I have suffered enough in my previous life, my cousin will never marry me

Chapter 165 Returning to Peach Blossom Village

Ji Yuan sighed with dismay, "Wanwan, how could you say such treasonous things?"

"Father, what difference do you think the current situation in Lin'an is from Empress Dowager Gu sitting in that position directly?" Ye Wanshu asked.

Ji Yuan's deep gaze gradually darkened.

He simply couldn't imagine how his daughter could have such a bold idea.

Seeing her adoptive father's expression, Ye Wanshu became even more confident in her plan: "Since Father is unwilling to accept this matter, what do you think the people of the world will think?"

Ji Yuan stroked his beard and nodded in response, "Such perverse acts will likely incur the wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people."

"Empress Dowager Gu was never a person with the world in her heart. All these years she has held power in the court for only herself and the Gu family."

At this point, Ye Wanshu smiled faintly: "Father, don't forget, there is still Prince Qi in Lin'an. How could he just stand by and watch the Gu family steal the divine artifact and covet the Fu family's throne?"

Ji Yuan then understood his daughter's intention: "Wanwan, are you trying to force Prince Qi to rebel?"

Ye Wanshu simply smiled and remained silent in response.

Why force Prince Qi? He will rebel sooner or later.

Ji Yuan thought for a moment, and his mind suddenly became clear: "Gu Erlang probably won't agree to your marriage alliance. If you want to dispel the Empress Dowager's idea, you can only lead troops to the northern border to resist the northern invaders. When Prince Qi rebels, you can only welcome Prince Yongning to Lin'an to protect the emperor."

“Father and His Majesty are eager to welcome Prince Yongning to Lin’an, but if he comes alone, he may end up like His Majesty,” Ye Wanshu said. “However, if he can lead the Yuezhou army into Lin’an legitimately, His Majesty will surely use the Yuezhou army to reinforce Lin’an’s defenses after the rebellion is quelled. At that time, he will turn the tables and Empress Dowager Gu will have no choice but to return power to His Majesty.”

Ji Yuan knew the emperor's thoughts all too well. He had been suppressed by the Gu family his whole life, and now his health was deteriorating. His only wish was to find a successor for the court. In comparison, he would definitely trust the Yuezhou army more.

"I didn't expect Wanwan to have such a good plan." Ji Yuan was full of relief, but when he thought of the grievances she had suffered today, he slowly frowned: "If that's the case, why did you let Prince Yongning have such a deep misunderstanding of you?"

Ye Wanshu took a deep breath: "He's a good person in every way, but the only thing that makes me uneasy is his stubbornness. If he finds out what I'm thinking, I'm afraid he'd rather keep me trapped in Yuezhou than let me go back to Lin'an."

Seeing that his daughter's heart and soul were now completely devoted to that guy, Ji Yuan didn't dare to bring up Ji Yunze's matter again. He could only silently pray that Fu Mingchi would treat his daughter well in the future.

“Father, these three things are easy to say, but extremely difficult to do. If we make the slightest mistake, we will both die without a burial place,” Ye Wanshu said in a deep voice. “Therefore, Father, you must be extremely careful when you return to Lin’an.”

Ji Yuan was well aware of the difficulties involved. Putting aside everything else, just persuading His Majesty to abdicate and remain in seclusion was already an extremely difficult task.

But the thought of his daughter being sent to the northern border for a political marriage by Empress Dowager Gu made him willing to risk his life to try.

"Wanwan, even if it costs me my life, I will accomplish these three things for you," Ji Yuan said confidently.

"Thank you, Father." Ye Wanshu poured a cup of tea and handed it to him. "Father, you got caught in the rain today. Have some ginger tea and go back to rest early. We still have to travel tomorrow."

Seeing his daughter thoughtfully hand him the tea, Ji Yuan felt a warmth in his heart. He held it in his hand for a long while before finally drinking it.

He summoned Chunhong and Xingtao to help his daughter rest. Worried that the wound on his daughter's hand might get infected, Ji Yuan gave the two maids a lot of instructions before leaving.

