Negotiation
In the spring, Gu Youan watched a sparrow land on a branch outside the window. The Gu family members were busy coming and going. She watched them indifferently, lost in thought.
Emperor Zhaoyuan bestowed upon Gu Youan the title of Princess Hezheng, and she was married off to the Sheng Kingdom.
She didn't know what method Gu Sheng used to get Xie Daoqing to agree, but Xie Daoqing never came to the Gu family again after that day.
Sheng Jingche stood at the door, looking at her and saying, "Is marrying me this painful?"
Gu Youan's eyelashes trembled slightly as she said, "It's not that I don't want to marry you, but if I marry you, I will have to leave the homeland where I have lived for so many years. Sheng Jingche, you were born and raised in Sheng Kingdom, you would never understand."
Sheng Jingche leaned against the door frame, smiling slightly, as if bathed in a spring breeze.
With a smile in his eyes, he looked down at her and said, "Gu Youan, if you go to Sheng Kingdom, I won't restrict you. You have a dowry and betrothal gifts, so you can be free and happy."
Gu Youan was slightly lost in thought, her heart fluttering. Ye Qingchen was androgynous, Xie Daoqing was gentle and refined, and Sheng Jingche possessed the beauty of both, with an added touch of ruggedness.
He raised an eyebrow and said, "Have you fallen in love with me? If you really want to marry me, you will be the future matriarch of the Sheng family, and you can do whatever you want in Shengjing."
Gu Youan smiled, and suddenly a person appeared in her mind, overlapping with the person in front of her. She said, "I should have seen you before."
Sheng Jingche approached and stroked her hair, saying, "I am your lover. You have just forgotten me. When you remember everything in the future, you will know that Xie Daoqing was just a passerby in your life, and only I am your true home."
His voice choked, and his eyes dimmed. Gu Youan reached out and stroked her eyes, saying, "Why do I feel so sad when I see your sad eyes?"
Sheng Jingche held his hand, and with his other hand threw a dart. The branches outside the window trembled slightly, and she watched all of this with her lips slightly parted.
The two were equally skilled. Gu Youan stared at him blankly for a long time before she finally found her voice and asked softly, "Did we know each other before?"
Subconscious actions and micro-expressions cannot lie. When Sheng Jingche threw the dart, she subconsciously tried to catch it.
She grabbed Sheng Jingche's arm and said, "Do you know what exactly happened to me before?"
After a moment of silence, Sheng Jingche looked into her eyes, his expression calm: "You'an, I also want to know what happened to you?"
On the day of their separation, everything seemed normal. However, when he arrived in Sheng Kingdom, the Emperor's Ship was destroyed, and Gu Youan lost his memory.
Sheng Jingche lowered his eyes, hugged Gu Youan's back, and patted her gently, just like many years ago, and said, "Come with me to Sheng Kingdom. You were originally a member of the Emperor's Ship."
There had been many speculations in the past, but when Sheng Jingche clearly stated it, she realized that the vanished Emperor's Ship was inextricably linked to her. Xie Daoqing's reason for preventing her from searching for her memories might not be that he was afraid she would regain them, but rather that her memories contained the truth about the Emperor's Ship's disappearance.
Sheng Jingche sighed, looking at her with a face full of guilt: "You have a Gu worm in your body that Qingyang gave you. It's a Gu worm used to save your life. He would only transfer the Gu worm in his body into your body when he was in despair."
He touched his chest. Jiannan was asleep, and the Sheng Kingdom's court was in turmoil. He had to rush back to stabilize the situation, but was it this trip that gave the Xie family an opportunity to take advantage of the situation and lead to the downfall of the Emperor's Empire?
Gu Youan and Jiannan are partners who depend on each other for life and death. He looked at Gu Youan with complicated feelings, perhaps amnesia is the best choice for her.
Life is long; it's more enjoyable to be a carefree noblewoman than an assassin.
He looked down into her eyes and remembered that when she first entered the Emperor's Ship, she had the same clear and innocent eyes.
Those seven years turned her into a notorious female assassin. Now, forgetting the deaths of her fellow disciples and forgetting everything that happened before, isn't that a kind of luck?
Those who survived had to bear all the pain. He held Gu Youan's hand and whispered, "I'll take you away from here to Sheng Kingdom."
Gu Youan placed her hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. Her throat tightened. The person in front of her was so familiar, so why did she feel a sense of unease, as if they were neither close nor distant?
Do I really know you?
Sheng Jingche placed his hand on Gu Youan's hand, his eyes filled with tears, and said, "I am the most important person in your heart!"
They were a perfect team. After being ambushed, Jiannan was willing to sacrifice himself to buy time for Gu Youan. How could there be no love between them?
Sheng Jingche shouldered the responsibility of the prosperity of the Sheng family from a young age. Growing up in the strict Sheng family, he split off Jiannan under the heavy pressure. This unrestrained and unconventional young man knew of Jiannan's existence. His other personality was lively and agile. When Jiannan joined the Emperor's Ship of Dayong, he became a member of the Emperor's Ship of Shengguo. Jiannan and Gu Youan hit it off immediately, and he was willing to protect Gu Youan. However, those years on the Emperor's Ship were just a utopia. The Emperor's Ship existed to protect the peace of the world. Gu Youan was the best of this generation, and they were destined to sacrifice themselves.
