Chapter 72: Third Party
“A letter sent from the battlefield, quickly give it to me to read.”
Gu Yu and Gu Qingheng were talking in the courtyard when they heard the clear announcement of the messenger, informing them that Gu Qing had sent a letter back from the battlefield.
This made Gu Yu’s face light up with joy. He quickly snatched the letter from the messenger, tore open the envelope, and lowered his head to read the contents.
It took quite some time for him to finish reading.
“Brother-in-law, what did my dad write in the letter? Did my sister arrive at the battlefield safely? How is the war with the Luoluo Kingdom’s army going? Was my dad injured? Brother-in-law, hurry up and tell me, I’m dying of anxiety!”
As Gu Yu was intently reading the letter, Gu Qingheng, who was standing beside him, became impatient after Gu Yu remained silent for so long. He was scratching his ears and cheeks, eager to know what was written in Gu Qing’s letter, and whether it contained the answers to his questions.
Seeing Gu Qingheng’s demeanor, the messenger couldn’t help but smirk, thinking that Gu Yu had only just received the letter and Gu Qingheng was already rushing him. He figured Gu Yu would need at least some time to read it, even if he was a fast reader.
After noticing the messenger’s smirk, Gu Qingheng rolled his eyes and thought, “The letter has been delivered, why is he still here? Does he want to eavesdrop too?”
As Gu Qingheng was secretly grumbling, the messenger, being perceptive, understood and politely excused himself before quickly leaving.
After that, only Gu Yu and Gu Qingheng were left in the courtyard.
“Your father-in-law is fine! Mengyao also arrived at the battlefield safely. As soon as she arrived, she encountered the Luoluo Kingdom launching an attack. With the help of my medicinal powder, she successfully decapitated their main general. We have now won the war and are waiting for the Imperial court’s next instructions.”
Seeing his younger brother-in-law’s anxious expression, Gu Yu no longer kept him in suspense, but simply recounted the contents of the letter, informing Gu Qingheng about the situation on the battlefield.
Upon hearing that Gu Qing and Gu Mengyao were both safe, Gu Qingheng finally relaxed. He had been worried for quite some time…
Then, upon realizing that Gu Mengyao had actually decapitated the enemy’s main general, Gu Qingheng’s heart surged with excitement. He thought, “As expected of my sister, she’s truly amazing! Even on the battlefield, she still shines.”
“Heh heh heh, my sister is so amazing! It’s such a shame I’ve never been to the battlefield. Witnessing my sister’s heroic battle prowess firsthand, wouldn’t that be incredibly exciting!”
“Pish posh! Let’s not even talk about it. Mengyao actually cut off the enemy’s head. If you went and saw that scene, you’d probably have nightmares all night.”
“Hmph, even if I have nightmares, I’d be happy! After all, my sister has made a name for herself with this opportunity! As her brother, I’m also very proud.”
Seeing Gu Qingheng’s smug expression, Gu Yu couldn’t help but say something. However, after hearing Gu Qingheng’s words, Gu Yu felt a mixture of amusement and exasperation. He thought his brother-in-law had quite a strong stomach, not even being scared by a severed head. A normal child would have been terrified to the point of wetting themselves. However, it was also possible that Gu Qingheng was boasting, as he hadn’t witnessed it himself.
Afterwards, Gu Yu didn’t dwell on this matter. After explaining his brother-in-law’s doubts, he picked up the letter and continued reading. The handwriting changed from the previous clear font, immediately making Gu Yu realize that Gu Mengyao had written it herself.
Beside him, Gu Qingheng saw his brother-in-law’s face suddenly light up with a smile. As his smile grew brighter and brighter, he couldn’t help but hit the chair with his hand, looking like a shy maiden. Gu Qingheng’s heart shuddered, wondering if his brother-in-law had been possessed by a ghost. How could he suddenly change like this?
“Brother-in-law, stop smiling, it’s giving me the creeps!”
“Go away, go away! Who asked you to watch me smile?”
“No, brother-in-law, why are you suddenly smiling like that? Did my dad write something else in the letter?”
“No, your sister wrote it to me.”
Finally, when Gu Qingheng couldn’t bear it any longer, he directly asked Gu Yu what was written in the letter that made him so happy.
However, Gu Yu did not hide anything, and told him that Gu Mengyao had written a letter to him. Seeing Gu Yu’s proud expression, Gu Qingheng suddenly felt an impulse to punch his brother-in-law. And his ungrateful sister, all she knew was to write love letters to her brother-in-law, she didn’t even write one to her brother… So sad!!!
“By the way, your sister said something to you in the letter…”
“Ah! What did my sister say?”
Then, upon hearing Gu Yu say that there was something else written in the letter, Gu Qingheng’s eyes lit up, and he quickly urged Gu Yu to continue. He thought, “My sister definitely hasn’t forgotten about her brother; she has something to say to me in the letter too!”
“She told you not to run around randomly, to be careful of being kidnapped, and not to always pester Xia Tian. You should study hard, and also…”
“Alright, alright, I’m going to study now.”
