Chapter 131 Rejecting Zheng Qinghe
Zheng Yunxi and his companions stayed in the school for a while, but after about half an hour they said goodbye.
After all, Zheng Qinghe is now the county magistrate of Annan County. He is busy with official duties every day and many matters need to be dealt with urgently. Zheng Yunxi and Song Yao are both unmarried women. It would be inconvenient for them to stay in the countryside for a long time.
"Sister Yue, I will leave in three days. You just need to pack the things you need to take with you and send them to the prefectural government." Zheng Yunxi smiled, her eyes full of reluctance.
"Okay, I'll sort it out when I get back." Gu Jiayue nodded slightly, with a hint of melancholy in her eyes.
Just now, she asked Zheng Yunxi if she could help bring some things to the Marquis' Mansion. Zheng Yunxi agreed without thinking.
In her opinion, it was just a piece of cake and not worth mentioning.
Song Yao stood aside, also looking reluctant to leave. Her eyes were wide open, full of sincerity: "Sister Yue, you must keep the token I gave you well, and be sure to come find me next time you go to the capital."
Song Yao truly liked Gu Jiayue. She felt like being with her was like being with her cousin, comfortable and at ease. So, without hesitation, she gave Gu Jiayue her family's access token, figuring it would make it much easier for her to find her in the future.
"Okay, okay, I'll remember it. I'll be in Taohua Village often in the future, and you can come find me when you're free." Gu Jiayue responded with a smile.
After finally persuading the two girls to get on the carriage, Zheng Qinghe walked over steadily.
Seeing this, Gu Jiayue's heart tightened. She subconsciously took a step back, her expression slightly reserved. She called out softly, "Master Zheng."
Zheng Qinghe glanced around and saw that the servants around him were busy with their work, so he quickly took out a hairpin from his bosom.
His hands trembled slightly as he handed the hairpin to Gu Jiayue, his eyes full of anticipation: "The last time I went shopping in the capital with my two sisters, I fell in love with this hairpin at first sight. I think it suits you very well."
The hairpin is made entirely of silver, gleaming softly under the sunlight. It is inlaid with a lifelike magnolia flower, the petals of which are delicately carved, with the texture clearly visible. The whole hairpin is simple yet exudes an elegant charm.
I have to say that Zheng Qinghe has a really good vision.
However, although this hairpin is beautiful, it was a gift from her ex-fiancé after all.
I can't accept it even if you kill me.
Her expression was indifferent, her tone filled with aloofness. "Thank you for your kindness, Master Zheng. Jiayue feels unworthy of it. Please take it back, Master Zheng, and don't do such things again in the future."
Gu Jiayue's rejection was so decisive that Zheng Qinghe seemed to be frozen in place, and it took him a long time to find his voice.
His lips parted slightly, and the words he spoke were trembling in a way that was difficult to conceal: "Jiayue."
"Mr. Zheng! You've overstepped your bounds! I'm a girl from an honest family. We have no relationship, but you're calling me by my maiden name. That's not what a gentleman should do." Gu Jiayue frowned slightly, her expression serious, with a hint of anger in her tone.
In fact, Gu Jiayue didn't mind these names. In Taohua Village, the villagers usually called her by her name. But in those wealthy families who paid attention to family etiquette, this was not allowed.
She was making such a big deal out of it at this moment just to firmly reject Zheng Qinghe.
"Mr. Zheng, you are an upright gentleman. You and I have already called off our engagement and we will no longer have any relationship in this life. Please don't do these meaningless things in the future." Gu Jiayue looked straight into Zheng Qinghe's eyes and spoke word by word.
Zheng Qinghe looked at Gu Jiayue in disbelief, as if the person in front of him was a stranger.
He never expected that she would say such heartless words.
"You...you are not Jiayue." His voice was full of pain and confusion. In his heart, his Jiayue would never be so cruel.
When Gu Jiayue heard this, her heart suddenly sank, and a thought instantly flashed through her mind: Was I discovered?
But she quickly calmed down. The original body and Zheng Qinghe had met only a few times, mostly through correspondence. How well could he possibly know the original body? It was simply that after being rejected, it was difficult for her to accept it for a while.
"In that case, just think of the original Gu Jiayue as dead. The one standing in front of you now is Gu Jiayue from Taohua Village in Annan County, not Gu Jiayue, the daughter of the Zhennan Marquis Mansion!" Gu Jiayue gritted her teeth and said resolutely.
After saying that, she turned around and left in a hurry, without any regrets.
There was a "ding" sound behind me, which I guess was the sound of the hairpin falling.
Gu Jiayue's heart moved slightly. The hairpin was indeed beautiful, but it was a pity to see it fall to the ground like that.
But she did not look back, walked into the school with firm steps, and her figure quickly disappeared around the corner.
Zheng Yunxi, who had already gotten into the car, saw this scene and slowly got out.
She walked over to Zheng Qinghe, looking concerned, and softly comforted him, "Brother, I think Sister Yue has let it go. You don't have to be obsessed with it."
Zheng Yunxi looked at her brother's distraught look, feeling distressed, but she didn't know how to comfort him.
She knew her brother's feelings for Sister Yue better than anyone else, a feeling that perhaps even Sister Yue did not fully understand.
