“After Shedding My Armor, I Await Marriage” Chapter 73

Early in the morning, before dawn, the families that needed to attend court had already lit the lamps inside their houses and in the corridors.

In the past, only the courtyard of the master and the eldest son of the Gu family would be lit. But since Gu Fu had returned, the entire main house was brightly illuminated.

After all, Gu Fu was a meritorious official, so even though the court ministers strongly opposed it, the emperor still reserved a position for her in the court, creating a precedent for women to hold office.

Initially, the ministers thought that with Gu Fu’s abilities, it would be fine for her to command battles in the field, but if she returned to court, it would surely be a ceremonial position. They assumed she would attend court every day and then go to the Ministry of War to mark her attendance, essentially serving as a figurehead. However, not long after her return, Gu Fu ended up arguing with someone during a morning court session.

The argument was related to the eastern borders— another small country in the eastern borders allied with the State of Lei. Unlike the State of Lei, they didn’t want to confront Dayong directly. They didn’t want to pay tribute but still wanted to continue trading with Dayong.

In simple terms, they were being greedy.

Their confidence stemmed from the unique goods they provided to Dayong.

For example, among them was the State of Sang, which produced fabrics. They provided a type of cloth denser, thicker, more durable, and waterproof compared to hemp, making it the ideal material for building tents and crafting sails.

Then there was the State of Lin, a country that cultivated a tree called the rubber tree. After the tree’s sap solidified, it became an elastic solid, which, after processing, could be attached to wheels to reduce shock. It could also be used to make shoe soles, which were extremely durable and soft, and the manufacturing process was much simpler than sewing cloth shoes layer by layer.

Lastly, there was the State of Lin, which excavated a substance called ‘burning ink’ from the ground. It was liquid like water, black like ink, and had an extremely unpleasant odor, but it could be burned as fuel or used to replace gunpowder to cause explosions. It had become the new favorite material of the Military Manufacturing Bureau in recent years.

These goods were all unique, and there were no similar or better alternatives within Dayong or even in the other small countries of the eastern borders.

However, the emperor did not intend to pamper them and directly ordered the eastern border army to launch a war.

This action naturally had an impact on Dayong, but it had a far greater impact on those small countries.

Over the past year, as the northern borders had gradually returned to peace, the small countries allied with the State of Lei feared that Dayong would soon turn its attention to utterly destroy them, so they sought to negotiate peace with Dayong.

At present, the court is divided into two factions. One faction advocates for continuing the war, believing that if they let those small countries off so easily, other small nations might think Dayong is weak, and in the future, they would harass Dayong whenever possible, only negotiating for peace when things look bad. Over time, this would harm the nation’s prestige.

The other faction advocates for peace, arguing that there is no need to continue the war, as it would damage the state treasury and undermine the dignity of a great power.

Gu Fu, however, came up with a new, unconventional idea.

This war could not continue. The eastern borders were not like the northern borders. In the north, there was no choice but to fight. If they didn’t fight, they would be plundered by foreign tribes, or they would have to offer large sums of gold, silver, and provisions to negotiate peace. But the eastern borders were rich in trade, and the taxes from that trade were an important source of income for the national treasury. If the war spread, it would actually harm Dayong’s own interests.

This was also why the emperor was so eager to conquer those small nations, yet hadn’t dismissed the pro-peace faction’s proposals.

But they couldn’t simply let those greedy small nations off the hook. Not only to serve as a warning to other countries in the east, but also because the goods those small nations possessed were far too valuable. Not just the emperor, but even Gu Fu couldn’t bear to lose them.

So Gu Fu supported negotiating peace, but on the condition that those small nations repay the tributes they had missed in recent years, and also compensate Dayong several times over for the losses they had caused. She threatened that if they didn’t pay up, Dayong would go to war. This way, they could maintain stability in the eastern region while also intimidating the other small nations, making it clear that if they wanted to oppose Dayong, they had better make sure their treasuries could afford the reparations.

It was unclear whether Gu Fu’s proposal itself had flaws, or if her gender made the ministers biased against her. In any case, the result was that Gu Fu managed to offend both factions.

Gu Fu, however, was unfazed. She took on anyone who came her way, one by one, two by two. Although the argument didn’t settle the matter in her favor, she made it clear to the court that if there was anyone they shouldn’t argue with, it was her. After all, among the generals in court, there wasn’t a single one who could out-argue Gu Fu.

After the court session, the emperor kept Gu Fu and a few ministers behind to further discuss her ideas.

