By the time they returned to the general's mansion from the palace, it was already dark.
She'd been to many places today. Da Bao and Er Bao were being raised in the palace by Jiang Yuanqing, and had even received a minor title. After she left, Gu Zhan would definitely bring them back.
With his guidance, Xu Nian didn't need to worry that the two children would grow up to be bad.
Xu Nian had already visited the villagers in Nancheng early in the morning. They said that the courtyard would be given to Da Bao and Er Bao in the future, and if they needed to pay rent, they would give it to the two children.
"Madam, the Marshal is currently in the courtyard."
Xu Nian nodded, and carrying the imperial edict, she went to her and Gu Zhan's courtyard without needing anyone to accompany her.
The first thing she did upon entering was to read the imperial edict, and then she had the bright yellow scroll taken away. She dismissed all the servants, leaving only her and Gu Zhan in the main house.
I don't know when my master will take me away.
It could be midnight today, or it could be noon tomorrow.
In short, she didn't want anyone to disturb her and Gu Zhan in their final moments. She just wanted to stay with him quietly.
"Do you have anything else to do tomorrow?"
Gu Zhan shook his head, "No, everything has been taken care of. We have a whole day tomorrow. Wherever you want to go, I'll go with you."
The atmosphere between the two was a little off, as if they were trying their best to ignore the fact that they would be separated the next day.
Xu Nian chuckled, pulled Gu Zhan to the bed, and rested her head on the man's shoulder. "I don't want to go anywhere. I just want to stay home with you."
"My body shouldn't dissipate after I'm gone. Just think of these past few days as my last burst of energy before death." She knew it was cruel of her to say this, but she still had to say it. "Then my body finally couldn't hold on any longer, so I left."
Gu Zhan: "Okay."
"Take good care of Da Bao and Er Bao. Also, take good care of yourself, don't make me worry." In the quiet, deserted night, Xu Nian's eyes reddened.
She didn't want to cry, but she just couldn't help it.
"Do you remember the first time we met? You were so fierce and doubted me."
She talked on and on, and Gu Zhan listened silently. The things they had experienced together seemed like they were just yesterday, but almost two years had passed.
Even though both of them were still healthy, they had to face separation.
The red candles inside burned all night, until only the wax in the lamps proved their presence.
Gu Zhan felt the voice of the person in his arms grow softer and softer until it was no longer audible. The sound of the night watchman's gong came from outside; midnight had arrived.
Xu Nian's slender hand, which he had been holding, fell limply to her side. Her body temperature was dropping lower and lower. He released her and laid her on the bed. Her features were still beautiful and bright, but now they looked lifeless and lacked their original vitality.
The night was long and dark outside, and Gu Zhan's tears, which he had been holding back, finally burst forth.
He was a man of habit, and even his crying was silent, yet it was clear to anyone who saw him that he was heartbroken!
After he had cried enough, he got up and woke everyone outside.
On the eleventh day of the ninth month of the first year of the Qingxuan reign of the Xuan Dynasty, the second day after the new emperor ascended the throne, Princess Fu'an passed away. Her husband, Marshal Gu, was devastated. The emperor, empress, and Prince Gong and his wife, who had not yet left, disregarded etiquette and personally attended the funeral.
The new emperor, Jiang Yuanqing, posthumously conferred upon Xu Nian the title of Princess Fu'an and buried her with the rites due to a princess.
He suspended court for three days and even ordered historians to write a biography for Princess Fu'an, so that anyone who reads history books for thousands of years will know about her. There was once such an extraordinary woman in the history of the Xuan Dynasty.
He was proficient in magic and could exorcise demons and monsters. He was given the title of Fu'an and was a lifelong friend of Emperor Jiang Yuanqing.
Her husband, Marshal Gu, never remarried after that. The two were buried together in the tomb of Princess Fu'an a hundred years later, never to be separated for all eternity.
Her two younger brothers, one a scholar and the other a military commander, became the prime minister and the grand marshal of the army, respectively, and were proud of their sister throughout their lives.
Of course, Xu Nian, back in the modern world, would never know any of this.
The Xuan Dynasty was probably not on the same timeline as their era. After Xu Nian woke up, he searched through all the historical records and even unofficial histories, but he could not find any trace of this dynasty.
"Junior sister, Master wants to see you." The senior brothers who knew what she had gone through in the Xuan Dynasty had been very careful these days, not daring to mention the tribulation at all.
They didn't expect it; what they thought would be a happy occasion...
It's unbelievable that my junior sister suffered such a blow. Even though she knew before her tribulation that the dynasty she was going to wasn't on any page of the history books, she still stubbornly wanted to find something out.
Fortunately, she has finally emerged from this in the past few days, and when she speaks, she is once again the fearless junior sister she used to be.
However, he was much more composed than before. The senior Taoist priest said that he didn't know whether this tribulation was a good thing or a bad thing for Xu Nian.
When I returned from Xuanchao, the Taoist temple was no different from usual.
As usual, many believers come to offer incense every day. These days, there are few female Taoist priests, and Xu Nian doesn't often go down the mountain. She also never appears in front of ordinary people unless absolutely necessary.
Today, during the morning assembly, all disciples of the temple must kowtow in the main hall.
Only then did she get up and come out of her small house, put on a proper Taoist robe, and stand behind her master to offer incense with her fellow disciples.
The weather outside was lovely, with not a cloud in the sky, birds flying overhead from time to time, and a gentle breeze occasionally bringing coolness.
After the morning assembly, Xu Nian felt a strange urge to go down the mountain for a walk.
She wasn't one to restrain herself; she would do whatever came to mind. After changing her clothes and saying goodbye to her senior brother, she went down the mountain.
There were many people coming to burn incense today. She walked among them wearing the most ordinary clothes. Apart from her striking appearance, she looked no different from the others.
She walked straight ahead without looking to the side, but one person's intense gaze made her stop and look in that direction.
The man, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, had a thin layer of sweat on his forehead after hiking up the mountain in this sweltering heat. His eyes were bright as stars, and his eyebrows were arched upwards.
He had a handsome face that even TV stars couldn't match, and he noticed Xu Nianchao looking over.
A smile gradually appeared on the man's expressionless face, then grew wider and wider. Xu Nian, who was very beautiful, felt her heart pounding and couldn't bear to look away.
“Gu Zhan…” She could hardly believe that someone could actually travel through thousands of years to come to her side.
The two slowly approached each other through the crowd, until there were no more obstacles in their way, and then they couldn't help but embrace.
Curious pilgrims looked over, and the two people's striking appearances made them want to take pictures of them with their phones.
From then on, they were just an ordinary couple among millions of loving people. In this turbulent world, they stayed together, growing old together.
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