NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1
Chapter: 1
In the thirty-fifth year of Qingxi, winter.
Gu Wuyou stood at the city gate wearing a fox fur coat. On both sides were kneeling commoners, their heads bowed, sobbing uncontrollably. Many people stood beside her, her cousin, the prince, her princess cousin, and her and Li Qinyuan’s family… Behind them, there were officials wiping away tears while bowing their heads.
This was a grand procession.
Such a grand procession had only occurred many, many years ago when her previous grandfather, the Duke of Wei, fell in battle.
That time.
Gu Wuyou was still in Langya and did not witness it firsthand. She had only heard that His Majesty led the officials to stand in the long street, welcoming the Grand General home amidst the cries of the commoners.
It seemed to be a winter day like this, with heavy snowfall accumulating on the ground, deep enough to leave a large pit with every step… Gu Wuyou used to enjoy snowy days like this. She liked holding Li Qinyuan’s hand by the window to watch the snow, liked letting the snowflakes fall into her palm unnoticed by him, then letting him help her wipe her hands, liked being spoiled and helpless, coaxing him to carry her to the plum garden to pick the most beautiful plum blossoms.
But now.
Everything was gone.
Even though there were many people around her, the most familiar figure was missing.
Her husband, her Grand General, could no longer carry her to pick plum blossoms…
Bai Lu stood by holding an umbrella for her. She looked at Gu Wuyou’s calm face, as if wanting to say something, but her lips opened hesitantly for a few seconds and in the end, she said nothing.
In fact, everyone around Gu Wuyou wanted to speak to her. Since the news of Li Qinyuan’s death came, Gu Wuyou seemed to have become mute overnight, not uttering a word, not shedding a tear.
She still woke up and went to bed as usual, handled the internal affairs of the mansion as usual, as if nothing had happened, only her increasingly emaciated figure revealing that she was not indifferent.
They hoped she would just cry and let it out, rather than hold it in like this.
“He’s here…”
Someone said so.
Everyone’s gaze turned to the city gate. Gu Wuyou’s face, which had been calm for many days, finally changed at this moment. Her hands clenched into fists in a place where no one could see, her face, now with a pointed chin, tensed, and her lips, frozen purple by the wind and snow, pursed into a straight line.
It seemed that only in this way could she contain her emotions.
First in sight was the flag of Great Zhou, followed by several battle flags with the word “Li” engraved on them.
At this moment.
These battle flags, in the icy snowy wilderness, fluttered violently in the cold wind. Behind them was a pitch-black coffin. The soldiers on both sides silently pushed the coffin forward, no one spoke, not even those who had been sobbing uncontrollably stopped when they saw the coffin.
Gu Wuyou could no longer see anything else. Her clear eyes blinked without pause, fixed on the coffin.
The coffin was pushed to the city gate.
The wheels stopped.
Fu Xian, covered in snow, walked up to Gu Wuyou, knelt on one knee. This once spirited man, his head now covered in snow, looked ten years older as he knelt before her, his eyes red, his voice hoarse, and said to her, “I… I couldn’t bring him back safely.”
Gu Wuyou said nothing.
She seemed to not even hear him speaking. Her gaze remained fixed on the coffin.
Suddenly.
She moved.
“My Lady…”
“Sister-in-law…”
Those people did not know what she was going to do, so they shouted out, but Gu Wuyou did not respond, walking straight to the side of the coffin. She was dressed in plain clothes, blending with heaven and earth. However, the snow on her head did not stop falling. In just a short while, her hair was covered in snow, even her crow-like eyelashes were stained with snow, blurring her vision.
She did not say a word, only reached out her hand, slowly stroking the coffin, wiping away the snow on it.
But how could she wipe it clean?
She wiped away an inch, only for the empty space to be covered again. Her hands, her face had long been numb from the cold, but as if she had no sensation, she continued to wipe, her gentle actions as if she was wiping the face of a loved one.
“Sister-in-law…”
Xiao Jingxing saw her like this, really couldn’t bear it. Holding an umbrella, he walked forward and covered the snow on her head, gently sighing, “Stop.”
“Cousin.” Gu Wuyou finally spoke. She hadn’t spoken for nearly a dozen days. When she just spoke, her voice was very soft and hoarse, “He is tidy. I can’t let him go home like this, he will be unhappy.”
“Sister-in-law…”
Xiao Jingxing looked at her, opened his mouth awkwardly, but couldn’t say a word.
He could only look at her like this, everyone was watching her, watching this delicate woman standing by the coffin, wiping it as if wiping a beloved item, inch by inch, wiping the dark coffin.
No one spoke.
The wind grew stronger, as if someone was wailing.
Gu Wuyou’s long hair was also blown messily by the wind, but she didn’t care. Someone held an umbrella over the coffin, and then more and more people, more and more umbrellas. They all had red eyes, silent, quietly watching Gu Wuyou wipe the coffin.
