Jiang Shumiao: "..."
She firmly refused, saying, "No."
Fuqu: "..."
The lotus demon asked weakly, "Why?"
Jiang Shumiao puffed out her cheeks. "I already have an apprentice."
Fuqu asked cautiously, "Do you immortals have a limit to the number of disciples you can accept?"
No, not at all.
But Jiang Shumiao felt guilty.
She couldn't very well tell Fuqu that her disciple had almost wiped out the gods back then, could she? That little demon would probably be so scared that she'd head straight for the King of Hell.
In short, don't even think about it. I won't be taking on any more apprentices.
"All right."
Feeling wronged.
Jiang Shumiao, with her short legs crossed, was still very angry.
The male protagonist is a scoundrel who defies the laws of nature.
They all deserve to be beaten.
Late at night, at the Duke of E's mansion.
Gu Zhiqing knelt on the ground, while the Duke of E, who was over sixty years old, sat at the head of the table, with his son and daughter-in-law on his left and Gu Jinchuan on his right.
"I know everything that happened at today's polo match."
The Duke of E spoke in a deep voice, “The Imperial Preceptor was once down on his luck and a slave in my Gu family. This is not a big deal. A hero’s origins are irrelevant. Now that he is highly regarded by His Majesty, he probably doesn’t want to recall the past. Zhiqing, you should know your place.”
Gu Zhiqing lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
"yes."
Gu Jinchuan frowned. "Grandfather, let her get up and answer. The ground is cold, and young ladies are frail. Don't hurt her knees."
The Duke of E nodded. "Get up."
Gu Zhiqing stood up, still not daring to raise her head.
Madam Chen said slowly, "Father, Zhiqing is not young anymore. Why don't we arrange a marriage for her first? What do you think?"
Gu Zhiqing couldn't help but say, "Mother..."
Chen's face hardened. "Shut up."
Gu Zhiqing lowered her head again, not daring to refute.
Gu Jinchuan could see her reluctance, so he simply revealed her true feelings, "You were young before and were almost misled into making a big mistake, but time has passed and it's all in the past. Today, I'll tell you the truth clearly: Wen Zhixuan already has someone he loves, and His Majesty knows this. The child in his mansion, although he is said to be adopted, is actually his biological son."
Gu Zhiqing suddenly looked up, her face ashen.
Gu Jinchuan continued, "I have no reason to lie to you. His Majesty also promised to bestow a marriage upon him. Princess Yongle told me this herself."
Chen glanced at him.
That statement has a deeper meaning.
The Emperor and Empress hoped for a marriage alliance between the Gu and Jiang families. Gu Jinchuan and Jiang Shu used to be at odds, but after playing a polo match, they became quite close and could talk about anything.
Clearly, the two get along very well.
Gu Zhiqing's lips trembled slightly, and she couldn't utter a single word.
Gu Jinchuan sighed softly, “Anyone with eyes could see through your behavior today. If Wen Zhixuan truly had feelings for you back then, how could he have transferred his affections to someone else so quickly and even had a child out of wedlock? I told you back then that he was just taking advantage of your naivety and ignorance to deceive you.”
Gu Zhiqing bit her lip, tears glistening in her eyes.
Gu Jinchuan felt a pang of pity, but he still had to explain to her, "He's just a servant, not doing his job properly, and he just appeared in front of you out of nowhere. Is the discipline of my Gu family so lax?"
Chen's expression changed slightly.
She was in charge of the inner quarters, yet such a mistake occurred.
Gu Zhiqing wanted to argue, but found herself speechless.
Leaving aside aristocratic families, even merchant families clearly distinguished between the inner and outer quarters, with the women of the inner quarters rarely seeing men from outside.
Despite the reluctance to believe it, there is, in fact, only one explanation.
Wen Zhixuan appeared in front of her on purpose.
"You are from a prominent family, with the support of your clan. Even if you make a mistake, your parents and brothers will cover for you, provided that it doesn't get out."
Gu Jinchuan, maintaining the dignity of an elder brother, said, "Today you publicly defended Wen Zhixuan, even going so far as to argue with the young master of the Yao family. Those who don't know the situation might just think you were saying a few fair words and wouldn't take it to heart, because you are a daughter of the Gu family. But if it were someone else, they would have already fabricated some scandalous rumors. How would you handle that then?"
Gu Zhiqing's face turned even paler.
If she had only said a couple of words, it wouldn't have mattered much. The current dynasty's separation of men and women wasn't so strict as to be abnormal. The key was her shy and timid demeanor, which was too obvious.
Fortunately, not many people saw it.
Yao Cong wasn't a gossip, and he wouldn't maliciously ruin Gu Zhiqing's reputation.
The Jiang family and the Gu family are to form a marriage alliance, sharing common interests, so naturally they wouldn't stab each other in the back.
“There is no reason for a daughter of the Gu family to become a concubine.”
That's a very strong statement.
None of the elders said a word.
Two years ago, Gu Zhiqing was only fourteen years old, a young girl in the bloom of youth, and she was easily misled by Wen Zhixuan's good looks, so it was inevitable that she would be a little confused.
Gu Jinchuan threw Wen Zhixuan out, but he couldn't completely extinguish her longing.
Now, seeing Wen Zhixuan rise to prominence and become a favorite of the emperor, they are once again eager to make their move.
If we don't explain the reasons to her, she'll make the same mistake again.
“What my aunt said earlier makes sense, but marriage is a lifelong matter. Besides social status, mutual affection is also very important.”
Gu Jinchuan looked at his grandfather at the head of the table and said this.
The Duke of E nodded.
"Zhiqing, please stay home and calm down during this period."
Gu Zhiqing knew that this 'trial' was over and breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes."
Gu Jinchuan personally escorted her back to her room.
Gu Congshao and Chen stayed behind.
Duke E took a sip of tea and said calmly, "When your elder brother passed away, the Empress took Jinchuan to the palace, and I petitioned to make him the heir apparent. You were not happy about that, were you?"
Gu Congshao's eyelids twitched. "Father..."
There's no need to argue.
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