No worries about mutual assistance, victorious return
The night was dark and mysterious, Gu Yun Xi stood quietly alone in front of the window of her small hut, looking out from the dense darkness, there was a place in the sky that was brightly lit, illuminating half of the imperial palace. The faint sound of music drifted to Gu Yun Xi's ears from the cold and solemn air, she knew it was the outer hunting ground holding a celebratory ceremony for tomorrow's big hunt.
"Miss Gu, the king requests your presence."
The sound of Sun Lu's voice came from outside the door, Gu Yunxi regained her composure, tidied up her clothes and turned to go out. Her room was not far from Gong Sunmo's study, and she could hear all the commotion in the courtyard today. Presumably, Gong Sunmo was making arrangements for tomorrow's big hunt, and she would also embark on this journey tomorrow.
As soon as she stepped out, a chilling gust of wind hit her in the face. Gu Yunxi lifted her head to see that there were no stars in the sky, and snowflakes were gently falling down one by one. She tightened her clothes and walked straight to Gong Sunmo's study door.
"This old minister thinks that Your Highness's trip is not advisable. Miss Gu is just a young lady from a humble family, how can she cope with the difficulties of traveling in heavy snow? Moreover, this time it's not just about hunting, but also about competing for the position of Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard, which is far more important than the previous position of Commander of the Imperial Forest Army. If Miss Gu follows you, she might not be able to help and would only drag others down. Since His Majesty has already made it clear that the prize for this grand hunt is the position of Vice Commander of the Imperial Guard, which is much better than the previous position, I implore Your Highness to think thrice before acting."
Wen Yuan's voice kept coming out, because of the assassination, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard had been punished and imprisoned. The reward for capturing the assassin was getting bigger and bigger. Gu Yunxi hooked up the corner of her mouth and pushed open the door to enter.
Everyone in the house saw Gu Yunxi wearing men's clothes and entering, their faces slightly changed. Gu Yunxi swept a glance around the room, seeing only Gong Sunmo's trusted followers inside. She walked straight to Gong Sunmo and paid her respects, "Greetings, Your Highness."
"Get up." Gong Sun Mo waved his hand, and this side of his brow was slightly furrowed with a hint of hesitation. "Yun Xi, tomorrow is the day of the grand hunt. Now it's snowing outside, and the weather for the next few days doesn't seem to be too good either. You're just a young lady, I, the king..."
Gu Yunxi shook her head, her eyes serious. "Since I dared to recommend myself back then, what you said is not a problem in my eyes. Moreover, at present, there may not be anyone better than me by your side."
Gongsun Mo had not spoken yet, but Wen Yuan was already coldly snorting beside him. His face darkened as he looked at Gu Yunxi, "Miss Gu, do you know what kind of people are around the prince? And how can you be sure there isn't someone better suited than you? At least, I haven't seen any qualifications in Miss Gu that would allow her to say such a thing."
Gu Yunxi's mouth curved up, "The old official's words are extremely right, after this big hunt returns, Yunxi will naturally let the old official know whether Yunxi has this qualification!"
Wen Yuan's eyes changed color, but Gu Yun Xie didn't pay attention to him anymore. Instead, he looked at Gong Sun Mo with a serious expression and said, "Please rest assured, Your Highness. As long as the original plan doesn't change, I will definitely be able to get that Snow Lotus for you. At that time, whether it's the Commander of the Imperial Guard or the Commander of the Imperial Forest Army, they will all be in your pocket."
Gongsun Mo saw Gu Yunxi's sincere eyes and his gaze slightly froze, "Yunxi, Chenglin is injured, tomorrow's hunt the king will not let him participate, however, except for him, the king does not feel at ease handing you over to someone else!"
Gu Yun Xi's eyes slightly narrowed, Wen Yuan heard this and glanced at Gong Sun Mo, his gaze changed as he looked at Gu Yun Xi, "This matter is not to be discussed, Wen Yuan dares to ask Miss Gu a question, if Miss Gu can truly win and return, the position of Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard, who do you think should take it now that the Prince is present?"
