Chapter 37: Clouds Rising
"Second Mother, I don't want to take a penny from this general's mansion. I only ask you to keep this secret. This is a crime of deceiving the emperor. Let Daddy rest in peace. I will leave far away tomorrow, no, I can leave now and never come back." Gu Wan told Liu Yiner every detail of her and her. At this moment, she did not ask for acceptance, but only wanted to leave this place of trouble.
Zhou Wan couldn't recover for a long time. Two women actually did such a thing. How could two women interact with each other's hearts? Could two women also stay together for a lifetime? The deepest part of her heart seemed to have an iceberg collapsing. She seemed to see something incredible in her suddenly opened heart. "Duanru, I'm a little tired. Let's talk tomorrow."
Gu Wan looked at the silent Aunt Zhou, feeling anxious but not daring to act rashly. Finally, he watched in astonishment as Aunt Zhou left like a lost soul. That was it. Did she agree or not?
At the Hu Mansion in Jiuqu County, Li Yuan held the letter from the capital, wishing he could tear it to pieces. That shameless Zhao Yunzhong had actually chased him to the capital. Hu Ziyan looked at her resentful husband and shook her head helplessly. "Sir, in my opinion, this matter will not end well. Would you be willing to listen to my advice?"
Li Yuan listened attentively to Hu Ziyan's words and asked doubtfully, "Yan'er, is this really okay? What if..."
"Go with peace of mind, sir. Believe me, I've never missed a thing." Hu Ziyan raised her head proudly. Who dared to underestimate her, the smartest and most talented woman in Jiuqu County? She glanced at her hesitant husband and couldn't help but frown. "Go quickly! Do you still want to save your useless sister Gu?"
On the official road of Jiuqu County, a carriage was speeding towards Liujia Village. Li Yuan silently wondered if what his wife had told him would really work.
At the General's Mansion in the capital, after breakfast, Zhou Wan looked at Gu Wan, who seemed to be hesitant to speak, and turned to Zhao Yunzhong, "Mr. Zhao, please forgive me for the poor hospitality these days. I have been busy with mundane matters in the mansion lately, so I won't be able to keep you here for long. I have asked someone to prepare some money for you, so please come back early."
"Madam, I am deeply in love with my younger sister. I only wish to be with my younger sister. I hope you can agree to this." Zhao Yunzhong said anxiously. Why did Aunt Zhou drive people away? He was sincere.
"How dare you! I, the second young master of the general's mansion, will not tolerate your nonsense. Come here, give him fifty lashes and throw him out." Zhou Wan pretended to be furious and ordered people to drag Zhao Yunzhong away. This time he must teach him a lesson.
Gu Wanlue thought about it and knew the key point. "Second Mother, thank you very much. I can leave today. Please take care."
"Where are you going? What will happen to this general's mansion if you leave? No wonder you have been cowardly since you were young, unlike your father. It turns out you are a good-for-nothing lady who just walks away when encountering problems. Stay here and solve the troubles outside the mansion before you leave." Zhou Wan looked at her with regret. She really didn't behave like her father at all.
In Qingshi Temple, in the Zen room of Master Congxin, Zhou Wan leaned against the person meditating. "Sister Li, it turns out that Duanru is a girl, and he likes other girls. Is this okay?"
Nun Congxin's upper body was stiff, not daring to speak, letting Zhou Wan talk to herself. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she would reveal what she had been thinking for years. I don't know if this is possible, but I am sure that for the rest of my life, I can't have anyone else but you.
Zhou Wan couldn't hear the person behind her answer, but she didn't care. She just turned around and sat on the bed, looking at the person with closed eyes and concentration. "Sister Li, can I stay here with you today? I don't want to go back. I don't want to go back to that cold general's mansion. There is no one to accompany me there."
The person meditating quietly remained silent, but Zhou Wan, however, willfully lay down on the bed in her clothes, having spent every day unconsciously for years. It was as if she finally felt a sense of solid existence at this moment. There seemed to be a reassuring smell in the air, and soon she fell asleep in confusion.
Master Congxin listened to the even breathing sounds on the bed, got up carefully, took off the embroidered shoes, moved the person to the center of the bed, carefully pulled open the quilt and covered him. She stared at the person who had fallen asleep, wanting to make the quilt for you every night before going to bed, and to put your shoes away every morning when she woke up.
In the alley outside the General's Mansion, Zhao Yunzhong, dressed in thin clothes, coughed up blood in the bleak autumn wind. Ever since he received those fifty lashes, he felt that his health was getting worse and worse. He glanced at the blood on his handkerchief, pounded his chest hard, staring straight at the people who came to pay their respects in front of the General's Mansion, with a sneer on his lips. "Gu Wan, since you are not kind, don't blame me for being ungrateful."
Today marks the seventh day since General Zhenyuan's burial. Many dignitaries from the capital have arrived, either out of compassion or a sense of justice. Gu Wan and Aunt Zhou kneel on either side of the mourning hall, their eyes welling. Suddenly, there's a commotion outside. The two exchange a rare glance, instantly guessing who's stirring up trouble. They'd forgotten about this hidden danger all these days.
In front of the general's mansion, the crowd looked at the embarrassed man kneeling on the ground and shouted, "The general's mansion is deceiving the emperor and has no respect for the law. I just accidentally discovered that Li Duanru is a girl and they beat me like this." After saying that, he coughed up blood.
Zhao Yunzhong lowered his head and sneered, clawing his hands on the ground as he waited for Gu Wan to come out. "You are ruthless to me, so don't blame me for being ungrateful. I was so infatuated with you only to be beaten up. Today, I, Zhao Yunzhong, will fight you to the death."
Gu Wan and Aunt Zhou walked out of the house leisurely, looking at the man in the middle of the crowd who claimed to be a gentleman but acted like a villain. There was a depressing atmosphere in the air. Zhao Yunzhong raised his head, revealing a somewhat scary face with blood at the corner of his mouth.
Gu Wan closed her eyes in pain. The Zhao brother who sang poetry and drank wine in his prime was no longer there. Should she destroy him if she couldn't get him? With her eyes clear again, she glanced at the crowd and said, "How dare you come to the general's mansion and make trouble? Come on, take him to the authorities!"
"Gu Wan, no, Li Duanru, you despicable and dirty woman, if you don't have something to hide, then let me go. Is there any law under the feet of the emperor? Why do you arrest me? You arrested me, but can you stop the world from gossiping?" Zhao Yunzhong struggled and shouted. The crowd quickly gathered. The two attendants dragged people anxiously, not knowing what to do.
"Really? I want to see whether you have the final say or the gossips of the world." Suddenly a cold female voice was heard, and a woman in white clothes and with a beautiful face walked out of the crowd. She looked very young, but had already tied her hair into a bun like a woman.
After hearing the voice, Gu Wan's eyes followed the woman and she could not move her eyes away. When the woman came closer, she woke up from her dream and called out "Yin'er".
--------------------
The author has something to say:
Sleepy, sleepy, I'm a little sleepy~
Sweet dreams late at night, it’s finally time for our Yin’er to appear~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
