Shen Changqing

Shen Changqing dared not say that he would live a life of perfect harmony and deep affection with her, but he could certainly treat her with the utmost respect.

He looked at Gu Yu again, only to see her face slightly flushed, as if she were shy, and she nodded slightly. The beauty of the lake was no match for the blushing cheeks of the woman at that moment.

It is beautiful, but it is like a dodder clinging to a tree, unable to take root and live.

To be honest, Gu Yu was gentle and weak, and he didn't like that kind of woman. He was also worried that if he married her, she wouldn't be able to be a good head wife. But unfortunately, she had a father with great military achievements and an older brother who was a talented general.

For the Shen family, forming a marriage alliance with the Marquis of Wu'an's family would be extremely beneficial.

The current emperor has three princes who have reached adulthood.

One was the eldest son of the Empress, the Crown Prince. He was conservative in nature and was born the Crown Prince, so he had no ambition or grand plans. Three years ago, he went to Bianjing, the former capital of the dynasty, to handle political affairs, and the Emperor never summoned him back.

There was another group of officials in the Six Ministries who were in charge of the political affairs of Bianjing and the areas under their jurisdiction.

One was the son of a favored concubine, who became a vassal king in the prosperous Central Plains.

The other was the fifth prince, born to Consort Shu. The emperor sent him to the northern battlefield. Since princes were not allowed to hold military power, this prince was not granted a fiefdom and had no real power.

But you have to understand that the battlefield is a place where people risk their lives. Even without real power, if this fifth prince wanted to rebel, wouldn't the generals who had risked their lives with him follow him?

Therefore, Gu Yu is another path for the Shen family, a way for them to maintain their current status or even rise to a higher level after the change of dynasties.

Seeing Gu Yu's girlish behavior, Shen Changqing understood.

Before he came, his father gave him many instructions, saying that no matter whether Gu Yu still had feelings for Su Bicheng, he had to keep Gu Yu calm.

He was initially somewhat resistant, after all, no matter how beautiful or good Gu Yu was, if she had another man in her heart, wouldn't marrying her just cause trouble?

But now, upon seeing Gu Yu again, he no longer felt any reluctance towards her becoming his legal wife.

A proper wife should be someone of equal social standing, virtuous and gentle. Moreover, Gu Yu is gentle and dignified, which perfectly matches his ideal of a proper wife. If she is truly delicate and frail and dies suddenly after marriage, that is a matter for later.

Looking at the beautiful woman and scenery before him, Shen Changqing was inspired to write poetry. Gu Yu then got up to grind ink for him, her eyelashes slightly lowered, concealing the coldness in her eyes.

Her fingers were slender and fair as snow. It was quite beautiful to see her carefully twisting the black pine soot ink. The sweet fragrance mixed with the ink scent was not jarring.

She had taken off her cloak earlier when she was near the stove, and now she was only wearing a slightly thin jacket and skirt, which showed off her exquisite curves.

Shen Changqing's gaze shifted somewhat awkwardly from her, landing rather cautiously on the most precious Xuan paper in Shengjing City.

Xuan paper is a new paper this year, made with silk as an auxiliary material. The paper is as white as fresh snow, and ink will stain it immediately. It has been popular in Shengjing City for many years.

But at that moment, he noticed that her skin was even whiter than new paper, with a sickly whiteness that hadn't seen the sun in a long time, which made him feel sorry for her.

He finished writing the poem, his face still flushed, and his ears were bright red.

He wasn't inexperienced with women, and he wondered why he felt so uncomfortable around Gu Yu.

He couldn't say he hated her, but he also couldn't say he liked her. He had only met her twice, and he didn't like her appearance or personality. So why was Gu Yu making him so flustered?

"Young Master Shen truly lives up to his reputation as the foremost talent in Shengjing. This poem is serene and tranquil, perfectly suited to the current scene," Gu Yu said, praising him after reading his poem.

Shen Changqing coughed awkwardly twice. Now that he had asked all the questions he needed to ask, he just wanted to find an excuse to leave. "I still have some matters to attend to at my residence. Let's stop here for today."

“Of course.” Gu Yu nodded considerately. “However, I really like Young Master Shen’s calligraphy. I wonder if I could keep it as a souvenir?”

"If Miss Gu likes it, then... leave it for Miss Gu." He was unusually embarrassed.

She watched as Shen Changqing somewhat flusteredly instructed Xiao An to tidy up the items on the table, and suddenly realized that being a servant to this particular and aloof young nobleman was quite a headache.

After the two of them took all their belongings, Gu Yu just sat on the wooden bench she had brought with her in the pavilion, lost in thought.

Shen Changqing is indeed intelligent, but his arrogant and unrestrained attitude, coupled with his privileged family background and the environment in which he was praised from a young age, has already placed him on a pedestal.

