In the quiet of the night, a couple sits facing each other.
"Strange." Jiang Yushu was puzzled and asked in confusion, "After all, he's the son of a noble family. He shouldn't have trouble finding a wife. Yushan took the risk of running away to avoid marriage. She was so bold and willful, and Master Xia was willing to forgive her? It's unbelievable!"
"Anyway, he's willing. His parents-in-law have agreed to change the wedding date to October."
"What do the elders of the Bo Mansion mean?"
"Of course I agreed. Otherwise, my father-in-law wouldn't allow him to bring people to escort his wife and children." Drunk, Guo Honglei leaned back heavily, his face and neck flushed, and sweat on his temples.
Jiang Yushu picked up a handkerchief and wiped his sweat. She asked curiously, "Mr. Xia seems to be particularly anxious to get married. How old is he?"
Guo Honglei thought for a moment and said, "A few years older than me, about twenty-five or twenty-six."
"Twenty-five or twenty-six?"
"Twenty-five or twenty-six, and still unmarried?" That would have been considered young in her previous life, but in the Gan Dynasty, where early marriages were common, it was considered "old." Jiang Yushu frowned, leaning in to whisper, "Well, does he have any...quirks? Or hidden illnesses?"
"Why are you asking this suddenly?" Guo Honglei raised his eyebrows.
"His behavior, which borders on compromise, makes one wonder if he has a serious hidden illness or a quirk he's trying to hide."
Guo Honglei shook his head. "Impossible."
"You and he are just acquaintances, how do you know his background?" Jiang Yushu asked with her chin in her hand.
Guo Honglei smiled and answered slowly, "I really don't know the other party's background, but that marriage was arranged by my mother-in-law herself. How could she be careless about her daughter's lifelong event? She must be extremely cautious. Therefore, Xia Zhenyun must have something extraordinary to be chosen by my mother-in-law."
"yes!"
Jiang Yushu nodded suddenly, slapping her forehead, "I was so busy that I was confused and worried about nothing." After a pause, she suddenly had an idea, held her breath, and asked with a smile:
"Yushan is getting married soon, what do you think?"
Guo Honglei was stunned. "According to etiquette, we should congratulate her."
"What else?" Jiang Yushu stared intently, unable to help but ask, "If nothing had happened, you should have married Yushan. Hey, do you feel any regret? Do you feel any regret?"
Guo Honglei was subconsciously shocked when he heard this, and asked seriously, "What about you? What are you thinking? If nothing unexpected had happened back then, you should have married Brother Pei."
"I--"
Jiang Yushu was caught off guard and was stunned by the question. After a moment's hesitation, she carefully chose her words and answered, "I was definitely sad at first, but gradually I got over it and have completely let it go. Now I just hope that my cousin can marry a good wife soon. I wish him a successful career and a happy family." After she finished speaking, she immediately urged:
"It's your turn, speak up!"
Guo Honglei pressed on, "Do you feel any regret?"
It's a pity, but my regret is for my cousins, not just my brother. Unable to explain it in a few words, Jiang Yushu hesitated and replied cautiously, "A little." If a childhood sweetheart said he had no regrets, I'm afraid no one would believe him.
Guo Honglei said with a straight face, "Well, it's human nature."
After a moment's silence, Jiang Yushu gradually felt regretful and said decisively: "It's late at night, rest. I must get up early tomorrow to celebrate the old lady's birthday!"
Unexpectedly, Guo Honglei remained motionless and suddenly said, "I'm different from you. Frankly speaking, I don't feel any regret at all, let alone regret. I'm even very glad that I didn't marry Yushan."
"What?" Jiang Yushu was stunned.
Guo Honglei's expression was calm. He leaned back in his chair, half-raised his head, and stared into space. He sighed, "After I broke off the engagement, I felt deeply guilty for hurting an innocent person. But then our family business fell into decline, my father and brother passed away, and before we were exiled, my mother-in-law and Yushan happened to be 'sick'. I didn't even visit them once, nor did I say goodbye."
"This afternoon, I ran into my mother-in-law on the outskirts of the city. When she saw me, she was obviously uncomfortable and her eyes were evasive. She was not as friendly as before."
