Dressed As a Consort in Ancient Times - Chapter 90

Upon entering the reception hall, Fang Zhan was already seated on a nearby armchair, having waited for quite some time.  

Noticing the figure at the door, he set down the teacup in his hand, stood up, and cupped his hands in greeting. “Prince Consort.”  

Seeing her cold demeanor, devoid of the warmth and gentleness of the past, Fang Zhan seemed indifferent as he chuckled, “Prince Consort, do you still hold a grudge against me?”  

“A grudge?” Gu Yun lightly tapped her fingertips against the table, replying indifferently, “Then tell me, what grudge do I hold against you?”  

This was the first time Fang Zhan had experienced Gu Yun’s cold and sharp words. He withdrew his smile and silently lowered his head.  

He thought, perhaps he and Gu Yun could never go back to how they used to be.  

After closing his eyes briefly, he swallowed and spoke of the reason for his visit. “I suppose the Prince Consort must also be curious about why I sought you out today.”  

“Last night, a group of men in black broke into the palace, attempting to assassinate His Majesty. They were ultimately captured by the guards.”  

“In order to thoroughly investigate the mastermind behind this attack, we require the assistance of the Five City Military Command.”  

Upon hearing this, Gu Yun understood.  

She was still the commander of the Five City Military Command and held the authority to deploy its forces.  

Thus, if they wanted to mobilize the Five City Military Command without leaving any traces, they needed her approval.  

“But since Princess Jiayi has ordered that the Seventh Princess’s residence be protected, you are unable to leave. So, it would be best if you hand over the command seal to me. That way, you won’t have to worry about command affairs anymore, as you wouldn’t be able to help anyway…”  

What a shameless thing to say!  

Clearly, he was trying to seize her authority, yet he had to frame it as relieving her of a burden.  

Gu Yun stared at Fang Zhan’s seemingly gentle face for a long while before coldly laughing. “The command seal is not with me. As for where it is, I don’t know either.”  

Having said this much, Gu Yun no longer wished to continue the back-and-forth with Fang Zhan.  

She spoke frankly, “If you are here to obtain command over the Five City Military Command for those behind you, then I suggest you leave.”  

“Even when the command was in my hands before, I did not hold much power. Let alone now. So even if you ask me for it today, I have nothing to give.”  

Seeing Gu Yun’s clear intention to send him off, Fang Zhan knew that saying more would be useless.  

Although he couldn’t obtain the seal that would allow him to command the Five City Military forces, he also didn’t wish to linger.  

“Prince Consort, some things cannot be avoided just because you wish to,” Fang Zhan said cryptically before turning to leave.  

The quiet room allowed Gu Yun’s mind to remain clear.  

She replayed the encounter with Fang Zhan in her mind.  

Logically speaking, Fang Zhan had come to demand that she relinquish her authority over the command. But after hearing her refusal, he simply left without forcing the issue?  

That was quite strange.  

— 

The Seventh Princess’s residence returned to its usual peace. Under the surveillance of the numerous imperial guards outside, the days passed one by one.  

Gu Yun calculated the time. Given Yixing’s flight speed, the secret letter should reach General Zhao in the next few days.  

This was something worth celebrating.  

However, before Jiang Libai and Gu Yun could feel excited, another piece of news reached them, shaking their world.  

That afternoon, the three of them had just finished lunch and were taking a walk in the rear garden to aid digestion.  

Nearly one year old, Xingxing was quite restless and couldn’t stay in the nanny’s arms for long. She squirmed, wanting to be put down.  

Jiang Libai took her from the nanny, gently placing her on the ground before holding her tiny hand, guiding her forward.  

Xingxing still couldn’t walk on her own. She needed someone to hold her hand before she could take a few unsteady steps.  

It was late spring, and the weather was no longer cold.  

Unlike in winter, when she had been bundled up in thick clothing, Jiang Libai now worried that a fall might leave bruises.  

But Xingxing didn’t care. She laughed joyfully, circling the stone benches in the pavilion. Whenever she lost her balance, Jiang Libai would hold her steady.  

After walking for a while, she seemed to grow tired and stopped obediently. Looking at Gu Yun, who was beside her, she reached out with her other small hand and mumbled, “Mama… Mama… hug…”  

Gu Yun cleared her throat and, like Jiang Libai, took Xingxing’s hand.  

