After Chu Yu and Wei Yun woke up, they had breakfast together, and then Wei Yun led Chu Yu to the training ground. He assigned troops to her.
Previously, during their time at Bailing, Chu Yu had already interacted with the Guardian Army and was familiar with most of them. This time, Wei Yun assigned her to lead the Left Vanguard, Sun Yi.
Sun Yi was brought before Chu Yu by Wei Xia. Upon seeing Chu Yu, Sun Yi was visibly excited and exclaimed, "Big..."
However, before he could finish, Wei Yun gave him a calm glance, and Sun Yi abruptly stopped. With difficulty, he corrected himself, "Young Miss."
Chu Yu smiled faintly and tapped him with her whip, saying, "Enough. Since I’m leading the troops this time, you should address me as General."
"Yes," Sun Yi clasped his hands and said cheerfully, "General!"
Chu Yu nodded and turned to Wei Yun. "You go ahead with your tasks. I’ll familiarize myself with them."
Wei Yun acknowledged without further comment. After giving her a few instructions, he turned and left the training ground.
Wei Xia seemed uneasy and whispered, "Your Highness, aren’t you staying to oversee them? What if these brats rebel?"
"If they intend to rebel, let them do it here," Wei Yun replied calmly. "If they’re suppressed here and rebel on the battlefield, that’s when real trouble arises."
Wei Xia paused, then nodded in understanding. "Your Highness is right."
Wei Yun wasn’t worried about Chu Yu’s ability to train the troops. He returned to the government office, where Gu Chusheng came to see him, looking exhausted. "Where’s A Yu?"
"She’s training the troops," Wei Yun said as he gathered the battle reports. He had dispatched three forces to attack Qing Province simultaneously, and Shen You had already sent a triumphant report. Wei Yun looked up at Gu Chusheng. "Are you here to deliver the grain provisions tally?"
Gu Chusheng nodded and was helped down from his sedan chair. He handed a stack of papers to Wei Yun and said calmly, "For the first requisition, I’ve selected a few hard Spikes. The quantity isn’t large, but they’re all prominent figures lately, with strong troops. Some will surely resist. If A Yu seizes all their grain, it should sustain us for a while. Moreover, they’re nearby. Once conquered, they’ll be directly under your control. Send more treasure to Song Shilan and Chu Linyang—they likely won’t suspect anything."
Wei Yun skimmed the list and nodded, then handed it to Wei Xia. "Issue the Grain Requisition Order publicly. Have them expedite the grain delivery. I want to see the grain delivered within five days."
Wei Xia accepted the order and left, leaving only Gu Chusheng and Wei Yun in the room. Wei Yun personally brewed tea for Gu Chusheng, who took a sip and remarked, "You’re quite open with me."
"Since Lord Gu can be composed and open," Wei Yun blew on the tea leaves floating in his cup, his expression unchanged, "why shouldn’t I be?"
Gu Chusheng fell silent. After a long while, he finally asked, "When will you send the betrothal gifts to the Chu family?"
He had once thought he would never say such words in his lifetime.
Or perhaps, if he ever did, it would feel like torture, despair, and humiliation.
Yet when the words finally left his lips, he realized it wasn’t as difficult as he’d imagined. It was as if he were a frog slowly boiled in warm water—gradually, he found that all sorrows in life could be endured over time.
Gu Chusheng didn’t know whether he had truly grown accustomed to this pain or if he was simply too exhausted now.
He hadn’t slept well in a long time, constantly handling matters amidst endless cries and reports of casualties.Yuan City was still holding up, but in other places he hadn't personally visited, the officials were negligent, and the casualty numbers were horrifying. Though it was much better than his previous life, when he'd come to provide disaster relief in that lifetime, the officials had long buried all the darkness, filth, and bloodshed—nothing was as exposed as it was now.
"After my injuries heal, I'll soon need to go to the next location. Right now, many smaller townships are being completely neglected by Yao Yong, so I must go there."
"Mmm."
Wei Yun also had casualty reports. After a moment of silence, he finally raised his cup and said solemnly, "Lord Gu... You are a Pillar of the Nation. Please take care of yourself."
Gu Chusheng looked up at him, his expression complicated. After a long pause, he lifted his cup and gently clinked it against Wei Yun's. Using tea in place of wine, he said calmly, "Prince Wei, you as well."
