Chapter 278: A Generation of Grand Secretaries (40)

From then on, storytellers began to tell tales about Gu Sui and his fiancée's loving relationship. He stood up to the emperor for his fiancée and refused the princess. He was simply an outstanding and virtuous man. As a result, Wen Wan became the envy of all the women in the capital.

Every week thereafter, Gu Sui would choose one day to take Wen Wan out to play, which angered many women in the inner quarters who had married officials. Their husbands were always busy, while the newly appointed top scholar was summoned by the emperor every day and could still take his wife out to play. How could someone with a low official rank be so busy? Was there any reason for this?

As a result, Gu Sui became a representative of good men, and many unmarried women aimed to marry a husband like Gu Sui. There were even templates of good men based on Gu Sui.

Wen Wan was overjoyed to hear Gui Zhi talk about things happening outside every day.

Guizhi was also very happy. "Our son-in-law is such a good man. I always said that our son-in-law is different from those scumbags who abandon their wives and children after passing the imperial examinations. What do you think, Liu Qi?"

Liu Qi: "..."

"Guizhi, I've already apologized for what I said that day, so why are you still targeting me every day?"

“I’m not targeting you personally, I just want you to know that there are still good men like your son-in-law in this world.”

Liu Qi: Why would he need to know? Who knew that Gu Sui would actually give up such a lucrative path as marrying a princess? This is simply incomprehensible.

"My son-in-law is an exceptionally good man, I admit that, okay?"

"Hmph~"

Liu Qi: "..." This vengeful girl.

While the two were bickering, Shen Yuechu returned looking miserable, her face more sour than dog poop. Wen Wan asked, "What's wrong? Didn't you go to find your dream girl? Haven't you found her yet?"

Shen Yuechu: "Found it."

"Oh? Whose daughter is that? What's her name?"

Shen Yuechu: "It's no use, I've already given up."

"What?"

"He is Qin Xiaoxiao, the Prime Minister's daughter."

Wen Yan: "..."

“I am just a commoner, the son of a merchant. How could I dare to covet the daughter of a prime minister? Besides, she already has a fiancé. Her fiancé is Lin Weiquan’s son, Lin Dexing. Lin Weiquan is no good. Now my chances are completely over.”

Wen Yan: "???"

Wow, Shen Yuechu really knows how to pick people. She picked the hardest mode of the game. No wonder she looks so sad.

"But you can't really say that. If Lin Weiquan is a bad guy, his son is probably no better. If the person you like marries him, will they have a good future?"

"What does that have to do with me? I can't change it anyway."

Wen Wan slapped Shen Yuechu on the forehead. "How can you be so spineless? You're both single, why don't you have a chance? And what's wrong with being the son of a merchant? Maybe Miss Qin likes you just because you're a merchant's son? Otherwise, why would she give you a purse? Why would she go out with you? Besides, you're not only the son of a merchant, you're also the brother-in-law of the top scholar. That's a pretty good status, isn't it? When your brother-in-law gets promoted in the future, you'll benefit from it."

Shen Yuechu: "???" What kind of strange argument is this, but for some reason it makes a lot of sense?

"Go ahead and pursue it boldly. If you succeed, you'll have gained something; if you don't, you'll have no regrets."

"real?"

"But to be honest, I don't think you can win her over. You should give up as soon as possible."

Shen Yuechu: "???"

Why did you suddenly throw cold water on him like this?

Wen Wan said, "Look at you, besides your face, what else do you have that can compare to Lin Dexing? Besides being a good person, what other advantages do you have?"

Shen Yuechu: Do you have to hurt him like this?

"Then I should take the imperial examination?" Shen Yuechu asked doubtfully. Wen Wan immediately dismissed his idea. "You can't even recite the Three Character Classic. You want to take the imperial examination? You might not pass it when you're seventy or eighty years old."

“What I mean is that you need to have a career. What’s wrong with being a businessman? Being able to earn money to support yourself is a skill. Besides, do you really want the Prime Minister’s daughter to suffer with you? If that’s the case, not only will her father disagree, but I will also disagree.”

“Sister, why are you talking about things like your brother-in-law now? I’ll learn and do it, that’s all. If I can’t do it, I won’t even dream about it.”

He then left.

Guizhi said, "Miss, is the young master too badly affected?"

Liu Qi: "He's so naive. Even if he becomes the richest man, the prime minister would never marry his only daughter to him. Among the four classes of people—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—merchants are the lowest class."

Guizhi: "You can't expect anything good to come out of your dog mouth, so just shut up."

Liu Qi: "I'm telling the truth. If he succeeds, I'll eat shit while standing on my head."

Gui Zhi: "..."

Wen Yan: "..."

That's unnecessary; it's disgusting.

From that day on, Wen Wan discovered that Shen Yuechu had really changed. He even returned to the neighboring county to learn how to do business with his father. And it wasn't just a passing fancy. Shen's father was surprised and wrote to ask Wen Wan what was going on. Wen Wan gave a brief explanation. Shen's father was shocked that his son actually had a woman he liked, and even more shocked that the woman was actually the prime minister's only daughter.

Shen Yuechu is incredibly audacious.

Why did he have to set his sights on the Prime Minister's daughter? It's like a toad trying to eat swan meat.

However, seeing his son suddenly become sensible, although the reason made Mr. Shen both amused and exasperated, at least the behavior was good. Perhaps his son would give up on his own when he realized the gap in their abilities. After all, he was a young man, and his thoughts changed day by day.

