Chapter 300 The Marriage (First Update)

Xiao Liulang knew nothing about the token, let alone that Editor Cen would go to Xianleju with the token in his possession.

That was a veritable red-light district, and even a respectable government office like the Hanlin Academy was absolutely forbidden from entering without permission.

Who would have thought that Editor Cen was so daring at heart?

However, for the next two days, Cen, the editor, did not come to the Hanlin Academy to be on duty, nor did he send anyone to ask for leave.

On the first day, everyone was puzzled, but they didn't think the worst. They assumed that he might be sick or that something urgent had happened at home and he couldn't come to the Hanlin Academy to report.

The same thing happened the next day. Yang Shidu, thinking that he had at least once been under my command, sent someone to Cen Bianxiu's house.

Cen, the editor, came from an ordinary scholarly family in the capital. Cen's father was a scholar who ran a private elementary school to support the family, and Cen's mother was a concubine's daughter from a wealthy family with some savings.

The Cen family wasn't considered extremely wealthy or powerful in the capital, but they still had a house to live in and servants to serve them.

To everyone's surprise, the Cen family also planned to go to the Hanlin Academy to find Editor Cen.

They assumed that Editor Cen had stayed on duty at the Hanlin Academy.

This wasn't an isolated incident; the busiest time at the Hanlin Academy was when Editor Cen didn't go home for three whole days.

But this time it was clearly different.

Both parties immediately reported the incident to the authorities.

The government solved the case very quickly, or perhaps the case itself wasn't particularly difficult.

They found Cen Bianxiu's body in a corner where miscellaneous goods were piled up outside the west gate of Xianleju.

“We’ve seen this kind of case many times… another one who tried to sneak into Xianleju but was beaten to death as a petty thief…”

Xianleju has a high threshold, and ordinary people cannot enter. However, some people still have wishful thinking. Coincidentally, there is a place where miscellaneous items are piled up outside the west gate of Xianleju. Someone sneaked in from there, and the result was predictable.

The guards at Xianleju are no pushovers.

Uninvited guests are thieves; just beat them up!

The Cen family didn't believe it, and the Hanlin Academy didn't really believe it either.

But Cen, the editor, did change out of his Hanlin Academy official robes and into a newly made dark blue brocade robe. He also shaved his beard, which clearly indicated that he was going to meet some important person.

“Perhaps, perhaps they replaced it with this after they killed him!” said the Cen family.

The nature of killing an official of the imperial court is different from that of killing an ordinary person.

However, this speculation was quickly refuted, because the government's constables found the coachman who had been hired by Cen Bianxiu that day.

The coachman explained that when Cen, the editor, got into the carriage, he was wearing the official robes of the Hanlin Academy. After getting off the carriage, he changed his clothes and shaved his beard.

“I escorted him to Qingfeng Tower, and then I watched him head towards Xianleju.”

Now Cen's path and purpose were basically determined, and given Cen's status, it was indeed impossible for him to enter Xianleju openly and legitimately.

So, the only option is to bypass the Great Firewall.

The people at Xianleju didn't know he was an official of the imperial court; they just thought he was an ordinary lecher, so they didn't know their own strength when they attacked him.

This matter could be taken to court, since someone was killed and Xianleju would have to bear some responsibility. However, if that happened, Cen Bianxiu's reputation would be completely ruined.

In the end, Xianleju gave some compensation to settle the matter.

The truth couldn't be hidden forever; the story of Cen, the editor, being beaten to death while visiting a brothel, eventually spread within the Hanlin Academy. Although no one spoke of it openly, it was a hot topic of discussion in private.

"You guys think... how could someone as upright as Editor Cen suddenly go to a brothel?"

"Could it be that Xiao Xiuzhuan instigated it? No one else in our Hanlin Academy besides him has had affairs with courtesans."

"Shh, keep your voice down, Scholar Han is not allowed to discuss this matter!"

"Am I wrong? The day before Cen Xiuxiu disappeared... I saw him talking to Xiao Xiuzhuan... I don't know what they said... he seemed quite agitated..."

Just as the group was discussing this, Xiao Liulang walked over from not far away.

The group immediately fell silent, exchanged glances, and dispersed.

But in fact, Xiao Liulang heard everything he was supposed to hear.

He certainly did not instigate Cen, the editor.

But when a person is ostracized, even breathing is wrong.

