Dressed As a Consort in Ancient Times - Chapter 81

At this moment, Emperor Yu’s tolerance for Yun Nation had reached its limit.  

Previously, Yun Nation had targeted his Third and Fifth Princes, and to this day, neither of them had fully recovered—especially the Fifth Prince, who could still only lie in bed to recuperate.  

And now, Yun Nation had even extended its hand to his most beloved Princess Jia Ning, causing her to suffer such severe injuries!  

“Summon the Grand Council Ministers for an audience.” Emperor Yu could no longer endure it. Previously, due to being attacked jointly by Jin Nation and Yun Nation, he had refrained from taking a strong stance. But he hadn’t expected this restraint to embolden Yun Nation further!  

Fortunately, Jin Nation had now withdrawn its troops and was preparing to sign a hundred-year non-aggression pact with Yu Nation.  

Without Jin Nation’s support, Yun Nation’s continued aggression must be met with consequences.  

Not long after, several high-ranking ministers who received the summons arrived to discuss military action against Yun Nation.  

Following Jin Nation’s retreat and the resolution of the crisis in Minzhou, Emperor Yu had already ordered General Zhao to lead fifty thousand troops to support Jinzhou.  

Although two cities had been reclaimed, several others remained under enemy control.  

“Your Majesty, Yun Nation is utterly arrogant, daring to send assassins against the Seventh Princess and her consort—it is truly outrageous!” A Grand Secretariat scholar, known for his forthright nature, stepped forward and declared, “If we wish to curb their arrogance, we may need to deploy additional forces to Jinzhou…”  

Everyone present had considered this.  

However, Emperor Yu’s main concern was where to dispatch reinforcements from.  

The garrison at Minzhou City could not be further mobilized, leaving only the troops stationed in the capital’s outskirts.  

But if those forces were redeployed, the capital would be left unprotected…  

Seeing through his concerns, an elderly minister stepped forward, clasped his hands, and earnestly advised, “Your Majesty, at present, only by sending the capital’s garrison troops can we prevent Jinzhou from falling…”  

“Jinzhou is a crucial stronghold in the northwest. If we fail to reclaim it, once Yun Nation regroups and recovers, they will have an even smoother path to invade from the northwest…”  

The ministers followed suit, each presenting their opinions.  

Seated at the head, Emperor Yu remained solemn and silent.  

After much deliberation, he finally decided to deploy the capital’s garrison forces to Jinzhou, ensuring that the lost territory would be reclaimed as soon as possible.  

With a majority of the troops redirected to the northwest, the tense situation in Jinzhou City eased somewhat.  

—  

Meanwhile, in the bleak and somber Guanzhou City.  

Bearing numerous wounds, Gu Yun refused the attendants sent by Governor Ming to care for her and the Seventh Princess, instead personally tending to the still-unconscious princess.  

Her injuries were mostly superficial; as long as medicine was applied, they were not a major issue. However, the mental exhaustion and headaches from overextending her spiritual power were beyond medical treatment—she could only endure them and recover slowly.  

Carrying a bowl of medicinal soup brought by Muzhou, she slowly approached the bedside. Placing the bowl on the small table beside her, she took a handkerchief and gently tucked it under the Seventh Princess’s chin.  

In her unconscious state, the princess was unable to drink medicine properly—whenever Gu Yun tried to feed her, she would spit out two-thirds of each spoonful.  

Gu Yun picked up the bowl again, scooped a small spoonful of the medicine, blew on it, and tested the temperature with a sip. Finding it no longer too hot, she carefully brought it to Jiang Libai’s lips.  

Yet, as always, the medicine failed to go down.  

“Princess, if you don’t drink the medicine, your injuries will heal very slowly, and the pain will be unbearable.”  

She attempted again, but the warm liquid merely trickled down Jiang Libai’s lips, dampening the handkerchief placed beneath her chin.  

Left with no choice, Gu Yun resorted to an old method of feeding.  

Holding the medicine bowl, she took a small sip, then leaned down and embraced the peacefully sleeping girl.  

Pressing her lips against the princess’s, she gently parted the girl’s tightly closed teeth with her tongue.  

