Marquis Zhongshun had "died," and as the second daughter of the Gu family, Gu Fu found it inconvenient to enter the palace as herself. So, she donned n's clothing and was secretly brought into the palace by Fu Yan in the middle of the night.
Not knowing how long she would stay in the palace, Gu Fu had inford Gu Qizheng before leaving. She told him that if she didn't return before dawn, he should cover for her. Since it was the Emperor himself who summoned her, Gu Qizheng naturally didn't express any dissatisfaction about Gu Fu going out at night. However, he felt sowhat bitter that over the years, all he could do for Gu Fu was to cover up her whereabouts. Thus, he didn't mind Gu Fu secretly hiding n's clothing.
Ordinary people wanting to enter the palace during the curfew would have to go through nurous procedures. However, Gu Fu, benefiting from the status of the Imperial Preceptor, managed to pass through the palace gates with little effort.
It was Gu Fu's first ti entering the palace. She was filled with curiosity but also a bit of regret. Because it wasn't dayti, many palaces not lit up were hidden in the night. She thought it would have been better to co during the day when everything would be clearly visible.
Following Fu Yan, Gu Fu arrived outside the Zichen Hall, where an elderly eunuch with graying temples was waiting. Fu Yan handed Gu Fu over to this eunuch.
Gu Fu recognized this eunuch; his surna was Zhao. She knew him because five years ago, during the incident where she saved the Emperor, Eunuch Zhao was also present. He was a trusted confidant of the Emperor.
Eunuch Zhao smiled as he led Gu Fu into the hall.
The palace had heated pathways, so it wasn't as cold inside as it was outside. Gu Fu entered with her head slightly lowered. After making her salutation, she did not raise her head until she heard the Emperor's voice from the front, saying, “Rise and take a seat.”
Gu Fu then stood up and looked at the Emperor seated on the high throne.
Perhaps it was due to his luxurious lifestyle or maybe because the heavens favored him, but the Emperor, in his early thirties, looked no different from five years ago: youthful, handso, and always with a gentle smile on his face. If there was any difference, it was that his aura had beco more imposing.
Gu Fu sat on the chair brought for her, feeling not the least bit nervous, even allowing her thoughts to wander: the
Imperial Preceptor and the Emperor do bear so resemblance to each other.
As Gu Fu was observing the Emperor, the Emperor was also studying her current appearance. He was very curious about how the fourteen-year-old girl from his mory had grown, to be able to stay in the military camp for five years without revealing her female identity.
The result was different from what he had imagined.
The girl neither had a face full of scars nor had she beco burly. She was taller than the average girl, with a straight and slender figure. Her appearance was delicate, and wearing n's clothing did not seem out of place. Every movent she made was indistinguishable from that of a man, likely learned from years of influence in the military camp.
"You've grown taller," the Emperor sighed softly, his tone much like that of a father finally seeing his long-lost daughter.
Gu Fu didn't find this strange because the Emperor had spoken to her in this manner five years ago as well.
Five years ago, Gu Fu was fourteen. Unless there was an unusual circumstance—like Mu Qingyao, whose mother had passed away and whose father was absent—girls from official families were generally engaged at this age.
At that ti, Gu Fu was filled with anxiety about the prospect of engagent but couldn't refuse the arrangents made by her elders. She had no choice but to attend various banquets and et guests, accompanied by her grandmother and aunt.
On one such occasion, her grandmother took her to Zuowang Mountain to pray. Gu Fu ran out of the temple for so fresh air, only to get lost in the mountains and encounter the Emperor, who was being pursued by assassins.
Had it been another girl in her place, she might have perished alongside the Emperor under the assassins' swords. But Gu Fu knew martial arts and was quite skilled.
Gu Fu's mother ca from a military family, so Gu Fu had learned so martial arts under her mother's guidance from a young age. When she was eight, her younger brother Gu Zhu was bullied at school. She disguised herself as Gu Zhu and went to the school to avenge him, catching the eye of one of the school's martial arts instructors.
This martial arts instructor didn't teach students of Gu Zhu's age, so he mistook Gu Fu for Gu Zhu and took her on as a student, teaching her internal martial arts."
Gu Fu learned continuously until she was thirteen, often praised by her martial arts master for surpassing him. However, when Gu Fu was thirteen and her brother Gu Zhu was twelve, Gu Zhu beca one of the martial arts master's students.
The martial arts master was delighted to et his new student, only to be shocked to find an unfamiliar Gu Zhu. The confusion and surprise he felt were imnse.
Upon discovering that Gu Fu was actually a girl, the master "expelled" her from his tutelage and ceased teaching her. But by then, Gu Fu had already mastered her martial arts skills, making it easy for her to kill a few assassins.
In fact, she was so efficient at killing that the Emperor, after escaping danger, even doubted her gender.
At that ti, besides Eunuch Zhao, the Emperor was accompanied by a few severely injured guards and an unconscious girl. The girl was wearing a hooded cloak, wrapped up tightly. Gu Fu didn’t rember much about her, only that she was extrely light, so light that even fourteen-year-old Gu Fu could carry her.
Later, the lost group found a wooden hut to rest. Gu Fu seized the opportunity and, with the audacity of borrowing courage from heaven, not only asked the Emperor for a reward for saving him but also lied that her brother wanted to join the army in the northern frontier. She hoped the Emperor could get a recomndation letter from a military official in the court to help her brother enlist in the northern army.
The Emperor didn’t find it offensive and even asked if she wanted anything for herself, since she was the one who saved him. But Gu Fu replied that it was her duty to protect the emperor and she shouldn’t seek a reward for it. She only asked for a recomndation letter because the northern army had strict selection processes to prevent enemy spies, making it very hard for her brother to join without it.
