Chapter 86 Attempting to Cover Up the Truth Was he still here when you arrived? ...
"Father, Mother, I'm back!"
Gu Xi stepped across the threshold of the main room with a smile. As soon as she entered the room, she saw Gu Chengzhong and Gu Xiao looking like they were about to leave.
Upon seeing Gu Xi, the two paused, their expressions relaxing.
Gu Xi asked in confusion, "Are Father and Brother going out? It's time for dinner."
Gu Chengzhong scolded with a stern face, "You child, why are you back so late! Are you trying to worry your mother to death?"
"You've only just recovered a little, and you're already acting like this!"
Gu Xi shrank back after being scolded. It turned out they were planning to go out and look for her. She had already sent someone back with a message, but she didn't expect them to still worry.
She stole a glance at Gu Xiao, hoping he would say a few words in her defense, but found his expression even more serious than her father's. She immediately apologized humbly, "Father, I know I was wrong..." she said ingratiatingly, "I'll go apologize to Mother right now!"
Gu Chengzhong was about to say something when Gu Xi, with a beaming smile, took his arm and headed towards the flower hall, swallowing back the words of reproach he had originally intended to say.
At the entrance of the flower hall, Su Jinhe stood there, craning her neck and looking worried.
Gu Xi saw it from afar, immediately released Gu Chengzhong, and quickly walked towards Su Jinhe.
Su Jinhe's worry turned into anxiety, and she quickly walked towards her, saying, "Slow down! You're about to become a mother, yet you're still acting like a child..."
Gu Xi felt a lump in her throat, gently wrapped her arms around Su Jinhe's arm, and pressed her cheek intimately against Su Jinhe's shoulder, sincerely apologizing.
In recent months, her mother has made great efforts to visit her in Medicine King Valley. She used to hate seeing her master, but she doesn't care about these things anymore in order to see her.
She always makes her parents worry; she's so unfilial.
Su Jinhe couldn't bear to blame her. Seeing her return safely, her worries and anxieties turned into tenderness. She reached out and stroked Gu Xi's hair, her eyes full of affection and indulgence. "Alright, go inside and eat. Mom made your favorite dishes."
Gu Xi smiled broadly, her voice sweet and innocent, "My mother is the best to me!"
She affectionately linked arms with Su Jinhe as they entered the flower hall. Seeing Xiao Che there, she called out to him in a clear voice, unaware of the fleeting look of guilt in his eyes.
He visited her quite often during this time, and several times he escorted his mother to Medicine King Valley.
She had previously left the capital and returned today because she and Mu Yunqi were able to avoid being checked by riding in his mansion's carriage. She never expected that Xiao Heng would still discover them today.
She suddenly became worried about Mu Yunqi. Xiao Heng had expelled him from the capital earlier, and he hadn't realized what was happening today. She wondered if he would punish Mu Yunqi once he came to his senses. She would have to ask Xiao Che to send Mu Yunqi out of the capital as soon as possible. He had just returned to the Mu family after sending her back.
After everyone was seated, Su Jinhe asked, "Why didn't Yao Yao come along?" She usually loved lively gatherings, and it was rare to have everyone together today.
Gu Xi glanced at Gu Xiao and saw that his hand paused. He was clearly very concerned, but his face showed that he didn't care. Gu Xi couldn't help but mutter, "Because of someone."
Gu Xiao, who had just taken a sip of tea, choked and coughed violently, drawing everyone's attention.
Su Jinhe glanced at the two siblings suspiciously, then her eyes lit up. Could it be...? She was secretly delighted, but remained outwardly calm.
Once everyone was present, Gu Chengzhong invited them to use their chopsticks.
Looking at the table full of her favorite dishes, Gu Xi felt a warmth filling her heart. She never thought she would live to this day and be able to sit at the Gu family's dining table with her family and friends.
If Yao Yao were here too, it would be so nice. It's all my brother's fault!
She looked at each and every one of them in turn, smiling with satisfaction.
Looking at Gu Xi, so vibrant and alive, no one dared to recall the snowy day more than three months ago when they saw her on the verge of death, how agonizing, fearful, and heartbroken they had felt.
That day, Gu Xiao brought Gu Xi back to the Gu family from the palace as planned. At that time, her face was completely bloodless and she could barely breathe.
Su Jinhe looked at Gu Xi, who was lying motionless on the bed, her legs went weak, and she almost threw herself on top of her, tears welling up in her eyes. "My child..." She touched her forehead, her hands trembling.
At that moment, she felt her heart break. If her child died, how could she go on living...?
With red eyes, Gu Chengzhong helped her up and left the time to Gu Xi's master and senior brother.