As their lips met, she slowly transferred the medicine into Jiang Libai’s mouth, not pulling away until she felt the princess had swallowed.  

Lifting her head, she took another sip and repeated the process.  

After feeding her an entire small bowl of medicine, Gu Yun set the bowl aside and carefully wiped the remnants from her lips with a handkerchief.  

Imperial Physician Zhao had already set the princess’s broken arm and was doing his utmost to treat her internal injuries.  

Though the most critical period had passed, the Seventh Princess remained unconscious, never waking once. This left Gu Yun, who had been by her side for days, increasingly anxious.  

After being bedridden for so long, the princess’s once soft and rounded figure had visibly thinned.  

Her previously plump cheeks had become sunken, and her delicate chin had become sharp and frail, making her look heartbreakingly fragile.  

“Princess.” Gu Yun sat by the bedside, retrieved a letter from her robe, and began reading softly to Jiang Libai.  

“… Chunxi said that the Noble Consort and His Majesty already know about your injuries. His Majesty has dispatched additional troops to Jinzhou to properly deal with Yun Nation…”  

“As for the Noble Consort, Chunxi mentioned she had secretly seen her wiping away tears multiple times. Sometimes, while holding Xingxing, she would stare off into the distance, likely worrying about you and missing you…”

“And our little Xingxing, Chunxi said she has already started babbling… Ever since she had the parrot to accompany her, she has become much more lively. Whenever she sees someone, she wants to chat with them, but she can’t speak yet—she just makes some unintelligible noises, chattering away…”  

At this, Gu Yun’s long, narrow eyes overflowed with endless tenderness. She held Jiang Libai’s small hand and softly said, “Tell me, when we go back, do you think Xingxing will already know how to call for her mother?”  

Now that Xingxing was over five months old, she had probably grown a lot.  

The year was nearing its end, and Gu Yun didn’t know if she and the Seventh Princess would be able to make it back to the capital in time to spend Xingxing’s first New Year together.  

But the Seventh Princess’s injuries were more important. Even if she woke up, she would still need to recover in Guanzhou for a while before she could travel back to the capital.  

Thinking of this, Gu Yun suppressed the longing she felt for Xingxing, picked up the medicine bowl she had set aside, and walked outside, handing it to Muzhou, who was waiting at the steps.  

“Send a message to the capital later. Tell Chunxi to inform the Noble Consort that the Seventh Princess is no longer in life-threatening danger, so she shouldn’t worry too much.”  

After giving these instructions, Gu Yun looked out at the courtyard blanketed in heavy snowfall.  

Everything was covered in a vast expanse of white, as if all life had been buried under the thick snow, with no sign of vitality emerging.  

But Gu Yun knew that when spring came, the snow would melt away, and the wind from the borderlands would blow green leaves back onto the branches buried underground, bringing new life to the land once more.  

Retracting her gaze, Gu Yun rubbed her weary forehead and turned back inside.  

Charcoal fires burned in every corner of the room, wrapping her in warmth.  

She entered the inner chamber, intending to change the dressing on her wounds, but the moment she looked up, she met a pair of dazed eyes.  

“Princess?!” Her breath caught, and she froze in place.  

“Jiejie…” Jiang Libai reached out toward Gu Yun, struggling to sit up in bed. “Jiejie, how long… have I been asleep?”  

As her consciousness gradually returned, Jiang Libai felt pain all over her body. She had no strength at all to sit up.  

Gu Yun strode over to the bedside and gently pressed her back down. “Don’t move.”  

Tucking the blankets securely around her, Gu Yun swallowed hard, unable to suppress the joy in her voice. “Your injuries haven’t healed yet. You need to rest well for a while longer before you can move around.”  

“It has been five whole days since we were ambushed.”  

For these five days, Gu Yun had not left Jiang Libai’s side, feeding her medicine, wiping her body, and reading her the letters Chunxi had sent from home…  

Now that she was finally awake, the tension that had been straining Gu Yun’s mind suddenly loosened.  

She rubbed her increasingly dizzy head and continued speaking to Jiang Libai. “His Majesty and the Noble Consort already know about your injuries. They are both very worried about you.”  