There were other young maids around, so she corrected Xingxing’s words, “Xingxing, be good. Call me ‘Daddy.’ Your mama is over there.”  

Xingxing had only recently started to say “Mama,” though her pronunciation wasn’t entirely clear.  

But despite Gu Yun teaching her for a long time, she still couldn’t say “Daddy.” Instead, she called everyone “Mama,” including Chunxi and Qin’er.  

“Mama… Mama…” Xingxing turned her head in the direction Gu Yun indicated. Seeing Jiang Libai crouching in front of her, she happily threw herself into her mother’s arms, her voice sweet as honey. “Mama… Mommy…”  

Jiang Libai patted her chubby little bottom and lifted her up. “Xingxing is so good. Mommy will hold you.”  

After kissing her round little cheek, Jiang Libai noticed that her eyes were starting to droop as if she was about to fall asleep.  

She exchanged a glance with Gu Yun, who picked up a small blanket from the chair and gently draped it over Xingxing’s back.  

“She’s been playing for a while. She must be tired. Let’s take her inside for a nap.”  

—

After putting the child to sleep, Jiang Libai and Gu Yun finally relaxed, planning to take a nap themselves while the afternoon sun was still warm.  

When they woke again, more than an hour had passed.  

Jiang Libai wanted to stay in bed a little longer, snuggling against Gu Yun’s arm and rubbing against it like a spoiled kitten.  

*Knock, knock, knock—*  

Suddenly, urgent knocking sounded at the door, startling her out of her drowsiness.  

“Princess! Princess! Something terrible has happened! The little princess is missing!”  

Chunxi banged on the door, her voice hoarse with panic.  

Jiang Libai and Gu Yun’s hearts clenched as they quickly got out of bed.  

Without even properly dressing, they flung open the door.  

“Where’s Xingxing?! How could she be missing?!” Jiang Libai clutched Gu Yun’s hand tightly, running toward Xingxing’s room.  

Chunxi hurried after them, her face pale. “The little princess woke up just now but didn’t want milk. So Nanny Li went to the kitchen to prepare rice porridge for her.”  

“But when she returned, both the wet nurses were unconscious on the floor, and the little princess was gone…”  

“The wet nurses searched the surrounding area but couldn’t find her anywhere.”  

Hearing this, Jiang Libai and Gu Yun pushed open the door to Xingxing’s room.  

Sure enough, the little girl was nowhere to be seen.  

Jiang Libai’s heart pounded wildly. In a panic, she gripped Gu Yun’s hand tightly. “Xingxing… how could she be gone…”  

Gu Yun, though slightly calmer, took a deep breath and asked Chunxi, “What about the two wet nurses? Have they regained consciousness?”  

At that moment, there was movement outside. The two nannies, who had just woken up, knelt on the ground, sobbing.  

“Princess, Prince Consort, please forgive us! We didn’t mean to lose the little princess! It was Miss Qin’er—she came into the room and knocked us out when we weren’t paying attention… It must have been her who took the little princess, it must have been her!”  

Qin’er?!

Hearing this familiar name, not only were Jiang Libai and Gu Yun surprised, but even Chunxi subconsciously clenched her sleeves.  

How could it be her?!  

But there was no time for Jiang Libai to think about this now. She carefully inquired about the details of the incident and immediately ordered people to search for Qin’er, as well as thoroughly search the entire princess’s residence.  

Chunxi received the order and stepped outside.  

She looked at the sky, which was about to set, closed her eyes for a moment, and then followed the search team after Qin’er.  

To her surprise, Qin’er did not seem to have any intention of escaping. She remained quietly in her room, waiting for the search party.  

Chunxi looked at the wide-open door, her hands clenched into fists inside her sleeves.  

She dismissed the others and stepped inside.  

The sky had not yet darkened, and the bright sunlight streamed in through the windows, casting dappled shadows on the girl by the window. The shifting light seemed on the verge of being swallowed by darkness.  

“Where did you put the little princess?” Chunxi looked at her back and asked just this one question.  

Hearing her voice, Qin’er turned around to look at her, just like before. Her face was still as youthful and innocent as always, but the words she spoke no longer held the liveliness of the past. “I don’t know either.”  

“You took the little princess!” Chunxi wanted to rush forward, to pry open her mind and see what she was thinking.  

“Why did you take the little princess? Don’t you know how worried the princess would be?!”  