Guo Honglei's face was expressionless as he slowly spoke, "Even today, what's there that I still don't understand? The so-called 'scandal' back then was most likely orchestrated by my mother-in-law. She maliciously framed you, ruined our reputation, and did everything in her power to protect Yushan."
Jiang Yushu picked up the wick, lit the candle, and continued, "But she didn't expect that the emperor was so merciful and didn't sentence the Guo family to death. Otherwise, if we died, who would have investigated the truth?"
"Luckily, we didn't die!"
"Mother-in-law probably knew beforehand that the Marquis of Jingyang's mansion was doomed, and she couldn't bear to see her own daughter suffer. Furthermore, I tried to test Yushan, and she clearly knew as well. How could a girl like that deserve any pity or regret? She doesn't deserve it at all! For your sake and father-in-law's sake, I didn't pursue the matter. I've done my utmost."
Jiang Yushu pounded her forehead. "It's a mess, hard to sort out. My fault. Sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned it."
"What's your fault?"
"You are truly innocent."
Guo Honglei said solemnly, "My mother-in-law loved Yushan so much that she risked everything to protect her and secretly framed my stepdaughter. Furthermore, I was reckless when I was young, not considering things carefully, and impulsively got married, forcing you to commit suicide out of grievance... I still have lingering fears, always worried that you would commit suicide out of grievance."
"Don't worry, I will never seek death!"
"Actually, 'I' never hated you. Back then, besides missing my cousin every day, I was disappointed with my parents. I was so heartbroken that I decided to hang myself." Jiang Yushu fell into memories, frowning, biting her lip, and waved her hand.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this! You're drunk, get up quickly and go to bed to rest."
"I'm not drunk."
Guo Honglei remained motionless, speaking with a sense of emotion. He said calmly, "When our family was prosperous, my parents and brother and sister-in-law took care of everything, so I hardly had to worry about anything. I focused on my own affairs every day, enjoying a leisurely life and being praised frequently. But once our family fell into decline and my father and brother passed away, life was completely different. The world is fickle, and I experienced the fickleness of human nature. It was really hard at first, but thankfully I managed to get through it."
Jiang Yushu clapped her hands and praised sincerely, "A real man can bend and stretch. The Second Young Master is truly a remarkable man!"
"You're too kind, I don't deserve it." Guo Honglei was drunk, with a hint of sadness on his face. He half-closed his eyes and said calmly, "Once my family's fortune was destroyed, I was instantly destitute, destitute and reduced to a fugitive. No wonder my mother-in-law despised me, no wonder Yu Shan backed off, and no wonder you didn't want to marry me—"
"You said you weren't drunk, but you were clearly drunk and confused!"
Jiang Yushu immediately interrupted, feeling duty-bound to defend Miss Jiang's reputation, and said sternly, "Back then, 'I' was definitely not one who despised the poor and favored the rich, but—"
"Hate me, get angry when you see me."
"I know I'm not as steady as Brother Pei. I've been in the army all year round and have neglected to take care of my family. I can't compare to Brother Pei, who has much more freedom of movement."
Under the candlelight, Jiang Yushu was embarrassed and at a loss. She stared at him with a frustrated and helpless look on his face. She immediately blamed herself and hurriedly comforted him, "No, in my opinion, you are already stable enough!"
"Your cousin is a few years older than you, so it's normal for him to be more mature. He's not bound by military regulations, so of course he has much more freedom. You're a military commander, how can you compare yourself to a civilian official?"
"I can't be worse than him."
"I can't be worse than him, understand?" Guo Honglei's breath was full of alcohol, and he felt sleepy and half drunk and half awake.
Jiang Yushu felt soft-hearted and bitter, with mixed emotions. She bent down to support him and said softly, "I never thought you were worse than my cousin. Besides, no matter how powerful my cousin is, he is just a relative, but you are Ye'er's father. Your status is different, so there is no need to compare them. You are drunk and your imagination is full of nonsense. Get up and go to bed."
"You really don't think I'm inferior to Brother Pei?" Guo Honglei stood up slowly.
"Absolutely true!" Jiang Yushu held him tightly and stumbled towards the bed. "Captain Guo, why do you have to be so self-deprecating?"
"No way, first come first served, who told me to be late?"
