grass mustard

As night deepened, Shen Changqing led Gu Yu back, as the Lantern Festival was about to end.

"Ayu, did you have fun today?"

The number of people in the lantern market dwindled, and Shen Changqing's voice could be clearly heard in the cold wind.

Gu Yu replied with a smile, "I'm happy, I'm very happy. Thank you, Chen Lang."

"After I turned ten, my father and brothers went to the battlefield, leaving only my grandmother to take care of me. However, I was weak, and my grandmother was worried about me, so she wouldn't let me go out. This is the first time I've come out to see the lanterns since I turned ten..."

Gu Yu's radiant smile dazzled his eyes.

She shook the lamp in her hand and laughed, "Chen Lang, believe it or not, this is the happiest moment of my life."

"Um."

Shen Changqing looked at the smiling girl, his gaze inadvertently falling on her lips, which were adorned with lip rouge. "Ayu, close your eyes."

"Ah? Okay." Gu Yu closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling, as if she had already guessed what he wanted to do, but she still controlled her trembling body and waited for the moment to come.

Gu Yu felt a soft kiss land on her forehead.

She suddenly opened her eyes, stunned, bewildered, and embarrassed, and didn't even have the courage to look up at him.

"Ayu, there are still many days ahead. I will make sure that every day is like today, filled with joy, happiness, and no worries or fears."

"You...I..." Gu Yu looked up at the sky and then at the ground in a panic. "Chen Lang, I'm going back now. Don't bother seeing me off. I know the way..."

After saying that, she ran away as fast as a startled cat, which made Shen Changqing behind her smile genuinely.

It's so much fun teasing her.

*

"I heard that General Gu is coming tonight. I wonder if Mother will let me serve him."

The speaker was wearing a light green gauze dress, with pure and beautiful eyes and delicate features. She was Hu Chuchu, who ranked second in Yunxian Pavilion.

Her eyes gleamed with a desire for the power of the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion. If she could climb up to Gu Jin, she might be able to escape her lowly status and become a concubine even if she couldn't be the principal wife.

Her musical skills were the best in the pavilion, and many nobles and princes in Shengjing were willing to spend a fortune just to hear her play a piece.

Therefore, whenever a distinguished guest came to the pavilion, Feng Miaolian would ask her to perform a song, and it didn't matter even if the distinguished guest didn't ask her to stay.

Her maid, Xiao Tao, was doing her makeup. "Miss, do you remember Miss Tang who refused to serve guests? I heard from her maid that she went to see Madam today and wanted to serve General Gu."

"Tsk." Hu Chuchu looked at her beautiful face clearly visible in the peephole and sneered, "She was just lucky to have hooked up with Lord Sun first. Now she's still dreaming of hooking up with a second big shot. What makes her think she can?"

"She's clearly not as pretty as me, but Lord Sun just thinks she's cleaner than me because it's her first time entertaining a client." Hu Chuchu recalled the scene when Tang Qingning shamelessly seduced Sun Gu, and jealousy twisted her face.

Now, that woman surnamed Tang can still act like a rich young lady in the pavilion, only because Sun Gu is protecting her. But why does she have such luck? Why does no one dare to bully her? Why does she pretend to be pure and innocent when she comes to this filthy place?

"However, Madam Feng was afraid of being blamed by Lord Sun and dared not agree to Miss Tang's request, but I could tell from Miss Tang's appearance that she did not want to give up."

Xiao Tao was Hu Chuchu's personal maid. Hu Chuchu had previously promised that if Xiao Tao was freed from her lowly status, she would take her with her.

If Hu Chuchu could be able to marry the young master of the Marquis of Wu'an and escape her lowly status, her social standing would rise accordingly.

Therefore, she was afraid that Hu Chuchu's opportunity would be snatched away by someone else again.

"This matter needs to be known by Lord Sun. I hate disloyal dogs like Lord Sun the most." Hu Chuchu looked at her nails stained with red nail polish and chuckled to herself.

"Tonight, keep an eye on her. If she tries to enter General Gu's room, do everything you can to stop her."

As expected, when evening came, Feng Miaolian let Hu Chuchu go inside first to perform a song. Gu Jin was separated from her by a beaded curtain, and the flickering candlelight in the room added a touch of ambiguity to the atmosphere.

The person beside Gu Jin was already staring intently at the figure of the beauty behind the beaded curtain, their gaze undisguised, blatant, and disgusting.

Hu Chuchu was already used to being coveted by others. She lowered her eyes and focused on stroking the strings of her zither. Her half-lowered cheeks made her even more endearing. However, the person she longed for remained unmoved and did not even glance in her direction.

