Dressed As a Consort in Ancient Times - Chapter 78 pt. 2
The distance between Guanzhou and Minzhou was short. After nearly two hours of travel, they arrived at the negotiation site. It was a resting place for travelers outside Minzhou City. The surroundings were extremely open, with nothing but yellow sand stretching as far as the eye could see. In this vast land, the only structure still standing was a nearby pavilion.
At this moment, a dozen soldiers clad in Jin’s armor were stationed outside the pavilion. Upon seeing the approaching carriage, they silently drew their weapons.
Muzhou remained calm, tightened the reins, and stopped the carriage in front of the pavilion.
“Is His Highness Prince Ping inside?” A general stepped forward, his sharp gaze like an eagle’s, fixed on the carriage.
His tone was still respectful, which gave Gu Yun some reassurance. She lifted the curtain and looked over with an indifferent gaze. “I am.”
Although the general had not seen Gu Yun for more than a decade, as soon as he saw his face—so strikingly similar to the Emperor and Noble Consort Jing—he immediately confirmed his identity.
“Your servant greets His Highness Prince Ping.” He respectfully saluted before stepping aside to clear the path. “His Highness the Crown Prince has been waiting for some time. Please enter.”
The Crown Prince?!
Gu Yun was startled, but her expression remained composed.
She had not expected the person Jin sent for negotiations to be the Crown Prince. This meant that Jin was taking the matter very seriously.
Gu Yun felt a bit more confident about the discussion. She stepped out of the carriage, bringing Jiang Libai—disguised as a servant—along with her into the pavilion.
The inside was not spacious, containing only a wooden table and two wooden chairs. Around them, bamboo curtains were hung to block the wind and sand, dimming the sunlight.
A figure draped in a cloak sat in one of the chairs, concealed in the shadows, making it difficult to see his face.
When Gu Yun stepped inside, the figure lifted his gaze slightly.
“Xiao Jiu?”
A warm voice rang out, landing in Gu Yun’s ears.
Upon seeing Gu Yun’s face clearly, the man quickly stood up, the hand he had placed behind his back trembling slightly. He spoke again, his voice tinged with nervousness.
“Xiao Jiu, it’s me.”
He stepped out of the shadows, revealing a face that bore some resemblance to Gu Yun—handsome and refined, seemingly in his early twenties.
Gu Yun searched her memory, trying to recall who this person was among her brothers.
Unfortunately, her original self had forgotten all memories from her time in Jin, leaving only hatred and numbness.
She recalled the general outside addressing the man as the Crown Prince.
Lowering her gaze, she gave a polite bow. “Gu Yun greets His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Gu Xun stepped forward to stop the bowing. As he helped him up, he examined him carefully.
“Xiao Jiu, have you forgotten me?”
When Gu Yun left Jin, he had just turned five. He supposed that by now, he would no longer remember the past.
Indeed, he saw nothing but confusion in his eyes.
His heart filled with guilt as he led Gu Yun to a chair.
“I am your eighth imperial brother, Gu Xun.”
He introduced himself, hoping he would remember.
But Gu Yun simply nodded and greeted him with a detached “Eighth Imperial Brother, peace to you.”
Realizing he truly did not remember him, Gu Xun felt a pang of sorrow.
The little brother who had once clung to him had been lost forever.
His heart ached, but there was nothing he could do.
Because years ago, he should have been the one sent to Yu as a hostage. But their father had insisted on keeping him and sending Gu Yun instead.
He had no idea how Gu Yun had fared over the years.
Studying him closely, he saw that hia face was thin, but hia complexion was good—he did not appear to have suffered abuse.
“All these years, I never came to visit you. That was my fault,” Gu Xun said, filled with remorse.
From the day Gu Yun was sent away, he had wanted to see him.
But he had only been a child himself—each time he tried to leave the palace, he was caught and strictly watched.
When he grew older and finally dared to ask their father for permission to visit Yu, he was immediately silenced and warned never to step out of the palace.
After enduring many hardships, he slowly realized that their father no longer wished to acknowledge Gu Yun as his son.
Without power, he could do nothing but hide his longing and bide his time.
He had thought it would take several more years before he could see his brother again.
Yet now, fate had brought them together in this unexpected meeting.
A flood of emotions filled his heart, but Gu Yun remained expressionless, revealing no hint of his thoughts.
She merely pressed his lips together and gave a brief response to his words.
The joy of their reunion was slowly fading, replaced by an ever-deepening guilt in Gu Xun’s heart.
He probably didn’t want to make Gu Yun feel awkward any longer, so he suppressed some of his excitement and spoke in as calm a tone as possible: “These years, have you been doing well?”
To be honest, Gu Yun was a little confused by this crown prince’s attitude. She had thought that when the “two brothers” met, they would be extremely wary of each other, yet this person seemed… to genuinely care about the original body?
But she did not dare let down her guard in response to the concern he occasionally revealed, so she did not mention the hardships the original body had suffered. “Everything is fine.”
Gu Yun’s tone was calm and distant, her entire demeanor exuding wariness. Gu Xun saw this and felt pain in his heart. “Everything is fine, but that is not your home.”
