Gu Chengyan appeared completely genuine, as if he had fallen in love with Xie Xiangxiang at first sight and was deeply in love with her.

Xie Xiangxiang's head was buzzing, and the place on her hand where he had kissed her felt like it had been branded with a hot iron, both painful and numb.

Thinking back to the days in her previous life when she and Zhou Lingyin tormented each other without any affection, she was even more grateful to God for allowing her to marry Gu Chengyan, a man who was both deeply affectionate and extremely gentle.

Even if the entire household and the world oppose her marriage to Gu Chengyan, even if she has to go against the whole world, she will still be like a moth drawn to a flame and marry him.

"Don't worry, Miss. Since I'm going through the betrothal with Uncle, the gifts on the list are all prepared by the manor. I'll add some from my personal treasury when the betrothal is done. Also, when the Crown Prince hears that I'm engaged to you, he'll give you some gifts. They'll all be sent over on the Dragon Boat Festival."

Xie Xiangxiang was overjoyed to hear this and blurted out, "Don't worry about your elder sister, Grand Secretary Gu isn't coming back."

"Hmm?" Gu Chengyan looked surprised when she mentioned Miss Xie and Grand Secretary Gu. "Why can't Third Uncle come back? He wrote a letter a few days ago."

"Your Highness, just you wait and see. Grand Secretary Gu is really not coming back." She had originally wanted to say that the bad news of Grand Secretary Gu would come on the Dragon Boat Festival, but she kept quiet.

After all, he is his third uncle. If she says that bad news will come on the Dragon Boat Festival, what if Prince Gu thinks she is wicked and breaks off the engagement? What if he wants to delay the betrothal... that won't do!

"Did Lord Xie say that?"

"Don't ask me that, I might have misheard," she said vaguely.

Gu Chengyan stared into her eyes, and seeing that she wasn't lying, he didn't press the matter further.

Third Uncle is probably really dead. He knows it's related to the Crown Prince, but he won't tell Xie Xiangxiang any of this.

The servants of the Xie family looked at the young master Gu and the second young lady. One was as handsome as a jade tree, and the other was more beautiful than a flower. Strolling among the flowers, they seemed to be a match made in heaven.

As luck would have it, the Dragon Boat Festival was approaching, and Xie Zhaozhao was making Dragon Boat Festival sachets with Yuanyuan, Manman, and Granny Xu in a small pavilion among the flowers.

Several people sewed more than ten sachets together, some in the shape of gourds, some in the shape of small drums, some in the shape of rice dumplings, and some in the shape of hearts. They were sewn with colorful brocade and were very exquisite.

Leave one last small opening, and perfectly fit inside the small package containing powdered seven kinds of Chinese medicine, including mugwort and cinnamon twigs. It's adorned with beads and tassels at the bottom, making it extremely beautiful.

Granny Xu picked it up and praised, "Your needlework is even better than the young lady's."

With a big smile, she said, "From now on, I will take care of making all the clothes, shoes and socks for Miss and Grand Secretary's children."

Granny Xu reached out and tapped her lightly: "Some things are better left unsaid."

Yuan Yuan gestured towards the distance with her lips.

Looking closely, it turned out to be Xie Xiangxiang and Gu Chengyan.

"Pah!" Manman muttered under her breath, "They really match!"

Xie Zhaozhao had already caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of her eye, but she chose to ignore it.

Xie Xiangxiang, however, wanted to make her presence felt, so she deliberately led Gu Chengyan toward the gardenia bushes.

Then they saw Xie Zhaozhao fiddling with a sachet under the pavilion.

"Eldest sister." She smiled and tugged at Gu Chengyan's sleeve, introducing, "Young Master, this is my eldest sister."

Gu Chengyan had already spotted the woman under the pavilion.

Like a bright moon in the sky, her beauty and elegance are as magnificent as the moon itself.

"Elder sister," he greeted her politely as well.

Xie Zhaozhao didn't speak, holding a sachet in her hand.

Xie Xiangxiang was unhappy: "Eldest sister, the young master is calling you!"

Xie Zhaozhao stood up, still fiddling with a freshly sewn zongzi-shaped sachet in her hand, and said calmly, "Young Master Gu, you should call me Miss Xie."

