Chapter Forty-Six
The personal guards who had been scattered in various places all rushed to the capital. Gu Leyao asked the steward to arrange for these soldiers to be settled in a manor in the suburbs.
She chose an auspicious day for herself, and on that day, she set aside time in advance, and Li Heng had no other important matters to attend to.
Gu Leyao got up very early that day. She and Li Heng only ate a simple bowl of corn and pork wontons. Each wonton contained a large shrimp. The warm soup was seasoned with pepper, salt and shredded dried seaweed, making it exceptionally delicious.
After finishing their meal, Gu Leyao took a black gauze ribbon and used it to block Li Heng's view.
Li Heng touched the gauze covering his eyes. Being unable to see his surroundings made him slightly anxious.
Gu Leyao gently touched Li Heng's cheek with her hand; the warmth of her palm calmed Li Heng down a little.
He surrendered himself completely to Gu Leyao, letting her push him wherever she wanted without any defenses.
Gu Leyao led him to one place after another. At first, Li Heng could still tell where he was, but later, he gradually lost his way.
But he trusted Gu Leyao, so he waited quietly, waiting for Gu Leyao to take him to see the 'surprise'.
Finally, Gu Leyao stopped. Li Heng sensed that the surroundings were quiet. He roughly knew that Leyao had led him to the north side of the Prince's mansion. It was an empty courtyard. No, there were many people here. These people were walking very lightly, and they looked like they were martial arts practitioners...
Black ribbons hung down, and Gu Leyao clapped her hands. Many men appeared in the courtyard; some had dark skin, some were missing an arm, and some were blind in one eye...
They each have their flaws, but their smiles now are genuine.
A long-awaited reunion is a rare and joyous occasion.
Li Heng stared at them, speechless for a long time. Finally, he said, "You're all back?"
Zhao Lao Er stepped forward, half-kneeling on the ground with his head slightly bowed, "Reporting to Your Highness, seventy-three members of the Xuan Tie Guard have returned."
The seventy-three people behind him knelt down in unison.
Li Heng suddenly felt his dry eyes welling up with tears, and his throat felt like it was filled with ice, making it impossible for him to speak for a long time.
He reached out to help Zhao Lao Er up, "Get up, all of you get up..."
His eyes were red. Li Heng felt Gu Leyao's warm and firm palm on his shoulder. He took a deep breath and felt boundless power rising in his body.
"It's good that you're back. Now that you're back, don't leave again."
Gu Leyao heard Li Heng's voice tremble, but she could clearly sense that Li Heng was happy; he was so excited that he was almost shaking.
She remained quiet, wanting Li Heng to experience genuine happiness.
*
Gu Leyao and Li Heng arranged for the personal guards to go. Most of them had hidden injuries, and some even had limb defects. Gu Leyao assigned them to guard the medical station. The medical station was mostly staffed by doctors with no physical strength. They were highly skilled in medicine, but their bodies were too fragile. Gu Leyao took great care to protect them.
Gu Leyao also introduced Hu Zhenning to Li Heng. As expected of a female doctor who had been engaged in orthopedic research for generations, Hu Zhenning's treatment was surprisingly effective.
Two years have passed in the blink of an eye. Li Heng's legs have gradually regained feeling. He can stand up briefly from his wheelchair and now, leaning against the wall, he can walk intermittently for about 15 minutes.
Gu Leyao is nineteen years old now. In the past few years, she has had a successful career, a happy life, and a blissful marriage. She has also blossomed into a beautiful woman. Her skin has become fair and rosy, and her eyes always have a lively smile that reminds people of the warmth of spring.
In recent years, Li Heng's legs have gotten better and better, and Gu Leyao is genuinely happy for him. However, they have been married for three years, and although Li Heng's health is improving, he has always refused to have intimate contact with Gu Leyao.
Once or twice is fine, but after a while, Gu Leyao couldn't help but feel unhappy. What did Li Heng mean by this?
His leg is healed now, but why does he keep rejecting her?
Gu Leyao could only ask the Empress, since the Empress was the only married woman of similar age and with whom she had a close relationship.
After hearing Gu Leyao's confusion, the Empress remained silent for a while. She hadn't expected that Aheng hadn't even consummated their marriage with Leyao yet.
In her opinion, Ah Heng clearly likes Le Yao a lot! Why would he reject her?
The Empress was completely baffled. Finally, she secretly asked her personal maid to bring over a porcelain bottle. A rare blush rose on her cheeks as she said vaguely, "Le Yao, go back and have a drink with A Heng. You two are husband and wife, so you should talk things out. Don't keep things to yourselves. It won't be good for either of you in the long run."
Gu Leyao had already figured out what kind of wine it was from the Empress's expression. She felt a tickle in her heart, as if something was stirring within her.
She coughed and held the wine to her chest. "Sister-in-law, do you often drink with the Emperor? You seem to know a lot about wine..."
Gu Leyao asked with a matter-of-fact tone, and the Empress subconsciously replied, "I don't drink it often! I only drink it occasionally, and it feels great!"
After the Empress finished speaking, she realized that something seemed amiss. Once she understood, she picked up the embroidered handkerchief beside her and threw it at Gu Leyao.
"You little rascal! What nonsense are you spouting in broad daylight!"
