Dressed As a Consort in Ancient Times - Chapter 89.2

Just before the sky turned white, Gu Yun returned to the back courtyard of the Princess’s residence. The door opened and closed, and her figure appeared inside the room. Before she could even reach the inner chamber, Jiang Libai had already lifted the hem of her skirt and dashed toward her.  

“You’ve finally returned!”  

With the weight in her heart finally lifted, her small mouth quivered, her eyes turned red, and she threw herself into Gu Yun’s arms.  

“You’ve finally returned…”  

Gu Yun carried the coldness of the late night all over her body. She gently pushed Jiang Libai away, took off her slightly damp outer robe, and then pulled the Seventh Princess back into her warm embrace.  

“Look, I’ve come back safe and sound, haven’t I?”  

Jiang Libai’s tears soaked into Gu Yun’s collar. She did not respond—she only sobbed silently, as if expressing her inner guilt and worry.  

Gu Yun stroked her small head, then bent down and carried her horizontally into the inner chamber, placing her in the bedding. Feeling the coolness of the blanket, she sighed inwardly, removed her damp inner garments, and lay down beside Jiang Libai. Holding her soft, delicate hand, she spoke in a light, gentle voice:  

“You are my wife. Your father and mother are also my father and mother. If they are in trouble, of course, I will not stand by and do nothing.”  

“So you don’t need to feel any burden.”  

“And besides, you see, I haven’t been hurt at all.”  

Hearing Gu Yun say, “Your father and mother are also my father and mother,” Jiang Libai’s heart trembled, followed by an even deeper sense of guilt. She gently leaned on Gu Yun’s shoulder and wrapped her arms around her slender waist.  

“Yes, we are family. There should be no division between us.”  

“It’s just that… I worry for them, and I worry for you as well.”  

“And… if you were to get hurt because of my request, I would feel even worse.”  

Gu Yun understood her thoughts. Lowering her head, she kissed her forehead and said softly, “Yes, to keep my princess from feeling sad, not only am I unhurt, but I also completed the task you entrusted to me on time.”  

Hearing this, Jiang Libai lifted her head.  

“Is Father Emperor and Mother Consort all right?”  

When Gu Yun had returned looking so at ease, she had already had an inkling. Sure enough, Gu Yun nodded.  

“They are both fine and have not suffered any mistreatment or torment from Jiang Ying.”  

“It’s just that His Majesty is still in a deep sleep. It looks like he won’t be waking up anytime soon…”  

Gu Yun spoke softly about Emperor Yu’s condition and described in detail the events that had just transpired outside Ganming Hall.  

“…So, regarding the identity of the black-clad men, does the princess have any thoughts?”  

When Jiang Libai heard that someone had attempted to assassinate her father, her heart clenched again. But upon hearing that he was unharmed, she let out a breath of relief. Now, faced with Gu Yun’s question, her expression darkened, and she softly uttered a name:  

“Jiang Heng.”  

“It should be him.”  

At present, the only person capable of sending assassins into the palace to kill her father was likely him. However, like Gu Yun, she couldn’t make sense of the strange aspects of the assassination.  

It seemed that Jiang Ying intended to keep her father alive, which was why she had stationed people to protect him. That would explain why the guards had been so dedicated in their efforts at first.  

But then why did they ultimately allow the black-clad men to enter the hall?!  

Could it be that she actually didn’t care about Father Emperor’s life?  

Jiang Libai closed her eyes. Having been immersed in the royal court for years, a thought quickly formed in her mind.  

“…To ascend to that position in a legitimate manner, an imperial edict of succession isn’t necessarily required.”  

“As long as Father Emperor passes away, and the heir to the throne is burdened with an unforgivable crime… in such a case, with just a little maneuvering, she could take the throne without facing open criticism.”  

Although this method carried more risk compared to a proper imperial decree, under the circumstances at the time, with Jiang Ying’s hidden influence, she might have truly considered trying it.  

Perhaps that was why the guards had let the black-clad men enter the hall in the end?  

Gu Yun looked at the Seventh Princess’s troubled expression and recalled Noble Consort Yuan’s instructions. She then got up, took the robe she had taken off earlier, and retrieved a box from its sleeve.  

Handing it to the Seventh Princess, she said,  

“This is something Her Highness the Noble Consort entrusted to me. She said that to prevent Jiang Ying from finding it, we should be the ones to keep it safe.”  

“Also, the decree to summon General Zhao to the capital for the emperor’s protection has been issued. Her Highness the Noble Consort’s intention is to send out the message at first light today.”  

Jiang Libai’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of the familiar box. She hurriedly took it and opened it, revealing the Imperial Seal of their Yu Kingdom inside.  