Yes, it's not settled yet, so why call her "elder sister"?

Who is your eldest sister?

Xie Xiangxiang said with dissatisfaction, "Elder sister, he is engaged to me, so naturally he should call you elder sister like I do. Why are you making such a fuss?"

“If that’s the case, then—” Xie Zhaozhao put down the sachet and said condescendingly, “Young Master Gu should call me Auntie.”

Manman couldn't help but laugh. She had long disliked the second young lady's arrogance, but she never interrupted when her mistress was speaking.

Her eldest daughter can be both gentle and sharp.

Gu Chengyan wasn't angry. He tugged at Xie Xiangxiang and gently advised, "Miss Xie is right. I was rude."

He stood outside the pavilion, not daring to go forward, but Xie Xiangxiang walked over, picked up the sachets, and said, "These sachets are so beautiful."

He grabbed a ruyi-shaped sachet, held it up to Gu Chengyan, and said, "I'll embroider one like this for you later."

She knew, of course, that the sachet shouldn't be given to a man casually, so after gesturing to it, she returned it.

Gu Chengyan nodded respectfully to Xie Zhaozhao and left with Xie Xiangxiang.

Xie Zhaozhao looked at the sachet she had used to demonstrate on Gu Chengyan and said to Manman, "Cut it up and throw it away."

"Fine." Manman was furious as she cut the sachet while cursing, "This sachet was the most exquisitely made, and I spent several days embroidering it. It's such bad luck to ruin it like this."

Cut it into the smallest pieces possible and throw it on the ground to use as fertilizer.

The Dragon Boat Festival is the day for the betrothal ceremony.

The Pingyang Marquis's residence and the Xie residence were filled with joy, with red silk ribbons and red lanterns covering the sky.

It would be a lie to say Xie Zhaozhao wasn't nervous, after all, in her previous life, this day was the day Gu Shaoyu's tragic news arrived.

She hadn't heard from him for days and didn't know if he was safe.

I copy scriptures more and more devoutly every day than I have in the past few days.

Yesterday, she made a special trip to Huguo Temple, donated ten barrels of sesame oil and ten thousand candles, and placed all the copied scriptures in front of the Bodhisattva, praying continuously.

Neither Xie Anfeng nor Xie Yu attended court today.

The gates of the Xie residence opened, and at 9:00 AM, a large procession came into view.

Gu Chengyan personally came to present the betrothal gifts, and in addition to the original gifts, he brought ten more loads.

Accompanying Gu Chengyan to deliver the betrothal gifts was Zhang Cuimin, the eldest son of the Zhang family, the heir of the Marquis of Zhongyong. Zhang Cuimin is currently the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.

For the Xie family, the identity of the person accompanying them to the betrothal ceremony was barely acceptable.

Xie Yu greeted them at the entrance and led them to the main hall.

Gu Chengyan was handsome and courteous, like an immortal being. Madam Xu was pleased and, together with Old Madam Xie, had someone invite him in for tea.

Xie Zhaozhao and Xie Xiangxiang are both forbidden from showing their faces, but the Xie family has an embroidered tower, from which one can clearly see everything in the front yard from the third floor.

Xie Xiangxiang wore a brand-new spring dress, the pleats of which flowed like the shimmering light of snow and moonlight, cascading lightly to the ground, trailing more than three feet, making her gait even more graceful.

She kept looking at Gu Chengyan and saw that ten more loads of betrothal gifts had been added to the original gift list, and that the heir of the Marquis of Zhongyong and the eldest son of the Zhang family, Zhang Cuimin, had been invited to deliver the betrothal gifts. She was so excited that her eyes turned red.

She called out softly: "Gu Lang..."

Butler Qin had already arranged for the household guards and servants to loudly announce the betrothal gifts.

"A dowry of ten thousand taels of silver."

"Three sacrificial animals and seafood, carried in five baskets"

"Ten bolts of silk"

...

There were 26 lifts in total.

Ms. Xu had a big smile on her face.

The betrothal gifts far exceeded the amount on the gift list that day.

She smiled and looked at Xie Yu and Xie Anfeng's faces. It was almost noon, and there was still no sign of Elder Gu.

Is the news of a death coming soon?