chance encounter

Gu Yu gritted her teeth. The name Sun Gu contained too much: her unbearable past, her once trembling heart...

Now, the target of endless hatred.

Sun Gu, Sun Gu, you will surely die by my hand. Even if it takes years of planning, as long as you are mortal, I will definitely find an opportunity.

I will find your weakness and kill you with what you desire most.

Let you also experience the despair of failing at the last minute, "losing at the last moment", and shattered hope.

She can't rush things.

Gu Yu, you can't rush things.

She needs Xu Qiu, just as Xu Qiu needs her.

How could she render Sun Gu useless? Her solution was to cultivate another great tree.

Perhaps this is not just her opinion.

As usual, Gu Yu had Chunyue and Qiuju do her hair and makeup before going out to play with the young ladies from noble families.

It could be a poetry gathering for those who are merely interested in refined tastes, or a visit to see new products from the Treasure Pavilion, or simply finding a quiet restaurant to sit together and chat about everyday life in Shengjing.

The separation of men and women in Dasheng was not strict. Occasionally, when they encountered Dongfang Hongyao and Wei Cong, they would invite them to various banquets.

As for Princess Yuning, there has been no news of her for a long time. Gu Yu was worried. If Princess Yuning did not leave the palace, even if she had any schemes, she would not be able to use them on her.

So every time she met Dongfang Hongyao, Gu Yu felt a little awkward, as if she had done something wrong, but she also felt that her guilt was a bit ridiculous.

Because such weak emotions shouldn't be present in her, she clutched her chest, puzzled and somewhat confused.

"Ah, Miss Gu, just as you said, I'm not doing so well at the Hanlin Academy!"

After he became a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, he changed his everyday clothes to plain colors, and his good looks were obviously not well-received among the scholars.

Gu Yu pondered, "How about we find someone else? I think Liu Xuewu is quite good. Her father is a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, and she likes you too."

Dongfang Hongyao said with difficulty, "But I have already made it clear to her that she is a good girl and she should marry a good man who truly loves her!"

sincere?

Gu Yu was clearly considering this word for the first time. "Then do you have a woman you truly like? Compared to your future, is sincerity more important to you?"

He fell silent for a rare moment, then chuckled, "Miss Gu, your words are truly piercing. Indeed, the future is more important, so it still has to be Princess Yu Ning. There's no such thing as having it all!"

"Let me think of a way."

If setting traps to lure her enemies into them is something she has been scheming for years and is very good at, then romantic love is something completely foreign to her.

Such things have never been rational. She had seen too many women in Yunxian Pavilion who placed their hopes on men and were betrayed by heartless men. Men can be rational to the point of being cold-hearted or even cold-blooded, but few women can do that.

Even women who have been hurt by unfaithful men will feel compassion again when faced with the same situation the next time.

She often couldn't figure this out, but she didn't have time to think about it because there were always a lot of things for her to do, and her enemies were still alive and well.

"Hasn't Lord Xu come looking for you?"

Dongfang Hongyao suddenly brought up Xu Qiu, which surprised Gu Yu.

She asked curiously, "Why did he come looking for me?"

“I overheard some of what you said that day, and I thought…” that you two were in love.

Gu Yu thought for a moment and realized that he was probably referring to the day she helped Xu Qiu become the top scholar in the imperial examination and the day she married him.

She explained, "He's probably been a bit busy lately. He'll probably come to see me when he's done."

But what she was really thinking was, what did it matter whether they came or not? They were both going to be on the same boat anyway, and the end result was that they would get married.

"So, when is Miss Gu's wedding approaching? I'd love to come and have a drink at her wedding banquet?"

He leaned against the window of the private room in the restaurant, slightly drunk, and looked down at Gu Yu, who was sitting upright, with a smile on his face.

The cicadas in the height of summer are quite annoying, but their clear, melodious voices are very pleasant to hear.

"Let's see about that later." At least she still had to get past Marquis Wu'an and Gu Jin; she didn't have any feelings about getting married.

Yes, even when she says things he doesn't like to hear, she still looks beautiful when she speaks.

Dongfang Hongyao closed his eyes. From the first time he saw her until now, she seemed to have never changed. She was still unromantic, indifferent, and wary of everyone.