Qin’er lowered her head but still revealed nothing about the matter.  

To this moment, Chunxi still had no idea why Qin’er had taken the little princess for no reason or why she had hidden her.  

“If you won’t talk, I won’t care about our years of friendship.” Chunxi felt a dull pain in her heart. After a long silence, she waved her hand, ordering people to tie Qin’er up.  

Qin’er was captured, but no matter how they interrogated her, she refused to reveal the reason for taking Xingxing. This made things even more difficult.  

The princess’s residence was in complete turmoil, searching high and low, but there was no sign of Xingxing.  

Jiang Libai was on the verge of breaking down. With red-rimmed eyes, she rushed to the main gate.  

If Xingxing wasn’t in the residence, then perhaps Qin’er had used some means to take her out…  

She couldn’t keep waiting like this. If she didn’t find Xingxing soon, she would go mad!  

She pounded on the gate with all her strength. “Open the door for me!”  

Gu Yun saw that her palms had turned red from hitting the door and, feeling distressed, grabbed her hands and blew on them gently.  

Then, under Jiang Libai’s tear-filled gaze, she raised her hand and struck the door.  

The gate shook a few times, and soon, the imperial guards outside, hearing Princess Jia Ning’s voice, approached and loudly asked, “What does the princess need from us?”  

Jiang Libai anxiously spoke through the narrow gap between the two doors, “I want to go out! Open the door immediately!”  

However, without an order from above, the guards did not dare to open the gate. They refused Jiang Libai and stepped further away from the door, no longer responding to her frantic banging and shouting.  

With that, all hope was gone. Jiang Libai’s body weakened, and she collapsed into Gu Yun’s arms. “Xingxing… my Xingxing…”  

Gu Yun saw her face turn ashen, her cheeks burning with fever, and immediately carried her up.  

“Princess, leave this to me. I will leave the residence tonight and bring Xingxing back.”  

With Xingxing missing, both she and the Seventh Princess were suffering, but the Seventh Princess was already on the verge of collapse. Gu Yun had to stay strong, comfort her, and then figure out how to find Xingxing…  

She carried the Seventh Princess back to their room, laid her on the bed, and pressed her down, preventing her from getting up. “Princess, you are exhausted. You need to rest.”  

Jiang Libai’s mind was filled with thoughts of finding Xingxing and could not process Gu Yun’s words at all.  

Gu Yun felt a lump in her throat and, holding back the pain in her chest, wrapped her arms around her. “Princess, you must take care of yourself first.”  

“Otherwise, when Xingxing returns and you are sick and unable to hold her, she will cry.”  

She gently patted her back, her voice low and soothing.  

Hearing Gu Yun’s words, Jiang Libai was dazed for a long time. Then, she slowly pushed Gu Yun away and obediently lay back on the bed.  

“You’re right. When Xingxing comes back, I must hold her properly. I can’t let her cry.”  

Gu Yun watched the now-calmed Seventh Princess, pulled the blanket over her, then turned and quickly made her way to the woodshed where Qin’er was being held.  

The cluttered woodshed was unlit. Gu Yun kicked open the wooden door and, by the faint moonlight, looked at Qin’er curled up in the corner.  

Hearing the noise, Qin’er slowly turned her face, lifting her eyelids before raising a hand to shield herself from the light spilling in from the doorway.

“Who told you to take Xingxing?” Gu Yun wasted no words.  

But Qin’er remained as unyielding as she had been during the day, once again closing her eyes.  

Gu Yun took two steps forward, staring at her intently.  

Then, her expression turned cold as she unleashed a powerful surge of mental energy, forcefully attacking Qin’er’s consciousness.  

Since Qin’er refused to speak, Gu Yun had no choice but to use special means to force her!  

The mental energy surged into Qin’er’s mind, darting around wildly, rendering her mind blank and causing unbearable pain in her head.  

After a long while, seeing that Qin’er still hadn’t lost consciousness, Gu Yun released even more mental energy.  

Unfortunately, Qin’er had a strong will. Gu Yun was unable to disrupt her brainwaves, which meant she couldn’t render her unconscious, making further interrogation impossible.  

Gu Yun’s face paled as she ceased her mental assault.  

She looked at Qin’er, who had collapsed on the ground, clutching her head in pain but not uttering a single sound. A sense of unease grew within her.  

