Chapter 89
An hour later, Xu Junyuan entered the palace. He was led to the imperial garden by the eunuch. He did not see the emperor, but saw a perfect couple in the pavilion.
Xu Junyuan was not surprised at all, and instead chatted and laughed with the two of them: "Since ancient times, beauties have been paired with heroes. When I saw you two from afar, I thought I had strayed into a painting of beauties. It would be even better if Imperial Doctor Lin could wear a plain white dress to complement the winter snow scene." As he spoke, he nodded to the two of them and greeted them, "General Gu, Doctor Lin."
Lin Qingyu got straight to the point and said, "I invited the Imperial Master to the palace because I wanted him to tell the general's fortune."
Xu Junyuan raised his eyebrows: "It was Doctor Lin who invited me? But the eunuch who came to Changsheng Temple clearly said that the emperor wanted to see me. Is there any misunderstanding here?"
Gu Fuzhou said, "What's the difference? The emperor is very busy and naturally cannot do everything himself. My wife and I are following orders. Is the Imperial Master dissatisfied?"
Xu Junyuan said in a playful tone: "I dare not. May I ask Doctor Lin, what do you want me to do for the general?"
Lin Qingyu said: "Back then, the Imperial Master calculated something for my late husband, Young Marquis Lu, and today he will calculate something for the general."
Xu Junyuan looked embarrassed: "This... I'm afraid it's not appropriate."
Lin Qingyu's eyes shone: "Why?"
"The divinations I make are for one matter, and each divination is completed. I once used Mr. Jiang's name and birth date to calculate that he was not supposed to die two years ago. This is one divination." When Xu Junyuan said the three words "Mr. Jiang", his expression was normal, as if this was a consensus reached by the three of them long ago. "Now General Gu is calculating the same thing, so may I ask, did General Gu use his own birth date or Mr. Jiang's birth date? If it was the former, General Gu died in battle two years ago; if it was the latter, with the same name and birth date, forcing another calculation is like fishing in the water, it is futile."
Lin Qingyu sneered: "The Imperial Master really knows everything."
"Dr. Lin, you are too kind." Xu Junyuan said with a smile, "I only know a little more than others."
"Since you have such great abilities, why can't you tell two things at once?"
Xu Junyuan said: "The way of heaven cannot be seen. If you can see it by chance, it is a blessing. If you explore it many times, you may suffer backlash."
"Ridiculous." Lin Qingyu said coldly, "Today, I want you to do it."
Xu Junyuan was helpless: "I've already said that even if I force myself to calculate it again, the result will not be what Heaven's Way says."
"Qingyu." Gu Fuzhou held Lin Qingyu, "It's no use talking to him."
Last year on the anniversary of Lu Wancheng's death, Lin Qingyu woke up in the middle of the night and lost control. He had to work very hard to calm her down. For this, he also wrote a letter of guarantee. What Lin Qingyu didn't know was that the next day Gu Fuzhou went to Changsheng Temple alone and forced Xu Junyuan to tell him another fortune. He almost put a knife to Xu Junyuan's neck, but he got the same explanation as today.
Lin Qingyu glanced at him coldly: "You knew it a long time ago?"
Gu Fuzhou did not comment and said, "If the Imperial Master can really predict life and death, he should just change his name to Xu Shengsi Book. After all, he is just a mortal, and there are always limits to what he can calculate."
Xu Junyuan smiled and said, "The general is indeed a man who has experienced life and death. He is indeed very clear about things. Life and death are determined by fate, and wealth and honor are determined by heaven. I hope that Doctor Lin will not force it."
Lin Qingyu's expression was fierce: "Even if you don't let me force it, I have forced it many times. What if I force it one more time?"
Xu Junyuan said, "Then please ask Doctor Lin to believe in Mr. Jiang. He was chosen by heaven and came from afar, so he must have something extraordinary. Although I can't calculate Gu Fuzhou's fate, I am willing to believe that Mr. Jiang is favored by heaven and will always be able to survive."