-

After making up his mind to marry his beloved granddaughter to Prince An, Chief Minister Yuan had people collect Prince An's poetry collections that had been scattered over the years.

He examined him carefully and found that he was indeed a talented and ambitious person. Many of his poems, which are still widely circulated today, were written when he was a hostage in the State of Chen. Although they were somewhat immature, he was in a foreign land, bearing the fate of a country on his shoulders, enduring humiliation and hardship, yet he still had such youthful passion. He was truly a rare talent.

Yuan, the chief minister, had the poetry collection sent to his granddaughter.

He knew that his granddaughter was exceptionally talented and arrogant, and she looked down on ordinary people, but a talented man like Prince An should be able to catch her eye.

Little did Chief Minister Yuan know that the little Taoist nun's face turned as black as charcoal when she saw the five-character poems on the table.

Why do you want her to read poetry?

She just wants to read storybooks!

Speaking of which, so much time has passed, why hasn't the third volume of "Yun Ting Ji" been published yet?

Isn't it supposed to be one book per month?

It's been a month and three days. Has he gotten too big for his britches?

In Bishui Hutong, the old chief priest, who had just finished writing the last character, put down his pen and sneezed loudly: "Achoo!"

He had just taken over the Imperial Academy, and his salary was low. The main problem was that all his savings had been robbed by the old lady, and he wanted to get a new carriage...

To cope with the ever-increasing expenses, he had no choice but to return to his old profession and start writing storybooks.

He hadn't written for many years, and his former pen name had long been forgotten, so he adopted a completely new pen name—Drunken Life, Dreamy Death.

It sounds very appealing.

His first comeback book tells the story of a sickly hostage prince from a rival country who wreaks havoc on the court and falls in love with and hates a princess of the Great Xia Dynasty, making a comeback.

To avoid causing unnecessary trouble, he stated at the beginning that this was a dream of the proton.

Even so, people still couldn't stop chasing after it.

The first two books sold extremely well, and he made a small fortune. The third book should have been submitted long ago, but recently there have been many supervisors at the Imperial Academy, which delayed him.

To express his apology, he decided to personally deliver the original manuscript to the study where he was working.

The young Taoist nun also went to the study today; she went to urge the completion of the manuscript.

The old chief priest couldn't help but prick up his ears to listen.

Behind the bookshelf, a pageboy was introducing other stories to the young Taoist nun.

The young nun flipped through the pages listlessly for a few moments and said, "Oh no, there aren't any exciting stories about living a life of debauchery."

The old priest thought the other party would say that his story was original, but unexpectedly he gave a provocative remark.

The old libationer cleared his throat.

It seems... to be quite exciting.

The young nun said, "The part about the eldest princess divorcing her husband was quite good. Royal princesses shouldn't have to suffer such injustice!"

The eldest princess was actually just an insignificant supporting character in the story. Her plot was not described in detail, and the divorce of the prince consort was only mentioned briefly. I did not expect that she would leave such a deep impression on me.

This is a kindred spirit!

The old priest coughed lightly, unable to resist the urge to engage in conversation, thinking that perhaps he could find more inspiration: "This Taoist priest also likes this book?"

The young nun said, "It's alright, the writing is passable."

Old Chancellor: I, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, am only mediocre at writing?

However, in order to lower the barrier for the audience, he did deliberately weaken his writing style and added a lot of vernacular Chinese to ensure that it was easy to understand.

However, in order to cater to the aesthetic tastes of scholars, he also added a lot of original poems. Ordinary people usually skip these parts, as they do not affect the progress of the plot.

The old priest then asked, "What is your opinion on the character of Prince Li, Daoist?"

Prince Li is the protagonist of the book, the sickly hostage who overturned the entire Great Xia Dynasty.

The young Taoist nun pouted and casually flipped through a storybook she had taken from the shelf: "She's good at intrigue and scheming, but not at romance. She's blind."

The old chief priest: "...!!"

The young nun sighed, "He didn't want the great Xia general at all, but insisted on the Sixth Princess. Isn't he blind? He's so ruthless and sickly, he and the majestic and cold General Fu are a match made in heaven! Can't he see General Fu's deep affection for him?"

The old priest's lips twitched.

When did General Fu fall so deeply in love with Prince Li? How come I didn't know?

