Chapter 199: As Long As You Are By My Side
To put the whole matter simply, it could be explained in ten sentences, but if personal feelings were added, it would take an entire night to tell.
This is why Jinsui didn’t want Grandpa Ling to speak. Grandpa Ling had too many pent-up emotions, and if he were to tell the story, it would be filled with too much personal subjective feeling, not only taking a long time but also affecting Gu Changxiao’s judgment.
She was different; she could objectively discuss the matter as an outsider.
When Father Ling’s wrongful death was mentioned, Grandpa’s eyes welled up with tears, Jin’an sobbed uncontrollably, but her voice only deepened slightly.
When Jiang Shi died in the plague-stricken area, Grandpa sighed repeatedly, and Jin’an clenched his small fists, gritting his teeth.
When she spoke of being pursued by Imperial Court constables and sold to a human trafficker by her maternal uncle, she remained very calm.
After recounting the entire course of events, she cupped her hands and said, “Regardless of anything, we deceived the Prince, and we beg for his forgiveness. However, my father died unjustly, and if he cannot be vindicated, the three of us, grandfather and grandchildren, will never find peace in this life.”
“I implore the Prince to preside over this matter and bring justice for my father.”
Gu Changxiao stepped forward, helped her up, his eyes full of tenderness. He thought that meeting the Ji family’s grandfather and grandchildren in the bandit’s den was already tragic enough.
He never expected they had even more tragic experiences: crawling out of plague-ridden corpses, nearly being killed by bandits, falling into a tiger’s mouth, and being sold to Jiangnan…
Human emotions are like this; when you don’t have a good impression of someone, hearing such thrilling experiences would make you feel it’s very dangerous, like listening to a play.
But now, Gu Changxiao was deeply in love with Jinsui, unable to extricate himself. All he felt was heartache; Suisui had suffered too much!
Gu Changxiao, to comfort the three of them, asked in a hoarse whisper, “Is that all? Is there anything else you’ve been hiding from this King?”
Before Jinsui could shake her head, Grandpa Ling revealed the last secret: “There’s one more thing!”
“The Prince once mentioned that Suisui helped find someone, near Luocheng. A woman pulled you from the river into the reeds.”
Gu Changxiao’s eyes lit up again, and he said with a tone of sudden realization, “That was Daoist Ji and Suisui, wasn’t it? I knew that kind of brown sugar couldn’t be sold anywhere else; it was indeed left for me by Suisui!”
“Suisui, why did you hide it from me?”
Jinsui gave a dry laugh, “I didn’t mean to hide it from you; it just wasn’t convenient to mention it specifically, as if I wanted you to repay a debt of gratitude.”
Grandpa Ling was startled and then realized, quickly saying, “This old Taoist priest also doesn’t need the Prince to repay a debt of gratitude. When we saved you, we had no idea of your identity. Even if you were just an ordinary person, we would have saved you just the same!”
Gu Changxiao quickly said sincerely, “Whether this old Taoist priest needs this King to repay a debt of gratitude or not, you are my benefactor! Rest assured, as soon as this King returns to Chang’an, I will immediately bring justice for Lord Ling!”
With his assurance and seeing that Li King showed no intention of pursuing them for impersonating identities, Grandpa Ling and Jin’an breathed a sigh of relief.
Jinsui personally helped her younger brother up. Jin’an, with teary eyes, got up and called out aggrievedly, “Sister.”
Jinsui tapped his forehead, “From now on, don’t say I don’t care about our parents! Sister just did things differently from you; I haven’t forgotten our parents overnight either.”
Jin’an called out “Sister” again and suddenly hugged her, bursting into tears.
These tears had been accumulating for a long time, ever since Grandpa Ling and Jinsui discussed that before Jin’an grew up, they would temporarily not return to Chang’an and would prioritize survival over Father Ling’s case.
Ever since Jin’an lost control and ran out, only to be captured by bandits, this child had developed a mental block. He felt that all the near-death experiences Jinsui went through were his fault.
The image of his mother before she died appeared in his dreams every night, becoming a nightmare.
Finally, upon receiving Gu Changxiao’s promise to vindicate his father, Jin’an hugged his sister and completely reconciled with her.
He apologized for his past ignorant accusations and felt heartache for his sister’s restraint and forbearance. Compared to his sister, what was his own guilt and unease?
He was well protected by Grandpa, lacking nothing in food or drink, and received an education and martial arts training. But his sister? She had worked tirelessly as Li King in the border city, facing constant dangers, and then followed the Prince to the Northern Frontier, experiencing life-and-death perils multiple times.
Such a beautiful sister had to pretend to be a man for so long. It was all for him and Grandpa!
Jin’an’s eyes had once been blinded by his father’s case, his mind consumed by this one matter. Now that the matter was half-accomplished and the blindfold removed, he fully recognized his sister’s sacrifices.
