Chapter 87: Snatch Gu Xiaoliu's sweetheart

Xu Mansion

Xu Wanxin was putting on makeup in front of the mirror. Her thin eyebrows were deepened and thickened, and tilted upwards, matching her eyes with a pair of phoenix eyes, showing a softer and more charming look than ever before.

In fact, this kind of makeup is not suitable for her. She is weak and melancholy. Her gentle look with frowning eyebrows and slightly lowered head best reflects this kind of style.

But Xing Yuan said he liked passionate beauties.

She couldn't live without him, so naturally she had to meet all his requests.

"Have you found out?" Xu Wanxin asked softly.

"Mr. Pei will go to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion after leaving the court these two days."

"Duke Zhenguo's Mansion?" She smiled lightly at the mirror, but her brows wrinkled unconsciously, making her look even more weird.

"Didn't my cousin have a quarrel with Mr. Gu? Why did he go to Gu's house?"

The maid buried her head and said, "I don't know."

Xu Wanxin put another golden hairpin in her hair. Looking at the tacky jewelry all over her head, she felt even worse. She said in disgust, "He is still hanging out with the courtesan from Deyue Tower?"

"Lord Xing had a big fight with the Prince of Yongning in Deyue Tower yesterday. Even the Jingzhao Prefecture and the Five Cities Military Department were alarmed. It was all because of the courtesan Yue Niang."

Xu Wanxin was delighted and turned her head suddenly, her pearls and jadeite jingling against each other, "Won't the news spread all over the capital?"

The maid was about to reply when news came from outside the courtyard that the eldest lady Xun and the second son Xu Ziqian had arrived. The maid hurriedly got up from the ground, took the wooden comb from Xu Wanxin's hand, and helped her comb her long black hair.

"Mother, second brother, why are you here?"

Xu Wanxin turned her head and asked softly.

Xun glanced at her makeup, frowned, and wanted to say something, but swallowed it back.

Xu Ziqian said seriously, "Sister looks really good in this makeup."

"Really?" Xu Wanxin smiled nonchalantly, "Second brother, you didn't come here just to praise me, did you?"

Xu Ziqian was a gentle and kind person. He looked at his mother when he heard this. Xun nodded to him, and he said in a deep voice:

"Yesterday, Mr. Xing got into a fight with someone in Deyue Tower because he was jealous of someone's girl. Two men were fighting for one girl. Now the news has spread all over the city. Even my classmates came to ask me about it."

The smile on Xu Wanxin's face faded, "Second brother, do you think I've embarrassed you?"

"Of course not!"

Xu Ziqian stood up from the stool in a hurry, "I have never had such an idea. It's just that Xing Yuan is not a good match, and elder sister has always refused to believe it, so I told you this. I beg elder sister to change her ways and turn back."

"Return to the right path after straying?" Xu Wanxin repeated this sentence, "Why is it that all the people I like are straying? What do you know?"

Xu Ziqian was not a person who could speak eloquently. Xun signaled her son to sit down with her eyes and said earnestly, "When we cancelled your marriage with Pei Yan, it was your father and I who were inconsiderate. But the damage has been done, so why do you have to do this to yourself?"

"My second brother was born at that time, and my mother devoted all her attention to her son and ignored me. If it weren't for Mother Pei, I would have drowned at the age of five and would not be alive today."

Xu Wanxin's eyes slowly revealed a trace of sadness, "I finally found a satisfactory engagement, but good people don't live long."

"Second brother, do you know why my parents want to cancel my engagement? My family is a civil servant, not a duke's family that inherits the throne from generation to generation. They think that without Pei Jian's status as the duke's son, he will not be able to help you in the future, so they want to sell me off so that they can replace me with a more helpful brother-in-law!"

"Wan'er! This is how you see me and your father!"

Xun was almost speechless. She couldn't believe that her always gentle and well-behaved daughter could be so heartbreaking when it came to marriage!

Mr. Pei lost both his parents when he was young and had no one to teach him. The current Duke Zheng is a weak person, so they were afraid that the child would grow up crooked and Wan'er would suffer if she married him, so they called off the marriage early.

But I never expected that my own daughter would hate me so much!

Xun felt a chill in her heart.

Xu Wanxin's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she slowly stood up and walked to Xun's side, "Mother, it was Wan'er who said the wrong thing, please don't be angry with me."

