The princess's bedroom.
Gu Moli sat by the window, holding a thin piece of paper in her hand, on which were written the names of seven women.
Qingwu stood to the side and whispered.
"Your Highness, these seven women have all been arranged and are ready to enter the palace at any time."
Gu Moli put down the paper and stood up.
"Let's go take a look."
The Qingwu responded.
"Yes."
The two left the palace, boarded a carriage, and headed out of the city.
The village was located outside the city, in a remote area surrounded by farmland.
The carriage stopped at the door, Gu Moli got out, and Qingwu followed behind her.
The estate was quiet, with only a few servants busy in the courtyard.
Qingwu led Gu Moli to the backyard and pushed open a door.
Inside the room, seven women were sitting on a tatami mat, each doing their own work.
Some were embroidering, some were reading, and some were practicing calligraphy.
Hearing the door open, all seven people looked up and, upon seeing Gu Moli, immediately stood up and bowed.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Gu Moli waved her hand.
"Get up, all of you."
The seven people stood up and stood in a row.
Gu Moli walked over and carefully examined them from left to right.
These seven women were all around fifteen or sixteen years old, with slender figures and gentle features.
Gu Moli walked up to the first woman, raised her hand, and gently touched her hair.
"You all know what you'll be doing after entering the palace, right?"
The seven answered in unison.
"Know."
Gu Moli's tone was indifferent.
"That's good. Remember, once you enter the palace, do everything I teach you."
Walking, talking, pouring tea, serving—everything must be done correctly.
She paused, her eyes turning cold.
"If anything goes wrong, don't blame me for being ruthless."
The seven responded in unison.
"Yes."
Gu Moli nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good."
She turned to Qingwu and said.
"Send them to the palace tomorrow."
The Qingwu responded.
"Yes."
Gu Moli glanced at the seven people again, then turned and left.
Inside the carriage, Gu Moli leaned against the side wall with her eyes closed.
Qingwu sat opposite her and whispered.
"Your Highness, these seven women were carefully selected; there will be no mistake."
Gu Moli opened her eyes and sneered.
Whether or not mistakes occur depends on their own abilities.
She paused, her tone chilling.
"My father's health had just improved, but my mother is feigning illness and unable to attend to me in bed."
Father is at the height of his energy.
With these seven people serving him, his lifespan is coming to an end.
Qingwu lowered her head, not daring to reply.
Gu Moli looked out the window, her eyes deep and unfathomable.
"My mother has suffered so much over the years for me and Brother Ran."
She said softly.
What is owed must be repaid.
Yun Shuyue squatted by the well, holding a wooden basin in her hand, the moon-white outer robe soaking in the basin.
The water was cold, and she rubbed her fingertips together on her sleeve a couple of times before stopping.
The sleeves have wide shoulder lines, which fit the prince perfectly, but when she wrapped them around herself, they were so long they dragged on the ground.
I looked down and smelled it; beneath the scent of soapberry was a faint, almost imperceptible medicinal fragrance.
"You got so engrossed in washing clothes?"
Liu Ruyan passed by and smiled.
When Yun Shuyue came to her senses, she realized that she had been squatting there for almost half an hour.
"No, sister, please don't tease me."
Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan pursed her lips and left.
Yun Shuyue wrung out her sleeve, and water dripped down between her fingers, soaking into the bluestone slab little by little.
She remembers being covered in mud that day, too afraid to move on the edge of the field for fear of getting mud on others.
Gu Moran took off his outer robe and draped it over her shoulders, then wiped the mud off her face.
"Close your eyes," he said at the time.
She really closed her eyes.
When I rubbed my eyelids with my fingertips, I used very light pressure, as if I were rubbing something that I was afraid of breaking.
Yun Shuyue clutched her sleeve, her ears suddenly burning.
She has seen many people treat her well.
The old and weak of Black Wind Stronghold obeyed her every word because she could protect their food supply;
The reason why Master Gan Family bowed and scraped when paying compensation was because he was afraid of the powerful Prince Yi behind her.
Ever since her mother died, no one has ever personally wiped her face.
Those hands were very steady.
She thought to herself, "This person is clearly very ill, how come their hands are so steady?"
Yun Shuyue picked up her outer robe, wrung it out, and hung it on a bamboo pole to dry.
A gust of wind blew, and the sleeves swayed, as if someone were standing there wearing them.
She stared at the sleeve for a while, then recalled how Gu Moran looked these past few days.
He spent his days overseeing the construction site, and his coughing at night caused Uncle Fu to call for help all over the yard. He would flip through the account books until midnight, and his complexion grew worse day by day.
He still took off his outer robe and gave it to her, then walked back to the palace wearing only a thin undergarment, where he was stopped at the door and questioned by Murong Xue and Lin Qingdai.
Yun Shuyue squatted under the bamboo pole, her fingers picking at the folds of her skirt.
Looking back on her three years in Black Wind Stronghold, she realized she had never felt so heartbroken for anyone.
She was worried when Tiedan was sick because she felt sorry for the child.
Old Master Sun's leg pain pained her because she had promised to ensure he had a peaceful old age.
But looking at this outer robe, she was thinking, " Gu Moran coughing like that, will he not last more than a few years?"
The moment the thought popped into her head, she was startled and quickly suppressed it.
"What are you thinking about, Yun Shuyue?"
She muttered a curse under her breath, keeping her voice very low so as not to be overheard.
But the thought was impossible to suppress; instead, it kept growing stronger.
If Gu Moran really can't last a few more years, then she'll have to pay him back with her life sooner or later, so she might as well confess her feelings now.
As long as I can follow him from now on, I don't need to ask for any official title.
Just stay by his side and watch him day after day; that's enough.
Thinking of this, her face turned bright red.
She quickly shook her head, wiped her wet hands on her skirt, and turned to run to the kitchen, trying to shake off these thoughts by doing some work.
In the study, Gu Moran was facing Su Yao, his brows furrowed deeply.
That's about it.
"However, I'm not entirely confident about this yet."