Chapter 129: Let’s Celebrate By Doing It!

Lady Sun was scared stiff by Eldest Young Master Gu’s proclamation. Her husband had never said something so unlucky even when they were stuck in the prisons together. “What in the world happened?” her voice rose in pitch as she blanched. Is someone scheming against our family again? Or…

Yu Xiaoxiao’s usual expressionless face rose up in Lady Sun’s mind. It couldn’t be Her Royal Highness, right?

Gu Xingnuo smiled bitterly. How was he supposed to explain things to his wife? That the princess not only poisoned Eternal Life Temple’s junior master, but attempted to murder him too? Even grandfather would be hard-pressed to bear the news, much less his wife. But if he didn’t tell her, Lady Sun would panic even more. She was just about to press him for details when one of the stewards hurried over and stopped outside the study.

“Eldest young master, an imperial guard from the palace’s arrived. The supreme commander tells you to hurry over right away.”

“Here it comes,” Gu Xingnuo muttered under his breath. Whatever awaited their Gu Clan was inescapable.

“I’m going to grandfather’s,” he told Lady Sun, “Go look after Xun’er and Jin’er.”

Lady Sun asked nervously, “Husband, it’s really alright?”

Gu Xingnuo drew her into his arms for a light hug before letting go and striding towards the study. Lady Sun collapsed into a chair, feeling frightened and uneasy. She quickly ordered the servant girl outside, “Xiang Yun, go follow eldest young master.”

The servant Xiang Yun (香云)1 murmured an assent before scurrying off.

“Please let everything be all right,” Lady Sun prayed as she sat in the study. If soldiers came to take them to the prisons again, she wasn’t sure whether she’d lose her wits.

—

Gu Xingnuo hurried to the main courtyard just in time to see the imperial guard standing there already. He made it to his grandfather’s side and murmured, “Grandfather.”

“Mm,” his grandfather replied. “His Majesty said he’d send an imperial decree here, but why did he send an imperial bodyguard? And he doesn’t have any decrees on him either. Is His Majesty simply going to give verbal instructions this this?” Isn’t that too childish of His Majesty if he wants to exonerate our family’s wrongs?

Gu Xingnuo looked at the imperial bodyguard, his eyes like daggers. The guard swallowed. He was only here to tell the Gu Clan to prepare to receive the emperor. Who said the Eldest Young Master Gu was a warm and gentle type? He could flay me alive with his glare.

“What’s he doing, still standing here?” the old patriarch said. “Is he here to announce the decree?”

“Grandfather, the situation’s changed,” Gu Xingnuo murmured back. “I’m afraid this guard is here for other reasons.”

The old patriarch grew alarmed. “Has someone broken through our frontier pass?”

Gu Xingnuo shook his head. If only that was the case!

The old patriarch pointed a finger at the guard and demanded, “Say something, ah! What do you want our Gu Estate for?!”

As a trained military man, his voice was like a thunderclap whenever he grew agitated. The poor guard was struck stunned and instantly straightened his posture. Gu Xingnuo smiled at him and immediately gave him a gentle look. “Does His Majesty have business sending this brother to our estate?”

The guard sucked in a breath and said, “His Majesty has verbal instructions to pass on to the Royal Son-in-Law. May I ask Supreme Commander and Eldest Young Master Gu where the Royal Son-in-Law might be?” Waiting here had yielded nothing, so had the man come home last night at all?

“Looking for Xinglang? Why didn’t you say so earlier?” the old patriarch asked.

The guard only felt wronged. He had said as much by the gates, but as soon as he was brought inside, everyone went around busying themselves setting up the altar table, arranging cattail hassock cushions, and prepared to receive the imperial decree. He never said he was here for that!

Gu Xingnuo quickly ordered the servants, “Go tell Third Young Master to hurry up.”

The fact that Xianzong had called for Gu Xinglang first thing in the morning worried Gu Xingnuo. He assumed that the emperor was fretful of Eternal Life Temple not sparing the princess and wanted to tell their third brother to run away with her first. But where was the couple to flee to under the sun to avoid Eternal Life Temple?

—

Gu Xinglang was still hugging his sleeping wife when the servants came to summon him. He was even beginning to grow sleepy again after seeing her sweetly slumbering face.

“My father wants to find you?” Yu Xiaoxiao was awoken by the yells and rubbed her eyes at Gu Xinglang.

Gu Xinglang knitted his brows. Didn’t my father-in-law say he’d send an imperial decree today to exonerate our Gu Clan? I’m already a third-rank general, so the ones reclaiming their ranks are grandfather and my brothers. What kind of decree am I supposed to accept?

Yu Xiaoxiao saw his creased eyebrows and yawned. “Stop thinking and let’s keep sleeping.”

Amused into grinning, Gu Xinglang replied, “Xiaoxiao, that’s His Majesty.”

Yu Xiaoxiao harrumphed and shut her eyes, her face expressionless. However, her tone was full of scorn.

“I’ll go receive the decree,” Gu Xinglang set her gently aside and got up. “You sleep a little longer.”

Yu Xiaoxiao turned over and sat up too. “Let me check your feet first. I used medicine on you last night, so I want to see the effects.”

“Xiaoxiao, I need to receive His Majesty’s decree immediately,” Gu Xinglang explained.

Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t waste words with him and quickly pushed him back down on bed. “My father’s never minded public affairs, so why would he find you? Don’t worry about useless things and let me check your injuries.”

Gu Xinglang tried to figure out how to explain to his wife about imperial power as he struggled to sit up again. “Xiaoxiao, I must go accept His Majesty’s decree. Refusing it is a death sentence.”

Yu Xiaoxiao saw that he still wanted to leave and simply moved to sit on his stomach. “How could you refuse a decree before you even accept it? Don’t bully me just because I haven’t read much books.”

Now Third Young Master Gu couldn’t move at all. This was the first time in his life that anyone had sat on his stomach. All he could feel were two tender mounds of flesh resting on his abdomen while rubbing here and there. The Lil’ Little Gu soon rose to attention at his wife’s ministrations.

Yu Xiaoxiao smoothly undid Gu Xinglang’s bandages to inspect his feet. As Gu Xinglang had never used penicillin in his life, he had no tolerance to the drug. She was relieved after seeing the wounds, because the inflammation had improved even beyond her own expectations.

“Xiaoxiao?” Gu Xinglang had no choice but to remain flat on his back, staring at the butt pointing his direction while Yu Xiaoxiao leaned forward to examine his feet. He couldn’t be bothered with the state of his injuries now when he suddenly felt so hot and thirsty.

Yu Xiaoxiao was delighted to see the effects from a single dose of penicillin. As her moral principles had no grounding to begin with, this joy only made them plunge into a deeper hole. She turned around and threw herself on top of Gu Xinglang with a happy exclamation.

“Your injuries will heal very soon. Let’s celebrate by doing it!”2