She grasped it tightly in her hands, feeling both relief that Gu Yun had arrived in time and gratitude that her mother consort trusted Gu Yun so much.  

If not for this, in just a little while longer, this Imperial Seal might have fallen into Jiang Ying’s hands…  

“Gu Yun, thank you.”

She held the immensely precious imperial jade seal in her hands and sincerely expressed her gratitude to Gu Yun. Upon hearing this, Gu Yun frowned slightly, somewhat displeased.  

“Princess, didn’t we already agree before? There’s no need to say thank you.”  

“You are my wife, and we are a family with no barriers between us. Saying such things makes it seem like we’re distant…”  

Jiang Libai could hear the hurt in Gu Yun’s tone. She bit her lip, then straightened up and wrapped her arms around Gu Yun’s neck.  

Her cherry-red lips pressed against the corner of Gu Yun’s mouth. As the sweet fragrance enveloped her warm, thin lips, Jiang Libai blinked and softly whispered, “Then… can you accept this way of saying thanks?”  

Gu Yun cupped the back of her head and deepened the kiss, responding in a muffled voice, “Of course, I like it… I couldn’t ask for more.”  

After the kiss, Jiang Libai gasped softly, pushing Gu Yun away. “We still have important matters to attend to. We need to draft an edict and send it out of the capital…”  

Her soft lips were now slightly swollen from the kiss, glistening with moisture, like a flower bearing dew in the springtime, making one want to indulge further.  

Suppressing the restless desire surging in her heart, Gu Yun replied in a hoarse voice, “I’ll go prepare it now.”  

—

The edict was quickly written, but how to send it out of the capital remained a problem.  

By now, the sky was already bright. The princess’s residence appeared the same as usual, but outside, the Imperial Guards were stationed—not to protect, but to keep watch.  

The two strolled aimlessly through the back garden before finally sitting down in a pavilion by the pond. As Jiang Libai scattered fish food into the water, she lowered her voice and asked, “Well? Are all the guards outside?”  

While admiring the scenery earlier, Gu Yun had already released her spiritual perception. She nodded solemnly, “Yes, and quite a lot of them.”  

Upon hearing this, Jiang Libai grew frustrated. “What should we do? If the message can’t get out, Grandfather won’t be able to leave the border with his troops on his own authority…”  

Gu Yun was also deep in thought about the matter.  

Just then, a sudden burst of chirping interrupted her thoughts.  

“Chirp chirp chirp—”  

She looked up and saw a parrot appear before her.  

“Me! Me! Me!”  

At this moment, Yixing had taken control of the parrot’s body. Mindful of the princess’s presence, it only shouted loudly without saying anything too revealing.  

It trusted that, with the tacit understanding it had built with the general over the years, she would surely understand its meaning.  

Gu Yun watched the parrot flap its wings, its small eyes darting around, and immediately grasped its intent.  

However, she had no intention of keeping this from Jiang Libai, so she asked directly, “Can you deliver a message?”  

Yixing was silent for a moment, then abandoned its pretense and responded in a more normal tone, “Yes, I can get the message out of the capital.”  

Beside them, Jiang Libai was utterly stunned to hear the parrot speaking fluently like a person. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she instinctively scooted closer to Gu Yun, staring hard at this bird she had only ever thought of as unusually intelligent.  

“Are you absolutely certain?” Gu Yun had to ensure that there would be no mistakes in such an important matter.  

Yixing flapped its wings arrogantly and declared, “I guarantee success!”  

With that settled, Gu Yun wasted no time. She took Jiang Libai back to the study, rewrote a smaller version of the imperial edict, stamped the jade seal on the back of the paper, then rolled it into a small bundle and placed it in front of the parrot.  

Yixing opened its beak, carefully holding the bundle in its mouth. After waving its wings at Gu Yun, it swiftly flew away.  

Watching the parrot’s figure disappear into the distance, Jiang Libai still felt like she was in a dream.  

“JIejie… that parrot doesn’t seem like a normal parrot… it seems more like a person.”  

Gu Yun chuckled and finally explained Yixing’s identity.  

“Do you remember when I told you that I came from an era ten thousand years in the future?”  

Seeing Jiang Libai nod blankly, she continued,  

“In the future, everyone is born with a lifelong companion—a Light Brain.”  

“Yixing is my Light Brain, and it came to this era with me.”  

Hearing this, Jiang Libai pondered for a moment before voicing her confusion.  

“So, that parrot has been with you all along? Then why were you always alone before?”  