But destroying such a person is easy.

The more he values ​​something—reputation, talent, family background, wealth—the better to destroy it all.

Gu Yu suddenly realized that rescuing people was extremely difficult, but pulling people off the high platform was so simple.

When Chun Yue saw that the hand warmer had also been taken away, she was a little unhappy. "Young Master Shen is so inconsiderate. You haven't even left yet, and he's already taken the hand warmer away."

It's just a heater; let's leave it here. It's not worth much.

"Let's wait for the young master in the carriage. It's rather cold in this lakeside pavilion." Chunyue reached out to wrap the cloak around Gu Yu again, but a pair of large hands took the action before she could.

The man's slightly deep voice carried the chill of December, "Why are you dressed so lightly?"

Gu Jin frowned, unfolded his white fox fur cloak, wrapped it around Gu Yu, and then turned her to face him, tying the silk ribbon of his crane cloak around her neck.

"I've always been sensitive to the cold, why are you sitting here in the wind?"

Gu Yu's frozen body slowly warmed up, and she whispered a defense, "I only blew on it for a short while, and Shen Changqing just left."

Gu Jin pursed his lips and remained silent, seemingly unhappy. Chun Yue, on the other hand, was tattling, saying that Young Master Shen was inconsiderate and what would happen if Miss fell ill.

Gu Yu smiled and lowered her head, offering no rebuttal.

Shen Changqing seems to have a good impression on Gu Jin. When will Gu Jin discover his ulterior motives?

“If A-Yu doesn’t like it, I’ll take the initiative to cancel this marriage for you.” Gu Jin is not one to meddle, but when he does, he’s determined to see it through to the end.

Gu Yu tugged at his sleeve and shook her head slightly. "Brother, let's take another look. This person is only a teenager. How can he be as considerate as our father and brother?"

If the Marquis of Wu'an's family were to break off the engagement now, the fault would lie with them. She would have to make the Shen family suffer first, and let the world know that Shen Changqing was not good enough for her. How could she so easily let the Shen Xiuwen family off the hook?

Gu Jin's brows remained furrowed, and he was already somewhat dissatisfied with Shen Changqing. It was Shen Xiuwen who had eagerly sought to arrange the marriage, but he hadn't expected his son, whom he had raised with such pampered privilege, to have such a personality.

But seeing that she had already said that, he didn't insist on his own opinion anymore. "Father won't be back in the capital until next year, so your marriage is indeed not in a hurry."

The two walked and talked, and soon arrived at the carriage.

Gu Jin originally traveled on horseback, but now he handed his beloved horse over to the coachman and got into the carriage with Gu Yu.

The carriage wasn't very spacious to begin with, and she usually rode in it when she traveled alone. Now that two people were squeezed in, and Gu Jin was also quite large, Gu Yu felt like the air was thick with tension.

Gu Yu wasn't even this hot when she was making pancakes in front of the stove. "Why would my brother think of coming to pick me up?"

Gu Jin didn't seem to mind the cramped space. "I originally wanted to see Shen Changqing and have a good chat with him, but I didn't expect that the Shen family's carriage would leave as soon as I arrived..."

"What does Brother want to talk to Young Master Shen about?" Gu Yu asked curiously.

Gu Jin reached out and touched her head, his expression deep and mysterious. "Ayu, you don't need to know this. You just need to prepare for your marriage."

Gu Yu nodded obediently, thinking to herself that since Gu Jin didn't want to tell her about this, she would investigate it herself.

But the most important thing now is to collect his body.

The snow has stopped now, but in a couple of days when the weather clears and the snow melts, her body will be in danger.

She casually inquired about several talented and beautiful noble ladies in Shengjing City, "...My brother is two years older than me, shouldn't he also be considering marriage?"

"I'm not in a hurry. I'm busy with military affairs right now, and getting married would only delay the girl's life. I'll get married after Ayu is married."

“I met a young lady at a banquet. We’ve only met once, but we hit it off immediately. I’m thinking of inviting her to my home soon so she can keep me company.”

"Didn't Ayu rarely attend those banquets? When was that?"

“I’ve been staying in my room to recuperate, and I don’t know how much time has passed... It must have been two or three years since we last met. I’ve invited her out many times in private, but she always says she has to stay home to take care of the household chores, and then I haven’t heard from her at all. Now that I’m recovering from my illness, I just wanted to find someone to talk to and cheer myself up.”

"What's your name?" Gu Jin asked, intrigued by his timid younger sister's question. "Who is your father?"

"It seems to be surnamed Tang... Let me think... Tang Qingning." Gu Yu cautiously studied Gu Jin's expression.

