farewell
"Madam, Lord Wei, what did you two talk about? You don't seem very happy."
Xu Qiu pushed open the door and entered. He glanced at the atmosphere in the courtyard, which seemed quite different from the sweet and affectionate scene he had imagined. His heart, which had been pounding, settled down.
“It’s all in the past, why don’t you talk to Lord Wei about it, my husband? I’ll go to the kitchen and urge them on.” Gu Yu got up and walked away.
The two people left standing there in a daze exchanged a glance, and Xu Qiu knew that the man's claim of coming to see them off was a lie; he had actually only come to see Gu Yu off.
Xu Qiu cut to the chase, saying, "You seem to treat my wife a little differently."
“Miss Gu saved my life; she is my savior, and I am naturally grateful.”
Wei Cong lowered his gaze and looked at the stone table.
"Just a life-saving favor? Lord Wei is an upright gentleman; you wouldn't lie."
Xu Qiu's fingertips gripped the stone table, exuding a somewhat aggressive aura.
"Now that Miss Gu is your wife, how could I dare to have any other thoughts?"
"How dare you?" Xu Qiu sneered. It wasn't that he couldn't, but that he dared not.
“However…” Wei Cong paused, then looked up at him, “If Lord Xu treats her badly, I will naturally repay his kindness in another way.”
"Lord Wei, you think too much. My wife and I are deeply in love. How could I treat her badly? If one day I am separated from her, it will be because she no longer needs me."
Upon hearing this, Wei Cong seemed to be deep in thought. Speaking of Zuixinlou, he also recalled the past, the poem that Gu Yu wrote on the day of the poetry gathering.
The Tang family's wrongful conviction, the Shen family's downfall, and paper dragonflies filling the sky above Shengjing City...
He seemed to have figured something out about the strange, ambiguous relationship between Dongfang Hongyao and Gu Yu at that time.
"Alright, if there's anything I can do to help in the future, Lord Xu, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll do my best to help."
At this moment, Gu Yu and Qiu Ju, who was carrying a tray, came out together.
"These are all freshly picked from my garden. Try them, they're all sweet and delicious. You can't find them anywhere else but in this garden."
"Madam's precious vegetable garden has finally yielded a harvest! I must have a good taste." Xu Qiu insisted on picking up a piece of vegetable with his chopsticks, and remembered to put the meat in Gu Yu's bowl.
"Please eat more, Madam."
He looked at her and continued to serve her food.
Gu Yu raised an eyebrow. Xu Qiu seemed more attentive today. Although he would usually serve her food, he wouldn't stare at her with those eyes.
"By the way, Miss Gu, I heard that you have a kind of grain here that yields a good harvest and is easy to grow in the field. I wonder if I could ask for some seeds to take back with me so that they can plant it next year."
Xu Qiu quickly took over, "Lord Wei, you can discuss this with me. The grain seeds on Madam's side will eventually be left to the government office, and I will then distribute them."
Wei Cong glanced at him indifferently, "Alright, then thank you in advance, Lord Xu."
When do we depart?
“In a few days, on the eighth day of the ninth month,” Gu Yu replied.
“Miss Gu, now that you’ve arrived in Shengjing, please remember to give my regards to Brother Hongyao. He should be getting married to the princess soon. I’m short of money and can’t afford a big gift, so please deliver this pair of mandarin duck jade pendants to the princess’s residence for me.”
As Wei Cong spoke, he took out a pair of jade pendants that fit perfectly, one on the left and one on the right.
"What is this?" Gu Yu took the jade pendant, but was a little curious. Wei Cong was penniless, and judging from the quality of this jade pendant, it was not an ordinary item. It should not have been bought by him.
"The jade pendant passed down from my ancestors was originally intended by my mother for me to give to my future wife, but now it seems that this matter is neither urgent nor should it be rushed."
Xu Qiu snatched the jade pendant. "Lord Wei, I'll keep it safe for you. Madam is a bit forgetful, and it wouldn't be good if such a precious jade pendant were accidentally lost."
"Lord Wei... is he not planning to get married?" Gu Yu asked hesitantly.
"I am not a smooth person; I can only be an upright official, and I will only offend people everywhere. In the end, I can only be a lone official."
"I don't want my wife and children to be burdened by me. Besides, my family is poor, how could I dare to mislead such a beautiful woman?"
A faint smile appeared on his handsome face.
Gu Yu could see his determination from his expression. He wanted to live only for the country and the people. Having a wife and children would only create more ties and give rise to selfish thoughts.
But she still advised, "Life is but a hundred years or so. Why take on all the responsibilities and forget your own desires? Aside from ten years of ignorance and ten years of old age, how many years can you truly spend with the one you know and love?"
At this point, Gu Yu looked at Xu Qiu, "Besides, when you actually meet that person, you might realize that having one more person isn't necessarily a bad thing."
