“When you were thirteen, you were actually quite tender-hearted.”
Chu Yu sat in the carriage, squinting as she reminisced about the past: “Back then, I was mischievous. I remember that year when Chu Jin and I visited your home. I found an anthill and crouched under a tree to poke at it. You ran over and told me to let them go. Since they were living in this world, they deserved a chance to survive.”
“Is that so?”
Gu Chusheng listened, feeling as though these memories were from a distant past.
He vaguely recalled these moments, but most had likely faded since he turned sixteen.
That year, the Gu family fell into misfortune. To save the family, he personally sent his father into the palace, straight to the executioner’s block.
On the night his father was beheaded in the palace, he knelt before Emperor Chunde with a smile, bowing in submission. Yet on the way home, alone in the carriage, he didn’t even dare to let his sobs be heard.
From that moment on, he told himself not to invest too much emotion in anything. You never knew when betrayal would come or when you’d lose everything. It was better to be cold-hearted.
Without giving away emotions, prioritizing oneself above all—that was the way to live well.
After all, he was that kind of person.
A filial son who could send his own father to the executioner’s block—what right did he have to speak of benevolence and righteousness in this lifetime?
When he thought of his youth, it felt like an impossibly distant and prolonged time. He could hardly remember whether those experiences had shaped him into who he was today or if he had always been this way, and those events were merely a reflection of it.
The carriage rocked and swayed until it finally arrived at Yuancheng. Chu Yu glanced at the small dish in his hand and smiled. “Should we go look for this old man’s family?”
Gu Chusheng hesitated for a moment, but Chu Yu made the decision for him. “Let’s go.”
With that, she lifted the curtain for him. The scorching sunlight of Yuancheng spilled into the carriage. Turning back to him, she said gently, “I’ll go with you.”
Gu Chusheng didn’t respond. After a long pause, he nodded. “Alright.”
His leg injured, Gu Chusheng was carried out by a guard. Chu Yu followed him into the government office. By then, the aftershocks had mostly subsided, and the townspeople were gradually returning to the city.
Houses had collapsed, structures were ruined. Though casualties were few, some wept over the ruins of their homes.
Life was already hard. Though this disaster had only claimed property, in these times, money was more precious than life. For some families, this was already a catastrophe.
As Chu Yu walked with Gu Chusheng along the main road, the cries of the people filled the air. She sighed, her gaze lingering on them as she said with difficulty, “Lord Gu, listen carefully to these cries.”
Gu Chusheng remained silent, listening intently. He had never paid such close attention to the people’s wails before—because he had never dared to. He feared that in the dead of night, those sounds would haunt him, robbing him of sleep.
But now, as he listened, he realized these cries weren’t the sharp, resentful shrieks he had imagined. Instead, they carried a bone-deep despair and helplessness.
Against the forces of the nation and fate, the power of these common folk was indeed too small, too fragile. They couldn’t control natural disasters or foresee man-made calamities. For the first time, Gu Chusheng realized that compared to them, he had long grown into a man who wielded a sharp blade.They could only weep and wail, but he had already gained the right to resist.
He arrived at the government office, where Wei Qingping had already set up a free medical clinic. Although the casualties were not severe, many had still been injured in the powerful earthquake. Patients lined up for treatment as Wei Qingping organized an orderly consultation process. Gu Chusheng's guard stepped forward anxiously, saying, "Your Highness, please take a look at our lord—"
"Go to triage first," Wei Qingping replied without even looking up. "Life knows no hierarchy; the critically injured take priority."
"Your Highness!"
"That's the way it is."
It was Gu Chusheng who spoke up. He smiled calmly and said, "Go to triage."
Hearing Gu Chusheng's words, the guard had no choice but to take him to the triage area.
Gu Chusheng's injuries were not severe, so he waited on the side. While waiting, his subordinates came to report on the disaster situation. Gu Chusheng listened quietly but couldn't help frowning. Noticing his expression, Chu Yu approached and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Gu Chusheng shook his head. "Nothing."
Chu Yu nodded. "I'll go help outside."
