freenovelworld Chapter 489 She is a princess of Northern Yan, with her own pride.
Chapter 489 She is a princess of Northern Yan, with her own pride.
She raised her eyes and looked directly at the Northern Yan princess, "If I were like the princess, born with a noble status, wielding power that ordinary people could not attain, and possessing such courage and talent that rivals any man..."
"I would never limit my attention to romantic love or fixate on a man's choice of partner."
"The world is so vast, there is so much to conquer, why confine yourself to a small inner courtyard, or become an appendage of some man?"
Chu Ruohan's voice was not loud, but every word was clear, like a small hammer striking the heart of the Northern Yan princess.
No one knows the expression behind the Northern Yan princess's mask, but her tightly clenched hands betray her inner turmoil.
She had never thought about these things.
She was born a princess, and everything she wanted seemed to be within her grasp.
She took a liking to Gu Junze and wanted to have him, which she considered perfectly natural.
But Chu Ruohan's words were like a mirror, reflecting the narrow-mindedness beneath some of her stubborn ideas.
"Are you saying that my vision is too narrow?" The Northern Yan princess's voice was somewhat cold.
Chu Ruohan replied neither humbly nor arrogantly: "The princess has the world in her heart, which is naturally incomparable to an ordinary woman like Ruohan."
"However, Ruohan believes that a remarkable woman like the princess should have a wider world to explore, rather than wasting so much energy on a man."
She paused, then added, "As for what the princess just said, that Junze has already agreed, I'm afraid Ruohan finds it hard to believe."
"If he truly intended this, he would have told me himself. Princess, why resort to such tricks to test me?"
The Northern Yan princess remained silent.
Chu Ruohan's words were like a soft knife, seemingly harmless, yet they dissected the pride she had deliberately maintained.
Yes, why would she use such a lie?
Is the intention to overwhelm the other party with sheer force of will?
This Chu Ruohan is too insightful and too clear-headed.
The Northern Yan princess left without ever seeing Gu Junze again. She was the most precious princess of Northern Yan, and her pride wouldn't allow her to bow her head again and again for a man...
Several days later, the Zheng reinforcements also began their return journey.
Outside the barbican.
Gu Junze was dressed in a black outfit, with Vice General Wang and other Pingzhou generals behind him.
"Respectfully seeing off the Great General!"
Duan Qingye reined in his horse and stopped in front of him; the army was already slowly setting off ahead.
This General Wang of Zheng has taken off his military uniform today and put on more casual everyday clothes. He looks less fierce on the battlefield and more complicated.
He looked at Gu Junze, whose young face bore a striking resemblance to his own, his expression still cold and stern.
Silence spread between the two, with only the howling of the wind.
"Is it so hard to call me 'Dad'?" Duan Qingye spoke first.
Gu Junze remained motionless, not even his eyelashes trembled.
He didn't answer...
The surrounding air seemed to freeze.
Deputy General Wang and the others held their breath, not daring to make the slightest sound.
After a moment, Duan Qingye's Adam's apple bobbed, and he let out a soft sigh.
"Fine, if you don't want to call me that, then don't."
He looked away, gazing at the long line of people in the distance. The expectation in his voice vanished, replaced by a faint sense of relief, and perhaps even a hint of disappointment that he himself was unaware of.
He was well aware, of course, that the death of Princess Anyang was a wound in Gu Junze's heart that could never heal, a huge chasm that stretched between him and his son.
Duan Qingye, despite having countless reasons, cannot escape blame; he was one of the causes of that scar.
Over the years, how could he not have regretted it? How could he not have been awakened in the middle of the night by those clear and resolute eyes?
However, life is unpredictable and fate is fickle.
Some mistakes, once made, can never be undone.
Some feelings, once missed, can only be buried deep in the heart.
The wind picked up, making Duan Qingye's robes flutter loudly.
He looked at Gu Junze again, "Remember, as long as I, Duan Qingye, have a breath left, as long as the Duan family of Zheng State still exists, I will always be your support."
Not as a father demanding recognition, but as an elder and an ally.
Gu Junze remained silent.
But this time, his fingers curled up slightly.
Duan Qingye took one last deep look at him, as if trying to etch his image into her heart.
Without another word, he abruptly pulled on the reins and turned the horse around.
"drive!"
With a shout, he spurred his horse, and the warhorse neighed as it chased after the Zheng army ahead.
The billowing smoke and dust quickly swallowed his figure.
Gu Junze stood there, motionless for a long time.
Only when the sound of departing hooves completely faded into the wind did he slowly raise his eyes and look in the direction where Duan Qingye had left.
The emotions in those deep eyes were complex and hard to discern!
“General…” Deputy General Wang stepped forward and called out softly.
Gu Junze withdrew his gaze, his expression returning to its usual calm.
"Back to the city."
He gave a brief order, mounted his horse, and moved swiftly and decisively without any hesitation.
Some names, perhaps, can never be uttered.
Some things from the past may never be able to be let go of.
But some promises are etched into the soul...
Northern Yan, capital city, Golden Palace.
The Northern Yan princess—no, at this moment she should be called a defeated general returning from battle—stood quietly in the hall.
She still wore that golden mask, letting the accusations from all sides come crashing down like a tidal wave.
"Royal sister! You led an army of 100,000, and even had the ghost army bestowed by Father Emperor, yet you suffered such a crushing defeat!"
"In the battle of Pingzhou, our Northern Yan suffered heavy losses, losing more than half of its elite troops and utterly disgracing ourselves! How can you still stand in this court!"
It was the Third Prince who spoke, his tone sharp and full of schadenfreude.
"Third brother is absolutely right!" the fourth prince immediately echoed. "For a woman to lead troops is a ridiculous act! Royal sister, you should go back to your princess residence, find a good family to marry into, and be a good wife and mother. That is the right path for you!"
"Please, Princess, relinquish your military power!"
"Please, Princess, apologize on behalf of the soldiers of Northern Yan who died in battle..."
Among the court officials, many also spoke out indignantly, most of whom were officials who were attached to the princes.
On the dragon throne, the Emperor of Northern Yan frowned, looking at the almost unanimous condemnation below, and then glanced at his silent eldest daughter. A hint of hesitation flashed in his cloudy eyes.
Finally, he spoke slowly, his voice tinged with weariness: "Yan Yang, what you all said makes some sense."
"As for the matter of military power, you shall... hand it over. This defeat is not solely your fault, but... alas."
Princess Yan Yang of Northern Yan curled her lips into a cold smile when she heard her father's words.
A soft laugh escaped from her lips.
"Chu Ruohan was right after all." She murmured to herself, her voice not loud, but clearly reaching the ears of the princes closest to her.
"Unfortunately, I am not Anyang."
She would never be like Princess Anyang, willing to die for the sake of the so-called greater good, placing her hopes on the mercy of others.