Wen Yuan's eyes gleamed like arrows, and Gu Yun Xi's back stiffened slightly. Wen Yuan did not trust her no matter what, as the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard, a third-rank official, with 5,000 imperial guards under his direct command. If she misspoke even one word at this moment, he would likely oppose her to the end. She smiled faintly, "Gu Yun Xi is anxious, such important matters should be decided by His Highness."
Wen Yuan was used to being overbearing, and at this time, Gongsun Mo didn't want to consider Yun Xi's difficulties either. His eyes sank, "Alright, this matter cannot be discussed further. Why don't I just accompany Yun Xi to Biyun Peak!"
"Absolutely not!"
"Absolutely not!"
Wen Yuan almost simultaneously spoke out with Gu Yun Xi, and they exchanged a glance, at this moment their views were tacitly consistent.
"Your Highness, the Emperor has already given his orders. This time, you and the Crown Prince must stay by his side. Moreover, at this critical moment, if you are not guarding the Emperor's side, the Crown Prince will inevitably resort to some means. Or, what if something unexpected happens to you on the way? Wouldn't our efforts be in vain?"
Wen Yuan's words were urgent, but Gu Yunxi just lowered her eyes and didn't speak. On this side, Gong Sun Mo showed no particular expression, so Wen Yuan continued hastily, "Why not follow the prince's previous intention and send a few top experts to accompany Miss Gu? After all, Miss Gu is unfamiliar with the situation, and the crown prince's people may not recognize her as your person at first glance. At the same time, we can also dispatch multiple teams to suppress the crown prince's people while dispersing his attention. However, if it's really like Miss Gu said she could reach Bixia Peak, the final battle will be extremely perilous!"
Gongsun Mo listened to Wen Yuan's words with a cold and stern expression, his mouth slightly raised at the corner. "The old official's words are all reasonable, it would be better to just follow what he said, but in terms of manpower..."
With a slight pause, Gong Sun Mo's gaze swept across the screen in the house, "This king still needs a friend to assist!"
Gu Yun Xie only now discovered that the screen behind Gong Sun Mo was somewhat unusual, recalling her previous experience in the De Wang Fu, she already knew who must be sitting behind it.
When Wan Xi Zhen walked out from behind the screen in a black fox fur coat, Gu Yun Xue's eyes didn't show much surprise. From the moment she saw Mu Yan in the courtyard this morning, she had already thought of this possibility, only at that time she still didn't know it was for her.
Seeing Wan Xi Zhen walk out, Gong Sun Mo's mouth hooked up, "Wan Xi, lend me your Worry-Free, okay?"
Gu Yun Xi's eyebrows furrowed, her gaze swept over Wan Qi Chen's body. His complexion was still pale, his scattered black hair fell to his shoulders, setting off his bright red lips, adding a hint of evil charm to his frail body. Thinking about the events of that night, Gu Yun Xi couldn't help but look at Wan Qi Chen again, wondering if he knew that the person he took out was actually the assassin who escaped from the palace?
Fortunately, Mo Xi Chen looked normal today, his eyes didn't even glance at her for a moment, and between them, it was calm and peaceful, as if nothing had happened that night.
Mu Yan followed behind Wan Xi Chen, hearing Gong Sun Mo's words her eyebrows furrowed, Wan Xi Chen seemed to have not expected that Gong Sun Mo would ask for such a person, at this moment his gaze swept across Yun Xi's body and he nodded slightly, "Alright."
"It can't be, Master!" Mu Yan's expression was somewhat strange, his urgent tone and tightly furrowed brow indicating that he strongly disapproved of this decision.
Gongsun's eyes slightly dimmed as he gazed at Murong, and Wan Xie let out a sigh. He turned to face Murong and said, "Anyway, we still have to go to the hot springs tomorrow. With you two by my side, it doesn't matter."
Several people in the house had seen Gu Yunxi before, and at this moment, they saw that Wan Qi's face did not change much. Gu Yunxi looked at Gong Sunmo with a questioning gaze, she didn't understand, who was this carefree person?
"Wu You is the top master brought by Wan Ku from Chu State, and I'm afraid only a few people in Yanjing know of his existence. He once saved Cheng Lin under the siege of nearly a hundred killers, so if there's anyone whose martial arts can make me trust more than Cheng Lin, it would be Wu You." After a slight pause, Gong Sun Mo looked at Wan Ku Xun, "Is he still by your side now?"
