Dressed As a Consort in Ancient Times - Chapter 78 pt. 1

As they approached the border, the howling wind carried a biting chill. Yet at this moment, Jiang Libai felt a burning heat throughout her body, especially in her lower abdomen, as if a small life was already being nurtured inside. Unconsciously, she raised her hand and gently caressed that spot, her heart fluttering. “…Will I conceive another little baby?”  

Her eyes sparkled, as if filled with the stars in the night sky. “I won’t take the contraceptive medicine. If I really get pregnant, then I’ll give birth. Is that okay?” Jiang Libai’s thoughts were simple—she would let things take their natural course. If she truly conceived, she would certainly give birth and take good care of the child. But Gu Yun was very worried—what if she suffered another difficult labor…  

Jiang Libai reached out her small hand and smoothed the crease between Gu Yun’s brows, speaking softly and tenderly, “Why worry so much? It’s still too early to tell. We don’t even know if it’ll happen… So let’s not overthink it and just let things happen naturally, okay?”  

That was true—injecting pheromones only made pregnancy a possibility, but it didn’t guarantee that she would conceive this time. Gu Yun stopped dwelling on it, but she secretly reminded herself that from now on, when she was intimate with the Seventh Princess, she must never lose control and mark her again.  

“Let’s not talk about this anymore.” Jiang Libai held the letter in her hands and lowered her head to read it once more. She memorized every little detail about Xingxing before chatting with Gu Yun, “Tomorrow, let’s send all the trinkets we’ve collected to Xingxing and see if she likes them.”  

“I think she probably feels our absence, which is why she’s feeling down…” Gu Yun took the letter, carefully folded it, and placed it inside the wooden box where family letters were stored. “Alright, we’ll do as you say.”  

There were about seven or eight days left until they reached Minzhou at the border. The peace talks shouldn’t take too long either. Once these troubles were resolved, they would rush back to the capital without delay and bring Xingxing home.  

—  

Over the next few days, as they drew closer to Minzhou, the environment became increasingly cold and dry. The lush green forests seen in the suburbs of the capital had long disappeared, replaced by withered branches with hardly a leaf left on them. Even the air was devoid of moisture, and when the wind blew past, it stung their faces painfully.  

Fortunately, after enduring the previous days of suffering, Jiang Libai had gradually adjusted. She was no longer dizzy and had regained much of her energy. When she heard the soldiers outside the carriage shouting, “We’ve arrived at Guanzhou City,” she quickly lifted the curtain beside her and peeked outside.  

Guanzhou was located on the border of the State of Yu, adjacent to Minzhou City, making it an important defensive stronghold and trade hub. Minzhou was currently besieged by Jin’s soldiers, which was why their destination this time was Guanzhou. After settling in, they would send word to Minzhou, informing both General Zhao, who was stationed inside the city, and the Jin generals still camped outside.  

At the city gates, the Governor of Guanzhou had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing the large group approaching in the distance, he led his men forward to greet them.  

Envoy Xu and the Governor of Guanzhou were old acquaintances. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they walked together toward Gu Yun’s carriage.  

“Lord Consort, we’ve arrived at Guanzhou City.” Seeing that Gu Yun had already lifted a corner of the curtain and was stepping down, Xu Zhenshi introduced them, “This is Governor Ming of Guanzhou City, who is responsible for receiving us…”  

Gu Yun looked at the plainly dressed Governor Ming and cupped her hands in greeting. “Governor Ming.”  

After a brief exchange of formalities, Xu Zhenshi arranged for his five hundred soldiers to settle in, then proceeded with Gu Yun and Governor Ming into the city.  

On the way to the post station, Governor Ming gave a detailed account of the recent situation.  

“…Upon learning that we seek peace talks, Jin has refrained from attacking Minzhou, but they have not withdrawn their troops either. This has made life unbearable for the civilians inside the city… If this continues and Minzhou’s food supplies are completely depleted, it will inevitably lead to panic and chaos…”  

From this, it was clear that the situation was already critical, leaving Gu Yun and the others with no time to rest. As soon as they arrived at the post station, they sent a letter to General Zhao inside Minzhou City.  

Jiang Libai, dressed in a page boy’s attire, was led along with Muzhou to a side room in the courtyard where Gu Yun was staying.

Once the guide from the post station had left, Muzhou respectfully led Jiang Libai toward the main room. “Princess, please take a rest. I will stand guard outside the courtyard and ensure that no one enters without permission.”  

At this time, Gu Yun had already gone to the governor’s residence with Envoy Xu to discuss the peace negotiations. Jiang Libai had concealed her identity to come along, so she did not accompany Gu Yun to the governor’s residence.  

“I understand. You may leave.” After dismissing Muzhou, she entered the inner chamber, preparing to rest properly.  

Although she had regained some energy in recent days, she still felt exhausted.  

The quilt on the bed carried a faint, fresh fragrance, indicating that it had just been changed.  

Satisfied, Jiang Libai lay down and closed her eyes to rest.  

Autumn at the border was already quite cold. As she sank into sleep, Jiang Libai shivered, groggily feeling the chill spreading over her body.  

Instinctively, she hugged her arms tightly, but not long after, a wave of warmth enveloped her. Without thinking, she reached out with both hands and feet, wrapping herself around the warm presence, and soon, she drifted back into a comfortable sleep.  

—  

As the sky darkened, Jiang Libai slowly woke up.  

“You’re awake?” A woman’s clear and cool voice sounded by her ear.  

She slowly opened her eyes and found a face just a finger’s width away. “When did you come back?”  

