Entering the Palace
Who would alleviate this immense suffering? Jiang Yufan's mind was only vaguely clear; she wasn't quite sure, so she couldn't really answer Gu Sidu's question. The New Year's Eve chime sounded, and the sound of firecrackers could be heard outside, even in the quiet of the place.
The sound pierced through the low wall, overpowering the snow, carrying a deep and distant quality. Jiang Yufan raised his wine glass to Gu Sidu and said, "In the new year, I wish Lord Gu all his wishes come true and that he will have no worries in the future."
Gu Sidu smiled and raised his glass to Jiang Yufan, saying, "Then I wish the Bodhisattva a smooth and easy future, free from the burdens of others."
Not being burdened by others—what a beautiful wish! I hope so. Jiang Yufan smiled and tilted her head back to drink a glass of wine, hoping those rumors were just rumors that would dissipate in a few days and disappear without a trace.
Hopefully, it will not be in vain. In Jiang Yufan's eyes, the vast expanse of white snow is not a scene of sorrow and desolation, but a scene of purity.
The New Year was lively. Spring passed, the ice thawed, all things awakened, and the rumors were buried by the heavy snow of winter, never to resurface. With the arrival of spring, hope came too. Jiang Yufan finally felt at ease. The imperial examination was imminent, and no one would cause trouble at this time. Gu Sidu had also established himself in the Ministry of Rites. Once they got married, everything would start afresh.
Jiang Yufan, on the contrary, was somewhat looking forward to the wedding.
The Emperor's decree of marriage was the dream of countless women. Throughout the capital, everyone watched the bridal sedan chair enter the Gu family home, with ten miles of red procession, and everyone celebrated this auspicious occasion. Because of the Emperor's decree, the Gu family's doorstep had been worn down by visitors these past few days, as people brought congratulatory gifts, almost filling the Gu residence.
Jiang Yufan returned all of these items. If she had accepted them, it would have been considered bribery for the imperial examinations, and Jiang Yufan couldn't let this hinder Gu Sidu's progress. As the flowing stream of gold and silver jewels was carried out, Daoyun felt a pang of regret. Those were truly rare finds; were they really going to leave nothing behind?
“Buddha, you should at least accept one or two items that aren’t so expensive.”
“These good things belong to a specific owner, not to you. If you take them, you will surely bring trouble upon yourself. If you see any that you like, write them down first, and I will buy them for you when I have money in the future.”
"I'd rather not buy them. I don't even care about these gold and jade items," Daoyun said. "If I really want something, it's the best sword in the world. With this sword, I can better protect the Buddha Maiden."
Jiang Yufan looked at the sword in Daoyun's arms. Daoyun had bought it for a cheap price when he was a child. Although Daoyun wiped and maintained the sword every day, it was still not as sharp as a good sword that could cut through iron like mud. It was okay to scare people on ordinary days, but if a real fight broke out, Daoyun would have to rely on his close-range fists and feet.
It was time to find a good sword for Daoyun. Jiang Yufan kept this in mind and decided to have it forged and sent to Daoyun after the imperial examination and when the weather warmed up.
After everyone's eyes stopped staring at Gu Sidu, and after the willow trees swayed.
Jiang Yufan wanted to give Daoyun a surprise, but just as she was about to take Daoyun out, someone was waiting for Jiang Yufan at the gate of the Gu residence, wanting to take her into the palace.
"Entering the palace?" Jiang Yufan was taken aback. "I have never had any connection with the palace. Is this the Emperor's will?"
"It is the Emperor's will. The Emperor said he would prepare for your wedding. Lord Gu has achieved great success in the imperial examination this time, and has selected many talents for the Emperor. The Emperor is very pleased and has decided to personally handle this wedding."
"Then why did I enter the palace?"
"Because you have no family, you can't have the wedding sedan chair go around the Gu residence and then back to the Gu residence, can you?"
The visitor showed Jiang Yufan the palace badge. The person standing behind the servant was indeed a maid sent from the palace. This maid had previously taught etiquette to daughters of noble families, and Jiang Yufan had seen her before and remembered her.
This matter is strange. Jiang Yufan frowned. She had no reason to refute it, so she could only use delaying tactics. She said, "But if I leave, it seems difficult to explain to Lord Gu. I'm afraid Lord Gu will worry about me. Let's wait until Lord Gu returns before we talk about anything else."
"Lord Gu is currently hosting a banquet in the palace. If you come with us, Madam, you might see Lord Gu there."
There was no other reason. Jiang Yufan glanced at Daoyun and lowered his voice to say to Daoyun, "The palace is complicated. I may be detained in the palace. You must stay close to me. If anything goes wrong, you should leave the palace first and tell Gu Sidu."
Dao Yun agreed and then followed Jiang Yu Fan to the palace.
Sitting in the sedan chair, Jiang Yufan lowered her head and pinched her fingers, hoping that everything would go smoothly on this trip and that nothing unexpected would happen. She also hoped that Gu Sidu would be safe.
You shouldn't overthink things, but you also shouldn't try to think of nothing at all.
