Page 264

"I have matters to discuss with the Princess. Would Her Majesty kindly step aside for a moment?" Empress Qi raised her gaze and met Gu Changjin's eyes. After a brief moment, she nodded. "Auntie Gui, follow me to the Qi family's small temple."

Once Empress Qi and her entourage had left, Gu Changjin turned to Chang Ji and Heng Ping. They understood and, ignoring Auntie An's furious curses, led everyone else out of the room, leaving only Gu Changjin and Xiao Fu behind.

Auntie An's tirade gradually faded away, leaving the small temple in utter silence.

Gu Changjin sat down on a cushioned chair beside the Buddhist altar and slowly spun a jade ring in his hand. He spoke in a gentle tone, "I know the Princess has many questions. Before that, would you like to hear a story from me?"

Chapter 104

Ni Huan, the former captain of the Eastern Palace guards, had been a captain in Ganzhou before serving Prince Qiyuan. He was a sworn brother to another captain, Gu Jun, in the same military garrison.

They had pledged to stay in Ganzhou and defend Great Yin's borders together.

Unfortunately, the year Xiao Qiyuan arrived in Ganzhou, they both left, parting ways forever.

"When Prince Qiyuan was the commander in Ganzhou, a misguided decision led to the burial of two thousand soldiers from the Ganzhou garrison alive. Fortunately, Duke Xìn arrived in time with his troops, rescued Prince Qiyuan, and personally engaged the Tatar army. Ten days later, Duke Xìn was shot and trapped. Ni Huan carried Duke Xìn on his back and fought his way out with all his might, but it was too late. Duke Xìn's wounds worsened, and by the time they returned to the military camp, it was too late for treatment."

Before Xiao Fu turned seven, she had lived in Liangzhou. Although Duke Xìn was not her biological father, he treated her with great affection as if she were his own daughter from a young age.

Duke Xìn was the same-mother, same-father younger brother of Emperor Jiande. Unlike the emperor, who was groomed to be the crown prince from an early age, Duke Xìn was a free-spirited man who disliked constraints and hated court ceremonies the most.

In Xiao Fu's memory, her father, when governing Liangzhou, spent his days idling away without focusing on his duties. She had never seen him on the battlefield, fighting enemies.

Qi Zhen mentioned that it was he who led the troops to rescue Crown Prince Qiyuan in Ganzhou, while Gu Changjin said that it was he who relieved the crisis in Ganzhou. The Duke Xìn described by others was entirely different from the indulgent father Xiao Fu remembered.

"Did Guard Ni tell you all this? What exactly do you want to say?"

"If Princess listens patiently to my story, she will understand my intentions," Gu Changjin replied calmly with his deep voice. He continued, "Gu Jun, a hunter from Floating Jade Mountain, was Guard Ni's closest friend. On the night Duke Xìn was trapped, Gu Jun guarded Crown Prince Qiyuan's camp and conveyed the news of Duke Xìn's predicament to the prince. Unfortunately, Crown Prince Qiyuan suspected a trap and refused to rescue Duke Xìn, preferring to leave Ganzhou as soon as possible to recover in the capital. The generals beneath him were unwilling to take risks and dared not defy his orders, so no one came to save Duke Xìn that night."

It was precisely then that Gu Jun realized the cowardice of Crown Prince Qiyuan and the Great Yin's commanders. After injuring his leg, he chose not to remain in the military post but returned to his hometown, becoming a hunter on Floating Jade Mountain.

Unlike the disheartened Gu Jun, after saving Duke Xìn, Ni Huan gained the favor of Crown Prince Qiyuan. When leaving Liangzhou, the prince took Ni Huan back to the capital.

Thus, the two young men who once vowed to defend the borders both left Ganzhou – one became a hunter, and the other a guard in the Eastern Palace.

Gu Changjin could still recall the disappointment and melancholy in Gu Jun's eyes when he recounted those events.

Back then, Elder Brother had asked Father if he regretted leaving the garrison.

Father replied, "I've never regretted it, but I do have regrets. Will the peaceful era that your Uncle Nie and I hoped for ever come?"

Soldiers always harbored some expectations, or else they wouldn't be able to endure the mountains of corpses and seas of blood on the battlefield. Gu Jun yearned for a wise ruler, a virtuous general with a heart for the nation, and soldiers unafraid of life and death.

When Emperor Jiaoyu ascended the throne, few believed that this sickly monarch with no foundation could bring peace to Great Yin.

Gu Jun was no exception.

Upon hearing this, Elder Brother raised his curved bow and said with a smile, "Why wouldn't it come? In the future, I'll go to the battlefield just like Father to fight enemies. Souguan is clever; he can become the top scholar. The two of us will serve the court together and create a peaceful age."

The moment Elder Brother finished speaking, their little sister, who had just learned to talk, softly asked, "Brother, what about me? What will I do?"

Before Elder Brother could reply, Father came over, picked up their little sister, and laughed heartily. "Our Yuan'er will stay on Floating Jade Mountain with Mother and Father, becoming the sister of a great general and the top scholar!"

That day, the sky above Floating Jade Mountain was exceptionally clear, and Gu Changjin seemed to hear Father's, Elder Brother's, and little sister's voices once more.

Since he left Floating Jade Mountain to live on as Xiao Yan, he had buried all memories of his past deep in his heart. It wasn't until today that he allowed himself to recall those times.

"Guard Ni was fiercely loyal and was subsequently entrusted with significant responsibilities after arriving at the Eastern Palace. Following Prince Qiyuan's assumption of regency, he naturally ascended to the position of Chief Guardian of the East Palace. Tragically, when Prince Qiyuan was poisoned, Guard Ni risked everything by substituting his own son for Xiao Yan, and fled with Xiao Yan to seek refuge with Gu Jun, who had long resided on the Floating Jade Mountain." Gu Changjin gazed at Xiao Fu, "I assume the Duchess has been aware of these events all along, otherwise you wouldn't have come searching for us here on the Floating Jade Mountain."

Xiao Fu remained silent, her words unspoken.

Gu Changjin drew out the jade pendant inscribed with the character "Yan" and continued, "The year the Princess found Guard Ni and Xiao Yan was the sixth year of Jia You. I was six years old then, and Xiao Yan was seven. He gave me his jade pendant, asking me to live on in his stead."

"Impossible!" Xiao Fu clenched the wooden armrests of her wheelchair, her voice icy. "You broke your leg as a child, and it was the old court physician who set it. He felt your bones; he recognized you as Xiao Yan! The old court physician couldn't have made a mistake!"

"The old court physician indeed couldn't have made a mistake. That's why, before his passing, he gave me a pill. If I'm not mistaken, Princess should also possess one, which she used on Wen Xi." Gu Changjin looked down at Xiao Fu with a gentle smile. "Is it really that hard to believe? Does Princess find me and Prince Qiyuan so similar?"

Xiao Fu lifted her eyelashes slowly, fixing her gaze unwaveringly on Gu Changjin's face.

Long ago, she had noticed that the child bore little resemblance to Prince Qiyuan or the Crown Princess. Yet, it was not uncommon for a child to look unlike their parents, so she had never allowed suspicion to take root.