For Qin’er to possess the willpower to resist her mental attack… she was likely no ordinary maid!  

Gu Yun locked the door and instructed Muzhou to investigate Qin’er’s background.  

Perhaps starting from this angle, they might find a breakthrough.  

After settling the Seventh Princess, she quietly slipped out of the princess’s residence once more.  

She searched the capital, expanding her immense mental energy outward, scanning every movement within a half-mile radius.  

This method consumed an enormous amount of mental energy, and excessive use carried the risk of mental collapse.  

But in this urgent situation, she had no other choice.  

—

After searching the entire night, blood trickled from the corner of Gu Yun’s lips.  

She knew her mental energy depletion had reached its limit.  

After investigating one last location, she took advantage of the pre-dawn darkness to hurry back to the princess’s residence.  

Before she could rest, she discovered that the Seventh Princess had developed a high fever. Her small face was flushed red, and even in her delirium, she mumbled something.  

As an Alpha, Gu Yun had keen hearing and immediately understood what she was saying.  

The princess was still thinking about Xingxing, constantly murmuring that she needed to find her…  

“Princess, I will do my best to find Xingxing.” She crouched beside the bed, looking at the furrowed brows of the princess, softly promising.  

Tonight’s search had yielded no clues. She had no idea who had taken Xingxing or if they would harm her—or worse…  

Gu Yun dared not think further.  

She wiped the blood from her lips, forced herself to stay alert, and finally left the room to handle the next steps.  

—

The next day, Jiang Libai’s fever had slightly subsided, and she was less muddled than before.  

The moment she woke up, she opened her bloodshot eyes, grabbed Gu Yun’s sleeve, and anxiously asked, “Has Xingxing been found? How is she? Is she hurt?”  

Gu Yun, who hadn’t slept for two nights, had dark circles under her eyes. “No… Xingxing hasn’t been found yet…”  

Upon hearing this, Jiang Libai felt dizzy and nearly collapsed onto the bed.  

Gu Yun quickly held her up, her voice hoarse as she reassured her, “We will find her… we will definitely find her…”  

In truth, she, too, felt hopeless. Two nights of searching had turned up nothing. She was even beginning to suspect that Xingxing had already been taken out of the capital…  

Jiang Libai clutched Gu Yun’s collar, burying her head in her chest, unable to hold back her sobs. “Xingxing is still so little… she can’t even walk… where is she…”  

She cried for a long time, but no amount of tears could ease the pain in her heart.  

Just as Jiang Libai was on the verge of fainting from grief, an anxious voice called from outside the door. “Princess! The Fifth Princess has sent a letter to the residence and said it must be delivered to you!”  

Jiang Ying?  

What did she want?!  

For some reason, Jiang Libai felt that Jiang Ying’s letter might contain news about Xingxing.  

Her breathing quickened, and she hurriedly jumped out of bed.  

With Gu Yun’s support, she rushed to the door.  

She yanked open the door and grabbed the letter from Jiang Ying.  

With trembling hands, she hastily unfolded the letter and scanned through it.  

By the time she reached the end, her eyes were brimming with tears once more.  

“Xingxing! Xingxing is with Jiang Ying!”  

Gu Yun had also read the letter. She hadn’t expected that Xingxing was in Jiang Ying’s hands.  

Jiang Ying, who already controlled the imperial court with immense power, still dared to lay hands on a baby less than a year old!  

“Jiang Ying said I must bring the Imperial Seal to her residence tomorrow. I must go alone,” Jiang Libai clenched the letter tightly, laughing and crying at the same time. “At least Xingxing is safe… at least I’ll see her tomorrow…”  

After two agonizing days, they finally had a lead on Xingxing’s whereabouts. The two women embraced, overwhelmed with relief that they could bring Xingxing home.  

That night, they discussed everything regarding the visit to the Fifth Princess’s residence the next day.  

It seemed that Jiang Ying had still not given up on the Imperial Seal and was using Xingxing as leverage to force the Seventh Princess to hand it over.  

As for how Jiang Ying knew the Imperial Seal was in the Seventh Princess’s residence, Gu Yun had no idea.  

Right now, all she wanted was to bring Xingxing back and let the princess rest properly.  

So, even though Jiang Ying’s letter stated that only the Seventh Princess was allowed to go, Gu Yun had no intention of complying.  

“Princess, tomorrow, I will go with you to the Fifth Princess’s residence.”