Rebirth and Rewriting Fate

With her hands free, Yun Chu carefully pinched the mooncake again, put it in her mouth, and took a small bite.

First, the crispy outer layer gently bursts open in your mouth, followed by the sweet filling slowly melting in your mouth, like a gentle stream nourishing your heart, bringing a sense of happiness and satisfaction. The baking time was well controlled; the filling was smooth but not cloyingly sweet, with just the right amount of sweetness. If it had been baked a little longer, the color would have been even more beautiful. Overall, it was quite good.

"The filling is very well prepared." Yun Chu turned to Nan Rao and praised her, while stuffing the remaining half of the mooncake in her hand into her mouth.

Nan Rao smiled and said, "Miss has taught you well."

Yun Chu turned around, picked up the remaining half of the mooncake, and naturally offered it to Gu Ruoxiao's lips, "Not bad, why don't you try it?"

At this moment, Yun Chu did not realize that there was anything wrong with her behavior. She often treated Nan Rao and Zhu Ling in the same way, but she forgot that the person in front of her was Gu Ruoxiao.

Gu Ruoxiao was slightly taken aback. His gaze was fixed on Yun Chu, who was looking at him calmly, waiting for him to eat the mooncake.

However, Yun Chu quickly realized that her behavior was somewhat ambiguous. Just as she was about to withdraw her outstretched hand, Gu Ruoxiao beat her to it. He took a bite of the half-mooncake, and Yun Chu even felt his lips lightly touch her fingers. Her face flushed instantly.

“It’s delicious,” said the person standing in front of them.

At this moment, Yun Chu no longer cared about what he was saying. She was secretly glad that the kitchen was warm enough that he couldn't see her blushing face. She was also glad that besides the two of them, only Nan Rao and Chi Wu were in the kitchen, and neither of them were talkative.

Yun Chu turned around and hurriedly came to Nan Rao's side to hide her panic, "Nan Rao, you can share these with the children."

“Okay,” Nan Rao replied.

Yun Chu cleared her throat with her back to Gu Ruoxiao and said, "Aren't you hungry? If you're hungry, eat a few more pieces." After saying that, she picked up a plate of mooncakes and left the kitchen without looking back.

Gu Ruoxiao couldn't help but smile as he watched her retreating figure.

The courtyard was filled with joy again because of the delicious mooncakes, and Yun Chu felt a warm glow in her heart as she looked at the scene.

It was past midnight, and many children began to yawn, even Ping An was starting to feel sleepy. Seeing this, Zi Su came to Yun Chu, nodded to Gu Ruo Xiao, and said, "Miss, it's getting late, I'll take the children back first."

"Okay. Be careful on the road." Yun Chu nodded.

"Go with the flow, you two escort them back," Gu Ruoxiao instructed.

"Yes, Master."

Yun Chu smiled slightly; Gu Ruoxiao had indeed considered things very thoroughly.

Soon, half of the people in the courtyard were cleared out. The remaining guards looked at each other, and Ji Bai said, "Master, Miss Yun Chu, we'll head back now."

"Mm," Gu Ruoxiao replied.

“Recently, Dongchi has been frequently harassing and provoking us without cause. I will be going to Luoshui and Bingze in a few days to deal with Dongchi’s affairs. Do not make any rash moves before I return. If anything happens, go to the Prince’s Mansion to find Chiwu.” Gu Ruoxiao said seriously to Yun Chu.

Yun Chu frowned as she looked at him, deeply puzzled by the words "don't act rashly".

"I'm going back now." With that, Gu Ruoxiao got up and walked towards the courtyard gate.

Yun Chu suddenly remembered something, stood up, and called out, "Wait a minute." After saying that, she ran into the kitchen and came out a moment later carrying a food box.

"These are two boxes of mooncakes, both low in sugar, for Uncle Cheng and Doctor Wei. I was very grateful for Uncle Cheng's care while I was injured at your residence. I heard that Doctor Wei will be back in a few days, and I wanted him to have some too," Yun Chu said, handing over the food box.

Chiwu, who was behind, quickly took it.

“Okay,” Gu Ruoxiao said. “Don’t make any decisions while I’m not here.” He emphasized again, then left the courtyard.

Making a decision? What decision? Yun Chu blinked in confusion. Gu Ruoxiao was acting very strangely today, unlike himself at all.

The days passed quickly, and Gu Ruoxiao disappeared. Instead, Chi Wu appeared at Qingfeng Courtyard every two days with a basket of fruit.

Yun Chu frequently inquired about the situation in Dongchi from him. Perhaps Gu Ruoxiao had given instructions, because Chiwu answered all her questions. Yun Chu remembered that in her previous life, Dongchi had also been in turmoil, and Gu Ruoxiao had led troops to fight against it. Although the outcome was mixed, the situation was still dire. But now he should have more experience. Yun Chu prayed silently, hoping he would be safe.

As the war raged on and supplies were being consumed at an alarming rate, Luo Yan was busy raising funds for the army and rarely came to Qingfeng Courtyard. However, he would still send his servants to visit her from time to time. Whenever he did, Yun Chu would always say that it was nothing to worry about and that important matters were more important.

Upon arriving in Luoshui, Gu Ruoxiao paid a visit to General Shen. When General Shen again proposed to marry his only granddaughter to Gu Ruoxiao, she refused.

"Don't think you're so great just because you're royalty!" General Shen slammed his cup down and stormed out. Shangguan Wan'er hurriedly chased after him.

General Shen was furious. He despised the royal family, yet he held a special fondness for Gu Ruoxiao. He had someone investigate him and found him to be an upright, capable man, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and a reliable person. He wanted to find a good husband for his granddaughter, especially since Wan'er also liked him. But this man was ungrateful and had repeatedly refused his marriage proposal. Didn't he have any pride? This time, he was determined to teach him a lesson.

Chengfeng stood behind Gu Ruoxiao, wanting to say something but not daring to.

After a short while, Shangguan Wan'er stepped into the living room again. She looked at Chengfeng and said, "You can go out now."

Chengfeng looked at Gu Ruoxiao, who nodded.

At this moment, only Gu Ruoxiao and Shangguan Wan'er were in the room.

"Are you still going to refuse your grandfather's suggestion?" Shangguan Wan'er asked.

Gu Ruoxiao remained silent.

"You know I love you, and you were willing to risk your life to save me. Don't we love each other?"

Shangguan Wan'er asked in confusion.

"I'm sorry, I already have someone I like." Gu Ruoxiao put down her teacup.

“If you have feelings for me, then I will certainly fight for you. If not, I will not force you. Or do you also have feelings for Yun Chu? But she said…” Shangguan Wan’er suddenly stopped, then smiled, “Everyone knows that Your Highness is decisive and ruthless, but no one expected you to be so hesitant about matters of the heart. Indeed, no one is perfect.” With that, she stood up and stepped out the door, saying before leaving, “The war between the two nations concerns the people, and I will certainly do my utmost to mediate.”

In the living room, Gu Ruoxiao sat quietly for a long time before speaking, "Chengfeng, how are our people's preparations going?"

Chengfeng flashed out, "Master, everything is almost ready."

Gu Ruoxiao nodded. He had made this decision, and he needed to deal with any potential problems before making a decision.