Chapter 28 The Anxiety of Wedding Preparations
The Hou Mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and a festive atmosphere permeated the entire place.
Yu Wenxue secretly put the sleeping potion she had prepared into her parents' tea. When she had a spare moment, she hurriedly slipped out through the side door to find Lin Qingwan.
Ever since she learned that someone in the Marquis's mansion had poisoned her, she has been unable to trust anyone.
Besides Gu Rongting, only the Old Madam in the Marquis's mansion could do something so seamless that it left no trace.
But she didn't know why the old lady had poisoned her. Could it be that her existence posed some kind of threat to the old lady?
Unfortunately, I don't have the time or the inclination to think about it carefully now.
Upon entering, one sees the Lin family's courtyard piled high with various herbs, and everyone's face displays a serious expression.
"Wenxue." Lin Qingwan held a thick stack of books in her arms, looking somewhat flustered, and said, "Sorry, the house is a bit messy." As she spoke, the books started to fall.
After several days apart, Lin Qingwan looked even thinner than when she was at the imperial palace, and even her clothes were much looser.
Yu Wenxue took her hand, looked her around, and found that apart from being a little thinner, there were no spider lilies. She asked, "What happened?"
Lin Qingwan pursed her lips: "Half a month ago, there was a flood in the south. Although the flood has receded, many people are experiencing symptoms such as persistent high fever, cough, and phlegm. It is very likely that..." She paused and whispered, "...a plague."
“Plague…” Yu Wenxue murmured.
She remembered this part of the plot: Lin Qingwan went to the south with her father, Lin Yuanzheng, to treat the disaster, but unfortunately contracted the plague and had a persistent high fever. If it weren't for the protagonist's halo, she would have definitely lost her life.
Although she narrowly escaped death, she still suffered from health problems and almost lost her unborn child after getting married.
“Father has been busy with this matter lately, and I also want to do my part.” Lin Qingwan held the medical book and whispered in her ear, “There’s something else I haven’t mentioned to anyone, and I hope you won’t tell Brother Ting…”
"You can't go." Yu Wenxue knew what she was going to say and stopped her first, "It's dangerous there, I'm worried about you."
“It’s alright. I’m going to treat patients and save lives, not to fight on the battlefield.” Lin Qingwan held her hand back and comforted her, “Men should aspire to travel far and wide and protect their country. Women should also make their own way in the world. It’s not good to be confined to this inner palace and live a mediocre life.”
"I also want to do something for the people affected by the disaster."
Yu Wenxue loosened her grip on Lin Qingwan's arm.
Lin Qingwan is such a person: simple, kind, unconditionally sacrificing herself and willing to dedicate herself.
Without thinking, she blurted out, "I'll go with you."
Lin Qingwan patted her head: "You don't know anything about medicine, what if..." She swallowed the words back, shaking her head: "Neither Ting-gege nor I would be at ease. And the Second Young Master, he wouldn't agree either..."
"Miss, everything is packed."
The maid's voice interrupted their conversation. The servants in the manor were busy carrying medicine back and forth.
Yu Wenxue didn't intend to stay any longer, forcing a smile: "Then you must be careful."
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself." As if remembering something, Lin Qingwan turned to look at her: "By the way, did you come here today because you have something to tell me?"
"It's nothing, you can go ahead and get back to work."
The Lin family was already in enough chaos; she didn't want to trouble Lin Qingwan with her affairs any further.
There's always a way out; there's always another option.
What Yu Wenxue didn't expect was that the news of the Marquis's family sending their cousin to get married soon spread throughout the capital.
When people talked about this matter over tea or after meals, they all praised the old lady's virtue and kindness.
At the height of their fame, an old story gradually resurfaced.
In the teahouse, the storyteller slammed his gavel and stroked his gray beard. "Speaking of the old lady of the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion, Madam Cui, she was a famous actress in the capital forty years ago. She married into the Marquis's mansion as his second wife with her beautiful voice and became a dignified Marquis's wife."
The storyteller smacked his teacup and continued, "Old Madam Cui was incredibly capable. After the old Marquis passed away, she single-handedly raised her two sons to adulthood and arranged their marriages."
"The eldest son married a woman from a prominent family in Jiangnan named Qian, while the second son married the youngest daughter of a respectable family in the capital."