"...If this is all the young master wanted to say today, then let's stop here. I have other matters to attend to at my residence."

Gu Jin's expression was cold and stern; even without his armor, he still exuded a chilling aura. Therefore, although he was handsome, few young ladies from noble families dared to admire him.

"Ah Jin, don't rush off yet. There are still quite a few girls waiting outside. Take a look and see if there's anyone you like."

Prince Jing Mingrui, the heir of the Prince of Yan, held a glass wine cup, his face already flushed. "Hehe, you must have never been with a woman before to be so cold. The girls at Yunxian Pavilion are all top-notch. I've never seen such beautiful girls in Shu."

"Miss Chuchu, you'll keep me company tonight." He spoke frivolously, and had Hu Chuchu, who had finished playing the zither, sit beside him. "Ajin, if you don't like Chuchu, have Mama Feng send in a few more for you to choose from."

He grasped Hu Chuchu's soft hand and caressed it repeatedly, "Originally, I was thinking that if you liked Chuchu, I would reluctantly give her up..."

Hu Chuchu naturally knew Jing Mingrui's identity, but as the heir of a vassal king, he would certainly not stay in Shengjing City for long.

For her, Gu Jin was the best choice, and since he had never been with a woman before, he would definitely remember his first woman.

Hu Chuchu looked at Jing Mingrui with a deathly pale face, "Your Highness, Chuchu has long admired General Gu..."

Jing Mingrui's hazy, drunken eyes lost their playful air, and he still smiled. "Oh? Chu Chu, so you came prepared today? You played the 'Breaking the Formation' melody, just for A Jin? Well then, I won't force you. A Jin, what do you say?"

"I have no interest in the girl."

Gu Jin ignored Hu Chuchu's increasingly pale face. "Your Highness, please excuse me. My grandmother and sister are waiting for me at home."

After saying that, he got up and left the room.

Although Jing Mingrui looked displeased, he did not immediately get angry. He looked at the beautiful woman beside him, who was pale, delicate, and pitiful.

"Tsk, Chuchu, how did you fall for this blockhead? Or do you think it's better to be with him than with me?"

His voice suddenly turned cold, like a venomous snake lurking around its prey, waiting for it to say something that displeases it before climbing up her delicate neck and injecting the venom from its fangs into her frail body.

The people of Shengjing, from the Grand Secretary to the lowest prostitute, are all the same.

They felt that he was far away in Shu, so he had no roots in Shengjing City. They feared him but did not respect or honor him.

Power? Power! His power was only awe-inspiring in Shu, but in Shengjing, where even throwing a pebble could offend a third-rank official, it was far too insignificant. He had influence but no real power.

"Chu Chu never thought that way. General Gu is a heroic figure, and many of the ladies in the pavilion admire him; Chu Chu is simply no exception. The young master is of noble birth, while Chu Chu is of humble status and knows she cannot aspire to his level..."

The beauty appeared even more charming and endearing in the candlelight. Jing Mingrui's eyes were deep as he took her hand and played with it in his palm.

"Miss Chuchu, you flatter me. I like your appearance very much. None of those noble ladies are as considerate and understanding as you..."

He pressed her down onto the sandalwood table in front of him, ignoring Hu Chuchu's cries of pain.

Hearing the commotion inside, Feng Miaolian, who was standing guard outside the door, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Jin has always been a man who doesn't get close to women, so she doesn't think Hu Chuchu can really keep Gu Jin.

However, it's good to please the Prince of Yan's heir. Although he doesn't have much power in the capital, the rewards from the heir will certainly be plentiful.

Hearing a commotion ahead, she took two steps and saw Xiao Tao blocking Tang Qingning's way, determined not to let her take another step forward.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Feng Miaolian frowned.

When Xiao Tao saw that Madam Feng had arrived, she quickly said, "My daughter is meeting with distinguished guests in front. I'm afraid that Miss Tang might offend them without knowing her place."

"Qingning, General Gu has already left. Don't think that just because you were lucky enough to be noticed by Lord Sun, you are some kind of great person."

"Is General Gu someone you can even imagine? If you displease him and it implicates my entire Yunxian Pavilion, I won't hold back."

Feng Miaolian waved her handkerchief listlessly. "Lord Sun hasn't come for a long time. You should think about how to grab onto Lord Sun as your lifeline. If he stops protecting you, you'll still have to entertain guests. Yunxian Pavilion doesn't support pampered young ladies."

Tang Qingning remained silent, speechless and expressionless.

