After dragging Gu Su away from Her Excellency’s wrath, I really felt like just chaining him up.
But he simply gazed at me pitifully. “Dai Yue, why should she get Senior all to herself?”
Me, “…”
Because Sir Ling Yue is Her Excellency’s legal husband ah!
I wrung the handkerchief dry and walked over to help him clean up his face. “Her Excellency already told you not to get too close to Sir Ling Yue. She told you to just stand away from him and speak. Why can you never remember this? Why do you always jump at him?”
Gu Su was even more aggrieved. “But he’s my Senior Brother ah.”
For a while, I didn’t know what to say. He had grown up with Sir Ling Yue, so it was perfectly natural for Gu Su to feel reliant on him.
I should just keep an eye on him more and make sure he doesn’t see Sir Ling Yue.
Our days on the mountain were very leisurely. Most of the time, we didn’t even know what was happening down below.
When we received word that the Empress had passed away, Ying Yue and I were rather startled.
It didn’t seem like the Empress would’ve had any problems living for at least a decade longer, so how had she died?
Though Her Excellency has been absent from the government these few years, most of the power is still in the hands of our Jun Clan’s people, who are very loyal.
Her Excellency has to be the first Prime Minister to keep her post stably, despite not turning up to court for several years.
The death of the Empress meant Her Excellency, as the Prime Minister, had to return.
I packed my things in preparation to leave the mountain with her.
Thinking that it might be about a month before we return, I couldn’t help but worry about Gu Su a bit.
I went to his room to look for him, and found him packing his things too.
During these few years, the young boy had grown into a handsome young man.
Perhaps because he practices martial arts, he’s much more dashing and attractive than the other men you’d usually find after leaving the mountain.
I was in a bit of a daze as I stared at him. At some point, he’d grown up this much.
“Dai Yue.” I heard him call me.
“So rude! Call me Dai Yue-jiejie.” I came to and walked in. “Why’re you packing your stuff?”
He deftly dodged my first statement by replying to my second. “Following you down the mountain ah! Senior Brother already agreed.”
Even after so many years, he was still as attached to Sir Ling Yue as before. And after training hard in martial arts, he learned to counterattack when Her Excellency wants to chop him up.
It always causes her to blow her top.
“We won’t even…” ‘…know what will happen down there.’
I wanted to convince him not to go. But upon seeing his expectant gaze, I couldn’t say anything.
We descended the mountain smoothly. Her Excellency and Sir Ling Yue continued to do their own thing and throw out dog food.
Ying Yue’s complaints provoked Gu Su into bickering with her.
It used to be that our lives seemed to teeter on a knife’s edge, but those days were fulfilling. Still, I feel like this current life is quite good.
Although Her Excellency has been absent from court for several years, she’s still as respected as before. Everything progressed very smoothly.
The new Empress was the third child of the previous one. She hadn’t revealed much ability before, and never had much of a presence. I hadn’t expected that out of all the imperial princesses, she would be the one to ascend the throne.
“Dai Yue, it’s the Double Seventh Festival today. She and Senior Brother have gone out. Let’s secretly tail them!” Gu Su rushed over and grabbed my hand with an anxious expression.
“Her Excellency and Sir Ling Yue go to the Eternity Tree every Double Seventh Festival. Why would we go there…” My voice turned softer towards the end, as my peripheral vision swept over him.
The kid who used to be trembling in my arms had already grown so much…
“Senior Brother wouldn’t bring me. You take me to go see.” Gu Su shook my hand, a very natural kitten-like pleading in his tone.
But he couldn’t be acting in such a way. It must just be my imagination.
I sighed. “If Her Excellency finds out, she’ll kill me.”
“She won’t, she won’t. We’ll just watch from afar.”
He wore me down to the point where I could only bring him out to have a look.
Every year’s Double Seventh Festival is always really lively. I brought Gu Su with me along the flow of the crowd as we arrived at the Eternity Tree.
Even from this distance, I could make out Her Excellency and Sir Ling Yue standing beneath the tree. Sir Ling Yue seemed to crane his neck to look for something, while Her Excellency wanted to pull him away.
As I watched them, I didn’t even notice at what point Gu Su left and returned. He waved a wooden plaque before my eyes.
I gave him a surprised look.
The lighting was too dim, so I couldn’t make out his expression . But I could hear his voice.
“I heard that lovers who wish under the Eternity Tree will grow old together. Do you want to give it a shot?”
At that moment, I think I could hear the pounding of my heart.
The seed that I’d hidden away grew into a towering tree in that instant, its branches wrapping around my heart.
“If you don’t, forget it.” Gu Su suddenly took the plaques back and turned to leave. I reached out to pull him. “I’m willing.”
Gu Su turned. Suddenly, fireworks shot in the sky. They weren’t great, but seeing their reflection in his eyes, I suddenly felt that they were very beautiful.
I had once asked Her Excellency what would be the most sincere thing to write under the Eternity Tree.
She told me, “Names. No need for anything else. You just need to place both your names together.”
When my name and his were carved on the wooden plaques bound together by a red string, I suddenly realised why Her Excellency was so obsessed with giving Sir Ling Yue the very best, and was unwilling to let him suffer in the slightest.
“Dai Yue.”
“Hm?” I turned to look at him.
Gu Su’s handsome features suddenly magnified. Before I could react, his lips covered mine.
When did he stop calling me Dai Yue-jiejie?
A long time ago…
Every time I raised the topic, he’d always change the subject.
And yet, I actually hadn’t noticed this.
Neither Her Excellency nor Ying Yue seemed surprised when Gu Su and I got together, as if they had long expected for it to happen.
Her Excellency’s expression was even more colourful. From my interpretation, I think it meant something along the lines of: I can finally get this idiot married off! He can’t cling to my waifu ever again!
For the sake of getting Gu Su away from Sir Ling Yue faster, Her Excellency arranged for us to be married at the Prime Minister’s residence.
I hadn’t expected her to bring my mother here.
I hadn’t seen my mother in years. After the former Prime Minister’s death, she’d left to live in the countryside estate.
She was already old.
“Mother.” I knocked my head heavily on the ground.
“Good. Good…” Mother’s wrinkled face seemed like a flower in bloom as she smiled, but there were tears in the corners of her eyes.
Gu Su stood beside me, feeling a bit nervous as he copied my actions and kowtowed to Mother. “Mother.”
Mother seemed finally unable to hold back her tears as she choked with sobs softly. After a long time, she spoke, “Mother is very happy…to be able to see you get married.”
She took a brocade box from her sleeve and beckoned Gu Su over. He looked at me and only got up when I nodded.
Mother opened the box up to reveal a jade pendant. She solemnly handed it over to Gu Su. “I must trouble you to take care of her from now on.”
“I will.” Gu Su replied primly.
Meanwhile, I had some trouble holding back my laughter. I really wanted to ask him: who’s going to take care of whom?
The wedding wasn’t a simple affair—it could be called quite grand actually.
Within the hall, Mother sat at the head seat, gazing kindly at me and Gu Su.
Mother had wanted Her Excellency to sit there, but she rejected it.
She didn’t give a reason, merely rejecting the offer with an expressionless face. Mother didn’t dare to press.
The officiant’s voice sounded.
“Bow to Heaven and Earth…”
“Bow to the ancestors…”
“Bow to each other…”