"Even a king who lives off the bounty of the people can live as he pleases. How much rice have you eaten, and what have you gained, that you must bear full responsibility for? Just do your best. No one is perfect; everyone makes mistakes. No one is a saint; everyone has desires."
"Wei Cong, take a breather, otherwise you'll break down from exhaustion. I was hoping to have another get-together with you and Dongfang at Zuixinlou sometime, so don't collapse here."
Wei Cong looked at the two of them quietly, and after a long while nodded, saying, "Miss Gu is right. I also look forward to that day."
As he turned and walked out of the courtyard, he felt much lighter. When he looked up at the sky, he saw clouds drifting by and the sun shining brightly.
To act according to one's heart is indeed freedom.
In the courtyard, Xu Qiucheng sensed a softening in Gu Yu's words and smiled somewhat foolishly, "Madam, you said having one more person isn't a bad thing? Are you talking about me?"
"And... cough cough... what about mutual understanding and love?"
Gu Yu sighed and asked Qiu Ju to clear the bowls and chopsticks from the stone table before returning to her room to pack her bags.
As soon as she entered the room, Xu Qiu hugged her from behind, "Madam, don't be shy, answer me..."
“Madam…” His voice, sweet as honey, trailed off with an upward inflection.
Gu Yu was held tightly in his arms and couldn't break free. "Let go, why are you holding me so tightly?"
After struggling for a while, she was finally able to face him directly.
"Lord Xu, do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"
“A lie,” Xu Qiu replied without hesitation.
Gu Yu's face suddenly turned bright red, and even her neck flushed a beautiful pink. Xu Qiu took the opportunity to secretly kiss the corner of her mouth.
"Why isn't Madam saying anything?" he asked with a smile, his heart brimming with joy, his eyes only seeing Gu Yu's shy expression.
“A lie is… is…” Gu Yu couldn’t bring herself to say it.
She absolutely couldn't say she liked him, but if she said she didn't like him, wouldn't saying she liked him be the opposite?
Her face flushed red, and her eyes glared at him defiantly and angrily.
Xu Qiu buried his head in her neck and chuckled, "Madam, don't rush, take your time. One day, you will tell me the answer, won't you?"
"Then you'll just have to wait until that day." Gu Yu gave up and stopped struggling. Let him hug her if he wants.
"You must keep Wei Cong's jade pendant safe. I feel it's the only valuable thing he has left, and it's an heirloom. Don't lose it."
"Okay, I'll keep it safe. I'll deliver it for the princess's wedding." Xu Qiu pouted, but knowing that Gu Yu had no other feelings for Wei Cong, she told herself not to be jealous.
Gu Yu was forced to bury her face in his chest, wondering with some confusion if she had really fallen for Xu Qiu. Why was she so craving his warmth at this moment?
September 8th.
A spacious but extremely simple horse-drawn carriage drove out of the alleyway behind the courtyard, its wooden wheels rattling on the bluestone slabs.
After driving for a short distance, we saw a large group of people kneeling in the distance ahead.
Liu Yun, who was driving the carriage, shouted "Whoa!" and finally brought the horse in front of him to a stop.
"What's wrong?" Gu Yu, who was in the carriage, saw that the carriage had suddenly stopped. She lifted the curtain and saw that the street outside was densely packed with people kneeling.
"Respectfully seeing off the upright and just official, and the reincarnated Guanyin Goddess as she leaves the city!"
"Respectfully seeing off the upright and just official, and the reincarnated Guanyin Goddess as she leaves the city!"
"Respectfully seeing off the upright and just official, and the reincarnated Guanyin Goddess as she leaves the city!"
Xu Qiu got off the carriage and helped Gu Yu down as well.
The smile did not appear on his face; instead, a look of melancholy settled between his brows as he silently gazed at the people below.
What should he say? He didn't know.
Because he never imagined this day would come.
He once dreamed of one day rising to the rank of first-grade official, second only to the emperor, with all court officials bowing and scraping before him with utmost respect.
But he didn't know that one day he would receive the sincere gratitude of the people under his rule.
Gu Yu smiled and gently called out to him, "Lord Xu."
"Lord Xu, please say something. We can't keep them kneeling forever."
He finally found his voice again, "Get up, all of you get up. Stop kneeling!"
Liu Yun and Qing Feng had no choice but to step in and help him up.
"Everyone, make way for the adults and Lady Guanyin."
"Yes. Make way, don't stop the lord from leaving the city."
"Make way, everyone!"
The entire city's residents came out to see him off, and the streets were packed with people. The officials from Xi'an Prefecture were a step too late, but they managed to catch up. With their efforts, the official road was finally cleared, allowing a carriage to pass.
Gu Yu returned to the carriage, only to find that Xu Qiu seemed unusual. She teased, "What's wrong, Xu Qingtian? You've received the people's obeisance, yet you're still sullen? Does Xu Qingtian feel it's not enough?"
