Minglan straightened her sable-green coat with gold and silver twined flowers and sat in a semi-pavilion hall with doors and windows open on all sides. In the middle of the room stood a copper stove with a Chinese character for "Fu" engraved on it, the charcoal fire burning brightly. On one side of the room stood a small, long-mouthed copper kettle with a bat pattern engraved on it, boiling water.
Minglan nibbled on a plump melon seed and had to admit that Ms. Hualan had good intentions.
This is a hall with open sides, built in a small pond. In summer, the four doors and windows are removed to turn it into a pavilion. It is surrounded by water on three sides, and one side is a wide open passage. There is no hiding place within a hundred steps, so no one can eavesdrop. You can see clearly what the people in the hall are doing wherever you look.
And from what it seems now, this place has been cleared out long ago. Minglan didn't see any other figures except the maid who led her in, and the maid who led the way also disappeared in a flash.
Minglan waited for the upcoming situation with a "wind whistling and Yishui River cold" mentality; when Minglan cracked the fourteenth melon seed, a tall figure came from the distance. Minglan's eyelids twitched a few times, and she continued to crack melon seeds.
Great, she also had something to ask him.
After a while, the man, braving the wind and frost, entered the hall against the sunlight. He strode with his head held high. When he was seven or eight steps away from Minglan, he clasped his hands together and smiled, "Long time no see."
Minglan narrowed her eyes slightly. Today, Gu Tingye wore a brocade cotton robe the color of rain-soaked sky blue. The collar and cuffs were all wrapped with white fox armpit fur. The robe was covered with brocade patterns and a thick brocade belt inlaid with dark silver and jade was tied around his waist. He wore a black fur cloak on the outside. This kind of thick fur cloak only looks good on a tall and strong man. A civil servant like Sheng Hong could not support this momentum and was instead suppressed by the clothes.
Minglan stood up and bowed respectfully, saying, "Second cousin, long time no see."
Then, Minglan was pleased to see the corner of Gu Tingye's mouth twitch; Gu Tingye stopped talking, stretched out his hand to tear open his cloak and casually put it aside, turned around and walked to a chair opposite Minglan and sat down. The two were about five or six steps apart, sitting opposite each other.
Gu Tingye looked at Minglan, then at the empty teacup on the small table in front of him. Seeing that Minglan didn't seem to want to pour him tea, he took the teapot and poured a cup of boiling water. Then he said in a deep voice: "You and I are about to get married. Don't shout nonsense in the future."
Minglan clenched her fists and tried to suppress her anger. Although the man in front of her was smiling, he spoke slowly and in a low voice. There was a hint of blood in his eyes under his long eyelids, and the murderous aura that came from fighting in a sea of blood and corpses was hard to conceal.
Minglan endured for a long time before she slowly said, "I don't understand what my second cousin said at all. I've been raised by the old lady since I was a child, and she never mentioned anything about marriage."
Gu Tingye frowned and said, "Marriage is a matter of parents' decision."
Minglan said, "Then Minglan will wait for the order from my parents."
The hall was silent for a moment. Gu Tingye glared at Minglan. Minglan turned her head to look at the scenery outside. Gu Tingye raised one eyebrow. Under the sidelight, the fabric of his clothes reflected the tip of his eyebrow, which also looked light blue. He said quietly, "You are angry."
Minglan laughed out loud: "Not bad, not bad."
Gu Tingye took a deep breath and said, "When we were on the Huaiyin River, I told you that I don't want to listen to perfunctory lies."
Minglan immediately closed her mouth like a clam.
Seeing Minglan's tense face, Gu Tingye felt a headache and could only relax a little: "I know you are angry, but you have to talk about everything openly. It's not a solution to be angry. Being honest is the right thing to do."
Gu Tingye was earnestly coaxing, his tone like an adult coaxing a child, resorting to coaxing when authority couldn't solve the problem. Minglan almost laughed out loud three times, then turned and smiled, "Telling the truth to someone who tells the truth is called being honest; telling the truth to someone who doesn't tell the truth is called brain damage. Commander Gu, do you think Minglan looks a little silly?"
