Gu Yaoniang knew that it was a tradition for the sons of the Wang family to travel and study before reaching adulthood. So when Lu Zhaoan brought it up, she wasn't surprised. She didn't even look up, and just absentmindedly agreed, "Yes, I know."
Of course she knew.
If it weren't for Lord Wang Chengxian's travels through Qingyun County back then, the Gu family elders wouldn't have had any connection with him. And if it weren't for Wang Chengxian's help, the Gu family and I would probably not have been able to get through this calamity so quickly.
"The Wang family has a long history of learning customs. I heard that when Lord Wang was young, he was a famous handsome man in the surrounding villages, and many women in Shuojing City admired him."
Gu Yaoniang merely glanced at Lu Zhaoan, and seeing his gossipy expression, she couldn't help but find it amusing.
"so what?"
Seeing that Gu Yaoniang seemed indifferent, Lu Zhaoan looked disappointed and said, "Fine, since you're not interested, I won't say anything more."
Gu Yaoniang, whose gaze had been fixed on the book in her hands, finally looked up at Lu Zhaoan. She was both amused and exasperated: "When did you start caring about these things?"
Lu Zhaoan feigned grievance: "I thought you women always liked to gossip about family matters, so I told you some interesting stories. Even if I couldn't win your favor, I could still become your sister. But I didn't expect you to be so heartless and boring. If that's the case, if I say anything more, I'll seem like a gossipy woman from the marketplace, and you won't like me."
Gu Yaoniang put down the book in her hand: "Then you speak."
Lu Zhaoan shook his head: "I'm not going to say anything more."
Gu Yaoniang nodded calmly: "Then I won't say."
Seeing Lu Zhaoan's words stuck in his throat, neither coming out nor coming back out, he was secretly delighted.
Lu Zhaoan asked with difficulty, "You really don't want to know?"
Gu Yaoniang nodded: "I don't want to."
Lu Zhaoan became anxious: "How can you not want to know? You have to know! How can you not want to know!"
Gu Yaoniang shook her head: "I really don't want to know."
Lu Zhaoan declared firmly: "You want to know!"
Gu Yaoniang found it amusing. Lu Zhaoan practically had the words "Come and ask me!" written all over his face.
After laughing enough, Gu Yaoniang reluctantly asked, "Alright, I'd like to know. Please tell me."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaoan dared not be pretentious any longer and quickly spoke up.
It wasn't a big deal to begin with.
Wang Chengxian went out to travel, and when the day came for him to return to the Wang family mansion in Shuojing, he did not return home for a long time.
The elders of the Wang family were very anxious and sent many people out to search for him. Finally, they found Wang Chengxian in Qingyun County.
The matter should have ended there.
When the sons of the Wang family returned from their travels, they would usually hold small banquets, drink and compose poems with their friends and scholars, and strengthen their relationships.
However, after Wang Chengxian returned to the capital, he never left his house. Soon after, it was said that the young master of the Wang family had encountered evil spirits and gone mad, which was a great headache for the Wang family.
Countless women in Shuojing City admired Wang Chengxian, and they all shook their heads in regret. Not long after, however, news spread that the Wang family intended to arrange a marriage between Wang Chengxian and his wife to bring him good fortune.
Lu Zhaoan smiled mysteriously: "Does Yao Niang know what the inside story is?"
Gu Yaoniang raised an eyebrow—What's the inside story?
She guessed it almost without thinking.
"But Lord Wang has found someone he loves outside, and his family objects, so he can only have gone mad?"
Lu Zhaoan looked amazed: "Yaoniang is really clever."
Gu Yaoniang simply smiled faintly.
Since ancient times, the tales of talented scholars and beautiful women have always ended with a tragic separation.
This Uncle Wang doesn't seem to have much affection for that woman who wasn't yet married. And now, isn't he doing just fine?
It's not necessarily a story of "it has to be you".
Lu Zhaoan was a little surprised: "Why are you so cold? I thought that with your personality, you would at least give me a good scolding."
Gu Yaoniang, however, didn't take it to heart: "What's there to say? Besides..."
She looked at Lu Zhaoan with a half-smile: "I didn't expect that Boss Lu would be so good at gossiping about his elders behind their backs."
Lu Zhaoan immediately fell silent, and after a long while, he stammered, "It wasn't exactly making things up..."
Gu Yaoniang's smile held a deeper meaning.
Perhaps so. Lu Zhao'an was very wary, and Wang Zhilan was merely on good terms with Princess Ruining, seeing her only occasionally.
People who are used to being decisive and efficient find it difficult to respect others' seniority.
Gu Yaoniang was not entirely unsurprised.
All she knew was that Lord Wang fell seriously ill after returning from his travels, and that he recovered entirely thanks to Wang Zhilan's mother's marriage to bring him good luck. Little did she know that beneath the surface lay such a story.
Hearing this for the first time was naturally surprising, but it was just someone else's story. Because of Wang Zhilan, and because Wang Chengxian had taken good care of the Gu family, she respected him and did not want to talk about it behind his back.
"How about we go for a walk?"
Gu Yaoniang suggested.
Lu Zhaoan's eyes were filled with joy, and he looked a little silly: "Really?"
"If you don't want to, then forget it."
Lu Zhaoan hurriedly said, "Let's go, let's go."
What a joke, how could he possibly refuse?
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