lady
Imprisonment and confinement, stripped of all wedding attire and ceremonies—these would be the worst possible outcome in the eyes of others, but in Jiang Yufan's eyes, it was still a good ending.
Being unable to leave the Gu residence wasn't a punishment for Jiang Yufan; after all, she was still alive, and as long as she was alive, there was still a chance for survival. However, the Gu family members became frightened, fearing that the crime of deceiving the emperor would fall on their heads, and they were afraid that Gu Sidu would really not be able to return this time.
They came day and night to beg Jiang Yufan for help in rescuing Gu Sidu.
Jiang Yufan remained unmoved by these shouts, simply holding the prayer beads in both hands and moving them one by one.
Dao Yun finally got tired of listening and managed to get them to leave at the door. After finally getting some peace and quiet, Dao Yun returned to Jiang Yu Fan's side: "Buddha, what should we do?"
"We haven't heard anything from the Ministry of Justice. Lord Gu should still be safe, but we can't continue like this. We have to do something."
Jiang Yufan opened her eyes, stopped what she was doing, and said to Daoyun, "I think I might have figured out some tricks. I can really sense some things."
“Buddha, at a time like this, you still care whether you have become a true Bodhisattva?” Dao Yun thought Jiang Yu Fan had gone mad. “You haven’t seen through it all and really want to go back to being a Bodhisattva, have you?”
“I once calculated the birth dates of Gu Sidu and me, and the result was ominous, but it was also possible. I did not deceive Gu Sidu. Now you see, there is danger in my marriage to him. In the days before the wedding, I had a premonition that something bad was going to happen, and it turned out to be true.”
"So, what do you mean, Buddhist nun?"
“A few days ago, I meditated again, using all the methods I had learned, and tried them all. Gu Sidu will be fine. If I have these abilities, then it means that my senses this time were correct, and Gu Sidu will not be in any danger.”
This can only temporarily calm one's mind and cannot solve the current predicament.
"It's good that his life isn't in danger. We still have plenty of time to do something. Although I often bicker with Lord Gu, I know that he treats us very well. We can't abandon Lord Gu, and we can't fail to save him."
This was also what Jiang Yufan thought; she couldn't abandon Gu Sidu.
The only question is how to save them.
All of this was orchestrated by Jiang Yaoguang, who stirred up trouble. Jiang Yufan heard that even Chenxiang Temple was implicated, and its incense offerings were no longer as prosperous as before. Cutting off someone's path to worship and ruining their future are all immoral acts. Jiang Yaoguang did it well, and he will get his retribution in the future.
Jiang Yaoguang did all this simply to get promoted. With Gu Sidu's death and the vacancy of the official position, naturally many people would be eyeing that position and swarming to it.
Aside from the intrigue and political machinations, another reason for Gu Sidu's imprisonment was that the imperial examinations had just concluded, and the court was selecting many new officials. Gu Sidu was not the only talented person who could be relied upon. Whether he was the only one or not, and whether he held an official position in the court, was not important.
However, killing Gu Sidu would discourage those who had just entered the court, so Jiang Yufan felt that Gu Sidu wouldn't die, but his official career might be ruined. She couldn't leave the Gu residence, nor could she save Gu Sidu; they couldn't do anything, but this inability to do anything was, in itself, doing everything.
Jiang Yufan said, "We can only wait."
Everyone harbored their own thoughts, and after weighing the options, Gu Sidu was nothing more than an ant in the torrent, possessing no power or status, merely a plaything to be manipulated by others.
Thinking about it this way, life is fleeting, and being an official is nothing more than that.
Jiang Yufan shook her head. She felt incredibly disappointed just watching from the sidelines. And what about Gu Sidu, who was in the thick of it all? Having experienced demotion, promotion, and then falling to the bottom, he was being manipulated by others and didn't know if he could bear such glory. What was he thinking?
Jiang Yufan wasn't worried about anything else, but she was worried about this.
She was afraid that Gu Sidu would become depressed, that Gu Sidu would not think straight, and that Gu Sidu would never be able to get out of the painful demon in her heart.
But a few days later, she received a letter from Gu Sidu, delivered by someone from prison. She couldn't believe how the letter had come from prison, reporting Gu Sidu's safety. The words in the letter brought tears to Jiang Yufan's eyes.
Jiang Yufan stroked the words on the letter in her hand, her heart unable to calm down for a long time.
Despite his predicament, Gu Sidu was also worried about Jiang Yufan's safety. He urged her to distance herself from him, hoping to ensure her safety and prevent her from being implicated. Gu Sidu told her to flee as soon as possible, and if he could save one person, he hoped it would be Jiang Yufan.
What a fool! No wonder he can't navigate the court and is easily schemed against.
Dao Yun read the letters beside Jiang Yu Fan without saying a word. She simply drew her sword, intending to storm the prison and rescue Gu Si Du. Jiang Yu Fan stopped Dao Yun, telling her to calm down first.
