Oops! My Inner Thoughts Are Ruining The Plot

Chapter 179: Chapter

Just as Yueqing’s whispered words faded into the quiet night air, the loud thrum of galloping horses shattered the silence of the courtyard. The sound of hooves pounded hard against the stone path outside the estate gates.

Everyone by the lotus pond froze.

Old Madam Xi stopped her prayers, her beads slipping between her fingers. Duchess Lin Meiyun turned quickly toward the archway, while Gu Zhen stepped in front of Aunt Ronghua and their children, his hand resting on his sword as Yunhao and Yunchen ran toward the entrance.

Before anyone could ask what was happening, a young maid came running down the corridor, holding up her skirts and stumbling in excitement.

"Madam! Old Madam!" the maid cried out, tears streaming down her face. "The Grand Duke is at the main entrance!"

Duchess Lin Meiyun took a sudden step forward, her hands trembling. "Jianyu...?"

"He is back!" the maid sobbed. "And he brought Young Master Wenzhe with him! The General is home!"

A shock rippled across the pond.

The paper lanterns floating on the water were instantly forgotten. The Duchess choked back a sob, staggering forward, but Aunt Ronghua and Lanyin caught her arms to support her as they hurried toward the gates. Gu Zhen guided his wife, while Gu Xing, Gu Yue, and Qianqian followed close behind.

Yueqing remained kneeling on the cold stone by the water, completely frozen.

Her heart beat painfully against her ribs, her mind filled with a single, shocked thought.

[Wenzhe? He’s back? He’s actually alive?!]

Lu Yue reached down, holding Yueqing firmly by the arms to pull her frail body up from the ground. "Madam... let us go! The General is back!"

Yueqing forced her weak legs to move, supported by Lu Yue as she joined the crowd of tearful family members and servants pouring into the main courtyard.

The heavy wooden gates were thrown open.

Grand Duke Xi Jianyu stood in the center of the hall in heavy, dust-covered armor, taking off his thick gloves. His face was gray with fatigue.

Beside him, leaning heavily on the shoulders of two lieutenants, was a tall figure wrapped in a dark cloak.

Xi Wenzhe.

He was thin, his jawline hollow and his skin pale as ash. A dark, stained bandage showed from under his collar, and his breathing was rough and uneven.

"Jianyu!" Duchess Lin Meiyun cried out, running to her husband and throwing her arms around his neck, sobbing against his shoulder armor.

Jianyu held his wife tightly, his stern face showing rare emotion as he squeezed her shoulder. "I am back, Meiyun. I brought our son home."

Old Madam Xi hurried forward, her frail hands reaching out to clutch Wenzhe’s arm. "My boy... Wenzhe! Look at you!" She turned to the lieutenants in panic. "Why is he so pale?! Why can he barely stand? Where are the doctors?!"

"Mother, calm down," Grand Duke Jianyu said, his deep voice heavy. "He was ambushed and poisoned with Frost Heart Root before we found him in the northern valley. He has survived on willpower alone. He needs immediate bed rest."

Yunhao and Yunchen rushed to their brother’s side, holding him up. "Eldest Brother!" Yunhao said, his eyes filled with tears. "You made it..."

"Don’t waste his breath, Yunhao," Yunchen cut in, his voice tight with concern. "Can’t you see he can barely stand? Let’s get him inside!"

Aunt Ronghua immediately turned to the servants, shouting orders. "Prepare warm water! Light the fires in the General’s room and bring the medicine chests now! Hurry!"

Gu Zhen placed a firm hand on Wenzhe’s shoulder in quiet respect, while the young cousins watched in tearful relief from behind their parents.

Despite all the noise, tears, and questions around him, Wenzhe barely had the strength to nod at his family. His chest heaved with every shallow breath. His dark, tired eyes looked past the crowd until they locked straight onto Yueqing.

The commotion around them seemed to fall away.

Yueqing stood a few steps back in the doorway, wearing her plain blue hanfu. Her hair hung loose and unadorned over her shoulders, her face pale and thin after two months of grief. Her dark eyes were wide and filled with tears.

For two long months, she had prepared for the worst. She had laid in the dark, cursed her silent system, and kept her feelings buried. But seeing him standing there injured, weak, but alive. shattered her composure completely.

Wenzhe stared back at her, his dry lips parting slightly as he let out a heavy breath.

[You’re back...] Yueqing’s internal voice echoed softly, filled with overwhelming relief. [You crazy, stubborn idiot... you actually came back.]

Yueqing forced her weak, unsteady legs forward, stepping toward him as the rest of the family cleared a path. Ignoring the dull, lingering ache in her ribs, she lifted her trembling hands and placed them gently against his cold, hollow cheeks. Tears streamed freely down her pale face, spilling onto her collar.

"Wenz—"

She hadn’t even finished speaking his name when Wenzhe’s jaw tightened. Using what little strength he had left in his weak, battered body, he lifted his arm and shoved her hands away.

He didn’t use much force, but because she was so frail and exhausted, Yueqing completely lost her balance. Her knees buckled beneath her, and she fell straight down onto the hard stone floor.

A sudden, suffocating silence fell over the entire courtyard.

Every single person from the Grand Duke and Duchess down to the servants stood in total shock. No one expected him to strike out, especially not at Yueqing, who looked like a ghost herself.

Lu Yue was the first to react, rushing forward with wide, furious eyes to help her mistress up. "Madam!" she cried out, supporting Yueqing’s frail frame as she stared at the General in utter disbelief at what he had just done.

Yueqing lay against Lu Yue, her unadorned hair falling over her pale face, her hands resting frozen on the cold ground as she stared up at Wenzhe in stunned, silent heartbreak.

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