In the past, Wei Qinglou was not exactly warm towards Gu Jinshu, but at least he would nod in response when she called him cousin.
But today—
He pursed his lips and remained silent.
Gu Jinshu had grown accustomed to his coldness.
She had known for a long time that although Wei Qinglou appeared flamboyant and unrestrained, with friends flocking to him and entourages forming a dense canopy when he went out, he was actually the most clear-headed and indifferent person.
He once had a very majestic hyena, which he found while hunting with the princes. The hyena was injured, and he took it back to his residence and cared for it for more than a month until it finally recovered and was in good spirits.
Later, the heir of the Prince of Pingnan came to the capital and took a liking to Wei Qinglou's dog, but was refused. The heir then devised a plan, claiming he had been bitten by a hyena and had even made a fake wound on his hand. He said that if Wei Qinglou gave him the dog, he would pretend nothing had happened and forgive him. Otherwise, he would take the matter to the Emperor for his judgment.
Wei Qinglou really liked that dog. Occasionally, when the young masters had banquets and gatherings and Wei Qinglou was not there, someone would joke, "He's probably at home feeding the dog again!"
They all thought that Wei Qinglou would definitely find a way to make the Prince of Pingnan back down.
Unexpectedly, Wei Qinglou invited the heir of the Prince of Pingnan to his residence, saying that he had specially invited a famous chef to prepare a delicious meal to apologize to him.
After the Prince of Pingnan happily accepted the invitation and ate with gusto, Wei Qinglou suddenly smiled and asked him, "Is it delicious?"
The heir apparent of the Prince of Pingnan nodded hurriedly, praising him highly. His father's fiefdom was in Beiyin, a place with poor resources, consisting only of continuous snow-capped mountains, which was naturally not comparable to the sumptuous and delicious food in Yujing City.
"I hope Your Highness enjoys your meal. After much thought, I've decided that since that beast offended Your Highness, it doesn't deserve to live in this world. So I asked a renowned chef to remove its fur, leaving only its flesh and bones, to prepare this feast for you today."
Gu Jinshu could never forget the way he looked when he said those words. His smile was warm, but there was an endless chill on his face, like the ice on a snow-capped mountain that had never melted under the bright spring scenery. It was so pure that it seemed to be able to see all the ugliness and filth in the world.
Later, the heir apparent of the Prince of Pingnan was so frightened that his face turned pale. It is said that after returning to the guesthouse, he vomited and rinsed his mouth repeatedly, and even had nightmares that night, with a high fever that lasted for a whole day. After recovering, he hurriedly requested permission to return to Beiyin, and has not set foot in Yujing since then.
From then on, Gu Jinshu couldn't help but keep looking at her cousin.
She had seen him desolate as he drank alone after the noise subsided, and she had also seen him triumphant and spirited on the hunting grounds. She didn't know when it started, but her eyes could only hold this one person.
Beyond the long street lies a gray sky, beneath which stand houses by the water, with black tiles and white walls. In spring and summer, the walls would be covered with lush, green vines, but now those vines have turned withered and yellow.
Seasons change, and years flow by. The withering of plants is a natural consequence that cannot be achieved through human effort.
The wind blew by, and the bare willow branches outside the building rustled.
She came to her senses and saw the winter plum blossom branch in Wei Qinglou's arms. She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "This branch is so beautiful. I like it too. I wonder if you could give it to me, cousin? I will make sure that Mulan and Zhuilu take good care of it, so as not to let your efforts in picking it go to waste."
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