“After Shedding My Armor, I Await Marriage” Chapter 70

At Marquis Zhongshun’s residence, the water beneath the small bridge outside the main courtyard flowed gently, while inside the main room, Fu Yan had spent the entire night slumped over the table asleep.

His wide-sleeved white robe was stained with ink marks, and several sheets of paper lay scattered on the table, pinned under Fu Yan’s arm, covered with the words “Gu Fu” written over and over.

Next to the table, two small jugs of wine had long been emptied.

Last night was New Year’s Eve. Fu Yan wasn’t in the habit of staying up all night, but he simply couldn’t sleep. Instead of forcing himself to bed, he had Yi Hua bring him two small jars of Gu Fu’s favorite Huang Sha Tang wine, which he drank by himself.

The previous New Year’s Eve, Gu Fu had barged into Qitian Tower with a large jar of Huang Sha Tang wine, cornered Fu Yan against the wall, teased him with words, and even borrowed two wine bowls from him to drink.

It was also that night that, after Gu Fu left, Fu Yan, who had long struggled with insomnia, drank the bowl of wine she left behind and fell into a deep sleep, waking up the next morning to see the first sunrise of the New Year.

After they had confessed their feelings to each other, Fu Yan thought he would be able to spend every New Year’s Eve with Gu Fu in the future. He never imagined that fate would be so unpredictable, and Gu Fu had gone off to the northern frontier to fight in the war again.

He, on the other hand, had to stay in the capital, entangled with various duties.

As the strong liquor burned his throat, he had hoped it would alleviate his longing for the one he loved. Instead, the alcohol only heightened his feelings, causing the suppressed yearning to surge up like a blazing fire, burning him from the inside out.

Drunk, Fu Yan picked up a pen and drafted a memorial requesting to personally escort military supplies to the northern frontier. After carefully revising it, he copied it onto a blank memorial slip.

When he finished, he asked Yi Hua to deliver it to the palace.

But in the middle of the night, and it wasn’t an urgent report from the border, how could it be delivered to the palace?

Knowing that Fu Yan was drunk, Yi Hua didn’t remind him but took the memorial away, intending to deliver it the next morning.

Even after writing the memorial, Fu Yan was still unwilling to sleep. He suddenly remembered that the first time Gu Fu had asked him for his name, he had written it on paper. Gu Fu had admired his handwriting and asked him to write her name as well.

But Fu Yan had refused.

—How could he have refused?

Fu Yan felt regretful.

So, he picked up the pen again and wrote Gu Fu’s name on a blank sheet of paper. Dissatisfied with his first attempt, he switched pens and wrote it a second time. By the time he regained his senses, the blank sheets were completely filled with her name, written densely in different inks and styles.

After filling several large sheets, he finally succumbed to his drunkenness, closed his eyes, and fell asleep with his head resting on the table covered in the name “Gu Fu.”

Before Fu Yan woke up, a light snow had fallen outside.

After the snow stopped, the heavy clouds dispersed, revealing the dazzling morning sunlight.

Fu Yan, waking from his sleep, moved his stiff fingers and propped himself up on the table, feeling a bit heavy-headed. He leaned back into his chair.

Hua, who had been waiting outside, brought in a basin of hot water. As Fu Yan washed his face, Yi Hua cleared away the empty wine jars and took a small medicine bottle from his sleeve, placing it on the table, saying, “This is the new medicine the Imperial Medical Bureau made according to your instructions.”

Fu Yan picked up the bottle and asked Hua, “What about the memorial?”

Although he was drunk, he remembered what had happened after he got drunk last night.

Yi Hua replied, “It’s already been sent to the palace.”

Fu Yan nodded, but with the movement, a dull pain throbbed at the back of his head.

Having never been hungover before, Fu Yan closed his eyes briefly and said, “Call a physician to come take a look at me.”

If he caught a cold and fell ill at this critical moment, he wouldn’t be able to go to the northern frontier.

On the first day of the new year, some people were immersed in new discoveries, some were contemplating how to go to the northern frontier, and others, to avoid being pressured into marriage by their elders, eagerly left home before noon, heading to teahouses to listen to storytellers and pass the time.

Wen Xi and Grand Tutor Wei’s grandson, Wei Wenjin, both having been deceived in matters of the heart by Tang Mumu, were now being pressured by their families to meet prospective brides, making them truly brothers in misfortune.

To avoid being caught and dragged back home, they didn’t bring any attendants and dismissed the waiter after entering the private room, leaving just the two of them inside.

Downstairs in the main hall, the storyteller was recounting the story of the Marquis Zhongsun, disguised as a man, going to the northern frontier to join the army. Whether the story was true or not, it was thrilling, gripping, and moving.

As Wei Wenjin listened, he suddenly said, “Didn’t your parents almost marry you off to the Gu family?”

