Chapter Forty-Nine
After returning home that day, Gu Leyao rarely went to the medical center. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, Gu Leyao took the single doctors who were staying at the medical center to a restaurant for dinner.
Ruyilou is a long-established restaurant in the capital, known for its affordable prices and thriving business. Gu Leyao booked the entire third floor, and the doctors and security personnel from the medical department all went there, eating and drinking as they pleased, all on her tab.
Before the banquet began, Gu Leyao said a few words of congratulations and then told everyone to eat and drink as they pleased. She knew that if she stayed with them, they wouldn't eat well, so she booked a private room and sat there drinking and eating by herself.
Gu Leyao hadn't felt lonely when she was with everyone, but now that she was sitting alone, she remembered Li Heng.
Does he eat alone at home too?
Gu Leyao drank one glass of wine after another, gradually becoming drunk, and her vision gradually blurred.
She suddenly felt a surge of heat rising within her body, and she couldn't help but try to pull off her clothes. In her movement, Gu Leyao knocked over a wine glass, which shattered on the ground, and her mind cleared for a moment.
Something's wrong with her.
Gu Leyao reached out to grab the broken porcelain shards, the sharp pieces cutting her fingers, and bright red blood trickled down her fair skin.
Her mind cleared considerably. The sound of the glass shattering startled the guards standing outside. One of them knocked on the door, "Your Highness, what has happened?"
The female guard, not hearing Gu Leyao's voice, immediately broke down the door and saw Gu Leyao lying on the ground, with blood flowing on the ground.
The guard scooped up Gu Leyao in his arms, and the physician outside, hearing the unusual noise, immediately paid attention to Gu Leyao's movements.
Hu Zhenning was older and more composed, so she stepped forward to take Gu Leyao's pulse.
This seems to be a love potion?
"Immediately restrain everyone at Ruyi Tower, and forbid anyone from entering or leaving! Also, inform the Prefect of the Capital of this matter, saying that someone attempted to assassinate the First-Rank Princess! Chuntao, take the Princess back to the Prince's Mansion!"
Gu Leyao was rushed back to the Prince's Mansion. When Li Heng heard that she had returned, he also rushed to her courtyard.
Gu Leyao lay on the bed, constantly trying to tear off her clothes, and Chun Tao and Hu Zhenning had to struggle to control her.
Hu Zhenning explained to him, "The Princess took us to a restaurant for dinner. She went to a private room to drink alone. She must have accidentally drunk an aphrodisiac. The Princess was out of her mind, and the broken porcelain cut her hand... Now Ruyi Tower has been taken into custody, and they are investigating who is trying to harm the Princess!"
Li Heng reached out and touched Gu Leyao's cheek; her face was flushed and burning hot.
"You may all leave."
He said.
...
*
Gu Leyao woke up the next day, feeling sore all over, as if she had been working overtime at the hospital for ten days straight.
She felt an arm encircle her, and was startled as memories of yesterday flooded back.
She looked at Li Heng beside her. Li Heng felt her move and subconsciously reached out to hug Gu Leyao's waist. He then covered her with his whole body and gently kissed Gu Leyao's lips.
Gu Leyao pushed Li Heng away, and Li Heng woke up completely after being pushed away.
The two looked into each other's eyes, their hands hanging down.
Silence fell. Li Heng grasped Gu Leyao's hand. "Leyao, I didn't mean it before. I just... I just didn't want you to end up like your sister-in-law..."
What does it mean to be the same as your sister-in-law?
Is it possible that she had a difficult childbirth like the Empress?
Gu Leyao suddenly felt relieved. So that's what it was all about.
The two cleared up the misunderstanding, but both felt embarrassed and changed their clothes.
Just then, Li Qi arrived. "Your Highness, the Prefect of the Capital has arrived. He says he has something important to tell you!"
Gu Leyao urged Li Heng to hurry up.
When Li Heng arrived and met with the Prefect of the Capital, he learned that Gu Baozhu was behind everything that happened yesterday.
It turns out that Gu Baozhu had been frequently abused by Gao Wenchang over the past few years. She secretly poisoned Gao Wenchang to death and bribed a waiter at the restaurant to drug Gu Leyao, intending to ruin her reputation.
Gu Baozhu had already escaped, and now the Gao mansion was deserted; they had only caught the waiter.
