Yun Zhi laughed loudly, patting Gu Qingtong’s back: “Yun Shan, I found a beauty to take back and enjoy.”
Yun Shan frowned: “We’re here to assist Yun Yan, not to play.”
“Yun Yan? They said he would arrive today, but he’s still nowhere to be seen. I wonder if he was discovered by the Yuan Chao Kingdom.” Yun Zhi was already carrying Gu Qingtong, walking to a black-maned horse, throwing her horizontally onto its back and mounting, then cracking the whip.
“Yun Zhi, don’t be reckless. What if she’s a spy?”
“A spy?” Yun Zhi looked at Gu Qingtong amusedly. “Have you ever seen a spy with disabled legs?”
Yun Shan looked at her bare, swollen, bluish legs and feet: “Even so, you can’t rashly take her back. Beautiful women are poison. Have you forgotten the previous lesson?”
Yun Zhi’s expression instantly changed: “I won’t argue with you. Wait for Yun Yan yourself.”
Whether he returns or not, after being in the Yuan Chao Kingdom for so long, who knows what his intentions are for suddenly coming back!”
Gu Qingtong had hoped Yun Shan would convince Yun Zhi to leave her behind, but instead, Yun Zhi decided to leave early without waiting for their contact.
On horseback, Yun Zhi tormented Gu Qingtong, riding on bumpy slopes that made her nauseous. Since she neither resisted nor made a sound, he found it boring and quickened his pace towards Lan Ka City.
At the city gate, Yun Zhi saw the person he did not want to see, pulling on the reins, causing the horse’s hooves to rise high and neigh loudly.
Gu Qingtong was jostled and, with the black horse suddenly stopping, felt even more uncomfortable in her stomach. Although she knew there were people ahead, she could not open her eyes.
Yun Yan glanced at Yun Zhi, but when he saw Gu Qingtong on the horse’s back, his expression changed: “You, how is she with you?”
“You know her?” Yun Zhi sat on his tall horse, having no good feelings towards this royal brother who had been away for nearly eight years. Seeing that he actually knew this woman, he sneered.
Yun Yan had walked down from Qin Mian Peak and had no means of transportation at the moment. Worried that Gu Qing Tong might have been mistreated, he stepped forward to embrace her.
But how could Yun Zhi allow this? He swung his whip and struck blood on Yun Yan’s hand: “She is a woman I have taken a fancy to.”
Yun Yan was equally unyielding, grabbing Gu Qing Tong’s waist: “But she is already my woman.”
Yun Zhi would not believe him. He squeezed the horse’s belly, let out a loud shout, and galloped ahead into Lan Ka city.
At this time, Yun Shan, hearing the soldiers’ report of the commotion, also rode over: “Yun Yan, you’ve already arrived. Why didn’t you wait for us to meet you at the foot of Qin Mian Peak?”
Yun Yan nodded slightly, looking in the direction Yun Zhi had left: “Where did he abduct this person from?”
“We went to look for you at the foot of Qin Mian Peak and found that the big port village was already empty. That woman was hiding inside, discovered by Yun Zhi. Perhaps because she looked very similar to Qing Chu, he kidnapped her back.”
“Qing Chu…” Yun Yan said nothing, looked at the cloudless blue sky, sighed slightly, and walked into the city.
Gu Qing Tong followed Yun Zhi into the city and was thrown into a dark room. However, Yun Zhi did not further trouble her, just gave her a cold look and left.
She rubbed her painful body, remembering the previous voice – it was actually Yun Le Shi. She had never known Yun Le Shi’s name before, and now she knew he was called Yun Yan and was related to the Yun Peng royal family.
However, he had been lurking in the Yuan Zhao country for many years, obsessed with the original Gu Qing Tong, and now he had returned. Gu Qing Tong found this seemingly weak but extremely obsessive man hard to understand.
Since Yun Le Shi had feelings for her, he would certainly not watch her being toyed with by Yun Zhi. But Yun Zhi seemed to have a grudge against him, and according to Yun Shan, she seemed to resemble his beloved. In this way, neither of them would let her go.
With her situation so difficult, Gu Qing Tong thought of the Yu brothers in the valley and Yu Rong who had diverted attention, and her heart burned like fire.
Gu Qing Tong was locked in the small dark room for a day and a night. Fortunately, someone remembered to bring her food, or she would have starved. On the third morning, two maids came to support her out and escort her to a large room. She looked at the pool in front of her, slightly puzzled.
“Miss, the Governing King has ordered us to bathe and dress you. You will enter the bridal chamber tonight.”
“What?” Gu Qing Tong was shocked. Had she encountered a pervert? Was Yun Zhi so eager to provoke Yun Le Shi?
Gu Qing Tong hurriedly covered her collar: “No need.”
“Miss, the Governing King taking a fancy to you is your fortune. But don’t think you can be arrogant by serving the King. You might be thrown out tomorrow. No matter who you are, you’re just a substitute for Miss Qing Chu. Don’t make things difficult for us, or you’ll suffer.”
Gu Qing Tong saw their expressions and thought, covering the map and envelope at her waist: “I’m not used to being served. Anyway, I can’t escape. You can go out.”
The two maids glanced at her swollen feet and left with a light laugh.
Gu Qing Tong sat by the pool for a long time, scooping some water to wash her feet. Because Yu Rong had applied medicinal oil, her foot was somewhat better.
She took out the map and envelope, took off her clothes, washed herself with water, and put on the clothes they left behind, but kept her own waistband. Because Han Yue’an had specially made the waistband for her to hide secret items, the thin map was safely placed inside. However, the envelope was slightly large and would have been fine to stick to her waist before, but now she couldn’t expose it to draw attention. She looked at it and could only tear it into two parts and stuff them into her shoe insoles. Then she put on silk stockings and stuffed her feet in.
Gu Qingtong sat in the room for a while, taking down the hairpin to look at it, thinking that if she really couldn’t protect herself, then…
“Miss, are you ready?” Two maids, hearing no sound inside, pushed the door open.
Gu Qingtong inserted the hairpin back into her hair, tidied her sideburns, and ignored them.
The girls brought back by Zhi Wang were of various types, but they had never seen someone like Gu Qingtong, whose demeanor was cold and indifferent to everything around her. Nevertheless, she was just a substitute. They styled her hair, creating a chignon and filling it with pearl hairpins, then escorted her to a hall.
Zhi Wang’s residence was in the capital city, and this was the former governor’s residence. The hall was spacious, and Yun Zhi seemed quite satisfied. Most importantly, he was going to use this woman today to strike a blow against that man who had been obsessed with Qing Chu yet abandoned her.
Yun Zhi remembered the past scenes and gritted his teeth. Gu Qingtong sat beside him, and he lifted her chin, looking at her for a while. She was somewhat similar, yet not quite the same. But Yun Qian seemed to know her, and that was enough. He sneered and released her, with a hint of disgust.
Gu Qingtong knew she couldn’t escape and couldn’t rely on anyone else, but she wasn’t particularly discouraged.
Soon, Yun Qian arrived, and the military general who had received his invitation did not come, as he had done many outrageous things in Lan Ka City.
Yun Shan was too lazy to intervene, thinking that as brothers, they wouldn’t actually kill each other. The hall now contained only him, Yun Qian, and this woman.