He kept thinking about it, from the first time he saw her until now, he kept thinking about it.

At one point, he did sense Gu Yu's biased feelings for him and her attempts to test his trust. He would occasionally wonder if he had done something wrong that led her to choose Xu Qiu.

But she never talked to him about those things...

"Ayu, I think I'm drunk. Can you take me home?"

He let himself fall towards her, his eyes blurry with drunkenness, and Gu Yu struggled to get up and catch him.

There was always a veil between them, as thin as a mirage; if he reached out, she would vanish at the slightest touch, even if she were right in front of him.

He asked her haltingly, "Ayu...if there's no...Yu Ning...would you marry me?"

Slightly drunk, he didn't want to think about anything else.

He was so unwilling, really, so unwilling... She pushed him to someone else, who was clearly a better choice, but why was he so unwilling!

Gu Yu paused in her movements as she supported him. Through the thin fabric of his summer clothes, she could feel the warm, pulsating pulse beneath her hand.

He was pretending to be drunk, and what he said wasn't drunken talk.

Dongfang Hongyao was very tall, and even when he was drunk and wanted to lean on her, it felt like he was holding her in his arms.

She sighed. He had made it so clear; what was there left for her not to understand?

But the more this is the case, the more she needs to keep her distance from him, because she can't repay the emotional debt.

Only through such blatant mutual exploitation, like Xu Qiu's, could she be made into a cunning and ruthless accomplice. She didn't belong to this human world to begin with; emotions were too much of a luxury for her.

"Your drunken talk is a bit strange, isn't it? Princess Yu Ning has been here all along."

Gu Yu struggled to help him sit down, letting him slump over the octagonal table, his sleeve knocking over the wine cup.

The wine was everywhere, and the whole private room reeked of alcohol. Gu Yu opened the door to the private room, and Qiu Ju was waiting outside.

"Go and invite Lord Wei Cong. Lord Dongfang is drunk and needs to come and pick him up personally."

Prices in Shengjing were high, and with their combined salaries as seventh-rank editors and their meager savings, the two could only afford to buy a secluded courtyard as their place to stay.

Fortunately, neither of them had families, so they each had their own bedroom – one in the master bedroom and the other in the guest bedroom – and their lives weren't exactly impoverished.

Seeing that Qiuju had left, she sat back down at the octagonal table, leaving the door open.

Gu Yu looked at him, her face smeared with wine from the table. She took a handkerchief and gently wiped it clean for him. "I'll help you."

I will help you with Princess Yuning's matter.

Xu Qiu brought his colleagues to Zuixinlou to drink and discuss matters. He really didn't expect that seeing Gu Yu again would be like this.

She carefully wiped the stains off Dongfang Hongyao's face with a handkerchief, her eyes filled with pity—a pity he couldn't understand.

He felt incredibly bitter inside.

The man beside him was also from the Hanlin Academy and naturally recognized Dongfang Hongyao. His words were laced with sarcasm and, upon closer listening, a hint of bitterness, "Whose daughter is this? That Dongfang kid is truly blessed; even as a drunkard, he still has a girl taking good care of him..."

"I'll go take a look."

"Tsk tsk, hey..." Someone tried to stop Xu Qiu from stepping forward, "It's better not to disturb their sweet moments. When Dongfang wakes up, he might blame you for meddling."

Xu Qiu ignored everything and walked towards the private room, saying, "I'll come back later, you can order first."

"Okay, okay."

The people behind him touched their noses, somewhat puzzled.

They only saw a glimpse of the girl's profile and couldn't recognize her at all, assuming that Xu Qiu was trying to control Dongfang Hongyao.

Perhaps he was afraid of losing face, after all, he was a top-ranking scholar and a third-ranking scholar, yet he got completely drunk in the restaurant.

Xu Qiu's footsteps approached lightly. Gu Yu heard someone coming from behind her and thought it was Qiu Ju returning. She didn't expect it to be someone who surprised her.

Dongfang Hongyao pretended to be drunk and actually fell asleep. Anyway, she didn't care. She couldn't drag him for miles to his remote little courtyard.

"How come it's you?" Gu Yu asked in surprise.

"Couldn't it be me?" Xu Qiu raised an eyebrow. "What's going on? You're a man and a woman alone together, why is he drinking so much?"