She lowered her head and shed tears. "What my second brother said just now made me feel so heartbroken that I couldn't help but speak without thinking... Mother, I know you are doing this for my own good."

She gradually showed determination in her expression, "I want to ask him in person. If Xing Yuan is really such a treacherous and ungrateful person, my daughter will never make the same mistake again."

Xun didn't want her daughter to have anything to do with Xing Yuan anymore, even if it meant confining her to her house, and not allowing them to have any contact. But ever since she and her husband canceled Wan'er's engagement, the child had never been close to them in the past few years.

If they cut off all ties at once, I'm afraid their mother-daughter relationship will be gone. Hearing this, she nodded and said, "Okay, you should see his true face as soon as possible, and mother will choose a good husband for you."

Xu Wanxin wiped away the tears on her face and smiled gratefully. Her face was a little pale from crying, but her eyes were unusually bright, "Thank you, mother, and thank you, second brother."

…

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. Pei Jian said goodbye to Gu's house.

The Duke of Zhenguo would be leaving the capital for the north the day after tomorrow. He had been carefully recalling the past these days and told the Duke of Zhenguo the location and tactics of the Northern Liang's surprise attack in his memory, as well as the strategy of the counterattack when Gu Ci led the troops later.

Gu Chengye was very pleased and patted his shoulder vigorously. "Shi Zhang is a great talent. Some of his strategies are beyond my imagination. Uncle Gu should thank you very much."

Pei Jian lowered his eyes and looked at the sand table, not taking credit for it, "These are not my ideas."

He just has a good memory and is good at summarizing.

Gu Chengye would never have thought that there is such an adventure as rebirth in the world. He just thought Pei Jian was being humble and said with a smile, "If you win this battle, you will be a great hero. Uncle Gu will recommend you for the credit!"

Pei Jian was calm as usual, and did not show his joy. He always had a maturity and stability that surpassed his peers.

Compared with him, Gu Ci seemed much more impatient and green.

"Is there any conflict between you and Qingye?"

Gu Chengye was a military commander, and he didn't care about beating around the bush. He sat with his horse and sword, his eyes were extremely deep, and he said, "No matter how much you pretend to be in front of me, it's not good enough."

Pei Jian didn't want to pretend.

Just yesterday, the emperor issued an edict allowing the Duke of Zhenguo to return to the North. Today, he disappeared without a trace after resigning. It goes without saying who he is looking for.

He was feeling depressed, so he said directly:

"He and I fell in love with the same girl."

This time it was Gu Chengye's turn to have an accident.

As early as this spring, he received a letter from his wife saying that Xiaoliu had a lover. Later, every letter that Gu Ci sent to the north would always mention the girl from the Wen family.

Originally, he was going to go to the Wen Mansion to propose marriage when he returned to the capital this time. However, the war situation in the north was unclear, and he was entangled in many things, so now he has to return in a hurry.

Gu Chengye had been a soldier all his life and was not the type to be sentimental. He asked, "Are you giving in?"

Pei Jian glanced at Gu Chengye and said gloomily, "No."

"Fought?"

“I never argued.”

"Have you put it down?"

“I can’t let it go.”

"Was there a fight? Who won?"

"It's a tie."

Gu Chengye burst into laughter, "Our Xiaoliu has always been more popular with women than you."

Pei Jian said nothing.

Gu Ci has a cheerful personality and is indeed popular among girls.

After holding it in for a while, Pei Jian said in a muffled voice, "I won't give up."

"You have ambition!" Gu Chengye patted Pei Jian on the back encouragingly, "Uncle Gu supports you. Win Xiaoliu's sweetheart away from you!"

Gu Chengye has watched Pei Jian grow up since he was a child, and knows his character very well. Not to mention other things, just the fact that he can spare no effort to help the Gu family at this critical moment, Pei Jian and Gu Ci are lifelong good brothers.

As for the girl from the Wen family, it all depends on who she has a closer relationship with.

After all, a girl who is liked by both Xiaoliu and Pei Jian must be a good girl.

Pei Jian was in a good mood after leaving Gu's house, because Uncle Gu said with a smile, "If you can snatch Xiaoliu's sweetheart away, your uncle will marry you!"

The Gu family is safe and Nian Xi has changed her mind. These two things are the most wonderful things for him. Even thinking about them makes him happy.

Until he met Xu Wanxin who was waiting outside the door under the light.

That mysterious and subtle feeling also disappeared.