When Ning Si heard this, she was stunned for a mont, just like Gu Ying herself.
Ning Si stopped what she was doing and said thoughtfully, "What Gu Ying said makes so sense."
Just as Gu Ying was about to say sothing, Cai Xiu and Yin Lan ca in together and said, "Mistress, the young master has returned! He's in the front yard now!"
Yueyang City closed its gates last night.
There were troops guarding the city, only allowing people in but not out.
Why did cousin co into the city at this ti?
Gu Ying quickly put down her half-finished embroidery and rushed out.
Ning Si followed her and said, "Don't worry, Gu Ying. Grandfather hasn't returned yet and eldest uncle is busy treating patients outside. I've asked soone to take Young Master Ye to the flower room."
Gu Ying nodded. Soon after, she saw the travel-worn Ye Qingchi who had just returned in the flower room of the Ning household.
The once elegant and graceful man now had dust all over his cloak. He had lost so weight and his chiselled handso face looked even more cold and sharp.
Gu Ying's eyes turned moist. She threw herself into the man's arms.
Ye Qingchi was surprised for a mont before patting the slender shoulders of the woman in his arms. The corner of his mouth lifted up in a smile. "You'll soon be a married woman. Why are you still crying?"
Gu Ying sniffed and seed like a child in front of her cousin. "It's been a long ti since I last saw you, cousin. I missed you."
Ye Qingchi looked the woman in front of him up and down. She was still as beautiful as a fairy and looked very much like her young aunt.
Because of her pregnancy, her complexion glowed like a peach blossom in spring. Her cheeks were slightly fuller, clearly having been pampered and well taken care of.
His mouth curled mockingly. "Fortunately that narrow-minded Zhao prince isn't here. Otherwise he would definitely want to fight ."
Gu Ying laughed softly and led him to sit on a chair in the flower room. "How was it on the way here, cousin? Why are you only coming back now?"
Based on the letter, he should have arrived back in Yueyang City earlier than her after setting off from the south bank of Li River with his cavalry troops.
Ye Qingchi casually replied, "I t with so trouble along the way which delayed for a few days. It's nothing serious."
Gu Ying murmured in acknowledgent and asked worriedly after getting Yin Lan to serve tea, "What kind of trouble, cousin?"
She had a nagging feeling that Jiang Yin would not let the Ye family off so easily after what happened in their previous life. She didn't know what offense the Ye family had caused him but he was intent on destroying them all.
Ye Qingchi slowly sipped his hot tea. "It's not a big trouble, just so petty thieves who blocked the road to rob us. A Gu and I took care of it."
A Gu grinned foolishly to show two rows of pearly white teeth. "Don't worry, mistress. I protected the young master well. Just a bunch of small-ti bandits, nothing to worry about!"
Gu Ying smiled gently at the clean and upright youth.
Ye Qingchi had a manservant nad A Gu who had served him since young. A Gu had delicate and handso features, a tall forehead, high nose bridge and thick lips. His sword-like eyebrows were lush and the long lashes framing his bright eyes which were as clear as a spring made him look very lively.
The master and servant had clearly just ridden over urgently and A Gu's clothes were also dirty and tattered, with a few dark bloodstains.
It was clearly not a simple case of petty thieves but an intense battle which the two n glossed over nonchalantly.
Gu Ying felt extrely helpless.
She had so impression of A Gu. In their previous life when the Ye family fell from grace, A Gu protected Ye Qingchi and was thrown into a cauldron by Jiang Yin, boiled into at paste and fed to dogs.
Seeing him alive and smiling brilliantly now comforted her greatly.
"As long as you're fine, cousin. But the plague has broken out in Yueyang City and tis are unstable. You shouldn't have entered the city."
Ye Qingchi smiled lightly. "There's no right or wrong in this. As a governnt official, when the people are in trouble, how can I stand aloof and avoid getting involved? Firstly, the Ye family is not taught that way. If grandfather knows about this, he will definitely die from anger. Secondly, you are also in the city so I have even more reason to be here."
Gu Ying looked worried. "What cousin did is unwise."
Uncle only had him as his sole descendant. The Ye family would need him in the future. If anything happened to him in Yueyang City, what would the Ye family do?
Ye Qingchi understood her concerns and said breezily, "Don't worry, Gu Ying. Your cousin received orders from His Majesty to assist the prince in disaster relief. As the plague has broken out, I cannot run away. I ca today first to see you and my little nephew. I'm heading to the governnt office later."
Ye Qingchi was a cleanliness freak. Feeling uneasy about the dust on his clothes after sitting for a while, he said, "My clothes are very dirty."
"Seeing that you're fine, Gu Ying, I'm relieved. Let return to bathe and change first before coming back to see you."
It was hard to say if he could return after leaving this ti round.
Ever since the two plagues broke out in Yueyang City and started spreading, the prince seldom ca to see her. Everyone understood that this was no ordinary illness but a fatal plague.
"Cousin!" Gu Ying wanted to ask him to stay for a al.
Ye Qingchi waved his hand. "No need for food. The prince said in his letter than this plague is no simple matter. We don't have much ti left before it spreads on a large scale."
Gu Ying had no choice but to personally send him to the door.
The corner of Ye Qingchi's mouth lifted in a faint smile. He rubbed her hair gently and his eyes were full of affection for his sister. "Don't send off anymore, Gu Ying. Once the plague ends and we return safely to Bianjing, I'll treat you and the prince to a good al."
As Gu Ying watched the two n heroically leap onto their horses, her eyes grew slightly moist. "Alright."
She knew the Ye family were not cowards.
Cousin would definitely not stand idly by regarding the plague. Even if he were to die in this disaster, he would not ignore the lives of so many people.
But when she really thought about it, how was she any different?
Before the city gates closed last night, the prince wanted to get A Huan to bring her, Ning Si and a few others to leave first. But seeing the fatigue on the handso face of the man far away, she had already made up her mind to stay and share the lot of Yueyang's citizens.
While she was reassuring Ning Si that the prince would resolve Yueyang City's plague, deep down, she still had no confidence.
Nature's disasters were rciless. Humans were the most helpless when facing disasters. No one was an omnipotent god with the power to arbitrarily save others.
Not the prince, and neither was she.
She had a dim foreboding that this disaster...would bring great calamity to Yueyang.
Yueyang City would probably fall into chaos.
And she...would also stand with Yueyang's citizens on the first line of defense against this plague.
...
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