Compared with the grandmother, the grandfather was in better spirits and didn't seem worried.
Gu Liyue couldn't help asking, "Aren't you worried, Grandfather?"
The old master Gu laughed. "Does worrying help?"
Gu Liyue lowered her eyes and shook her head.
The old master Gu continued, "It's enough to keep our worries in our hearts. Our relatives are on the front - line. All we can do is pray silently. We must also protect ourselves so that when they return safely, they won't have to worry about us."
Gu Liyue nodded. "Grandfather is right."
The old master Gu reached out and patted Gu Liyue on the head. "Liyue is still too young. When I was young, I followed my father and uncles to the battlefield. I know very well that worrying is useless. Every time we got off the battlefield and saw our relatives safe and sound, we could all heave a sigh of relief... Later, some were injured and some died. After seeing and crying so much, we got used to it. Taking revenge for them and living well for them is more important than anything else."
Gu Liyue tightened her grip on the hairpin in her hand. He must be okay. They must all be okay.
After a busy and tiring day of sacrifice and prayer, the emperor's face looked ashen - gray, but he just pursed his lips and said nothing. His eyes were full of determination.
The queen went down the mountain with him.
To show their piety, the carriages were only parked at the foot of the mountain. Everyone had walked up the mountain on foot, and now they had to walk down as well.
Gu Liyue wanted to help the old lady, but Gu Chengzhi sent her to the back. "Sister, just take care of yourself. I'll help Grandmother."
Among the prestigious families in the capital, the women were generally hard - working. There were many old ladies as aged as hers, with completely white hair.
At the moment, there was little sound in the team. Everyone supported and protected each other as they walked down step by step.
Gu Liyue looked back at the large group behind her. She felt that the sight was magnificent. She had heard Lu Yunxi talk about "unity is strength", but she had only read this phrase in books and didn't have much feeling about it. Now, she seemed to understand what "unity is strength" meant. This was it.
Some people were breathing more and more heavily. Some couldn't walk anymore and went to the side path to rest for a while before continuing.
The old lady was old. After a busy day, she finally couldn't hold on. Gu Junyan and Gu Chengzhi helped her to sit on a rock on one side to rest.
Mrs. Jiang and Mrs. Qin also wanted to stay, but the old lady just waved her hand. "You go first. There are a lot of things waiting for you to handle. I can't walk fast. I'll just take my time. Junyan, you go first too. Let Chengzhi stay with me."
Gu Junyan was reluctant at first, but then he nodded. His grandfather was old, his father was away, and his second uncle was a bit muddled. There were many things he had to step up for.
Gu Liyue quickly said, "Brother, don't worry. Brother Four and I are here, and so are the guards."
There were old ladies from several families nearby, and the whole mountain path was guarded by the capital guards. There was no need to worry about being attacked. Gu Junyan nodded at Gu Chengzhi and then turned to leave.
They walked and rested along the way. Gu Liyue whispered to the old lady, telling her not to always worry about hurrying or holding on.
The old lady smiled. "Liyue is in good health. Even after such a tiring day, she doesn't seem as exhausted as other young ladies."
Gu Liyue smiled. "So even young ladies shouldn't stay at home all day. They should walk around more on weekdays so that they can be useful in critical moments."
Gu Chengzhi asked, "Did you walk a lot when you were a child, Sister?"
Gu Liyue thought for a moment. "Our family lived in a town, but we needed firewood for cooking. We didn't have the money to buy it, so we had to go up the mountain to cut and pick it ourselves. All the children in every family did that. After walking so much, we got used to it. We also got used to climbing mountains."
Gu Chengzhi's face darkened. "In every family? But your uncles and aunts must not have been willing to let their children do that. You must have done all this work alone, right?"
Gu Liyue laughed. "Brother Four is joking. I only have Yuniang. I don't have any uncles or aunts."
Gu Chengzhi was stunned for a moment, then he also laughed. "Right. But now, you have more than just Yuniang. You have many relatives."
Gu Liyue nodded vigorously. "Yes!"
"Ah!"
A young girl's scream came from the front, followed by several other voices.
"Oh no, Princess! Be careful..."
Gu Liyue's heart skipped a beat. She told the maid to support the grandmother and then she and Gu Chengzhi rushed to the front. They saw Mrs. Cheng crying on the ground, while the maids were extremely anxious, lying on the edge of the cliff beside the path.
There were also two of Lu Yunxi's maids.
"What happened?"
When the maid saw Gu Chengzhi, she was overjoyed and pointed at the cliff. "Young Master Gu, Miss Cheng accidentally slipped off the cliff. Our princess jumped down in a hurry to save her... Young Master Gu, please think of a way to save them!"
Gu Chengzhi quickly told the Cheng family members to step back. He looked over the cliff and sure enough, not even half a zhang below on the mountainside, Lu Yunxi was lying on a tree trunk that grew diagonally out of a crack in the cliff. She was holding a crying five - or six - year - old girl in one arm.
Lu Yunxi's face was contorted. She squinted and looked up, shouting, "Gu Chengzhi, hurry up and save me. I can't hold on anymore!"
Gu Chengzhi looked around in a panic. There was nothing suitable. How could he save them?
Lu Yunxi shouted again, "Hurry up! I think my left arm is dislocated. If you don't come quickly, I won't be able to hold this child anymore!"
When Mrs. Cheng heard this, she burst into tears and was about to rush forward, but was firmly held back by the maids.
Gu Liyue frowned and scolded, "If you cause more trouble, Mrs. Cheng, we really won't be able to save them."
Mrs. Cheng was in a daze. After being scolded by Gu Liyue, she didn't dare to say a word. She covered her mouth and sobbed.
Gu Chengzhi grabbed a dead branch on one side, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reach Lu Yunxi. It was just the beginning of spring, and the vines hadn't grown well yet. He really couldn't find a suitable tool for a while.
Just then, Lu Yunxi shouted, "Oh, I really can't hold on anymore, Gu Chengzhi. Quickly catch this child!"
As she shouted, she threw the child up with all her strength. In order to throw the child up, the dead tree trunk under her snapped. With a crack, the tree trunk and she fell rapidly downward.
Gu Chengzhi leaped into the air, caught the child and threw her to Gu Liyue, then he jumped down himself.
Gu Liyue caught the child in her arms and fell heavily to the ground. She was in so much pain that her eyes were filled with tears. She felt as if her whole body was torn apart. She didn't care about the pain. She put the child down gently on one side. Without even checking on the child, she hurriedly lay on the edge of the cliff to look, but there was no sign of them anymore.
Mrs. Cheng hugged the child, crying and comforting her. "Don't cry, my dear. It's okay now. Don't cry..."
Lu Yunxi's maids were extremely anxious. Hearing this, they couldn't hold back their tears any longer. One of them cried, "What do you mean it's okay? You couldn't take good care of your child, and now our princess and Young Master Gu may be dead or alive. How can you say it's okay?"