Chapter 774 This matter cannot be overcome
The sky was clear during the day, but it changed suddenly in the evening.
The north wind whistled through the streets and alleys of the capital. In just half an hour, the sky was as gloomy as rice paper splashed with ink.
Immediately afterwards, heavy snow flakes began to fall. In just a cup of tea, the dead branches and rocks in the yard were covered with a thin layer of white.
In the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion, in Chu Ruohan's warm room, there was a warm atmosphere.
The best silver charcoal was burning in the animal-head copper furnace. There was no trace of smoke, but it made the whole room warm.
Gu Qingchen, Chu Ruohan, and Song Ruyan, who had been invited to the house at some point, were gathered around a small red clay stove.
The fire was burning brightly, and on it was a pot of fine Pu'er tea, emitting a wafting aroma.
There were a few round chestnuts roasting on the wire mesh next to the stove. The heat caused a sweet aroma to emanate from the cracked openings.
"This damn weather, it gets cold as soon as it says it will." Chu Ruohan poked the fire with a silver stick, looked at the snow falling heavier outside the window, and said softly.
Song Ruyan picked up the teacup, blew on the hot air, and said with a smile, "That's right. Auspicious snow means a good harvest. It's snowing well, so this year will definitely be a good year."
Her gaze seemed to fall on Gu Qingchen unintentionally.
Gu Qingchen didn't say anything. She sat cross-legged on the thick cushion, concentrating on dealing with a freshly roasted chestnut.
The chestnuts were hot, so she wrapped them in a handkerchief and used both hands to carefully peel off the burnt yellow shell to reveal the golden flesh inside.
She stuffed the peeled chestnut kernel into her mouth, and her cheeks bulged with satisfaction, like a little hamster that had successfully stolen food.
The sweet and soft taste melted in my mouth, and the boredom and gloom in my heart for the past few days seemed to be dispelled a little.
After peeling one, she picked up another one with skillful movements and never got tired of it.
Chu Ruohan looked at her daughter like this, her eyes full of love and heartache.
She knew who her daughter had met today, but there were some things she didn't ask, just waiting for her daughter to say it herself.
"Is the temple fair fun?" Chu Ruohan couldn't help but asked softly.
Gu Qingchen paused while peeling chestnuts. She raised her head, met her mother's worried eyes, and smiled.
"It's okay, quite lively. But Chen Yu is too noisy, like a monkey."
She only mentioned Chen Yu and never mentioned Lin Jiayou.
Chu Ruohan understood and stopped asking questions. She just pushed a plate of cut fruit towards her.
"This alone won't fill you up. Fill your stomach. I'll ask the kitchen to make you a bowl of hot noodle soup later."
"Thank you, mother." Gu Qingchen responded sweetly.
Song Ruyan watched the interaction between the mother and daughter, and the smile in her eyes deepened.
She looked at Gu Qingchen's lively and innocent appearance, and she liked her more and more. The more she looked, the more she felt that this girl should be her own daughter-in-law.
She held the warm teacup in her hand, her eyes fell on Gu Qingchen's deft hands peeling chestnuts, then looked at her innocent look who was only focused on eating, and sighed in her heart.
If this goes on any longer, who knows what trouble will come from the Crown Prince and the Queen.
That guy named Lin Jiayou is not an easy person to deal with either.
A short pain is worse than a long pain.
Song Ruyan slammed the teacup in her hand onto the table, making a crisp sound.
Gu Qingchen and Chu Ruohan were both startled and looked at her.
"Aunt Song, what's wrong?" Gu Qingchen asked vaguely while still chewing chestnuts.
Song Ruyan's smile faded, and her face became more serious than ever. She didn't look at Qingchen, but instead stared straight at Chu Ruohan.
"Sister Ruohan."
Chu Ruohan was stunned. When had Song Ruyan ever called her like that?
Chu Ruohan also put down the silver sign in her hand and said seriously, "Ruyan, if you have anything to say, just say it."
Song Ruyan took a deep breath, as if she had made a great decision.
She spoke each word in a low voice, but it was like a thunderclap, exploding in the warm attic.
"I think we should not wait until the storm has passed. As for the matter between Qingchen and our family, we should just acknowledge it."
"Puff, cough cough cough!"
Gu Qingchen had just swallowed half a chestnut when he was choked by these earth-shattering words. He immediately started coughing violently and his little face turned red.
Chu Ruohan was also stunned. She looked at Song Ruyan with shock in her eyes, and for a moment she even forgot to pat her daughter's back to calm her down.
Admit it?
How to recognize?
That was a play to break off the engagement!
Song Ruyan seemed not to notice the mother and daughter's reactions and continued talking to herself.
"I know what you're thinking. But at this point, this is the best solution."
She stretched out her fingers and analyzed each thing one by one.
"Firstly, do you really think the Crown Prince will let this go? He lost face so terribly at the palace banquet, and he's only taking action now out of the concern for the Empress and His Majesty. Once this storm blows over, he'll have a hundred ways to mess with Qingchen, your Zhenguo Mansion, and our Qian family."
"But what if we admit it?" Song Ruyan spoke faster, her eyes gleaming. "The rice has been cooked, the wood has been sailed! No matter how noble he is as a prince, can he still forcibly seize a married woman? What about the face of the royal family?"
"Secondly, the Empress. Why is she suppressing this matter? It's not for Qingchen, but for the dignity of her royal family, to win over your Zhenguo Mansion. She is giving Qingchen some leeway, just to keep you hanging. When she finds the opportunity and issues an imperial decree granting marriage, will you accept it or not?"
