Chapter 718 Another deliberate lie.
It's late at night and everything is quiet.
Gu Qingchen, however, was not sleepy at all. She sat by the window, the moonlight shining on the rattle in her hand. The little tiger painted in cinnabar looked particularly dazzling in the hazy light and shadow.
She finally stood up and called her closest maid, Huanran.
"Take this," Gu Qingchen handed over the rattle, "quietly go out through the back door and go to the alley at the entrance of East Street to find a man named Carpenter Wang."
"Just ask him if he made this."
Huanran looked at the young lady's solemn expression and didn't dare to ask more questions. He took the rattle and put it in his arms, nodded heavily, and retreated quietly.
On the second day, Gu Qingchen was restless the whole day and couldn't even muster interest in his favorite long whip.
It was not until the afternoon that Huanran hurried back.
"Miss," Huanran closed the door as soon as she entered and quickly walked to Gu Qingchen, "I have asked clearly."
"Carpenter Wang recognized it immediately and said that this rattle was made by him."
"He said that just half a month ago, a wealthy young man specifically told him to make it look older, preferably like an old item."
Half a month ago.
Make it older.
These words were like a basin of ice water, pouring over Gu Qingchen's head, chilling her to the bone.
She slowly took the rattle that Huanran handed back to her, her knuckles turning white from squeezing it so hard.
Ten years of searching.
It turned out to be such a deliberate lie.
She felt like a fool, played around by Lin Jiayou. The affectionate words, "I've been searching for you for ten years," now rang with endless irony.
A rage of being fooled burned her whole body and made her tremble.
At this moment, a servant came from outside the courtyard to report: "Miss, Master Lin is here to see you again."
Lin Jiayou stepped into the courtyard, still looking as gentle as jade, but when Gu Qingchen looked at his face, he felt it was extremely hypocritical.
"Qingchen, you don't look very well today. Are you still angry?" he asked with concern.
Gu Qingchen sneered and slammed the rattle in his hand heavily on the stone table, making a dull "bang" sound.
She raised her eyes, her gaze piercing him like a knife: "Ten years, Lin Jiayou? Are you sure it's not half a month?"
The smile on Lin Jiayou's face froze for a moment, and then, without any panic, he showed a look of hurt and affection, which turned into a bitter smile.
"I knew I couldn't hide it from you."
He sighed, walked forward slowly, and his voice was filled with a touching hoarseness: "I have been looking for the rattle from that year for a long time, but I can't find it anymore."
"I was afraid you would be disappointed, so I searched all over the capital for the best craftsmen and had them make one exactly as I remembered it."
"What I wanted you to have wasn't just an old item, but the joy of regaining what you'd lost. I never expected that my painstaking efforts would lead to a misunderstanding between you and me."
This statement beautifies an outright deception into a deeply loving and painstaking act.
Gu Qingchen was in a state of confusion.
Reason told her that Lin Jiayou was quibbling and using more appealing lies to cover up his previous lies.
But emotionally, she felt that these words seemed to make sense.
She fell into deeper confusion, and her burning anger was extinguished by his words.
Just when she was extremely confused and didn't know which one to believe, Qian Zhenyun came again.
He didn't bring anything today. He just stood at the gate of the yard, looking at the two people confronting each other in the yard, and asked in a muffled voice.
"What do you want for dinner? I'll ask the kitchen to make it for you."
Gu Qingchen was startled and looked up.
Seeing that she didn't answer, Qian Zhenyun scratched his head again as if talking to himself: "How about crab roe buns? You loved them when you were a child. I personally watched them make them, and I guarantee that they have plenty of crab roe and a thin crust."
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and gestured to measure the size of the buns.
Lin Jiayou's romantic lies about everlasting love are illusory.
What Qian Zhenyun was talking about was the most simple daily eating and drinking, which is within reach.
Gu Qingchen looked at Qian Zhenyun's serious and somewhat silly look, and the wavering balance in his heart shifted violently at this moment.
Seeing that the situation could not be saved, the tenderness in Lin Jiayou's eyes faded, and he could only bow and turn to say goodbye.
As soon as he walked out of the yard, he "happened" to meet Gu Lanxin carrying a lunch box on the side road leading to the guest house.
"Jiayou," Gu Lanxin's eyes lit up when she saw him, and she spoke softly, "I made some pear soup for you to soothe your throat. You seem to be so worried lately, so drink some to soothe your throat."
This scene was seen clearly by Gu Qingchen inside the window.
Lin Jiayou had just finished expressing his "earnest efforts" to himself when he accepted the care of another woman.
The unspoken tacit understanding and natural closeness between them deeply penetrated Gu Qingchen's heart.
She calmed down completely.
She realized that no matter how sweet Lin Jiayou's lies were, the unclear relationship between him and Sister Lan Xin was an irrefutable fact.
She couldn't judge based on her feelings anymore...
In the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion, Chu Ruohan sat upright in the main seat in the flower hall, her fingertips gently stroking the warm teacup.
At this moment, Haitang was standing in the hall with her head bowed, reporting back all the information she had obtained.
"Ma'am, everything has been checked out."
"The young man from Wang Shidu's family has a single name, Wang Xiuwen. He is twenty-one years old and still unmarried."
"Rumor has it that this young prince has a virtuous character and is very talented. He is a well-known young talent in the capital."
"He lost his mother three years ago and spent three years in mourning. He only finished his mourning period a few days ago, so he delayed his marriage."
Chu Ruohan raised her eyes slightly, this news surprised her a little.
Haitang continued, "I even had a portrait painted, and I also asked a few scholars who had met Prince Wang in person. They all said he had a truly handsome face and was gentle and refined."
"Apart from discussing academic matters with his classmates in the bookstore, he has no other bad habits. Several officials in the Hanlin Academy say that with his talent, he will definitely pass the imperial examination next year."
After Haitang finished speaking, she took out a scroll from her sleeve and presented it with both hands.
Chu Ruohan didn't go to see it immediately, but asked a most practical question: "Do you have any concubines or maids in your family?"
"Madam, no," Haitang answered confidently. "The Wang family has strict family values, and Attendant Wang is even more strict in managing the household. During the period of mourning for Young Master Wang, there wasn't even a second-class maid serving him in his room. It was a clean bill of health."
Chu Ruohan nodded.
Without a mother-in-law, she avoided the most difficult conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. She observed mourning for three years, which shows her filial piety and character. She has a strict family tradition, a clean character, and is handsome and talented.
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