Gu Chusheng acknowledged her, clearly deep in thought. Chu Yu assisted in quelling the unrest and tallying food supplies. By nightfall, as she was about to rest, someone came to inform her, "Miss Chu, Lord Gu requests your presence."
Chu Yu was taken aback. She glanced at the sky, initially intending to refuse. But recalling Gu Chusheng's demeanor earlier, she realized he must have something difficult to discuss in public.
After a moment's hesitation, she stood up and followed the attendant.
Gu Chusheng's leg was now immobilized with a splint, which, paired with his elegant attire, looked rather comical. When Chu Yu entered and saw the splint, she couldn't help but laugh. "Did it break?"
"Thanks to you," Gu Chusheng chuckled, shaking his head. "No, it didn't. Just needs half a month of rest."
With that, he handed a ledger to Chu Yu. She took it, puzzled. "What's this?"
"It's the current grain reserves in Yuancheng."
As Gu Chusheng spoke, Chu Yu opened the ledger and quickly frowned. It listed the total grain supply in Yuancheng and the extent of the disaster's impact.
"The granary in Yuancheng is almost empty," Gu Chusheng sighed. "Yao Yong took all the grain. It's probably in Qingcheng now for military use. The grain I brought can sustain Yuancheng, but for the entire Qing Province..."
Gu Chusheng looked troubled. Chu Yu studied the ledger quietly. Qing Province was the hardest hit, with neighboring Bai Province, Kun Province, and Luo Province experiencing tremors of varying intensity—though none as devastating as Qing Province. Yet, the disaster alone shouldn't have brought Qing Province to this state.
"The granary of an entire city emptied..." Chu Yu couldn't help but laugh in frustration. "Yao Yong is quite something."
Then, she quickly realized something. "What about Zhao Yue? Did you write to him? Is he abandoning Qing Province?"
"Would he care?" Gu Chusheng looked up with a cold smile. "It'd be a blessing if he doesn't create more disasters."
Chu Yu fell silent. Gu Chusheng seemed equally furious. After a long pause, she finally said, "I'll go borrow grain.""Who would lend to you now?" Gu Chusheng frowned. "You can't possibly expect Wei Yun or your brother to borrow grain for you. Everyone can see that Zhao Yue intends to wear you down with Qing Province. Right now, grain is life itself." His brows furrowed deeper. "We must think of another way."
"If we rely solely on my brother and Wei Yun, it would indeed be too much," Chu Yu chuckled. "But what if each of the hundreds of self-proclaimed warlords contributed a little? You've already taken Yao Yong's share from Zhao Yue—consider that as Zhao Yue's contribution. Then my brother, Wei Yun, Song Shilan, and I will each demand another portion. As for the rest, I'll find a way."
"What way do you have?" Gu Chusheng frowned.
Chu Yu waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, scholar. I have plenty of methods. Just calculate the numbers for me—tell me how much grain you need."
Gu Chusheng was momentarily speechless, stifled by her words. After a long pause, he finally blurted out, "Don't go getting yourself killed!"
The moment the words left his mouth, both of them froze. Chu Yu studied him for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Now that sounds more like the old you."
Gu Chusheng remained silent. Chu Yu stood up and waved her hand. "Alright, I won't keep you. I'm off to bed. I'll set out tomorrow."
After taking two steps, she suddenly remembered something and turned back. "Oh, right—Yao Yong won't cause trouble, will he?"
"What trouble?" Gu Chusheng sneered. "If he dares show up, I'll kneel and beg him to save the people. Let's see who loses face more—him or me!"
Though Yao Yong had emptied Yuancheng's granaries, as the leader of the Qing Province army and with Qing Province being his maternal homeland, turning a blind eye would indeed be disgraceful.
Still, Chu Yu couldn't shake her unease. "What if he really is shameless enough to ignore it?"
"Don't worry," Gu Chusheng said seriously, no longer teasing her. "Zhao Yue won't let him come. Zhao Yue will abandon Qing Province now because he knows you'll take care of it."
Chu Yu fell silent. After a while, she sighed. "It's hard being the good ones."
"Take care of your injuries."
Without looking back, Chu Yu walked away.
Gu Chusheng sat alone in the room, breathing in the lingering traces of her presence. After a long while, he smiled helplessly and lowered his head to calculate the figures she needed.
