The Gu Family’s Army Will Not Have a Traitor (Part One)
As night fell, Gu HuaiJiang’s group momentarily stopped in the forest next to the main road to get some rest.
Aside from Yu Fu and Yao Lan, who were sleeping in their carriage, everyone else sat cross-legged on the ground around a bonfire near the carriage.
Gu ShuBai glanced at Yu Fu’s carriage then lowered his voice, “It’s fortunate that His Majesty sent Yu Fu that carriage while he was still alive; otherwise, another trip that would require us to travel continuously might be more than her body could handle.”
Ever since Yu Fu came to Marquis Gu’s Manor, she had not gone out many times, but whenever she did, she would be traveling day and night.
The young misses from other noble families were all fragile young girls at her age, while she alone had to persevere through all sorts of difficulties.
Gu HuaiJiang wanted to spoil her as if she was a princess, but in the end, he ended up turning her into the daughter of a general’s family who was more valiant than most men.
The bonfire danced in the darkness, and everyone followed his gaze, even hearing the sound of her breathing inside the carriage.
Suddenly, a sound came from the forest, which attracted everyone’s attention.
“Who is it?”
There was a large wutong* nearby, and it was shaking quite a bit. It was shaking in a way that was completely different from the other trees that were swaying with the wind. Looking closely, it could be seen that someone was hidden in it.
Lao Jin shouted loudly, and the girl sleeping in the carriage was woken up with a start. Rubbing her eyes, she opened the curtain and looked outside.
Gu ShuBai quickly retreated to the carriage, “Stay inside the carriage and don’t come out. I will stay here to protect you.”
Yu Fu obediently nodded and lowered the curtain then began feeling around the carriage. She pulled her poison needles out of her sleeve in case she would need them.
Yao Lan lay on the seat and continued to sleep. Not even such a huge commotion could affect her sleep.
Yu Fu yawned and shook her awake, “Yao Lan, stop sleeping. There might be an assassin!”
“Huh? Assassin?”
Yao Lan was half asleep. Wiping the saliva from the corner of her mouth, she instantly sat up, put on an outer layer, and moved to the window to help Yu Fu keep an eye on the situation outside.
The bow was drawn and aimed at the tree, and the person atop the tree knew that they could not escape, dropping down, “Don’t shoot. I’m Kun YuYang!”
Gu HuaiJiang lowered his hand, and the bows were lowered. Sure enough, a slender girl’s figure appeared and walked out from under the tree.
Yu Fu heard Kun YuYang’s name and hurriedly pulled the curtain to the side. Looking carefully, she saw a familiar figure and quickly leaped out of the carriage, “Everyone stop. YuYang, why have you come?”
Kun YuYang walked out of the darkness, and the light from the bonfire revealed her sorry state. It was as if she had rushed out here from the capital on her own.
Seeing Yu Fu, she cried with joy, “Yu Fu, I’ve finally found you!”
The two girls came together in a hug, as everyone else put their weapons away. Yu Fu looked at her in confusion, “YuYang, were you crying?”
Kun YuYang was someone who rarely had a fragile temperament. She had a strong and outgoing personality that was unique to Western Kun’s women. How could she cry in front of others so easily?
“Did you come from the capital? Did something happen along the way?”
Kun YuYang shook her head, “It wasn’t something that happened along the way. It was something that happened at the capital!”
She looked toward Gu HuaiJiang, “Lord Marquis Gu, there’s something that I need to tell you myself. It’s an incredibly urgent matter, and I ask that Lord Marquis Gu have your subordinates dismissed.”
She had a serious expression, and Gu JiuGe said: “Have you also come to report His Majesty’s death?”
“You already know that His Majesty has passed away?”
Kun YuYang was a little shocked, as she saw a man dressed differently from the Gu family’s army step forward and cup his hands, “This subordinate was sent by Lord Ji to come and ask Marquis Gu to quickly return to the capital.”
Kun YuYang nodded. She had heard of Lord Ji from Ning TangShu. He was one of the scarcely-seen honest officials in court.
He would surely have found something strange to be strange and thus sent someone to inform Gu HuaiJiang.
She could trust Ji DaoGong, “What I want to say is related to this, but it’s not directly related.”
Gu HuaiJiang lowered his voice: “Madam, it’s fine to say it directly. There’s no need for me to dismiss my subordinates. My Gu family’s army won’t have any traitors. If madam can tell this marquis, it can be said to this marquis’ subordinates.”
Kun YuYang looked around. Yan HuaShi and the others had calm expressions, and they all had the same aura as Gu HuaiJiang.
This was probably a result of unity?
Gu ShuBai pointed to a spot near the bonfire, “Madam has had a difficult journey. Let’s sit down to speak.”
