Gu Liyue was in a coma for three whole days and nights. When she woke up again, she was still a bit dazed, as if what had happened before was just a dream.
She woke up with a start and looked at Yunniang beside her. "Yunniang? When did you come back?"
Yunniang stroked her face and gestured, "The day you were rescued, the old madam had me brought back."
Gu Liyue propped herself up and looked around. This was her courtyard. She was back. She only remembered being hung over a cliff by Qi Manyan with black - clothed men all around...
Yunniang sent Tangyuan to fetch the doctor and asked Danju to inform the family. Then she continued to gesture, "The old madam has been staying by your side and refused to leave. Only when she saw your fever go down today did she finally take a breath and go back to her courtyard to rest."
Gu Liyue's head still felt a bit dull. The shadows of everyone flashed through her mind like a fleeting show.
When Madam Jiang came in, she finally came to her senses. She got up and was about to go out.
Madam Jiang stopped her. "Liyue, you've just recovered a bit. Your body is still weak. Where are you going?"
Gu Liyue's tears streamed down. "Aunt, how is Jin Chen? And His Highness, the Prince of Liang..."
A trace of sadness flashed in Madam Jiang's eyes. She didn't hide anything and simply said, "The heir is fine. The emperor has taken him to the palace to recuperate. As for the Prince of Liang..."
Gu Liyue sat down on the chair blankly, supported by Madam Jiang, her mind in a tangle.
Madam Jiang added, "Qi Manyan has also disappeared. The entire Qi family has been sealed off by the emperor's order. Your uncles are in the palace now, and so are your three elder brothers. You don't need to worry about other things."
Gu Liyue took a sip of water from Yunniang's hand. Before she could fully come to her senses, she heard a groan at the door.
Then came Madam Qin's voice, suppressing her anger but still unable to hide it. "You naughty boy! Even if your leg is okay, your father will break it for you later!"
Madam Qin was always gentle and tender. She had never been so angry, not even raising her voice to talk to others. This time, she must be really angry.
For some reason, Gu Liyue felt a slight sense of relief. She looked up and saw Madam Qin and Gu Chengzhi coming in together.
Gu Chengzhi's hand was still in a sling, and he dragged his other leg into the room. He beamed at Gu Liyue. "Is my sister fully recovered?"
Gu Liyue was still a bit confused. "What happened to you, Fourth Brother?"
Gu Chengzhi pouted. Not caring that his aunt and mother were there, he grabbed Gu Liyue and poured out his grievances. "Sister, you should really think about it. I don't think Lu Jinchen is a good person. Last time when you and his adoptive father were in danger at the same time, he actually wanted to save Xu Nian instead of you. Just thinking about it makes me grind my teeth in hatred. I wish I could beat him up."
Gu Liyue just looked at Gu Chengzhi with concern and sized him up. "Where did you get injured, Fourth Brother? You must have worried the family."
Gu Chengzhi scratched his nose and grinned. "Aren't you angry with him?"
Gu Liyue smiled with raised eyebrows. "If I were him, I would surely save my relatives first."
These words made Gu Chengzhi feel very comfortable. He felt that his sister must have chosen him over Lu Jinchen.
Madam Jiang was busy. Seeing that the children in the family were all well, she told Yunniang and the maids to take good care of them and then went to attend to her own affairs.
Gu Chengzhi waved his hand boldly and said proudly to Gu Liyue, "Originally, I went to find him because he was going to save Xu Nian. Suddenly, I learned that you were also in danger, but he only cared about Xu Nian... Sister, don't be sad. He has his own difficulties. Xu Nian is his adoptive father who raised him, and he can't ignore his kindness."
Gu Liyue nodded and asked, "What about you? Why didn't you come to save me, Fourth Brother?"
Hearing Gu Liyue's coquettish and blaming tone, Gu Chengzhi felt embarrassed for a moment. He quickly said, "It's not that I didn't want to save you. I was extremely worried at that time, but Qi Manyan said that only Lu Jinchen could go. I was afraid that if someone else went, you would be killed by Qi Manyan... And anyway, Lu Jinchen is, well... my brother - in - law, isn't he? He can't ignore his adoptive father. So I..."
Gu Liyue pursed her lips and smiled. Brother - in - law or not, even if Lu Jinchen had nothing to do with her, given the relationship between Gu Chengzhi and Lu Jinchen, Gu Chengzhi would surely help whole - heartedly.
"Is that Xu Nian okay?"
Gu Chengzhi said, "He was whipped all over and was covered in wounds. Those people wanted Xu Nian to sign a document admitting his affair with Jin Chen's mother. Xu Nian refused to sign. When I got there, he was almost dead. Sigh..."
Gu Liyue was horrified and quickly said, "Since it's not true, he shouldn't admit it."
Gu Chengzhi asked, "Are you so sure?"
Gu Liyue nodded. "I believe it. And I saw the Prince of Liang that day. He risked his life to save Lu Jinchen. The Prince of Liang knew about Xu Nian on his way back. If he had the slightest doubt, he wouldn't have saved Lu Jinchen."
When it came to the missing Prince of Liang, Gu Chengzhi felt a bit complicated. It took him a long time to say, "Jin Chen hates the Prince of Liang. I know the Prince of Liang has done a lot wrong to Jin Chen, but I... just can't hate him."
Gu Liyue nodded. "Maybe, for an ordinary person, it's hard to hate a good official and a kind - hearted prince who loves his people."
Gu Chengzhi sighed and said, "I used to curse him and hoped that he would die a bad death, but I just hoped that he would be exhausted to death by state affairs... Actually, if he really died for the country and the people, I wouldn't be that sad. But he..."
"As you sow, so shall you reap. The debt he owed to Lu Jinchen is repaid with his life. Maybe it's retribution. I just think that Jin Chen must be very unhappy."
She fainted that day and didn't know how she was rescued, let alone what Lu Jinchen was like later. But she remembered clearly the last moment when there was a desperate light and endless sadness in Lu Jinchen's eyes.
He hated his father extremely, but in the end, he roared for his father not to worry about him and to go to the palace quickly because the emperor and the country were more important. This also showed that deep in his heart, he must have respected and been proud of his father.
Gu Chengzhi said, "I was rescued by grandfather that day. Lu Jinxuan was beheaded on the spot by grandfather. Xu Nian was sent back to the palace by grandfather, and the emperor woke up that day. I didn't see Lu Jinchen, so I don't know how he is."
Gu Liyue lowered her head and thought for a while. "Can we ask Lu Yunxi?"
A blush rose on Gu Chengzhi's cheeks. "She... she has returned to the palace."
"Who has returned to the palace?" Lu Yunxi ran in boldly and slapped Gu Chengzhi's injured hand hard. He grimaced in pain.
"Who are you talking about? Liyue, you're awake?"
Gu Liyue found it funny. She nodded and asked, "Yes. We were just talking about you. I want to ask you, how is Jin Chen?"
Lu Yunxi didn't suspect anything. She sat beside Gu Liyue. Seeing that she was fine except for looking a bit listless, she felt relieved. She nodded and said, "I was sent by him to tell you that he is safe."