Chapter 20 Encounter 3
The inn's rooms were small, with candlelight flickering gently in the copper lamps, casting the shadows of the wooden tables and beds onto the walls.
Caifu had just folded Gu Jinchao's change of clothes and placed them on the bedside table when she saw Gu Jinchao walk to the window and stare blankly at the dim streetlights downstairs.
Two hours have passed since I returned from the clinic, and Qingpu is still nowhere to be found.
"My lady, please sit down for a while. Your knees still hurt." Caifu stepped forward to help her, her voice filled with worry. "Qingpu is clever; he'll be alright."
Gu Jinchao nodded and had just sat down on the stool when she heard a soft knock on the door, accompanied by the voice of Chen Yanyun's subordinate: "Miss, your subordinate has brought Miss Qingpu back."
As soon as the door opened, Qingpu was seen being half-supported, half-carried in by two attendants. Her once clean light green dress was now stained with mud, and the cuffs were torn. There were several shallow scratches on her face, and her hair was disheveled and stuck to her cheeks. When she saw Gu Jinzhao, tears instantly streamed down her face: "My lady... I... I was cornered in the alley, they beat me up, and locked me in the woodshed..."
Gu Jinchao quickly got up, enduring the pain in his knees to support her. His fingertips touched her icy hand, and his heart tightened: "It's alright, it's good that you're back."
The subordinate stood at the door and said solemnly, "Miss, I asked the men who kidnapped Qingpu. It was a concubine surnamed Song who ordered it. Stealing your purse and kidnapping you just now were all part of her elaborate scheme. Her goal was to make you disappear from Jiangnan."
"Aunt Song?" Gu Jinchao clenched her fingers tightly, her knuckles turning white, both shocked and furious.
A subordinate handed over a cloth bag containing Gu Jinchao's lost purse. "Please check it and see what's missing."
Gu Jinchao took the money pouch, her fingertips caressing the familiar fabric. Suddenly, she remembered the blue cloth money pouch Chen Yanyun had left behind. She turned around, took the money pouch out of her luggage, walked to her subordinate, and handed it to him, her tone sincere: "Young man, thank you for your help today, sir. Please return this money pouch to your husband. Now that I have found the money pouch, I cannot accept his money again."
The subordinate took a half step back, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said firmly, "Miss, the Third Master specifically instructed before he left that you must accept this silver. He said that difficulties are inevitable when traveling, and if you insist on returning it, you will be going against his wishes."
“But this…” Gu Jinchao wanted to say more, but his subordinate bowed slightly, his attitude respectful but not disobedient: “I dare not disobey Third Master’s orders. It is getting late, I will stand guard outside the door. If you need anything, please call me at any time.”
The door hinges clicked shut, shutting out the cool night air.
The candlelight flickered in the wind seeping through the crack in the door, casting soft shadows on the wall. Gu Jinchao was still clutching the blue cloth money pouch, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the texture of the coarse cloth, when he heard Qingpu's suppressed sobs.
"Miss!" Qingpu suddenly threw herself into her arms, her shoulders still trembling with fear, tears quickly soaking Gu Jinzhao's clothes. "This Aunt Song and Gu Lan clearly want to kill us to silence us! Jiangnan is too dangerous, let's hurry back to the capital!"
After she finished speaking, she raised her tear-streaked face, staring blankly at Gu Jinchao, her tone full of urgency, even her breathing was slightly trembling, waiting for her to nod in agreement.
Gu Jinchao slowly raised his hand and gently patted Qingpu's back, his gaze falling on the candlelight, his expression somewhat dazed.
After a long while, she finally looked away, lowered her eyelashes, and slowly nodded. Her voice was filled with undisguised weariness, yet it also contained an unwavering determination: "Let's rest well today and get our energy back. Tomorrow... I'll go to the Yu family. I have to see it with my own eyes before I can finally give up completely."
“I’ll stay with you!” Caifu and Qingpu spoke almost simultaneously.
Caifu clutched the handkerchief in her hand, took a step forward, her eyes filled with worry.
Qingpu wiped away her tears, straightened up, and although she was still a little scared, she looked at Gu Jinchao with determination, afraid that she would encounter danger alone again.
Gu Jinchao gently shook his head and loosened his grip on the blue cloth money pouch.
She looked up at the deep night outside the window, her voice as soft as the faint glow of a candle, yet carrying an almost desperate calm: "No need. I'll just stand under the old locust tree at the entrance of Yu Family Alley and take a look from afar."
She paused, her gaze returning to the candlelight, a hint of melancholy in her voice, as if speaking to someone beside her, or perhaps to herself: "Now that I've finished reading, that lingering thought in my heart is gone, and I'm at peace... From now on, I can follow my mother's arrangements, get married in peace, and live a quiet and uneventful life."
Qingpu wanted to say something more, but Caifu quietly tugged at his sleeve.
Caifu looked at the unconcealed melancholy in Gu Jinchao's eyes and gently shook her head—she knew that no amount of persuasion could overcome the lingering obsession in Gu Jinchao's heart. Only by letting her see it with her own eyes could she truly let go.
