Chapter 611 The True Colors Are Revealed
Prince An said, “You don’t need to give me an answer immediately. This is a big deal. You might as well go back and think it over carefully. Don’t do something impulsive that you will regret in the future.”
After saying that, he stood up and walked out of the main room; he still had to pack his luggage.
Gu Jinyu also stood up, looking at his back, and said in a trembling voice, "I do! I do want to marry you! As long as you don't mind my background, I'm willing to go to the frontier with you!"
Prince An slowly turned around: "I never looked down on your background when I was a prince, and I certainly won't now."
Gu Jinyu smiled with relief: "That's good."
Prince An gave her a deep look and said, "However, your father may not agree. If you insist on marrying me, you may only have the option of eloping."
“I’m not afraid!” Gu Jinyu said.
Prince An said, "Very well, I'll wait for you at the city gate early tomorrow morning."
After Gu Jinyu left, Liu Quan walked over, looked at Prince An, and asked with a somewhat complicated expression, "Are you really going to take her with you?"
Gu Jinyu had stolen credit from Gu Jiao and always caused trouble for Gu Jiao and Yao Shi, so Liu Quan felt that she was a big problem.
Prince An said bitterly, "After all, we are engaged. If she is willing to elope, I have no reason to betray her."
After returning to the Marquis of Ding'an's residence, Gu Jinyu immediately chased the maids out of the room.
The maids were dumbfounded.
"Miss, what's wrong?" a maid asked.
Gu Jinyu opened the cabinet door, turned to look at the doorway, and commanded, "No one is allowed to come in!"
"Miss! What happened?" the head maid asked as she came to the door.
"I told you not to come in!" Gu Jinyu took all the clothes out of the closet.
The head maid had never seen Gu Jinyu so out of control, so how could she dare to ignore it?
She pushed open the door and was immediately stunned to see the bed covered in clothes. Ignoring Gu Jinyu's orders, she stepped into the room: "Miss! What are you doing? Why did you take all these clothes out? You...you..."
She then saw Gu Jinyu take a trunk and stuff all the clothes into it.
The head maidservant hurriedly asked, "Miss, are you moving out?"
Gu Jinyu said solemnly, "No one is allowed to interfere with me! Also, no one is allowed to tell anyone that I'm back!"
The maids at the door looked at each other in bewilderment.
The head maidservant sensed something was wrong and subtly winked at them, signaling, "Go and invite the Marquis!"
A nimble little maid went off.
Lord Gu happened to be at his residence today. The mansion requested by Empress Dowager Zhuang has finally been completed after a series of renovations and expansions. Now there is only a handover ceremony left, and he asked the Imperial Observatory to calculate the auspicious date.
They are currently waiting for the results at home.
The maidservant reported at the door: "My lord! You must go and see! Something has happened to Miss! She went back to the manor to collect her clothes and told us not to let anyone know!"
Lord Gu frowned and went to Gu Jinyu's courtyard without saying a word.
After packing a box of clothes, Gu Jinyu began to pack her jewelry. Just as she opened the drawer of her dressing table, Lord Gu strode in with his hands behind his back.
"Jinyu, what are you doing?"
He asked in a deep voice.
Gu Jinyu's body trembled, and a fine hairpin slipped from her palm, falling to the ground with a thud, the pearl flowers all breaking off.
She turned around with a flustered look in her eyes, hiding the dressing table behind her: "Father..."
Lord Gu glanced at the unclosed trunk on the ground, then at the hairpin that Gu Jinyu had accidentally broken, and his gaze gradually turned cold: "Jinyu, are you planning to run away secretly?"
"I...I..." Gu Jinyu stammered.
Lord Gu coldly looked at the head maid beside him: "Where did Miss go today?"
The head maid whispered, "They...they went to Biyue Alley."
Lord Gu's eyes turned cold: "Did that girl bully you again?"
Gu Jinyu hurriedly said, "No, Father! It has nothing to do with my sister! It's me! I met Prince An! I want to go to the border with him!"
Lord Gu frowned: "The frontier? He was exiled too? You—"
Gu Jinyu stepped forward and grabbed Lord Gu's arm: "Father! He wasn't exiled! He volunteered to go to the frontier, and he even resigned his throne for it. He's a loyal and righteous man, and I'm willing to go with him! Please grant my wish!"