Everyone waited outside the door, and soon Xiao Che also entered through the back door of the Gu family.
Gu Xiao and Xiao Che agreed that if the Emperor wouldn't allow him to take Gu Xi out of the palace, then during the vigil, Xiao Che would set fire to the mourning hall and take advantage of the chaos to secretly switch places with her and smuggle her out.
However, this would delay the rescue time.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly and we didn't have to go this far.
Gu Chengzhong asked with some concern, "Has the Emperor not noticed?"
"Father, please rest assured, he didn't find out." Gu Xiao looked at his parents, whose hair was half white, and comforted them. "Father and Mother, you don't need to worry too much. Just now in the carriage, Brother Shen cured Xiao Xi of the poison that caused her to appear dead. You go back to the room and rest first. I will stay here and watch over her."
Su Jinhe dared not leave, fearing something might happen.
Gu Chengzhong comforted him, "There's no such thing as 'what if,' don't overthink it. Just listen to Xiao'er..."
Yu Xinyao also chimed in, "Aunt, if you ruin your health, the little girl will be heartbroken when she wakes up. You should go and rest first. We'll stay here and call you immediately if there's any movement."
The two elders then returned to their bedroom.
Only after they left did Gu Xiao and the others dare to show their worry. In fact, neither Gu Xi's master nor Shen Qingchen were entirely confident that they could save the person; what they had just said was merely to comfort the two elders.
After a while, the steward whispered in Gu Xiao's ear, "Young master, it seems that the Emperor is kneeling in front of the door."
Gu Xiao said coldly, "Ignore it. There's no need to inform the master and madam about this."
"Yes," the butler replied.
It wasn't until midnight that Shen Qingchen came out and called Gu Xiao inside.
Shen Qingchen said, "The poison she was poisoned during her previous inspection tour has indeed entered her heart meridian. Now we can only fight poison with poison, but..." He hesitated.
"Just what?" Gu Xiao frowned.
"There are only a few days each year when we have to endure this bone-chilling cold. If we can get through it, we can live another year..."
"What kind of torture is this?!" Gu Xiao exclaimed in shock.
"This is the only method for now, and there's also..."
"What else?!" Gu Xiao interrupted him.
"And then there's the child she's carrying. The delivery will put a lot of strain on her heart. Given her condition, she'll probably have to go through another brush with death. Should we keep the child or not? After all, it's..." After all, it's royal blood.
"Then I won't keep them!" Gu Xiao decided immediately.
"No..." A weak voice suddenly came from the bed, and Gu Xi woke up.
Gu Xiao quickly squatted down beside her: "Xiao Xi, you're awake? How are you feeling?"
"Brother, this child... I want him..."
"Xiao Xi, don't be willful! Nothing is more important than your life!" Gu Xiao said seriously.
"Brother..." Two lines of tears streamed down Gu Xi's face. "I can get through this..." She couldn't bear to part with him.
After saying that, he fainted again.
On the fifth day, Gu Xicai fully regained consciousness. On the seventh day, Gu Xiao and the other two secretly took her to Medicine King Valley.
The child was ultimately kept because Gu Xi's master said that since she wanted the child, she should stay, and he would save her no matter what and would not let her die.
Having eaten her fill, Gu Xi didn't notice that everyone's thoughts had drifted away, because her mind was starting to be occupied by something else. She was hesitating whether or not to tell them about her encounter with Xiao Heng that day.
Before she could figure it out, the matter had already been discovered.
The bowls and chopsticks on the table had just been cleared away and replaced with fresh fruit and tea snacks when Yu Xinyao arrived in a flurry.
Gu Xiao's eyes lit up almost imperceptibly when he saw her, but Yu Xinyao's mind was not on him.
She greeted the elders and sat with them for a while before finally unable to contain herself and asking, "Little girl, I think I saw something at the door just now..." She hesitated before continuing.
"What did you see?" everyone couldn't help but ask.
Yu Xinyao did not answer, but looked at Gu Xi with a worried expression, thinking that she should be the one to say it.
This morning she received a message from Xiao Che saying that he had gone out on business and that he should be back by now, so she wanted to go to him to arrange for Mu Yunqi to leave the capital.
Unexpectedly, she overheard many discussions about a handsome man and a beautiful woman on Chang'an Avenue that day, and the discussions were so vivid that she immediately knew that the woman was Gu Xi.
The common people didn't recognize Xiao Heng, but they did recognize Xiao Che. They all said that the man resembled the Sixth Prince, and she already had a bad feeling. She was just about to come and ask Gu Xi when she unexpectedly saw Xiao Heng at the gate of the Gu residence.