The Prefect of Jingzhao also revealed an important piece of information: Gu Baozhu had connections with the Liang people and might have fled to the northern frontier. Marquis Longyi was in charge of transporting grain and supplies to the northern frontier and possessed a great deal of military intelligence. Gu Baozhu may have taken this intelligence with her.
Li Heng exudes a chilling aura, which is no small matter.
The leak of military intelligence could lead to the deaths of a large number of soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The war between Northern Liang and Great Zhou has lasted for too many years. At this time, Huo Pingyuan and Li Heng are both in the capital, and the northern frontier is in danger.
Thinking of this, Li Heng immediately went to the palace to meet the emperor.
...
*
After Gu Leyao finished tidying up and came out of the house, she learned that Li Heng had gone to see the Emperor.
She suddenly felt uneasy, as if something was about to happen.
Sure enough, when she returned that evening, Li Heng told her that he was going to the northern frontier with his personal guards.
This meant Li Heng was going to the battlefield. The battlefield was ever-changing, and Li Heng's leg was not yet healed. Gu Leyao's anxiety became tangible.
Li Heng patted Gu Leyao's shoulder, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, my leg is almost healed."
He sighed, "This war is extraordinary, Le Yao, I must go."
Gu Leyao couldn't stop him. "Fine, go. But you have to take good care of yourself. Otherwise, what will I do in the future?"
A faint smile appeared on Li Heng's face. "I know, I will definitely do my best to take care of myself."
*
Gu Leyao couldn't stop Li Heng, so she could only help him pack the clothes he needed to take to the northern frontier.
She originally planned to take several experienced doctors with her to northern Xinjiang, but she soon discovered she was pregnant.
Now, she was completely unable to go to the northern frontier. Instead, Li Heng entrusted her to the Empress. The Empress had given birth to several children, and as the eldest sister-in-law, she was like a mother to Li Heng, who trusted her very much.
On the day the soldiers set off for the expedition, Gu Leyao went to see Li Heng off.
Huo Pingyuan stared at her lower abdomen, his expression shifting unpredictably.
After staring at Gu Leyao for a long time, Huo Pingyuan asked to speak with her alone.
Li Heng looked at Gu Leyao, and Gu Leyao nodded slightly.
Gu Leyao and Huo Pingyuan walked to the side and stood side by side.
Huo Pingyuan suddenly said to Gu Leyao, "You're not her, are you?"
A look of surprise flashed across Gu Leyao's face. "How did you know?"
"You two are different in many ways. You and she are completely different people."
Gu Leyao had already realized that the truth of her previous life was not what the original owner had seen, and that Huo Pingyuan might also have loved the original owner.
Just as Gu Baozhu actually had a relationship with the Liang people, Huo Pingyuan's marriage to Gu Baozhu in the previous life may have had a hidden reason.
But... the original owner had already given up hope and vanished without a trace.
“I am not her. I am also named Gu Leyao, but I am not her. She suffered too much in the past. In her final moments, she thought that even you had betrayed her. So, in this life, she asked me to take good care of Chuntao, to stay away from people like you, and to live her own life well. After that, she disappeared.”
Huo Pingyuan's eyes reddened slightly. "So she would rather give up her life than see me again."
"She was the only one in the world who loved me the most, but my pride and arrogance killed her."
Huo Pingyuan strode towards the army and never looked back.
*
Nine months later, Gu Leyao gave birth to a daughter in Fengyi Palace, and she named her daughter 'Ying', Li Ying.
*
A year later, Li Heng led his army back to the capital.
The Northern Liang dynasty completely disappeared into the annals of history.
Li Heng's legs have basically recovered, but this time, many of his personal guards perished in Beiliang.
The emperor erected a monument for these people so that future generations would forever remember the sacrifices of these heroes.
When Li Heng returned and saw his daughter, he told Gu Leyao that Gu Baozhu had been killed in Beiliang and that Huo Pingyuan had died for his country.
Before his death, Huo Pingyuan asked Li Heng to send his remains back to Xiaohuangshan.
Gu Leyao understood; Huo Pingyuan wanted to be buried in the same place as the original owner of the body from his previous life.
Gu Leyao and Li Heng erected a stone tablet for the original owner and Huo Pingyuan.
Gu Leyao arranged for local grave keepers to guard their graves.
The two women truly loved each other, but for various reasons, they never reciprocated each other's feelings.
This time, they shared the same bed in life and the same lungs in death, which can be considered a perfect ending.
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