CH 138

Villainous Fake Eunuch (15)

In the subsequent days, Gu Ruyu ceased visiting Song Xu Yi, appearing to be occupied with meeting numerous subordinates daily. They had returned to their initial state after leaving the capital, only greeting each other while sharing a meal or in the carriage, but otherwise keeping to themselves.

Upon discovering Gu Ruyu’s lineage, Song Xu Yi refrained from persuading her to abandon her animosity. She empathized with Gu Ruyu’s predicament and acknowledged that she wouldn’t be able to relinquish her family’s vendetta either. Nevertheless, Song Xu Yi recognized that the people in He Gou, including the male lead, Zheng Lian, who had no involvement in past events despite being Zheng Ye’s son, shouldn’t be harmed. Her mission demanded that she safeguard Zheng Lian’s life and protect the innocent.

As the princess mascot, Song Xu Yi lacked the authority to participate in the intricate political rivalry. She had to rely on Zheng Lian, the male lead who was purportedly skilled, to ascend to the throne, as outlined in the plot summary. This would enable them to resist foreign attacks in the future.

Although their relationship wasn’t as distant as before, Song Xu Yi remained cautious and slightly guarded against Gu Ruyu, given that they were on opposing sides. Consequently, Song Xu Yi assumed that their estranged relationship was due to her own apprehension and failed to notice anything unusual.

However, the system detected something amiss as the obnoxious antagonist hadn’t made an appearance in front of them recently. “What’s wrong with Gu Ruyu? Why hasn’t she visited you lately?”

“Perhaps she’s just occupied,” Song Xu Yi nonchalantly responded, focused on writing her book.

Using the knowledge accumulated over several lifetimes, Song Xu Yi aimed to condense her experiences on people’s livelihoods and military affairs into a book. Her writings were relatively advanced compared to the current era’s information scarcity and could serve as a bargaining chip when surrendering to Zheng Lian in the future.

The system’s strange demeanor worried Song Xu Yi, “But doesn’t Gu Ruyu like you? Could she be plotting something sinister?”

“System,” Song Xu Yi’s hand shook, causing a big black dot to blemish the paper, and her cheeks to redden. “Can you refrain from mentioning this in the future?”

“That must have been my own misconception,” Song Xu Yi lowered her head, feeling ashamed. “I mistook her for a man and thought she had romantic feelings for me. However, upon reflection, she likely regarded me as a good sister due to the friendship between the Liu and Song families, so she treated me differently.”

With a blush on her face, Song Xu Yi felt incredibly embarrassed as she recalled her previous assumption.

“Oh, is that what you think?” The system elongated its tone and chuckled, “hehe.” The system’s laughter sounded somewhat sinister, tinged with a hint of schadenfreude. Before Song Xu Yi could ponder it further, the system swiftly changed its tone to a cheery one and shifted to a different topic…

In less than two days, the group arrived in the Jiangnan region.

The Jiangnan region was predominantly controlled by powerful clans. Zheng Lian had lost his memory after being assassinated for meddling with the clans’ interests. In order to avoid alerting the clans, the search for Zheng Lian had to be conducted covertly.

Song Xu Yi and Gu Ruyu assumed false identities as wealthy siblings seeking refuge with their supposed relatives in Jiangnan. Gu Ruyu meticulously handled all the arrangements and had pre-arranged a so-called “relative” in Jiangnan. However, their conspicuous group drew attention from numerous people as soon as they entered the city gate, making them stand out in the unfamiliar territory.

As the convoy arrived in the city where Zheng Lian had disappeared, a subordinate reported that local aristocratic families had already dispatched people to tail them.

Despite Gu Ruyu and her companions being highly skilled experts, the entrenched power of the local aristocratic families made her cautious. She continued to disguise herself as a dashing young man, entertaining guests with the arranged “relative” and spending money lavishly to forge connections and establish a business foothold in the area.

Meanwhile, Song Xu Yi toured the surrounding mountains and historical sites with the wife of the “relative,” acquainting herself with the city’s scenery.

In secret, the people who were tailing them found nothing amiss with Song Xu Yi and her group, and had planned to withdraw. However, an unexpected problem arose with Gu Ruyu.

Gu Ruyu’s androgynous appearance was striking, and her portrayal of a man for years left no discernible differences. In the eyes of others, she appeared exceptionally handsome and affluent, with no relatives apart from a younger sister. Her virtuous demeanor and lack of concubines further added to her appeal. As a result, many people began to covet her, with some even considering marrying their daughters to her, including a declining aristocratic family from Jiangnan.

The aristocratic family, on the brink of financial ruin due to several wastrel members who had squandered their fortune, saw Gu Ruyu’s wealth and decided to marry off their illegitimate daughter to her, hoping to use her as a source of support.

Upon discovering that this family was also involved in the assassination of Zheng Lian, Gu Ruyu cautiously delayed taking action against the family’s head. However, she underestimated her own allure. The illegitimate daughter, after catching a glimpse of Gu Ruyu through a curtain, fell in love with her and learned that other families in the city also had their eyes on Gu Ruyu. The illegitimate daughter began scheming to capture and wed Gu Ruyu.

Annoyed by the illegitimate daughter’s pursuit, Gu Ruyu used the excuse of her parents’ approaching death anniversary and expressed a desire to pray for them in seclusion. She bought a mansion outside the city and moved in with her “family,” to avoid the illegitimate daughter’s advances. She chose a mansion farthest from the city to further distance herself. Meanwhile, Song Xu Yi, who had been secretly investigating with the help of her system, was alarmed to discover that Zheng Lian, the male lead, was living not far from the mansion.