This time, however, Gu Fu added another layer to her proposal: gradually increasing the tributes and taxes from those small nations.

“They were the first to act unjustly, so we don’t need to show them mercy. The other small nations aren’t likely to lend them a hand out of sympathy either. After all, over the years, those law-abiding nations that paid their tributes saw their own business suffer because of them.”

“Once those nations can’t bear the burden and refuse to pay taxes or tributes, Dayong will have a legitimate reason to send in troops. By that time, their treasuries will be exhausted, and it’ll be difficult for the war to spread to other small nations or disrupt trade in the east.”

Gu Fu’s words made several ministers look at her with newfound respect. After that, the emperor asked about many other details that Gu Fu hadn’t mentioned. Since Gu Fu had the Secret Cabinet serving as her intelligence source, she was well-informed and able to answer all of the emperor’s questions. She had even already come up with countermeasures and identified suitable candidates for implementation.

In the end, due to the emperor’s approval and subtle hints, several ministers who had been present at the meeting shifted to Gu Fu’s side by the next morning’s court session.

As for Gu Qizheng, Gu Fu’s own father, his rank wasn’t particularly high, so he had been caught in the crossfire because of his daughter more than once. But what could he do? She was his own daughter, and he couldn’t simply disown her. He could only grit his teeth and endure it.

Because of Gu Fu, Gu Qizheng’s position among the court officials had taken on a somewhat peculiar status.

Even though Gu Qizheng was merely a third-rank assistant minister, which wasn’t considered particularly remarkable in the capital, most of the invitations he received were from prestigious and noble families. Even Prince An, when he saw him, treated him as an equal in terms of a potential marriage alliance, never showing the slightest disrespect.

Occasionally, when Gu Qizheng rode in a carriage to court and saw Gu Fu, who was riding ahead of him on horseback, he couldn’t help but feel emotional: having a marquis clearing the way for a third-rank assistant minister—he was likely the only one in the entire court who enjoyed such a privilege.

One day, after Gu Fu left court, she was about to go get breakfast when she was stopped by Princess Ruiyang, who was waiting outside the palace. She told Gu Fu that the empress had summoned her.

Following Ruiyang to meet the empress, Gu Fu, sensing something, turned her head as they walked. She saw the ministers filing out of the hall, and among them, an official dressed in blue was standing still, watching them…

No, he was watching Ruiyang.

“His name is Liu Ruxuan,” Ruiyang’s voice drifted over. Gu Fu turned back to see Ruiyang walking steadily ahead, her eyes fixed forward as she said calmly, “He’s from Qingzhou.”

Gu Fu thought for a moment. “That name sounds familiar.”

Ruiyang laughed softly, reminding her, ‘Do you remember the first round of the Xuanlin Selection?’

Gu Fu remembered. During that Selection, Princess Ruiyang had been particularly obsessed with collecting portraits and had taken a special interest in a talented scholar from Qingzhou, Liu Ruxuan, on whom she had spent a fortune.

However, what Gu Fu didn’t know was that someone had used despicable means to trick Liu Ruxuan into coming to the capital from Qingzhou, solely to curry favor with Princess Ruiyang.

Ruiyang, unaware of this, thought Liu Ruxuan had come willingly to see her, but he was furious and misunderstood her intentions, leading to an unpleasant parting between them.

Despite this, Ruiyang still admired Liu Ruxuan’s integrity and hoped he would emerge as the top candidate in the Selection. She even repeatedly spent money to push him up the rankings. However, Liu Ruxuan had no interest in the Selection and harshly criticized Ruiyang, saying that as a princess, she shouldn’t indulge in such frivolities.

Not long after, the incident with the Zuojia tribe requesting Ruiyang’s hand in marriage occurred, and Ruiyang lost all interest in the Selection, letting the portraits she had collected gather dust on the shelves.

Later, it seemed that Liu Ruxuan had come to understand the misunderstanding and wanted to apologize to Ruiyang. But given his status, he had no way to meet the esteemed princess unless she allowed it.

Ruiyang, however, was determined. She denied Liu Ruxuan any opportunity to apologize, yet frequently appeared before him, savoring the feeling of his gaze lingering on her, finding it particularly satisfying.

Speaking of the Xuanlin Selection, Gu Fu asked another question, “Who was the top candidate that year?”

Ruiyang replied, “The Imperial Preceptor.”

“It was more or less expected.”