He rubbed her head, his thoughts somewhat unsettled. "I remember there's only one official in the capital with the surname Tang, but that family had an accident a few years ago, so Miss Tang probably won't be able to come."

"What happened?" Gu Yu asked curiously, wanting to get to the bottom of it.

"This is a matter for the imperial court, so don't ask about it. Since she was on good terms with you, I will make arrangements for her to make her life a little easier."

Gu Yu smiled bitterly to herself. There was no need to make any more arrangements. Tang Qingning was already dead, but apart from the manager of Yunxian Pavilion and her enemies, no one else should know about this.

Even if he burns more paper money for her, she won't receive it.

Those who loved her, those she loved, are all dead. Only her lingering soul remains, clinging to life through another's body.

How could she accept this?

Whenever she thought of Yunxian Pavilion, her body would tremble involuntarily, and her hands would clench unconsciously, not out of fear, but out of overwhelming resentment.

In her desperate situation, she did think about how wonderful it would be if someone could come to her rescue, whether it was a hero saving her or a sudden act of kindness from high-ranking officials and nobles, but her beautiful fantasy did not come true.

Gu Jin's belated kindness stemmed from a casual remark by his younger sister. But that makes sense; no one is inherently kind, especially not to strangers.

Those without power or influence in this world are like ants; they may be crushed to death at any moment, and no one will care.

Now that God has given her this opportunity and this prestigious status, she must make good use of it.

At this moment, she was nothing more than a vengeful ghost in a beautiful shell. Only by dragging all her enemies into hell, so that their resentment could gnaw at her heart like a malignant sore, could the hatred be dispelled.

Gu Jin seemed to be deep in thought, as if he remembered a blurry face, but it was as if he had never seen this person before.

Gu Jin reached out and held her snow-white, soft hand in his palm. The rough calluses on his brother's palm brought Gu Yu back to her senses from the nightmare.

"Why are your hands so cold? You're not very healthy, so you shouldn't go out in this kind of weather in the future."

"Okay." Gu Yu nodded slightly, her beautiful eyes looking tenderly at her brother.

Gu Yu comforted herself, telling herself not to rush things, and that each of her enemies would get what they deserved.

"If there's any news about Qingning, brother, you must tell me. You know I don't like going out, and I've never had anyone close to me since I was little..."

*

Gu Jin rarely stepped into Yunxian Pavilion.

He came here once, to deal with an invitation he couldn't refuse, but that was the only time.

It started snowing again outside, but it was just a light snowfall that melted into water in an instant. The rain and snow fell softly, and the sky was gloomy and dim.

He was wearing a thin, dark-colored cotton-padded robe and put away the umbrella in his hand.

Because of the unusually cold weather, few people have gone out these past two days, and business at Yunxian Pavilion has been quite slow.

Even on days off, officials rarely held banquets or gatherings at Yunxian Pavilion. As the largest brothel in Shengjing City, Yunxian Pavilion suddenly lost its former liveliness.

It was still daytime, but the sky was overcast. Inside the main hall of Yunxian Pavilion, only a few maids dressed in thin clothes were sweeping and washing, rubbing their hands and washing the tattered cloths in their hands.

As soon as he entered, he attracted the attention of the servants. Gu Jin's tall and strong physique was completely different from the thin, pale-faced young men in Shengjing City.

A middle-aged man, dressed slightly better than the lowest-ranking servants, stepped forward with a fawning smile and asked, "Young master, Yunxian Pavilion only opens at night. At this hour, the young ladies have just gone to sleep."

"I'm looking for someone in charge."

"May I ask which esteemed gentleman's son you are?"

"Gu Jin." Gu Jin looked around before turning to the middle-aged man in front of him.

He didn't need to introduce himself; everyone in Shengjing knew his name.

Sure enough, the man was only taken aback for a moment, then his smile widened. "I'll tell Boss Feng right away that General Gu, please wait in the private room."

After saying that, he immediately waved his hand, signaling a maid to lead him to a private room. Gu Jin shook his head slightly, "No need, I'll wait here for someone. I have some things to discuss and will be leaving soon."

His words were as concise and stern as ever, yet they carried an undeniable air of authority befitting a superior, a feeling that Huang Sanxuan found difficult to grasp.

Even though he is now in charge and has to direct a dozen or so maids and servants, his imperious manner is still lacking compared to that of adults.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

Huang Sanxuan nodded repeatedly and went to find Feng Miaolian himself. Last night, a distinguished guest came to Yunxian Pavilion. Feng Miaolian, along with the five best-trained girls in the pavilion, accompanied her until dawn.

I had only been asleep for less than an hour when I was woken up by Huang Sanxuan's flustered and alarming noise.

She pulled her gauze dress tighter around herself, grumbling as she called her personal maid to help her wash up, before opening the door to let Huang Sanxuan in.