"The Imperial Master is still the same." Gu Fuzhou sneered, "I wasted ten years of study listening to your words."
Xu Junyuan laughed heartily and said, "Thank you, thank you."
Gu Fuzhou had not yet expressed his opinion on the expedition, and many petitions for war were handed to Lin Qingyu one after another. Most of these people are military generals below the fourth rank, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. They can be vanguards but are not good at being generals. One of them caught Gu Fuzhou's attention—Wu Youyuan, the grandson of Duke Wu, a seventeen-year-old young general who was currently training in the Imperial Guards.
"Wu Youyuan?" Gu Fuzhou asked, "Duke Wu's grandson?"
"That's the man." Lin Qingyu asked, "Do you recognize him?"
"I've met him once or twice. He's quite handsome and one of General Gu's admirers. He was mentioned in the extra chapter of "Huai Bu Shi Jun". Although it was only briefly mentioned, it said that Wu Youyuan inherited Gu Fuzhou's last wish and destroyed the Western Xia in ten years. I once wanted to recommend him to the northwest, but he was too young and hadn't grown up yet. In the original book, he lost several battles because of this in his youth, and it was only after he turned 25 that he became increasingly calm and gradually showed his talent as a general."
Lin Qingyu said: "Seventeen years old, the same age as when you first came to Dayu."
Gu Fuzhou smiled and said, "Yes. When I was seventeen, I was still playing bird-and-pot throwing in the mansion, but others were already thinking about making achievements on the battlefield."
Lin Qingyu asked: "Do you want him to go?"
Gu Fuzhou said: "With his current qualifications, he certainly can't lead the army, but he should have no problem being a vanguard."
After weighing the pros and cons, Lin Qingyu said, "If he wants to go, then take him with you. If he stays in the capital and doesn't experience the ups and downs, he won't be able to reach the heights described in the original book. When we get to the northwest, keep an eye on him and don't let him go back to his old ways and act rashly because of a momentary impulse."
Gu Fuzhou grasped the key point: "So, you agree with my going to the war?"
Lin Qingyu said calmly: "Whether I agree or not, you are going to go anyway."
Gu Fuzhou chuckled and said, "Life is already so difficult. Doctor Lin, please don't expose some things."
The next morning, Gu Fuzhou knelt on one knee in the hall and said solemnly: "This is a critical moment for Dayu's survival. I am willing to put my own life and death aside to ensure the safety of the northwest. I, Gu Fuzhou, request to fight."
As soon as he finished speaking, the military officers were overjoyed. Wu Zhan clenched his fists with excitement: "I knew it! I knew it! What did I say? General Gu will definitely not sit idly by!"
"With General Gu in the northwest, it will be just a matter of time before we can take back Yongliang!"
"General Gu must cut off the tongue of the Xixia thief to avenge General Zhao!"
Duke Wu showed a gratified smile, Xi Rong silently curled the corners of his lips, and a secret calculation flashed in his eyes; even the Queen Mother Wen had an expression of relief.
Everyone was happy about Gu Fuzhou's initiative to volunteer, except Lin Qingyu, who stood behind the dragon throne, looking down at the ministers with a cold look between his eyebrows.
The emperor was very pleased and immediately approved Gu Fuzhou's request to fight, and appointed Wu Youyuan as the vanguard of the western expedition.
There was little time left before the day of massacre that Xixia had promised, so the emperor gave Gu Fuzhou three days to prepare. Three days later, Gu Fuzhou will lead reinforcements from the capital and march to the northwest.
Before going on the expedition, Lin Qingyu and Gu Fuzhou each had important matters to attend to. The servant on night watch has not brought hot water to his master at night for many days, which shows what the two of them are thinking about.
At that time, the atmosphere in the general's mansion was not only gloomy, but also grim. Huantong and most of the servants believed that the general's going to the battle was a matter of great ambition and that he would surely return victorious one day; but women like Hualu would worry that swords on the battlefield were merciless and that the many wounds on the general's body did not appear out of thin air. However, they could not do much and could only sew the battle robes for the general stitch by stitch.
