Chapter 38

Chapter 38 - A Cup of Tea Before Parting (1)

T/N: Since my nursing school is starting, I'm going to be very busy on top of translations. To ensure frequent updates, I will be updating long chapters in parts. Enjoy reading!

Gong Jue nodded.

How could everything not be going smoothly? Sister Gong left the last twenty vehicles of the one hundred fifty carriages that he led completely empty. That way, she could fool the enemy.

For these last twenty cars, a row of willow branches, which would serve to brush off the tracks on the ground, were tied to the front wheels. If one did not look carefully, they would not notice the willow branches hidden underneath these carriages.

So while the numerous carriages at the front of the entourage carried the heavy load, the last twenty carriages in the group-which were completely empty-served to mask the tracks with the willow branches. Thus, if a careless spy merely observed where the carriages had passed, they would only find empty carriages with light tracks.

It sounded like a simple plan, but carrying it out was actually very difficult. The willow branches could be raised and lowered using a small switch. When pressed down, the branches would lower to the ground. Otherwise, they would be hidden by the device. That was why they were not discovered when the carriages were being inspected.The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

Gong Yi Mo had all of these things planned out long before. While those corrupted officials only took a few months to prepare for their sabotaging, the princess had taken more than a year to set up her intricate plan, from convincing the emperor and asking help from the Crown Prince to bribing various departments of the Ministry of Revenue.

Gong Jue sat across from her and drank the tea she had prepared for him in one gulp.

Gong Jue stared deeply at Gong Yi Mo, but this time with a hint of passion. It was as if he wanted to embed her current appearance deep into his memory, never to forget.

"Over the years, I have burdened Sister Gong too much."

He smiled in self-deprecation. "I had nothing to offer for you, yet Elder Sister has done everything for me, so this second cup is to thank Sister Gong for never abandoning me for all those years!"

His words moved Gong Yi Mo, memories emerging in her eyes. She sighed lightly. "Time had gone by so quickly, and now you will soar to greater heights." Unexpectedly, a feeling of incomparable loneliness weighed down in her heart.

Gong Jue poured a third cup of tea.

The joy in his eyes gradually dissipated and left behind the sadness buried deep in his heart, but he could not give up. Only by facing his duty without retreat could he become worthy of standing alongside her.

"This third cup..." He hesitated. His white, jade-like fingers brushed against the rim of the cup as he sighed deeply.

Having been a place for many partings, the pavilion was quiet and desolate, but Gong Jue hated the word parting and refused to say such a word.

He smiled wanly with a touch of sadness on his young face.

Gong Jue once again raised his cup and said to Gong Yi Mo,

"This third cup is still in honor of Sister Gong." His face showed loneliness, while his eyes flickered with emotion. "I have imagined myself countless times. If you weren't there in the Cold Palace, what would I be? I would have become someone cruel and violent. My life would have been utterly lonely and hopeless.

"So, I offer this cup to you. Thank you for being in my life..."