Destined

Liu Yu Ru was amused by his words, but she knew she couldn't laugh. She turned her head away and deliberately spoke coldly: "Stop your glib talk. Think about what you did wrong."

"I shouldn't have watched you crying outside without going in to comfort you."

Gu Jiusi glanced nervously at Liu Yu Ru, who turned back to him calmly: "That's trivial. What else?"

"I frightened you." Gu Jiusi continued his repentance.

"Let me ask you," Liu Yu Ru turned to face him, "was this entire incident arranged by you?"

"Yes." Gu Jiusi admitted frankly without any attempt to conceal.

"You anticipated that Luo Zishang would make his move at this time?" Liu Yu Ru frowned. Gu Jiusi nodded, "He suffered heavy losses this time and won't give up easily. If I die, the Yellow River Renovation project would fall back into his hands. Moreover, with the frequent unusual movements in the city recently, Huzi reported to me, so I guessed he was about to act. Naturally, I wouldn't let this opportunity slip."

"You consider this an opportunity?"

Liu Yu Ru laughed in anger: "Someone wants to kill you, and you're gambling with your own life?"

"Yu Ru..." Gu Jiusi mustered his courage, "I... I do have my limits."

He then explained: "Last night I went to see Lord Zhou and temporarily assigned Chen Mao Chun to take charge of patrols, thinking that if Luo Zishang saw the Crown Prince's people handling this matter, he wouldn't act recklessly. If he really moved, then Chen Mao Chun would be finished. I've already sent an informant from the Crown Prince's Residence to report to the Crown Prince that this was Luo Zishang's doing. Since Luo Zishang knew Chen Mao Chun was in charge yet still attempted to kill me, his relationship with the Crown Prince would be broken."

"So he only had two choices. First, he might estimate that Chen Mao Chun wouldn't assassinate me, but even if he didn't act, I would arrange for someone to do so. With just an excuse, I could have people directly track his assassins' location and clean them up tonight, ensuring our journey to the Yellow River would be safe."

Liu Yu Ru listened quietly to Gu Jiusi's plan. He rarely explained these matters to her in such detail, so she didn't interrupt, letting him continue: "The second choice was for him to assassinate me. Originally this shouldn't have been problematic because he came all the way to the Eastern Capital to gain the Crown Prince's trust, hoping to control the Crown Prince in the future just like he controlled the Wang family. Now, by offending the Crown Prince to assassinate me, he's clearly acting unwisely, yet he still did it. But I prepared for this possibility too - the entire city is filled with my people now. Even if they cause chaos, nothing serious will happen."

Liu Yu Ru continued listening quietly. Gu Jiusi grew somewhat anxious: "I know I frightened you tonight, but I..."

"I was taken away by Luo Zishang."

Liu Yu Ru spoke calmly. Gu Jiusi was stunned. Liu Yu Ru turned to look at him, and Gu Jiusi was completely bewildered.

Shen Ming's people hadn't had time to inform Gu Jiusi about Liu Yu Ru's disappearance before Gu Jiusi encountered the assassination attempt. Then Liu Yu Ru appeared, followed by Jiang He's arrival. Since Jiang He hadn't had time to tell Gu Jiusi about this matter, Gu Jiusi naturally remained unaware.

Gu Jiusi stared blankly at Liu Yu Ru for a moment before reacting: "Did something happen to Shen Ming?"

He had assigned Shen Ming to look after Liu Yu Ru. Knowing Shen Ming's character, unless he was dead, he would never have allowed Liu Yu Ru to be kidnapped by Luo Zishang.Liu Yu Ru felt weary. She didn't want Gu Jiusi to blame Shen Ming, for she understood the meaning behind Shen Ming's choice—it was merely human instinct, and she bore no grudge. She could only change the subject: "Jiusi, you're too reckless. You think everything is under your control, but not everything will go as you expect."

Gu Jiusi remained silent. Kneeling on the ground, he stayed quiet for a long time before slowly speaking: "This time, I didn't think it through carefully enough..."

"It's not that you didn't think it through!" Liu Yu Ru, seeing he still didn't understand, could no longer contain her emotions and raised her voice sharply. "You shouldn't have gambled at all!"

Gu Jiusi lowered his gaze. Liu Yu Ru's chest heaved with rapid breaths as she stepped forward, half-kneeling before him, and looked into his eyes. "Jiusi, you can gamble with anything, but not your life. Do you understand? If we lose money, we can earn it back. If we lose our official positions, we can regain them. But if we lose our lives, we lose everything."

"I don't understand," Gu Jiusi lifted his eyes to meet hers, restrained and calm. "This is how we've always lived. If we can't gamble with our lives, why did you return to Yangzhou? Why did you remain my wife? Why did you go to Yangzhou to collect grain? Why did you stand by me when we were trapped in Wangdu? Why did you drink that poisoned wine? Yu Ru, we've always been gambling with our lives."

"That was in the past."

