After visiting several places and confirming the public's acceptance of the girls' academy, Jiang Yu finally felt completely at ease.
I felt much more relaxed.
“I thought that besides the old officials in the court, there would be many other people who would oppose me!” Jiang Yu said with lingering fear. “I even thought about how to deal with these situations.”
Seeing this, Gu Lin's lips curled into a smile. What Jiang Yu didn't know was that the scholars were the ones who resisted the most fiercely in this matter.
However, these people had been flattered by Kui Ruo, and if they were to openly oppose him, it would be tantamount to putting themselves in a dangerous position, which is why the progress was so smooth.
For them, there were still five years before women could take the imperial examinations.
They can take a long-term view.
But five years later...
A glint of light appeared in Gu Lin's eyes. What the world would be like five years from now was still unknown!
"Shouldn't we head back to the palace now?" Seeing Jiang Yu's steps falter, Gu Lin quickly put aside his thoughts and grabbed Jiang Yu's arm.
“Ayu, we’re not in a hurry to go back. I’ll take you somewhere.”
Jiang Yu stared at Gu Lin for a while, and then, led by Gu Lin, she turned left and right until she arrived at an empty villa in the suburbs of Beijing.
As Jiang Yu looked at the layout of the villa, the more she looked, the more familiar it seemed.
“The flowers planted in the yard are all in season.” Gu Lin stood behind Jiang Yu and said softly, “You said you like flowers that are full of life, and flowers in season are the most vibrant.”
Jiang Yu's eyes widened involuntarily. She seemed to understand something... This courtyard... was built according to the courtyard in her dream that she had mentioned before.
"This house is very bright during the day. You can feel the sunshine every morning when you wake up. At night, when the moon is bright and the stars are few, you can brew wine and drink tea in the courtyard."
"And what about my armory?" Jiang Yu turned around, her eyes full of smiles. In Gu Lin's eyes, she looked both sacred and beautiful.
"Over there."
Gu Lin pointed, and Jiang Yu's smile widened. At this moment, she was completely certain that this was the courtyard that Gu Lin had specially built for her.
Jiang Yu looked closely at the courtyard. It didn't look like it was built temporarily; it seemed to have been there for quite some time.
Just as Jiang Yu was about to ask a question, Gu Lin spoke up, "It was all set up a long time ago. I've been looking for an opportunity to bring you here. Ayu, I've taken every word you've said to heart."
As the sun was setting, the sky was a fiery red.
The two sat in the courtyard, with chess pieces laid out on the stone table.
"Ayu, don't worry." Gu Lin said as he placed a piece on the board. "Those influences weren't brought to you by Gu Heng, nor by Gu Qingling and the others. They were the ways you used to protect yourself."
Jiang Yu's hand, which was about to place a piece, paused instantly.
How did Gu Lin know that this was the reason she had been troubled during this time?
"Ten years, more than ten years." Gu Lin's blood would boil uncontrollably whenever he thought about what had happened before. "Ayu, give yourself some more time."
"Gu Heng is dead, Gu Qingling is dead, only Gu Qingfeng and Gu Qingyao are left."
Jiang Yu simply retrieved the chess pieces she hadn't yet placed and began idly fiddling with the pieces already on the board. "Gu Lin, you said you like me."
[It's a different kind of liking than Gu Heng's.]
Gu Lin nodded. "Because I like you, Ayu, you have even more right to be willful. You have to believe that even if you push me away countless times, I will still walk towards you regardless of everything."
The man before her, whom everyone in Da Ning called a god and who struck fear into the hearts of neighboring countries, bowed down before Jiang Yu, just to beg to hold her hand.
"is that so?"
Jiang Yu murmured softly, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Suddenly, a few low laughs rang out. Gu Lin reached out and ruffled Jiang Yu's hair. This intimate gesture, which was meant for Gu Qingyan, made Jiang Yu's ears turn red.
Gu Lin stood up, stepped over the stone table, and planted a kiss on Jiang Yu's forehead.
“Ayu, it’s absolutely true.”
After saying that, Gu Lin's fingers covered Jiang Yu's red lips, but after only a moment of contact, Gu Lin withdrew his hand.
His Ayu had experienced scheming and betrayal, so she dared not believe his claims of liking her anymore.
There's plenty of time in the future, and he will always stay by Ayu's side, gradually fading away the impact of those things on her.
Jiang Yu also reached up and touched the corner of her lips. Just now... she didn't feel disgusted...
"Let's stop playing chess and instead have a few moves."
Gu Lin snapped his fingers, and Ling Hai appeared holding a robe. "Madam, this is prepared for you by the Lord."
Jiang Yu paused for a moment, then smiled, picked up her robe, and walked into the house.
A moment later, a valiant female general emerged, her long hair piled high, and Jiang Yu grasped the spear she had longed for for so long.
"Apart from Ayu, I have never seen any other woman who likes red-tasseled spears."
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Yu thrust her red-tasseled spear straight at Gu Lin. Gu Lin dodged, and the two quickly clashed.
Jiang Yu hadn't touched these things in a long time, and she barely lasted five moves against Gu Lin, even when Gu Lin hadn't used his full strength.
"Not bad, at least I haven't forgotten all my skills."
Gu Lin took a step forward and hugged Jiang Yu from behind, then held Jiang Yu's hands, "Like this, you have to exert force here."
And so, the two practiced in the courtyard until the moon was high in the sky.
Jiang Yu sat down, covered in sweat, and drank water in large gulps. "Today was truly refreshing, Gu Lin, thank you."
"Go back to your room to rest in a little while, and continue practicing early tomorrow morning."
Jiang Yu trembled. "You brought me here so that you could help me regain these skills?"
Gu Lin slowly squatted down, his bright eyes making Jiang Yu feel a little nostalgic.
"Ayu, if one day you have the opportunity to ride on horseback, and in the future, you will have a piece of the map that you have built with your own hands in the unified world."
At this moment, Jiang Yu's mind went blank.
She seemed to finally understand what her mother had told her when she was little: the person who truly loves you will always plan for you and do everything they can to make you live the way you want.
"However, Ayu is going to suffer a bit."
"I'm not afraid of hardship!" Jiang Yu immediately said, her expression of fear that Gu Lin might change his mind amusing Gu Lin. Gu Lin grasped Jiang Yu's hand, which was already slightly chapped.
However, the two of them tacitly avoided mentioning these minor cuts and bruises.
Late at night, Jiang Yu, who was pretending to be asleep, heard a noise coming from the doorway, and her heart trembled slightly.
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