Several people in the house heard that someone was even more powerful than Gong Sun Chenglin, and their eyes lit up. Wan Xi Zhen's mouth slightly pursed, "Worry-free has received the order of the sect, if it is not necessary, he cannot reveal his martial skills to others. However, wherever Wan Xi is, he will follow by his side. Now, he must be not far from this palace, please don't worry, Your Highness."
Gu Yun Xie's heart moved, and he wondered if it was because Gong Sun Cheng Lin had seen Wan Qi Chen's appearance with great joy last time. It turned out that there was another reason for this. After Wan Qi Chen finished speaking, he sat down on the right side of the lower hand, Mu Yan's eyes looked at Gu Yun Xie with a strange gaze, and his eyebrows were coldly condensed as he stood behind Wan Qi Chen.
Gu Yunxi only felt inexplicable, although this time that Wuyou was to protect herself, but since Wan Zhen chose to stand on the side of Gong Sunmo, he should be prepared to contribute his strength at all times. And she, if not for Gong Sun Chenglin's injury, how could she be willing to entrust her life to a stranger?
Wen Yuan's eyes carefully swept over Wan Qi Chen's body, and the corner of his mouth hooked up. "I heard that Chu Gongzi's condition worsened two days ago, have you called for an imperial physician to take a look?"
Wan Xi Zhen nodded slightly towards Wen Yuan, "Thank you, sir. My body has always been like this. After going to the hot spring for two days, I've already recovered a lot. Tomorrow, when I go to the hot spring again, I'm afraid I'll stay there for an even longer period of time. It seems that it's not a big problem."
Wen Yuan stroked his beard and nodded, "This way, I can rest assured. Your Highness Chu is the king's right-hand man, please take good care of yourself."
Wan Xi's mouth hooked up and nodded, but Wen Yuan continued, "A few days ago, I saw the official document sent by Chu State, saying that the year-end tribute has been on its way. Inside, there is a purple silk brocade dress made by the Empress of Chu herself for you. When the tribute arrives, I will let the Ministry of Rites send it to your mansion."
A hint of unexpected color flashed in Mo Xi's eyes, and then he nodded expressionlessly, "Thank you."
Gu Yunxi didn't understand the meaning of Wen Yuan's words, but looking at Wan Kuang's calm and tranquil eyes, she felt that this person was even more unapproachable. Having been away from her hometown for ten years, at this moment when she heard that her birth mother had personally made clothes for her, yet he showed not a hint of expression, was he hiding too deeply or was he simply cold-blooded and emotionless?
——
As Wen Yuan stood up to bid farewell, Gu Yun Xie also got up and together with Gong Sun Mo, they saw Wen Yuan out the door. The snow in the courtyard had accumulated quite thickly by then. Looking at the snowflakes falling gently from the sky, Gong Sun Mo let out a deep sigh. "Yun Xie, tomorrow's journey is extremely perilous. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that...in my heart, I would rather have you stay here."
Gu Yunxi's mouth curved upwards, "Your Highness need not worry, I will definitely keep my promise to you, please wait for me to return triumphantly!"
Gongsun's eyes shone brightly as he gazed at Gu Yunxi. At this moment, he only felt his heart surging with emotion. Gu Yunxi looked like a warrior under his command, about to rush onto the battlefield of gold armor and iron horses tomorrow. And for the first time, he truly hoped that his own general could really return victorious as she had said!
Gongsun Mo nodded, and a strange emotion flashed in his eyes. He leaned forward slightly, his voice firm, "Alright, I'll wait for your return!"
At this moment, Gong Sun Mo did not know what the phrase "returning triumphantly" meant to Gu Yun Xi. It wasn't until many years later that he understood. Perhaps, the divergence of fate began with this phrase "returning triumphantly".
Digression
Beautiful people, beautiful people, beautiful people! On the last day of 2012, I would like to wish all my good friends a happy and prosperous new year in 2013. May everything go smoothly, love be fulfilled, and all be well! By the way, which channel are you guys watching for the New Year's Eve countdown? (Sorry everyone, our school system was upgraded yesterday and we had no internet access ~ today I'll make up for it with three thousand words!)