Lin Qingyu met two people in the mansion one after another, one of whom was Hu Ji. Hu Ji used to be the exclusive imperial physician for the deposed crown prince and Chen. After these two and the late emperor left, the dowager concubine moved to Jinyang Garden. There were no empresses, princes or princesses in the palace, so Hu Ji became idle. Now he spends most of his time treating palace maids and eunuchs.
Lin Qingyu asked Hu Ji if he was willing to accompany the army to provide medical treatment, and Hu Ji agreed without hesitation. The Northwest had just experienced several major defeats with countless casualties, and it was a time when people were needed. As a doctor, Hu Ji will go wherever he is needed.
Hu Ji's medical skills are outstanding among his peers, and he is also Lin Qingyu's friend for many years, so Lin Qingyu trusts him. Afterwards, Lin Qingyu wrote another letter and found Zhang Shiquan, asking him to take the letter to Xuzhou to find Zhu Yongxin. When Shen Huaishi said goodbye to him, he said that if he needed help in the future, Zhu Yongxin knew his whereabouts.
Shen Huaishi is an excellent martial artist but not good at military tactics. All he has learned in his life is the assassination skills required by the royal secret guards to protect their masters. If he was willing to go to the northwest to lend a helping hand to Gu Fuzhou, Lin Qingyu would feel much more at ease.
While Lin Qingyu was racking his brains, the generals were holding a farewell party for Gu Fuzhou in the Iron Cavalry Camp. Since drinking was not allowed in the military camp, they roasted a freshly slaughtered fat sheep and drank tea instead of wine, wishing the general a great victory and a triumphant return.
Judging from their expressions, they seemed to sincerely believe that as long as the undefeated Gu Fuzhou went to the northwest, all problems would be solved.
Duke Wu patted Gu Fuzhou on the shoulder and said, "Brother Fuzhou, I'm leaving my useless grandson to you. He has been learning military tactics from me since he was young, so he has some real skills. This is his first time going out to fight, and I don't ask him to achieve anything great, as long as he doesn't hold you back."
Gu Fuzhou agreed with a faint smile, but in his heart he was thinking about how Wu Youyuan should develop quickly so that he could lead him to victory without any effort.
"General, I'm sorry for you. I shouldn't have called you a... a..." Wu Zhan sighed and said ashamedly, "I hope you will forgive my mistakes and don't bother with a crude person like me."
Gu Fuzhou said: "I don't want to see you, but I need you to stay in the capital and help me do something."
"As long as the general commands, I will not refuse even if it means death!"
Gu Fuzhou gave a wink and Wu Zhan understood. The two of them walked away from the crowd and came to a secluded place. Gu Fuzhou said, "I am going to the northwest this time, and I don't know when I will return. I am really worried about my wife leaving me alone in Beijing."
"General, are you talking about Doctor Lin?" Wu Zhan couldn't understand. "Doctor Lin is a favorite of the Emperor and the Queen Mother. What could possibly happen to him?"
Gu Fuzhou said slowly: "I also hope that I am overthinking. Just in case, I want to leave him a 'knife' in the capital to protect him."
"'Knife'?" Wu Zhan said with a bitter face, "General, if you have something to say, just say it directly. I just can't wrap my mind around it."
Gu Fuzhou lowered his voice and said, "I want you to hide a group of soldiers for me in the capital."
A group of passionate men did not feel satisfied just by drinking tea, so someone suggested that they learn from the literati and charter a pleasure boat on the Jinshui River, order a few jugs of good wine, and find a few beautiful singers for everyone to enjoy. Everyone agreed and went to ask General Gu for his opinion, but the general was nowhere to be seen in the military camp.
Gu Fuzhou stepped into the yard, took off his cloak and threw it to the servant: "Qingyu, I am almost full. I ate half a leg of lamb by myself today."
Lin Qingyu stood in front of the table and smiled: "It's just right. The kitchen hasn't prepared anything tonight. Just a bowl of longevity noodles. You should be able to eat it."
