late at night
Light and shadow intertwined, moonlight fell on the ground, calm and desolate. Gu Sheng stood solemnly in the courtyard, and Gu Youan looked up at him: "Father!"
Gu Sheng waved his hand, Gu Changming turned and left, Gu Sheng gave Gu Youan a deep look, and said indifferently: "I heard that you want to break off your engagement with the Xie family."
Gu Youan lowered her head and remained silent. Gu Sheng approached her, stroked her head and said, "Youan, you are my only biological daughter. Seven years ago, when you wanted to go to the Emperor's Ship to learn martial arts, I did not stop you. Now that you want to break off your engagement with the Xie family, I, as your father, will not stop you either, just like when you went to the Emperor's Ship. Youan, marriage is a very important matter. Do you really want to marry Sheng Jingche?"
Gu Youan knelt down and bowed, saying, "Now that the Sheng Kingdom has taken the initiative to ask for a marriage alliance, and I have seen that the young Marquis of the Sheng family is also a handsome and talented man, I am delighted and I am willing to marry Sheng Jingche and participate in the marriage alliance."
Gu Sheng looked down at his youngest daughter, feeling a pang of sadness. Back then, she had begged him to go to the Emperor's Ship in the same way.
Gu Sheng's throat tightened. Whether in the past or the future, it seemed he had never truly understood his own daughter.
“When you were born, a master divined your destiny. You have an extraordinary fate. I have never restricted your words and actions. You’an, this journey will be difficult. Please take good care of yourself.”
Gu Youan looked up at Gu Sheng in surprise, "Father agreed to let me go to Sheng Kingdom for a political marriage?"
Gu Sheng lowered his eyes. How could he not know his own daughter's thoughts? "You have lost your memory and harbor a lot of resentment towards Changming. The situation in the court is unclear. When you reach my position one day, you will understand."
He helped Gu Youan up, his eyes filled with heartache. "You and Xie Daoqing were engaged because of Zhao Huai's death. Now that the engagement has been broken off, you must have other plans in mind. If you really like Sheng Jingche, then marry him."
The moment he first saw Sheng Jingche, he knew the storm in Biancheng wouldn't stop; his daughter had ultimately been drawn into this power struggle.
Gu Youan's fingers twitched. She thought she would be facing Gu Sheng's questioning tonight, but she didn't expect it to be Gu Sheng's acquiescence. Perhaps he still didn't care about this daughter. If he really cared, how could he bear to let her marry far away?
Her eyelashes fluttered, and tears welled in her eyes. Gu Sheng stroked her hair. "Seven years ago, you went to the Tianzi Ship. Five years ago, you returned and soon after, you got engaged to the Xie family. You'an, I know you don't want to go home. Home is your eternal safe haven."
Gu Youan lowered his head slightly and remained silent. Gu Sheng continued, "When you left back then, I gave you a jade pendant. When Changming comes of age, that jade pendant will come into use. This is the only thing your father can do for you."
Her eyes darkened. Since she woke up, Xie Daoqing had taken care of all her needs, so the jade pendant should be in the Xie family.
"Why isn't Father worried about my trip to Sheng Kingdom?"
“A daughter is not meant to stay at home forever. Your engagement to the Xie family was just a temporary measure. Now that Young Master Xie is in poor health, Young Marquis Sheng came to Dayong to plead for you. I don’t know why you lost your memory, but when you chose to marry Sheng Jingche, I had a feeling that he came for you.” Gu Sheng concealed some things. People who are too serious will not live a good life.
Gu Youan was stunned for a moment, her eyes wide with concern. She had expected to face obstacles, but to her surprise, Gu Sheng was the first person to support her.
In the stillness of the night, Gu Youan sat in front of her dressing table. Gu Changming quietly arrived. Gu Youan did not turn around. She spoke softly, "Is this why you asked me to come back tonight?"
Gu Changming placed his hands on Gu Youan's shoulders, looked at the bed curtains above his head, and sighed deeply, saying, "Youan, your parents and relatives are your lifelong support. If you can't even trust us, who can you trust? If you really want to marry Sheng Jingche, your father and I will definitely not stop you."
Gu Youan turned to look at him. This was the first time she had looked directly at her brother. She smiled and said, "Brother, why are you helping Zhao Wan'er?"
Gu Changming pressed down on her shoulder with a little force, leaned down to look at her, and chuckled, "You'an, you helped Zhao Wan'er fake her death and escape, and you lost your memory, but Zhao Huai's death is inextricably linked to the two of you. Zhao Wan'er's disappearance will sow the seeds of trouble for you. You lost your memory, but that doesn't mean that the things that happened before didn't happen."
Gu Youan chuckled and said, "Don't tell me you've really fallen in love with Zhao Wan'er?"
Gu Changming and Xie Daoqing were classmates and were Emperor Zhaoyuan's right-hand men. Two people who could get along for a long time must have something in common.
Gu Youan looked up at him and said, "You really do have ulterior motives."
Gu Changming smoothed her hair. "It's chilly at night. I won't investigate Zhao Wan'er's whereabouts. If you ever see Zhao Wan'er in the future, you'll be enemies."
Gu Youan said, "What makes you so sure that I am related to Xie Daoqing and Zhao Huai's deaths?"