"The entire Marquis's household is characterized by brotherly love and respect, and close relationships between mothers-in-law, daughters-in-law, and sisters-in-law, setting a model for many noble families..."
Someone in the audience shouted, "Everyone in the capital knows these old stories. We're all tired of hearing them. Don't you have anything new to say?"
The storyteller slightly raised his eyelids and smiled, "Don't be in a hurry."
"The world only recognizes Lady Qian, the wife of the late Marquis, but few know that before Lady Qian, there was a Lady Jiang."
"The Jiang family?" The crowd looked at each other in bewilderment.
The storyteller said, "This Lady Jiang came from a humble background and met the late Marquis when they were still young. The two were very affectionate and promised to spend their lives together. But how could the old lady allow the late Marquis to marry a woman who could not help the family? She insisted on marrying Lady Qian instead. Lady Jiang's situation was neither good nor bad, and her status in the Marquis's mansion plummeted. The late Marquis resisted to no avail and finally had no choice but to treat the two as equal wives."
"Such a thing is true?"
"Wouldn't that mean that Old Madam Cui was breaking up a loving couple?"
"I've heard that this Second Young Master Gu was born to a concubine. Could he be this Madam Jiang?"
"That's not right. If she was a wife of equal rank, how could she have been demoted to a concubine later?"
"Ahem." The storyteller cleared his throat, and seeing the murmurs from the audience, he couldn't help but smile. "To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next installment..."
"Hey, what's wrong with you, storyteller...?"
In a private room on the second floor, Gu Yun Shen played with the teacup in his hand.
A fire took away his memories before the age of six and also caused him to lose hearing in his left ear.
My headache started to flare up, and memories flashed before my eyes like a series of fleeting images.
Those fragmented, elusive memories of the past constantly reminded him that the marriage arranged by the old lady for Yu Wenxue was far from as simple as he had imagined.
Guan Nan glanced at his expression and whispered, "Young Master, we're leaving tomorrow. Are you really not taking me with you?"
"If something happens, I'll have to bury you," Gu Yun Shen said lazily, putting down his teacup.
Guan Nan choked on his words, knowing that his master was a dog who couldn't say anything nice.
The more you care about something, the more you should do the opposite.
Saying one thing and meaning another.
She said she wouldn't care about the marriage arranged for Miss Yu by the old lady, but behind her back she was still inquiring about that young master Zhou, and even stayed up all night.
He's really stubborn as a mule!
Seeing that Guan Nan remained silent, Gu Yun Shen's smile faded: "You're cursing me in your heart?"
"Your subordinate dares not."
“But I heard it.” Gu Yun Shen walked down the wooden steps, the dim light shining on his shoulders, making his shadow infinitely long.
Guan Nan followed closely behind and asked, "Young Master, have you seen the news from Shuozhou?"
"I saw it."
"What did the letter say?"
Gu Yunshen recalled for a moment, clicked his tongue, and said, "Young Master Zhou is impotent; he's a useless man."
Guan Nan said awkwardly, "This..."
Should he laugh or not?
A clever little brain flashed with inspiration, and it seemed better to laugh. So he grinned, revealing his neat teeth, and said in a very cooperative manner, "Then this kind of person is definitely not worthy of Miss Yu."
Gu Yun Shen glanced at him and said indifferently, "You go back first, I have other things to do."
Guan Nan understood immediately.
The master is finally going to take action.
He replied, "Okay!" and ran off without looking up.
When I came out of the teahouse, it was already dark.
Gu Yun Shen walked aimlessly down the street, clutching the swallow-shaped sachet in his hand.
Irritable.
I really want to kill someone.
But she disliked the smell of blood.
Cool raindrops hit the bridge of his nose. He stretched out his hand, and a light drizzle began to fall from the sky.
Rain would be the best.
It can wash away all traces.
Yu Wenxue was awakened by a nightmare.
In her dream, she was dressed in a bright red wedding gown, her hands and feet bound like a crab as she was pressed into a bridal sedan chair.
She tried to call for help, but no sound came out.
Outside the window, lightning flashed and thunder roared, deafeningly loud.
She leaned against the corner of the wall for a while, touched her nightgown which was soaked with cold sweat, and then turned around and went to the small kitchen to boil two buckets of water.