"Longevity noodles?" Gu Fuzhou walked forward and saw two bowls of steaming noodles on the table, with green chopped green onions and half-cooked soft-boiled eggs floating on the soup. "Oh...my birthday is coming up."
Lin Qingyu said: "You will be celebrating your twentieth birthday on the road. In that case, it would be fine to celebrate it two days earlier."
Gu Fuzhou lowered his head and kissed Lin Qingyu's forehead: "Happy, thank you baby. I'll go wash my hands first."
Lin Qingyu watched Gu Fuzhou turn around, and the smile on his lips faded. When he turned around, he smiled again.
The two sat down at the table, and Lin Qingyu told Gu Fuzhou: "Don't break the noodles."
Gu Fuzhou laughed: "When did you start to believe these things?"
Lin Qingyu was at a loss for a while. Yeah, he never believed this before. "Probably, since Lu Wancheng's death."
Gu Fuzhou paused, picked up the chopsticks, and said with a smile: "Then I'll finish it in one go."
As the two were eating noodles, Huantong came in and reported that the young master of Duke Wu's mansion wanted to see him. Lin Qingyu asked: "Is it Wu Youyuan?"
"It should be." Gu Fuzhou wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, "Please ask him to go to the front hall, I will be there soon."
Lin Qingyu said: "I'll go with you."
The handsome boy of seventeen, dressed in the armor of the Royal Guards, was full of vigor and seemed to have endless energy. As soon as he saw Gu Fuzhou, he didn't even bother to salute and said impatiently: "General, I have thought of a way that may be able to break the Xixia military advisor's earth fire formation!"
Before he could finish his words, Wu Youyuan saw the man behind the general again. He stared at him in a daze for a moment, as if he had bitten his tongue.
Gu Fuzhou raised his eyebrows and asked, "Does it look good?"
Lin Qingyu gave Gu Fuzhou a warning look.
Wu Youyuan nodded blankly: "It looks good."
"As long as she's beautiful." Everyone loves to look at beautiful women, so Gu Fuzhou wouldn't be jealous over such a small matter. If they get jealous when others look at them for a second longer, then he and Lin Qingyu won't have anything else to do all day long because they will always be jealous. "Call me Madam General."
Wu Youyuan recovered and hurriedly bowed, saying, "Wu Youyuan greets the general's wife."
Gu Fuzhou asked: "You came to me to discuss military strategy?"
Wu Youyuan then remembered the purpose of his trip and rekindled his excitement: "That's right! General, the Earth Fire Formation seems to be unsolvable, but it has a flaw that is extremely difficult to notice..."
Lin Qingyu said, "General, why don't you take General Wu to the study?"
"Okay." Gu Fuzhou had no choice but to say, "Come with me."
Lin Qingyu sent the two of them to the study, ordered Hualu to serve tea, and then went to the pharmacy.
This was Gu Fuzhou's last night before he went on the expedition. He had originally wanted to spend the night with his beautiful wife and do something, but he did not expect that he would have to listen to Wu Youyuan talk about military tactics, which would take another hour. As curfew was approaching, Wu Youyuan said goodbye with reluctance.
When Gu Fuzhou returned to the room, Lin Qingyu had just finished showering and was wiping her wet hair with a towel. Gu Fuzhou walked behind him, took the handkerchief from his hand naturally, and sighed: "'The poem of youthful passion and youth has just begun'."
Lin Qingyu let Gu Fuzhou wipe her long hair and asked, "Who are you talking about?"
"Of course it's Wu Youyuan."
"What about you?" Lin Qingyu asked, "You are not a teenager anymore?"
"No." Gu Fuzhou was quite sad. "When I saw the seventeen-year-old Wu Youyuan, I realized that I was old."
Lin Qingyu reminded him: "In terms of actual age, you are only twenty years old."
Gu Fuzhou sighed: "It's because this body doesn't have any youthfulness at all, and my mentality has also become old."
"Won't."
"Um?"
"Even though you're using the body of a 33-year-old man, I can still sense the so-called 'youthfulness' in you."
