Chu Yu stole the keys without drawing any attention, and Liang Shi remained unaware.
By nightfall, Chu Yu had taken the account books and slipped into the warehouse, meticulously checking each item against the records. During the day, she shadowed Liang Shi, keeping a close watch on her.
Liang Shi, unnerved by her scrutiny, indeed refrained from any underhanded schemes.
Wei Manor was vast in both property and affairs, so Chu Yu took her time with the accounts. She wasn’t in a hurry—instead, she noted discrepancies as she found them. In her spare moments, she exchanged letters with Wei Yun.
Wei Yun was young and held a leisurely post at the frontlines, essentially running errands for Wei Jun. Thus, he had plenty of time to reply, his letters swift, lively, and full of chatter.
Wei Jun occasionally wrote to her as well, but he seemed exceedingly shy, his letters brief and to the point—reminders to dress warmly in cold weather, avoid chilled foods, keep regular sleep hours, and maintain a balanced diet.
After Wei Jun’s terse lines, Wei Yun would add his own annotations:
Dress warmly in cold weather —Sister-in-law, you should buy more beautiful clothes. Wear whatever you like and charge it all to Eldest Brother’s account. Don’t worry about the cost!
Avoid chilled foods —Sister-in-law, don’t eat anything too cold. The physician says it can cause stomachaches. Eldest Brother has already bought all the delicious snacks in White City and will bring them back for you.
Keep regular sleep hours —Sister-in-law, make sure to sleep well. If you can’t sleep, ask Wei Xia for calming incense. Eldest Brother misses you so much he can’t sleep, afraid you might be missing him just as badly.
Maintain a balanced diet —Well, Sister-in-law, I can’t think of anything else to add. Just know that Eldest Brother misses you terribly, that’s all.
Chu Yu: “…”
She had no idea how to respond to this chatterbox of a brother-in-law. Reading the letters from the border, she found them amusing at first, but after a few days, it became a habit. Whenever she saw Wei Qiu bringing in a letter, she couldn’t help but smile before even opening it.
While Chu Yu was auditing the accounts, the Chu family also sent someone to Kunyang County to find Gu Chusheng.
Gu Chusheng had just settled in Kunyang and was organizing the local manpower. He had been here in his past life, so he was familiar with the place, but the workload was overwhelming—even with his experience, it was impossible to finish everything quickly.
When the Chu family’s messenger arrived, he lifted his head from the documents, taking a long moment to process the news.
His first thought was— Chu Yu is here!
According to the original timeline, Chu Yu should have caught up with him on the road. But even after deliberately slowing his pace, he hadn’t seen her. Though anxious, he remained composed on the surface. He had always been patient, and he knew Chu Yu would come eventually.
If she didn’t… there was nothing he could do about it now.
He had returned too late—by the time he came back, his father was already dead, and he himself was about to leave Hua Jing. There had been no time to make any arrangements. If he wanted to marry Chu Yu, he could only rely on her deep affection for him.
It was at this moment that he was forced to confront the truth: back then, Chu Yu had indeed married beneath her station.
She had abandoned wealth and privilege to marry him—a penniless, frail scholar.
At first, he had been moved.
When he married her, he had genuinely wanted to repay her love.
But when everyone kept saying how good she was to him and how unworthy he was of her, pride and resentment clouded his judgment. As he rose swiftly in rank, this woman who had once shown him kindness became an eyesore. She was like a mark of his most wretched days, a constant reminder that Gu Chusheng had once been a pitiful, struggling youth.Only after her death, after he had experienced the passage of time, witnessed wealth and splendor, traversed the vicissitudes of life, endured betrayal, and tasted despair, did he suddenly realize that the light of his youth was the purest and brightest of all.
Thinking of Chu Yu from those days, his heart trembled slightly. Suppressing his emotions, he stood up and said to his attendant, "Have the Chu family wait a moment. I’ll change my clothes and be right there."
With that, he went to the side chamber and deliberately changed into his most presentable attire, fastened the Jade Crown, checked his appearance in the mirror, took a deep breath, and only then proceeded to the main hall.
His mind raced with questions—how had Chu Yu come here? How would the marriage between Chu Yu and the Wei family be handled? Chu Yu...
He pondered many things, but when he arrived at the main hall and saw only a servant from the Chu family, he couldn’t help but freeze in surprise.
The man stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Lord Gu."
Gu Chusheng nodded, pushing his doubts aside, and returned the courtesy. "Uncle Shan, it’s been a long time."
Chu Shan was a retainer of the Chu family, and Gu Chusheng knew he was highly regarded within the household. Though Chu Shan held no official rank, Gu Chusheng still treated him with respect.
Gu Chusheng invited Chu Shan to take a seat and then asked, "May I ask what brings you here today? Does Uncle Chu have any instructions for me?"
"Nothing too serious," Chu Shan replied cheerfully. "The general has only two matters to convey. First, knowing your current circumstances, he asked me to bring you some things."
With that, Chu Shan presented a small chest.
Gu Chusheng received it with both hands and opened it to find it filled with gold ingots and several letters.
"There are a few commanders in Kunyang County who are acquainted with the general. These are his personal letters of introduction. You may visit them for assistance. When traveling far from home, it’s always good to have someone looking out for you."
Chu Shan tactfully avoided mentioning the gold, sparing Gu Chusheng’s pride. Had Gu Chusheng still been the arrogant and oblivious youth of the past, he might not have recognized this kindness. But after years of hardship, he now understood Chu Shan’s thoughtfulness. He was indeed in need of money and did not refuse. Taking a deep breath, he said sincerely, "Thank Uncle Chu for me, and thank you as well, Uncle Shan."