Finally.
The coffin was cleaned.
A gentle smile appeared on Gu Wuyou’s delicate face. She laid her face on the coffin, “General… I’ll take you home now.”
“We…” She spoke with a gentle voice, “We’re going home.”
The cold wind blew.
Gu Wuyou stood by the coffin holding an umbrella, accompanied by everyone, the people of the entire city kneeling along the long street, welcoming their general home in this way.
*
Li Qinyuan’s funeral was held very simply. During the funeral, everyone was worried that Gu Wuyou would collapse, but she remained rational and clear-headed, not crying or making a scene, calm and composed.
She received guests, chose the burial site, showing no sign of weakness or despair.
The funeral ended.
Fu Xian knelt in front of Gu Wuyou in plain clothes.
“How did he die?” Gu Wuyou asked calmly, looking down at him.
“He… was severely injured in the battle of Yanmen Pass and later, we were ambushed. He, he took an arrow to protect me and died.” Fu Xian lowered his head, unable to hide the sorrow on his face. His eyes were red, his voice hoarse. The straight back he always had seemed to be unable to support the weight, “If it wasn’t for me, he… wouldn’t have died.”
“He told me.” Gu Wuyou looked at him, bringing up irrelevant matters, “You grew up together since childhood, you protected him a lot when you were young, so he sacrificed himself to protect you. I don’t blame him.”
“Sister-in-law…”
Gu Wuyou raised her hand to stop his remorse, only asking, “Did he leave any words for me?”
“When I got to him, he had no breath left, but he was holding a sachet tightly in his hand…” Fu Xian trembled as he took out a blood-stained sachet from his chest and handed it to her.
Gu Wuyou looked at the sachet, her eyes moved slightly, and her hand on the table also trembled slightly.
After a while.
She reached out to take it.
This was the sachet she gave Li Qinyuan the year she married him. At that time, her needlework was not good, and her stitching was terrible. Later, she always wanted to make a new one for him, but he never agreed, as if he didn’t mind at all, always hanging it on his waist.
The blood on the sachet had dried up long ago.
She held it tightly, as if she could imagine how that man looked when he held the sachet before he died.
Even if he didn’t leave her any words, she could guess what he would say. Even if he had died, he would arrange everything for her, not letting her suffer at all. He was that kind of person, always leaving her a way out, whether he was present or not.
The wind and snow outside seemed to have not stopped, whistling, making the room even quieter.
It’s unknown how long it had passed.
Gu Wuyou finally spoke, “You can go now.”
Fu Xian was still a little worried about her. After all that had happened, this woman in front of him had never cried, but as an outsider, he was not suitable to stay longer. So, he could only say, “I’ll let Bai Lu in.”
He then went out to find Bai Lu, but before finding her, he saw Zhao Chengyou and his wife.
As they reached the tightly closed door, Zhao Chengyou finally spoke, “You just wait outside.” His voice was cold and indifferent, not at all like he was talking to his wife.
Wang Zhao saw him like this, sharp nails pinching the flesh of his palm, a hint of envy and anger flashing in her eyes that she couldn’t suppress. She suppressed her voice, but couldn’t suppress the resentment in her heart, sarcastically saying, “Are you so confident that once Li Qinyuan dies, she will come back to you?”
“She despises you, she hasn’t had you in her heart for a long time. Even if Li Qinyuan dies, she won’t be with you!”
Upon hearing these words, Zhao Chengyou suddenly turned his head. His usually gentle face was now pale with a fierce expression that he couldn’t hide. “If you still want to be Mrs. Zhao, then shut up.”
With that, he disregarded her expression and walked straight through the door.
Wang Zhao watched him as he turned, his fierce demeanor disappearing in an instant. His actions were gentle, his eyes soft, a tenderness that was different from his usual facade, even his deep phoenix eyes couldn’t hide the glimmer.
She stood there, holding her heart, watching her husband walk with joy and anticipation into the room of another woman.
The woman she called cousin.
She could imagine how Gu Wuyou would think of her after Zhao Chengyou’s words. She must be very proud. She had schemed and fought so hard to snatch Zhao Chengyou from her, spent so many years, finally becoming Mrs. Zhao, only to watch helplessly as her husband sought her out.
It’s laughable.
The old door, even if moved gently, still made a ‘creak’ sound.
Zhao Chengyou carefully closed the door, as if afraid of disturbing the peace inside the room, or perhaps afraid of the cold wind outside, until the door was shut completely, until there was no cold air in the room, he finally spoke to her, “Manman.”
He called out softly and gently.
His heart was excited, a smile that couldn’t be hidden on his face.
