Chapter 94

In the main courtyard, Madam Wang listened to the servant’s report. She closed her eyes for a long moment before letting out a soft, melancholy sigh. “What a good child.”

The old servant who attended to her, seeing her sadness, tried to comfort her. “Madam, should we go take a look?”

Madam Wang gave a bitter smile. “It’s rare for them to have time alone together. I don’t want to disturb them.”

“Today is Gu Ci’s coming-of-age ceremony, and not a single one of us remembered.” Tears gradually welled up in Madam Wang’s eyes. “It’s thanks to that child. My Little Sixth still has someone who keeps him in their heart and thinks about him.”

The family was in turmoil, teetering on the edge of collapse. The fates of her two sons were unknown, her three married daughters were out of reach, and her husband had worn his body down from kneeling in desperation. Every single matter weighed heavily on her heart. But her youngest son, once pampered and spoiled, had suddenly matured overnight. He cared for his ailing mother, comforted his worried sisters, and assisted his aging father.

Madam Wang lowered her head, blinking away the tears glistening in her eyes. She knew her youngest son well and was fully aware of how much he liked the young lady from the Wen family. Every time he returned after visiting Nianxi, his face was filled with uncontainable happiness and joy.

Today’s coming-of-age ceremony was meant to be a surprise from Little Sixth for Nianxi.

But, alas…

“Notify me as soon as the Duke returns to the residence; I have words for him,” said Madam Wang.

Having already sent two sons to the frontlines, as a mother, she couldn’t—and wouldn’t—send her third son to war. Responsibility and glory were matters for the men, but she was but a woman—a mother—and she only wished for her children to be safe and sound.

…

Nianxi returned to the Wen residence. She had a feeling that Pei Jian would come today.

Whether it was a shared intuition or not, Pei Jian indeed arrived that same day.

The wind and rain were dreary. Raindrops pattered on the oiled-paper umbrella, making a soft, rustling sound. Water streamed down the umbrella’s ribs, pooling into puddles at his feet, sending ripples outward.

Nianxi had many questions she wanted to ask, but upon seeing Pei Jian, she was unsure where to begin.

Pei Jian, too, remained silent.

The two of them stood silently, quietly watching the rain beat against the banana leaves for a long moment.

“Gu Ci’s second brother…” It was Nianxi who finally broke the silence, asking the question.

Pei Jian understood the unspoken part of her words and answered directly, “He has passed away.”

“Wasn’t it said that his fate was still uncertain?” Perhaps because of the cold, Nianxi’s voice carried a faint, trembling chill.

Pei Jian lowered his gaze. Beneath the oiled-paper umbrella, his eyes were dark and deep, like an endless night. “The fifty thousand cavalry were annihilated. As the commander, regardless of whether he survived or not, there is only one fate—death.”

“Gu Ci… will he face the same fate as in the past life?”

“I don’t know,” Pei Jian replied honestly. “The situation now isn’t as dire as it was in the previous life. The reinforcements from the Western Administrative Office arrived on time, easing the crisis in Weichi City. The Duke and Gu Ci’s elder brother, Gu Yan, are still holding on.”

In his previous life, Gu Ci truly experienced the complete destruction of his family. His father and two elder brothers died in battle, and his mother passed away from illness, leaving him as the only one to uphold the family name. The Emperor decreed that he would be forbidden to return to the capital forever.

“What will become of the Gu family?”

“Demotion of the title, or even direct removal of the nobility status along with confiscation of the Imperial Golden Tablet. Currently, with the war’s situation unclear, everything remains uncertain. If Gu Yan can turn the tide and perform great feats, earning merit to offset past mistakes, the Gu Dukedom’s fate may improve significantly.”

Nianxi finished asking what she wanted to know and decided not to linger there any longer. The wind and rain were bleak—though it was only autumn, it gave one the illusion of a bone-piercing cold.

“Take care, as the roads are slippery on rainy days.”

Pei Jian stopped her, pulling out a familiar pearwood box from his pocket. “I brought this for you.”

Nianxi glanced at the box in his hands, her tone despondent. “Pei Jian, I’m not in the mood.”

“I know,” Pei Jian quickly withdrew his hand this time, not pushing at all. “I just wanted you to know—I never gave up.”

“If you were him, would you go to the northern frontier for family and responsibility?” Nianxi gazed at a point in the rain and suddenly asked.

Pei Jian curled his lips, his eyes full of cold detachment. “You already have a hunch, don’t you? Why ask me to confirm?”

“Nianxi—” He took a step closer, his peach blossom eyes faint and indifferent: “I’m not him. I don’t have so many family members to worry about. Pei Shizhang was born cold-hearted and indifferent. Instead of asking me about family and responsibility, you might as well ask if I would give up the northern frontier for you.”

“I would!” Pei Jian fixed his gaze on her, his dark eyes full of earnestness. His eyes lingered on her for a long while. “Gu Ci has concerns, but I don’t.”

“So, Nianxi, would you reconsider me?”

…

Since Nianxi’s birthday, Gu Ci had taken time each day to visit her.

Most of the time, he would say just two sentences—

Nianxi would tell him what she had done and eaten that day, and Gu Ci always listened intently. Occasionally, he would mention Madam Wang’s illness, but he was more often silent. Sometimes, he was so busy that he couldn’t even speak a word. He would merely glance at her from afar outside the door of Fusheng Banzhan and leave.

Nianxi urged him not to work so hard, but Gu Ci laughed and said, “This is not hard work; it’s motivation. Even seeing you from afar makes me eagerly look forward to the next day.”

This continued for several days until one day, when the autumn rain finally ceased, a middle-aged man with a commanding presence and sharp tiger-like eyes stood outside Fusheng Banzhan. At first glance, Nianxi immediately recognized the tall, steadfast figure and resolute face as Gu Ci’s father, Duke Zhen, Gu Chengye.

Though Nianxi had never met Duke Zhen before, the man exuded an imposing aura of dignity and sharpness. The fine wrinkles on his face and streaks of gray in his hair further emphasized his weathered and profound demeanor.

Nianxi didn’t know why the Duke had come to see her, yet she felt no surprise.

They found a quiet and elegant tea room, and Gu Chengye got straight to the point. “Gu Ci hasn’t told you he’s going to the northern frontier, has he?”

Nianxi froze slightly, then shook her head. Her clear gaze met the Duke’s as she calmly replied, “He hasn’t mentioned it to me.”

Gu Chengye’s eyes were sharp as he looked at Nianxi.

Unlike the enigmatic gaze of Pei Jian from her past life, the Duke’s gaze carried an intense air of bloodshed and aggression, like the battlefield’s raw brutality, direct and spine-chilling.

“Gu Ci is very fond of you and reluctant to leave you. My wife feels the same. She only wishes for you and Gu Ci to live peacefully in the capital and doesn’t want him to return to the battlefield.”

Gu Chengye himself couldn’t quite explain why he wanted to meet this young woman. Perhaps it was because of the rare happiness on Gu Ci’s face after visiting her, and perhaps it was the tearful words of his wife, or maybe it was an inner sense of reluctance. In any case, Gu Chengye came.

Nianxi’s heart felt heavy as she looked at the Duke’s weathered face. She softly said, “Madam Wang and Gu Ci are both very kind-hearted people.”