respect
What answer could Gu Sidu possibly give? He simply wanted to get married. But when Gu Sidu spoke, not only Lian Daoyun but also Jiang Yufan were stunned.
Gu Sidu said, "I want to find another way to decline."
"Why are you declining?" Jiang Yufan asked, squinting. "Has Lord Gu finally realized his feelings for me?"
Human nature is like this, always changing day and night, something Jiang Yufan can understand.
"No, although I wish to find a soulmate, I only want someone with whom I share mutual affection, not someone I can force," Gu Sidu smiled at Jiang Yufan.
If something is obtained through coercion, it's meaningless, and no one will be happy. Even though refusing would be disobeying the imperial decree, Gu Sidu still didn't intend to use such a decree to imprison or bind Jiang Yufan.
This is very rare; it's something even the most ordinary people can't achieve. Jiang Yufan has heard and seen the prayers in the hearts of many women. They cannot get their wishes fulfilled, and what they all want is to marry the person they love. These women come to Chenxiang Temple to make wishes, but not all of them come true. Some of them still have to marry the person their parents have arranged for them.
When a woman chooses a husband, she may never have even met him once. If she does meet him, she is already extremely fortunate. Jiang Yufan thought that if she were still in the Jiang family, she might not even see what her fiancé looked like. Her parents would certainly just randomly choose one from among the young masters of those ministers, unlike her, who now has the option to choose.
Perhaps this is how my life will be. Jiang Yufan thought of the birth date and time she had looked up before. She pondered for a long time, and then said to Gu Sidu, "Lord Gu, the imperial decree is hard to disobey. You have worked hard to get this promotion. I can't let my actions hinder your future."
"Lord Gu invited me here because he wanted me to have a successful official career, so this is a lucky coincidence."
"I had forgotten about it if you hadn't mentioned it." Gu Sidu was naturally pleased to hear Jiang Yufan's words. The Bodhisattva had given him a way out. His Bodhisattva always cared about the people in the world and always helped others.
Dao Yun heard Jiang Yu Fan's words and exclaimed incredulously, "Buddha's daughter, are you crazy? What will you do if you agree? This is no joke."
Gu Sidu raised three fingers and swore to Jiang Yufan: "I, Gu Sidu, will forever remember the kindness of the Bodhisattva and will always be good to the Bodhisattva."
Jiang Yufan looked directly at Gu Sidu's face and smiled gently at him. She agreed. Gu Sidu had a bright future ahead of him, and good news to celebrate; everything was going well. Gu Sidu would be even busier with this. If he were promoted, his colleagues from the Hanlin Academy would come to congratulate him, and a banquet would be inevitable. There would also be much to do regarding his wedding.
Another year is approaching, and Gu Sidu will have a very fulfilling life in the days to come.
After Daoyun and the others left, he said to Jiang Yufan, "Buddha, is this settled?"
"Do you remember what we talked about before, about making plans for ourselves?" Jiang Yufan said to Daoyun. She saw Daoyun nod before continuing, "I can feel that Gu Sidu is in love with me. He loves and respects me, and we've been through a lot together. If I really had to choose someone, I actually like him a little too."
"Didn't you say that the Gu family will always have a backyard master? We won't immediately separate from the Gu family in the future. Life will go on no matter how we live it. So, why not just follow my wishes?"
Jiang Yufan rarely faced her own heart. Ever since she was at Chenxiang Temple, what she thought in her heart didn't matter. No one cared about her joys and sorrows; she only needed to be an empty shell, and she got used to it. But then she met Gu Sidu. Gu Sidu held her too high, making her always have to look down to see him. What she saw was Gu Sidu's heart.
Who else in the world could treat her like that? It seemed there was no one. Apart from Dao Yun, Gu Sidu was the most sincere person Jiang Yufan had ever met. Jiang Yufan was only human, with all the emotions and desires of the world; she couldn't be completely detached from worldly desires, and it was difficult for her not to be moved.
It's just acting, and they've acted before. Jiang Yufan trusts Gu Sidu.
What they didn't know was that their sincere choices at the time led them astray.
Jiang Yufan carefully recalled and connected the news brought by Daoyun. It seemed that Minister Shen of the Ministry of War had backed down and was choosing a son-in-law from among his fellow military officers, as if he was trying to avoid it. When someone asked him about it, Minister Shen said that it was a secret of heaven that could not be revealed.
"That Madam Gu does seem to know some secrets of the heavens; one has to believe in such things to some extent."
Rumors began circulating in the city, portraying Madam Gu as a goddess descended from heaven.
All this instigation and those rumors were the work of one person. Jiang Yufan burned the note to ashes, which illuminated his face.
"Buddha, should we tell Lord Gu about this?" Dao Yun was also helpless when she found out about the news. She never thought there would be such a shameless person who said he would sever ties, but still came back with a vengeance.
“Let’s not tell him,” Jiang Yufan shook her head. “What good would it do? These arguments are just meant to make people unhappy. If we take any action, people will think we’re petty.”
However, these were just rumors. These petty actions were indeed something Jiang Yaoguang could do. Jiang Yufan rubbed her forehead and sighed again.