…
Kun YuYang recounted everything that she saw and heard without neglecting anything. Hearing her hoarse voice, Yu Fu had Yao Lan pour her some tea.
Kun YuYang received the tea and downed it without concern for appearances, “This is all that I know. Right, I brought the piece of metal that I found in the forest.”
She removed the pouch from her hip and opened it up. From inside, she retrieved a metal ring.
To conceal it so carefully and closely, it was clear how much she valued it. Gu HuaiJiang received the ring, and a memory quickly surfaced.
Kun YuYang said: “Does lord marquis recognize it?”
“I do.”
Gu HuaiJiang nodded and handed the metal ring to Yan HuaShi, “Take a look. Is this not the mechanism from the lotus flower arrow that falls off after the arrow is shot?”
Yan HuaShi, Lao Jin, and the others gathered around to take a look. They found some distinct notches in the ring’s form, “These notches fit perfectly with the mechanism inside the arrow. There’s no mistake. This is from a lotus flower arrow! Saying it like this, it was not the second prince who deliberately made an attempt on His Majesty’s life. Rather, someone gave him the lotus flower arrows then worked from the shadows to have the arrow hit His Majesty?”
Kun YuYang did not understand what they were talking about, “Lord Marquis, what exactly is this lotus flower arrow? Why did the imperial physicians say that His Majesty’s heart had been completely crushed?”
Gu ShuBai and the other young ones were also confused, and Gu HuaiJiang said: “The lotus flower arrow is actually nothing new. It was created years ago by a skilled craftsman. There is a very fine mechanism hidden inside the arrow. If the person shooting the arrow is unable to shoot accurately, it can be controlled by someone controlling the mechanism. That’s what allowed the second prince to improve so drastically in his archery skill. Once the arrow pierces the human body, hooks will shoot out like a lotus flower and completely shred the flesh…”
As he reached the end of his explanation, his voice became choked up, “If His Majesty was killed by this, it’s no wonder there was no time to save him before he passed away. His Majesty’s heart was completely shredded before he passed. Just how much must that have hurt!”
Not even the pain of having one’s heart gouged out could compare with having one’s heart completely shredded to a paste.
Gu ShuBai received the metal ring, “Since this thing has been around for so many years, and the second prince was unable to recognize it, could it be that none of the other people who went up the mountain were able to recognize it?”
Yan HuaShi said: “Eldest young sir, this is normal. Not many people would recognize the lotus flower arrow. Only we older folk in the army would recognize it. This sort of arrow is accurate and deadly but expensive to make, and it takes a long time to design. In the time that it takes to make one of these, one could make tens of normal arrows, thus this sort of thing was not pushed into military use. As time passed, it was slowly forgotten. If it was not specifically brought up, if you placed this arrow in front of me now, I would not be able to immediately remember it!”
It turned out to be like this. It was no wonder not even Gu ShuBai and the others recognized this sort of arrow.
The second prince was even less likely to recognize it.
If he had recognized it, he absolutely would not have been so stupid as to shoot His Majesty in front of so many people and become a paving stone for the eldest prince.
The only possibility was that the eldest prince needed him to become this paving stone and that the eldest prince needed… His Majesty to die.
In almost an instant, everyone from Marquis Gu’s Manor recalled the matter of the eldest prince poisoning Emperor Ning. Gu HuaiJiang had kept that matter hidden with many misgivings, and Gu ShuBai had Xun Chi cover that matter up.
After that, the eldest prince and Imperial Consort Xian did not dare to do anything to Emperor Ning, and they always believed that the eldest prince would be grateful to have been able to escape that situation…
His Majesty did not bring up establishing the second prince as the crown prince, so why would he suddenly feel a need to kill His Majesty?
Kun YuYang looked at Gu HuaiJiang’s expression then looked at Yu Fu and the others. She felt as though they knew something but was worried that they did not understand what she had meant.
She urgently said: “Lord Marquis, you should know best who stands to benefit the most from framing the second prince! When I left the hunting ground, the imperial guards were already acting on Imperial Consort Xian and the eldest prince’s orders. If not for Lord Ji being at the hunting ground, it’s possible that Prime Minister Yin would have already pushed for the eldest prince to become the new ruler!”
Her words touched a sore spot, and nobody knew how to respond.
It was not as if they did not know, but they simply did not voice it as she did.
Yu Fu held Kun YuYang’s shoulder to calm her down, “YuYang, don’t be so emotional. You need to trust head general. He has his own considerations.”
Tears welled up in Kun YuYang’s eyes once more, “How can I not be emotional? My dear husband provided me the cover to escape from the hunting ground, but once the eldest prince and Prime Minister Yin uncover the flaws, I am worried that they will do something to my husband!”