Without hesitation, Lord Gu replied, "I disagree!"
Gu Jinyu pleaded desperately, "My daughter has had intimate relations with Prince An; how can she possibly marry another man in this lifetime?"
Lord Gu said irritably, "If you don't talk about the intimate matters, and I don't talk about them either, and he doesn't tell anyone, who would know?"
Gu Jiao got married, but even Lord Gu was unwilling to acknowledge the marriage, let alone Gu Jinyu who hadn't even entered the family yet.
Gu Jinyu's eyes reddened, and she knelt on the ground, saying, "Father! Your daughter's feelings for Prince An are genuine... I beg you, Father, to grant your daughter's wish..."
Lord Gu was furious; if it were a son, he would have beaten him!
He gritted his teeth and looked at her, saying, "Jinyu! You're too young! Do you even know what true love is? Didn't Princess Ning'an love her husband back then? Guess what happened? She died on the frontier! I will never agree to you marrying a down-on-his-luck young man!"
The more he used to be so high-ranking to Prince An, the more he now looks down on him.
He's no longer the eldest grandson of the most prestigious family, so what qualifications does he have to be his son-in-law?
After all, she was his daughter, and Lord Gu couldn't bear to be too harsh. He softened his tone and said, "Jinyu, you are my most beloved daughter. I will not let you go to the frontier to suffer!"
"But Father..."
"Jinyu, don't disappoint your father!" Lord Gu unconsciously became more stern.
Gu Jinyu had almost never angered Lord Gu in his entire life, and the maids were all terrified.
Lord Gu said coldly, "You must have been corrupted by that girl! She's disobedient, and she's made you follow her example!"
Gu Jinyu choked up: "Father..."
Lord Gu's eyes flashed sharply: "Guards!"
"My lord." The head maid came over.
Lord Gu ordered, "From this day forward, guard the gate day and night, keep a close watch on the young lady, and do not let her out! Otherwise, you will all be sold off!"
The head maid glanced at Gu Jinyu, bowed, and replied, "Yes, Your Highness!"
Lord Gu strode away, and Gu Jinyu chased after him, calling out, "Father! Father!"
The maids stopped her in time.
The head maidservant advised, "Miss, please go inside quickly. Don't make things difficult for us."
Gu Jinyu's eyes were brimming with tears: "Please let me see my father one more time, okay? I'll beg him one more time..."
The head maid said earnestly, "Miss, the Marquis is doing this for your own good. The young master of Anjun... Zhuang... he has lost everything now, he's just a commoner. You won't have a good life if you marry him. I understand you're kind-hearted and can't bear to betray your fiancé at this time, but don't you think about the Marquis? He loves you so much, what will he do if he misses his daughter without you by his side?"
Gu Jinyu collapsed to the ground, covered her face, and sobbed uncontrollably.
"The second young lady is just too kind-hearted."
"Do you think everyone can be like the young lady, whose heart is only for her husband and not for her own father, the Marquis?"
"Isn't that because her husband is capable? He was the best student in the academy in the countryside. The young lady forced her to marry him because she saw that he could become the top scholar in the imperial examination. If Lord Xiao had been useless or exiled, do you think the young lady would still have been willing to go with him?"
"Our Second Miss is still the most sincere."
"It's a pity they were destined to be apart, and could not become husband and wife in this life."
As the night deepened and all was quiet, the chatter among the maids in the corridor gradually subsided.
Gu Jinyu sat quietly in the room, without lighting a lamp or eating anything the maids brought in.
Suddenly, all the noise outside stopped completely.
She looked up and saw a dark shadow flash past the window.
The next moment, the door was pushed open, and the dark figure darted in!
Gu Jinyu was startled and stood up from the stool, looking at the other person in horror: "Who are you?"
The other person didn't speak, but stepped aside, and then a slender young man casually walked in.
"It's me."
The boy said.
Gu Jinyu was taken aback again: "Yan'er? What are you doing in my room so late?"