Seeing how much the master cared for the young lady, Chunhong and Xingtao were overjoyed and asked in unison, "Miss, when we return to Lin'an, should we go back to the Ji family or visit the Duchess first?"

Thinking of the two strands of hair that Gu Tingchen had asked Caiju and Qiuli to bring, Ye Wanshu was extremely worried about her aunt, Qingmian, and Tingji. She sighed softly, "Let's go see my aunt first."

Otherwise, how could that bastard Gu Tingchen let it go?

The rain continued to fall steadily throughout the night before finally stopping.

The Yingzhou army marched slowly through the rain all night, everyone was soaked to the bone, but no one dared to stop. Looking at the listless prince, the soldiers were all extremely worried.

Seeing His Highness swaying precariously on his horse, seemingly lost in thought, Zhu Wencai finally couldn't help but force himself to speak, "Your Highness, you've been traveling for several days straight to catch up with Miss Ye. Why don't you stop and rest for a while?" Fu Mingchi ignored him, remaining seated on his horse, letting it slowly move forward.

Zhu Wencai, Yan Jin, and Yu Bai exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to do, and could only urge their horses to follow closely.

They continued cautiously forward, and after traveling for an unknown amount of time, Fu Mingchi's body suddenly went limp, and he fell off his horse.

The soldiers were startled and rushed forward to help him up.

Seeing the prince's lips turn pale, Zhu Wencai hugged him and cried out in distress, "Your Highness, since Miss Ye is so heartless, please forget about her. If the Dowager Consort and the Princess Consort see you like this, they will be heartbroken."

Yan Jin and Yu Bai urged in unison, "Your Highness, please prioritize the overall situation and take care of your health."

The soldiers knelt down and pleaded, "Your Highness, please prioritize the greater good and take care of your health."

Fu Mingchi coughed weakly a few times, and blood immediately seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Zhu Wencai was so frightened that his face turned ashen: "Medical officer, quickly call the medical officer."

"No need," Fu Mingchi said weakly. "Go back to Yuhua Town and head to Taowu."

That place is now a place of sorrow for His Highness. Zhu Wencai wanted to persuade him again, but Yan Jin stopped him.

He knew His Highness's feelings for the woman from the Ye family; no matter how heartless she was, His Highness wouldn't forget her so easily.

"Quickly prepare a carriage to escort His Highness to Peach Blossom Valley," Yan Jin instructed the soldiers, then secretly sent someone back to Yuezhou to invite the Dowager Consort.

After traveling for two more days, Fu Mingchi's old injuries flared up, and he suffered from a high fever for several days, making him extremely weak and keeping him in a coma for the entire journey.

When Zhu Wencai returned to Taowu, he went to knock on the door and found that the entire courtyard had been sealed off.

"Who did this?" Zhu Wencai roared.

Upon hearing the sound, a soldier immediately rushed over to report: "Reporting to General Zhu, Miss Yingying said that Miss Ye broke her promise and made our royal mansion a laughing stock. She ordered everyone in Taowu to be imprisoned in Jikang County prison and Taowu to be sealed off."

“His Highness did not order anyone to be punished, so how can Miss Biao make a decision on His Highness’s behalf?”

Zhu Wencai had been thinking about this all the way, and he felt that Miss Ye was not such a heartless person. Back in Qizhou, she was willing to risk being buried with His Highness to save him. How could she bear to leave His Highness so easily now?

She must have had her reasons.

Perhaps that Miss Chu knows something about it.

"General Yan, General Yu, I'm going to the county government office. Please take good care of His Highness."

After Zhu Wencai finished speaking, he led his men straight to the county government office of Jikang County.

Upon arriving there, they saw County Magistrate Zhu Ran hurriedly coming out to greet them.

"General Zhu, you've finally arrived." Zhu Ran said anxiously, "What does His Highness intend to do with Miss Ye's family? If His Highness doesn't give any instructions, I'm afraid I won't be able to protect them either. That cousin from the Zhao family is determined to execute them."

"Who authorized their execution?" Zhu Wencai shouted. "Release them all at once!"

He had barely finished speaking when Zhao Yingying stormed over with her entourage.

"Let's see who dares to release it."