Union

Chapter 175 My Daughter
When they were still a few steps away from the palace gate, Chen Yanzhou lowered his head and said to Yun Ying, "There's no need to go any further, let's stay here."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Yanzhou helped Yunying kneel down, "Kowtowing three times, I'll take you back."

"Ah."

Yunying walked several dozen steps, and now her forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat. Her face was deathly pale, like a ghost, and all the good complexion she had painstakingly cultivated was gone.

The sight was heartbreaking, and one couldn't help but mutter to oneself.

What did this maid do wrong?
I have no say in what I do.

If you don't do things well, you're considered incompetent and will be severely punished; if you do them well, you offend Lin Shuqing and almost lose your life.

It's true, there's no limit to how difficult it can get.

Fortunately, he was released from citizenship this time, otherwise he would definitely lose his life in the future.

Yunying had no time to guess what the others were thinking; she forced herself to kowtow three times.

After bowing her head one last time, she could no longer lift it.

At this moment, she felt a wave of nausea in her chest and the world was spinning; she couldn't help but want to fall down.

But you can't!

You mustn't spit it out!

You absolutely must not fall down!
Otherwise, if gossip reaches His Majesty's ears, it could cost her her life.

Yunying gritted her teeth, enduring the churning in her throat, determined not to do anything that would offend the emperor's authority at this moment.

Fortunately, in the blink of an eye, she was picked up.

Chen Yanzhou held her in his arms and kept pressing the acupoints on her body.

He used a bit more force, his movements quick and precise. Yunying instantly felt much better, forcefully suppressing the urge to vomit.

"Are you feeling any better? Do you need me to press harder?"

Yunying managed to utter a breathy voice, "No need, I feel much better."

"Can you walk? Or should I carry you to the car?"

Yunying gently shook her head and stepped out of Chen Yanzhou's arms.

"No, I'll go by myself."

Chen Yanzhou has done enough for her.

He bore the infamy of being "lovesick," "impulsive," and "treacherous and ruthless" for her sake. She couldn't let him be impeached by the censor and reported to the emperor for misbehaving at the palace gate.

Yunying forced a smile and said to Chen Yanzhou, "I'm much better now, let's go back."

Chen Yanzhou looked her up and down.

Perhaps his acupressure had worked, as her complexion had indeed improved somewhat. However, she still looked haggard and weak, as if she had suffered a great deal.

But now is not the time to feel sorry for her. Although there was no court assembly today, there were still many people coming and going to the palace to request an audience.

He knew she didn't like to be in the limelight and didn't want to become the subject of gossip, so he went along with her wishes.

Chen Yanzhou said, "Okay, let's go back to the mansion."

Chen Yanzhou supported her arm, gently lifting her frail body while subtly ensuring she walked steadily so she wouldn't fall and embarrass herself.

While doing these things, Chen Yanzhou nodded to the Imperial Guards who had come to ask him questions.

The Imperial Guard nodded slightly in response, promising to immediately relay the matter to the palace.

Seeing this, Chen Yanzhou did not hesitate any longer and turned around to help Yunying walk towards the carriage.

But at that very moment, he caught a glimpse of someone coming out of the palace out of the corner of his eye.

It was early morning, and His Majesty should have already had breakfast and was either dealing with state affairs or had just begun to summon his ministers... This person coming out of the palace most likely meant that he had stayed overnight in the palace the previous night, just like the last time he stayed overnight in the palace.

Chen Yanzhou took another look at the person who came, and found that it was actually an acquaintance.

It was none other than his father's good friend, General Gu Wangchen, who was in charge of the Western Expedition.

Gu Wangchen was both an elder and a superior, so it was impossible for him not to pay his respects upon meeting him.

After whispering a few words to Yun Ying, Chen Yanzhou walked over to Gu Wangchen.

As soon as Gu Wangchen left the palace, he saw two young people not far away.

The two people, a man and a woman, were behaving intimately. Although their faces were not visible, their backs gave the impression of a loving couple.

He did not expect that one of them was Chen Yanzhou from the Rongguo Duke's Mansion.

Having recognized Chen Yanzhou, and seeing the woman with her back to them being led to a carriage, even someone like Gu Wangchen who disliked gossip would recognize her as Yun Ying, the girl who had caused such a stir in the capital.

Gu Wangchen had no time to concern himself with the grudges and feuds of the younger generation. He looked at Chen Yanzhou as he approached, his expression still relatively gentle.

After Chen Yanzhou greeted him, Gu Wangchen helped him up with one hand, "Why did you get up so early and come to the palace?"

Chen Yanzhou whispered his purpose, and Gu Wangchen suddenly understood.

