Keeping the appointment
Keeping one's promises is common sense, and Daoyun didn't have many objections. However, what Daoyun was concerned about was that Gu Sidu had secretly persuaded the Buddha's daughter while she was away. That was terrifying. If Gu Sidu could do this today, what if he came to the Buddha's daughter's room openly and refused to leave in the future?
These are all unpredictable things, things that Gu Sidu might do.
Jiang Yufan saw Daoyun's sorrow and his pained expression. Even when Daoyun was practicing martial arts as a child, he had never suffered like this. She suppressed a laugh and said to Daoyun, "Don't worry, I'm just repaying a favor from an adult."
"Come quickly and help me."
Daoyun agreed, but muttered to himself, "This back-and-forth exchange, how can it ever be truly settled?"
Jiang Yufan pretended not to hear. At this moment, she had to deal with the attire of an ordinary woman. She had just put her hair up and needed to carefully select some appropriate and beautiful hairpins so that when she went out with Lord Gu, she would not embarrass Lord Gu, and others would think that this lady of the Gu family was a person who knew how to behave properly.
Gu Sidu had already informed the Vice Minister of War and announced to everyone that he had a wife. No one believed him, so they sought confirmation from various sources, and some even went to ask Jiang Yaoguang, who had a grudge against Gu Sidu.
Since rescuing his son, Jiang Yaoguang had no more worries. After returning to the court, he only thought about how to regain his high position. At this time, he observed the situation quietly, saying little and just watching the court situation.
Jiang Yaoguang had no idea where Gu Sidu's wife came from. He had previously investigated Gu Sidu's background and learned that Gu Sidu was obsessed with fame and fortune, and had even specially invited a Bodhisattva to his home for this purpose. Jiang Yaoguang knew that this Bodhisattva was Jiang Yufan, and that the Gu family probably only had this one woman.
As for Gu Sidu's feelings for Jiang Yufan, Jiang Yaoguang understood after his wife's reminder. If Gu Sidu claimed to have a wife, then it must be Jiang Yufan. Jiang Yaoguang smiled coldly; he wanted to see how Gu Sidu would fabricate this lie.
Jiang Yaoguang deliberately said that he had never heard of Lord Gu having a wife. This made those who were already planning to get married even more eager to see what the legendary wife of Gu Sidu was like. The Vice Minister of War, upon hearing these words, was even more anxious to get his daughter to win Gu Sidu's heart as soon as possible.
Speaking of the daughter of the Vice Minister of War, she had been reading many romance novels behind her father's back since she was a child, and had long yearned for the ideal of a talented scholar and a beautiful woman. Gu Sidu was famous and just like the talented scholar and beautiful woman in the book, so she was naturally willing to accept the invitation. Moreover, others said that this Lord Gu was also very handsome, so she had been urging her father to meet him soon.
This young lady had secretly peeked at Gu Sidu while her father was meeting him, and having already seen his face, she was instantly captivated. It would take a great deal of effort to make her back down.
This is a huge test for Jiang Yufan.
If done well, it can resolve Gu Sidu's worries; if done poorly, it could harm Gu Sidu.
The woman's stunning beauty slowly appeared in the bronze mirror. In the past, Jiang Yufan rarely used rouge and powder to dress up as Guanyin, but now that she was using them again, she still felt a little uncomfortable.
Is the person in the mirror her? It seems like her, yet it isn't. If she had lived to this age and married according to her parents' wishes, perhaps she would look like this. But now, by a twist of fate, while pretending to be Madam Gu Sidu, she sees the image that should have been her.
Heaven is fair after all.
“Buddha Maiden,” Daoyun said, “there are so many hairpins, which one should you choose?”
Jiang Yufan snapped out of her thoughts, picked out a simple pair of earrings, and put them on. She said, "Just choose that very plain gold hairpin, just this one, with only a little bit of gold showing."
"Nothing else?" Daoyun tucked the gold hairpin into her hair. "But this is too plain. If people go out, they'll say the Gu family is poor."
"What would I do with money? Where would it come from? What if someone suspects me and tries to frame Lord Gu?" Jiang Yufan considered these things and was unwilling to flaunt it.
Every word of these words was for Gu Sidu's benefit. If Gu Sidu had heard them, he would have been moved. It's just a pity that Gu Sidu wasn't here.
But it wasn't a pity, because Gu Sidu happened to walk in at that moment and heard everything clearly. He then emotionally called out "Bodhisattva."
Jiang Yufan and Daoyun turned around and saw Gu Sidu leaning against the door, looking at Jiang Yufan. If the word "charming" were used to describe others, then there would be no words in the world that could describe Gu Sidu. When Gu Sidu was serious, he was tall and slender, and his famous peach blossom eyes looked at everyone with deep affection. Not to mention today, Gu Sidu had his hair tied up in a high ponytail, with a few strands of hair falling in front of his forehead, and a gold hairpin just like Jiang Yufan's was pinned between his hair ornaments.
Adorned with gemstones and adorned with jade pendants at his waist, Gu Sidu's dark blue attire made him appear as dashing and unrestrained as a young nobleman.
But at that very moment, Gu Sidu stepped in, and his first words were: "Bodhisattva, is this still my Bodhisattva?!"