Gu Yan's health is much better than before. Not only has he lived past the age of fifteen, but he is also full of energy and almost no different from a normal person.
Gu Yan raised an eyebrow and looked at the boxes and jewelry boxes in the room, and said, "Since we're siblings, I'll help you with one last thing, so you won't say that I'm a biased brother who only knows how to take care of Jiao Jiao."
Gu Jinyu looked at him, puzzled.
Gu Yan beckoned to the guards behind him, the first guard, and the second guard standing at the door, and said, "Come in and send my second sister out of the city tonight, using the Renshou Palace token that the Empress Dowager gave me."
Gu Jinyu was completely stunned by the first sentence, and even forgot to be shocked that he had the Renshou Palace token in his hand.
"you……"
"What? So happy you can't speak? Don't be like that. I used to bully you all the time, and that was wrong of me. I've come here today to make it up to you. I've also prepared some travel expenses for you. If you live frugally, it should be enough to get you to the border."
As he spoke, he took out a fifty-tael silver note from his pocket and handed it to the guard.
The guard, being quite perceptive, slipped the silver notes into Gu Jinyu's jewelry box.
Fifty taels... Gu Jinyu could buy a bolt of cloth for more than that in the capital.
Gu Jinyu opened her mouth, looking at Gu Yan with flustered eyes: "Yan'er, you..."
Gu Yan said impatiently, "Hurry up! Those sleeping pills won't last long. They'll wake up soon. If my father finds out, my second sister won't be able to leave!"
"yes!"
The bodyguard A approached Gu Jinyu's side, "Second Miss, please forgive me!"
Gu Jinyu's face paled: "What are you doing?"
The guard in armor hoisted Gu Jinyu onto his shoulder.
The second guard grabbed the chest in one hand and the jewelry box in the other, and quickly followed.
Gu Jinyu was thrown into a panic: "Yan'er! Yan'er!"
Gu Yan smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry, my bodyguards are very skilled in martial arts and won't be discovered by the guards in the manor. You can leave the city and elope with my second brother-in-law without any worries!"
Gu Jinyu: "Yan'er!"
Gu Yan: "Don't shout, or you'll attract Father's attention. Or are you trying to attract Father's attention so that he will stop you? It seems you don't have much sincerity towards my second brother-in-law either."
Gu Jinyu choked back a sob: "If Father finds out... he'll punish you... I'll be fine if I leave... but what about you? I don't want to drag you down... put me down... I'll figure something out myself..."
"Of all the people in the manor, I'm the one Father is least likely to punish. He'd rather beat Gu Xiaobao than me," Gu Yan said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sick."
Gu Jinyu: "..."
"who!"
A familiar voice suddenly rang out from the path not far away.
Gu Jinyu was overjoyed and shouted, "Yan'er! Hurry! Second brother is here!"
The sound was almost heard in the old lady's yard.
Gu Chengfeng walked over quickly, accompanied by Gu Chenglin.
The two brothers were both surprised as they looked at Gu Yan, who was swaggering around, and then at Gu Jinyu, who was being carried on the shoulders of the guards.
Gu Chengfeng asked, "What are you doing?"
Before Gu Yan could answer, Gu Jinyu sobbed, "Second brother, please persuade Yan'er. He wants to help me escape from the manor, but I don't want to implicate him."
"Escape from the manor? What's that all about?" Gu Chengfeng looked at Gu Yan, completely bewildered.
Gu Yan sighed, "Isn't it my second brother-in-law who volunteered to go to the frontier? My second sister has a deep affection for him and doesn't want to abandon him when he's down on his luck, so she decided to elope with him and continue their marriage vows at the frontier."
Ordinary families wouldn't allow someone to elope; it would bring shame to the family and severely impact the marriage prospects of their other children.
Gu Chengfeng frowned and thought for a moment: "Gu Yan, what you did was really inappropriate."
Gu Jinyu was overjoyed.
Her second brother tried to stop her.
"Alright, put him down." Gu Chengfeng said to the first guard.
The guard looked at his young master.
The young master nodded, and the guard A put Gu Jinyu back on the ground.
Gu Chengfeng said to Gu Jinyu with a complicated expression, "We're like siblings, so I'll help you with this little favor. I'll take you out of the city."