Xu Qiu said sullenly, "It's not that they didn't give enough; they didn't have much to begin with."
"Is it that they didn't give enough? Then it must be that Lord Xu feels guilty."
Xu Qiu hugged Gu Yu without saying a word, seemingly puzzled, "I think they're really stupid. It seems like they haven't even received any wealth or status, yet they're already grateful to me."
Gu Yu said softly, "Lord Xu, you have already done enough. They were originally refugees without land, but now they all have land to cultivate, and the imperial court has even exempted them from taxes for three years."
All of this is thanks to Lord Xu.
She patted Xu Qiu's head and felt that his confused look was just like that of a child.
"Lord Xu, strive harder and aim higher. That way you'll be able to help more people."
Gu Yu's gaze fell indifferently out the window. They were already outside the city, where there were endless fields of crops, heavy with grain.
The people wasted a whole morning rushing to harvest, just to kneel on the road and personally see them off at the city gate.
She originally thought Xu Qiu would be the next Sun Gu, so she chose him to be the tree that could replace Sun Gu.
Emperor Shengyuan loved to play power games, and his influence extended to his subordinates. As a result, officials were prone to corruption, forming cliques and engaging in favoritism. It was inevitable that there would be a system of checks and balances among multiple parties. Only someone like Sun Gu could replace Sun Gu in Emperor Shengyuan's court.
Only when Sun Gu's roots in the imperial power are completely severed can he truly die.
However, some changes have occurred.
Humans are amazing; they can change with the times.
Xu Qiu has changed; he has deviated from his original path and undergone some changes that are not good for her.
Gu Yu hesitated.
She didn't want to intervene.
Gu Yu realized that she could achieve her goal in other ways, and Xu Qiu was not her only option.
Besides, he has been very good to her these past few days, so perhaps we should leave some room for maneuver.
If one day he can no longer be her weapon, she will not blame him.
If he truly becomes the person Emperor Shengyuan desires, then what she hopes for will only be the next Sun Gu.
What good can come of someone like Sun Gu? Everyone curses him, hates him, yet they have no choice but to depend on him.
He will die, and die a horrible death; it's just a matter of when.
What kind of person he wants to be is something he should decide for himself, and she has no right to make that decision for him.
The protection she provided for him didn't seem worth pushing him toward his inevitable death.
“Madam, I don’t want to help more people, I only want to help you,” Xu Qiu replied.
Xu Qiu looked intently at Gu Yu with his dark eyes.
Was he the kind of person who loved all living beings? No.
He was originally just a person who lived for himself. Xu Shanhai had been kind to him, so he was willing to serve him wholeheartedly, but this willingness would never be greater than his own.
He is Xu Qiu.
But now he wants to help the girl he likes fulfill her long-cherished wish.
Regardless of his fate, the girl he loved should live a good life.
He hoped she would shed her gloom and continue to be a gentle and quiet lady; if that were the case, he would be willing to endure even hell for her.
Xu Qiu always knew why Gu Yu chose him and why Emperor Sheng Yuan chose him. If he didn't want to be Xu Qiu anymore, he would lose everything.
Including Gu Yu.
"Madam, don't leave me. I only want to help you."
"Fool," Gu Yu scolded him, her eyes reddening.
So what is more important to her?
How could she abandon her plans because of a little romantic love?
If one day she discovers that Xu Qiu is more important than the others, she will definitely leave him decisively.
I hope that day never comes.
"I am a fool, and the lady is the lady of a fool."
"Yes, I am the wife of a fool."
Gu Yu pursed her lips, and after a long while, she finally smiled.
Xu Qiu moved his head closer to her and tentatively kissed the corner of her mouth. Seeing that she did not resist, he dared to deepen the kiss.
The cicadas chirping in the trees were noisy, but Xu Qiu could hear a hint of sweetness in them, like a candied fruit swallowed whole after drinking bitter medicine, with a touch of sweetness amidst the bitterness, until the sweetness overpowered the bitterness.
As the autumn wind began to rise, it occasionally lifted the carriage curtain and brushed against the tangled strands of hair of the two people.
Xu Qiu lay down on Gu Yu's lap as a pillow, gazing at her rosy face and slightly swollen lips, staring at her intently.
Gu Yu looked away, not daring to meet his burning, piercing black eyes; dusk had already fallen outside the window.
Liu Yun searched for villages where he could stay outside the carriage.
Qingfeng and Qiuju, who were in the carriage behind, stopped when they saw the carriage in front stop.
"Miss, sir, there's a village ahead. We need to rest here for the day; the horses are tired."
The group found a house with three empty rooms, and Liuyun and Qingfeng took turns keeping watch, getting a good night's sleep.
After traveling for nearly a month, the group finally arrived in Shengjing at the beginning of October.
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