Gu Tingye smiled slightly when he heard Minglan change her address. Hearing her teasing tone, he felt a pang of unease inside, so he said, "Of course you're not stupid." He glanced at Minglan's fingers on the table. The polished black lacquer wood was covered with plump, tender little fingers, and the fleshy nails were transparent pink. He couldn't help but cough lightly and said seriously, "You're accusing me of being untrue. How can you be so justified?"
Minglan glared: "Let's start with Governor Gu's proposal."
Gu Tingye's expression became serious as he stared at Minglan. His eyes were so dark and deep that they made Minglan's heart tremble. However, she had seen serial killers in criminal courts after all, so she could not bear such a terrifying gaze. After staring for a long time, Gu Tingye slowly said, "Did you guess it?"
His voice was calm, but it couldn't hide the tone of command.
Minglan nodded and said, "You are not the kind of person who would be fine without fish or shrimp."
At first, Minglan thought that Gu Tingye was going for Ruolan, the legitimate daughter, but who knew that the target would turn around and become her; Minglan did not believe a word Sheng Hong said. Although they had not met many times, she always encountered marriage disputes with Gu Tingye. She intuitively knew that Gu Tingye would not just promise a daughter to the Sheng family, he must know which one he would marry.
Gu Tingye pondered for a moment, looking at Minglan with a complicated look in his eyes. After a while, he slowly said, "It started with you throwing mud."
"Ah?" Minglan was confused. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't you want to know when I started to target you?" Gu Tingye repeated with a hint of smile in his eyes: "I'll tell you, it started when you threw mud at your sister."
Minglan's face flushed crimson, she slammed the table and stood up, veins popping out on her forehead as she practically yelled, "Who asked you that?!"
"Oh, don't you want to know this?" Gu Tingye leaned sideways on the chair, covered his mouth with the back of his hand, and laughed softly. Only at this time did he shed some of the fierceness of a killer and revealed some of the nobility of a young man from a noble family.
Minglan tried hard to regulate her breathing and let the blush on her face fade slowly. The most taboo in a battle between two armies is to get angry. Stay calm, stay calm... After finally calming down, Minglan stared at Gu Tingye and said quietly, "Did you want to marry me from the beginning?"
Gu Tingye nodded slowly and firmly.
Minglan couldn't help but shout, "Why don't you just go and propose marriage? Why make so much trouble?" Little Xi Que and Rulan almost lost their lives.
Gu Tingye asked back: "Are you willing?"
Minglan paused for a moment, then quickly added, "It's not my turn to speak on matters of marriage. My parents' consent is enough."
Gu Tingye asked again: "Is your old lady willing?"
Minglan was choked again, her face was a little embarrassed, and she was speechless for a while.
Gu Tingye leisurely picked up the teacup and took a sip. His three slender fingers held the tea tray steadily and placed it on the table before he said, "It's not easy to get married, but it's not too difficult to turn one down. Qi and Da are not a good match, there's a generational difference... any excuse will do, not to mention I have a bad record. Your old lady is stubborn and refuses to agree, so your father can't do anything about it."
Minglan couldn't help but put on a hint of ridicule and said with a faint smile, "You know yourself quite well."
Unexpectedly, Gu Tingye was quite thick-skinned and did not hear Minglan's ridicule at all. He said seriously, "It is important for people to know themselves. I still have this advantage."
Unable to satirize him, Minglan felt depressed and hummed, "It took a lot of effort."
"It's okay, it's okay." Gu Tingye imitated Minglan's tone and laughed.
Minglan thought of He Hongwen and felt that it would be better to explain it today, otherwise there would be endless trouble. After hesitating for a while, she finally gritted her teeth and said, "Then you...then do you know...do you know about the He family? My grandmother has already..."
"I know." Gu Tingye quickly interrupted Minglan, his face indifferent but his tone somewhat displeased.
"You know...?!" Minglan was incredulous, staring blankly, "Then why...still...still come to propose marriage?!"
Gu Tingye said confidently, "So what? Who your daughter is promised to is your family's business, and whether or not to propose marriage is my family's business. As for the He family..." His cold face showed a hint of disdain, and he said firmly, "You two are not destined to be together."
Minglan laughed out of anger, finally straightening her body and sneering three times: "Ha, ha, ha! The Red Thread Shop of Yue Lao is owned by your family, and you say there is no fate?!"