It was still the same familiar Gu Sidu. Jiang Yufan and Dao Yun were both slightly disappointed. As Gu Sidu approached and looked her over carefully, Jiang Yufan said, "Lord Gu, is it alright for me to go out like this?"
"Great, of course it's great." Gu Sidu had never seen Jiang Yufan like this before. Her appearance was beyond compare, with a gentle and dignified air hidden in her brows and eyes. One glance was enough to make her unforgettable, surpassing all other women in the world.
Everything about a Bodhisattva is good.
Jiang Yufan felt a little embarrassed by Gu Sidu's direct gaze. She looked down at her outfit, which she had specially chosen to be lake blue. It seemed that she and Gu Sidu were a good match, one quiet and the other lively. There was nothing wrong with it, so why was Gu Sidu still staring at her?
"Lord Gu, please look away." Dao Yun couldn't stand it any longer. She coughed lightly a few times, reminding Gu Sidu that if he continued to stare like that, he would give himself away.
"Oh, okay," Gu Sidu reluctantly withdrew his gaze and said to the Bodhisattva, "Madam looks very beautiful today. My heart and eyes are full of you, and I have forgotten everything else."
"Lord Gu, what do you call us Buddhist nuns?"
“Madam,” Gu Sidu said matter-of-factly, “Isn’t the Bodhisattva impersonating my wife? If I go out and still call out to the Bodhisattva, wouldn’t that give me away?”
Gu Sidu always seemed to find a way to reason things out. Dao Yun remained silent, while Jiang Yufan smiled to the side.
"Lord Gu, since there's nothing seriously wrong, when shall we head out?" Jiang Yufan steered the conversation back on track.
They had important business to attend to. Although they were pretending, Jiang Yufan saw the gold hairpin in Gu Sidu's hair and the jade pendant in Gu Sidu's bosom. Gu Sidu was putting on a very convincing act, and Jiang Yufan didn't say anything, pretending not to know anything.
“Let’s set off now,” Gu Sidu said, extending his hand. “Once we’re in the carriage, I’ll tell Madam about the situation with the Ministry of War’s family. Don’t worry, we’ll go out for a nice meal today.”
Jiang Yufan nodded and extended her hand for Gu Sidu to hold. The moment their fingertips touched, Gu Sidu's whole body turned pink, and she tightened her grip on Jiang Yufan's hand as if afraid she would run away.
"Is Lord Gu so nervous?" Jiang Yufan asked helplessly, looking at his hands, which were red from being squeezed.
"Does it hurt?" Gu Sidu then loosened his grip a little.
It didn't hurt much, not as terrifying as when Dao Yun's sword was at Gu Sidu's neck. Jiang Yufan shook his head at Dao Yun, telling him to put the sword away. Then the three of them went to the carriage to attend the banquet.
Although the Vice Minister of War will not attend this banquet, his daughter's marriage and his son's bright future are all decided at this banquet. He will definitely come, but he will be in the shadows. Therefore, they must act convincingly to make those old foxes believe it.
This isn't Gu Sidu hiding anything; it's a genuine need for such precautions.
Gu Sidu clasped his hands together and said to Jiang Yufan, "Bodhisattva, if I do anything intimate with him, please wait until I return before causing me any trouble. To ensure a permanent solution, please forgive me in advance."
These are all common sense, and Jiang Yufan understands them. She asked Gu Sidu, "What does this young lady look like? What is her name? What is her temperament like?"
"The daughter of this Vice Minister of War is named Shen Qianqiu. I have never met her before. Her brother, Shen Wannian, is taking the imperial examination. I have seen his papers. If he studies diligently, he may be able to achieve a good ranking. He is probably seeking stability and wants to enter the officialdom as quickly as possible."
Things are far more complicated than imagined. If Gu Sidu agrees to this marriage, then no matter how Shen Wannian enters the court through his own abilities, he will be labeled as being of the same lineage as Gu Sidu. Gu Sidu will never be able to clear his name or be free.
Jiang Yufan's brows furrowed, and she naturally made some decisions in her mind.
She must do this well.
When the carriage arrived at the restaurant, Gu Sidu got out first. He stood under the carriage and stretched out his hand for Jiang Yufan, who had just leaned out, to take his. Just as Jiang Yufan's hand touched Gu Sidu's wrist, they heard the sound of carriages and horses in the distance.
Jiang Yufan looked up and saw a beautiful young woman dressed in fine silks and satins alighting from another carriage.
The woman had been in a good mood, but her smile vanished when she saw Gu Sidu and Jiang Yufan. Instead, she stared intently at the way their hands were moving. She looked up at Gu Sidu again, then snorted and turned to enter the restaurant.
“That’s the Shen family’s carriage,” Gu Sidu sighed. “Bodhisattva, you know what kind of life I’ve been living these past few days.”
"I understand, but I feel that even in Lord Gu's hard times, there seems to be some sweetness." Jiang Yufan smiled, she already knew why the young lady of the Shen family was angry earlier.
But Gu Sidu didn't know that. All Gu Sidu knew was that when Jiang Yufan got off the carriage, he had to hand the hot water bottle to Jiang Yufan so that the Bodhisattva wouldn't get cold.
A warmth spread throughout her body, and Jiang Yufan looked at Gu Sidu's outstretched arm and took it.
This single gesture was enough to make Gu Sidu's lips curl into a smile.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
