In fact, in his letter, Dalang only said that he would give the Gu family 30 taels of silver and then they would be even. However, he still felt that this was not right. The Qin family was in the wrong, and the Gu family had done Dalang a great favor. It would be really inappropriate to just pay off the money.
Moreover...moreover, now we have to beg the Gu family and the Qin family to stand together and insist that what was said before was just a joke and that there was no marriage agreement between the Qin and Gu families.
Hearing from her husband that it was their son's idea, Aunt Qin didn't press the matter further. She carefully picked out 40 taels of silver and wrapped them up in a handkerchief. She felt that the 40 taels of silver today were heavier than the 4 strings of cash she usually held in her hand.
Officer Qin instructed his wife to keep the items safe. The couple agreed to visit the Gu family early the next morning, then washed up and went to bed.
In the night breeze, the single candle in the Qin family's house flickered, eventually fading into darkness.
Although Gu Yaoniang blew out the candles, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
She gazed at the top of the tent, her future uncertain. Years of betrothal had bound Qin Yuxiu to her heart, yet she had suddenly heard that Yulang had another wife. Overwhelmed by shame and resentment at the betrayal, she lay on her bed, finally able to calmly reflect on the situation.
A marriage ordained by the emperor is irreversible; if she were to persist, she feared she would only end up as a concubine, something Gu Yaoniang was unwilling to accept. Yet, this humiliation and resentment remained unresolved.
Moreover, with all this trouble, she was already nineteen years old. In the Dacheng Dynasty, most young ladies were betrothed before they reached marriageable age, and most were married by seventeen or eighteen. For someone like her, nearing twenty and still without a marriage prospect, would be ridiculed, and her future marriage prospects would be even more difficult.
Hearing that Gu Yaoniang was having trouble sleeping, Bitao, who was outside, tentatively called out "Miss." Gu Yaoniang, upon hearing this, quietly ushered her into the room.
"Is Miss troubled by the matter of the Qin family's young master?"
Gu Yaoniang's heart was still heavy with unresolved sorrow, and she let Bitao in with the intention of speaking. She didn't look at Bitao, her gaze empty and unfocused, only asking, "Do you think he's ever considered what I might do?"
She didn't want to be that resentful woman, hating a heartless man with whom she had little affection. But once the words were out, she realized she couldn't hide her resentment.
He could not refuse the marriage bestowed by the emperor, and if he still felt a shred of reluctance, he would surely try to make amends and appease her. It was just a pity that they were now separated by mountains and rivers, and she could not know the inside story. Perhaps he had his own unspeakable suffering, but she could not calmly accept this misfortune that had fallen from the sky.
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