He glanced around and told her his plan. “Come home with your brother. From now on, you don’t have to remain in Yu Country as a hostage anymore, you won’t have to endure others’ attitudes, and you won’t have to be far from your homeland…”
Hearing these words, Gu Yun was momentarily unable to react. “Go home?”
Only after listening to Gu Xun’s full explanation did she understand his meaning. So this person wanted her to go to Jin Country?!
Gu Yun frowned, her entire being resisting the idea. “Wait, Your Highness, are you saying you want me to leave Yu Country?”
Gu Xun could hear the rejection in her tone and was slightly surprised. “You don’t want to go home?”
Home?
Gu Yun shook her head at him, making her stance clear. “Jin Country is not my home.” Seeing Gu Xun’s expression change slightly, she continued, “I wonder if Your Highness is aware that I am already married?”
Of course, Gu Xun knew this. But he had assumed it was a tactic used by Yu Country to keep Gu Yun there. He had thought that his younger brother would not be emotionally attached to a forced marriage. But when he saw the gentle look on his face as she mentioned his wife, it didn’t seem like he had been forced at all…?
“I have married the Seventh Princess of Yu Country and have joined her family as a Yu citizen.”
“I cherish my wife very much. We already have a lovely daughter… So, my home is not in Jin Country.”
“My home is wherever my wife is.”
Hearing these words, Gu Xun’s heart tightened. These details—he truly did not know them. So his younger brother had not been coerced into this marriage as a hostage? Had all of this been his own choice?
“No one forced you?” He asked again, wanting to confirm.
Hearing this, Gu Yun laughed. “No one can force me.”
“My wife treats me very well, and my father- and mother-in-law, out of their love for her, also treat me very well.”
Gu Xun watched as the younger brother he had always thought about finally gave him a faint smile. He listened seriously and quietly observed her gentle expression. “Since you are already married and have a child, why not go back to see Father and Consort Jing?”
Seeing that he still had not given up on persuading her to leave Yu Country, Gu Yun began to feel some aversion. “Your Highness, since Jin Country abandoned me back then and has never inquired about me all these years, I hope that in the future, Jin Country will continue as before—without disturbing my life.”
“My wife and I love each other deeply, and I will always stay by her side. I will not go anywhere.”
The wind rose, making the bamboo curtains rustle loudly. Nearby, Jiang Libai, who had been keeping her head down, trying to minimize her presence, secretly lifted her gaze when she heard Gu Yun’s sincere words. She looked at her tall and upright figure and silently smiled.
The pavilion was silent for a moment. Gu Xun no longer tried to persuade Gu Yun to leave with him and simply spoke in a low voice: “I understand.”
After committing Gu Yun’s appearance to memory, he lifted his robe and stood up from the wooden chair. “Jin Country will not go to war with Yu Country. From now on, take care of yourself. This is all I can do for you.”
…Just like that?
Gu Yun was stunned for a moment before seeing Gu Xun open his arms toward her, smiling as he said, “Perhaps this will be the last time we two brothers ever meet. Let your brother give you a proper hug.”
“Just like when we were children.”
While Gu Yun was still in a daze, Gu Xun had already stepped forward and, using his half-a-head height advantage, embraced tightly. “Take care.”
Leaving behind these words, Gu Xun departed from the pavilion without any hesitation. However, as he passed by Jiang Libai, his steps paused for a moment. Then, without lingering, he led his soldiers away.
The galloping horses kicked up thick clouds of sand and dust, and those figures gradually disappeared into the wind.
Jiang Libai walked to Gu Yun’s side, took her hand, and tilted her head to look at her. “Let’s go!”
Gu Yun returned to her senses, tightened her grip on Jiang Libai’s soft hand, and said, “Let’s go home.”
After boarding the carriage, Jiang Libai threw herself into her arms, quietly observing her expression. “Gu Jie, do you want to return to Jin Country?”
Although she already knew Gu Yun’s answer from earlier, she still wanted to ask again.
Gu Yun rubbed her cheek and softly laughed. “No.”
“Jin Country is too far. Traveling by carriage would take months—you wouldn’t be able to endure it.” Jiang Libai bit her lip, a hint of joy flashing in her eyes. “You… What do you mean?”
Gu Yun coughed lightly. “Didn’t you say that no matter where I go, you’ll follow me? If I really were to go to Jin Country, then you would definitely come with me.”
“But the journey is long, and I don’t want you to suffer.”
“So going to Jin Country? That’s out of the question.”
Hearing this, Jiang Libai’s heart felt warm. She wrapped her arms around Gu Yun’s neck and buried her face in her embrace. “Then… will you miss your relatives in Jin Country?”
Gu Yun held her waist, lowered her head, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, “Did you forget? I’m not the original Gu Yun.”
“So those people mean nothing to me.”
Jiang Libai suddenly remembered that her Gu Jie was a fairy who had descended from the stars—she was not the Gu Yun of the past.
“You are my real family, um… my wife.”
When Gu Yun spoke the word “wife,” her voice was soft and affectionate, intoxicatingly gentle.
Jiang Libai cupped Gu Yun’s face with a mischievous smile and teased, “Gu Jie, you’re really so cheesy…”
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cool kiz
That’s it ? Easy as that ? No using superpowers?.. That’s somehow anticlimactic lol jk