“They are the ones who should have cut ties completely, but they are the ones who break their promises every time. They will be punished.” Dao Yun spoke up for Jiang Yu Fan.
"But thankfully, they didn't do anything to us. Gu Sidu's status is higher than his right now, so he wouldn't dare do anything to Gu Sidu, and naturally he wouldn't dare do anything to me either." Jiang Yufan believed that these rumors would eventually dissipate, and that she and Gu Sidu would get better and better.
She wanted to see Gu Sidu, who had accompanied her all the way, achieve his wishes and be full of vigor. Those drunken nights, those sleepless nights filled with melancholy, would always find a place to dissolve and find peace.
Soon, the imperial edict arrived, first promoting Gu Sidu to the position of advisor in the Ministry of Rites, so that he could take charge of the imperial examinations in the spring of the following year. As for the wedding, it would be held on an auspicious day after the year-end examinations were over.
At this moment, Jiang Yufan was able to live in the Gu residence legitimately.
When a new official takes office, it's inevitable to drink a lot of alcohol. Jiang Yufan doesn't like to join in the fun. The music outside seems lively, but no one is really listening or caring. It's better not to go to such a lively place.
Holding a hot water bottle but not wearing prayer beads, Jiang Yufan waited at the door for Gu Sidu to return late. Several eyes were now on Gu Sidu, and given their well-known relationship, waiting at the door was perfectly justified. Jiang Yufan's presence at the door also stemmed from her concern for Gu Sidu.
She was worried that Gu Sidu was drunk.
A banquet is bound to involve much drinking and toasting. Given Gu Sidu's drinking capacity, he might not be able to get up tomorrow, which could cause problems. Jiang Yufan had witnessed this before and naturally shared this concern. However, the snowstorm was so severe that she didn't know when Gu Sidu would be able to return.
“Buddha, if you are worried, I will wait here. You can go back and rest.”
"You know I won't be able to rest properly when I get back if I'm worried. It's cold here, but it's alright. Let's wait a bit longer. Lord Gu is doing very well now, and we share in his glory. By the way, is the hangover soup ready?"
"It's all done, we're just waiting for Lord Gu to return." Dao Yun sighed. This Gu Sidu is truly a worrying man.
As they were talking, a man was helped down from the carriage. Dao Yun looked closely and saw that it was indeed Gu Sidu, who was drunk. The person who was taking him home saw that there was someone at the entrance of the Gu residence, so he handed the man over with peace of mind and said to Jiang Yufan, "Madam Gu, the master has drunk quite a bit, so we're troubling you."
Jiang Yufan naturally nodded with a smile. She turned her head to look at Gu Sidu, who still had a red flower pinned in his hair, looking quite dashing. However, he was already drunk and had lost his gentlemanly demeanor.
Dao Yun raised his sword to catch Gu Sidu, who was about to fall, hooking the sword around him to prevent him from falling. Dao Yun then dragged Gu Sidu into the house. The others stared wide-eyed as they saw Gu Sidu being pulled inside by the collar, but they didn't dare linger and quickly took their leave.
But the departing figure was in such a hurry that it seemed as if he had seen a ghost.
"What's going on?" Jiang Yufan muttered. "There aren't any dogs chasing or biting people here."
Despite her doubts, Jiang Yufan turned and went inside; Gu Sidu was the priority. She had someone bring over some hangover soup and then went inside to see how drunk Gu Sidu was. She had barely entered when she saw Gu Sidu dart towards her, seemingly about to leave, but appearing completely disoriented.
"Buddha, be careful!"
Jiang Yufan quickly moved aside to make room for Gu Sidu, preventing Gu Sidu from touching him. Dao Yun grabbed Gu Sidu and told him to sit still; if he moved again, he would draw his sword.
The familiar sword was at Gu Sidu's neck. Gu Sidu recognized the sword immediately. He sat obediently, raised his eyes to look at Jiang Yufan, and whispered, "Bodhisattva."
His eyes were bloodshot and his face was flushed; it was clear he had been forced to drink a lot of alcohol. It was truly remarkable that he could still recognize Jiang Yufan even in that state. Jiang Yufan watched as Gu Sidu finished the hangover soup and finally regained some of his senses before speaking to him.
"Is this our famous, newly appointed Vice Minister of Rites, Gu Sidu?" Jiang Yufan waved her hand in front of Gu Sidu. "Now that you're riding high, do you still recognize me?"
"Of course I remember, you are my future wife." Gu Sidu realized he had been impolite and had become much more sober. He smiled at Jiang Yufan.
Now that she could speak, Jiang Yufan nodded to Daoyun, telling her to go back and go to sleep early. She had something to give Gu Sidu today, and after giving it to him, she wanted Gu Sidu to fall asleep quickly.
Daoyun kept looking back, still worried, before finally going back inside.
At this moment, Jiang Yufan said to Gu Sidu, "Hold out your hand, I have something for you."
Upon hearing this, Gu Sidu obediently stretched out both hands and presented them to Jiang Yufan.
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