"But if Qingchen and Gungun's marriage is confirmed, what else can she do? She can't completely break off relations with the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion and our Qian family just for a daughter-in-law who doesn't care about her son, right?"
"The most important point." Song Ruyan looked at Gu Qingchen, who was coughing so hard that tears came out, and her eyes suddenly became extremely gentle. "I have seen Qingchen grow up. Letting her marry a man like the crown prince and endure a lifetime in a place like the Eastern Palace is no different from taking her life."
"Although our family's GunGun is not very promising, you all know what kind of person he is. He will never let Qingchen suffer the slightest injustice. As her mother-in-law, I will never let her suffer the slightest injustice either."
"Instead of letting Qingchen jump into that fire pit, it's better to let her and Gungun get along. At least, she can live happily for the rest of her life and do whatever she wants."
In the warm room, it was so quiet for a while that only the sound of Gu Qingchen's suppressed cough and the howling sound of wind and snow outside the window could be heard.
Chu Ruohan was completely stunned.
She had to admit that every word Song Ruyan said touched her heart.
Yes, wasn't she worried about her daughter's future? The Crown Prince's gloomy temperament, the complicated environment of the royal family, Qingchen marrying into the family would be like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth.
But Qian Zhenyun...
She looked at her daughter.
Gu Qingchen finally managed to catch her breath. Her face was red from coughing, and tears were still hanging in the corners of her eyes. She stared blankly at Song Ruyan, then at her mother, her mind a mess.
Let her and GunGun...really be together?
Song Ruyan's words "Are you sure you don't want to try rolling with my family" echoed in my ears again.
This is no longer just a try, this is a lifelong commitment!
"Aunt Song, please, please stop joking." Gu Qingchen's voice was urgent and weak, with tears in his eyes. "GunGun and I are friends, brothers! How could we..."
"Why not?" Song Ruyan interrupted her, "Between men and women, there's no such thing as pure brotherhood. Ask our Gungun, does he only treat you as a brother?"
Gu Qingchen was choked and speechless.
She remembered Qian Zhenyun's calm and determined eyes when he stood in the plum forest on New Year's Eve and said the words "mutually compatible" to the prince.
She recalled the gentle and distressed look in his eyes when he walked out of the crowd at the temple fair today and said to her, "I'm worried about you."
Her heart was in turmoil.
Chu Ruohan finally recovered from her shock. She didn't express her feelings immediately, but picked up a handkerchief, gently wiped away the tears from her daughter's eyes, and handed her a glass of warm water.
"Drink slowly, don't rush." Her voice was as calm and gentle as ever, as if it had the power to soothe people's hearts.
Gu Qingchen took the cup of water and drank it in small sips. Only then did his pounding heart calm down a little.
Chu Ruohan's gaze fell back on Song Ruyan's face.
"Ruyan, I understand what you mean." She spoke slowly, her expression returning to the dignity and composure of the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo.
"This matter is of great importance. It concerns the lives of two children. I alone cannot make the decision."
She paused, her tone full of meaning.
"Also, we have to ask the child what he or she means."
Her gaze fell gently on Gu Qingchen again.
"Qingchen, tell me, what are you thinking?"
Everyone's eyes were focused on Gu Qingchen.
Song Ruyan's eyes were filled with expectation and encouragement.
Chu Ruohan's eyes were filled with tenderness and respect.
Gu Qingchen held the cup of warm water, his fingertips trembling slightly.
How should she answer?
Say no? But Aunt Song's analysis made perfect sense. This seemed to be the only and best way out of the situation.
Moreover, could she really watch Qian Zhenyun and the Qian family suffer a miserable end due to the prince's revenge because of her momentary impulse?
Say yes? But her feelings for Qian Zhenyun were really just friendship! Would it be fair for him to marry her? Could she accept such a marriage that was arranged to solve a problem with peace of mind?
For the first time, Qian Zhenyun's face appeared so clearly in her mind.
He was calm, gentle, helpless, smiling, determined...all kinds of his appearances flashed by like a kaleidoscope.
She found that she seemed to have never really looked at him seriously.
The wind and snow outside the window seemed to be getting stronger.
The snowflakes were blown by the strong wind and hit the windows hard, making a rustling sound, which made people feel upset.
Gu Qingchen lowered his head, looking at his blurry reflection in the water glass, without saying a word.
The atmosphere in the warm room became subtly stagnant.
Song Ruyan looked at her conflicted expression, feeling both pained and anxious, but she also knew that this kind of thing could not be forced.
Allen Chu sighed softly and reached out to hold her daughter's cold hand.
"Okay, don't think about it." She said softly, "It's my fault for forcing you to make a decision. There's no rush. We'll take the long view."
She turned to Song Ruyan with a hint of apology on her face: "Ruyan, I'm sorry to have embarrassed you. This girl is just like that."
"I understand, I understand." Song Ruyan quickly waved her hands, and the seriousness on her face turned into a hearty smile, as if the aggressive person just now was not her.
"Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. As mothers, we can only worry about them. Let's not talk about it anymore. Let's drink tea, drink tea!"
She took the initiative to pick up the teapot and refilled the tea for Chu Ruohan and Gu Qingchen. A conversation that could change everyone's fate was just glossed over.
But Gu Qingchen knew that he couldn't get over this.
It was like a seed, planted by Song Ruyan herself into her and her mother's hearts.
Now, it has begun to sprout quietly.
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