On his way back to the capital for the 51st time, the heart of Emperor De

  In the creaking sound of the carriage, a man and a wolf were engaged in a silent struggle. Gong Sun Chenglin's eyes stared intently at the fluffy little thing, his hand gripping the sword with veins bulging.

  "Prince, that's a wolf, you'd better not provoke it."

  Outside the carriage, there was a coachman who said this. Gong Sun Chenglin's eyes became even deeper, and Xiao Xue Lang stood up with his front paws, opening his bloody mouth, revealing rows of sharp white teeth, standing in front of the soft couch inside the carriage with an unstoppable momentum. As long as Gong Sun Chenglin leaned in slightly, it let out a "howl" and the entire carriage shook three times instantly.

  When Gu Yunxi opened her eyes, this was the scene she saw. Her gaze still had a few points of dullness, and when she clearly saw where she was, memories flooded her mind.

  Xiaoxue Lang was the first to notice the movement behind her, and she immediately went over with a "wow" sound. Gong Sun Chenglin took a step back and discovered it, his face suddenly filled with joy, "Yun Xi, you're awake!"

  Outside the carriage, it seemed like someone heard the noise, only to hear the rustling footsteps fading away, but again didn't know where they went. Gu Yunxi cleared her throat a few times, feeling weak all over, "Crown Prince Cheng, I...".

  Gongsun Chenglin's face was filled with joy, and at this moment, he couldn't care less about Xiao Lang's ferocious appearance. He immediately leaned in, his eyes shining brightly, "Yun Xi, this time you really didn't disappoint me, nor did you disappoint Second Brother. Ye Qi has already handed the Snow Lotus to Second Brother. This time, it was you who brought back the top prize for us. It's just a pity that my injury came at an inopportune moment, causing you, a young lady, to suffer so much injustice!"

  Gu Yunxi naturally wasn't here to listen to these flattering words, she slightly shook her head, "How did I end up here——"

  Gongsun Cheng's voice was loud and clear as he laughed, seemingly also realizing that he had gotten a bit too excited. "We're currently on our way back to the capital, you were found by Second Brother near Snow Wolf Valley, did you know? At the time, Second Brother thought it was urgent that you hadn't come down from the mountain for nine days, and in a fit of rage, he brought the servants from De Wang Fu and directly flattened Snow Wolf Valley. That fire burned..."

  Gongsun Chenglin was saying something, but Gu Yunxi didn't quite catch it. She only felt a buzzing in her ears, "Snow Wolf Valley, is the prince..."

  "Exactly!" Gong Sun Chenglin seemed to be praising, "Second Brother encountered Ye Qi near Snow Wolf Valley, it turns out that Ye Qi and you both took Second Brother's people as the Crown Prince's people. Second Brother knew you were in danger and immediately went to find you, unfortunately when you had already ridden away on horseback. Later, following the spider silk trail to find you, it was already midnight, your foot was injured, and your body was also burning with fever. Fortunately, someone applied the Bone-Healing Ointment for you, and gave you the Fragrant Condensing Pill, not to mention treating a broken foot or cold, even if it were to revive the dead, it would be effective."

  Gu Yunxi's eyes narrowed, a crimson gash flashed in her mind, "Where are the people with me——"

  Gongsun Chenglin seemed to be stunned for a moment, then reacted, "As for me, I'd like to see him too. For so many years, I've been thinking of competing with him in a match. Unfortunately, when Second Brother found you, he had already left. It seems that he knew Second Brother was looking for you. Those two medicines are extremely rare, and he is indeed generous."

  Gu Yunxi furrowed her brow, "Why are you returning to Beijing so soon? Is everyone going back?"

  Gongsun Chenglin's eyes narrowed, and the corners of his mouth curled up in a cold smile. "Father received a letter, and in a fit of rage, he immediately issued an edict to return to the capital. Second Brother had already gone up the mountain, and after finding you, he didn't even return to the hunting palace, but instead followed the prepared carriages to hurry back to the capital..."

  Gū Yún Xī's eyes saw Gōng Sūn Chéng Lín as always being spirited and unrestrained, but she had never seen such an expression on his face before. She couldn't help but feel suspicious, "What happened?"

  "The State of Yan has a special place called the Divine Traces Mansion, which has been passed down through generations and is directly controlled by each generation's emperor. They are like the emperor's eyes, monitoring the movements of the entire imperial court. After Second Brother ascended to the throne, Father Emperor received a memorial from the Divine Traces Mansion, stating that after Father Emperor left the capital, the military defense of the capital underwent drastic changes, and all of this was related to that Duke Guo."

  "The defense of the Imperial City is a top priority, and even if Guozi's power is great, he shouldn't be meddling in this matter. The Emperor is worried about causing trouble, so why did he hastily summon everyone back to the capital?"

  Gu Yunxi faintly nodded in agreement, and Gong Sun Chenglin nodded, "We should be the last to return."

  Gu Yunxi listened to these words with some hesitation, and at this moment the horse carriage slowed down slightly. She only heard a voice saying "Pay respects to Wang Ye" before her own carriage curtain was lifted up.

  "Waaaah——"

  Someone else got into the carriage, and Xiao Xue Lang was furious again. Gong Sun Mo wore a silver brocade robe and got on the carriage. He glanced at the little thing, and there were a few smiles in his eyes. Gu Yun Xi hurriedly stood up, and he took two steps forward to press her onto the couch. "Don't move."

