I can't care about you
Three days later, the time for the army to set off arrived.
Everything at the Prince Jin's residence had been arranged. Xiao Chengyan, dressed in black armor, stood in the courtyard of Chen'an Residence. His iron armor gleamed coldly in the sunlight, just like his face at that moment.
Xuanru was summoned to his side.
"Your Highness."
Xiao Chengyan's gaze swept past her and turned towards the direction of the quiet room. His voice was deep and clear: "My marriage to Ahong has been approved by the Emperor. From this day forward, she will be the daughter of the Gu family of Yingchuan. The day I return in triumph will be the day of our grand wedding."
He spoke steadily, each word carrying immense weight. The Gu family of Yingchuan was a noble and prestigious family, worthy of the position of a prince's principal wife. This identity would completely erase any past that might be exposed about her.
"Also, you need to find a way to clear the poison from Ah Hong's body." Xiao Chengyan handed her a token. "If you need any medicine, just ask. If the Prince's Mansion doesn't have it, go to the Imperial Palace to get it."
Xuan Ru was greatly shocked and immediately lowered her head: "Yes! Xuan Ru will remember and will definitely protect Ah Hong until Your Highness returns."
Xiao Chengyan nodded slightly, said no more, and strode into the inner room.
On the bed, Gu Jinghong was still fast asleep. The treatment over the past few days had brought her high fever down a little, but her face was still pale, as fragile as easily broken glass.
He dismissed all the servants and went to the bedside alone.
The armor clanged as he bent down, the cold metal edge almost touching her warm skin.
He gazed at her for a moment, his eyes swirling with complex emotions that were hard to describe.
Heaven knows how reluctant and worried he would be to leave her at this time, but with war breaking out again, the unknown forces of Nanzhao might be an important ally for him.
He had to get that position so that she could walk in the sunlight.
Finally, he placed a very light and precious kiss on her smooth forehead.
“Ah Hong,” his voice was so low it was almost a whisper, carrying a tender side beneath his tough exterior, “I’m leaving. You… you must get better and wait for me to come back.”
In a daze, Gu Jinghong felt a reassuring aura enveloping her, only to quickly pull away. She felt as if she were in a chaotic fog, desperately trying to grasp something.
He's leaving? Where is he going?
She tried hard to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and she could only let the familiar scent of spikenard linger and envelop her.
She wanted to shout his name, but her throat felt like it was being choked. No matter how hard she tried to muster her strength, no matter how desperately she tried to shout in her heart, she couldn't hear a sound from the outside world.
Through blurred vision, I could only watch that familiar, tall, dark figure walk step by step toward the door, his outline becoming increasingly indistinct against the light.
Don't go...
Ah Yan... don't go...
The anxiety and fear in my heart reached their peak in an instant, like a drowning person struggling in the final moments.
Just as his figure completely disappeared into the light outside the door, an unknown force suddenly broke through the suffocating confinement—
"Ayan!"
Gu Jinghong suddenly opened her eyes, and the moment the call burst out, the blinding sunlight pierced her eyes.
Her chest heaved violently, and her forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.
What came into view were unfamiliar bed curtains and canopies, as well as the unfamiliar faces of the maids who rushed into the inner room upon hearing the noise.
"Princess Consort! You're finally awake!"
"Your Highness! Your Highness's Consort has awakened!"
——The Crown Prince? Crown Princess?
"Ah Hong, how are you feeling? Why did you drink again?" Xuan Ru pushed aside the maids surrounding Gu Jinghong and reached out to feel Gu Jinghong's pulse.
Perhaps it was because she saw someone familiar, but Gu Jinghong's heart seemed to gradually calm down.
She then realized that she had fainted, which must be due to alcohol poisoning.
But she clearly doesn't like drinking, so what caused this? What made her so upset that she needed to resort to alcohol to cope?
She closed her eyes, resting one hand on her forehead, seemingly lost in confusion... What could be the reason?
After a while, she slowly opened her beautiful eyes.
It seems she finally got married, but the groom wasn't him. He was so cruel to her; she practically begged him, but he remained unmoved...
Later, later... she was so angry and disappointed that she took someone else's hand and got into the bridal sedan chair.
It's so cold! The floor is so cold, and the wind blowing in from outside is so cold too.
But the wine was so hot, the more she drank, the more she wanted to drink. Then... wait, who was that person again? Did she remember wrong?
Just then, Gongsun Cheyuan arrived upon hearing the news. "Jinghong, how are you?"
It's obvious to anyone with eyes that Gongsun Cheyuan hasn't had a good rest these past few days.
He was a well-protected young master from a prestigious family, refined and aloof, but today he looked somewhat desolate, with dark circles under his eyes and even pale lips.
Everyone present felt sorry for Gongsun Cheyuan when they saw his appearance.
Only one person is different—
As Gu Jinghong looked at Gongsun Cheyuan's face, her confused mind slowly cleared, and her beautiful eyes seemed to finally focus.
Scenes from the wedding flashed through her mind, and then she felt her heart grow colder and colder—yes, she was married, but the groom wasn't him.
Xiao Chengyan went to fight in the southwest, but the war did not go so smoothly. She thought of countless possibilities: being injured, failing... or even dying on the battlefield. But she never thought that he would bring Yongning back.
Yongning… Thinking of this, Gu Jinghong subconsciously shrank back again… It turned out that she had lied to him, so he couldn’t be blamed for it.
