She cried so hard that she almost passed out.
Liu An's wife sighed for a while before leaving. Aunt Qiao thought for a while and asked the maid to pack some silver and send it to Liu An's wife.
*
Duke of Ying, Wei Ling, arrived in Baoding in the late evening. The governor greeted him with a grand ceremony. He arrived in a large carriage, flanked by five hundred elite soldiers, a formidable presence. The governor, overcome by the cold, gleaming weapons of the night, felt his knees weaken, and he invited him directly to the governor's office.
The governor treated Wei Ling with the utmost respect. Duke Yingguo had suddenly arrived in Baoding with his elite troops from the Shenji Camp, and the court was at a time without official business. He wondered what this evil spirit was up to. He dared not inquire, but only entertained and served him well.
Although Wei Ling longed to see his daughter soon, he knew that a direct visit would be pointless and would only tarnish her and her mother's reputation. After staying at the governor's office, he drank some tea and sent people to Baoding to investigate. He planned to find the most suitable time to visit her.
This was the benefit of status. He was the Duke of Ying, commanding the Shenji Camp. Luo Chengzhang, on the other hand, was merely a local official in Baoding. He explained the situation, offered some benefits, and then threatened him a few times, and Luo Chengzhang naturally wouldn't dare refuse to release her. His daughter definitely couldn't stay in such a place.
Wei Ling looked at the candlelight and sighed slowly. He hadn't seen Gu Minglan in more than ten years.
It was indeed his fault that he had done that. Back then, he was only the heir of the Duke of Yingguo's mansion and a deputy commander of the Five Cities Military Command. He had been seriously injured while suppressing bandits, and his guard had taken him into hiding, finally settling in the hills behind a nunnery. Fearing that bandits were still searching nearby, the two dared not show their faces. But his injuries were so severe that they could no longer be delayed. The guard went to find someone to care for him while he returned to the capital to report the incident.
Wei Ling narrowed his eyes. He was unconscious at that time. When he woke up, he saw the guards bringing Gu Minglan back.
He was shocked at the time. He had thought the guards were just going to ask an old woman or a farmer to take care of him, but this woman was dressed elegantly. Although she looked a little haggard, her temperament and appearance made people feel comfortable. And it was obvious that she was not here to help him on her own initiative.
He endured the pain from his wound and reluctantly apologized for his bodyguard: "This... young lady, I'm really sorry. Why don't you go back first? It doesn't matter if you leave me here..."
Unexpectedly, Gu Minglan glanced at him gently and said, "You were injured while suppressing the bandits, so it's okay for me to take care of you."
Her tone was slow, without any fear, but rather very sensible.
Gu Minglan was also annoyed with Luo Chengzhang at the time. She didn't want to go back and see his face, nor did she want to go to the nunnery to see the people's sympathy for her. She felt so fed up with Luo Chengzhang that she didn't care about being kidnapped. He was injured while suppressing bandits, which was a benefit to the people. Besides, in these deep mountains and forests, even she couldn't find the way back. Leaving him here would be like leaving him to die.
Gu Minglan decided to stay and take care of him. The guard left a lot of things behind before leaving, which were used to take care of him.
Five days later, he felt a little better and could barely walk. He was extremely grateful to Gu Minglan, and seemed to have a hint of other emotions. The things left by the guards were not much, and he didn't want to trouble Gu Minglan too much, so he forced himself to go hunting, and later caught a deer in a trap he had dug. Drinking deer blood could make him recover faster, but he forgot how hot deer blood was. When he regained consciousness, he had already made a big mistake. He half-knelt in front of Gu Minglan, took her hand and said to her: "I am Wei Ling, the prince of the Duke of Ying, and I am willing to marry you. After I return to the capital-"
Gu Minglan shook her head gently. In fact, Wei Ling didn't know what she was thinking. She was sitting on the bed, and the look she gave him was not one of hatred, but rather of tenderness.
"Don't come looking for me." Gu Minglan said, "I'm already married, can't you see?"
Wei Ling shuddered, feeling awkward, as if he'd been exposed by her and didn't know what to say. Of course... he could guess. But why was such a good woman already married?
Wei Ling's lips moved slightly, and he whispered, "I know, but I still want to marry you. Now that I've done it, I have to take responsibility. Seeing you so unhappy every day, I know that the man who married you is not good to you either. Come with me."
Gu Minglan gave him a wry smile, looking at his calm expression, which even contained a hint of unspeakable sadness. Then she said to him, "If I had any sense of shame, I would have hanged myself right now. But I don't... You don't need to remember this anymore, just let it go."
Wei Ling didn't know what she was planning, but he didn't want to let it go. But one morning, Wei Ling found that Gu Minglan was missing.
He searched everywhere, but couldn't find any family where such a person lived. When the guards returned, he went to the nunnery, only to find it completely deserted. Wei Ling only knew her name as Minglan, but few people knew a girl's maiden name. He ultimately couldn't find her, and he didn't dare ask too many questions and arouse suspicion, so he returned to the capital.
For so many years, he had been thinking about Gu Minglan. If she was truly doing well, it would be fine, and they could just pretend they had never met. But what if she wasn't doing well... They had only been together that one night, but what if Minglan had his child? Would she have kept the child? By the end, his thoughts were a jumbled mess, and he was already overthinking it.
Now more than ten years have passed, and he knows that Minglan did leave a child for him.
It's a girl, almost thirteen years old.
Wei Ling gazed at the candlelight and couldn't help but wonder what his daughter was like. What was her personality like? Was she tall? Did she enjoy reading poetry? The more he thought about it, the more he felt a surge of anticipation. What would happen if she met her biological father? Would she be happy to know she was supposed to be a daughter of the Duke of England?
I don't know if she is willing to recognize him. What if she doesn't want to...
Even with the power and status of the Duke of England's Mansion, Wei Ling suddenly felt a little unconfident.
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