After they drank their tea, Gu Chusheng withdrew. Wei Yun remained seated in the room for a while before summoning Wei Xia inside.
"Send Wei Qian back," he hesitated before continuing, "to find Second Sister-in-law. Tell her to start preparing for me now..." He paused again, then finally said, "Never mind."
Wei Xia was puzzled. "Your Highness, what is it you wish to do?"
Wei Yun pressed his lips together, thinking it over before finally admitting, "I want to arrange a betrothal gift."
Wei Xia was taken aback, not understanding why Wei Yun had suddenly thought of this, nor why he'd changed his mind. So he asked directly, "Why not go through with it?"
Wei Yun glared at him, somewhat annoyed. "No money."
With food supplies being seized everywhere, where would they find the means to arrange a grand betrothal gift for Chu Yu?
He hadn't originally planned to do this so soon, but after Gu Chusheng's question today, Wei Yun felt an inexplicable urgency.
Though inwardly anxious, he showed nothing on his surface—he had learned to conceal his emotions well. By the time Chu Yu returned that night, there was no trace of his turmoil to be seen.
Chu Yu had spent the day sparring at the training grounds and was in exceptionally high spirits, chatting animatedly that evening. Then she noticed Wei Yun was unusually quiet, prompting her to ask, "What's on your mind? Why so quiet tonight?"
Wei Yun rolled onto his side, thinking for a moment before murmuring, "In your past life... how much did Gu Chusheng offer for your betrothal gift?"
Chu Yu was momentarily stunned by the question, then somewhat embarrassed, replied, "Him and I... there was no betrothal gift. I just grabbed my sword and rushed to Kunyang County..."
Wei Yun frowned, and Chu Yu asked nervously, "You're not dredging up old grievances now, are you?"
"Then," Wei Yun pressed his lips together, "how much did my brother offer for your betrothal back then?"
At that time, the Wei family was at its peak and exceedingly generous. The betrothal gifts had filled an entire street, carried in an endless stream into the Chu residence. In fact, Wei Yun had been the one leading the procession, though he hadn't paid much attention at the time and couldn't recall the exact amount—only that there had been an overwhelming quantity, so much that he'd grown impatient waiting at the gate.
Chu Yu didn't remember the exact amount either, but she recalled: "Your family was extremely generous—100,000 taels of silver, one gilded twelve-hairpin pearl phoenix coronet, earrings..."
As Chu Yu counted off the items on her fingers, Wei Yun's expression grew increasingly grim. By the time she finished, he had composed himself. Only then did Chu Yu think to ask, "Why do you ask about this?"
"It's nothing." Wei Yun tugged at her blanket and said lightly, "Let's sleep for now."After speaking, he turned around to face the wall, eyes open, deep in thought.
With the current chaos of war, where could he possibly get so much money?
Chu Yu pondered for a moment before suddenly realizing something. She turned and tugged at him excitedly, saying, "Are you thinking about preparing a betrothal gift for me?"
Wei Yun, still facing away from her, responded softly with an "Mhm."
Chu Yu laughed joyfully. "Oh, isn't it still too early for that? Why worry so much? Did your mother agree?"
"Why does she matter?" Wei Yun's voice was muffled. "I'll arrange the betrothal first and settle this matter. Before the wedding, I'll find a way to convince her."
"Don't," Chu Yu quickly interjected. "If you can't persuade her later, we'd have to call off the engagement. Let's not waste everyone's time."
Wei Yun fell silent. After a pause, he murmured, "Then we won't marry. But I won't cancel the engagement either."
Chu Yu was amused by his words. After a moment's thought, she leaned down and teased him by his ear, "Did Gu Chusheng provoke you?"
"No."
"Oh, Wei Yun, you hypocrite! You still won't admit it!"
"..."
"Alright," Chu Yu said, seeing she had teased him enough. She lay back down and wrapped her arms around him. "I was just joking. What do I need a betrothal gift for? In times like these..." She rested her head against his back, her voice gentle. "Just having you safe and sound is enough."
Wei Yun didn't respond. He reached out and clasped her hands around his waist.
He thought—just for those words, he would give her the very best.
Back then, Wei Jun had spent nearly half of Wei Manor for the betrothal. This time, he would hand over the entire Wei Manor to her.
Author's Note:
Liu Xueyang: What sin have I committed TT to have raised these two spendthrifts...
Chu Linyang: At least my sister knows how to make money.
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