He forgot that the young lady Yunying had been granted the title of a sixth-rank Anren, and should have gone to the palace to express her gratitude.

Gu Wangchen nodded slightly and did not pursue the matter further. He only said, "I have arranged to have a banquet at the Duke of Xuan's mansion today with your father. If you are free, you can come with your father. Yuanxi has obtained two jars of fine wine from somewhere these past few days. You can taste them with him."

Chen Yanzhou said, "Uncle, I shouldn't refuse your kind invitation, but I've been very busy lately and I'm afraid I won't have time to keep your appointment."

Gu Wangchen smiled and said, "It's alright. You're still in the capital anyway. Just come over whenever you have time."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yanzhou naturally replied, "Okay."

Then, Chen Yanzhou couldn't help but ask about the reason why Uncle Shi had entered the palace. There was nothing to hide, so Gu Wangchen said, "I was planning to set off back to the Northwest today. Yesterday, I went to the palace to say goodbye to His Majesty, but unexpectedly, His Majesty kept me there for drinks. I drank too much and stayed overnight in the palace. I'm afraid I won't be able to leave today."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yanzhou hurriedly said, "You've finally made it back to the capital, why not stay a few more days before you leave?"

Gu Wangchen patted his shoulder, "I can't stay any longer. There are constant battles on the border, especially around the end of the year, so we can't leave anyone behind. I've already been in the capital for many days, and there's no need to linger any longer."

The two walked out while talking, and soon arrived at a carriage.

The carriage bore the family crest of the Duke of Xuanguo's mansion, and a one-armed coachman of military background patiently waited beside it.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Gu Wangchen, Chen Yanzhou didn't waste any more time and prepared to see his uncle off.

It was quite a coincidence that this carriage was not far from the one he and Yunying had used to come here.

Two carriages were parked one in front of the other.

Without his help, Suiyu couldn't easily help Yunying into the carriage. In addition, General Pingxi walked up with him, and Yunying supported herself and bowed beside the carriage.

Upon seeing this, General Pingxi raised his hand to let him rise.

Yunying kept her head down the whole time, which made the gauze on her forehead visible, and anyone with eyes could see that she had injured her head.

Adding to the ordeal of the morning, the wound bled, staining even the gauze red. Seeing this, even Gu Wangchen felt a pang of pity.

She's just a young girl, why would anyone do such a cruel thing to her?
He then said to Chen Yanzhou, "You should go back soon too, you shouldn't keep the young lady waiting."

Chen Yanzhou also saw the bloodstains on Yun Ying's forehead and immediately stopped performing all the proper etiquette.

He nodded slightly to Gu Wangchen, bowed, and then walked towards Yun Ying.

Seeing his eagerness, Gu Wangchen couldn't help but smile.

They really are young people.

He stepped onto the carriage.

He moves very quickly; after all, he comes from a military background, and he remains very agile to this day.

In the blink of an eye, Gu Wangchen had already entered the carriage.

Just as the carriage started moving and was about to turn, Gu Wangchen's anxious voice came from inside the carriage again, "Stop the carriage."

The driver was his former deputy general, who had been wounded in the arm and left with severe leg injuries on the battlefield. That's why he was assigned to the mansion to take care of his family.

Upon hearing this, the lieutenant shouted "Whoa!" and used his only hand to pull hard on the reins.

Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, Gu Wangchen had already stepped out of the carriage and jumped down.

"General, be careful..."

Gu Wangchen couldn't hear the deputy general's words; he staggered toward Chen Yanzhou as if possessed.

At this moment, Chen Yanzhou was carrying Yunying onto the carriage. He held her arm under her armpits, and once she was steady, he stepped onto the carriage himself.

But as soon as he took one step, he keenly sensed that something was wrong with the movement ahead.

Chen Yanzhou turned his head and saw his uncle jump down from the carriage in a panic and then stride toward him.

Chen Yanzhou pulled his leg back and quickly steadied himself. "Uncle, has something been forgotten?"

Gu Wangchen didn't look at him at all, but only at Yun Ying, who had her back to them.

Perhaps hearing his words, Yunying turned around in surprise, revealing a fragile and aloof face.

Upon seeing this, Gu Wangchen lost his composure, and his eyes instantly turned red.

His lips trembled, and he seemed to have suffered a huge shock, looking as if he was about to collapse.

Something doesn't look right at all.

Chen Yanzhou stepped forward to help him up, "Uncle, Uncle, what's wrong?"

The commotion even alerted the imperial guards at the palace gates. The guards who had come to ask questions earlier cast questioning glances at them and then came over again.