"Impulsiveness won't solve the problem. If you go, you'll only give them leverage, and you won't be able to rescue Gu Sidu. You'll also get yourself involved."
"Lord Gu is a man of great loyalty and righteousness. Do we really think we can keep him safe by doing nothing?"
Jiang Yufan lit agarwood incense and found all the things she could use for divination, including Buddhist and Taoist scriptures. She wanted to calculate what the future held and what she should do.
She wanted to ask Heaven: if there truly were supernatural powers, and all the gods could truly grant their wishes, then where was justice and fairness? Why did the wicked spread their evil deeds so openly, while the good suffered repeated setbacks? Was there any justice left in Heaven?
But none of these things could be given Jiang Yufan clearly. Their outcomes were all different, and there was no clear guidance. Jiang Yufan pushed these things aside and sighed softly. She knew it; there's no such thing as a deity saving people—it's all a lie.
She could only wait, she could only wait at the Gu residence for Gu Sidu's fate. She would not leave; she wanted to see Gu Sidu released from prison with her own eyes.
Although they couldn't leave the Gu residence, there were still ways to find out what was going on. Jiang Yufan listened to the discussions about Gu Sidu outside and gradually began to understand the prevailing sentiment.
Everyone says that Gu Sidu is only interested in getting promoted, which is unfair to others. However, some people say that Gu Sidu has the ability to do so. If he hadn't been implicated and suppressed for several years and hadn't been able to achieve his goal, he would have already become such an official. What fairness is there for Gu Sidu to have worked so hard for these past few years?
If it's considered a crime of deceiving the emperor, then it's not. Who can say there's no affection between them? Some of those rumors are true. Perhaps they really do want to be together. It wasn't them who forced the emperor to grant them a marriage.
While waiting, as time went on, the position vacated by Gu Sidu was fought over by others. Gu Sidu's interrogation in prison did not yield any results, and these crimes could not be convicted. If he were to be killed on this basis, then everyone would think that the emperor was a monarch who would be blinded by his own selfish desires.
Such remarks resulted in nothing being resolved.
The result of this unresolved matter was that Gu Sidu was expelled from prison.
Reopening himself to the world, the blazing sunlight met his eyes. Gu Sidu couldn't help but raise his hand and close his eyes. Only after his eyes adjusted to the gentle spring breeze did he reopen them. The east wind felt surprisingly soft on his face. Gu Sidu looked at the flowers, trees, and willows swaying in the city. When had such a beautiful scene graced the world?
Gu Sidu remained silent but stepped forward. His steps were unsteady, and his clothes were in disarray. No one had bathed or washed his face for him. His hair was flying everywhere. Gu Sidu casually looked up and saw a familiar figure standing in front of him.
Gu Sidu could remember that figure perfectly well; it was Jiang Yufan, his Bodhisattva.
He was secretly relieved that his own affairs hadn't involved the Bodhisattva. He smiled bitterly, knowing that since he met the Bodhisattva, she had suffered many misfortunes; if it weren't for him, none of these things would have happened to her. He had shattered the Bodhisattva's beautiful vision of her lifelong happiness and marriage, and he felt ashamed before her.
He walked up to Jiang Yufan and smiled gently at her: "Bodhisattva, what brings you here?"
"If I hadn't come, who would have come to pick you up?" Jiang Yufan handed Gu Sidu an outer garment and had him put it on. She didn't say anything, but simply raised her hand to brush away Gu Sidu's stray hairs, revealing his face. A handsome young man worn down by fate—looking at Gu Sidu now, Jiang Yufan felt he was very different from before.
Gu Sidu had lost his competitive spirit; he shrugged, lowered his head, and looked somewhat dazed.
He must have suffered a lot in prison.
Jiang Yufan couldn't know what was happening in the prison; all she could do was cup Gu Sidu's face in her hands and look into his eyes. She saw Gu Sidu's avoidance, but she steeled herself and made him face her.
"Bodhisattva, why...?"
“I didn’t listen to you and sever ties with you. Gu Sidu, you once saved me, so naturally I can’t abandon you. Right now, my identity is still that of a fake Mrs. Gu, and I’m still living in the Gu residence.”
“Madam…” Gu Sidu murmured, repeating these words.
"Yes, although we haven't completed the wedding ceremony, I still hold the title. Gu Sidu, I will guide you."
Jiang Yufan was unwilling to help others, but for Gu Sidu's sake, she was willing to help him. Whether out of pity or compassion, Jiang Yufan reached out to Gu Sidu.
They stood by each other through thick and thin, something even married couples might not always do, but they did.
Gu Sidu grasped Jiang Yufan's hand, his gaze fixed on her, lost in thought. Jiang Yufan, holding Gu Sidu's hand, couldn't help but shiver. The spring day was warm, but Gu Sidu's hand was icy cold, like winter snow.
This chill seeped into her palm and slowly crept into her heart.
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