The young nun sighed, "And the Empress of Great Xia, she's blind too. Consort Huo treats her so well, how could she possibly fall for the King of Great Xia? Wouldn't it be better to be with Consort Huo? Consort Huo has flirted with her so many times..."

The old chief priest: "..."

No, Huo Fei didn't flirt!

Consort Huo and the Empress had a purely platonic superior-subordinate relationship!

No, girl!

No, Taoist priest!

How do you read books?!

What did you see?!

Consort Huo and the Empress of Great Xia are mortal enemies; they've both stabbed each other in the heart!

...Wait, that's not the point. The point is that they're both women!

General Fu and Prince Li are both men!

You...you're such a young girl, is it really okay for you to have such heavy tastes?

The old chief priest felt as if he had been pierced by a thousand arrows, and he felt he could never look at this book the same way again...

June arrived in the blink of an eye, and the capital city was fully immersed in summer.

Last winter, Beijing was exceptionally cold, but this year it is exceptionally hot.

Because one of the girls fainted from the heat during class, the girls' school even had several days off.

The news of the young Taoist nun from the Yuan family returning to the capital spread quickly throughout the city. However, what truly escalated the situation was the marriage between the young nun and Prince An. It was said that Grand Tutor Zhuang intended to form a marriage alliance with the Yuan family and had already sent someone to collect the betrothal gifts.

After the birth dates and times of the two people are matched, as long as their birth dates and times do not clash, they can proceed to discuss marriage.

This year, it's not just the young nun from the Yuan family who's getting engaged; other daughters like Zhuang Yuexi, Du Xiaoyun, and Gu Jinyu have all reached marriageable age, and their families have already started arranging marriages for them.

Gu Jinyu also ended her life at Ciyouzhuang and returned to the Marquis's mansion, waiting for the marriage arranged for her by Old Madam Gu and Consort Shu.

Seeing that she had gotten a tan all over and looked haggard and rough, Old Madam Gu frowned and said, "What happened to you? Didn't you say you were just going to stay at the estate for a few days? What have you been doing? How can I take you out in public looking like this?"

Gu Jinyu remained silent.

She no longer tried to please Madam Gu as she used to.

Old Madam Gu was furious and said impatiently, "Don't go out for the next few days. Stay in your room and keep yourself clean and beautiful!"

Gu Jinyu said softly, "I want to visit my mother."

It would have been better if this hadn't been mentioned, because just bringing it up made Old Madam Gu furious.

That damned Yao, after using me to deal with Aunt Ling, immediately moved out of the mansion!

When others asked her about it, she could only vaguely say that she had moved back with Gu Yan.

The noble ladies of the capital assumed that Madam Yao had moved back to the estate with Gu Yan to recuperate, so they didn't say anything.

They knew that Gu Yan was in poor health.

Hearing that Gu Jinyu was going to visit Yao Shi, Old Madam Gu naturally objected: "You are not allowed to go anywhere! Do you still think you are the daughter of the Marquis's mansion? You should stay obediently in the Marquis's mansion!"

"Yes," Gu Jinyu replied respectfully.

She agreed verbally, but secretly left the mansion as soon as she turned around!

"mother!"

She arrived at Bishui Hutong, and after getting off the carriage, she couldn't wait to enter the courtyard.

Yao was sitting in the passageway making knots.

The children in the family have all gone out to school or do chores and haven't come back yet. Gu Yan has also gone to school.

She and Granny Fang were idle at home.

Actually, I wasn't really idle. In the morning, Aunt Liu called me over to help her daughter embroider her wedding dress, and in the afternoon, several maids from the Wan family came to ask me for advice on needlework and cooking.

The maids from the Wan family had just left.

Her days are quite fulfilling.

The baby in my belly is growing day by day, and I can already feel the baby moving.

She just occasionally thinks about Gu Jinyu.

But when she heard that she had gone to a village outside the city to relax, she didn't feel comfortable calling her back.

She paused for a moment when she heard the familiar voice.

Just as she was about to turn around, Gu Jinyu walked over and was about to throw himself into her arms as usual, but he suddenly noticed her slightly protruding belly.

When the weather gets warmer, people wear less clothing, which makes it easier for their pregnant belly to show.

Ms. Yao was slender, which made her five-month pregnant belly stand out.

Gu Jinyu's almond-shaped eyes widened: "Mother...you...you..."

"You're back?" Madam Yao smiled knowingly, took her hand, nodded and said, "Yes, Mother is pregnant, five months along."

