Gu Qinlan gently poked her forehead: "Just say what you want to say, don't beat around the bush."

Fuyu immediately knelt down facing her and said, "Then I will be frank, Miss. I think you can try to establish a real marital relationship with the Prince. Although your idea of ​​setting up your own household sounds tempting, it is not easy to do in practice."

"The young master is a reliable and good son-in-law, and the Duan Prince's Mansion is becoming more and more prosperous under the young lady's careful management. The old lady, the young master and the young ladies are all of one mind with the young lady, and the servants in the mansion also follow the young lady's lead. Under such circumstances, there is really no need to leave here."

“This servant knows that you are exceptionally intelligent, and even without anyone to rely on, you can lead us servants to a prosperous life. However, this servant still hopes that you can have a husband who loves, respects, and cherishes you, and that you can have several children to live a harmonious and carefree life together.”

The young lady has suffered many injustices since childhood, and I do not wish to see her life too difficult. The young master is a good man to rely on for life, and the other masters of the Duan Prince's Mansion are all benevolent people. There is no other place more suitable for the young lady to live and work in peace than the Duan Prince's Mansion.

Gu Qinlan knew Fuyu's true feelings, so she opened her heart to talk to her.

"As for the young master, I still cannot fathom his true thoughts. But as far as the Duan Prince's mansion is concerned, I am extremely satisfied. As long as the young master is willing to spend his life with me and not take other women as wives, I am willing to stay."

Unfortunately, the woman Zheng Dinglian brought back in his previous life still remains in the Duan Prince's mansion, holding an extraordinary position.

However, Gu Qinlan still couldn't understand why, since Zheng Dinglian valued that woman so much, he had never given her a formal title.

In her previous life, Zheng Dinglian and that woman never married until her death. The woman lived in the Prince Duan's mansion and managed everything, but she never received a formal title.

There has been much discussion about this, and one version of the story has become particularly widespread. It is said that Zheng Dinglian was unfortunately wounded on the battlefield, rendering him unable to have children, and therefore he never remarried after divorcing Gu Qinlian.

Gu Qinlan stroked her chin thoughtfully, perhaps this was indeed the truth.

Zheng Dinglian led his army to besiege the city outside Jindu.

He had 40,000 elite troops under his command. Although their numbers were fewer than those in the city, they were strong and well-equipped. Meanwhile, the 100,000 people in the city were all starving refugees.

No fierce battle is needed; simply guard the city gates, and within a few days, the people inside will be starving and begging for mercy.

Po Lang followed closely behind Zheng Dinglian, squinting as he looked towards the city tower: "Uncle-Master, are you really not worried about the ladies in the manor?"

Zheng Dinglian turned to look at the distant mountains and gently shook his head: "I trust Sang Qian and the others' abilities, and I also trust her."

Although he didn't say it explicitly, Po Lang immediately understood what he meant.

Po Lang nodded: "Madam is indeed steady and reliable. However, in my opinion, you, Uncle, would be better off making the trip yourself. Otherwise, if Madam investigates later, you might have to suffer the pain of kneeling on an abacus."

Then, he moved closer and whispered, "The lady once said that when my uncle returns in triumph, she will ask you for a divorce agreement and take her dowry to live independently."

Zheng Dinglian raised an eyebrow; these were indeed words she would say.

Why?

Po Lang stroked his chin and said, "I didn't understand it before either, but now I do."

Zheng Dinglian glanced at him: "How come I never noticed before that your words are so unpleasant? Speak your mind, get to the point, stop stammering, it's not like you're a man!"

Through the turbulent years, Po Lang maintained his calm and composed demeanor, his tone light and airy, as if nothing had disturbed his heartstrings: "Imagine if I were a woman, widowed on our wedding night, my husband gone to the battlefield, gone for more than half a year. The house was a complete mess, and by the time I had painstakingly cleaned it up, he had returned unharmed. But he himself was in danger, naively believing that I could handle things on my own and didn't need his help. I did have a thousand thoughts in my mind, wanting to take my dowry and carve out my own path."

“Uncle-Master, no matter how strong or independent a woman is, she will eventually have moments of exhaustion and fear.”

"You must not wait until your teacher's wife is completely disappointed in you, because by then it will be too late to regret it."

There's a saying: "Only after hitting a wall do you realize you should turn back; only after the baby is dead do you think of breastfeeding it." But aren't these all cases of regret coming too late?

Zheng Dinglian rolled his eyes helplessly, a hint of mockery on his lips: "That's called 'belated affection is no match for mere weeds.' You've wasted all those years of studying the classics!"

Po Lang maintained his cool demeanor: "The words may be rough, but the reasoning is sound. I have said everything I need to say. Whether you go or not is up to you, Uncle-Master."

As soon as he finished speaking, Po Lang turned around and walked slowly toward the military tent in the distance.

Upon entering the military tent, one sees a pretty woman carefully tending to a seriously injured and unconscious girl.

When the pretty young woman saw Po Lang enter, she quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Young Master Po Lang, you've arrived."

Po Lang deftly dodged the attack and returned the greeting, saying, "Miss Meiyun, you're too kind. How is Liu Ying? When will she wake up?"

Lying on the bed was Liu Ying, who had been missing for nearly half a year!

Mei Yun's expression was solemn as she slowly said, "Miss Liu Ying's injuries have stabilized, but they are too severe. I cannot predict exactly when she will wake up. However, I will do my best to help her regain consciousness as soon as possible."

Po Lang bowed again to express his gratitude: "Thank you for your trouble, Miss Mei Yun."

Mei Yun smiled gently, her red lips slightly parted, as if she had something to say: "Young Master Po Lang, I... have something I would like to ask you. Would it be convenient?"

Po Lang nodded: "What is it? Just say it. I will tell you everything I can."

If it's something that can't be said, not even half a word will be revealed.

Meiyun smiled and said, "I would like to know more about the Crown Prince's wife. I am quite curious about her and want to know what kind of woman she is."

Po Lang raised an eyebrow slightly and said with a smile, "She is a very interesting person."

"Interesting? What do you mean by that?"

Po Lang said no more: "Miss Meiyun, you will know when you meet her. As a man, it is not appropriate for me to comment too much, please understand."

Meiyun hurriedly said, "I have overstepped my bounds. Young master, why don't you go and keep Miss Liuying company? Although she is unable to do anything right now, perhaps she can hear the sounds of the outside world. Communicating with her more will help her recover."

After speaking, Meiyun picked up her medical kit and walked out of the military tent.

As soon as she stepped outside, she saw Zheng Dinglian standing in the open space ahead, his gaze piercing through the thin mist as he stared at the distant mountains.

His wife and relatives are there.

Mei Yun initially wanted to go up and greet Zheng Dinglian, but after thinking it over, she changed her mind and left alone.

...

"Cough cough cough..."

The sound of coughing echoed through the cave.

Princess Duan wore a homemade cotton mask over her nose and breath, waving her hand in front of her face in an attempt to dispel the suffocating smoke. However, the smoke was so thick that her efforts were not very effective.