Gu Yun pinched her cheek and replied cheerfully, “Yixing used to stay hidden in my consciousness, linked directly to my mind. So, before, it had no physical form—only a formless awareness.”  

This explanation was beyond Jiang Libai’s understanding, and she found it difficult to grasp.  

But she did comprehend one thing—it was as if that parrot had been like a ghost before, unable to take physical shape.  

“Then why does it have a form now?”  

Gu Yun hesitated briefly before explaining in simple terms,  

“When you had a difficult childbirth, Yixing used up all its star energy to help deliver the baby. This caused the system to collapse and nearly led to its complete disappearance.”  

Without the support of star energy, Yixing had vanished entirely from her mind.  

Seeing Jiang Libai’s dazed and astonished expression, Gu Yun revealed another secret.  

“That’s why I named our child Xingwan—because no matter how late, Yixing would always return.”  

“Would you mind that our child’s name has this meaning?”  

Understanding at last, Jiang Libai tightly grasped Gu Yun’s sleeve.  

“Why would I mind?”  

“If not for your companion Yixing, not only would Xingxing not have been born, but I wouldn’t even be in this world.”  

Thinking about everything, Jiang Libai felt nothing but heartache and guilt.  

“You must have been very sad back then, right?”  

Unfortunately, at the time, she had been too angry over Gu Yun’s deception to notice the deep sorrow hidden in her eyes. Instead, she had only resented and distanced herself from her, failing to stay by her side…  

Gu Yun smiled faintly.  

“Yixing has already returned, and our conflicts have long since been resolved.”  

“No one’s life is smooth sailing without regrets. But right now, I have everything I want, and I feel content and happy—that’s enough.”  

“What’s done is done. Let’s look forward, okay?”  

Jiang Libai’s eyes grew misty as she gazed at Gu Yun with a soft, delicate look.  

“Okay.”  

Since Gu Yun said to let bygones be bygones, then she would no longer dwell on past unhappiness. From now on, she would cherish Gu Yun even more… and also be kind to the parrot!  

However… something suddenly crossed her mind, and her gaze turned a bit resentful.  

“JIejie, is Yixing male or female?”  

A parrot’s voice was indistinct, so she couldn’t tell.  

Gu Yun was puzzled. “What?”  

“Is Yixing a boy or a girl? Why can’t I ask?”  

Gu Yun could smell the jealousy in the air and found it amusing.  

“Jealous, are you?”  

She explained patiently,  

“Light Brains don’t have genders. They’re like… well, imagine a rock that’s been programmed with human-like thoughts.”  

“So, Yixing can think, but it doesn’t experience emotions like a human would. Does that make sense?”  

Jiang Libai understood—and precisely because she understood, she felt even more embarrassed.  

She had actually been jealous… of a “rock”?  

Her face turned crimson, and she bit her lip, whispering a soft “Mm.”  

Gu Yun laughed heartily.  

“So, there’s no need to be jealous of Yixing.”  

—

In these arduous days, occasional bursts of cheerful laughter punctuate the somber atmosphere. Ever since Yixing departed the capital bearing the imperial edict, Jiang Libai and Gu Yun have been counting the days on their fingers, anxiously awaiting the moment when General Zhao stationed at the border would lead his troops into the capital to restore order.

One day, as the two within the estate were teaching little Xingxing to walk, a young servant lowered his head and entered, announcing, “Your Highness, the Prince Consort, Young Master Fang seeks an audience.” 

The Fang family? Gu Yun lifted her head, her eyes sparkling with an inscrutable glimmer. “Fang Zhan?” The young servant nodded affirmatively. 

“Indeed, Prince Consort, it is Young Master Fang Zhan.” Ever since Gu Yun had been imprisoned in the dungeon, she had not encountered this esteemed young master, who had failed to testify in her favor at the Ministry of Justice. 

This was partly due to her uncertainty about Fang Zhan’s true loyalties and partly because keeping him close might prove beneficial in the future.

Thus, even knowing Fang Zhan was not a virtuous man, she restrained herself from taking any action. But now, why did he seek an audience? 

“Where is he currently?” Jiang Libai asked, noticing Gu Yun’s contemplative expression. 

“In the reception hall at the front courtyard.” 

Jiang Libai tugged gently at Gu Yun’s sleeve. “Do you not wish to see him?” 

Gu Yun had some inquiries she wished to pose directly to Fang Zhan, so she dusted off the hem of her garment. “No, I am merely pondering what business he might have.”

“I shall proceed to the front courtyard to meet him; you take Xingxing back inside,” Gu Yun declared, leaving Muzhou, Mu Jiang, and more guards stationed in the rear courtyard as she stepped towards the front courtyard.