Wen Xi, who was sipping tea, choked and started coughing violently. After finally catching his breath, he wiped his mouth and said, “What do you mean, marry me off?”

Wei Wenjin replied, “Well, what else? Do you think Marquis Zhongshun would marry into your family? Haven’t you heard that the Imperial Preceptor is already living at the Marquis’s residence?”

“What are you even talking about?” Wen Xi said, twitching at the corners of his mouth. “Second Brother—Gu’er and I are just brothers. Back then, she even taught me how to persuade my parents to cancel the engagement. There was never anything between us.”

“Really?” Wei Wenjin’s eyes were filled with sympathy as he looked at Wen Xi.

It turns out that it wasn’t Wen Xi’s willfulness that made him miss out on Marquis Zhongshun; rather, the Marquis never even considered Wen Xi.

Seeing the pity in Wei Wenjin’s eyes made Wen Xi’s anger flare up. He immediately slammed the table and stood up. “Forget the tea, I’m going to see my mentor.”

Wen Xi’s mentor was Wei Wenjin’s grandfather, Grand Tutor Wei.

Since Wei Wenjin was hiding from his family, he couldn’t let Wen Xi go and expose his whereabouts. He quickly reached out to stop him, apologizing profusely.

Wen Xi snorted coldly, letting Wei Wenjin serve him tea and water.

Despite Wei Wenjin’s efforts, Wen Xi remained upset.

He couldn’t quite explain why he was so bothered, but he remembered something his older brother, Wen Jiang, had once told him:

“If you miss out on Gu Er, you’ll definitely regret it.”

And how did he respond back then?

He said he wouldn’t regret it because at that time, he was infatuated with Tang Mumu, so deeply that it felt like an unbreakable, lifelong love.

But then he discovered that Tang Mumu was playing the field, having not just two, but multiple lovers. His so-called love turned out to be a joke in his brother’s eyes.

Even though he didn’t want to admit it, he had to concede that his brother was often right.

If back then, he had listened to his brother and accepted his engagement with Gu Er…

Wen Xi shuddered at the thought and slapped himself twice on the face. What was he thinking? Gu Er was engaged now, and even if her engagement with the National Preceptor were to fall through, it wouldn’t mean anything for him, especially after his family had backed out of the marriage arrangement.

The more he thought about it, the more miserable he felt.

It wasn’t that he had suddenly fallen in love with Gu Fu. He was just frustrated at his own youthful naivety and how wrong he had been.

The storyteller downstairs continued his tale, his voice rising and falling, echoing in Wen Xi’s ears.

Unable to listen any longer, Wen Xi suggested to Wei Wenjin that they go for a walk around town.

Wei Wenjin, also feeling restless, agreed. The two left the teahouse and strolled over to Mingshan Street.

Wen Xi said, “… Coming to Mingshan Street in broad daylight—aren’t you afraid your father will break your legs?”

Since the incident with Tang Mumu, Wei Wenjin had become much more carefree about matters of love. Hearing Wen Xi mention his father didn’t faze him. He replied nonchalantly, “As long as neither of us says anything, who will know?”

Taking Wen Xi along, Wei Wenjin led him straight to a familiar brothel.

He even explained to Wen Xi, “The women here are all official courtesans. After the mansions of Prince Ying and the Prince of Yi were confiscated, many of their female relatives ended up here.”

Wen Xi really couldn’t understand the appeal of such places, so he simply kept quiet and followed Wei Wenjin upstairs.

But Wei Wenjin was intent on showing off his experience, chattering nonstop, “Of course, figures like princesses and noble ladies would be sent to the imperial palace. Those brought here are mostly concubines and maids from the prince’s residences—better than nothing, I suppose.”

Wen Xi replied drily, “How considerate of you.”

The two followed the brothel madam into a private room. As soon as they sat down, a disheveled woman with loose, dirty hair and torn clothing suddenly rushed in from outside.

The madam scowled, signaling to the burly women outside to drag the woman away. Then she turned back, apologizing profusely, “This girl just arrived recently and doesn’t know the rules yet. Please, sirs, don’t take offense.”

Wei Wenjin waved his hand dismissively, “Words mean nothing. It’d be better if you brought a few more girls to join us for drinks.”

The madam nodded quickly, “Of course, right away, I’ll call some girls over.”

While Wei Wenjin was talking, Wen Xi’s eyes were on the woman being dragged out. Her mouth was stuffed with a cloth, but in her struggle, she revealed a face that was both familiar and strange to Wen Xi.

His heart clenched. It wasn’t until the door to the room closed that he managed to calm himself a little.

Seeing Wen Xi’s pale face, Wei Wenjin asked, “What’s wrong?”

Wen Xi, who had once visited the Sitting Forgotten Mountain to pray in fear that Tang Mumu might return from the dead, said in a dazed tone, “Nothing, just feeling like Zuowang Mountain isn’t very effective.”