*
As dawn broke and the bluish-gray morning mist had not yet dissipated, a few drops of cold dew clung to the branches of the old locust tree at the alley entrance. A gust of wind would cause them to fall onto the bluestone slabs, leaving damp spots.
Gu Jinchao lifted the hem of her light-colored skirt and walked very quietly along the blue brick road toward the Yu residence.
My knee, which I scraped yesterday, is still wrapped in gauze, and every step I take aches and hurts, but I haven't stopped for a second.
She finally arrived at the gate of the Yu residence and stopped in her tracks.
The vermilion gate's paint was somewhat mottled, and the verdigris on the door knocker gleamed coldly in the morning mist, while the two large gilded characters "Yu Mansion" on the lintel remained bright, making her eyes slightly sting.
She stood there blankly at the bottom of the stone steps, the veil of her light gray cloth hat pulled down so low that it almost covered most of her face, revealing only her tightly pursed lips and pale jawline.
Her left leg bent slightly involuntarily, subtly avoiding putting pressure on her injured knee, while her fingertips continued to unconsciously twist the hem of her skirt.
The shouts of early morning market vendors mingled with the footsteps of porters, making the area in front of the Yu residence seem even more deserted.
She occasionally glanced up, her eyes lingering on the tightly closed door, a flicker of hope still clinging to them.
She longed to see a familiar figure, yet feared that if she actually saw her, her resolve to give up would waver again. But then she thought of Aunt Song's schemes, Gu Lan's machinations, and her own recent miserable state, and that hope was forcibly suppressed, leaving only a thin layer of resolute determination.
She came here not hoping for any response, but simply to see the door with her own eyes, so that any lingering hope in her heart would be completely extinguished.
The wind blew again, lifting a corner of her hat flap. She quickly raised her hand to press it down, burying her face even deeper.
The gate of the Yu residence suddenly creaked, the sound particularly clear in the quiet alley, instantly drawing Gu Jinchao's attention.
She instinctively held her breath and looked carefully into the room, a few steps away.
I had a faint hope in my heart, but also a bit of uncertainty.
It wasn't until that familiar figure appeared that Gu Jinchao's heart skipped a beat: it was Chen Xuanqing. He looked the same as always, but his steps seemed more relaxed than usual as he steadily walked out of the Yu residence.
She almost immediately lifted her foot, wanting to go up and say a few words to him, even if it was just a casual greeting, but she stopped abruptly after taking only half a step.
Yu Wanxue followed Chen Xuanqing from behind, her body slightly close to his. When she spoke, her head was tilted gently in his direction. Although her voice was low, the dependence and intimacy in her eyes could not be hidden at all.
As Chen Xuanqing listened, he naturally turned his head and responded gently. The atmosphere between the two was so intimate that no third person could be present.
Seeing this scene, Gu Jinchao felt as if something was blocking his chest, and even his fingertips felt cold. He froze on the spot, unable to take another step.
"Seventh Young Master, please wait."
Yu Wanxue's voice, tinged with a deliberately feigned softness, fell behind Chen Xuanqing.
She learned from her mother last night that Master Chen had arrived in Jiangnan yesterday, and Chen Xuanqing must be going out today to meet Master Chen.
As for the matter of annulmenting the engagement, she already knew about it—Zhang Mama had prepared a medicinal soup to make it a fait accompli, but she was always timid and hadn't dared to take action yet.
Now that Master Chen has arrived, she has found new hope.
If she could meet this powerful future father-in-law in person, with her persuasive words and reasoning, she might be able to persuade Master Chen to intervene and stop Chen Xuanqing from breaking off the marriage.
Once she made up her mind, a hint of urgency appeared in her eyes, and her steps forward became increasingly firm.
Upon hearing the sound, Chen Xuanqing stopped and turned around. His brows still held the indifference he had shown when he left, and he simply asked, "What is it?"
Yu Wanxue tightened her grip on her sleeve, first lowering her eyes to compose herself before slowly raising them. Her tone carried just the right amount of obedience and grievance: "Seventh Young Master, I heard that Uncle arrived in Jiangnan yesterday. Now that Father is seriously ill, he is unable to visit in person. Wanxue thought... thought of sending greetings on behalf of Father, as a way of fulfilling the duties of a junior."
Before she could finish speaking, she saw Chen Xuanqing's face darken inch by inch.
He went to see his father today to discuss the strange circumstances surrounding Yu's father's "serious illness".
Just a few days ago, I could still talk to him, so why did he fall ill and get bedridden just when he wanted to break off the engagement? If Yu Wanxue goes with him, she can say some soft words and act pitiful in front of her father. Her father always pities the weak, so wouldn't the matter of breaking off the engagement be dragged on again?
His mind works very quickly.
Chen Xuanqing remained expressionless, only replying distantly, "Miss Wanxue, I'm sorry. Today I'm discussing official business with my father, which has nothing to do with family matters, so it's probably inconvenient for me to take you along."
The color drained from Yu Wanxue's face instantly.
She was full of ideas on how to get help from Master Chen, but she didn't expect Chen Xuanqing to refuse so decisively. Her words were abruptly cut off, and she froze on the spot, unable to think of a single word of explanation.
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