I Became the Eye Candy: Four Bigshots Claimed to be My Dad?-Chapter 95: A Miracle of Survival
"One or two would be understandable, but the entire family? That’s just too strange," Xiang Minghou mused. "The Gu family is hardly that harmonious."
’Thinking it over, it must be related to what happened the day before yesterday.’
’The day before yesterday, I had the Hidden Guards go to the Gu family to contain the news. Old Gu really is a blabbermouth—he told several people, forcing me to spend half the night running around to clean up his mess.’
’Worried that Old Gu still couldn’t keep his mouth shut, I went to see him personally late that night to give him a few words of warning.’
’Could it be that Old Gu has held a grudge over it?’
’I used to visit the Gu family often when I was young, and I don’t remember Old Gu being this petty.’
Ye Qianning was also puzzled. She understood Old Gu’s motives, but why were so many people from the Gu family involved?
’Everyone in the Gu family has their own agenda. For them to all gather at the General’s residence now... the scheme behind it must be significant.’
"If you run into Old Gu at Lou Mountain, avoid him if you can. No one in the Gu family is simple," Xiang Minghou advised, turning to her.
Ye Qianning nodded. "Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll be sure not to cause any trouble for you at the academy."
"But if anyone bullies you, don’t you dare put up with it. If you can’t win the fight, come home and tell me. I’ll go take on his old man."
Ye Qianning was speechless.
"Did you hear me?" When she didn’t answer, Xiang Minghou raised his hand and poked her, his gaze firm.
"Dad, aren’t you teaching me bad habits?"
’Other parents tell their kids to study hard and aim high when they go off to school, but my dad... he’s one of a kind.’
"The rules at Lou Mountain Academy may be strict, but the students are all princes, nobles, and sons of powerful families. Even the least of them come from clans that are the wealthiest in their region. They all have plenty of little tricks up their sleeves." Xiang Minghou had graduated from Lou Mountain Academy himself, so he knew exactly what it was like.
"What if I get into a conflict with a Prince?" Ye Qianning’s target was Sang Zhi. ’The little stick-in-the-mud is a pushover, so the other princes are bound to bully him.’
’That’s why I need to give Dad a heads-up. If we do get into a fight, I need to know how he’ll handle it.’
’After all, I’m not on my own anymore. I have a whole family behind me now!’
"You don’t need to be afraid of the Princes, either. If one of them dares to give you trouble, you do what you have to do. I’ll handle any mess that comes of it." Back when Xiang Minghou was a student, he had taken more than his fair share of grief from the princes.
Now that it was his own daughter’s turn, he couldn’t let those princes bully her as well.
"Aren’t you afraid of the Emperor, Dad?"
"What’s there to be afraid of? Every scar on my body I earned for the royal family and for Beili. I protect the nation for them. If they can’t even protect my family, then what motivation do I have to go out and fight on the battlefield?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
Ye Qianning understood. His words were a bit extreme, but his reasoning was sound.
’The last time Dad had a fever, I used acupuncture on his chest. When he took off his shirt... even I, who am used to the sight of blood and gore, was shocked.’
’His entire upper body, front and back, was covered in hundreds of old and new wounds. He looked like a human sieve.’
’The worst one was on his chest. Even though the injury was two or three years old, it was still a terrifying sight.’
’It was a huge hole. Medical arts aren’t that advanced, so even though it healed, it left a deep, sunken scar. Judging by the wound, it must have grazed his heart.’
’It’s a miracle he survived at all!’
In truth, ever since she saw those scars, Ye Qianning had thought about not wanting her father to return to the battlefield. But then she reconsidered. ’There are tens of thousands of soldiers on the front lines, and every one of them has parents to care for and children to raise.’
’If everyone, like me, was only concerned with keeping their own loved ones from harm, how could the nation ever be safe and prosperous?’
’She only hoped the Emperor would not let his people grow disillusioned, and would not mistreat the soldiers and generals who fought for him.’