Everyone will become a pawn in the game of world peace, and no one will abandon this path until death.
He gently stroked her face and said, "You'an, the Emperor's Ship has given you a few years of peace. Come with me to the Kingdom of Sheng."
From the day she stepped onto the Emperor's ship, she had become the most important piece in this game of chess.
"After the Tianzihao was destroyed, I have been searching for your whereabouts. If you stay in Dayong, you will marry Xie Daoqing and become a member of the Xie family. If you come with me to Shengguo, you can open a trading company and do business until you regain your memories."
Gu Youan looked up at him and said, "You didn't come here today to tell me stories, did you?"
Sheng Jingche chuckled and said, "You'an, you're still as clever as ever."
He picked up the chair and hairpin, held them in his hand, and said, "I'm afraid you've developed genuine feelings for Xie Daoqing."
Gu Youan's shoulders trembled, and a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips as she said, "I will not fall for him, I will not fall for anyone."
No one is worth her giving up everything for, no one can make her lose herself, and someone who wants to imprison her is not worth her giving up everything to follow.
Sheng Jingche gently snapped the hairpin in his hand, and pressed his other hand firmly on Gu Youan's shoulder, saying, "I know what you've been planning these past few days. Don't make any rash moves. I don't want our wedding to affect the diplomatic relations between our two countries."
Gu Youan looked at him mockingly and said, "As expected, this is your real purpose, Sheng Jingche. I didn't even marry you, yet you've already planned my future. You want to control me even more than Xie Daoqing. I won't let anyone manipulate me."
Sheng Jingche grabbed the back of her neck and laughed, "You won't let others manipulate you? Gu Youan, a person without power can't refuse others."
Gu Youan shrank back and bumped into him. Sheng Jingche's pupils widened, and he instantly withdrew one hand. "Are you trying to cripple my hand?!"
Gu Youan chuckled softly, "Sheng Jingche, even if I don't know martial arts, I can still kill you."
She shoved Sheng Jingche aside, kicked him in the chest, slammed him against a pillar behind him, pulled the hairpin from her hair, held it to his neck, and said, "I am not someone you can threaten."
Sheng Jingche snatched the hairpin from her hand and threw it on the ground. He looked at her with an aggressive gaze and said, "Don't make any rash moves, or I will tell Emperor Zhaoyuan that Ye Qingchen is a member of the Ye family."
Gu Youan was stunned for a moment, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes, but she quickly calmed down.
"It's difficult for you to threaten me with Ye Qingchen, but Ye Qingchen is originally the eldest princess's man. Do you want to drag the eldest princess into this as well? Sheng Jingche, the eldest princess is His Majesty's elder sister and the only princess in this royal family."
Emperor Zhaoyuan knew all of the eldest princess's plans but remained inactive. The eldest princess was ambitious, but the bond they had formed since childhood could not be broken by a few words from others.
“You want him to go to Sheng Kingdom with you, but he is still the princess’s lover. When he was the princess’s lover, His Majesty could spare his life, but if he is your guard, it’s not certain.” Sheng Jingche looked at her with contempt.
"Don't make threats before you have the ability to back it up."
He took out a black and gold belt from his bosom and said, "A bride-to-be should embroider a belt for her future husband. I know you can't embroider, so I embroidered this belt and gave it to you today."
Gu Youan took the belt; the embroidery was exquisite, and the patterns on it were clearly visible. With a smile in her eyes, she asked, "Do you really want to marry me?"
"I told you I was your old friend, your former lover."
Silence fell between them. Gu Youan accepted the belt and said, "I agree to marry you and become your Crown Princess, but you must not interfere with my actions."
Ye Qingchen is one of the male protagonists in the original book. Gu Youan cannot let him die. Sheng Jingche wants to take her from Dayong to Shengguo. Xie Daoqing wants to monitor her. Gu Youan smiled slightly and said, "I can't escape the help you guys in the end."
Sheng Jingche glanced at her and said, "You should bow your head when you don't have the strength."
Gu Youan shook his head and said, "Have you found the person who killed you that day? Your Sheng Kingdom is not at peace either."
Sheng Jingche's eyes were fierce. He gently touched Gu Youan's wrist and said, "As long as you marry me, all of this can be resolved."
Gu Youan looked at him playfully and said, "Looks like I'm bringing you good fortune."
"This marriage is beneficial to both of us. I know you want to tamper with things on the wedding day, but Gu Youan, you must understand that if you lose your identity as Gu Youan, no one in Dayong can protect you."
Gu Youan smiled faintly and said, "So what?"
Sheng Jingche leaned against the door frame, his hair falling gently. His face was stunningly beautiful. He chuckled and said, "I advise you not to do this. You are now a princess bestowed by Emperor Zhaoyuan. With your double status, no one can look down on you. You don't need to care about other people's opinions."
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