Instead, he said softly, “Doudou, there’s a flower petal in your hair.”
Gu Yunrong sighed inwardly.
Actually, Xie Jing was very good at making a girl feel special.
Whenever there was a festival or her birthday, he would come up with all sorts of thoughtful gifts for her. Sometimes he gave her fashionable silk flowers or hair ornaments. Other times, he made little decorations by hand.
Whenever he gave her something, he never forgot to compliment her, telling her that she had become even prettier.
Then he would express concern, saying that she seemed to have lost weight again and reminding her not to skip meals just to stay slim.
Although Gu Yunrong privately did not believe such sweet talk from men, she doubted that Xie Jing would still say those things if she really gained a lot of weight.
Still, hearing such compliments was undeniably pleasant.
And when it came to Huan Che, she had been just like Xie Jing.
She had also gone out of her way to find ways to get closer to him. All the cleverness she had failed to display in her studies and embroidery had been used in trying to win his attention.
Unfortunately, all her efforts had been wasted on someone who never noticed them.
If she had fallen in love with Xie Jing instead, things would have been much simpler.
What a cruel twist of fate.
When Huan Che rode into the area with a group of guards in pursuit of the intruders, he happened to see Xie Jing reaching out to brush the flower petal from Gu Yunrong’s hair in the small woods.
Nayun also noticed the scene from a distance, but only glanced at it briefly. Whatever happened between cousins was none of his concern.
As he continued scanning the surroundings, however, he suddenly froze.
He swiftly raised his bow and aimed at a particular spot.
Huan Che reacted even faster.
Before Nayun could even release his arrow, two of Huan Che’s throwing knives had already shot through the air and disappeared into the shadowy trees.
Gu Yunrong heard two muffled groans beside her.
Startled, she turned around and saw several dark figures roll across the ground before darting out of the bushes like ghosts.
At some point, Huan Che had already leaped down from his horse.
He moved like the wind. Before Gu Yunrong and the others could even react, he and his guards had rushed forward and pinned several men to the ground in just a few swift movements.
Everyone was stunned by how fast and decisive he was.
Under the moonlight, Gu Yunrong finally got a clear look at the clothes worn by the men on the ground.
They were all dressed in gray, close-fitting martial outfits. Their undergarments were wrapped around their bodies, running from the neck down between the legs and secured at the waist.
They looked like spies—or, more specifically, what later generations would commonly call ninjas.
At that time, such people were also known as interlopers or rappa.
Japan had already established its national name, and the country was currently in the middle of the Warring States period. This chaotic era was also the peak of ninja activity and the development of their techniques.
Interlopers often wore reversible clothing on nights when the moon was bright. The inside of the outfit was brown, while the outside was gray.
This allowed them to turn their clothes inside out while being pursued, confusing anyone chasing them.
However, these men had clearly not managed to change their disguises. Huan Che and his men had probably caught up with them too quickly.
Gu Yunrong was still shaken.
She had been distracted just moments earlier and had failed to notice several spies slipping into the bushes nearby.
But why were there spies in Qiantang County?
Were the Japanese pirates planning something?
Huan Che ordered his men to take the captured spies away.
Then he turned and walked a few steps before glancing back slightly, his gaze sweeping over Gu Yunrong and the others.