He secretly vowed to be good to his sister for the rest of his life! He would study hard, achieve success, and be her support.
Perhaps because Jin’an’s crying was so loud, Hei Hu couldn’t help but peek his head out, “Your Highness, Leader Ji, did something happen?”
Jinsui quickly replied, “Nothing.”
She then said to Grandpa, “Take Jin’an out to chat with the soldiers. Liu Yun is still in the Northern Frontier, so there’s still hope for the Sanqing Taoist Temple to be established there.”
She also needed to have a private talk with Gu Changxiao. Grandpa Ling, knowing this, quickly took Jin’an’s hand and bowed to Gu Changxiao, reminding Jinsui:
“Until your father is vindicated, we will continue to use the surname Ji.”
Jinsui nodded, “Don’t worry, Grandpa, I understand. As long as we don’t have the ability to return to Chang’an, the fewer people who know about this, the better.”
They didn’t talk in the barracks but slowly walked back to the Prince’s Residence. The border city at night was still beautiful, with bright lights illuminating the main road, something even Chang’an couldn’t match.
Gu Changxiao didn’t have his Personal Guards follow and joked with Jinsui, “Tonight, I will be Miss Ji’s bodyguard.”
Jinsui chuckled, “I thought you were addicted to being Li King, and now you’re addicted to being Li King’s Personal Guard?”
She adjusted her cloak, turned her head to look at him, and in the bright moonlight, her eyes were like two pools of spring water, “Gu Changxiao, do you really not mind that I hid my identity from you?”
Gu Changxiao said jokingly, “To be honest, I had thought about your backgrounds, and I imagined them to be much more complicated than the reality. So, even if Suisui’s background is a bit more bizarre, I can accept it.”
This time, Jinsui became curious and asked with a smile, “How did you guess?”
Gu Changxiao deliberately said, “I thought you and Daoist Ji were Immortals descending to the mortal realm to overcome tribulations!”
Jinsui was stunned for a moment, then covered her mouth and laughed, “That’s indeed quite absurd! Compared to that, we are just fugitives, which is more acceptable.”
“Are you really Immortals, not sprites from the mountains?”
Gu Changxiao asked with a smile, “Then are you, Suisui?”
Jinsui took his hand, “Do you feel it? It’s warm. I’m human!”
As soon as she let go, Gu Changxiao grasped her hand tightly. His large hand was even warmer, like a small stove enveloping Suisui’s small hand.
Instantly, even though it was late at night, Jinsui felt her face heat up.
A thin layer of ice had formed on the ground, and it crunched underfoot. Jinsui concentrated on the sound of the breaking ice, trying to prevent her own heartbeat from interfering.
“Whether Suisui is human, a sprite, or an Immortal, I only want you to stay by my side. As long as you are by my side, I don’t care about your past,” Gu Changxiao’s tone was full of sincerity.
This made Jinsui feel embarrassed, “You are an Imperial Prince! How can you say such humble words?”
“No, in front of Suisui, I am just Gu Changxiao.”
A man who deeply loves you, fears you being snatched away by others, and fears you might suddenly leave at any moment. That’s all.
Gu Changxiao lifted her hand and gently kissed it.
Jinsui quickly tried to pull her hand back, but he immediately said, “When did Suisui recognize me?”
“I mean, recognize me as the man you rescued from the river?”
Jinsui lowered her head and said, “I recognized you at the bandits’ lair.”
Gu Changxiao immediately felt regret, “Why didn’t you say anything? I actually wanted to chop off Suisui’s feet back then! Fortunately, I didn’t do that, or I would have regretted it for life.”
Jinsui chuckled, “You would never have done that! My Grandpa said back then that you were a responsible and dependable good person.”
Gu Changxiao also laughed, “Thank you for the compliment, Daoist Ji.”
Jinsui suddenly thought of something, “Why did you keep my sleeve? When I pulled it out from your chest, I thought you had some peculiar hobby!”
This time, it was Gu Changxiao’s turn to feel embarrassed. He coughed twice and said, “I wanted to keep a clue so I could find my benefactor later.”
“I never expected heaven to be so kind to me! My benefactor turned out to be Suisui! We must have a very, very deep connection.”
If there were truly a red thread of fate, then our red thread must be even stronger than the iron chains that were once locked together. No one and nothing could ever separate us!
Gu Changxiao suddenly felt full of confidence about their future, even feeling that Yan Jiu, King Batel, and others were not a threat at all; they couldn’t snatch Suisui away!
Jinsui said seriously, “The biggest problem right now is returning to Chang’an. We don’t have enough troops, and you don’t have supporters in Chang’an. Going back would be like throwing an egg against a rock.”
Gu Changxiao nodded, “Actually, we could use the Gentry. There are Gentry families capable of rivaling the Gu family, but I don’t want to use them to return to Chang’an. If we did, everything we’ve done in the border city would be meaningless.”