Even while she had been unconscious, Jiang Libai had retained a faint awareness in her mind.  

Lying in bed, she vaguely recalled hearing Gu Yun speak to her.  

“Five days…” 

Jiang Libai pursed her lips, her expression sullen. “I want to go home…”  

Her little face was pale, her once rosy lips had lost their color, and her eyes were filled with a soft, glistening mist, making her look heartbreakingly fragile.  

The delicate and pampered Seventh Princess was acting spoiled, and Gu Yun’s heart ached for her. She gently wiped away the tears welling at the corners of Jiang Libai’s eyes with the warm pad of her finger. “Once your body has healed, we will set out for home.”  

Jiang Libai sniffled and responded with a soft, petulant “Mmm.”  

As her mind cleared, she blinked and studied Gu Yun’s face carefully. Only then did she notice the dark circles under her eyes, the bloodshot streaks in them, and even the chapped skin on her usually soft lips—she looked utterly exhausted.  

“Jiejie… have you not been resting these past few days?” Jiang Libai reached out her uninjured hand and gently touched Gu Yun’s cheek.  

It was the first time she had ever seen Gu Yun in such a weary state. She had lost the usual radiance in her eyes—now, she looked like a fallen beauty, covered in the dust of the mortal world. Even the slight furrow in her brows carried an air of fragile sickness.  

“I’m fine. I can handle it.” Gu Yun’s physical wounds had mostly healed. She didn’t want the Seventh Princess to worry, so she didn’t mention the persistent pain in her head.  

But that day, Jiang Libai had witnessed with her own eyes how those assassins in black had slashed Gu Yun’s arm. The sight of her blood dripping had pained Jiang Libai to her very core.  

“Let me see your wound…” Jiang Libai looked at Gu Yun’s arm, still tucked inside her sleeve. “Did you let a doctor examine it? Was it serious? Does it still hurt?”  

She knew that Gu Yun disliked having physicians treat her because she wished to keep her identity hidden. But in this special situation, Jiang Libai desperately wanted to know if her wound had healed properly—if anyone had tended to her, prescribed medicine for her…  

The misty light in her eyes shimmered with worry, as if the moment Gu Yun admitted she was in pain, her tears would spill uncontrollably.  

How could Gu Yun bear to let her be sad?  

“It’s nothing,” Gu Yun reassured her, shifting slightly to reveal her bandaged arm and waving it lightly in front of Jiang Libai. “See? It’s just a flesh wound—nothing to me at all.”  

Seeing that she could move it freely, Jiang Libai bit her lip, still uncertain. “Are you really okay?”  

“I’m really fine,” Gu Yun even stood up and spun in a circle in front of her.  

But because of her dizziness, she suddenly stumbled.  

She caught herself on the bedpost just in time to steady her swaying body.  

“What’s wrong?!” Jiang Libai was startled by her unsteadiness and immediately tried to push herself up from the bed.  

“It’s just a little dizziness,” Gu Yun quickly pressed her down again and shook her head at her. “I’ll be fine after a short rest.”  

The depletion of her mental strength had left her extremely weak. After talking with the Seventh Princess for so long, she was barely holding on.  

Jiang Libai clutched at her sleeve and pointed to the inner side of the bed. “Then stop forcing yourself—just sleep for a while.”  

Gu Yun removed her outer robe and slowly lay down beside Jiang Libai. As she breathed in the faint fragrance of the bedding, she gave Jiang Libai a gentle smile before closing her eyes and sinking into sleep.  

Listening to her steady breathing, Jiang Libai shifted inward, pressing herself against Gu Yun’s warm body under the covers. She rested her head on Gu Yun’s shoulder, closed her eyes, and soon drifted off into sleep once more.  

—

After waking up, the Seventh Princess continued to recuperate for more than half a month before she was fully recovered. She was finally able to lean on Gu Yun and take slow walks around the courtyard.  

A few more days passed. When she was finally able to step outside on her own to admire the snowy landscape, she pressed a hand against her no-longer-aching chest, lifted her head, and softly said to Gu Yun, who had been watching her closely the whole time, “I’ve recovered enough—it’s time for us to head home.”