Gu Tingye laughed out loud. When his laughter died down, he looked deeply into Minglan's eyes and said slowly, "Fate is half given by God and half is your own blessing. You are a smart person and you know very well that I am right. You two are indeed not destined to be together."
Minglan stopped smiling and felt a sinking feeling in her heart.
Minglan and He Hongwen had known each other for a long time, and the old lady had long considered marrying them. After returning to the capital from Youyang for the first time, Old Lady Sheng examined He Hongwen's character and talent, while also observing several other young men. After careful comparison, she felt that He Hongwen was the best, and the He family agreed. Seeing that both parties were satisfied, Old Lady Sheng planned to arrange the marriage for Minglan. However, in late autumn of that year, the "Shenchen Incident" broke out, leading to chaos in the capital, countless deaths, and the wedding was delayed.
Then, the eldest lady was critically ill, and Mrs. Sheng went to Youyang to visit her, and the marriage was delayed again; then, Minglan also went to Youyang. She had planned to return to Beijing after the eldest lady's funeral, but the "Jingtan Rebellion" broke out. The war stretched for thousands of miles and several governor's offices, and she could not return to Beijing until May of the second year of Chongde.
However, as soon as he returned to Beijing, he encountered the trouble with Cao's cousin. The old lady was furious and the marriage was delayed again. Then, there were twists and turns, and it has been delayed for half a year until now. Then, Gu Tingye took over Cheng Yaojin's axe and fought his way in.
If she had to say regrets, Minglan felt that it was often God's will. If she had to say no regrets, it would be that if He Hongwen had been more decisive and decided on the etiquette earlier, Gu Tingye would not have been able to jump around. In the constant quarrels and calculations between her and He Hongwen, perhaps the fate between them had been exhausted.
Thinking of this, Minglan felt a little sad. Wait a minute, her heart suddenly moved. She looked up suddenly, looking at the man in front of her, and asked suspiciously: "How do you know so much? You... could it be that... you also made some moves with the He family? What about the Cao family... ah!"
There was one thing Minglan had thought about long ago, but hadn't considered deeply. Liangzhou was located in the northwest. Even if a pardon was delivered by express horse, it would take four or five months to reach Liangzhou. For a family like the Cao family, with their families and little money, it would take at least twice as long to return to the capital. However, the Cao family returned to the capital in less than a year, unless...
Gu Tingye did not deny it and said calmly, "That's right. The Cao Gang's water transport went down the river, and I asked the Shi brothers to send them back to the capital by boat."
This time, Minglan didn't even have the energy to get angry. She just stared at him with her mouth open. Gu Tingye frowned and asked, "Do you hope that after you get engaged to the He family, or even after you get married, the Cao family will come and cause trouble again?!" He actually said shamelessly, "The sooner the abscess is popped, the better. You should thank me for this."
Minglan sat down dejectedly, her mind in a mess. She looked out the window, then at Gu Tingye, and said woodenly, "Thank you."
Gu Tingye replied with a smile: "You're welcome."
The girl's skin was naturally very fair, and she didn't like makeup, so she only applied a thin layer of perfume. The winter sun shining into the hall made her skin look even more fragile, as if it would break at the touch of white rice paper. Her raven-feather-like black hair was softly scattered on her temples, as beautiful and bright as a bunch of flower buds that had just grown.
And those eyes, those eyes, Gu Tingye looked at her quietly, as if he had fallen in love with these eyes a long time ago, dark and quiet like a clear spring, but with a cluster of strange flames, as if angry, as if disappointed, the alternation of light and dark, the unpredictable changes made him thrilling, his heart was shocked, let alone other things.
Minglan's mind raced through the air, and after a long moment of reflection, she realized that the past was over, and what lay ahead was now important. She straightened her attitude, turned to Gu Tingye, and smiled faintly, "Thank you, Commander-in-Chief, for your kindness; but... it's best to have said it earlier. I'm afraid I wouldn't make a good wife. I'm neither virtuous nor docile, and I have countless bad habits. I hope the Commander-in-Chief will consider this carefully."
Gu Tingye raised his lips and smiled: "Things have come to this point. Gu Sheng's marriage is already known to everyone. Your sister still has a man named Wen to marry. What about you? Don't say you would rather settle for the He family!"