Gu Fuzhou didn't answer, but just looked at Lin Qingyu with a faint smile.
Lin Qingyu glanced at him: "What are you looking at me for?"
"You are really good at saying sweet words," Gu Fuzhou and Lin Qingyu looked into each other's eyes in the bronze mirror. "This is our first time in love, how come you are so good at saying sweet words?"
"I was just telling the truth, but it sounded like love talk to you."
Gu Fuzhou exclaimed: "That's great, that's great. Tell me more, I like to listen."
Lin Qingyu: “…”
When Lin Qingyu's hair was almost dry, Gu Fuzhou thought of something and asked, "By the way, where is my Qingyun Jiuzhou Spear?"
Lin Qingyu said: "It should still be gathering dust in the corner."
Gu Fuzhou can lift the Qingyun Jiuzhou Spear with one hand, even though most people cannot lift it with both hands. "It's not bad. It's not too difficult." Gu Fuzhou said, "It's worth it for me to lift weights for an hour every day."
Lin Qingyu frowned: "Didn't you say that you only make plans in the tent?"
"Occasionally I still have to carry the Qingyun Jiuzhou Spear to act cool in front of the soldiers. If I draw my sword in front of them and look around in confusion, how can I save face as a general?"
Gu Fuzhou was cleaning his gun under the lamp, and Lin Qingyu was accompanying him. Suddenly he said, "I'll go to the northwest with you."
Lin Qingyu began to regret what he said. Under the current circumstances, if he and Gu Fuzhou leave the capital together, with Xi Rong's methods, there will be no place for them in the capital by the time they return. While Gu Fuzhou was fighting in the northwest, he was staying in the capital, so as to maintain the current delicate balance.
Fortunately, Gu Fuzhou didn't take his words seriously at all: "You won't go."
"You just know that?"
Gu Fuzhou nodded: "I know, because our Doctor Lin has never been a love-brained person."
Lin Qingyu said calmly: "I wish I was a love-brained person."
Just like Jingchun and the King of the North, they don't care about anything and just want to be with each other forever.
"I don't hope so." Gu Fuzhou looked at him with a smile, with affection and admiration, "'Live as long as the heaven and earth, shine as brightly as the sun and the moon', this is my Doctor Lin."
Lin Qingyu chuckled and said, "You are so familiar with the Nine Chapters, why can't you recite the Book of Songs?"
Gu Fuzhou knew that Lin Qingyu was referring to the failed confession during the Lantern Festival, and said with a smile: "It's different. At that time, you made me nervous."
Looking back on what happened that day, it seems like it happened just yesterday. The city is filled with colorful lanterns, bustling crowds of people, and laughter...and Lin Qingyu's words, "I like you too."
Gu Fuzhou stared at the sharp tip of the gun and murmured, "Qingyu, I'm really... a little scared."
Lin Qingyu stood up and ordered him: "Put down the Qingyun Jiuzhou Spear."
Gu Fuzhou did as he was told. Lin Qingyu approached slowly, and the flickering candlelight made the beauty look like she was in the mist. He raised his hand to untie his belt, and his robe slid down to his ankles, revealing his thin, fair body to Gu Fuzhou without any obstruction.
Her skin is as white as cold jade, her red spots are like cherries, her long hair falls on her beautiful back, she has an immortal appearance and is extremely beautiful.
"Give me your hand." Lin Qingyu said.
Gu Fuzhou's eyes darkened, and his breathing became rapid, but he smiled and said, "What are you doing, baby, tempting me?"
"No." Lin Qingyu opened Gu Fuzhou's hand and placed the ointment she had prepared on his palm. "I am - inviting you."
Gu Fuzhou’s pupils opened wide and he seemed to be nailed to the chair, unable to move. He forced himself to lower his head, but Lin Qingyu pinched his chin and forced him to look at him. He had no choice but to go and see the naked beauty.
"If you feel tired, I will do it myself."
Gu Fuzhou said with difficulty: "How about you invite me again when I come back."