She thought that Gu Jin would be her lifeline.

Sun Gu was her benefactor, but he held a high position of power, was meticulous in his thinking, and ruthless in his methods. Tang Qingning dared not ask him for anything, for fear of saying the wrong thing and dying here.

The next morning, Tang Qingning heard that Hu Chuchu, who had served the Prince of Yan's son the previous night, had fallen ill after returning to her room.

Not long after, medicine failed to cure him, and he quietly passed away.

To those powerful and wealthy people, a human life is nothing but a blade of grass; once it's stained with fine clothes, it can be easily brushed away.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she softly asked, "Even so, do you still want to continue? Even if it means becoming a skeleton in a mass grave, or being shattered to pieces and reduced to dust?"

Tang Qingning smiled; no one knew the answer better than herself.

*

The night was deep, and the moon rose above the branches.

The silvery moonlight, like a white ribbon, slanted across Spring Water Lake, its surface shimmering and shrouded in a persistent, ethereal white mist.

"Ayu, it's getting late and the dew is cold. Don't you feel cold waiting for me by the lake?" Gu Jin frowned as he looked at Gu Yu, who was wrapped in a cloak and whose cheeks and nose were red from the cold.

“Brother, I’ve hidden a hand warmer in my bosom.” With a slight movement, a delicate hand warmer was indeed revealed in the middle of her tightly closed cloak.

"It's not cold." She extended her warm hand to Gu Jin's calloused, icy hand, but withdrew it after just one touch.

"Let's just take a walk and then go back." Gu Jin regretted accepting the invitation, after all, the nights in the first month of the lunar calendar were still too cold, and his sister was afraid of the cold.

"Where's Chunyue? What if you run into bad guys while you're waiting for me here all by yourself?"

“I sent her back to her residence to sleep. Shengjing City is known for its strict security, and my elder brother is a first-rate hero. Who would be so foolish as to dare to bully me?”

Gu Yu's face, adorned with rouge, suddenly came to life in the cool moonlight, and Gu Jin noticed her happy mood.

"Silly girl, you had such a good time going out with Young Master Shen today?" He also put away his usual stern aura, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

Gu Yu blushed and murmured softly, "It's not entirely his fault..."

“Brother, it’s just that I haven’t seen a lantern festival in a long time.”

"Just let me know if you want to go out in the future. Your grandmother is only keeping you at home because she is worried about your health. Please don't blame your grandmother."

Gu Jin spoke somberly about his grandmother, who passed away at the beginning of last year.

“I understand, my grandmother meant well.”

She had designs on Shen Changqing and Gu Jin. She knew she wasn't the real Gu Yu and couldn't openly learn about the original owner's past.

Therefore, she can only spend more time with Gu Jin and create memories different from the past. In time, she will eventually replace Gu Yu as his sister.

Fortunately, the original owner of this body and Gu Jin had spent very little time together, so Gu Jin never suspected that his sister had been replaced by a different soul.

"I heard that the women in Yunxian Pavilion were arrested by the Eastern Depot because of Guan Yiyun's matter. Brother, they were just implicated. They are so pitiful."

Gu Yu's eyes reddened slightly, revealing her reluctance.

“Brother, they don’t deserve to die, but it’s freezing cold now, and they might lose their lives. I want to send them some warm clothes, blankets, and food.”

"The matter of the Eastern Depot..." Gu Jin knew his younger sister was kind, and because of Tang Qingning, he also felt pity for others.

He didn't want to extinguish her goodness; his sister, whom he and his father protected in their arms, should be allowed to grow freely according to her own nature.

"I'll try to think of a solution for you. Let's do it in a couple of days."

"Okay, thank you, brother." Gu Yu's eyebrows curved slightly, her eyes sparkling, and she looked at him with joy.

Gu Jin looked away as if he was not used to it.

He accompanied Gu Yu on a stroll, and they saw that the corridor leading to the pavilion in the middle of the lake was decorated with various palace lanterns, and the pavilion itself was brightly lit, filled with the sounds of string and wind instruments, and bustling with people.

The cacophony of birdsong inside created ripples on the vast spring lake.

The one indulging in pleasure was the Prince of Yan's heir, who had come to the capital to pay homage to his father at the end of the year.

Outside the pavilion, someone was punishing a servant who had displeased the Prince of Yan. The servant was on the verge of death, and with the cold weather, he probably wouldn't survive the night.

Gu Jin withdrew his gaze and used his broad hand to block Gu Yu's view as she was about to look over. "There's nothing to see. Let's go back."