Liu Yu Ru looked at him earnestly. "Jiusi, in the past, we had no choice but to gamble. Now we have options. Why gamble when we have choices? What did you gamble for today? To drive a wedge between Luo Zishang and the Crown Prince? To bring down Chen Mao Chun? You could have chosen to take more precautions, but for your political goals, you chose the riskier path."

"If Luo Zishang hadn't acted today, it would have been more troublesome if he struck on the journey to the Yellow River."

Gu Jiusi's voice remained steady. Liu Yu Ru took a deep breath. "That's your hindsight talking. If you hadn't been so confident of victory, how would you have dared to let Ye Yun and me walk the streets?"

This time, Gu Jiusi finally fell silent.

In truth, Liu Yu Ru wasn't wrong—he had miscalculated. Though he had, he knew Jiang He was backing him up, covering his final oversight. Yet, regardless, he had nearly lost Liu Yu Ru. She had still been taken by Luo Zishang.

Fear and guilt churned within him. He hung his head without a word. Liu Yu Ru took his hand and sighed. "Jiusi, you're too much of a gambler, and too arrogant."

Back in Yangzhou, he had dared to wager Four Hundred Million Jump Horse with Yang Long Si—that nature was forever ingrained in his bones. Seeing him still kneeling, Liu Yu Ru thought for a moment and stood up. "Get up. Go to bed and sleep."

"I won't."

Gu Jiusi answered resolutely. Liu Yu Ru couldn't help but laugh. "Are you testing me?"

"No."

Gu Jiusi kept his head down. "I made a mistake. I need to remember this lesson."

He took a deep breath, lifted his head, and looked at Liu Yu Ru. "I put you in danger—that was my fault. I didn't think things through and was too reckless—that was also my fault. But as for today's decision, I don't believe it was wrong."

Liu Yu Ru watched him quietly as he continued, "Yu Ru, we've never reached a time when we could live peacefully and securely."Liu Yu Ru gazed at Gu Jiusi as he continued, "On one hand, the Crown Prince's stance toward Lord Zhou remains ambiguous. Since we share a common cause with Lord Zhou, our future remains uncertain. Secondly, Luo Zishang's presence in the Eastern Capital suggests ulterior motives. Given our current irreconcilable conflict with him, he will not spare us in the future. If I do not strive for advancement now, what will become of the Gu Family should Luo Zishang seize power?"

As Liu Yu Ru listened to Gu Jiusi, she felt a wave of weariness rise within her.

"Jiusi," she sighed, "must we keep fighting like this forever?"

"Yu Ru," he said calmly, meeting her gaze, "I do not only have you and our family—I also have my brothers."

"Brother Zhou is my sworn brother, so I cannot side with the Crown Prince. As long as Brother Zhou does not betray me, I must stand with the Zhou family. Yet the Crown Prince may not tolerate Lord Zhou indefinitely."

"Shi An is also my brother. He bears a blood feud against Luo Zishang for the annihilation of his family, and I vowed to help him avenge it. If the Crown Prince were virtuous and Luo Zishang benevolent, I might hesitate. But given the Crown Prince's current temperament, Great Xia will inevitably face turmoil. And with Luo Zishang's methods, if he controls Great Xia, it will become like today's Yangzhou. Thus, for public duty, I must fight; for personal loyalty, I must fight as well."

Liu Yu Ru listened, seated at the edge of the bed, captivated by his bright, unwavering eyes. He held her gaze without yielding.

This version of Gu Jiusi made it impossible for her to look away. As she watched him, she felt her heartbeat quicken and the deep-seated love and admiration from the innermost part of her soul.

When one loves another, it is because that person is worthy of love—not merely because they love you in return.

Liu Yu Ru considered herself a cold-hearted merchant at core. Her heart was small, preoccupied mostly with ensuring her own and her family's well-being. Her world held no grand ideals of the nation or its people. She only wished not to be a bad person but bore no desire for greater responsibilities.

But Gu Jiusi was different.

In his eyes lay the righteousness of a nobleman, the bond of friendship, the flames of war, the vast landscape of Great Xia, and—upon this fertile land—millions of common people.

He was unaware of it himself, yet Liu Yu Ru could clearly see in his eyes those naive, fervent hopes burning within his heart.

She felt as if he had ignited her, stirring the dormant passion in her soul. This left her both resigned and secretly delighted. She sighed softly and could only say, "If you believe you are not wrong, why are you kneeling here?"

"No, I was wrong."

Gu Jiusi spoke decisively. Liu Yu Ru stared at him. "What was wrong?"

"Endangering you, burdening you, causing you anxiety—that is where I was wrong."

Hearing these words, Liu Yu Ru was momentarily stunned.

Though his heart encompassed lofty ambitions, it also held a place for her.

Collecting herself, she sniffled, opening her mouth to speak but choking on her words. She raised a hand, pointing at Gu Jiusi, struggling several times to voice her thoughts yet remaining silent. Understanding her emotions, Gu Jiusi reached out and clasped her hand, pressing her palm against his cheek. He gazed at her tenderly and said softly, "It won't happen again.""I originally wanted to shield you from the storms outside, letting you enjoy lantern festivals and go about your life as usual. But now I realize I'm not that capable, not that omniscient. From now on, I won't let you face even the slightest danger."