*TN: A type of tree https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firmiana_simplex
The Gu Family’s Army Will Not Have a Traitor (Part One)
As night fell, Gu HuaiJiang’s group momentarily stopped in the forest next to the main road to get some rest.
Aside from Yu Fu and Yao Lan, who were sleeping in their carriage, everyone else sat cross-legged on the ground around a bonfire near the carriage.
Gu ShuBai glanced at Yu Fu’s carriage then lowered his voice, “It’s fortunate that His Majesty sent Yu Fu that carriage while he was still alive; otherwise, another trip that would require us to travel continuously might be more than her body could handle.”
Ever since Yu Fu came to Marquis Gu’s Manor, she had not gone out many times, but whenever she did, she would be traveling day and night.
The young misses from other noble families were all fragile young girls at her age, while she alone had to persevere through all sorts of difficulties.
Gu HuaiJiang wanted to spoil her as if she was a princess, but in the end, he ended up turning her into the daughter of a general’s family who was more valiant than most men.
The bonfire danced in the darkness, and everyone followed his gaze, even hearing the sound of her breathing inside the carriage.
Suddenly, a sound came from the forest, which attracted everyone’s attention.
“Who is it?”
There was a large wutong* nearby, and it was shaking quite a bit. It was shaking in a way that was completely different from the other trees that were swaying with the wind. Looking closely, it could be seen that someone was hidden in it.
Lao Jin shouted loudly, and the girl sleeping in the carriage was woken up with a start. Rubbing her eyes, she opened the curtain and looked outside.
Gu ShuBai quickly retreated to the carriage, “Stay inside the carriage and don’t come out. I will stay here to protect you.”
Yu Fu obediently nodded and lowered the curtain then began feeling around the carriage. She pulled her poison needles out of her sleeve in case she would need them.
Yao Lan lay on the seat and continued to sleep. Not even such a huge commotion could affect her sleep.
Yu Fu yawned and shook her awake, “Yao Lan, stop sleeping. There might be an assassin!”
“Huh? Assassin?”
Yao Lan was half asleep. Wiping the saliva from the corner of her mouth, she instantly sat up, put on an outer layer, and moved to the window to help Yu Fu keep an eye on the situation outside.
The bow was drawn and aimed at the tree, and the person atop the tree knew that they could not escape, dropping down, “Don’t shoot. I’m Kun YuYang!”
Gu HuaiJiang lowered his hand, and the bows were lowered. Sure enough, a slender girl’s figure appeared and walked out from under the tree.
Yu Fu heard Kun YuYang’s name and hurriedly pulled the curtain to the side. Looking carefully, she saw a familiar figure and quickly leaped out of the carriage, “Everyone stop. YuYang, why have you come?”
Kun YuYang walked out of the darkness, and the light from the bonfire revealed her sorry state. It was as if she had rushed out here from the capital on her own.
Seeing Yu Fu, she cried with joy, “Yu Fu, I’ve finally found you!”
The two girls came together in a hug, as everyone else put their weapons away. Yu Fu looked at her in confusion, “YuYang, were you crying?”
Kun YuYang was someone who rarely had a fragile temperament. She had a strong and outgoing personality that was unique to Western Kun’s women. How could she cry in front of others so easily?
“Did you come from the capital? Did something happen along the way?”
Kun YuYang shook her head, “It wasn’t something that happened along the way. It was something that happened at the capital!”
She looked toward Gu HuaiJiang, “Lord Marquis Gu, there’s something that I need to tell you myself. It’s an incredibly urgent matter, and I ask that Lord Marquis Gu have your subordinates dismissed.”
She had a serious expression, and Gu JiuGe said: “Have you also come to report His Majesty’s death?”
“You already know that His Majesty has passed away?”
Kun YuYang was a little shocked, as she saw a man dressed differently from the Gu family’s army step forward and cup his hands, “This subordinate was sent by Lord Ji to come and ask Marquis Gu to quickly return to the capital.”
Kun YuYang nodded. She had heard of Lord Ji from Ning TangShu. He was one of the scarcely-seen honest officials in court.
He would surely have found something strange to be strange and thus sent someone to inform Gu HuaiJiang.
She could trust Ji DaoGong, “What I want to say is related to this, but it’s not directly related.”
Gu HuaiJiang lowered his voice: “Madam, it’s fine to say it directly. There’s no need for me to dismiss my subordinates. My Gu family’s army won’t have any traitors. If madam can tell this marquis, it can be said to this marquis’ subordinates.”
Kun YuYang looked around. Yan HuaShi and the others had calm expressions, and they all had the same aura as Gu HuaiJiang.
This was probably a result of unity?
Gu ShuBai pointed to a spot near the bonfire, “Madam has had a difficult journey. Let’s sit down to speak.”
