"I'll go with you." He Lin was trying to find a way to make up for what he owed Li Wenshu.

"Need not."

After saying this, Li Wenshu gave He Lin a slight smile.

It seems she has let go of everything from before and wants to devote herself wholeheartedly to being his empress.

He Lin stared blankly, then smiled too.

For Shu'er, a thousand pieces of gold cannot buy a smile from her.

"Alright, I'll send someone to follow you." Because of Shu'er's casual smile, He Lin finally stopped insisting.

He didn't want to have any more conflicts with Shu'er, so he acquiesced to her leaving the palace.

It's been a year, and he has never seen a smile on Shu'er's face.

Seeing her smile now, I feel that she must have figured things out.

He decided to live a good life with Shu'er from now on.

He wanted to make up for what he owed her.

He dispatched two guards to protect him.

Li Wenshu smiled again.

She turned her gaze to look at Gu Qian, who was gradually walking towards her from the shadows.

She shook her head at him, telling him not to come near.

She genuinely didn't want to drag her senior brother into this mess.

Therefore, she had absolutely no intention of traveling with her senior brother when she left the palace this time.

However, Gu Qian seemed not to understand her meaning, and still stepped forward to say goodbye to He Lin.

He pulled Li Wenshu away from the palace.

During Li Wenshu's departure from the palace, in addition to her guards, she was accompanied by her maids.

After leaving the palace, Li Wenshu felt the fresh air and realized how much she longed for her former life.

Inside the carriage, Gu Qian sat opposite Li Wenshu, a thousand words condensed into one sentence.

"It's because my senior brother is useless." Gu Qian felt even more guilty than before.

If his junior sister weren't in Shangjin, he'd probably be guarding the border forever.

There, at least he was close to his master.

"No, I saw everything my senior brother did."

In front of Gu Qian, Li Wenshu let down all her guard. She was still that fearless, unrestrained, and willful junior sister.

"Senior brother, I don't plan to enter the palace."

Gu Qian had already thought of this: "I know."

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid it will implicate my senior brother."

"Don't be afraid, senior brother." Gu Qian and He Lin used to be cousins ​​who could talk about anything.

"At worst, I'll just go and wander the world."

"Senior brother is so kind." A bitter smile appeared on Li Wenshu's face.

"Our family of four will go back to living the same way as before."

As she spoke, she was thinking about how she could keep her senior brother out of it.

"Okay." Gu Qian agreed on the surface, but in his heart he was thinking that he must make sure that his master, mistress, and junior sister all lived a good life.

He took Li Wenshu back to General Li's mansion.

Gu Qian dismissed the guards and maids who were with Li Wenshu, citing the Empress's wish not to be disturbed.

As soon as Li Wenshu entered the mansion, she changed back into her previous clothes.

Although the clothes were a bit tight at the moment, Li Wenshu was so thin that only her belly remained, so she could still barely wear them.

She was so tired of everything in the palace that she even loathed the palace dress she wore.

When she came out of the house again, she looked the same as before, and she seemed much more energetic.

Looking around, she saw no servants besides her senior brother, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Senior brother, come with me for a walk. My baby is due soon, and I want to buy her some clothes."

Although she didn't know how to cook, Li Wenshu felt that buying it herself was a token of her affection.

"Okay." Gu Qian thought that his junior sister was probably feeling a bit stifled because she had been trapped in the palace for more than a year, which was why she wanted to go out for a stroll.

He accompanied Li Wenshu, strolling around the streets.

The guards, maids, and other followers trailed behind, like shadows.

They thought the Empress had left the palace to catch up with Gu Qian; they never imagined that she would be out of the palace for a stroll at such a late stage of pregnancy.

They wanted to stop her, but the Empress doesn't even listen to His Majesty, so why would she listen to them?

On the way, Gu Qian stayed with his junior sister the whole time, afraid that she might suddenly have a stomachache.

"Senior brother, I want to eat the peach shortbread from Liufangzhai." In a bustling market area, Li Wenshu suddenly said, pointing to the shop ahead.

"Okay." Gu Qian wondered what his junior sister was planning to do.

He glanced at the two palace maids beside his junior sister.

"Did you hear that? Her Majesty wants to eat peach shortbread."

After saying that, he took out a money pouch from his pocket and handed it to the two of them.

"Yes." The two palace maids bowed and moved towards the Six Directions Hall ahead.

Immediately afterwards, Li Wenshu looked at Gu Qian again:

"Senior brother, I also want to eat the braised beef from Qiweifang. I want you to go and buy it yourself."

Clearly, Li Wenshu was trying every means to get Gu Qian away.

“…Okay.” Gu Qian hesitated for a moment, then turned and left, heading towards Qiweifang.

Unexpectedly, just as he left, Li Wenshu suddenly stopped in her tracks, a look of pain appearing on her face.

The two guards stopped in their tracks.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" a guard asked respectfully.

"stomach ache."

Li Wenshu touched her abdomen with one hand, clearly unable to walk.

She glanced behind her at the two guards following closely behind:

"Quickly, return to the palace!"

The two guards exchanged a glance.

"General Gu and his two personal maids..."

"It's too late." Li Wenshu moved closer to the two of them, then turned back first.

Soon, the three of them passed through a small alley.

Li Wenshu suddenly turned around.

Just as the two men were looking at each other in bewilderment,

But I only felt a pain in my neck.

It was Li Wenshu who attacked simultaneously with both hands, delivering a chop to each of them and knocking them unconscious.

"Junior Sister!" Gu Qian appeared in front of Li Wenshu immediately.

Li Wenshu: "..."

She coughed dryly, looking awkwardly at Gu Qian's empty hands.

"Senior brother, where's my braised beef?"

"Junior sister, you can't do that again next time." It was obvious that Gu Qian was angry.

"Uh... um." Li Wenshu smiled at Gu Qian.

She felt that she was now free.

"Senior brother, go back. When His Majesty asks, just tell the truth: I disappeared while you were buying braised beef. Those two guards can testify for you."

"Where are you going?" Gu Qian naturally objected.

"I want to reunite with my parents, but I can't burden my senior brother." Li Wenshu said firmly, but Gu Qian felt sorry for her.

Now?

“Yes, now. I promised He Lin that I would return to the palace tonight. If he can’t find me then, he will definitely come out of the palace to look for me. So, I have to leave now.”

"Your senior brother will stay with you."

Gu Qian's words were firm and authoritative, leaving no room for Li Wenshu to refuse.

He looked intently at Li Wenshu and asked again to confirm:

"Junior sister, have you thought this through? You are currently pregnant. If we go to find Master and Mistress now, the baby might be born before we even get there."

Furthermore, it's the beginning of the year, and Gu Qian doesn't want the child to be born into hunger and cold.

Babies are most susceptible to the cold.

"Being born on the road is like being imprisoned. Senior brother, I will never enter the palace again, not even if it means death!" Li Wenshu had made up her mind not to enter the palace again.

She'll go crazy if she stays trapped in the palace any longer.