Wei Wenjin looked puzzled, “What?”

Wen Xi didn’t explain further. He glanced at Wei Wenjin with the same pitying look Wei Wenjin had given him earlier, “Don’t ask. Just enjoy yourself.”

Whether or not that woman was Tang Mumu, Wen Xi was determined to report Wei Wenjin to the Grand Tutor to prevent any further entanglements with this brothel and to ensure he wouldn’t rekindle any old affections for a mere courtesan, which would only upset Grand Tutor Wei.

…

March arrived, with grass growing lush and birds singing.

Gu Fu, who had just helped the Northwest Army retake their last city, was still at the Northwest camp, feeling overwhelmed by the clamoring of several subordinates.

Due to the recent intelligence leak regarding the Northwest border defenses, His Majesty has decided to reorganize the Northwest forces. Last month, an edict arrived, merging the Northwest region into the Northern Territory, which would allow Gu Fu to conduct a thorough review of the Northwest army, just as she did with the Northern army.

This single decree immediately created a tense atmosphere within the entire Northwest camp. The soldiers from both armies frequently engaged in competitions during their downtime, but since the edict arrived, the number of injuries from these competitions has significantly increased, to the point where the military doctors have started lodging complaints with her.

As Gu Fu sat back with her legs crossed, listening to her subordinates bicker, the deputy commander of the Northern army and the left military commander were whispering outside the tent.

“First off, I’m only repeating what I heard from the lower-ranking soldiers. No matter what I say, you can’t take it out on me,” the left commander emphasized repeatedly, fearing he might get caught in the crossfire.

The deputy commander, impatient, said, “Fine, fine, just spit it out.”

The left commander glanced around nervously, and then, as if he were divulging a secret, he whispered, “They say that when the general faked her death back then, he wasn’t sent back to the capital to recover from her injuries, but rather…”

Before he could finish, the deputy commander gave him a hard slap on the back of his head. “But rather what, you damn fool, will you just get to the point?”

“Shh! Keep your voice down!”

The left commander’s reaction was so peculiar that the deputy commander had to rein in his temper and gruffly said, “Hurry up!”

The left commander continued, “They say his real identity was exposed, and he had no choice but to return to the capital!”

The deputy commander’s eyelids twitched. “What identity?”

As he asked, he placed his hand on his sword hilt, looking as if he would cut anyone who dared to slander Gu Fu as an enemy spy into pieces.

The left commander lowered his voice, “A female identity!”

The deputy commander didn’t grasp it at first. “…Huh?”

“You know… a woman!” The left commander, fearing the deputy commander wouldn’t understand, made a crude gesture at his chest.

The deputy commander was speechless for a moment before he growled, “The general was right. You people are just bored and have too much time on your hands! Wait here, I’m going to tell the general to double your daily training!”

The left commander panicked, even more so than when he heard the rumors about Gu Fu being a woman. “No, no, no! Don’t!”

As the two were tussling, there was a sudden shout: “Message—!”

A young soldier rushed toward the main tent, shouting, “The escort from the capital delivering the military funds has arrived! And with them is the governor of Suizhou, currently waiting outside!”

Hearing this, Gu Fu emerged from the tent and instructed the soldier to let them in.

The soldier left to carry out her orders, while Gu Fu turned to the deputy commander and the left military commander, raising an eyebrow. “It’s already troublesome enough with the two armies not getting along. You two are both from the Northern Border army, so don’t start an internal conflict here.”

The deputy commander and the left military commander quickly dropped their hands and stood straight, pretending as if nothing had happened.

Soon after, the convoy escorting the supplies entered the camp. At the head of the group were two individuals—one was the governor of Suizhou, a familiar face to the Northern Border army, and the other was presumably the imperial commissioner responsible for the escort. But looking at him…

—He’s a celestial being, isn’t he? He must be a celestial being, right?

This was the unanimous thought in the minds of those who witnessed the convoy enter the camp.

A bunch of rough soldiers weren’t capable of flowery words, but they all thought that if there were truly celestial beings in this world, they must look like him.

The “celestial being” dismounted, his lips curved in a faint smile as he addressed their commander, “Marquis Zhongshun, it’s been a while.”

The governor of Suizhou, standing to the side, chimed in, “You two know each other? That’s great. Since you’re already acquainted, why don’t we go inside and have a chat? I have…”

Before he could finish his polite exchange, a stunned Gu Fu snapped out of her daze, strode forward in three quick steps, and, without waiting for the governor to finish his sentence, she lifted Fu Yan into her arms and spun him around in front of everyone.

Translator’s note:

Four more chapters till the end of the main story!! Then there are ten extras, some focusing on Gu Fu and Fu Yan, and some on Mu Qingyao and Wen Qize.

If you enjoy my translations, feel free to consider supporting me on ko-fi! Thank you!

Release schedule: Every Monday.

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