Gu Fu's request, frad as a desire to give her brother a chance to serve the country, deeply moved the Emperor.
From that mont, the way the Emperor spoke to Gu Fu changed.
Later, when the Emperor discovered that Gu Fu had lied and the recomndation letter was actually for her, he wasn’t angry. He found it amusing and thought she was very bold.
But the Emperor didn’t summon her back because he had just won a power struggle against the old noble families and felt a connection to Gu Fu’s determination to fight against fate. So he turned a blind eye to her disguise, even arranging for a military doctor who knew her secret and warning her father, Gu Qizheng, to create a false male identity for her in the military.
What he didn't expect was that Gu Fu would make such a na for herself in the northern army.
Just as he was preparing to eliminate the corrupt officials acting like local despots in the northern territories, the emperor supported Gu Fu in taking control of the northern military. Gu Fu did not disappoint; for years, she remained undefeated, striking fear into the hearts of the northern barbarians and helping the emperor remove the corrupt officials exploiting the locals. Her na beca renowned along the border.
Under normal circumstances, Gu Fu should have gone to the capital to be ennobled and then returned to the north to continue her role as a general. With the emperor’s trust in her and her loyalty to him, it was likely she would guard the northern frontier for a lifeti.
However, Gu Fu was not only a general in the north but also the second daughter of the Gu family. Returning to the capital would be tantamount to dancing on the edge of exposing her true identity. But if she didn't go to the capital, her ennoblent wouldn't be legitimate, and people might think she had lost the emperor’s favor, affecting her authority in the north.
At this critical mont, a military doctor who knew her secret suddenly disappeared, increasing the risk of her identity being exposed. The emperor was unwilling to gamble with the stability of the northern frontier. If Gu Fu’s identity were exposed, the consequences would be unpredictable. Thus, without further hesitation, he issued a secret decree, ordering Gu Fu to abandon her male identity, fake her death, and return to the capital. He also arranged for a person recomnded by Gu Fu to succeed her as the commander.
The news of Gu Fu's "death" caused unrest among the northern tribes, but the recomnded successor quickly quelled the disturbances, keeping everything under control. This was probably the best outco.
The emperor engaged in small talk with Gu Fu and even had a midnight snack brought in to share with her.
The emperor's temperant was sowhat different from that of an ordinary monarch. Having had a difficult ti as a crown prince, he seldom expected his decisions to be unquestioningly obeyed by his ministers. He also felt a sense of guilt towards Gu Fu and couldn't help but want to compensate her repeatedly.
So, he asked her what she wanted. Gu Fu, fearing the emperor might interfere in her affairs, quickly replied that she wanted nothing. The emperor was not surprised by this answer and decided to find out what she needed or wanted on his own and do his best to fulfill it.
They then discussed topics ranging from the capital to the northern territories. Having maintained correspondence over the past five years, they had endless things to discuss. It was nearly dawn when the emperor finally allowed Gu Fu to leave.
Fu Yan had spent the night in the side hall of the Zichen Hall. He initially intended to sleep but was captivated by Gu Fu recounting her experiences in the north and stayed awake all night listening. After Gu Fu took her leave, he also got up and stepped out of the side hall.
From Gu Fu's words, it wasn't hard to see her attachnt to the northern territories. So, Fu Yan thought that although Gu Fu appeared relaxed in front of the emperor, she would undoubtedly show signs of sorrow or reluctance once outside the palace.
But as he stepped out, he saw Gu Fu joking with Li Yu, the commander of the imperial guards. Li Yu was overjoyed to finally see Gu Fu alive, and they even agreed on a date to see her off outside the city. It wasn't until the Imperial Preceptor approached that Li Yu bid Gu Fu farewell, watching as the Imperial Preceptor escorted her out of the palace.
On the way out, Fu Yan remained silent. It wasn't until they both boarded a carriage that Fu Yan asked, "Do you have any regrets?"
It took Gu Fu a mont to understand what he ant. She smiled and said, "What is there to regret? If I disobeyed the imperial decree and implicated my family, then I would regret it."
Fu Yan lowered his eyes without saying anything. Gu Fu leaned in closer, "You don't believe ?"
Fu Yan replied, "You like the northern territories very much."
Gu Fu laughed, "It's not the northern territories I like, it's freedom."
If she could live freely, marry if she wished, not marry if she didn't, go out in won's clothing without covering herself from head to toe, drink yellow wine without asking her third brother to buy it for her, practice martial arts without being constrained by her gender, then she would also like the capital very much.
Fu Yan was slightly taken aback and slowly turned his head, seemingly deep in thought. The carriage rattled on, occasionally accompanied by the whistles of the last patrol of street guards clearing the way for them.
Suddenly, Gu Fu blurted out, "I have carried you before."
Fu Yan turned to look at her.
Gu Fu's face showed a hint of excitent as she said, "You probably don't rember. I just recalled it myself. It was five years ago on Mount Zuowang when I saved the emperor. The person unconscious beside him was you, right? You were so thin and light back then. Holding you was like carrying a skeleton. Your shoulder even poked into my chest, and I didn’t have to exert much effort. I thought I was carrying a girl."
Fu Yan was silent.
Seeing Fu Yan’s lack of response, Gu Fu pressed on, "Don’t you rember?"
Fu Yan lifted his hand, his slender fingers curling as he knocked on the carriage wall.
The driver outside imdiately halted the carriage.
"Get off and make your own way back."
The six words, cold as ice, struck Gu Fu like a blow to the head, leaving her bewildered and uncertain—
Was he angry again?
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