He was elated at the prospect of being close to her once again, his heart beating rapidly as he approached her step by step. He saw her standing by the window holding Li Qinyuan’s memorial tablet, furrowing his brow but still speaking gently, “It’s snowy outside, why are you standing there?”
“You’re here.”
Gu Wuyou seemed to have anticipated his arrival, not turning around until he was about to close the window, then said indifferently, “Leave it open, I want to see the snow.”
Zhao Chengyou hesitated for a moment, but granted her wish, keeping his hand back and standing next to her. When his eyes met her face, he couldn’t help but be slightly stunned… After all these years, the people had changed due to time.
She was still the same.
Time seemed to have been kind to her, leaving no trace on her face. She even looked more radiant than when she left him originally.
“I remember you used to love snuggling in my arms when it snowed, asking me to move the Guifei Couch to the window and hold you to watch the snow outside…” Perhaps remembering the past, Zhao Chengyou was engulfed in memories of their past affection. With a smile in his eyes and his lips quirked up slightly, he said, “Manman, how about I take you home?”
“Home?”
Gu Wuyou looked down at the memorial tablet in her hands, tracing his name with her fingers gently, and smiled softly, “I have no home anymore.”
Zhao Chengyou couldn’t stand seeing her like this. That day at the city gate, he wanted to pull her away from the coffin regardless of everything, but with so many eyes watching, he still had reservations. But now… he had no reservations.
His face stern, a hint of anger in his voice, “How can you say you have no home? I am still alive!”
Sensing his own attitude, Zhao Chengyou took a deep breath, barely suppressing the jealousy and resentment in his heart, and changed to a softer tone, saying to her, “Manman, I know I was wrong before. Give me another chance. Let’s start over, okay?”
“Don’t worry about what others think, or how they talk about us.”
“I will treat you well. I will cherish you, love you for a lifetime.” His voice softened as he spoke, his broad palm caressing her head as if she were a precious treasure.
“You always wanted me to treat you well, right? From now on, I won’t want anyone else, only you. Whatever you want, I will fulfill it for you.”
Gu Wuyou looked at him and shook her head, “It’s too late.”
Seeing Zhao Chengyou’s expression change slightly and feeling his anger rising, she wasn’t afraid at all. Instead, she smiled, “You’re always like this, regretting only when things have gone beyond redemption.”
Zhao Chengyou’s face changed.
He opened his mouth to defend himself, but couldn’t find the right words.
Gu Wuyou seemed unbothered by whatever he was thinking, turning her head back to the snow outside, smiling softly, “Back then, when he left, he told me he would carry me to pick plum blossoms every winter. Even when he’s old and can’t carry me, he will hold my hand.”
She smiled.
Looking at the snow on her shoulders and then at the memorial tablet covered in a layer of snow, she chuckled softly, “Snow falls on my head, marking our aging together.”
“…Do you really like him that much?!” Came Zhao Chengyou’s voice filled with gritted teeth from behind her.
Gu Wuyou smiled.
She remembered the first time she saw him standing in front of her, saying, “You used to be like this too, not saying a word when bullied.” She remembered the man who stood there with tears in his eyes, heartbroken, “Yes, I like him so much.”
“I really like…”
She couldn’t help it anymore, tears slid down her face, and she softly cried, “I really like him.”
“Gu Wuyou!”
“I forbid—” Zhao Chengyou’s angry voice echoed in the room, but before he could finish, he found the woman who had been standing in front of him with a straight back suddenly falling backward. He was startled, but quickly reached out and caught her in his arms.
“What’s wrong with you?”
His voice was full of confusion.
Just as he spoke, he saw a trace of blood flowing from the corner of Gu Wuyou’s mouth. Zhao Chengyou’s eyes widened, and he seemed to have guessed something. Her lips were trembling, “You…” her eyes turned red, not sure if it was from anger or tears, trembling hands tried to wipe the blood from her mouth, but no matter how hard he wiped, the blood wouldn’t come off.
He seemed to have gone mad, wiping and furiously saying, “Go find a doctor, quickly find a doctor for me!”
The door opened, Wang Zhao walked in, she stared blankly at the scene, then Bai Lu’s sharp scream, “Madam, what’s wrong with you?!”
Zhao Chengyou held Gu Wuyou like this, his eyes red, continuously saying, “Don’t die…”
“Manman, do not die, do not leave me.”
“I won’t allow you to die!”
Gu Wuyou ignored his voice, just holding onto the memorial tablet, firmly placed on her chest, her consciousness was already somewhat unclear, faintly seeing Li Qinyuan’s figure, he stood in front of her, looking helpless and compassionate.
She suddenly smiled.
Reaching out her hand towards that figure, she said with a smile, “General, take me home.”
1. Sachet, a small bag or packet. 2. : a small bag containing a perfumed powder or potpourri used to scent clothes and linens