But even Chen Yanzhou didn't know what had happened, so how could he give an explanation?

Just then, Gu Wangchen broke free from Chen Yanzhou's support, took two steps forward, and walked straight to Yun Ying.

His action startled Yunying, who awkwardly took a step back.

Upon seeing this scene, Chen Yanzhou suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

The scene that had occurred at the temple fair at the foot of Linghui Temple was now running rampant in his mind.

Chen Yanzhou realized what was going on and quickly walked over, asking in a slightly hesitant voice, "Uncle, do you also think Yun Ying looks familiar?"

Gu Wangchen looked at Yun Ying and wanted to reach out, but when he saw the girl dodging him, he dared not take another step forward.

He heard Chen Yanzhou's words, grabbed his arm, and felt a lump in his throat as if it were stuffed with cotton. "Also? Before me, who else thought Yun Ying looked familiar?"

Chen Yanzhou didn't care about the strong force on his arm. He said solemnly, "I met Yuan Xi at the temple fair before. Yuan Xi saw Yun Ying and said that the lower half of Yun Ying's face made him feel very familiar."

“It’s Yuanxi.” Gu Wangchen smiled, but tears suddenly welled up in his eyes. “It’s not that she looks familiar, it’s that she looks exactly the same. She looks exactly like her maternal grandmother, and she also resembles her maternal cousins. Yuanxi met her and still missed her, is he blind?”

These words were spoken in a profound and mysterious way, leaving the listeners completely bewildered.

After a long time, Chen Yanzhou managed to piece together a guess in his mind, relying on his exceptional comprehension skills.

But that guess was so outrageous that it was hard to believe.

Chen Yanzhou finally mustered the courage to ask, "You mean, you believe Yunying is your daughter. She resembles her maternal grandmother and also bears some resemblance to her cousins?"

"There's no mistake, this is my daughter, my daughter with Huiyin, there's absolutely no mistake about this."

Huiyin was Gu Wangchen's first wife.

When the two were still infants, their marriage was arranged by their elders. As they grew up, their feelings for each other deepened, and when they finally got married, they were an even more devoted couple.

Huiyin died tragically during childbirth, and even the whereabouts of her newborn child were unknown. He was greatly traumatized and remained in a daze for several years, not knowing what day it was.

He was young and strong, yet he could not bear the pain of losing his wife. His mother-in-law, who lived far away in Jiangnan, was already frail. Upon hearing of Huiyin's misfortune, she remained bedridden for two months before finally passing away.

Yuanxi was only three years old at the time, and he didn't have a deep impression of his mother and maternal grandmother. Perhaps this was why he was hesitant to recognize his younger sister when they met.

But he recognized her at a glance—it was her daughter!

Her lower face resembled her mother-in-law's, but her almond-shaped eyes were exactly like her wife's.

Gu Wangchen, tears streaming down his face, grabbed Yun Ying's arm in a fit of rage, crying out, "My daughter!"

The sound seemed to burst forth from the depths of one's lungs, piercingly mournful and heart-wrenching, bringing tears to the eyes.

The pain and joy are intertwined, making it impossible to tell whether there is more joy or more pain.

But without exception, even the toughest men couldn't help but tear up at that one shout.

Chen Yanzhou felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.

Thinking about Uncle Shi's tumultuous life, and then thinking about what would happen to him—no, just the thought of losing Yunying, losing the love of his life—is enough to make one's heart ache and one feel a jolt of fear as if being electrocuted.

Chen Yanzhou was suddenly touched. He turned his head and saw a palace guard gesturing to him. Chen Yanzhou looked up and saw Yun Ying swaying precariously, her face deathly pale.

Whether it was the shocking news that Gu Wangchen suddenly revealed, or the force with which he pulled, that frightened Yun Ying. At this moment, she was swaying and looked as if she was about to faint.

Chen Yanzhou took two steps forward and quickly tried to pull Gu Wangchen's arm off.

"Uncle, please calm down. Yunying has biological parents. Is she really your daughter...?"

"She is my daughter! I can't mistake her for my daughter! This is my daughter, the daughter I've been searching for for eighteen years!"

The commotion grew louder and louder, and even some court officials and noblewomen who were originally going to the palace couldn't help but stop their carriages and send their servants to find out what was going on.

It turned out that General Pingxi was recognizing his daughter, and that daughter was none other than Yunying, who had come to the palace gate to express her gratitude...

Good heavens, this is truly one crisis after another; even a play script couldn't be more exciting.

This gossip is so juicy and intriguing!

In an instant, the court officials and noblewomen disregarded their composure and quickly alighted from their carriages, walking over in this direction.