Chapter 94 Didn’t Xiaoliu tell you that he was going to the North?

In the main courtyard, after listening to the servant's report, Madam Wang closed her eyes for a long while before she uttered a long, deep sigh, "What a good child."

Seeing that she was sad, the maid who was serving her couldn't help but persuade her, "Madam, do you want to go and see?"

Mrs. Wang smiled bitterly, "It's a rare good time for the two children to be alone together. I don't want to disturb them."

"Today is Xiaoliu's coming-of-age ceremony, and none of us even remembered it."

Tears welled up in Mrs. Wang's eyes. "Thanks to that child, my Xiaoliu, there are still people who care about him all the time."

The family is in turmoil and its future is uncertain.

She was worried about her two sons whose lives were unknown, her three daughters who were married, and her husband who had fallen ill from kneeling.

The little son who was raised by the family grew up overnight. He had to take care of his sick mother, comfort his worried sister, and help his elderly father...

Madam Wang lowered her head and blinked away the tears in her eyes.

She understood her youngest son, and knew how much Xiaoliu liked the girl from the Wen family. Every time he went to see Nianxi and came back, his face was filled with unstoppable happiness.

At today's coming-of-age ceremony, Xiaoliu originally wanted to give Nianxi a surprise.

What a pity, what a pity…

"When the master returns home, come and tell me. I have something to say to him."

She already had two sons fighting on the front lines. As a mother, she could not and did not want to send a third son to the battlefield.

Responsibility and honor are the business of men.

But she is just a woman, a mother, and she just wants her children to be well.

…

Nianxi returned to the Wen Mansion.

She had a feeling that Pei Jian would come today.

I don’t know if this can be considered a tacit understanding between the two of them, but Pei Jian really came that day.

The wind and rain are rustling.

Raindrops hit the oil-paper umbrella, making a rustling sound. Water lines flowed down the umbrella frame and fell into the water at my feet, creating ripples.

Nian Xi originally had many questions to ask, but when she saw Pei Jian, she didn't know what to ask.

Pei Jian also said nothing.

The two of them stood there quietly, watching the rain hitting the banana leaves in silence for a long while.

"Second brother who refuses to speak..." Nian Xi was the first to ask.

Pei Jian knew what she meant by this, so he said directly, "He passed away."

“Didn’t you say that life and death are not decided yet?” Perhaps because of the cold weather, Nian Xi’s words were trembling with coldness.

Pei Jian lowered his eyes, which were dark under his oil-paper umbrella, like a long and endless night. "Fifty thousand cavalrymen were annihilated. As the commander-in-chief, he had only one choice: life or death."

"Gu Ci, will he be the same as in his previous life?"

"have no idea."

Pei Jian said truthfully, "The current situation is not as bad as in the previous life. The reinforcements from the Western Border arrived in time, and the danger of the siege of Chicheng was temporarily resolved. Duke Zhenguo and Gu Ci's eldest brother Gu Yan are still here."

In his previous life, Gu Ci's family was truly devastated. His father and two brothers died in battle, and his mother died of illness. He was the only one left to support the entire Gu family.

Your Majesty has ordered him never to return to the capital.

"Gu family, what will happen?"

"Demote him, or directly strip him of his title and take the imperial seal. Now the war is unclear, and everything is still unknown. If Gu Yan can turn the tide and make great contributions to make up for his mistakes, the fate of the Zhenguo Mansion may be much better."

Nian Xi asked with a hint of hope, "Can it be the same as before?"

Pei Jian looked deep in his eyes and asked instead of answering, "Do you want to hear the truth?"

Nianxi didn't say anything.

Pei Jian looked at himself and said, "Probably not. When the Duke of Zhenguo returned to the capital, Gu Yan would be the commander-in-chief of the entire Zhenbei Army. No matter how eager the eunuch was to make achievements, no matter how reckless Gu Xun was, if he could keep his composure, the situation today would not be so passive."

"It's hard to find a general. Duke Zhenguo is old. Judging from the past life, Gu Ci is the only one who can hold on to the entire Gu family."

After Nian Xi asked all the questions she wanted to know, she didn't plan to stay here any longer. The wind and rain were sad, but even in the autumn season, it gave people the illusion that the cold wind was penetrating their bones.

"The road is slippery in the rain, please walk slowly."

Pei Jian called her over and took out a familiar pearwood box from his arms, "I brought this for you."

Nian Xi's eyes swept across the box in his hand, and she said in a low voice, "Pei Yan, I'm not in the mood."

"I know." This time Pei Jian quickly withdrew his hand without any reluctance. "I just want you to know that I have never given up."

"If you were him, would you go to the North because of your family and responsibility?" Nian Xi suddenly asked, looking at a point of emptiness in the rain.

Pei Jian curled his lips, his eyes full of coldness and darkness, "You already had a premonition in your heart, didn't you? Why do you need to ask me for confirmation?"

"Nian Xi——"

He took a step forward, his upturned peach blossom eyes looking dull and deep:

"I am not him. I don't have so many families to take care of. Pei Shizhang is naturally cold-hearted. You ask me about my family and responsibilities, but you might as well ask me if I would give up the North because of you."

"I can!"

Pei Jian stared at her, his dark eyes full of seriousness, his gaze lingering on her for a long time, "You may have concerns, but I don't."

"So Nianxi, do you want to reconsider me?"

…

Since that birthday, Gu Ci would take time out every day to visit Nianxi.

Most of the time I would say two sentences:

Nianxi would tell him what she had done and eaten that day, and Gu Ci would listen carefully every time. He would occasionally mention Mrs. Wang's condition, but mostly he would remain silent.

Sometimes he was so busy that he would just stand at the door of "Fu Sheng Ban He" without saying a word, just look at her from a distance and leave.

Nian Xi told him not to work so hard, but Gu Ci smiled and said, "This is not hard work, this is motivation. Even if I just look at you from a distance, it makes me look forward to the arrival of the next day."

This went on for quite a few days, until one day when the autumn rain stopped, a middle-aged man with a heroic figure and piercing eyes stood outside "Fu Sheng Ban Xiang".

Almost at first sight, Nian Xi recognized the man with a tall stature and resolute face as Gu Ci's father, Duke Gu Chengye of Zhenguo.

She had never seen the Duke of Zhenguo before, but this man was dignified and solemn, with sharp eyes. The wrinkles on his face and the strands of white hair on his head made him look old and profound.

Nian Xi didn't know why the Duke of Zhenguo was looking for her, but she was not surprised at all.

They found a quiet teahouse, and Gu Chengye got straight to the point, "Didn't Xiaoliu tell you that he was going to the North?"

Nian Xi was slightly startled, then shook her head, looked at the Duke of Zhenguo with clear eyes, and said frankly, "He didn't tell me."

Gu Chengye's eyes were sharp as he looked at Nianxi.

Different from the unfathomable look of Pei Jian, who was in a high position in his previous life, the look of Duke Zhenguo was filled with a strong sense of murder and aggression, like the blood on the face of a battlefield, straightforward and chilling.

"Xiao Liu likes you very much and doesn't want to leave you. My wife is the same. She just wants you and Xiao Liu to live a good life in Beijing and doesn't want Xiao Liu to go to the battlefield again."

Gu Chengye himself couldn't explain why he wanted to meet this little girl.

Maybe it was the rare joy that Xiaoliu felt when he went out to see her every day, maybe it was the tearful words his wife said, maybe it was the pity in his heart...

In short, Gu Chengye is here.

Nian Xi's heart was also very heavy. She looked at the Duke of Zhen, whose face was full of sorrow, and said softly, "Madam Wang and Gu Ci are both very kind people."