"Why should I wait for you to come back?" Lin Qingyu's eyes turned red without warning. "Is it the same reason as in my dream that year when you refused to tell me your name?"
Gu Fuzhou took the fox fur coat hanging nearby and put it on Lin Qingyu: "Of course not. Think about it, I will be gone for at least half a year, or at most three to five years. You let me eat meat, and now you want to eat meat, and then you throw me to the northwest to eat vegetarian food. Who can bear this? Rather than this, I might as well endure it for now. Just like you said, it is more painful to lose something than to never have it at all."
If it weren't for the last sentence, Gu Fuzhou's words would still be quite humorous. Lin Qingyu curled his lips, with a look of sadness in his expression. Gu Fuzhou could see that Lin Qingyu did not believe what he said, he was just pretending to believe it.
Neither of them said anything. Gu Fuzhou was afraid that Lin Qingyu would catch a cold, so he carried him to the bed and wrapped him tightly with a quilt. Lin Qingyu did not resist. He lowered his brows and eyes, looking like he was at the mercy of others. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he grabbed Gu Fuzhou's collar and said anxiously, "You wrote me a letter of guarantee."
"Yes, I wrote you a letter of guarantee." Gu Fuzhou crawled into the bed and hugged the fragile beauty in his arms. "If I lied to you, you can go to the King of Hell and sue me."
Lin Qingyu whispered: "I want to hide you and lock you up so that you can't go anywhere. You can only stay by my side and can only look at me."
Gu Fuzhou lifted Lin Qingyu's face and looked at his expression carefully. The ruthless beauty looked dazed, her eyes moist, as if she was trying hard to restrain something. Gu Fuzhou hugged him tighter and said with a smile, "I couldn't ask for more. You'd better find another chain to tie me up, so that besides eating, drinking and sleeping, I can only accompany you to do things."
Lin Qingyu forced a smile and clung tighter to Gu Fuzhou's arms: "Good idea." After a moment, he finally made up his mind, "Go ahead, but you must come back - you must come back."
Gu Fuzhou didn't say much at this time. He stroked Lin Qingyu's long hair and just said, "Okay."
In the first year of Chuxi, it snowed lightly, and Gu Fuzhou led the army to war. The emperor, accompanied by civil and military officials, saw him off at the city gate.
Gu Fuzhou looked up and saw Lin Qingyu standing behind Xiao Jie on the city gate, almost at the same level as him. He was wearing a sky-blue court robe, a snow-white cape, and a layer of white sable fur around his neck. His temperament could be described as cool and pure as the moon, but the morning sun cast a warm red glow on him, making his face seem to be stained with a light red, his eyes were bright and charming, and his light was hidden.
When the two looked at each other, Lin Qingyu opened her red lips slightly and said five words.
The only sound in Gu Fuzhou's ears was the rustling of the wind, but he could tell that what Lin Qingyu said was: I'll wait for you to come back.
After saying this, Lin Qingyu said two more words. Judging from her lip shape, they didn’t sound like “general”, nor like “husband”, nor even like “Fuzhou”.
Gu Fuzhou thought for a moment, raised his lips slightly, then pulled the reins and turned the horse's head, saying to Wu Youyuan beside him: "Let's go."
When Gu Fuzhou turned around, a team of elite imperial guards followed him and left Shangjing City in a mighty manner.
After that, he never looked back. No matter whether he was forced into a desperate situation or not, no matter what the chances of winning were, when the time came to leave, he was always so cool and carefree, completely different from the young man who said "a little scared" in front of Lin Qingyu last night, just like... just like when he said goodbye to him in the dream that year.
Not once did she look back at him.
Amid the sound of trumpets, sad songs and zithers, brave warriors on iron horses, and half-rolled flags. He fought across three thousand miles and won eternal fame.
At this moment, we should laugh for the young hero, and not suffer the pain of years of separation. In the future, there will be mountains and rivers, and the roads will be long and difficult. I only hope that when you are in the midst of a hundred battles in the yellow sand, you will not forget your hometown and go to Beijing. In the long night, someone is waiting for your return with eager eyes.
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