Back in her room, Chu Yu couldn't sleep. After some thought, she got up and began writing a letter to Wei Yun.
With communication being difficult these days, she had no idea when the letter would reach him. Yet she wrote page after page, detailing everything, as if she wanted to share every little thing with him.
After finishing the letter, she pressed it to her chest, finally feeling at ease, and closed her eyes to sleep.
The next morning, however, she was shaken awake by Wei Qingping. "Stop sleeping! Wake up! They're attacking the city!"
Chu Yu groggily opened her eyes. "Att... attacking the city?"
Wei Qingping smacked her on the head in frustration. "Your Wei Yun is here!"
Chu Yu was stunned. Wei Yun was in Huicheng, so attacking Yuancheng next... made sense, didn't it?
"If Wei Yun is attacking," Chu Yu yawned as she sat up, "why are we in a hurry?"
"No, you don't understand—the moment he arrived, Yao Yong's men fled. Those who didn't were subdued by Gu Chusheng. Gu Chusheng opened the gates for Wei Yun, and now he's inside the city! Hurry up, wash up and get dressed. Do you really want your beloved to see you like this?!"Chu Yu was taken aback for a moment. She turned to look at Wei Qingping and upon closer inspection, noticed that Wei Qingping was wearing a hairpin and had applied delicate, light makeup—clearly having taken the time to dress up properly. After staring blankly for a while, Chu Yu pointed at her and said, "You still have the mood for romance at a time like this..."
"Romance doesn't interfere with business."
Wei Qingping thought seriously for a moment, then stood up. "Alright, I'm leaving. There are still many people waiting for me..."
"Hey, wait!"
Chu Yu grabbed Wei Qingping, who turned back to see Chu Yu grinning shamelessly. "Um, lend me a box of rouge, will you?"
As they spoke, footsteps could already be heard outside. Wei Qingping said calmly, "I'm afraid there's no time."
No sooner had she spoken than the footsteps halted. A young man in a blue robe and fox fur stood at the doorway, hands tucked into his sleeves, smiling as he looked into the room. Chu Yu hid her face behind Wei Qingping's sleeve, but Wei Qingping forcibly pulled it away, causing Chu Yu to roll to the other side, covering her face without a word.
The others in the room quietly withdrew. Wei Yun stepped inside and sat silently by the bed. After a long while without hearing any movement, Chu Yu turned her head and saw Wei Yun's smiling eyes.
Chu Yu froze for a moment, then slapped her own forehead in frustration. "Ah, that little rascal Wei Qingping—what's the use of calling me now!"
Wei Yun didn't speak, simply watching her quietly. Chu Yu sat up and asked curiously, "How did you get here so fast?"
"I took advantage of Gu Chusheng still being in Yuancheng managing the situation and hurried over."
Chu Yu nodded. Yuancheng had just experienced an earthquake, leaving the army disorganized and the city walls damaged, so Wei Yun's arrival was timely. He reached out and gently combed through her hair with his fingers. "Of course, there's another reason," he chuckled. "I missed you."
Author's Note:
Wei Yun: Missed you.
Chu Yu: Mwah~
Other onlookers: Enough already.
************Separator**************
For readers who feel the pacing is slow, I sincerely recommend saving the chapters to read later.
Because my writing strictly follows the "introduction, development, climax, resolution" structure, the "development" phase is primarily about laying groundwork. During this time, it's natural to feel a lack of intense conflict, as the focus is on setup. However, these scenes are necessary for the later plot to avoid abruptness.
In every major arc of this story, the "setup" chapters have been criticized by readers for lacking plot progression. But those who later catch up and read both the "setup" and "climax" together don't feel this way. Therefore, whether you choose to save chapters or not greatly affects your perception of the story's quality.
Only one major arc remains, and while the remaining plot isn't extensive, my update speed makes it difficult to finish quickly. I sincerely suggest that if you feel the current chapters aren't engaging, wait until you see "The End" before reading—you'll have a different experience.
For those who can still keep up, you're likely readers who enjoy sweet moments more than intense conflict. I appreciate you continuing to follow along—heart to you.
OpenNovel