Through her system’s observation, Song Xu Yi learned that Gu Ruyu had taken control of the Jiangnan Iron Mine in secret. This was the main reason why Gu Ruyu had proposed to follow her to Jiangnan, as Song Xu Yi deduced from the information gathered.

At this point, it had been almost a month since the two arrived in Jiangnan. They received two secret letters from the emperor, one asking about the progress of finding Zheng Lian, and the other expressing a sense of urgency for Gu Ruyu to return.

As soon as Song Xu Yi arrived at the Zhuangzi with Gu Ruyu, the third secret letter arrived, this time with a clear order from the emperor for Gu Ruyu to return.

In front of Song Xu Yi, Gu Ruyu opened the letter and quickly scanned it before handing it to her. It was evident that it was time for them to return.

Although Song Xu Yi had anticipated this outcome, disappointment was still evident on her face as she bit her lip.

“Can’t we wait for just two more days?” Song Xu Yi sighed, her eyes pleading. “I have a hunch that we might be able to find the Third Prince by then…”

“The emperor has sent word for us to leave within two days,” Gu Ruyu replied coldly, her tone sharp but controlled. She paused for a moment before continuing in a softer voice, “I understand your concerns, Princess, but rest assured that even if we don’t find the Third Prince, no one can force you out of the palace as long as you are unwilling. You will always be the supreme princess.”

Since the failed escape attempt, Song Xu Yi had been obedient, and her attendants reported nothing unusual about her behavior in recent days. Gu Ruyu couldn’t understand why Song Xu Yi had been so eager to find Zheng Lian, especially after her previous reluctance to leave the palace. She suspected that Song Xu Yi was trying to prove her worth and secure her place in the palace.

Song Xu Yi didn’t expect Gu Ruyu to have this opinion of her, but she knew it wasn’t a good time to pursue the matter. She silently agreed to Gu Ruyu’s plan. Now that she knew Zheng Lian’s specific location, she could use it as an excuse to ask Zheng Lian’s mother to send someone to look for her after they returned to the palace.

Under pressure from the emperor’s messengers, the group began to make preparations for their secret return to the capital.

The illegitimate daughter of a prominent family arrived at their door with a few attendants, taking everyone by surprise.

Gu Ruyu had lost her patience with pretense by this point and coldly rejected the illegitimate daughter, who left in tears. Unnoticed by anyone, one of Gu Ruyu’s attendants, who had been following the girl, had a glint in their eyes.

Despite Gu Ruyu rarely appearing in the capital, it didn’t mean that no one had ever seen her. The attendant who had been following the illegitimate daughter happened to have seen Gu Ruyu before.

That very night, the mansion was suddenly attacked by members of the prominent family. Torches illuminated the entire estate as the enemy sent over ten times more people than Gu Ruyu had on her side. Upon discovering the presence of the attackers, Gu Ruyu quickly ordered her people to retreat separately.

Gu Ruyu wasted no time in finding Song Xu Yi, locating her almost immediately.

Aware that she was the prime target in the eyes of the prominent family, Gu Ruyu had originally planned to disguise herself. However, she hesitated, fearing that Song Xu Yi would recognize her if she changed her appearance. In the end, they both disguised themselves as maids and dressed up together.

But the prominent family was well-prepared, having heard of Gu Ruyu’s reputation. They surrounded the mountain where the mansion was located, shooting poisoned arrows into the estate, setting traps on the roads, and even setting the mountain on fire.

If Gu Ruyu were alone, she would have had a good chance of escaping quickly. However, with Song Xu Yi in tow, she had to blindfold her and carry her on her back, rushing through the burning forest.

Song Xu Yi was caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events. She had planned to use the system’s guidance to find an opportunity to escape and search for Zheng Lian. But Gu Ruyu appeared suddenly, and Song Xu Yi argued for a scattered escape plan. However, Gu Ruyu didn’t believe that Song Xu Yi had the ability to escape. In the midst of the argument, Song Xu Yi suddenly found herself unable to move or speak, as Gu Ruyu covered her eyes and carried her away.

As the system cursed in Song Xu Yi’s mind, calling Gu Ruyu a “female bandit,” Song Xu Yi’s emotions were a tangle. She was upset that Gu Ruyu had disrupted her plans, but at the same time, she recognized that Gu Ruyu had arrived at a crucial moment. With Gu Ruyu’s breathing becoming more and more labored, it was impossible for Song Xu Yi to remain angry.

Suddenly, Gu Ruyu let out a muffled groan and stumbled forward. “She’s been shot!” the system whispered, sounding disoriented.

Song Xu Yi was stunned to realize that she could speak once more. Gu Ruyu had taken an arrow meant for her, and Song Xu Yi couldn’t believe it.

“Ruyu, you…” Song Xu Yi began to speak but was quickly interrupted by Gu Ruyu.

“My eyes were blinded by the wind,” Gu Ruyu calmly explained, acting as if nothing had happened. “I’ll need you to guide me from now on.”

Despite the system’s biased view towards Gu Ruyu, it still helped guide them to safety. Despite several ambushes, Gu Ruyu managed to evade capture.

“We made it!” The system breathed a sigh of relief in Song Xu Yi’s mind, but she couldn’t help but dwell on Gu Ruyu’s selflessness.

Song Xu Yi exhaled a deep breath and felt her body relax; she had regained the ability to move.

Quickly, she dismounted from Gu Ruyu’s back.

Song Xu Yi couldn’t believe her luck as she gazed at the flames engulfing the entire mountain on the opposite side. She had successfully escaped from that perilous place.

Instinctively, her gaze turned to Gu Ruyu, whose disheveled hair and eyes gleamed with the reflection of the flames. Gu Ruyu, with her unique and captivating beauty, swayed before collapsing softly to the ground.