…
Kun YuYang recounted everything that she saw and heard without neglecting anything. Hearing her hoarse voice, Yu Fu had Yao Lan pour her some tea.
Kun YuYang received the tea and downed it without concern for appearances, “This is all that I know. Right, I brought the piece of metal that I found in the forest.”
She removed the pouch from her hip and opened it up. From inside, she retrieved a metal ring.
To conceal it so carefully and closely, it was clear how much she valued it. Gu HuaiJiang received the ring, and a memory quickly surfaced.
Kun YuYang said: “Does lord marquis recognize it?”
“I do.”
Gu HuaiJiang nodded and handed the metal ring to Yan HuaShi, “Take a look. Is this not the mechanism from the lotus flower arrow that falls off after the arrow is shot?”
Yan HuaShi, Lao Jin, and the others gathered around to take a look. They found some distinct notches in the ring’s form, “These notches fit perfectly with the mechanism inside the arrow. There’s no mistake. This is from a lotus flower arrow! Saying it like this, it was not the second prince who deliberately made an attempt on His Majesty’s life. Rather, someone gave him the lotus flower arrows then worked from the shadows to have the arrow hit His Majesty?”
Kun YuYang did not understand what they were talking about, “Lord Marquis, what exactly is this lotus flower arrow? Why did the imperial physicians say that His Majesty’s heart had been completely crushed?”
Gu ShuBai and the other young ones were also confused, and Gu HuaiJiang said: “The lotus flower arrow is actually nothing new. It was created years ago by a skilled craftsman. There is a very fine mechanism hidden inside the arrow. If the person shooting the arrow is unable to shoot accurately, it can be controlled by someone controlling the mechanism. That’s what allowed the second prince to improve so drastically in his archery skill. Once the arrow pierces the human body, hooks will shoot out like a lotus flower and completely shred the flesh…”
As he reached the end of his explanation, his voice became choked up, “If His Majesty was killed by this, it’s no wonder there was no time to save him before he passed away. His Majesty’s heart was completely shredded before he passed. Just how much must that have hurt!”
Not even the pain of having one’s heart gouged out could compare with having one’s heart completely shredded to a paste.
Gu ShuBai received the metal ring, “Since this thing has been around for so many years, and the second prince was unable to recognize it, could it be that none of the other people who went up the mountain were able to recognize it?”
Yan HuaShi said: “Eldest young sir, this is normal. Not many people would recognize the lotus flower arrow. Only we older folk in the army would recognize it. This sort of arrow is accurate and deadly but expensive to make, and it takes a long time to design. In the time that it takes to make one of these, one could make tens of normal arrows, thus this sort of thing was not pushed into military use. As time passed, it was slowly forgotten. If it was not specifically brought up, if you placed this arrow in front of me now, I would not be able to immediately remember it!”
It turned out to be like this. It was no wonder not even Gu ShuBai and the others recognized this sort of arrow.
The second prince was even less likely to recognize it.
If he had recognized it, he absolutely would not have been so stupid as to shoot His Majesty in front of so many people and become a paving stone for the eldest prince.
The only possibility was that the eldest prince needed him to become this paving stone and that the eldest prince needed… His Majesty to die.
In almost an instant, everyone from Marquis Gu’s Manor recalled the matter of the eldest prince poisoning Emperor Ning. Gu HuaiJiang had kept that matter hidden with many misgivings, and Gu ShuBai had Xun Chi cover that matter up.
After that, the eldest prince and Imperial Consort Xian did not dare to do anything to Emperor Ning, and they always believed that the eldest prince would be grateful to have been able to escape that situation…
His Majesty did not bring up establishing the second prince as the crown prince, so why would he suddenly feel a need to kill His Majesty?
Kun YuYang looked at Gu HuaiJiang’s expression then looked at Yu Fu and the others. She felt as though they knew something but was worried that they did not understand what she had meant.
She urgently said: “Lord Marquis, you should know best who stands to benefit the most from framing the second prince! When I left the hunting ground, the imperial guards were already acting on Imperial Consort Xian and the eldest prince’s orders. If not for Lord Ji being at the hunting ground, it’s possible that Prime Minister Yin would have already pushed for the eldest prince to become the new ruler!”
Her words touched a sore spot, and nobody knew how to respond.
It was not as if they did not know, but they simply did not voice it as she did.
Yu Fu held Kun YuYang’s shoulder to calm her down, “YuYang, don’t be so emotional. You need to trust head general. He has his own considerations.”
Tears welled up in Kun YuYang’s eyes once more, “How can I not be emotional? My dear husband provided me the cover to escape from the hunting ground, but once the eldest prince and Prime Minister Yin uncover the flaws, I am worried that they will do something to my husband!”
*TN: A type of tree https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firmiana_simplex