Still not fully awake, her entire being was soft and pliant, and even her voice carried a gentle, kitten-like quality that tickled Gu Yun’s heart.  

“For a while now. I saw that you seemed a bit cold, so I covered you with another quilt.” Gu Yun stroked her small face and tucked in the blanket behind her.  

Jiang Libai clung tightly to her slender waist, finally realizing that the warm source in her dream had been Gu Yun all along.  

“How did the peace negotiations go? Have you decided on a plan?” She was deeply concerned about this, as it determined how soon they could return to the capital.  

Recalling the discussions at the governor’s residence, Gu Yun nodded with an unreadable expression.  

“Two more cities near the Yun border have fallen, boosting Yun kingdom’s morale as they advance southward… Under these circumstances, His Majesty’s decision is to reach a peace agreement with Jin as soon as possible, while also having General Zhao mobilize one hundred thousand troops to reinforce the northwest…”  

Of course, that was only Yu kingdom’s stance.  

Whether they could actually secure a peace deal with Jin remained uncertain.  

Both Envoy Xu and Governor Ming had placed immense pressure on Gu Yun during their discussion earlier.  

“I will do my best to make Jin agree.” This was Gu Yun’s promise—not only to Envoy Xu and Governor Ming, but also to Jiang Libai.  

There could be no real war between Jin and Yu.  

If war broke out, not only would she face a grim fate, but even the Seventh Princess, whom she had married, would also be implicated.  

“Has Jin responded yet? Where will the negotiations take place? When will you depart?” Although Gu Yun did not express the pressure she was under, Jiang Libai could still sense the turmoil in her heart.  

“No response yet,” Gu Yun replied before explaining the speculation from their discussion. “But according to Governor Ming, Jin will likely propose negotiating outside Minzhou City.”  

That location was close to Jin’s stationed troops, allowing them to deploy reinforcements immediately if danger arose.  

“At that time…” Jiang Libai cupped Gu Yun’s face, looking at her seriously, and spoke each word with clear determination: “I will go with you.”  

She did not know how much danger lay ahead, nor whether she would be able to return.  

But she had to stay by Gu Yun’s side, no matter what—standing together, facing life and death as one.  

Her eyes were filled with fearlessness and deep affection. Her soft voice held not even the slightest hesitation, making Gu Yun’s heart burn with warmth. “But… I don’t want you to be in danger because of me.”  

Jiang Libai shook her head vigorously. “Jiejie, let me go with you… If I’m by your side to keep an eye on things, maybe the negotiations will go even faster… Alright?”  

Gu Yun could never refuse her wife’s requests—especially when they were made in such a delicate, pleading tone.  

Fine.  

She already had her own countermeasures. She would make sure that neither the Seventh Princess nor herself would be in any danger.  

“Alright, but you must stay by my side at all times.”  

Hearing Gu Yun’s agreement, Jiang Libai’s round eyes curved into crescents. “Of course! Wherever you go, I go…”  

—  

Two days later, Jin finally sent a reply.  

According to the letter, one of Jin’s conditions for peace was that Yu must pay a one-time tribute of one hundred thousand taels of silver and five thousand fine horses.  

Aside from that, the negotiations would be held outside Minzhou City, and Gu Yun was required to attend.  

That part was manageable—Yu had already prepared for this possibility. However, the demand for a one-time tribute of one hundred thousand taels of silver was nothing short of extortion!  

Yu had already lost five cities to Yun State, and most of the national treasury’s silver had been allocated to the war effort against Yun. Where would they find additional funds to pay Jin?  

Naturally, Yu rejected this demand outright.  

As a result, even more pressure was placed on Gu Yun, as they hoped she could negotiate to remove this condition.  

— 

On the third morning, under the howling cold wind and swirling dust, Gu Yun, watched by the people behind her, lifted the hem of her robe and stepped onto the carriage bound for Minzhou City.

“Prince consort, this journey is of great importance. I ask that you take extra care…” Envoy Xu reminded once again, his tense expression showing that he wished he could go along with Gu Yun to constantly guide her. 

“A hundred elite soldiers have already disguised themselves and are secretly protecting you. If anything happens, please ensure your own safety.” After these nagging words, Envoy Xu waved toward the carriage that was already moving forward.

Once the carriage completely disappeared from sight, Envoy Xu looked at Governor Ming beside him and sighed, “Are the other preparations ready?” 

In fact, they had already secretly discovered the identity of the person from Jin who was coming to negotiate. That person held a noble status, and it was expected that many hidden guards would be protecting them. However, if the negotiation failed, they would have no choice but to eliminate him. 

If that person were to die, the Jin royal family would undoubtedly fall into a bloody power struggle. At that time, Jin would be consumed by internal strife and would not have the energy to send troops. This was the alternative order given in secret by the Emperor of Yu—negotiation first, and if it failed, then they would resort to this plan.

Governor Ming stroked his graying beard and nodded. “Everything is ready. If the negotiation fails, our people will strike when they least expect it…” 

“In that case, there will be no mistakes.” The two of them looked out toward the vast distance, silently hoping that this negotiation could proceed smoothly without bloodshed.

The cold wind blew, yellow sand swept across the land. When Gu Yun lifted the carriage curtain, Jiang Libai swiftly slipped inside. 

“Are you cold?” Gu Yun picked up a prepared cloak and draped it over her.

Jiang Libai nestled into her embrace with a bright smile. “Now I’m not cold.”

Gu Yun let out a soft laugh and held her even tighter.

During this moment of peace, neither of them spoke, quietly awaiting the upcoming negotiation.