Gu Yu couldn't tell the truth about the man's pretense of being drunk. "I don't know either, but I sent my maid to invite Wei Cong. He should be here soon to take the man away."

"Actually, this matter is a bit complicated. I said I would help him marry the princess, but the princess has not left the palace, and I am at a loss."

Gu Yu thought about it and decided to discuss it with Xu Qiu, who might have a solution.

"Why not use simpler and more direct methods for Princess Yu Ning's words, such as writing some sentimental poems or making it clear at a palace banquet? If he really wants to marry a princess, he has a thousand and one ways to do it himself. Why would he need your help?"

"Does he really want to marry the princess?" Xu Qiu asked again.

Gu Yu thought about it carefully and realized that the idea was hers. "No, it was an idea I came up with for him."

Xu Qiu sighed inwardly. He knew it, he knew it.

Although he had never been in love with a woman, he could tell at a glance that Dongfang Hongyao's gaze towards Gu Yu was anything but innocent.

But Gu Yu is his. She chose him, and he chose her. Even if there are no feelings between them, there can be no one else.

"I didn't know Miss Gu not only loves to act like a bodhisattva but also like to act like a matchmaker," Xu Qiu said sarcastically. "The affairs of the imperial family are inherently complicated. You haven't even done your own thing, yet you're getting involved in this."

Xu Qiu's words were somewhat unpleasant, but he was right.

After a pause, he continued, "...Have you been associating with those young ladies and gentlemen from prominent families so frequently these past few days because of the Gu family?"

“I’m a little worried about my father and brothers, so I need more information,” Gu Yu replied.

"Okay, I'll help you." As he pondered, he reached out and touched the top of Gu Yu's head; even standing, she was much shorter than him.

Noticing his unnecessary movement, he quickly explained, "...there was something dirty, I removed it for you."

Gu Yu didn't think much of it. "Thank you. But..."

"I still want to try again regarding Princess Yuning."

Xu Qiu grunted, "Well, whatever you want then. I never thought you couldn't do it. You've never failed to do anything you've set your mind to, have you?"

"Yes." She looked up and smiled sincerely, "Because you're helping me."

Xu Qiu felt his heart stop for a moment, then pound erratically and noisily, as if it were about to leap out of his chest.

His spirit floated above his head, so he could scrutinize himself.

"Yes, I'll continue to help you," he heard himself say.

He cursed himself for being worthless.

"Because I chose you, and you chose me."

He saw himself smile genuinely.

Dongfang Hongyao's fingertips, resting on the octagonal table, trembled slightly, while the image of himself below him laughed even harder.

His very soul laughed.

He revealed a sinister, slightly gloating smile—"Don't bother struggling, you have no chance."

She is mine.

She is mine...

"I'm leaving now; I still have things to discuss with my colleagues."

He said goodbye to her with a gentle smile, "You should invite me next time. I thought you were busy and didn't want to bother you."

Gu Yu frowned. "I should invite you." But I have to get past my father and brothers first.

Princess Yu Ning was of noble birth, and to win the heart of such a favored son of the emperor, one had to address her specific needs.

Gu Yu returned to her residence and reviewed everything she knew about Yu Ning. Rumor had it that she hated it when people talked about her appearance, especially when compared to her birth mother, Consort Rong.

She didn't think that Yu Ning was jealous because someone's appearance was worse than hers.

Perhaps the root of her problem lies with Consort Rong.

However, the death of Consort Rong was a secret in the palace, and few people outside the palace knew the specific facts. A consort who was the most favored in the six palaces died suddenly only three years after giving birth to a princess. Was there really no foul play involved?

Gu Yu didn't believe it, so she had to find a way to investigate, but she couldn't disturb the people in the palace.

The person who originally lived in the palace was now going to live outside the palace, and it was someone she could come into contact with. Her eyes lit up as she thought of the Fifth Prince, who was going to return with her father and brothers.

Moreover, winning over Yu Ning is tantamount to winning over Consort Rong's maternal family, and if the Fifth Prince intends to become the heir apparent, they will definitely help him.

She patiently waited for the army's triumphant return, and fortunately, nothing went wrong on the way back to the capital.