Chapter 14 Don’t Hold Anyone Back

Chapter 14 Don't Hold Anyone Back

Prince Gong, however, was unperturbed.

"The Prince will be going to Puling Temple to pray in two days."

"I came here this time to ask General Gao to send someone to escort me. I wonder if Lady Wenyan would like to join?"

Going to Puling Temple inevitably meant crossing Nanxiu Mountain.

The road through Nanxiu Mountain was notoriously treacherous. If anyone harbored ill intentions, ordinary guards might not be able to protect them.

Although General Gao did not want her to take risks, it was the first time Gao Wenyan had encountered such an opportunity.

Despite her martial skills, she was just a lady and had never truly had a chance to display her abilities.

"Of course, I am willing."

She looked at General Gao earnestly.

"Father, your daughter will not fail the mission and will ensure Prince Gong's safe arrival."

Given this, General Gao said no more, and the matter was settled.

When Gao Wenxi returned, it was nearly dusk. Upon hearing about Gao Wenyan's situation, he immediately went to the backyard to see her.

His face was grim, clearly displeased, as if he had just faced some frustration.

Gao Wenyan was studying the map of Nanxiu Mountain and did not wish to engage with him, lest she bring herself bad luck.

"Staying out all night, trying to scare who?"

Gao Wenyan was impatient.

"Oh, spare me! I finally escaped Mother's cane, and now you're going to scold me too?"

"Did anything happen?"

"As you can see, I'm perfectly fine."

"You'd better be. If anything did happen, don't hide it. Eldest Brother will always find a way to help you."

"Understood."

Without looking up, Gao Wenyan asked, "Did Eldest Brother get upset by the Princess?"

Gao Wenxi's slightly improved mood suddenly soured again.

His sister's words hit close to home, but he tried to interpret it as concern.

"How did you know I met the Princess today?"

"Aren't you always summoned by the Princess whenever you return to the capital?"

Actually, it was a guess.

There were few people who could compel Gao Wenxi to keep an appointment when she had been missing overnight.

And Princess Huining had long harbored feelings for his brother, always finding various reasons to meet him each year.

Gao Wenxi was seething inside.

With his younger sister still missing, the Princess insisted on having him accompany her on a boat ride early in the morning.

If he refused, the Princess would surely press for details.

"If Eldest Brother doesn't like it, why not reject her outright? Princess Huining has been waiting for you for so many years; don't hold her back."

"If rejecting her worked, we wouldn't be in this situation now."

Gao Wenxi felt quite frustrated.

Ever since he realized Princess Huining's feelings, he had been rejecting her.

Every time, the Princess would say she understood, but would still call him out upon his return to the capital.

Princess Huining's mother was the Empress Dowager's younger sister and the Emperor's aunt.

Princess Huining was raised by the Empress Dowager after the death of the previous emperor, and the Emperor watched her grow up, doting on her greatly.

Everyone knew that both Princess Wen An and Princess Huining were the Emperor's beloved daughters.

Even if Gao Wenxi was the eldest son of a great general, he had to think twice before refusing Princess Huining's requests.

"Has Eldest Brother considered what would happen if Princess Huining petitioned the Emperor?"

"What do you think I should do?"

Gao Wenxi's eyes turned cold, clearly disliking the topic.

Before leaving, he seemed displeased and deliberately said, "I heard Father mention that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, you wish to marry Lin Qian."

"Do you truly like Lin Qian?"

"If you don't, why not reject him outright? Don't hold him back."

Her earlier words were thrown right back at her. Gao Wenyan put down the map, her face displeased.

"Can Eldest Brother and I be compared?"

"I have no one in my heart. Marrying anyone is the same."

"And you?"

"Do you not know if there is someone in your heart?"

These words finally angered Gao Wenxi.

On any other day, Gao Wenyan would have softened and apologized long ago.

This time, however, she was particularly stubborn, meeting his gaze with defiance.

Gao Wenxi eventually suppressed his anger and left with a cold demeanor.

She sighed deeply, her originally joyful mood turning utterly sour.

Gao Wenyan blamed herself for speaking out of turn.

But these words, she had not been able to tell Gao Wenxi in her previous life, and in this life, she wanted a better outcome for everyone.

They had grown up together since childhood, knowing each other's thoughts all too well.

Even Gao Wenyan's character had been shaped largely by Gao Wenxi, with the other half attributed to her second brother.

From a young age, both she and Gao Wenting admired not General Gao, but their eldest brother.

So she felt pained.

Marrying someone she did not like but who was the most suitable—she thought it should be enough for her to bear that burden.

In her view, the person Gao Wenxi liked was just an ordinary girl.

Though they had been entangled for years without resolution, it was still better than forcing him to accept someone he did not like?

But Gao Wenxi believed that since they could not be together forever, his feelings were better used to secure the stability of the family.

If Gao Wenyan could sacrifice her marriage, what reason did he have not to?

Thus, the two parted ways unhappily.

Gao Wenting was the first to notice their cold war.

This situation was entirely new to him, leaving him unsure how to resolve it.

When it came to arguments, he and Gao Wenyan often fought, but this was the first time they had been unhappy with each other.

At night, Gao Wenting brought two jugs of wine and knocked on Gao Wenyan's door.

Gao Wenyan was agonizing over how to apologize to her eldest brother, as she had initiated the conversation.

Opening the door, her face fell, and she muttered, "Why are you here?"

Poking her forehead, Gao Wenting said helplessly, "You..."

So the two of them, each carrying a jug of wine, went to knock on Gao Wenxi's door.

"Come in."

The two pushed the door open, and as expected, Gao Wenxi was holding a scroll of military texts.

Gao Wenting nudged Gao Wenyan.

She touched her nose sheepishly and whispered, "Eldest Brother, you're not asleep yet?"

"All nonsense!"

Gao Wenting whispered behind her.

"Yes, I'm not."

"..."

And so, the siblings' first argument was easily resolved.

The three raised their cups to the moon, chatting and laughing, a joy they had not shared in a long time.

When Gao Wenxi was fifteen, he followed his father to fight on the border.

He left when Gao Wenting had just turned eleven, and Gao Wenyan was only nine, a wild child running around everywhere.

Since then, he had seen little of his younger siblings.

Yet these two clung to him, and every time he set off for the border, their eyes would redden.

Such days seemed endless, like the yellow sand of the frontier, year after year, day after day, unchanged.

Whenever he could not endure the monotony, General Gao would lead him to the city wall, where he would gaze upon the lights of countless homes.

Though nothing was said, Gao Wenxi knew that this was what they needed to protect.

Yet at this moment, he still felt regretful.

How had they grown up so quickly?