Gongsun Cheyuan gently placed his hands on Gu Jinghong's shoulders: "Jinghong, Jinghong, do you...do you recognize me?"
Gu Jinghong did recognize him, but she simply didn't have the extra energy to spare for anyone else right now.
Therefore, she lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow on her pale face, making her look like a lifeless jade sculpture, wooden and aloof.
Gongsun Cheyuan looked at Xuanru again, his brows furrowed with lingering worry: "Valley Master Xuan, is Jinghong alright?"
Xuan Ru looked grave and withdrew his hand from taking her pulse: "Your Highness need not worry too much. I have just carefully examined A Hong's pulse, and her life is no longer in danger. She has just been unconscious for a long time, and her mind is too exhausted. She is in a state of confusion and unable to sort out her thoughts. Right now, I need to trouble Your Highness to take everyone out so that I can calmly administer acupuncture to her and relieve her pent-up emotions."
Gongsun Cheyuan seemed to only realize what was happening now. He hurriedly led all the maids and servants out of the room, and finally looked at Gu Jinghong with concern, but spoke to Xuan Ru.
“Master Xuan, I’m right at the door. Call me if you need anything.”
The door finally slammed shut with a creak.
Xuan Ru then turned around, leaned closer to Gu Jinghong, and lowered her voice: "Ah Hong, Ah Hong, do you recognize me now?"
Gu Jinghong slowly turned her head to look at Xuan Ru, "Aru, has he... come by?"
Her voice was extremely hoarse, which made Xuanru feel sorry for her.
Xuan Ru's hand, which was arranging silver needles, paused almost imperceptibly. Avoiding her gaze, she spoke with deliberate resentment: "He treated you so cruelly, why are you still asking him? A person like that should be dragged out..."
She said in a hoarse voice, "He came, didn't he?"
Xuan Ru lowered her eyes, concealing the evasiveness in them: "No."
Gu Jinghong looked at her quietly, and a faint, bitter smile suddenly appeared on his pale, chapped lips.
"If not, I'm poisoned by alcohol and my life is in danger, so why is the person by my side treating me... you?"
bite--
With a soft thud, the silver needle that Xuanru was holding accidentally fell back into the medicine box.
Sometimes she really hated Gu Jinghong's almost supernatural intelligence, which always seemed to strike from the shadows and easily find the most hidden cracks in the barrier she had carefully constructed.
Gu Jinghong saw that Xuan Ru pursed her lips and avoided his gaze; that silence itself was the answer.
The tears in her eyes shimmered, revealing a deeper sorrow.
“If he has something on his mind, something on his mind, he should tell me,” she murmured, as if speaking to Xuanru, yet also as if speaking to someone who wasn’t there, “Why did he have to do it this way…”
Xuan Ru felt a pang of pain in her heart and hurriedly stepped forward to grasp Gu Jinghong's icy fingers.
The fingertips were chillingly cold, yet her palms unusually radiated a faint warmth, like the flickering flame of her life.
“Ah Hong, you…you shouldn’t think of him like that. Right now, he really…” She sighed softly, the last syllable fading into the silent air, yet carrying a weight of weight, “can’t take care of you.”
"I can't worry about you."
Gu Jinghong's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly as she repeatedly pondered those four words.
What does "too busy to attend to" mean?
Is he so engrossed in his new "butterfly" that he "can't care" about his old flame's tears? Or is he caught in some kind of vortex, surrounded by wolves and tigers, with a thousand and one troublesome thoughts tangled around him, where a slight misstep could lead to utter ruin, thus "can't care" about matters of the heart?
While both involve "not having time to spare," the reasons are worlds apart, pointing to two extremes: betrayal and protection.
This was the explanation Xuan Ru gave after careful consideration, the one that came closest to the truth.
Gu Jinghong understands Xuan Ru; she might conceal things for some reason, but she would never deceive herself on matters of principle.
Her choice to side with Xiao Chengyan can only mean that, in Xuanru's mind, following Xiao Chengyan's arrangements at this moment is the most advantageous path for Gu Jinghong.
A chill crept up my spine.
So... what kind of thunderous place did Xiao Chengyan step into alone?
Thinking of this, Gu Jinghong suddenly focused his mind, and his thoughts gradually became clearer.
Yes, she is the dignified master of Qianyuan Pavilion. She should be able to keep track of Xiao Chengyan's situation in the southwest. However, she doesn't know what Xiao Chengyan did during the three months he "disappeared in Nanzhao". Also, what is the situation with the "Princess Yongning" he brought back?
There is only one reason.
Someone in the pavilion betrayed her.
She felt a tightness in her chest, silently closed her eyes, and gazed at the Hidden Abyss Pavilion.
Lin Xiuyuan and Wen Linchuan would not do that. The two of them carried out her orders every day like a machine. The only person Gu Jinghong did not guard against and trusted enough was Xie Yan.
Did Xie Yan not receive this information at all... or did he receive it but conceal it?
"Xie Yan..."
She uttered the name slowly in a breathy voice.
She opened her eyes and looked out the window. The sunlight shone brightly on the window frame, but she couldn't feel any warmth from it.
Why did the two people who were least likely to betray her make this choice?
I can't care about you...
Could it be that he is actually using the guise of rejection to protect others?
So, besides her identity as the master of Qianyuan Pavilion, what else does she have that requires Xiao Chengyan to pay such a high price to protect her, and why even Xuan Ru and Xie Yan chose to stand with him?
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