Jinsui agreed with this point, “Unless it’s after the reforms in Yandi, and we use the Yandi Gentry. If we use the Gentry of Chang’an or Luoyang, it would create a second Gu family.”
They also couldn’t rely on King Batel’s troops, as that would be colluding with an enemy nation and would give Batel a reason to invade Great Xia.
“We can only recruit new soldiers ourselves, train them, and drill them. If we can gather a hundred thousand troops and march directly on the capital under the banner of aiding the Emperor, Prince Yu and the Empress will be no match for us.”
Jinsui then asked, “Do you know the Emperor’s condition? Is he truly ill or faking it?”
Gu Changxiao sighed softly, “Even Suisui thought he might be faking it. I estimate that all the officials and Gentry in Chang’an are trying to find out. Unfortunately, I don’t know His Majesty’s current situation.”
“He has never sent me private messages.”
“I hope he is faking it. If he is truly ill, our actions will become even more difficult after Prince Yu ascends the throne.”
Chang’an was too far away; they were out of reach if something happened, and their troops were insufficient. Currently, the Yandi Gentry, apart from Yan Jiu, could not be fully trusted.
“Let Huo Zi’an take action first! While the Northern Frontier Envoy is in Chang’an, stir up more trouble, so Prince Yu doesn’t have the energy to focus on the border city. We can use this opportunity to gather troops and provisions.”
After they confessed their feelings to each other, discussing the border city’s important matters became much easier. Previously, Jinsui would still be concerned about the ‘boss’s’ mood, but now she wasn’t at all.
“I need to get moving too! Yan Jiu will be back soon, and the textile workshop needs to be built first, along with the wool spinning machine.”
When Yan Jiu was mentioned, Gu Changxiao didn’t react with his previous aversion. He gently admonished, “Don’t overwork yourself. I remember Suisui once said her greatest wish was to sleep until she woke up naturally. So now, I hope you can get a good night’s sleep.”
They were nearing the Prince’s Residence. Gu Changxiao sincerely asked, “Can Suisui move in?”
Jinsui shook her head, “Of course not! What would that look like!”
“It was my presumption, but I really miss the days when we lived in those two thatched huts.”
His eyes darted, “Then can I live at the Ji Residence?”
Jinsui pushed him, “Even more impossible! Your Highness, please return to your residence! We’ll see each other tomorrow.”
The Ji Residence was lit up. As soon as Jinsui entered, Liu Xiaocheng, the third disciple of Grandpa, came to greet her with a smile, “Miss is back! Where are Master and the young master?”
Jinsui smiled, “They’ll be back later. Please prepare hot water and tea first; Grandpa drank quite a bit of wine.”
Liu Xiaocheng chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, “I dare not accept Miss’s trouble. This is what I should do. Master has let us live in the residence, providing food, lodging, and clothing, teaching us skills, and giving us wages. What I do is only right.”
He respectfully stopped before the second gate and handed Jinsui a lantern, “Miss, watch your step.”
Jinsui walked along the corridor lined with plum blossoms, and with every few steps, she happily skipped. It was unclear what made her so happy; Father Ling’s case had finally been confessed to Gu Changxiao, and Gu Changxiao didn’t mind their hidden identities.
Also, they had walked home hand-in-hand under the moonlight. How to describe this feeling? Jinsui had never been in love in her past life, but this must be what love feels like!
In any case, she was happy, genuinely wanting to sing, to skip, even to bury her face in a soft pillow and rub it back and forth.
Then, as she entered her courtyard, she saw a figure climbing the wall.
Her first reaction was to reach for her hand crossbow, then she heard the person call out, “Suisui, it’s me!”
She raised the lantern and saw it was Gu Changxiao.
Jinsui was speechless and amused, “What are you doing? Why are you climbing the wall instead of using the door?”
Gu Changxiao jumped down from the wall, delighted, “My bedroom is only separated by a wall from Suisui’s courtyard! If we open a small door here, we can meet anytime.”
He then added, “Why are there no guards in the residence? You don’t even have maidservants. This won’t do! What if a bad person breaks in?”
Jinsui put her hands on her hips, “Currently, there’s only one pervert climbing in!”
Gu Changxiao chuckled, “A pervert who cherishes his wife is a good man. Suisui calling me that is just a compliment.”
Jinsui was speechless, “Shameless!”
Gu Changxiao then giggled, “Has Suisui forgotten that a pervert and his beloved wife had five children? If I’m a pervert, does that mean Suisui will have to have five children in the future?”
Jinsui covered her face, “Stop talking! What are you really here for?”
He held up the small pot in his hand, “The cook in the residence made dumplings. I thought Suisui must be hungry too, so let’s eat together.”
Seeing the anger on Jinsui’s face subside a little, he magically produced a packet of oil paper, “And some braised beef, perfect with dumplings.”
Jinsui: …
“Just this once! Next time, don’t come in without using the door!”