She still remembered that one day three years ago, her brother met Sister Yue somewhere and lost his appetite after returning. Only after her mother repeatedly questioned him did she reveal her feelings.
At first, my mother did not approve of this marriage.
In my mother's eyes, the Xuande Marquisate was just lucky, having transformed itself from a country landlord into the new elite in Kyoto. Although it was new and expensive, it had no heritage, so how could it be compared with their aristocratic families that had been passed down for hundreds of years?
But the brother seemed to be possessed, immersed in the thoughts of Sister Yue all day long, with no interest in studying, and only wanted to marry Sister Yue.
In the end, the mother couldn't persuade her brother and had to go to the marquis's mansion to propose marriage.
Fortunately, my brother has excellent conditions, and the Marquis' Mansion naturally has no reason to refuse the proposal of such an outstanding young man.
Afterwards, her brother begged her to make friends with Sister Yue and deliver letters for them.
Sister Yue has a quiet personality. She rarely sends gifts to her brother and rarely replies to his letters.
But my brother didn't care. Whenever he came across something delicious or fun, he would buy it and send it to the Marquis' Mansion. In order to protect Sister Yue's reputation, most of the gifts were sent in her name.
Gradually, rumors spread throughout Kyoto about the close relationship between the young lady from the Marquis's mansion and her future sister-in-law. As they met more often, she and Sister Yue actually became good friends.
It’s a pity that my brother’s infatuation is hidden and no one knows about it.
"No, I don't believe it! She is not Jiayue! My Jiayue would never treat me like this!" Zheng Qinghe bent down in despair and picked up the magnolia hairpin on the ground, his hand tightly holding the hairpin.
Looking at the scattered petals, the sturdy man's eyes were red and tears welled up in his eyes. He lowered his head and let out a suppressed sob in his throat: "She is not Jiayue. My Jiayue would never do this to me."
In fact, Gu Jiayue did not go far. She stopped at the corner of the school wall, with her head lowered and her brows furrowed, not knowing what she was thinking.
"He seems very sad. Why don't you go out and take a look?" Jiang Luli walked out of the nearby school leisurely, fanning himself.
He was originally wondering how a girl from a remote mountain village could have such courage and financial resources to do such a thing. But Zheng Qinghe's attitude towards her and everything that happened just now made him guess.
He seemed to already know who this unique girl in front of him was.
The story of the real and fake daughter of the Xuan De Marquis's Mansion was the hottest gossip in Kyoto some time ago. Even his grandmother, who never meddles in other people's affairs, had heard about it.
Later, it was heard that the Grand Tutor's wife had personally gone to the Marquis's residence to cancel the engagement. Zheng Qinghe returned and learned that his fiancée had left and the marriage was off, and he nearly committed suicide by jumping into the river.
This matter caused a lot of uproar, and finally even the emperor's uncle knew about it.
After learning the whole story, the uncle lamented, "I have let the Gu family down. The war was at its most critical, and the old marquis and Xiuyuan were busy fighting on the front lines, but I failed to provide for his family. I truly feel guilty about it."
After some self-repentance, the emperor's uncle actually gave the newly returned young lady of the Gu family the title of county lady.
For a time, the Gu family became the focus of Kyoto again.
Gu Jiayue frowned and sighed helplessly. "Master Jiang, are you free?"
You're so idle that you're eavesdropping here. Is this what a gentleman does?
Jiang Luli spread his hands helplessly, looking innocent: "I'm just passing by, do you believe me?"
Gu Jiayue glanced at him, then smiled faintly. "Yes."
You are the boss, what you say goes.
"I still have to prepare for the afternoon class. Please go ahead, Mr. Jiang."
Jiang Luli raised his eyebrows, secretly sighing inwardly, this girl is truly heartless, pitiful Zheng Qinghe's infatuation. "Master Gu, please stay. I have something important to discuss with you."
"Oh? Then let's talk while we walk." Gu Jiayue looked up at Zheng Qinghe who had not left yet. An inexplicable sense of guilt surged in her heart, and she just wanted to leave here quickly.
"Okay." Jiang Luli responded.
The two walked side by side.
Jiang Luli was a man of good looks, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a face as beautiful as a crown of jade, and a pair of peach blossom eyes that added a touch of romantic charm to him. He was also tall, and standing next to Gu Jiayue, she looked even smaller. "Look, I'm going to stay here to teach, so how will I find a place to live?"
Gu Jiayue was startled, a trace of embarrassment flashed across her face, and she quickly said, "Please forgive me, Mr. Jiang, I've been busy these past two days and haven't made any plans yet."
She secretly raised her eyes, wanting to see if the boss was angry. If he threw in a rage and quit, she would be in a difficult position. But when she tried to look up, she could only see Jiang Luli's chin.
Only then did she realize that the distance between them was a little close. Although it was not to the point of rubbing shoulders, it was already beyond the safe distance that the ancients could accept.
She quickly moved aside.
Jiang Luli was thinking about her advice when he was startled by her action. Seeing her avoiding him like a snake or scorpion, he began to feel unhappy again.
What does this mean? Have I done anything out of the ordinary? Or is there something unpleasant about me?
Just as he was about to ask, he saw Principal Min and his group appear. He had no choice but to swallow the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
"Please stay, Dean Gu. I have something important to discuss with you." Dean Min shouted from afar.
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