Chu Shan’s smile deepened at his words. Clearing his throat, he continued, "The second matter concerns your marriage engagement with our young lady."
At this, Gu Chusheng’s heart tightened.
He guessed that Chu Shan’s visit must be related to Chu Yu. She hadn’t chased after him this time—perhaps something had changed. Yet she had always been persistent, unwavering in whatever she set her mind to.
Now that Chu Shan had come and mentioned the engagement, could it be that Chu Yu had persuaded Chu Jianchang to let her marry him openly and honorably?
Setting the chest down on the table, he suppressed his excitement and looked up at Chu Shan. "What are Uncle Chu’s plans regarding the engagement?"
"Don’t be nervous," Chu Shan said, misinterpreting his reaction as fear that the Chu family was here to break the engagement. "The Chu family does not go back on its word. The general simply sent me to ask—now that the eldest young lady is married and the second young lady has come of age, when do you plan to come and propose?"
At these words, Gu Chusheng’s mind went blank with a resounding "boom."He stared blankly at Chu Shan, unable to utter a word.
What did he just say?
The eldest young miss was married off?
Which eldest young miss? Who else could it be besides Chu Yu?
It couldn’t be Chu Yu.
She was supposed to marry him. In her past life, she had trekked thousands of miles to reach him—how could she marry someone else in this life?
He opened his mouth as if to speak, but Chu Shan, observing his expression, chuckled and said, “Lord Gu, are you so overjoyed you’ve gone speechless?”
Hearing this, Gu Chusheng slowly regained his composure. His throat felt dry, but he forced a smile and asked with difficulty, “The eldest young miss you mentioned… is it A Yu?”
“Of course,” Chu Shan took a sip of tea, his eyes reflecting satisfaction. “The eldest young miss married into Wei Manor. She returned home recently and seemed to be doing well. The Wei family has an upright and refined reputation—she shouldn’t have to worry for the rest of her life.”
“That… isn’t necessarily true.” Gu Chusheng clenched his fists beneath his sleeves. Chu Shan looked up in surprise as Gu Chusheng lowered his gaze and spoke in a tone so calm it sent chills down the spine: “A lifetime is long. One shouldn’t rely on others forever.”
And certainly not on that short-lived Wei Jun from the Wei family.
The mere thought of Wei Jun’s name felt like a dagger piercing his heart.
In the past, Chu Yu had been meant to marry Wei Jun. For years, their names had been spoken together, with many lamenting how wonderful it would have been if Wei Jun had lived and Chu Yu had married him.
Back then, just hearing the name filled him with fury. In everyone’s eyes, he could never measure up to Wei Jun—perhaps even in Chu Yu’s heart, he fell short.
But Wei Jun had died, and she had no other choice.
He had once been grateful Wei Jun was dead, and once resented that he was dead. In his past life, it had been so. Now, hearing the name again in this life, he realized with sudden clarity that his hatred for Wei Jun ran even deeper than before.
Chu Yu had married him.
In this life, Chu Yu had married him!
He lifted his head and fixed his gaze on Chu Shan, wanting to demand what they had done to Chu Yu.
The intensity of his stare was so improper that even the attendant nearby couldn’t help but call out, “Young master.”
Chu Shan frowned, sensing unease, and cut straight to the point: “Lord Gu, do you have something to say?”
Gu Chusheng snapped back to reality at Chu Shan’s words. Chu Yu’s marriage to Wei Jun was already set in stone—he couldn’t afford to offend the Chu family now. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the box back.
“Regarding the marriage with the second young miss, I’ve given it much thought and believe it’s best to be honest. The second young miss is a noble lady, while I, in my current position, am hardly a suitable match.”
“There’s no need to worry about that. The general said—”
“Moreover,” Gu Chusheng interrupted, his gaze resolute, “my heart already belongs to another. The second young miss must have her own considerations as well. Marriage is a lifelong matter—one should wed the person they truly love. I believe the general wouldn’t force such a union.”
Hearing this, Chu Shan fell silent. He was well aware of the turmoil before Chu Yu’s wedding. Now, seeing Gu Chusheng’s attitude and Chu Jin’s stance, he sighed and looked at Gu Chusheng.
“Young Master Gu,” he said helplessly, “be honest with me. Is the one you love… my family’s eldest young miss?”
Gu Chusheng froze for a moment before slowly smiling.
He neither denied it nor grew angry. Instead, he nodded firmly. “Yes.”Chu Shan sighed, seemingly troubled. "You're like this... the eldest young lady... she's already married."
"She's married," Gu Chusheng smiled, his eyes curving. "What does that have to do with my feelings for her?"
Not to mention that Wei Jun was fated to die young—even if Wei Jun lived a long life, Gu Chusheng would tear everyone apart until they bled to reclaim what was his!
At this thought, the pain in Gu Chusheng's heart finally eased somewhat.
Wei Jun was on the battlefield.
The corners of his lips curled, his eyes filled with coldness.
Even if he did nothing, Wei Jun and the Wei family were destined to perish on that battlefield.
As a high-ranking official of the court back then, he knew all too well what had truly happened on that battlefield. It was a past even the emperor dared not face—an incident for which the emperor had once removed his Jade Crown to apologize to Wei Yun.
No one could save the Wei family.
Not even he, who had been reborn, could change their fate.
Author's note: Waiting every day for Xiao Qi to grow up. Both heartbreaking and eagerly anticipated.
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