Ziyun, who was sleeping soundly next door, moved slowly and tried not to make a sound.
The misty air obscured the roaring lightning and also clouded her bewildered vision.
Yu Wenxue sat in the bathtub, lowered her body, and soaked her whole body in the water.
My thoughts drifted away.
Under the guise of sending off a bride, Yu's father and mother stayed at the Marquis's residence.
These past few days, she's been so pestered that she can't leave the house. She spends all her time in the courtyard listening to them ramble on about how wonderful that young master Zhou is and how wealthy the Zhou family is. They seem certain that she will agree to marry him.
This inexplicable marriage suddenly spread throughout the capital; someone must have been behind it.
With less than a month until her wedding, she couldn't just sit idly by and wait for her fate.
The rising steam, accompanied by the sound of falling rain, made people drowsy.
Yu Wenxue rubbed her temples, trying to clear her mind.
Because her sleep was not very restful, she felt a little dizzy.
The wound on my back has mostly healed, but it still hurts a bit when it gets wet.
She tried to get up by supporting herself on the edge of the bathtub, but her limbs felt weak and limp, as if they were filled with lead.
The rich fragrance of flowers was submerged in the water.
A wave of dizziness washed over me, and the unbearable restlessness became increasingly pronounced.
It tastes like the flavor of Begonia Spring.
Just then, three knocks came from outside the window.
Yu Wenxue was startled. Her already unsteady body swayed and she fell back into the bathtub.
The people outside seemed to have noticed the commotion inside, and the knocking on the window became even louder.
It's obvious who it is.
Yu Wenxue didn't move, and inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.
After she finished dressing, she saw a tall and slender figure sitting behind the screen.
Water droplets from her hair slowly trickled down her cheek.
The dimly lit room had only one candle burning, which gave off an indescribable and enchanting atmosphere.
Their eyes met, and they remained silent for a long while.
"Did you need something from me?"
"Don't you have anything you need to talk to me about?"
Both of them were taken aback by these words.
Whether it was from soaking in the bath for too long or from the heat, Yu Wenxue's face was a little red.
The pajamas I just changed out of are no longer wearable, so I washed them but didn't bring a clean one over.
She wrapped herself up in her outer robe, making herself look like a dumpling, and stood two arm's lengths away from Gu Yun Shen, asking, "You go first."
The girl's body was still damp from her shower, her cheeks were slightly flushed, and there were still water droplets on the bridge of her nose.
Gu Yun Shen looked away: "I'll pick you up at Chen Shi (7-9 AM) when we leave the city tomorrow."
Where to?
"Let's leave here first."
Yu Wenxue instinctively wanted to agree, but then she thought that while leaving would allow her to escape marriage, she would still die if she failed to complete the mission.
She was already prepared to secretly follow Lin Qingwan away. The happy ending was only one percent away, and it would be a pity to give up now.
But if she doesn't leave, it's questionable whether she can leave smoothly. When it's time for her wedding, these people will definitely use every means to force her into the bridal sedan chair.
She couldn't make any decisions lightly until she could find a solution that satisfied both sides.
Thinking of this, the light in his eyes dimmed instantly.
She shook her head: "I can't leave."
Gu Yun Shen wasn't surprised by her reaction. He stared at her intently, his tone icy: "You want to marry that Young Master Zhou?"
"I don't want to." Yu Wenxue knew he already knew about this, so she lowered her head and honestly said, "But I really can't leave now."
"Second Young Master, thank you."
Silence fell over the room once again.
The flickering candlelight was drowned out by the patter of rain.
Seemingly unaccustomed to the silence, Yu Wenxue picked up the clean, snow-white kitten and said, "Second Young Master, if one day I am no longer here, can you take good care of it for me?"
"Its name is Wenyu, a new name I came up with."
Gu Yun Shen didn't answer her question. His gaze swept over her rosy lips, and he leaned closer: "There's a question I've wanted to ask for a long time."
Is something controlling you?
Author's Note: Xiao Gu's Diary:
Afraid of scaring her
I dare not
Cannot
Take that step forward
So they could only hide secretly.
secretly sketching your eyebrows and eyes
If you agree
Even if I'm lying in a coffin
I will take you away.
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