"I'm not afraid."

Liu Yu Ru finally found her voice. Feeling the warmth of the person beneath her hands, she looked at Gu Jiusi and smiled: "Actually, aside from anything happening to you, nothing else frightens me."

"You're right," she lowered her gaze, "I understand everything you said. Brother Ye's vengeance should be pursued, the Crown Prince's lack of virtue requires careful planning. It's just... just..."

Liu Yu Ru raised her eyes to look at him, tears falling from her beautiful eyes: "I just don't understand why you always have to take such risks to do these things?"

"What if I were a man?"

She spoke earnestly: "If I were a man, I could serve in office for you, make plans for you, avenge Brother Ye, help you achieve the peaceful world you desire. Then you could live well, remain your carefree self. I could give you plenty of money, you could gamble every day, go cockfighting, take nighttime strolls along the moat, then return home on horseback singing songs..."

"That wouldn't be good." Gu Jiusi interrupted her quickly, "If you were a man, I couldn't marry you."

Liu Yu Ru was taken aback. Gu Jiusi looked at her with a serious expression: "Let me suffer hardships. I'm willing to endure countless lifetimes of trials to have you as my wife."

"You..." Liu Yu Ru felt her heart swell with joy at his words. Though tears still streaked her face, she couldn't help but smile. Seeing her happiness, Gu Jiusi knelt on the washboard, wrapped his arms around Liu Yu Ru's waist as she sat on the bed, rested his head on her lap and said coquettishly, "Yu Ru, actually I don't find any of this suffering or tiring. I could fight my whole life, as long as you're by my side."

"Then I wouldn't fear anything."

Liu Yu Ru looked at the person leaning against her thigh, gently combing his hair with her fingers. Her gaze was calm and tender as she watched him.

She didn't say much more. Unlike Gu Jiusi who enjoyed expressing his feelings, she simply continued stroking his hair, over and over.

Gu Jiusi breathed in her scent. After a long while, he finally asked quietly: "How did Luo Zishang manage to kidnap you?"

"It was too chaotic at the time. Shen Ming couldn't get to me. Luo Zishang was wearing a mask. When he grabbed me, I thought it was you, so I ran with him."

Gu Jiusi listened quietly, then asked: "You thought it was me?"

"Yes," Liu Yu Ru thought for a moment, "I only realized today how much his eyes resemble yours. His clothing style was similar to yours today too. With all the chaos, I didn't look carefully and mistook him for you."

Gu Jiusi leaned against her without speaking. After a long time, he asked: "Why did he kidnap you?"

"Probably to protect me from getting hurt accidentally," Liu Yu Ru pondered, "He's invested so much silver with me, still counting on me to make money for him."

"He took you to the pleasure boat?"

Gu Jiusi continued questioning. Liu Yu Ru shook her head: "He brought me to the dock. When I saw your decoy get shot, I ran to find you myself."

"I should thank him then."

Gu Jiusi spoke softly, his tone unreadable, but Liu Yu Ru sensed his displeasure.

After thinking for a moment, she said quietly: "He did it for the money. Don't overthink it."

Gu Jiusi grunted in acknowledgment, his voice muffled.What he didn't say was that the ferry location was originally the best spot for viewing the fireworks. He had intentionally asked Ye Yun to lead Liu Yuru there, so she could watch the fireworks and see him perform the God-pleasing Song for her.

Yet it wasn't him accompanying her to watch the fireworks, but Luo Zishang.

Men understand men best. The mere thought of Luo Zishang standing with Liu Yuru at the ferry watching the fireworks made him feel as if he were choking on blood.

But he couldn't say more. If he said too much, he feared he would remind Liu Yuru of things she hadn't noticed before.

So he just leaned his head against Liu Yuru and knelt earnestly.

After watching him kneel for a while, Liu Yuru finally said, "Stop kneeling, let's sleep."

"Mm."

Gu Jiusi stopped being stubborn and finally stood up. After washing up and lying down on the bed, he embraced Liu Yuru from behind.

Half-asleep, Liu Yuru felt him stirring and pressed his hand, saying, "We're setting off tomorrow, can you not fuss?"

"Just sleep in the carriage then."

Gu Jiusi murmured softly, his patience unwavering. Liu Yuru began to feel something and let him continue.

That night, Gu Jiusi was somewhat different from usual. He whispered to her, "Yuru, do you like it?"

Liu Yuru flushed, gritting her teeth without speaking. Sensing her pleasure, Gu Jiusi held her tightly and murmured, "Yuru, I'm better than Luo Zishang in every way."

In her dazed state, Liu Yuru heard these words but couldn't process them. Only after everything was over, as she lay in bed drifting into sleep, did she slowly comprehend.

This person truly was incredibly childish—

Author's Note:

Liu Yuru: Luo Zishang saved me for money, don't mind it.

Gu Jiusi: Mm, I don't mind.

(Later that night)

Gu Jiusi: Yuru, I'm better than Luo Zishang in every way.

Liu Yuru: I thought you didn't mind?!