Gu Jinyu: "...!!"
Gu Chenglin said, "Second brother, I also want to leave the city."
Gu Chengfeng said irritably, "What are you going to do? Has your hair grown back yet?"
Gu Chenglin touched the half-grown hair on his head, feeling wronged.
Gu Jinyu felt a lump in her throat: "Second brother, I..."
Gu Chengfeng waved his hand: "Alright, don't say anything more, let's go."
Gu Jinyu's eyes flashed, and she said, "Second brother... I... I'll drag you down... I can't be so selfish... I'll go myself... I can find a way myself..."
Gu Chengfeng glanced at her and said, "It's kind of you to still think of us at a time like this. It seems I misunderstood you before. You're not a heartless person after all. Don't worry, my lightness skill is better than Gu Yan's bodyguards. No one will find out that I took you away."
These are Gu Chengfeng's true feelings.
Gu Chengfeng grabbed Gu Jinyu's wrist.
"No... Second Brother..." Gu Jinyu was really about to cry now.
"Second brother... second brother... eldest brother!"
She saw Gu Changqing riding back to the mansion.
"Why is Big Brother here?" Gu Chengfeng frowned.
Gu Changqing rode up to the group, looked down at them, and then focused his gaze on Gu Jinyu, who was crying incessantly: "What's wrong?"
Gu Yan recounted to Gu Changqing what he had just said to Gu Chengfeng.
Gu Jinyu choked back tears and pleaded, "Big brother, second brother and Yan'er didn't mean it. I won't leave! I'll behave! Please don't be angry with them! Don't tell Grandfather and Father! I'm afraid they'll punish second brother!"
No one could bear to punish Gu Yan, but Gu Chengfeng was still frequently punished.
"Second Brother, please let me go!" Gu Jinyu said, her eyes red. "Don't be foolish for my sake! Let's pretend nothing happened today! You go back with Eldest Brother! I... I can't implicate my own brothers for my own selfish reasons! Although Jinyu isn't their biological son, I understand that the kindness of raising someone is greater than the kindness of giving birth! My brothers and Yan'er have never mistreated me since I was little, and I have no way to repay them. I only ask that I not implicate you!"
Gu Changqing frowned as he looked at Gu Jinyu, whose eyes were red and swollen: "Are you really willing to follow Zhuang Yuheng to the border?"
Gu Jinyu was startled again, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.
"I wish to find a soulmate and stay together until our hair turns white." Gu Changqing seemed to have thought of something, and unusually, he did not show his cold and hard side. He sighed slowly and said, "So be it. Zhuang Yuheng is virtuous and kind, loyal and good-hearted. He is a man I can entrust my life to. If you insist on marrying him, then marry him. I will talk to your father. I will not make things difficult for you."
Gu Jinyu nearly choked to death by his brothers: "He...he's leaving...tomorrow morning..."
Gu Changqing frowned even more: "Can't the dates be changed?"
Gu Jinyu said, "It can't be changed! It's already decided!"
“It won’t do if the wedding is too rushed.” Gu Changqing was silent for a while before saying, “Then you should go to the border first. It just so happens that his family is also in the border area. It would be more appropriate for your wedding to be held there.”
Gu Jinyu felt as if she had been struck by lightning!
Gu Changqing said to Gu Chengfeng, "Alright, you should escort Jinyu out of the city first."
Gu Jinyu panicked and her face changed color: "Big brother! Big brother! I—I won't leave—I won't marry!"
Gu Changqing said, "Father won't blame you. I will persuade him."
Gu Chengfeng was about to use his lightness skill to take Gu Jinyu away.
Gu Jinyu burst into tears, terrified: "I don't want to marry him! I don't want to marry him! I don't want to go to the frontier to suffer! I don't want to be a commoner!"
Gu Changqing frowned and said, "But didn't you say you were willing to marry him—"
Gu Jinyu burst into tears: "I was lying! I said that on purpose! I deliberately packed my things to alert Father! I knew Father would stop me! My—Father? Prince An?"
She was crying when she suddenly saw Lord Gu and Prince An, who had appeared nearby at some point.
(End of this chapter)
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