"So, Aunt Ling was pregnant when she was still in the manor..." Gu Jinyu realized she had mentioned someone she shouldn't have and said guiltily, "I'm sorry, Mother, I shouldn't have brought that up."

Aunt Ling had harmed Madam Yao for over ten years, and Madam Yao truly did not want to mention her again.

Yao skipped over that, patted the chair next to her, and said, "Sit down, let your mother take a good look at you."

Gu Jinyu sat down as instructed.

Madam Yao raised her hand and stroked the hair at her temple, saying with a mixture of heartache and surprise, "You've gotten so tanned, and your hands are rough too. Have you had a hard time at the estate these past few months?"

The Marquis of Ding'an's estate has many estates, several of which are located outside the capital. Madam Yao did not know which one she had visited.

Gu Jinyu lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long time, but a tear dripped onto the back of Yao's hand with a soft sound.

Madam Yao panicked immediately: "Jinyu, what's wrong?"

Gu Jinyu didn't answer. Instead, she stood up, knelt down in front of Madam Yao, and choked out, "Mother, Jinyu was wrong..."

Madam Yao was completely bewildered by her words, and her heart began to race: "Get up and talk to me, what's wrong? Has something happened? Don't scare your mother..."

Gu Jinyu shook her head with tears in her eyes, grasped Yao Shi's hand as she tried to help her up, and sobbed, "Mother... I... I'm so sorry, Mother... I..."

Yao became anxious: "What...what's wrong with you?"

"I……"

"Second Miss is really something. It's just that she hasn't visited Madam for a while. Madam is your mother, why would she mind such a thing?"

Granny Fang came out of the kitchen with a smile, carrying a plate of fried peanuts. She said to Madam Yao, "Didn't you crave these earlier, Madam? They're ready."

Pregnant women have no resistance to food, and their attention was immediately drawn to it. They said to Gu Jinyu, "You should try some too!"

Granny Fang placed the peanuts on a small stool and helped Gu Jinyu up. "The ground is cold. Madam understands Second Miss's filial piety, so there's no need to blame yourself. Is Second Miss doing well at the estate? I noticed that Second Miss has grown taller, is not as thin, and her complexion is not as pale."

Gu Jinyu's original thinness was due to the care of Consort Shu, who made her refuse to eat sweet or fatty foods, resulting in her looking frail and weak. Although she is now a bit darker and has rougher skin, she has indeed become more plump.

When Yao saw it, it was indeed true.

Distracted by Granny Fang, Gu Jinyu couldn't continue apologizing to Madam Yao. Instead, she followed Granny Fang's words and said, "I miss my mother so much. I haven't come to see her for so long, and I didn't even know she was pregnant. I'm so unfilial."

Madam Yao breathed a sigh of relief: "So that's what it was about. I was so scared! I thought something terrible had happened. It's not your fault. But why did you suddenly go to live on the estate? Were you unhappy at the Marquis's residence?"

“No.” Gu Jinyu lowered her eyes. “That place is very close to the mansion where my father supervises the construction. I can go there and keep him company.”

"I see." The father and daughter had a good relationship, so Yao had no suspicions.

The mother and daughter talked for a while longer, with Granny Fang staying by their side the whole time.

Afterwards, Madam Yao went to take a nap because she was tired. Then, Granny Fang took Gu Jinyu to the front yard and said to her, "Second Miss, whatever you wanted to say to Madam just now, I hope you will not say it again in the future."

Gu Jinyu was taken aback: "Granny Fang..."

The old woman said, "Madam suffers from severe depression. It was only with great difficulty that she was cured by the eldest young lady. I don't want Madam to relapse, especially since Madam is now pregnant and even more vulnerable to stress."

“It was my oversight…” Gu Jinyu lowered her head sadly. “I originally came to apologize to Mother. I did something wrong to my sister, stole her credit, and hurt her. I don’t want to hide it from you anymore.”

Granny Fang naturally knew about these things, but she didn't expect Gu Jinyu to have the courage to admit it.

Little Taoist nun: Useless at everything, but number one at breaking up couples.

The old chief priest: I am not Consort Huo! Zhuang Jinse is not the Empress of Great Xia! No, that's it! Hmph ╭(╯^╰)╮

—Then, may I ask what the name of the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty is?

Old Master: Sejin Makeup!

(End of this chapter)