Chapter 461 Sixteen Years Ago
Now that his sons are fighting each other, if he were to inadvertently give one of them an opportunity, he might have to step down from the throne in just a few days. The emperor has worked so hard to defeat so many brothers, how could he be willing to hand it over to someone else?
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Emperor of Great Zhou."
Seeing that the emperor had agreed, the crown prince of Wei naturally had to lead an envoy from Wei to express his gratitude to the emperor.
Gu Shuyan watched the two of them talk back and forth quietly, her eyes involuntarily furrowing. For some reason, their conversation suddenly reminded her of the conflict between the two countries more than ten years ago.
Was it the battle sixteen years ago? It seems that it was in that year that my eldest uncle was wounded and fell into a coma, and then my mother, in her anxiety, disregarded her own health and secretly went to the frontier without my father's knowledge.
With her gaze falling on the Crown Prince of Wei, and recalling the complex look in Ji Shi's eyes just now, Gu Shuyan suddenly understood who her mother was thinking about.
Perhaps seeing the Crown Prince and Princess of Wei reminded her of the tragedy that her uncle was seriously injured while resisting the Wei army, which ultimately led to his death.
"Mother." Gu Shuyan squeezed Ji's hand with heartache.
Just as Gu Shuyan's expression suddenly changed, Yun Yichen's gaze happened to fall upon her.
Seeing the sadness on his face, Yun Yichen frowned involuntarily. He then beckoned to Zhong Lin beside him and handed him a plate of pastries, indicating that he should bring them to Gu Shuyan.
"Madam, this is what my master asked me to bring to you."
Zhong Lin carefully placed the item in front of Gu Shuyan, then spoke in a voice only loud enough for the two of them to hear.
Upon hearing this, Gu Shuyan turned to look at Yun Yichen before whispering, "Did Brother Yun say anything?"
"The master said that if the young lady has any questions, she can ask him tonight, and he will definitely be able to answer them for her."
Gu Shuyan was taken aback upon hearing this, and her gaze involuntarily turned to Yun Yichen. When she saw that Yun Yichen was also looking at her, she felt a sharp pang in her heart.
She never expected that Yun Yichen could see through her thoughts with just a glance. Could it be that he really knew some of the inside story of her uncle's accident back then?
Gu Shuyan naturally wouldn't ask Ji Shi or Gu Jin what exactly happened to her maternal uncle back then. Asking such a question would be like rubbing salt into their wounds, only causing them more pain.
Seeing Yun Yichen volunteer, Gu Shuyan naturally nodded to him, indicating that she would go to see him that evening.
The interaction between the two lasted only a moment, but it still did not escape Sun Ruojun's eyes. She still had a smile on her face, but when she lowered her head, it was her personal maid who came to greet her.
"Have someone investigate what the connection is between the Wei Kingdom and the Gu family."
Putting aside the fact that Princess Chuxia made things difficult for Gu Shuyan as soon as she arrived, just the way Gu Shuyan stared intently at the Crown Prince of Wei, plus what Yun Yichen said to Gu Shuyan after sending a guard over in time, Sun Ruoyun was certain that there must be some connection between the Gu family and Wei.
"Yes, this servant will go right away."
The maidservant quietly withdrew, and Sun Ruoyun nodded as if nothing had happened, continuing to eat the pastries in front of her.
This welcome-home banquet was nothing special. Because quite a bit of wine was consumed, the emperor dismissed everyone after only an hour.
When Gu Shuyan and Gu Jin returned home, it was just past 1:00 PM. Seeing that it was still early, Gu Shuyan called out to the two of them.
"Father, Mother, I have something to attend to at the Yun residence. I'll be right back."
Now, Gu Shuyan only needs to inform the Yun family before going to the Yun residence. Considering that neither Yun Yichen nor Gu Shuyan had spoken in the main hall today, and that her father and father had also been young, she nodded and went into the Marquis's residence first.
Gu Shuyan watched the couple leave before turning back to the mansion with Mingyu and Zhenzhu.
In Yun Yichen's study, hot water had already been boiled. As soon as Gu Shuyan entered, Yun Yichen beckoned her to sit down beside him.
"Why don't you, Shu'er, brew this cup of tea?"
People in the Great Zhou Dynasty were skilled at brewing and cooking tea. As the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Yi'an, Gu Shuyan needed to be taught the art of brewing and cooking tea by a special teacher.
Upon hearing this, Gu Shuyan took the tea set from Yun Yichen's hand, and with a flick of her wrist, a steaming cup of tea was presented to Yun Yichen.
Yun Yichen picked up the teacup and took a small sip before exclaiming, "I wonder who taught Shu'er how to brew tea. The tea she makes is much more fragrant than others."
Yun Yichen wasn't intentionally flattering Gu Shuyan. In her past life, Gu Shuyan had sought out countless tea masters to teach her tea-making skills in order to win Lu Youming's favor. Unfortunately, even though she eventually mastered brewing excellent tea, she still couldn't win that man's heart.
"Brother Yun, have you forgotten that the Princess of Wei said I was a genius today? A genius can brew tea naturally without learning."
Gu Shuyan's words successfully amused Yun Yichen; he hadn't expected this little girl to be so narcissistic.
"Yes, I am the genius in the eyes of the men of the Great Zhou, and Shushu is the genius in the eyes of the women of the Wei Kingdom. It seems that we are truly a perfect match."
With the mindset of "if you're being sarcastic, I'll be sarcastic too," Yun Yichen continued Gu Shuyan's words, and Gu Shuyan immediately burst into laughter.
"So, that's why I came to see Brother Yun."
After saying this, Gu Shuyan regained her composure and looked at Yun Yichen, "Brother Yun, what exactly do you know? Is it about what happened to Uncle back then?"
Seeing that Gu Shuyan was getting down to business, Yun Yichen's expression also became serious.
If Gu Shuyan had looked closely, she would have noticed a fleeting hint of guilt in Yun Yichen's eyes.
"In truth, we are the ones who wronged General Ji." Yun Yichen's words were heavy, and then he slowly began to tell Gu Shuyan about what happened back then.
Sixteen years ago, General Ji led the then-General Ji to guard the frontier.
The Great Zhou and the State of Wei had been at peace for decades. Although there were occasional disputes, they were always minor squabbles that did not affect the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
On that day, a merchant from Wei came to Zhou to purchase goods. On his way back home, he accidentally got into a dispute with a Wei soldier. The two started fighting over a minor disagreement, and Zhou soldiers immediately killed the Wei merchant.
Logically speaking, this kind of thing has happened before. As long as Da Zhou contacts the family on the other side, the two sides negotiate and give each other some money to appease them, and that's it.
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