Every time the prince opens his eyes, he sees

This news was like a bolt from the blue, instantly shattering all the hopes in Lu Yaoyao's heart.

She held the letter tightly, her fingertips turning white from excessive force, and her eyes stared out the window empty, as if she had lost her soul.

"No, this is impossible... He can't have died like this." Lu Yaoyao murmured to herself, tears welling up in her eyes but never falling.

She didn't want to believe that Gu Huai, who was always gentle and elegant, would suddenly leave her so unexpectedly.

Upon hearing this, Mother Gu was struck by lightning. Her face turned pale instantly, her body trembled, and she almost fainted.

Lu Yaoyao quickly stepped forward to support her, suppressing her inner grief as she comforted her, "Mother, don't worry. Perhaps it's just a mistake. There are so many corpses on the battlefield, it's possible that she accidentally made a mistake."

"This is something taken from General Gu."

The guard took out something from his arms and respectfully presented it to Gu's mother and Lu Yaoyao.

Gu's mother couldn't recognize him, but Lu Yaoyao recognized him at a glance.

This was the mask she bought when she and Gu Huai were shopping. They each bought one, and Gu Huai bought the Dragon King mask.

Now I can no longer deceive myself by saying that I have identified the wrong body.

Lu Yaoyao looked at the mask and burst into tears.

Her crying said it all.

Mother Gu also began to scream at the top of her lungs.

The guard continued, "General Gu's coffin will be returned with the army soon. The messenger said that the barbarians have been defeated and have voluntarily retreated, so there is no need to fight any further."

There is no need to fight, and peace is achieved at the cost of Gu Huai's death.

For the first time in her life, Lu Yaoyao experienced the cruelty of war and the sadness and trauma that war brought to people.

"I understand. Thank you for your help, General." Lu Yaoyao said while supporting the heartbroken Mother Gu.

"Yeah." Seeing that they were so sad, the guard couldn't bear to look at them any longer and left.

Knowing that her son was dead, Gu's mother's heart fell into the abyss. She was so sad that she fell ill and could not afford to recover.

Lu Yaoyao took care of her all afternoon until dawn.

Mother Gu fell into a deep sleep, and Lu Yaoyao dragged her tired body back to her room.

Looking at the bright room, she felt the chill for the first time.

"System, is Gu Huai really dead?"

The system was silent for a moment, "Yes."

"If he's dead, why am I still alive? Haven't I been strangled yet? Logically, if the target is dead, my mission should be considered a failure."

"This has never happened before, so the headquarters may also be judging the case..." The system said sadly, "Host, you are really unlucky."

"Maybe I am the star of disaster. Without me, Gu Huai might not have to die."

"It's a general's fate to die on the battlefield. How many of them can live long enough to no longer lead troops in battle? And according to the information, Gu Huai died on the battlefield, but he was 35 years old at the time, which means he died a few years earlier."

Lu Yaoyao closed her eyes and didn't want to say a word.

Both of her attacks failed, so perhaps she has no chance of turning the tide.

She couldn't go back, and her mother could only wait to die in the hospital.

This is their fate!

Gu Huai is dead, so there is no need to hide the news about him. Moreover, the enemy has already withdrawn, and the Jin army will return to the capital soon.

The news of his death caused a huge uproar in the capital, and both the powerful and the common people were discussing the matter.

Gu Huai, this young, promising, brave and skilled general, his name is like a bright light that once illuminated the border of the Great Jin Dynasty, but now it has suddenly gone out, which is hard to accept.

"My dear, what those people say outside is really bad. They say you are unlucky. My son-in-law used to be invincible on the battlefield, but after marrying you, he will die for his country on the battlefield."

This maid was the one Lu Yaoyao brought from the Lu Mansion, so naturally she was the most on her side. Gu Huai didn't mean as much to her as Lu Yaoyao.

"What else?" Lu Yaoyao felt hopeless.

"Some also say that you are a beauty who brings disaster, and they want to blame your son-in-law's death in battle on you, and want you to pay with your life, saying that you should be buried alive with him."

Haha, hearing this, Lu Yaoyao almost laughed out loud.

Blame her?

Among those who spread rumors and slandered her might be the families of the 10,000 soldiers for whom Gu Huai sacrificed his life.

He protected their husbands and sons, but they turned around and threw dirty water on his wives.

Lu Yaoyao didn't want to be a good person. She had lived in this dynasty for almost eleven years and had seen all kinds of ugly faces. She would not endure being wronged or framed by others and swallow her anger.

"Go find a few people and ask outside to find out who is causing the most trouble and spreading the most rumors. Arrest them immediately and hand them over to the government to be handled by the prefect of Jingzhao. Your Majesty, you should not let the family of a martyr or hero feel disappointed." There was a hint of ruthlessness and iron-bloodedness in Lu Yaoyao's words.

The maid took the order and left. Soon, the Gu family guards caught several of the leading rumormongers and, regardless of their screams, took them to the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture.

The prefect of Jingzhao knew very well that as a widow, Lu Yaoyao would be comforted and sympathized by the emperor once Gu Huai's body was brought back.

So he didn't even listen to the arguments and accusations of the rumormongers, and cut the Gordian knot by sentencing them to fifty lashes.

After being beaten with so many sticks, the rumormongers were almost dead, but it didn’t end there. They were sent to prison and had to serve their sentences.

The thundering measures immediately suppressed the trend of spreading and distorting the vicious rumors.

Even if people talked about it, they didn't dare to do it openly. They could only whisper and talk behind his back.

However, even after punishing a group of people, Lu Yaoyao's mood did not improve. She had no intention of going out at all and looked much more haggard.

Gu's mother was even less concerned, and the Gu family was shrouded in a cloud of gloom.

Concubine Shu had sent out two invitations to invite Lu Yaoyao to the palace for a chat, but both were declined.

She was in no mood to see anyone right now.

It was not until Gu's father led everyone back to the capital that she went out to the city to receive Gu Huai's coffin with the emperor, the prince and other civil and military officials.

She was pale, but didn't shed a single tear.

Seeing the coffin, she rushed directly to it and lifted the lid.

Until now, she still holds on to a glimmer of hope, thinking that maybe Gu Huai is not dead.

But even though his face was disfigured, the same height, the sachet on his waist, the tassel on his sword, and the scar on the back of his left hand undoubtedly showed that he was Gu Huai.

Gu Huai is really dead.

Despair swept over her body. She pulled at his clothes in disbelief until the scar on his chest and shoulder, the scars he had suffered for her, were exposed. She finally believed that Gu Huai was really dead.

Xie Qingchen came to grab her hand, his face also hurt, but his voice was deep, as if he wanted to scold her to wake her up, "Gu Huai is gone, just let him go, give him the last bit of dignity."

Lu Yaoyao let go in a daze, and the coffin was pushed back to its original position by Xie Qingchen.

He raised his hand, signaling the team to enter the city.

Both Gu's father and Gu Chen looked sad, but they could only endure it.