However, what Gu Yu said next made Gu Qingheng’s face fall. He thought, “As expected of my own sister, she still remembers to urge me to study at this time…”
“Don’t go yet! Mengyao also said she misses you very much and told you to wait obediently for them to return.”
“Heh heh heh, I knew my sister would miss me! I feel so motivated now. I’m going to study.”
Gu Yu watched his younger brother-in-law, whose mood had quickly turned from gloomy to cheerful, skip away. He then raised the letter again and looked at the last written words with a deep frown. In the letter, Gu Mengyao recounted her encounter with Min Xing on the battlefield and mentioned “that adult” in her words, which left Gu Yu puzzled as to who it could be.
He originally thought it was just the Wang Clan and the enemy country colluding to kill the envoy from the Luoluo Kingdom who came to seek peace, but now it seemed the matter was far from simple. Besides the Linfeng Kingdom and the Luoluo Kingdom, a third party had appeared. However, this third party had not revealed themselves and only appeared once in Min Xing’s dying words. Perhaps Min Xing was talking nonsense, or perhaps it was true, but there was no way to investigate further.
Because all the people who knew were dead…
Perhaps the Wang Clan knew about this third party, or perhaps they were also kept in the dark? If the plan to kill the Luoluo Kingdom’s envoy had succeeded, the Wang Clan would not have been the biggest beneficiaries; it would have been the mysterious third party. What a mess!
Gu Yu had originally thought that transmigrating to the Linfeng Kingdom would be a life of leisure and happiness with Gu Mengyao. However, after his father-in-law ‘came back to life,’ his peaceful life was gone forever. As he thought about it, Gu Yu felt a headache coming on. He then put the letter into his spatial storage and stopped thinking about it.
Now, he still had to think about… when he could reach an agreement with the Luoluo Kingdom, resolve the war between the two countries, and have the army stationed at the border return to the capital. His little wife was still on the battlefield!
…
“Hahaha, excellent! General Gongsun still has his old majesty. This time, not only did he kill the main general of the Luoluo Kingdom, but he also captured the Luoluo Kingdom’s soldiers alive. That’s truly amazing!”
“Congratulations to Your Majesty, best wishes to Your Majesty! We no longer have to worry about the border battles.”
“Alas, it’s not time to rest yet. Although General Gongsun defeated the Luoluo Kingdom’s army, the matter of the Luoluo Kingdom’s envoy being killed has not been resolved. We still need to negotiate properly with the Luoluo Kingdom.”
After opening the urgent letter sent from the border, the Emperor laughed heartily upon seeing the changes on the battlefield, thinking, “Heaven truly blesses Linfeng!”
The old eunuch serving beside him was also overjoyed to see the Emperor finally smiling. Previously, due to the death of the Luoluo Kingdom’s envoy, the Emperor had been extremely anxious to quickly apprehend the mastermind. However, after the rumors about the Wang Clan spread throughout the capital, the Emperor’s mood worsened. Even after Xu Wang came for an audience, tearfully explaining the entire sequence of events, the Emperor’s expression did not improve. He unleashed his imposing aura, frightening those around him, lest they incur the Emperor’s displeasure and be beheaded.
The Emperor was not a fool; on the contrary, he was very intelligent. Even if the Wang Clan destroyed all the evidence, the Emperor could still deduce some truth from mere traces. Among them, the Wang Clan’s desire for more power was something the Emperor immediately sensed…
The Empress Dowager seemed to have realized this as well, so of late, she had not mentioned the Wang Clan to the Emperor, only wishing to downplay the matter and let it pass. However, a thorn had deeply lodged itself in the Emperor’s heart, and it could not be easily removed.
“Negotiating with the Luoluo Kingdom is also a troublesome matter. However, as long as the war can be stopped, even if it’s troublesome, it’s fine.”
“Your Majesty’s consideration for the common people is truly a blessing for all living beings!”
“I am merely fulfilling my duty. The war with the Luoluo Kingdom should not have happened, but it has reached this point. It is also my responsibility for inadequate supervision. I hope that after this lesson, they will behave themselves properly. Otherwise, even if their backing is as great as the heavens, I will not allow them to continue to flaunt their power before me.”
While speaking with the eunuch, the smile on the Emperor’s face suddenly stopped and gradually disappeared. The Wang Clan dared to be so arrogant, likely because they believed they could not be dealt with. This time, the Emperor was not prepared to let the Wang Clan off the hook. Since they had committed such a grave offense, they would not escape.
“Issue an order to have Hanlin Academician Xu Wang prepared and to depart for the Luoluo Kingdom immediately. He is to explain the matter of the Luoluo Kingdom’s envoy’s murder to them clearly and to establish a friendly treaty between the two countries. If he cannot achieve this, he should not return.”
“Yes.”
“Also, the individuals responsible for the murder of the Luoluo Kingdom’s envoy will be escorted to the execution ground tomorrow and executed by Lingchi.”
“…Yes.”