Minglan was seething with anger, unable to endure the grievances any longer. She stood up and sneered, "If I were to marry you, I'd be like falling into a jar of honey. There's nothing wrong with it!"
Gu Tingye also stood up suddenly, and his tall and slender figure took a few steps forward. The shadow he cast enveloped Minglan. Minglan tried her best not to take a step back. Gu Tingye smiled proudly and said loudly: "I dare not say that marrying me is a thousand good things, but I dare say to heaven that after marrying me, you will never be wronged or depressed again!"
Minglan became even angrier, sneering repeatedly: "General Gu, don't overthink it. Minglan has been raised in luxury, so how could she have ever felt wronged or depressed? It's not someone else's turn to act like a hero and save me from this!"
Gu Tingye wasn't angry either. He just stared at Minglan quietly with his deep eyes, saying word by word, "No, you're lying. You've always been depressed, and you've been feeling wronged until today. You look down on those stinky rules of legitimate and illegitimate children, but you have to follow them. You're obviously excellent in everything, but you have to humble yourself everywhere, not daring to stand out at all! That's why you chose the He family, which is neither good nor bad!"
Minglan was furious. She was completely unaware that her eyes were red. She only sneered loudly: "Show up?! Everyone in this world has to accept their fate. Don't accept it?! Humph! The fourth prince of the late emperor didn't accept his fate, but what happened? A cup of poisoned wine! The sixth prince didn't accept his fate, so he was demoted to an ordinary royal family! The Princes of Jing and Tan didn't accept their fate, and now their heads and bodies are separated! ... You grown men are like this, let alone a little woman like me! What can I do! If I don't want to understand, how can I live!"
She doesn't like embroidery, and her fingers are covered with small scars. She doesn't like Wang's Aunt Lin and Molan. She doesn't like to smile when she is unhappy. She doesn't like to act cute and well-behaved in front of people she hates. She doesn't like to let others pick out new clothes or good things first. She doesn't like to play dumb when she is wronged... There are so many things she doesn't like, but she has to pretend to like them all!
There is no way, she must survive!
Gu Tingye took a step forward, not giving in at all, pressing harder and harder: "That's right, you understand too well! You are smart, you are insightful, you see everything clearly, so you dare not overstep the line. But in your heart, you can't calm down; you are angry, you are unwilling to give in, but you are helpless. You feel wronged and depressed, but you can only play dumb, perfunctory everywhere, and be cautious at all times, forcing yourself to be an impeccable sixth daughter of the Sheng family!"
Minglan was trembling all over, not knowing whether it was out of anger or fear. Cold sweat covered her back and her fingers dug deep into her palms. It was like an old scar that had already healed and was being opened again. It turned out that the bloody wound had never healed. She wanted to scream and cry, but everything was blocked in her throat. She stood there, in a dilemma, and her eyes became wet and hot.
Ten years in the ancient boudoir, half a lifetime in a dream of the past life, she has been acting for too long and too immersed in the role, she has forgotten how to really cry, how to curse freely, and she has forgotten that she is not Sheng Minglan, she turned out to be Yao Yiyi.
Seeing Minglan's tear-stained face, Gu Tingye felt an inexplicable pang of sadness in his heart. He took another step forward, bowed, clasped his hands together, raised his head, and spoke in a clear voice with a hint of hoarseness, but every word was clear: "I have admired you for a long time. I am willing to marry you, entrust you with the household chores, have children, and spend the rest of my life with you!"
Through her tearful eyes, Minglan only saw Gu Tingye's serious and sincere face, and she was at a loss for a moment.
Gu Tingye's eyes, full of expectation, were burning and bright as he looked directly at Minglan: "I dare not say that I will let you live a fairy-like life, but as long as I am here, I will never let you suffer any injustice! I am the boss among men, and you can be the boss among women!"
Every word is sonorous and powerful.
Minglan was stunned, and before she knew it, her face was cold. She reached out and touched it, and it was covered with tears.
Because she is awake, she is in pain; because she understands, she is miserable. There is always despair at the end of hope. She dares not hope, dares not expect. Everyone is awake but she is drunk alone. She is just wearing shackles, stepping on the edge of a knife, and wading through it with a silly smile.
This damn ancient times!
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