The streets were quiet in the early morning, with only a scattered handful of people and horse-drawn vehicles on the move.
As Ye Guixue’s carriage left the Duke Residence and headed towards the Shen Residence, it had just crossed the main street and was about to turn a corner when a man on a horse charged out from an angle. The rider skillfully controlled his steed, just barely pulling the reins in time.
The coachman quickly brought the carriage to a halt, so abruptly that Ye Guixue, who had been sitting upright inside, jolted sharply.
The coachman quickly inquired, "Young Master, are you alright?"
"I’m fine," Ye Guixue’s voice sounded calmly.
When the coachman turned to get a closer look at the person who had almost collided with them, he found him to be an exceptionally good-looking young man. Although he appeared somewhat weary, whether it was due to staying up all night or something else, his eyes were clear, and he simply stared at the carriage without speaking or moving away.
The coachman was compelled to speak first, "Excuse me, Young Master..."
The man on the horse was Zhou Gu who, having been up all night investigating, was just about to go home, take a bath, and refresh himself when he encountered Ye Guixue’s carriage.
He recognized the carriage from the other day when Su Rong had gotten into it after leaving the Premium Fragrance Tea House.
Although he had left without stepping foot into the Duke Residence, he had still caught a glimpse of Ye Guixue. Even though he was far away, his eyesight was sharp enough to enable him to see the man clearly.
He was exactly the type Su Rong would like.
If Ye Guixue were ugly, it would be another matter. However, not only did he come from a reputable family and had handsome features, but he was also very talented. How could Su Rong resist a man like that?
With a steady expression, Zhou Gu finally spoke, "I am Zhou Gu. I nearly startled Second Young Master Ye’s horse. My sincere apologies."
Upon hearing this, Ye Guixue paused momentarily inside the carriage. He slowly reached out, pushed aside the carriage curtain, looked at Zhou Gu and responded with a light smile, "So it’s Lord Thursday! No harm done. My coachman’s driving skills could use some improvement. If the horse was startled, it’s partly the coachman’s fault."
"It was due to my haste that caused the near miss. Thankfully, Second Young Master Ye was unharmed," Zhou Gu said as he sat on his horse, then casually asked, "Second Young Master Ye is heading out early. Might I ask where you are going?"
Ye Guixue replied with a smile, "I’m heading to the Shen Residence."
Despite his not indicating the reason for his visit to the Shen Residence, Zhou Gu understood. The Shen Residence was where Su Rong lived. His intention was clearly to go see her, and it certainly had nothing to do with Su Xingze or Shen Xian.
His hand tightened on the reigns, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible, "Then, we will meet again."
Ye Guixue nodded, "Until next time!"
As the horse and the carriage passed each other, Zhou Gu lowered his gaze. He couldn’t chase after him, stop him from going to the Shen Residence, or prevent Su Rong from meeting Ye Guixue. He was helpless, and currently lacked the standing to do so.
He bit his lip all the way back to his residence. After dismounting the horse and entering the gates, he came face to face with Housekeeper Chen, who looked at Zhou Gu and was taken aback. "Lord Thursday, you’ve been out all night. Is something wrong? Has the case been solved?"
"As if it were that easy. I’m going to freshen up and head out again shortly," Zhou Gu suppressed his emotions and walked ahead.
The housekeeper reminded him, "Lord Thursday, do take care of yourself. The wind at night can be cold and damp, you should dress warmly."
Zhou Gu simply grunted in reply.
He had no inclination to see his father, the auxiliary minister, and instead went straight to his quarters. After ordering the kitchen to heat up his bath, he immersed himself fully in the bath, not even allowing a single strand of hair to break the surface. After a while, he wiped the water off his face, got out of the bath, dried himself, and reached for the clean clothes on the rack. Suddenly, his hand froze.
Ever since Su Rong came to break off their engagement, it hadn’t been more than two days until she had the gifts he had sent to Jiangning County as congratulations for her hair-pinning ceremony returned. She mentioned that the cloth and dresses she had given him would be seen as compensation for the accident with Jiang Sheng, thus settling the matter. Even though he never returned the dresses as she did, he had not worn them again and had them stored away.
His current clothing was either bought by his grandmother or his mother; it was just the ordinary fabric he was used to wearing since he was a child. After all, he never cared much about what he wore.
But today, when he reached out for those clothes again, he thought of those clothes he had set aside. If he was also willing to break off her kinship, then Su Rong would want to write it off. He would be more than willing to cooperate, reducing the price of clothes, throwing them away directly, giving her the silver, returning the unused fabric to her, but he just didn’t want to write off with her, even if the marriage was called off, he didn’t want to. Therefore, those clothes would not be thrown away, nor would he return the fabric to her. He wanted to keep it.
But now that she and Ye Guixue...