The chill emanating from him was beginning to show, and Gu Youan was stunned. Could it be that Gu Changming had really fallen in love with Zhao Wan'er? Whenever Zhao Wan'er was mentioned, the person in front of him would go crazy.
Gu Youan turned her head and looked at the moonlight outside the window, saying, "Gu Changming, if I really kill Zhao Huai, when Zhao Wan'er tries to kill me one day, will you kill Zhao Wan'er?"
Gu Changming's gaze hardened, and he said, "I will not let such a thing happen."
Gu Youan pushed him away and said, "If I were to marry Xie Daoqing, he would definitely not agree. You and Xie Daoqing have been classmates for many years. My good brother, how would you persuade him?"
He cleared his throat and said righteously, "His Majesty only has one older sister. Sheng Jingche has taken the initiative to ask you for marriage. If you marry her, you will surely be able to resolve this crisis."
Gu Youan turned to look at him and said, "Don't tell me this was also part of your plan?"
Gu Youan scrutinized Gu Changming carefully. She underestimated him and said with a contemptuous smile, "I almost thought you had a change of heart, but it seems you just wanted to put my mind at ease before getting married."
She looked up at Gu Changming and said, "You've schemed so much, and Zhao Wan'er is also part of your plot. Gu Changming, people are made of flesh and blood; you can't be right every time."
Gu Changming lowered his head and smiled, "I was right again, wasn't I, You'an? You and Sheng Jingche are old friends. You want to use him to get rid of Xie Daoqing, but the road to marrying far away is not smooth. You will definitely regret your decision today."
Gu Youan looked at him stubbornly and said, "What's the use of regretting it? I chose this ending. Xie Daoqing loves me, but he wants to control me. My good brother, my biological parents, have they ever thought about me? Sheng Jingche may not be a good match, but Xie Daoqing is even less so. You all have your own calculations in your hearts. Who cares about me?"
Gu Youan slumped onto the bed and said, "I'm tired, Gu Changming. You and I have both achieved our goals. Arguing won't solve anything. I want to rest."
Gu Changming chuckled and said, "I won't bother you tonight, You'an. As long as you want to annul the engagement, Xie Daoqing is not an obstacle."
"Go out." A cold wind swept by, and she stared at the bed curtains. In her dream, she was in a bizarre and fantastical forest, unable to escape no matter what she did.
A cold sweat broke out on her forehead and her back was completely soaked. Gu Youan suddenly woke up with a start. She was still in shock when someone sat down next to her on the bed.
She hurriedly shrank back inside, looking at the person in front of her incredulously, and said, "Xie Daoqing, this is my boudoir. Do you really think this is a place where no one is here, where you can come and go as you please?"
Xie Daoqing's eyes were dark, and he said in a low voice, "Do you really have to marry Sheng Jingche?"
"Yes! I want to marry him!"
Xie Daoqing looked at her with deep affection and said, "I am willing to be your lover, as long as you can still look at me."
Gu Youan stared at him in shock. Xie Daoqing's words were startling. She coughed slightly and said, "Are you out of your mind? You are the next head of the Xie family."
Xie Daoqing shook his head and said, "You know I can't live without you. You're all I have left. If you fall in love with Sheng Jingche, I'm willing to be your lover, as long as you keep me."
Gu Youan looked at him in astonishment and asked, "Why does it have to be me?"
Xie Daoqing looked at him with longing and said, "You've just forgotten your past memories, you've just forgotten your past with me."
He felt a pang of sadness, forgetting seven years of memories and their past. They had met too late, and he hadn't even had a chance to truly love her. Gu Youan had already forgotten him.
Gu Youan couldn't bear it and turned her head away, saying, "Go back, Xie Daoqing, there are no feelings between us."
Xie Daoqing wanted to control every aspect of her life, but she was an independent person with her own thoughts. Moreover, the memories of the past seven years and the Emperor's Sword were what she was after.
She touched Xie Daoqing's face, and Xie Daoqing leaned on her hand, lowered his head to kiss her hand, closed his eyes, and gently smelled the scent on her hand.
“Xie Daoqing, I have my own ideals and pursuits. I do not want to get married and do not want to become a Xie family woman.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Daoqing grasped Gu Youan's hand and said, "If you don't want to get married, I won't force you. I can wait for you forever."
Gu Youan withdrew her hand and said, "I am not going to be anyone's wife in this life. I lost seven years of memories, but I am still agile. I was not a delicate young lady during those seven years. You have repeatedly prevented me from finding the truth and have never respected me. Xie Daoqing, I do not want to be a caged bird."
Seven years of emptiness, endless panic, and the helplessness of the past lingering in her ears, but Xie Daoqing would never understand.
"Xie Daoqing, you only love yourself, you don't love me, you don't know what love really is. You lost your parents and sister, you're just too lonely, you don't love me!"
"You want to keep me by your side, but you don't understand what I really want, Xie Daoqing. This isn't love, it's control. You just love yourself too much. You saw my vibrant life force during those seven years, and you wanted to possess it all, but you're wrong. This isn't what I want, Xie Daoqing, this isn't what I want."
The light in his eyes dimmed little by little. Gu Youan said softly, "I have my own pursuits, and you should have your own ideals too."
True love is about seeing each other's strengths, not about one person compromising for the other.
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