...

Two months passed quickly.

As the wedding date approached, Mr. and Mrs. Shen became increasingly busy with various arrangements. They decided to hold a banquet in a neighboring county and another in the capital. As the elder of both of them, Mr. Shen naturally had to oversee both events.

Moreover, during this time, many people in the neighboring county said that Gu Sui had become successful and was going to marry the princess. Shen's father was furious when he heard this, and now he was completely satisfied. His son-in-law dared to refuse even the emperor's daughter for the sake of his daughter.

First, the banquet was held in Lin County. Mr. Shen generously invited everyone from Lin County and several other counties who wanted to come. The dowry was also sent in the highest standard. As for the Gu family, the steward was particularly busy. With Mr. and Mrs. Gu gone, he, as the only elder still alive, naturally had to prepare everything for his master so that others wouldn't look down on him.

The Gu family members also came to seek reconciliation with Gu Sui. Gu Erbo was released from prison and returned to his hometown with his elderly mother. He soon went bankrupt. He originally wanted to take revenge on Gu Sui, but who would have thought that Gu Sui would suddenly become the top scholar in the imperial examination and even obtain an official position.

They dared not do anything.

Gu Sui didn't care about them at all; in Gu Sui's eyes, they were never even worth a glance.

Mother Shen was overjoyed and made preparations in every aspect. She rushed to prepare the wedding dress for two months and prepared several sets. Wen Wan accompanied her mother to try on clothes and buy various things every day. She was almost numb with exhaustion. Getting married in ancient times was just too troublesome.

But it was a bittersweet experience.

Gu Sui became even busier, and Wen Wan could hardly see him. The two could only squeeze out some time to date in the evenings, but they were soon punished by Shen's mother, who said that they could not meet before the wedding, so their evening meetings were no longer possible.

Wen Wan endured and endured, and finally the wedding day arrived. She put on the phoenix coronet and wedding gown she had always dreamed of, and then, amidst everyone's blessings, she was helped towards Gu Sui.

"First bow to Heaven and Earth."

"Bowing to the parents twice."

"Husband and wife bow to each other."

"..."

Afterwards, Guizhi helped him to the new house, which was set up in the Shen family home. In fact, Shen's father initially disagreed, but Gu Sui insisted, and Shen's father became more and more satisfied with this son-in-law.

Wen Wan starved to death.

I didn't eat or drink anything all day, and I still did so much work. I was exhausted and hungry.

Just to wear this tight-fitting wedding dress and a headdress weighing several kilograms, Wen Wan even had to lean against the bed railing, supporting her neck. "Guizhi, get me something to eat."

When Guizhi saw her young mistress remove her veil, she was terrified. "Miss, the young master has to come and take the veil."

"Nobody knows I'm hungry."

Gui Zhi: "..."

Well, as long as she doesn't tell anyone, it shouldn't be a big deal. So Guizhi went to the side and got a plate of pastries for her young mistress. Wen Wan quickly ate several pieces and then drank two cups of tea before she felt like she had come back to life.

"Miss, quickly put the veil on."

"No rush, first take some of the hairpins off my head."

"No, the young master hasn't seen the young lady yet, we can't do it ahead of time."

"Am I prettier or is the hairpin prettier?"

"Miss looks beautiful."

"That's fine then. Hurry up and remove some of it for me, my scalp is about to split open."

Guizhi had no choice but to remove the heaviest part from her young mistress's clothes.

There was a knock on the door, and a maid's voice rang out, "Sister Guizhi, Madam wants to see you. She has something to say to you."

Gui Zhi left the room, and Wen Wan quickly unpacked the rest. Just the buns alone felt like they weighed a pound or two. "Oh my god! Women in ancient times had it so tough. Getting married was like being tortured."

System: [You can choose not to get married.]

"No way. It's tiring, but I'll marry the male lead. I'm not losing out. Just thinking about Gu Sui being mine in the future is like a blessing I deserve for being single for the first half of my life."

system:【……】

At that moment, the door opened, and Wen Wan looked up to see an unexpected person: the female lead, Qin Yuege.

Because she did not marry Gu Sui, she did not go through the process of changing her name, and Qin Yuege was still called Qin Yuege. However, Wen Wan had not seen this person for a long time.

What brings you here?

Qin Yuege glared at her resentfully, "You took everything from me, why can't I come?"

Wen Yan: "???"

"What do you mean by 'everything of you'? Gu Sui is free, not your possession. Besides, you are not Qin Yuege, so you have no right to say that to me."

"This is a world in a book. I am the female lead, you are the female supporting character, and Gu Sui is the male lead. He should be my husband. What right do you have to take him away?" During this time, Qin Yuege had gone mad.

She was sent to another place and then tortured and abused by the servants. Her spirits were broken, and she could only hope that the plot would turn back. After all, what was meant to happen would happen eventually. Gu Sui went to take the imperial examination just like in the original plot and finally passed all three levels of the examination, becoming the new top scholar.

This is the plot of the original novel. Qin Yuege waited for Gu Sui to marry her, but as she waited, Gu Sui was still with Shen Jiao by his side, and the person he was to marry in the end was also Shen Jiao. On their wedding day, Qin Yuege went crazy. She couldn't accept what was happening. Gu Sui was hers, and could only be hers.