"You are his fiancée."
"No one belongs to anyone, I am my own person."
The man's eyes darkened as he stared at her intently.
Feeling the grip on her waist tighten, Gu Ying spoke coquettishly again, "I have never had feelings for him. Our engagement was just a ploy for revenge against my elder sister. But didn't I end up with you by chance in the end? It's obvious that Adu and I are a match made in heaven, even the heavens are trying to bring us together."
Zhao Changdu lowered his eyes, and tightened his arms around the soft beauty in his embrace, the corners of his lips tilted up, "That may be so, but there's still the issue of your father—"
He would be leaving for the border soon, their military camps were only separated by three cities, for both emotional and practical reasons, he had to make time to travel to Huang City.
What if General Gu did not like him?
He could not possibly separate from Ah Ying, but he also did not want Ah Ying to be caught in a dilemma between himself and her father.
His brows furrowed in frustration, regretting that he did not first get General Gu's approval before marrying his daughter. Now that Ah Ying was carrying his child, would her formidable father blame Ah Ying...and him?
The more Zhao Changdu thought about it, the tighter his frown became. He was good at fighting wars, but had little experience handling conflicts between in-laws.
Back then at the borders, he did not like this general who only knew conservative tactics and emphasized benevolence. He had always...looked down on him.
When he first entered the battlefield at fifteen, even when fighting intensely, he had heard that General Gu, stationed three cities away, still scolded him for being an ignorant calf who knew nothing, and said that he did not know how to lead troops or fight wars, that he would surely die on the battlefield one day.
Ten years had passed, and General Gu still did not think highly of him. Who would have thought he would become his father-in-law...
Gu Ying bit her lip and smiled. She gently stroked the crease between the man's brows with her fair, slender index finger, roughly guessing what he was worried about—the fact that her father was his "archenemy".
He looked especially handsome when frowning seriously over his troubles. It made her want to tease him.
"Is Adu worried that Daddy won't like you?"
Zhao Changdu was somewhat embarrassed to admit it. "No, although he does not approve of my military tactics and strategies, your father and I admire each other on many levels."
Some admiration that was. If Gu Ying had not reincarnated, she might have believed him.
But she knew that in their past life, her father and this young General Zhao often clashed, and had even fought over whether to divide their troops.
It was at the end of this year's battle that their relationship began to ease.
She would never have imagined that she would marry her father's "archenemy" in this life...
But what to do now?
Her father would soon have a grandchild. He might refuse a son-in-law, but surely he could not refuse his own grandchild?
Thinking of this, Gu Ying laughed softly.
Finally having soothed the man's worries, she heaved a sigh of relief. After comforting him half the night, she was starving.
Without another word, Zi'er got up to buy food for her. A bowl of hot yangchun noodles was served, along with a dazzling array of snacks and fresh sheep's milk. It made her eyes shine.
He said, "This is your reward for working hard tonight."
Gu Ying was exasperated. She glared at him and said, "Don't do this next time, Nian will hold a grudge."
Having gotten his way, the man languidly hand-fed her supper as if he were an old father, attentive and considerate.
He watched the girl's pink, delicate lips. Seeing her take small bites of the snacks, nibbling daintily like a kitten learning to drink milk, she was just so cute and adorable.
She ate whatever he gave her, obedient and endearing.
"No wonder women like to raise children."
It brings great joy to provide for them.
Gu Ying was puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"
Zhao Changdu wiped away the crumbs from the corners of her mouth, chuckling. "It's nothing, just eat up."
After a few more bites, Gu Ying felt increasingly uneasy under the man's intense gaze next to her.
She swallowed the dry snack with some difficulty, her cheeks faintly flushed. "Why do you keep staring at me...Adu, I can't eat anymore if you look at me like that."
Zhao Changdu's lips curved up. For some reason, although he had just eaten his fill, the sight of the girl before him made him hungry again.
He simply leaned in to gently capture her lips.
As his tongue gently probed, he forcefully invaded her mouth.
Gu Ying had not finished her snack before she felt her mouth go empty. Then came the man's scorching breath and burning lips.
Her face grew hot as he grabbed her by the waist.
And then...came a night of passion behind closed doors.
...
Bianjing remained as peaceful, prosperous, and vibrant as always.
But beneath this prosperity, there was an undercurrent of inexplicable tension.
The girl Su He had saved was the one Zi'er called Yuan—Gu Ying had met her. She was exquisite and charming, with large, round eyes. Compared to Li Yang, she resembled more the one in the palace.
With this trump card in hand, the Crown Prince's position against Imperial Concubine Shu would be much stronger.
Gu Ying increasingly looked forward to the Xingqing Festival.
Yet this anticipation soon turned to melancholy, because Zi'er would also be leaving Bianjing.
It kept raining before and after the Xingqing Festival, making the whole Bianjing seem immersed in water.
The one in the palace was in increasingly poor health. It was said she had not eaten in two days. Neither Prince Duan nor Prince Shu dared to leave the palace, standing vigil at her bedside. In any case, there was an unusual atmosphere both inside and outside the palace.
When the empire was unstable, people were bound to harbor ulterior motives.
Her Majesty's illness was questionable, and the imperial doctors could not determine its cause, so they did not dare prescribe potent medicine, they could only let it drag on.
It was the obstinate Tianqi Emperor who insisted on going to the Imperial Ancestral Temple himself to pray and exorcise evil spirits causing the illness.
The Crown Prince was fully in charge of preparing the Tianqi Emperor's journey to worship.
Every night at home, Gu Ying waited for Zi'er to return, seeing him coming and going hurriedly, the clean-cut features of his face lined with fatigue. She felt somewhat worried.
"Adu, have the arrangements been properly made?"
She did not dare to speak too explicitly, as long as Zi'er understood her meaning.
"Mm, more or less." After removing his armor, when Zhao Changdu embraced the young girl, the exhaustion that had pervaded his entire body gradually dissipated. "There's still one more day."
Gu Ying held his large hand and massaged his icy cold fingers. Smiling gently, she said, "Both inside and outside the palace cannot do without Adu, you must be tired."