It's possible that someone was testing her in front of the Emperor to see if she was worthy of being called a lady. Once she entered the palace, she had to be constantly vigilant and couldn't make any mistakes. Fortunately, she had learned some manners and etiquette when she was young, so she wouldn't embarrass Gu Sidu. Entering the palace was good too; she could see the situation more clearly and help Gu Sidu in the future.
Fortunately, once she entered the palace and settled in, Jiang Yufan was not mistreated. On the contrary, she lived in a very nice palace, was able to associate with the women in the palace, heard many gossip stories, and learned many secret arts of the ladies of the house. At first, she was extremely uncomfortable, but as she learned, she went from blushing to being eager to learn.
I'm really curious about this thing.
Unlike Jiang Yufan, Daoyun was not curious and would only stand far away each time. But how could anyone not listen to these things? Since she had already come all this way, Daoyun would helplessly listen to those words enter her ears each time.
"Everyone will get married in the future, Daoyun, don't just sit idly by, take this opportunity to listen."
"Yes, besides holding the sword in your own hand, you also need to hold the sword in other people's hands."
For these reasons, Dao Yun could only listen attentively, otherwise he would have had to say so many embarrassing things. Jiang Yu Fan had never seen Dao Yun so reserved before, and she chuckled softly beside him, but amidst these jokes, Jiang Yu Fan gleaned important information.
Shen Qianqiu, the daughter of the Vice Minister of War, has begun looking for a new husband, insisting that he be chosen from among military officers. It was Jiang Yufan who made this move. These rumors have spread to the palace, and everyone wants Jiang Yufan to calculate where they should find their future husbands.
Jiang Yufan never expected that her casual remark would bring such repercussions. It seems she shouldn't speak so much in the future. Unable to refuse, she could only wink at Daoyun, signaling her to prepare the things to fool him. After all, she was just a fake saint, and this wasn't the first time she'd acted.
But this act couldn't be done for nothing; Jiang Yufan was determined to extract more information from it.
For example, why was she in the palace, and why did the emperor personally arrange such a marriage?
Those who received the fortune slips naturally didn't think of hiding it. They said, "It's probably because an official from the previous dynasty said he wanted to reward Lord Gu, so he personally helped him. The imperial examination has just ended, and he has passed with flying colors. If he gets married right after, it means that there will be a lot of happy events this year."
"Furthermore, His Majesty probably wants to give Lord Gu an important position, and also let those who have just passed the imperial examination know that if they have great talent, His Majesty will definitely give them an important position, which will be encouraging."
"Do you know who's behind this?" Jiang Yufan handed over the divination slip and continued to probe.
"I heard there were many people involved, including Lord Jiang Yaoguang, who had a grudge against Lord Gu. He put aside past grievances and helped Lord Gu obtain favors; even the Emperor praised him."
Jiang Yaoguang.
These three words again! First, he spread rumors, and then he tried his best to keep Jiang Yufan in the palace and separate her from Gu Sidu. I wonder what wicked scheme he's plotting. Could it be that saving Jiang Yurong wasn't enough?
Jiang Yufan's mind was entirely on this, but Daoyun was perceptive enough to excuse Jiang Yufan from her discomfort and send everyone away. When Daoyun returned, he gently called Jiang Yufan back to the Buddhist nun.
"But is something wrong?"
“I don’t know,” Jiang Yufan shook his head. “Logically, my relationship with the Jiang family should be over, and he shouldn’t be bothering me anymore. I haven’t hindered his official career, so why is he stirring things up like this?”
"Could it be that they want to ride on Lord Gu's coattails, try to build a connection, and then slowly climb the ranks themselves?" Dao Yun pondered carefully. "Won't they go back on their word and say that you are their daughter, so it's only natural for you to return to a high position?"
“But if he wanted to do that, he should have revealed my identity when he was stirring things up. Then I should have returned to the Jiang family instead of coming to the palace.” Jiang Yufan first rejected this possibility.
"So it's because Madam Jiang misses you that she did this, wanting to see you get married, which would also put her mind at ease?"
"Probably not," Jiang Yufan sighed. "Although Madam Jiang has some kindness towards me for giving birth to her, she doesn't dare to defy Jiang Yaoguang. If we just want to fulfill her wishes, we would have to trouble Jiang Yaoguang to speak in court. Jiang Yaoguang is probably unwilling to do such a thing for her."
His mind was preoccupied with his future and his lineage; how could he possibly think about her marriage? He didn't need to do her any favors, as Madam Jiang already obeyed him completely, and he didn't need to curry favor with her.
Why is this the case?
Jiang Yufan sensed something was wrong. She said to Daoyun, "To ensure everything is in order, I will write a letter to Gu Sidu later, telling him that the rumors in the past and the current instigation were all done by Jiang Yaoguang. I will tell him to test Jiang Yaoguang in court to ensure that everything is alright and to make full preparations."
"You must return before the palace gates are locked. The wedding is in five days, and there can be no mistakes in these few days."
"Also, tell him to keep a close eye on Jiang Yaoguang."
"Okay." Daoyun quickly got up and took Jiang Yufan's letter to the Gu family.
Nevertheless, Jiang Yufan was still uneasy, feeling that something big was about to happen.
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