The truth came out after drinking. Guo Honglei embraced her and fell on the couch, feeling extremely sleepy. He said vaguely, "Humph, it's all the fault of the matchmaker. He messed up our marriage. If he had matched you with me from the beginning, I could have avoided Brother Pei's disappointment."
Jiang Yushu struggled to sit up, took off his shoes and outer robe, and used all her strength to move the tall man to lie down. She echoed, "Yes, yes, it's all Yue Lao's fault. Go to sleep, don't let your imagination run wild."
After a while, she returned with water, wrung out a wet towel and wiped him, patiently responded to the drunk man's murmurs, and swore guiltily: Unless necessary, she will never talk about emotional entanglements again!
At the same time, guest rooms
The Guo Mansion was not spacious. As there were too many guests and not enough guest rooms, Xu's mother and daughter lived in the same room.
"Tomorrow is the 16th, my mother-in-law's birthday. We will set off on the 20th and rush home to get married. It's settled!" Xu said without hesitation.
Jiang Yushan knelt in front of the bed and cried hoarsely, "Mom, please, pick someone else. I really don't want to marry someone with the surname Xia."
"Your father and I have already agreed. You can't keep losing your temper." After two months of running around, Xu was exhausted and mentally drained. She lowered her voice and sternly admonished:
"Shan'er, for you, I brought Mingcheng and traveled thousands of miles to search for you. I used all my words and effort to calm your father's wrath. What else do you want? Aren't your parents tolerant enough?"
"I just don't want to marry someone with the surname Xia." Jiang Yushan suppressed her sobs.
"Zhenyun's family background and character are more than enough for you. Humph, if you allow your nitpicking, you will surely become an old maid and become a stepmother. You will suffer for the rest of your life!"
Jiang Yushan burst into tears, "But, but he's so ugly, old, fat, and bald. It's disgusting."
"nonsense!"
"Zhenyun obviously has handsome features, and he's very gentle and has a very good temper. He's willing to tolerate you." Mrs. Xu was feeling very tired, but she forced herself to cheer up and advised earnestly, "Shan'er, don't be so willful anymore. If you continue to make trouble, not only your father, but even I, your mother, will not be able to tolerate it. Don't blame your family then. We will just pretend that you are not our daughter!"
Jiang Yushan was out of breath and spoke incoherently, "No, I won't marry you. I won't go back for the time being. I'll stay at my sister's house for a while."
"Silly girl, you treat her as your sister, but she doesn't treat you as her sister!"
"Yushu doesn't even take her stepmother seriously. She is distant and polite, and it's obvious that she holds a grudge. Do you like to live by looking at other people's eyes and noses?" Mrs. Xu was very disappointed with her stepmother. She was angry and sleepy, with a dark face and a frown on her face.
Jiang Yushan shook her head and then nodded.
"Silly child," Mrs. Xu sighed deeply. She felt sorry for her daughter and waved, "Stop crying! Don't kneel down. Come up and sleep. Your eyes are swollen from crying. How are you going to face people tomorrow?"
Jiang Yushan shook her head desperately, "No! If Mother doesn't agree to cancel the engagement, I won't get up and cry until I go blind."
"you--"
"Hmph, then cry and kneel, but don't even think about breaking off the engagement for the third time! You are such an unfilial thing, you've brought shame upon your elders. You've pissed off your elders to death." After she finished speaking, Xu turned over in annoyance, facing away from her daughter, and fell asleep exhausted with worry and annoyance.
Amidst suppressed sobs, the candle burned out, and the room was suddenly pitch black.
But gradually, the moonlight of the fifteenth day of the lunar month shone through the window screen, becoming hazy. Jiang Yushan stared at her mother's back, her crying stopped, and her eyes changed from pleading to grief and anger, and finally filled with resentment.
In the middle of the night, she stood up by the edge of the bed, her legs numb and tingling. She turned around and walked out unsteadily, passing the maid sleeping on the low couch in the outer room. She sat in front of the window, held the mirror box close, and stood up the bronze mirror.
The moonlight was cold and clear, shining on the bronze mirror. A circular spot of light swayed and fell obliquely on the beam of the house.
Jiang Yushan's eyes were red and swollen. She looked up and stared at the beam for a while. She reached into the mirror box and fumbled around. In a moment, she took out a pair of scissors.
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