Gu Xi lowered her eyes; it turned out he hadn't left yet.
After a moment's hesitation, she said, "I encountered the Emperor today..."
Xiao Che's hand holding the teacup trembled involuntarily, and Gu Xiao glanced at him.
A moment of silence fell over the table.
Finally, Gu Chengzhong said, "That's good, it saves us from having to hide anymore."
Su Jinhe said worriedly, "But this crime of deceiving the emperor..."
Gu Xiao took a sip of tea and said calmly, "The Empress has passed away. The one who is now in the Gu family is a daughter who has been raised in seclusion."
Gu Xi pursed her lips as she looked at her parents and brother, her eyes slightly red. She had caused trouble for her family.
She had made up her mind: if he really wanted to blame her, she would simply die.
Just as Xiao Che was about to say something, Gu Xiao suddenly called him out. Gu Xi and Yu Xinyao exchanged a glance and followed him out.
They went together to the pavilion in the courtyard and sat on the benches on either side.
"The reason?" Gu Xiao asked, looking at Xiao Che.
"I have my own compelling reasons." Xiao Che lowered his eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line.
He didn't want Gu Xi to be hurt again, but he couldn't just watch his elder brother die, especially since he was the ruler of a country and his people were his responsibility.
Gu Xiao hummed in agreement and didn't say anything more.
Gu Xi and Yu Xinyao looked at each other, as if they had suddenly understood something.
Yu Xinyao couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Che, did you tell the Emperor?!"
Xiao Che did not deny it.
Yu Xinyao suddenly stood up, her voice slightly angry, "Xiao Che! You!" Her eyes seemed to be about to cleave him in two.
“Ayao…” Gu Xiao stopped her with a look.
He believed what Xiao Che said; given his feelings for Gu Xi, he would never have spoken unless there was a truly compelling reason to do so.
Yu Xinyao snorted coldly, the flames in her eyes dimming slightly.
She wasn't blaming Xiao Che; she knew he wouldn't intentionally do anything bad to Gu Xi. It was just that he had finally managed to rescue her, and he was afraid that Gu Xi would get hurt if she got involved with that person again.
Xiao Che turned to look at Gu Xi, who had been keeping her head down, and asked, "Xi, do you still want to be with your brother?"
Gu Xi shook her head.
I don't want to think about it anymore.
“Okay, I understand,” Xiao Che said.
Since that's the case, there are some things that don't need to be known to her, lest they only cause her more trouble.
Yu Xinyao was worried that Gu Xi was tired, so she suggested that she go back to her room to rest.
The group had only taken a few steps out of the pavilion when Gu Xi suddenly tugged at Yu Xinyao's sleeve and asked, "Yaoyao, was he still here when you arrived?"
"Yes, it's still there." Yu Xinyao nodded.
She hesitated for a moment and then said, "I'll go out and see what's going on, and tell him to go back to the palace." She quickly explained, "I don't mean anything by it; I'm just worried that he'll neglect state affairs." There's court tomorrow.
Yu Xinyao inwardly cursed her for trying to cover up the truth, but on the surface she still looked understanding: "Then go quickly!"
Xiao Che said, "Xiao Xi, I'll go with you." He also had something to say to his elder brother.
Gu Xi nodded. "Okay."
Gu Xiao and Yu Xinyao stood side by side, watching Gu Xi and Xiao Che's departing figures, and sighed in unison.
Yu Xinyao shook her head helplessly, "She's always been so soft-hearted since she was little, no wonder she gets bullied!"
Gu Xiao agreed, "That makes sense." He suddenly looked down at her, his gaze intense, "You can talk to her for me later."
Yu Xinyao frowned and said, "Your own sister should say it herself..."
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly realized that only she and Gu Xiao were left. She looked up and saw his gaze, and was so frightened that she took two steps back, as if she was about to run towards the door.
Gu Xiao took a step forward and grabbed her wrist. Yu Xinyao turned around sharply to look at him. Gu Xiao stared into her eyes and asked, "Ayao, how long are you going to keep avoiding me?"
Yu Xinyao swallowed hard, her whole body bristling as she slapped, hit, and pried at his hand.
Gu Xiao finally let go of her, watching her flee as she went, thinking that he shouldn't push her too hard.
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Author's Note: This chapter explains what happens after death. The male and female leads don't appear together much, but they will in the next chapter, haha.
I rewrote the second half of this chapter because I felt I hadn't handled it well before; the emotions seemed a bit superficial. I feel more comfortable with it this way. [laughing and crying emoji]
I added several hundred more words about my brother and Yao Yao.
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