Rebirth as the General's Wife

32: The Fall of Gu Meiyue

Their two months of vacation has finally ended and Xu Jun had to go back to work. This time, he didn't need to travel as far as last time, which made Jufen slightly relieved.

During her free time, she would play chess by herself. Looking at the board, a certain light flashed in her eyes before she quietly placed a piece down.

The Ye kingdom was tranquil and peaceful until the southern region of Ye began to collapse.

In the beginning of spring, their weather became unpredictable. It rained heavily day and night; damaging a lot of goods and the visits of customers. It would've been fine if it was just rain but because the large river flows from north to south, water accumulated from the snowy mountains and cities. The South suffered a lot of floods which destroyed many homes and businesses.

The area that endured the worst catastrophe was Paradise City. Just seeing their condition was enough to make one cry with agony. Nearly everything floated away with the water and their value dropped a new kind of low.

The citizens begged for the water to stop but within one month into summer, they had begged for water to come. The south was currently experiencing a dry period with a scorching hot sun that burned everything it touched. Wildfires spread uncontrollably and took days to recover. Afterwards, it began to rain again. The fluctuating weather switched its course every week.

Everyone in the country was tense under the crisis they're currently facing. The Emperor was especially stressed and set a new priority to recover the loss. The officials worked long hours to figure out a plan and how to deal with the large casualties that included: increasing amount of deaths, the dramatic fall in economy, and the shift in social ladders. There was also thousands of victims that needed refuge. Even if their plans did do some good, it was not enough.

Just when one thought it was over, a deadly plague took over the city. A large additional amount of people died— including the Gu household that resides right in the middle of the Paradise City.

"Wu Wangfei..." Mu Xin cried out with tears and held out a crumbled letter for Meiyue to read. Her heart hammered in fear and she frantically ripped the letter from Mu Xin's hands before opening it with trembling fingers.

She could not breath as she nervously build the courage to read the printed words. Her heart stopped when her eyes spotted the words 'passed away.'

When she read the report that her entire family had perished in the plague's deadly grasp, a thunder roared in the crying sky. It struck her heavy heart and crystal tears began to fall from her jewel-like eyes.

Meiyue crumbled onto the floor with the letter clutched tightly in her hands as she cried endlessly for three days and three nights. She had turned mad and threw a large tantrum by destroying priceless artifacts and vandalizing the property of Ye Feng. In anguish, she torn precious silks and cloths while she cried her heart out.

With disheveled hair, loose attire, and blood-shot eyes, she wailed outside of Ye Feng's study room. These days, he had not payed attention to her and ignored her cries. Suddenly, she had broken into his room and clung onto his pants while begging him to help her.

Seeing her hideous state of being, Ye Feng scrunched his nose in disgust. With his strong leg, he had kicked her stomach and sent her flying to the floor.

He contorted his handsome face into disgust and ruthlessly said, "Rubbish and stupid. Your family is already dead. Not only are you now useless to me, you're also a hindrance."

"W-what?" she was left speechless and her heart began to crack.

Ye Feng's gentle demeanor finally fell and revealed his hateful look. He looked down at her like she was dirt beneath the soles of his shoes.

"Do you not understand? I only married you because your father has a wide connection and influence. With him, I can easily take the throne. However, now that the entire Gu trading business has collapsed, you no longer hold any value."

The thunder that struck outside hit her heart brutally. Her eyes dimmed with sadness and disbelief. She shook her head in denial.

"Feng-er, no, please. I can help you! I love you and I'll do anything for you. You're all I have left. Please don't do this to me!" she sobbed and crawled on the floor to tug the end of his robe.

"Guard Tian," he called out in a heartless tone before a man dressed fully in black appeared before them, "Wu Wangfei had fallen ill after secretly visiting her Gu family in Paradise City. She had caught the contagious disease and died pitifully. The fifth prince is currently mourning for his dead wife and cannot bare the loss."

The man cupped his hand before walking towards Meiyue to drag her away. She shook her head violently and shrieked for mercy. Her voice echoed through the hallway and faded against the sound of rain.

Ye Feng brushed his sleeves before sitting down and picked up a cup of tea to drink. While he was deep in his thoughts, he started to drift to an image of beautiful lady in a simple dress with black hair, light eyes, and two beauty moles. Her aloof face and indifferent eyes appeared in his mind. She was always styled in a simplistic way yet she carried herself with such elegance and grace.

He remembers how she confidently strode into the imperial hall with an icy gaze. When she argued with the ministers, she smiled haughtily at her enemies. Even in front of so many prestigious men, she stood tall with her head high. She was unwavering to the tension and vicious glares.

A group of men brought Meiyue to an abandoned city that was lifeless and muddy. She protested the entire way and even tried to fight back.

"Impudence! I'm the Wu Wangfei, how dare you handle me in such manner? I demand you to release me this once!" she screamed like a maniac; her crazed eyes were blinded by delusions. As a result, her arms and legs were tied while her mouth was stuffed with a cloth.

When Jufen was informed by the spies she secretly placed among Ye Feng's people that Gu Meiyue has been chased out into an abandoned city near the south to be killed, she fell silent. She knitted her eyebrows and quietly thought to herself.

Then, she looked up with a cool gaze. In a flat tone, she order someone to prepare a carriage. Xiao Ru was getting ready to follow her until Jufen said it was not necessary. At first, she protested and feared that Xu Jun would punish her if he finds out that she goes out alone without any guards.

However, when she saw the dead look on Jufen's face, she said no more.