  "I heard from someone below that you've woken up, so I came over to take a look. How are you feeling now?"

  It had been many days since they last met, and Gu Yunxi felt that the cold air on Gong Sunmo's body was much less than before. She shook her head, "Just a bit tired."

  Gongsun Chenglin rolled his eyes, "You're exhausted because you've been sleeping for two days. We'll arrive in the capital in just two hours, and Second Brother is still worried about you. Now I'm afraid they've already prepared all sorts of nourishing soups and medicines."

  Listening to Gong Sun Chenglin's words with distinct meaning, Gu Yunxi's eyebrows slightly furrowed, while on the other side, Gong Sun Mo shouted lightly towards the outside of the carriage, "Bring it up".

  The girl who got on the car was a great surprise to Gu Yunxi, it turned out to be Zilan!

  "Sister Gu, these were all prepared for you by Wang Ye, hurry up and take some, your illness will naturally be cured at that time."

  Gongsun Chenglin smiled, "Second Brother thought it was inconvenient for you to travel without a female servant, so he brought Zilan back with him since she's the one who caught your eye. How do you feel about that?"

  Gongsun Mo only smiled faintly and didn't speak, also giving up his seat to Zilan. Zilan had a flattering smile on her face as she sat beside Gu Yunxi, took the innermost cloak and helped her put it on, then fed her all those so-called tonics and supplements. At this moment, Gu Yunxi was indeed starving, so she didn't hesitate and started eating with Zilan's help.

  After finishing the medicine, Zilan smiled and retreated. Gong Sun Chenglin looked around, "Zilan only brought it to you, but forgot about me, I'll go find her..."

  In an instant, the carriage was left with only Gu Yunxi and Gong Sunmo. The warm stove in the corner of the carriage crackled with a soft silver spark, occasionally making a slight popping sound. In this quiet atmosphere, Gong Sunmo let out a gentle sigh, "This time, it's been tough on you."

  Gu Yunxi's face remained calm as she shook her head, but then looked up and asked, "I don't know how the rewards for this grand hunt will be distributed. Does Your Highness know what the Emperor is thinking?"

  Gongsun Mo smiled slightly, "You truly never forget your identity at any moment, you don't need to think about these things, let alone Father Emperor's hasty departure, this reward will probably be delayed for some time."

  Gu Yunxi shook his head, "It's not like that, just now the Crown Prince told me that there are changes in the national defense of the Imperial City, so the Emperor is anxious. This time, apart from the Forbidden Army of the Imperial Palace, the Patrol Camp will also undergo major changes. If the King can take down two at once, then Yanjing will be under his control from inside to outside."

  Gongsun Mo nodded and looked up at Gu Yunxi, "What do you think of Ye Qi?"

  Gu Yun Xi thought for a moment and nodded, "And another one?"

  "If I say that the best one is gone, but there's another one you've never seen before, also arranged by me in this big hunt. Among all the people except you, he did the best. If we can get two tokens, the other one will be given to him."

  Gu Yunxi was taken aback, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Why didn't you give that token to me, Your Highness?"

  Gongsun Mo was taken aback, as if he had never thought of this question before, "You are a woman..."

  "How can women not be allowed to enter the court? According to what I know, among the first few generals when Da Yan was founded, there was a female general. Not to mention that during Emperor Yan's time, Princess Huimin personally wore armor and went into battle. And let's not forget that our dynasty once had a female Prime Minister too! In the prince's heart, can it be that only men can achieve great things?"

  Gongsun Mo was taken aback; he didn't naturally discriminate against women being untalented, it's just that...

  Gongsun Mo's eyes widened slightly, and Yún Xi's mouth curled up at the corner. "Did the king really take Yún Xi's words to heart? Yún Xi was just speaking casually, but if one day the king needs Yún Xi to ride into battle on his horse, Yún Xi naturally wouldn't dare refuse!"

  Gongsun Mo let out a sigh of relief, shaking his head. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I've always thought that matters of blood and steel should be handled by men. Women only need to wear beautiful clothes, play the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting in the palace."

  Gu Yunxi smiled and nodded, Gong Sunmo looked at her twice before getting up to leave.

  "Your Highness, did Lord Chu return to the capital earlier than us?"

  Gongsun Mo's hand, which was about to lift the curtain of the carriage, paused. His thick black eyebrows furrowed slightly, "No, he is still recuperating in the hot spring palace."

  Gu Yunxi let out a casual "oh" and turned over to continue her nap. On the other side, Gong Sunmo seemed to have been stunned for a while before lifting the curtain and getting off the carriage. Outside the carriage, Gong Chenglin was standing with a smile, "Hehe, Second Brother is in such a hurry. You know that Yunxi deserves that position, but you also know that according to our dynasty's rules, women who serve as officials cannot enter the imperial palace. Yunxi's words earlier must have scared you, right?"

  If it were an ordinary day, Gong Sun Mo would have reluctantly retorted with a couple of sentences. However, at this moment, Gong Sun Mo instead gave Gong Sun Cheng Lin a deep look before turning around and returning to his own horse-drawn carriage without saying a word.

  Gongsun Chenglin stood alone on the spot, looking at the two horse carriages in front and behind him with great confusion. "Did I say something wrong?"