Chapter 4 Marriage Exchange
Mother Gu gnashed her teeth beside her, "Miss Chu, don't be ungrateful. How can you manipulate my Gu family at will?"
Chu Ruohan glanced at her with disdain, "Madam Gu, who is the one who is so ungrateful? Don't forget, it was your son who did such a ridiculous thing today, not me, Chu Ruohan."
Gu Cheng'an watched the situation grow increasingly tense and hurriedly said, "Dad, Mom, this is my fault. Please don't make things difficult for Miss Chu. Let's break off the engagement with the Chu family as soon as possible and tell everyone that I'm not worthy of Miss Chu. I'll take all the responsibility."
Marquis Anyang glared at Gu Chengan, "Shut up!"
"Miss Chu, there is no possibility of canceling the engagement. My Anyang Marquis's Mansion cannot afford to lose this person." Anyang Marquis's expression was dignified and his tone was unquestionable.
Chu Ruohan had anticipated this marriage and it wouldn't be easy to call it off. After all, for a family like the Anyang Marquisate, the most important thing was their family's reputation.
But she had no intention of leaving Anyang Marquis Mansion. How could she let go of the blood feud in her previous life so easily?
"My Lord, since you feel that breaking off the engagement would bring shame to the Marquisate, I do have a solution that might be able to resolve this dilemma."
Marquis Anyang frowned slightly. "What method? Tell me now."
"The Second Young Master has someone he loves, and I don't want to be the one to break them up. So, let's exchange the marriage. This will not only help the Second Young Master but also save the reputation of the Marquisate."
Everyone's eyes were on Gu Chengyan. Since Miss Chu didn't want to marry the second young master, she could only marry the third young master instead.
Gu Chengyan was afraid that his second brother’s fake death would implicate him, so he stood in the corner to reduce his presence.
But I didn't expect that the eldest daughter of the Chu family would marry him?
Gu Chengyan was startled and subconsciously looked at his second brother Gu Chengan with a hint of panic and help in his eyes.
Gu Cheng'an was also a little surprised, but at this moment his heart was filled with joy of being with Du Ruoling. As long as Chu Ruohan didn't marry him, she could marry anyone else.
"You're already married to my second brother, how can you marry me instead?"
Chu Ruohan's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of mockery flashed in her eyes, "Who said I want to marry you instead? There are three young masters in the Anyang Marquis's Mansion. If I remember correctly, the eldest son of the mansion is still unmarried."
Everyone present was stunned.
Everyone knows that the eldest son has difficulty walking, a weakness he was born with. Even the imperial physicians in the palace have predicted that he will not live for many more years.
The eldest daughter of the Chu family gave up the handsome third young master and instead wanted to marry a sickly man?
Marquis Anyang's gaze fell on the wheelchair at the door. Gu Junze still had that indifferent look, neither sad nor happy, as if he hadn't heard Chu Ruohan's words.
"I just came to see my second brother." His voice was low and cold, with a sense of alienation that kept people at a distance.
"I'm glad you're okay." After saying that, he let Yingqing push him away.
Chu Ruohan quickly chased after him and stopped in front of Gu Junze's wheelchair in a few steps. "Master, can we talk?"
Gu Junze's deep eyes were like an ancient well, so calm that it was hard to fathom.
"Miss Chu, why don't you just speak frankly?"
Chu Ruohan frowned slightly. "This isn't the place to talk. There are so many people talking, and it's hard to guarantee that there aren't ears. Young Master, if you trust me, could you please find a secluded place?"
Gu Junze didn't say anything, but just stared at her quietly, his eyes as deep as the abyss.
It actually made Chu Ruohan feel like she had nowhere to hide, as if all the secret plans in her heart had been seen through by him at that moment.
After a moment, Gu Junze nodded slightly and winked at Ying Qing beside him. Ying Qing understood and pushed the wheelchair forward.
Seeing this, Chu Ruohan hurried to catch up.
Ying Qing pushed Gu Junze into a room, closed the door considerately, and stood guard outside.
Gu Junze sat in a wheelchair, his expression still calm, "Miss Chu, it's quiet enough here. If you have anything to say, please speak."
Chu Ruohan bit her lip and looked at him firmly, "My Lord, I know that the marriage exchange may seem ridiculous to you, but I am serious."
A hint of self-deprecating smile appeared on Gu Junze's lips. "With this broken body of mine, I can't give you anything you want."
Chu Ruohan shook her head slightly. "Young Master, there's no need to belittle yourself like that. The Second Young Master has someone else in his heart. If I force myself to marry him, we'll just be a couple of resentful lovers."
"Now that the Marquis is determined not to cancel the engagement, I believe you, Young Master, are the best choice in this difficult situation."
"Why not Third Brother?"
There was an imperceptible inquiry in Gu Junze's eyes, as if he wanted to find the answer from her expression.
Chu Ruohan lowered her eyes slightly, then raised them to look directly at him after a moment, "The eldest young master's leg disease is not a congenital weakness, but was caused by someone secretly poisoning him."
Gu Junze's hands clenched unconsciously, his knuckles turned white, and his originally calm eyes were filled with turbulent waves.
"Although the eldest son was very careful about his diet, he didn't expect that the seemingly ordinary ink, when mixed with the incense burned daily in the house, would produce a weak toxin in the body."
"This toxin, like a maggot in the tarsal bone, erodes the body day by day, gradually draining one's energy and weakening the body. Even the experienced imperial physicians in the palace simply believed it was a worsening of an old illness and could not find any other suspicious reason."
In her previous life, Chu Ruohan overheard it from Gu Chengyan by chance.
"How did Miss Chu know about such a secret method?" Gu Junze stared at her with a sharp gaze, not missing any slight change in her expression.
Chu Ruohan looked calm as she met his gaze. "If you don't believe me, I can send someone to investigate secretly. I just want to use this secret to buy a place to stay."
Chu Ruohan was nervous. If he was unwilling, she would have no choice but to marry Gu Chengan.
In short, she would never commit herself to Gu Chengyan.
"I agree to this marriage exchange." After saying that, Gu Junze exchanged Ying Qing for him and pushed him out.
A huge stone fell from Chu Ruohan's heart, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, "Thank you."
Since Gu Junze had already agreed, there was no need for Marquis Anyang to object. Instead, he ordered people to carry the dowry of the eldest daughter of the Chu family to Hongmeng Courtyard.
It was announced to the public that the eldest daughter of the Chu family was already engaged to Gu Junze.
On the day of the wedding, Gu Cheng'an accidentally fell and fainted. It was all because of those confused servants who reported the matter without understanding the situation clearly, which made the wedding a mess.
And that doctor is really a quack. He couldn't even figure out the cause and just added to the confusion.
The red candles shone brightly, and the bridal chamber was filled with a festive atmosphere. Although the wedding was prepared rather hastily, the necessary preparations were complete, including the dragon and phoenix candles, the wedding wine, and so on.
Chu Ruohan was inevitably nervous during her first wedding night in both lives. She picked up the wedding wine and handed it to him, "Husband, husband..."
"I'm not in good health and can't drink much. You should rest." After saying that, he winked at Ying Qing.
Ying Qing hurried forward and pushed the wheelchair. The sound of the wheelchair rolling was particularly clear in the silent room.
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