"Could there be a mistake?" Madam Gu found it absurd. "Pingsheng, could you have misheard me?"
Mr. Gu was also incredulous. He hadn't heard of any such thing as an imperial marriage decree in the government office today.
Gu Pingsheng gritted his teeth, seemingly suppressing immense anger. The chill of late spring was not particularly biting, and beneath his half-high collar, the veins on his neck were faintly visible.
How could he be wrong? He had always known that Qin Yuxiu was his future brother-in-law, so naturally he was very concerned about his affairs.
Today, the imperial messenger congratulated the academy on producing such an extraordinary figure. The Xie family of Luoyang, a prestigious and respected family among scholars, even he thought he had misheard. Qin Yuxiu had clearly been engaged to his sister for many years; how could the Emperor…? But then he heard the imperial messenger say that Qin, the top scholar, had said he had no interest in marriage due to his unfulfilled academic achievements, and these words pleased the Emperor, thus earning him favor and the marriage!
How ridiculous! Her elder brother, whom she had always relied on, whom she thought would be her elder sister's future support, and whom her parents considered a virtuous and handsome son-in-law. In just one trip to the capital, he passed the imperial examination and, with the simple statement that he had "no intention of getting married," erased her sister's existence, gained the emperor's favor, and secured a wonderful marriage for himself.
This is utterly absurd! Does he still remember that the travel expenses he had to go to the capital for the imperial examination were raised by both the Qin and Gu families?
He found a wonderful marriage and a bright future. But what about his sister? Did he remember that there was another woman, engaged to him for many years, wasting her youth, waiting for him to achieve success and marry her?
Neither of them are stupid.
Gu Pingsheng's silence was the answer that needed no further explanation.
Gu Pingsheng stole a glance at Gu Yaoniang. His elder sister was always strong-willed, but now her face seemed neither happy nor angry, making it impossible for him to guess what she was thinking.
Gu Yaoniang's mood was like being thrown into a fog; she had just been tossed high into the air, but had already fallen heavily back down.
How could this be? Qin Yuxiu, a young prodigy, and my childhood sweetheart, though we didn't talk much about romance, in the end... how could this be?
She was sad, yes. But not too sad. Everyone said Qin Yuxiu was an extremely rare and good husband. As for why he was rare and good, she didn't quite know.
She was both ashamed and angry. Why did Qin Yuxiu treat her like this? Although she couldn't claim to be exceptionally beautiful and intelligent, or particularly virtuous and proper, she was still a well-known good girl in the surrounding area. It was the Qin family who had approached the Gu family, praising her for her virtue, competence, gentleness, and propriety, and asking to marry her, Gu Yaoniang.
He used to dislike her free-spirited nature, saying he preferred women who adhered to traditional virtues. As a result, she confined herself to her chambers, and even her education consisted solely of learning from her parents and brothers. When she did go out, she was always impeccably polite and rushed about.
She believed that one of the partners in a marriage had to compromise. Since Qin Yuxiu was the person she would spend the rest of her life with, she would try her best to please him in every way.
Qin Yuxiu went to take the imperial examination, taking almost all of her family's savings with her. She occasionally craved certain foods and even felt ashamed, thinking she wasn't the kind of good woman Qin Dalang liked. She only dared to prepare different dishes for him, but couldn't bear to buy a bowl of plum blossom soup noodles she had longed for from the street. She was afraid he would find out and think she was wasting money on her cravings.
Because she was to marry Qin Yuxiu, she dutifully fulfilled her duties, almost giving up her own loves and desires, and lived according to Qin Yuxiu's wishes until she was nineteen. She wasn't without resentment. Sometimes she wondered if she could have lived a happier life if she hadn't married.
However, her not wanting to marry him and him silently abandoning her are two completely different things. After all these years and so much she'd done, why should Qin Yuxiu reject her? And now, why is he unilaterally denying this marriage without a word?
Did he realize what his actions meant for the woman? A ten-year marriage contract ending like this—Qin Yuxiu was certainly despicable, and Gu Yaoniang would also be ridiculed—she was just an older woman abandoned by a man; who knew if she had some hidden illness? Otherwise, why would the top scholar rather bear the infamy than continue this marriage?
Gu Yaoniang felt a deep, indescribable ache in her heart.
She wished she could go to Shuojing City immediately, stand in front of Qin Yuxiu, and question him about his despicable behavior. He had erased ten years of kindness and friendship, and asked if he felt any remorse in his sleep. What had Gu Yaoniang done wrong that Qin Yuxiu had the heart to humiliate her like this?
I'll spit on him again—I'm not here to beg you to rekindle our relationship! I don't care about you at all. I just want to curse you, you heartless and fickle bastard, and show you that I can live a perfectly good life without you! One day I'll find a husband a thousand times better than you! Just to make you furious!
Gu Yaoniang's mind was churning with a mix of emotions—anger and grievance. She wanted to vent her anger by cursing him, but she also wanted to live a carefree life and make Qin Yuxiu angry, so he would know that he wasn't some indispensable treasure either.
"That brat Qin has gone too far!" Mr. Gu was both angry and resentful. The person who went to the yamen today to deliver the good news only said that Constable Qin's son had become the top scholar in the imperial examination, but didn't mention a word about his own son's marriage, which had already been arranged elsewhere. He had been happy for that brat for nothing!
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