"Young master, Marquis Dingyuan has arrived with Princess Fu'an."
Upon hearing the servant's words, Yunmo struggled to get up, but the sharp pain in his knees made him turn pale almost instantly. Yunmo endured the pain and said, "Cover my knees with a quilt."
The moment the quilt pressed down, Yunmo gritted his teeth, and the next second he heard the sound of bells ringing.
"Greetings, Lord Marquis; greetings, Princess."
Jiang He noticed Yun Mo's unusual behavior at a glance, and after glancing at the slightly trembling quilt, his expression softened considerably. "Yao Yao noticed that you hadn't been to the Marquis's residence for several days and was worried that you were sick, so she brought Yao Yao to check on you."
"Princess, please don't worry. I'm just a little tired, so I've asked for a few days off to rest."
Yunmo forced a smile, "Has the princess been reviewing her lessons these past few days?"
Upon hearing Yun Mo's words, Jiang Yao's face showed a guilty expression, and Jiang He couldn't help but laugh out loud.
“Master, I’ve been staying with my father these past few days.”
The implication is that he has been traveling around these past few days.
“Alright, it’s not too late to review when I go to the Marquis’s residence.” Yunmo saw through the girl’s embarrassment. “I have to go to offer incense in a few days, so the princess can rest for a few more days.”
"Master, are you really not feeling well?" Jiang Yao walked to Yun Mo's bedside. "You look terrible."
"He's perfectly fine."
Jiang He picked Jiang Yao up. "Look at the dark circles under his eyes, he must have stayed up late last night. Yao Yao, your master is tired, he needs to rest."
"Okay." Jiang Yao waved goodbye to Yun Mo reluctantly, snuggled in Jiang He's arms, and started thinking about where to go for fun later.
Before leaving, Jiang He gave Yun Mo a deep look, "Luo Ming is alright."
Thank you.
After Jiang He and Jiang Yao left, Yun Mo lay back on the bed and let out a heavy sigh.
The servant quickly lifted the quilt from Yunmo's knees, "Young master, please lie down and rest."
"It's alright now."
......
After fully realizing what was happening, the Gong family quickly mobilized all available troops. However, faced with the lack of support from the other major families, the head of the Gong family was nearly driven mad with anger.
"These people always say they'll stand together through thick and thin, but when it comes to this crucial moment, they're all cowards."
Meanwhile, Madam Gong sobbed beside her, "Master, Sheng'er must not be allowed to get into trouble."
"Alright, what's with all this crying and wailing!" The head of the Gong family was extremely annoyed. "How could I not know to save Sheng'er? But the problem is that the Qin family says the head of the family is unconscious and can't make a decision, the Sun family says they don't want to get involved, and the Pei family hasn't responded. It's still a question whether my Gong family can win on its own."
"But... what should we do, sir..."
"Even if we can't win, we have to fight." The head of the Gong family felt as if a thousand pounds were pressing on his shoulders. "Both of my sons are in Luoming. If... the Gong family will really have no successor."
Just before the troops were to be dispatched, the head of the Gong family was summoned to the courtyard of the old lady of the Gong family.
Madam Gong dismissed everyone, leaving only the mother and son in the room.
"You've decided to lead the troops personally?" Old Madam Gong asked slowly. "Have you considered the risks of this trip?"
“Of course I’ve considered it, but Sheng’er and Ming’er are in Luoming, so I have no choice but to go.”
The head of the Gong family walked up to the old lady of the Gong family and squatted down. “Your son will definitely bring Sheng’er and Ming’er to you.”
“We don’t know what the situation is like in Luoming right now. Maybe it’s full of people from Dayu. This trip is too dangerous. You shouldn’t go. Let someone else lead the troops, okay?”
This was the first time that Old Madam Gong spoke to the head of the Gong family in an almost pleading tone.
"Mother......"
"Let someone else go. If you stay in the Gong family, the Gong family will still have a way out. If you go and something happens to you like Sheng'er and Ming'er, how am I supposed to live?"
Old Madam Gong held the Gong family head's hand tightly, "Even if Sheng'er and Ming'er really die in Luoming, you can still have new children."
“Mother.” The Gong family head’s face showed a smile that was more like a grimace. “If I don’t personally lead the troops, it will be telling everyone that I have no determination to save Ming’er and Sheng’er.”
"In that case, the two of them really won't be able to come back."
He poured so much heart and soul into these two children; he couldn't let them go.
Two lines of tears slid down from the corners of Madam Gong's eyes. "Enough. The Gong family's incense is not prosperous. It is already a blessing from the clan leader that you have Sheng'er and Ming'er. You should only have these two descendants in your destiny. Go and bring them back to me."
"I will."
After bidding farewell to Madam Gong, the head of the Gong family set off for Luoming with a large force.
Meanwhile, the Great Yu Kingdom was preparing for the imperial examination the following day.
......
Zhaoning Palace.
"I never imagined that the Gong family, who have always kept a low profile, would actually have such a large army." Jiang Yu curled the corners of his mouth. "As expected, these aristocratic families all have great secrets hidden behind the scenes."
Jiang Yu has become increasingly sleepy lately, so Gu Lin has had to delegate tasks to Ling Shan and Ling Hai, while he stays by Jiang Yu's side almost every step of the way, fearing that something might happen to her health.
“Pei Jian’s lack of reaction this time was exactly what we expected.” Gu Lin peeled fruit for Jiang Yu. “However, Pei Jian must be furious. Ayan is really destroying his businesses.”
"The more you push him, the better."
Jiang Yu opened her mouth, and Gu Lin fed her a peeled grape.
“You went to see Gu Qingfeng a few days ago, right? Gu Qingfeng should have made some new discoveries.” Jiang Yu is getting hungry more and more often these days, and she always keeps some fruits and pastries on hand.
A short while later, Jiang Yu couldn't resist reaching out and picking up a piece of pastry.
"Ayu, just wait patiently."
Gu Lin glanced outside and said, "Tomorrow is the palace examination. Why don't you think about whether the women of Lingyun Garden can stand out in this examination?"
"Including Qin Ke'er, there are only six women who have entered the palace examination." Jiang Yu's expression improved significantly when Lingyun Garden was mentioned. "They just need to perform to their full potential."
“I always felt that they would bring Ayu a different kind of surprise.”
At the same time, Lingyun Garden.
Guo Siyuan closed the book and sipped the ginseng soup slowly.
"Miss, go to bed early tonight so you'll be well-rested for the palace examination tomorrow."
"Hmm." Guo Siyuan said calmly, "Will Qin Ke'er also participate in the palace examination tomorrow?"
Yes, why does Miss want to know this?
"It's nothing." Guo Siyuan lowered her eyes, concealing her gloomy expression.
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