Gu Leyao leaned against the door frame. "Whether I was talking in my sleep or not, sister-in-law knows best!" She shook the small porcelain bottle in her hand. "Thank you for teaching me, sister-in-law. I have benefited a lot from this experience. I will try it out and report back to you when I get back!"
The Empress laughed and scolded, but Gu Leyao had already run far away.
The Empress could only shake her head helplessly.
"Sister-in-law, what a victory! What a victory! We've benefited greatly!"
"You're so knowledgeable, that's awesome!"
"You little devil! Talking in your sleep! Talking in your sleep! Hehehe!"
...
Li Jin and Li Yu, the two children, are three years old and love to imitate people's speech every day. At this moment, they are stuttering and trying to imitate Gu Leyao's speech.
When the Empress saw these two little devils babbling away, her head throbbed even more. "Don't mimic our speech!"
Li Jin put her finger in her mouth and bit it, leaving behind clear saliva. "Don't mimic me!"
"You little devil, you little devil, don't mimic me!" Li Yu joined in the fun.
The Empress put her hands on her hips, picked up the two children, and slapped each of them on the bottom.
The two children burst into tears, crying, "Bad mother, bad mother!"
The Empress took a deep breath. She wasn't angry; she wasn't angry. She was a gentle and kind mother.
Moments later, the weeping in the inner palace of Fengyi Palace still hadn't stopped.
The Empress extended her sinful hand, and after several crisp and powerful slaps, Li Jin and Li Yu stopped crying.
The Empress withdrew her hand with satisfaction. A child who isn't disciplined for three days will be unruly and will climb onto the roof and tear off the tiles. With a slap, the chubby little boy's bottom turned bright red, and the whole world fell silent.
*
When Gu Leyao was having dinner that evening, she deliberately placed that bottle of wine on the table.
She took two crystal glasses and poured a glass of wine into each. The clear, slightly cool liquid, under the warm yellow candlelight, revealed an unusual meaning.
When Li Heng arrived, he saw Gu Leyao looking at him with a smile. His heart stirred, and his fingers curled up imperceptibly.
Gu Leyao asked him to drink, and Li Heng picked up the glass with one hand. He smelled the medicine in the glass, looked at Gu Leyao, and saw the corners of her mouth turn up. Li Heng put the glass to his lips, but after a while, he put it down.
"Le Yao, I can't drink..."
Gu Leyao's face gradually turned embarrassed, her rosy glow turning dull. She pursed her lips and asked, "Why?"
Li Heng shook his head clearly and firmly, his face showing an unquestionable refusal.
Gu Leyao's gaze lingered on Li Heng's face for a moment, then suddenly she smashed the two cups on the ground.
The glass crystal shattered with a crack, breaking into tiny, sparkling crystals that gleamed under the candlelight.
Gu Leyao was panting. She didn't understand what Li Heng was insisting on. Li Heng's leg was slowly getting better, and their lives were getting better and better. So why was Li Heng resisting intimate contact?
Li Heng opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but Gu Leyao didn't want to listen. She stomped her foot, slammed the door, and left.
Gu Leyao left, and Li Qi came in from outside. He was surprised to see the broken crystals all over the floor. "Your Highness, what happened to you and the Princess Consort?"
Li Heng shook his head, clearly not wanting to talk about it.
*
Gu Leyao left the dining room with eyes blazing with fury. Back in her courtyard, she couldn't sit still and paced back and forth in the house.
She walked around in circles countless times, and Chun Tao, who had been staring at her intently, finally couldn't help but ask, "Miss, what exactly happened?"
Gu Leyao took a deep breath, and after a long while, she said, "It's nothing."
But after a while, she said again, "Chuntao, pack your things, let's go stay at the hospital."
Chun Tao asked naively, "Girl, aren't we busy lately? Why are we going to stay at the hospital? It's not as comfortable as home."
Gu Leyao tapped her fingers heavily on the coffee table a few times. "Just tell me if you're going to listen to me or not."
Chun Tao sensed that the girl seemed angry, so she immediately shut her mouth and covered her ears like a little quail, and quietly went to her room to pack a few of her usual clothes.
After Chun Tao said goodbye to Lü Liu, she returned to Gu Le Yao's courtyard, only to find that Gu Le Yao had packed a large bundle.
Chun Tao's mouth dropped open. How did the girl end up carrying such a big bundle?
Gu Leyao understood her gaze. "What are you looking at? I just want to stay a few more days!"
Chuntao covered her eyes with her fingers and lightly touched her mouth to indicate that she hadn't seen or heard anything.
She realized that the girl's current attitude was such that she would kick any dog that walked by her.
The little yellow dog Kaixin and the cow cat Tangyuan were also packed up by Gu Leyao. They were Gu Leyao's private property during her marriage. Since Gu Leyao decided to separate, of course she would take them with her.
Having finished everything, Gu Leyao snorted and, taking Chuntao, the cat, and the dog with her, left the Dingbei Prince's Mansion under cover of darkness.
Li Heng remained in his courtyard, instructing Li Qi to keep an eye on Gu Leyao's movements.
But when Li Qi returned, he said that Gu Leyao had left the palace with Chun Tao overnight.
Li Heng gripped the armrests of his wheelchair tightly, his cold gaze fixed on Li Qi.
Li Qi took a few steps back and said innocently, "The Princess Consort wanted to leave on her own, and I couldn't stop her."
Li Heng lowered his eyes and stopped speaking.
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