Ruiyang: “He won the second Selection as well.”

Gu Fu: “…”

Ruiyang: “In the third Selection, five different categories were created, and the voting ballots were divided into types. The Imperial Preceptor took first place in two of the categories, while the other three were won by different people.’

Gu Fu sincerely admired this; without losing the Imperial Preceptor’s support, the empress had also given others the chance to win. Truly worthy of being the empress.

When they arrived at Fengyi Palace, the empress had someone bring out sample wedding outfits for Gu Fu to choose from.

The wedding between Gu Fu and Fu Yan had been delayed for three years. Now that Gu Fu had finally returned to the capital, there was no way it could be postponed any further.

After Qitian Tower was burned down, the emperor had ordered the construction of the Imperial Preceptor’s Residence on the same site. In recent years, Fu Yan had frequently been traveling to the northern borders. Even when he returned to the capital, he stayed at Marquis Zhongshun’s Residence and never moved anywhere else.

But in order to ensure the wedding could proceed smoothly, Fu Yan reluctantly moved into the Imperial Preceptor’s Residence.

After Fu Yan moved in, Gu Fu secretly went to check it out, only to find that he had brought along just a few clothes and his usual writing supplies—nothing else.

Gu Fu smiled and said, “Are you really not staying here?”

Fu Yan was firm in his response and said, “I’ll stay at the marquis’s residence.”

The main reason was that the name of Marquis Zhongshun’s Residence gave him a sense that when Gu Fu returned home, she would be returning there, so he preferred living in the marquis’s residence.

As Gu Fu circled the sample wedding outfits, she was surprised to find that among the dresses, there was also a male outfit.

Seeing Gu Fu pause in front of the male-style wedding outfit for a moment, the empress asked, “Do you want to wear a male outfit for your wedding?”

Gu Fu thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, “No, I am a woman, so I will wear a woman’s wedding dress.”

Ruiyang: “But wearing a male outfit would be great too. After all, the Imperial Preceptor is going to move into the marquis’s residence after the wedding. If you wear a male outfit, it would be like you are marrying the Imperial Preceptor.’

“But I am a woman,” Gu Fu said. “On ordinary days it’s one thing, but if I even wear a male outfit for my wedding, wouldn’t people start to misunderstand and think I’m actually a man?”

Ruiyang didn’t quite get it, but the empress did. She waved her hand, and someone came to take the male-style wedding outfit away.

Gu Fu was a woman, and everything she did would become an example for future generations of women. If her gender were deliberately altered or obscured, and people began to think it was two men who had married, disregarding the excellence of women, then everything they had worked for would be destroyed.

Seeing the male wedding attire being taken away, Gu Fu let out a sigh of relief. The main reason, after all, was that she wanted to wear an intricate and ornate dress. Although the male outfit was handsome and dignified, on her wedding day, she hoped her attire would lean towards the elegance of a woman’s beauty.

She also understood that the empress, like Ruiyang, wanted her to ‘marry’ Fu Yan, overturning the traditional notion of men marrying women. But Gu Fu felt such a reversal was premature and unnecessary. There was no need to invert genders for the sake of defying convention because her accomplishments were not due to her resembling a man; they stemmed from her inherent strength.

To redefine her as ‘a woman who acts like a man’ rather than simply ‘an extraordinary woman’ would imply that her achievements were because she behaved like a man, not because women themselves possess unlimited potential. Gu Fu could never accept such a notion.

That night, after selecting her wedding attire, Gu Fu snuck into the Imperial Preceptor’s Residence again under the cover of darkness and saw the groom’s outfit in Fu Yan’s room.

Holding the groom’s outfit in her hands, Gu Fu realized she had never seen Fu Yan wear red before. Unable to wait until the wedding day, she coaxed him into trying it on right then and there. Once she had personally helped him put on the groom’s attire, she then took it off him, piece by piece.

Outside, Yi Hua sat on the steps by the doorway. Amid the creaking of the bed frame and the muffled sounds of heavy breathing, she faintly heard the sound of fabric tearing. Thankfully, the palace had sent two identical groom’s outfits, sparing them the panic of having to rush an emergency replacement. What a relief! Truly something to celebrate.

T/N:

Last chapter for the main story will be posted tomorrow (there will be ten extras)! Thank you for your continued support and patience. I’ve been posting the locked chapters less consistently towards the end due to travel and my studies, but I’ll hurry up as fast as possible for these last chapters :).

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Release schedule: Every Monday.

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