He couldn’t put on the clothes she gave him, knowing that it wouldn’t be appropriate, or show them off in front of Ye Guixue. That would be too ungracious. He couldn’t bring himself to do that.
What else can he do now?
Besides feeling helpless, what else can he do?
Zhou Gu didn’t know. He paused for a while before picking up the clothes from the rack and slowly put them on. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
The Lady of the Duke Residence heard that Zhou Gu was back and immediately went to the Frost Garden. When she arrived, Zhou Gu had already dressed up properly and came out of the Sanctuary. She looked at him and asked with concern, "Why didn’t you come back at night? You have to take care of your health even if the case is serious. Winter is coming, and the cold air will get into your body. If you catch a cold, you will be sick from time to time all winter."
Zhou Gu nodded, "I understand."
The lady of the Duke Residence looked at his thin clothing and suddenly remembered that when the Jinqiu Residence was making autumn clothes, Zhou Gu had brought back a lot of clothes and fabric from Jiangning. He already had clothes for all seasons, made from such good material, so she didn’t make any new clothes for him when she made new clothes for others in the residence. After Su Rong’s engagement was called off, due to the poor state of Zhou Gu’s daily life, she was worried about his emotions and overlooked this matter.
The clothes Su Rong gave him had not been worn again, presumably they had been put away. Naturally, he will not wear them again. It seems that he could only wear last year’s old clothes if he wanted to wear thicker clothes now.
Her heart ached, she opened her mouth, and after a while, she asked Zhou Gu softly, "Are there no clean clothes for you because the old clothes haven’t been starched? Let me have someone make some for you. They’ll work all night and should have a couple ready for you tomorrow."
Zhou Gu pursed his lips, didn’t answer his mother’s question, but asked, "Mother, am I really not able to be with Su Rong for the rest of my life?"
The Lady of the Duke Residence didn’t know what to say or how to react, she could only look at him.
Zhou Gu sat down, buried his face in his hands, his voice was hoarse, "Today, on my way home, I ran into Ye Guixue, he was going to the Shen Residence to find Su Rong, it seems that they had an agreement."
The Lady of the Duke Residence was speechless.
"I’ve always been proud of being a member of the Duke Residence. I’ve always been proud of the plaque at the gate, and of my father and uncles who died in battle. I’ve always thought that the brilliant gate, bestowed upon us by the blood and bones of our ancestors, as a descendant of the Duke Residence, I enjoy its glory and should bear its responsibility, to let it stand tall and not be toppled." Zhou Gu covered his face without moving, only his lips trembling, "But mother, I’m not the rightful eldest grandson, isn’t it enough for my elder brother to support the family? Do I have to shoulder the heavy burden of the family, open a new door for the Duke Residence, and write myself into history as a living dead? So that I could suffer every day, dare not make mistakes, dare not act recklessly, while watching the person I like being with someone else, and living with regrets?"
The Lady of the Duke Residence opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Zhou Gu’s voice turned hoarse, "Should I learn from Princess Zhenmin and Master Xie? But Princess Zhenmin and Master Xie, out of desperation and for the survival of the nation, sacrificed their personal feelings for the greater good. Am I the same? I’m just doing this for the Duke Residence, for my own career, for the welfare of the people of Daliang, for the expectations of my grandparents, the Crown Prince, and even you, mother, to give up my personal feelings for Su Rong. Do all of you, including Su Rong, think my personal feelings are so insignificant that they can’t be compared with these?"
The Lady of the Duke Residence couldn’t reply.
Zhou Gu stopped talking, covering his face, looking desolate and silent.
After a long while, the Lady of the Duke Residence went forward, reaching out to embrace Zhou Gu’s body, her eyes red as she softly said, "It’s just a month of getting along with each other, has Su Rong really made it impossible for you to let go of her?"
Since Su Rong’s engagement was called off, he hadn’t been acting like he wanted to die or was lost. He hadn’t been drinking to drown his sorrows or lost consciousness. He was just melancholy every day, barely saying anything. Because of this, people were more worried about him.
All these days, he hadn’t said anything, and the day he found out about Su Rong’s true identity, he didn’t say anything either. But today, when he saw Ye Guixue going to find Su Rong with his own eyes, perhaps he really couldn’t hold it any longer, otherwise how could he say all these to her?
Zhou Gu said in a low voice, "I will try to let go, but mother, I... I’m not sure if I can do it, I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself, I might go crazy... I might..."
He didn’t finish his sentence, but the Lady of the Duke Residence understood. He was afraid he would go crazy, become unrecognizable, lose all restraint, lose all righteousness and shame, destroy things, lose his virtues, disgrace the honor earned under the plaque of the Duke Residence, become an unfilial descendant, resort to any means, offend everyone, and smash all the hopes and expectations placed on him all at once.
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