Chapter 36 Chapter 36

Gu Huaisheng was still wearing the scarlet official uniform, which made him look even more inhuman.

The light was dim, and his white jade-like face looked a little gloomy at this moment.

Jiang Jingchun resisted the urge to turn around and run. After calming down, she frowned and asked him, "What are you talking about?"

Gu Huaisheng kept walking, "Am I right? Since you said you liked him a long time ago, why did you come to provoke me? We were clearly kissing each other in the alley, so why did you do something like kissing me secretly?"

He was tortured by that kiss and was tortured by that dream over and over again as if he was sick, but she kept talking about getting married.

He questioned with a sarcastic smile on his face. He was asking her why she was so affectionate and why she was so cruel to him.

Jiang Jingchun was forced into a corner by him. There was a wall behind her and she could not retreat. Gu Huaisheng was too close to her and she was almost suffocated by the clear smell on his body.

So cunning.

After hearing what Gu Huaisheng said, Jiang Jingchun realized how cunning his question was.

He asked her if she had liked Song Xuan'an for a long time. In order to distance herself from him, she would naturally say yes. But if she said yes, wouldn't it prove that she was indecisive, liking Song Xuan'an on the one hand, and provoking him on the other.

If I say no, it would seem a little wrong.

She didn't want to be so close to him and wanted to push him away, but her strength was too weak. She pushed Gu Huaisheng's chest but he didn't move at all. It was like an ant trying to shake a tree, and it seemed that her action was just flirting.

Jiang Jingchun stopped what she was doing. She stared at him with wide eyes and cursed him directly, "Why do you care when I liked him? It's him that I like now, isn't it?"

And what did he mean by that just now?

She and Song Xuan'an were kissing each other in the alley?

"When did I kiss him in the alley again? What nonsense are you talking about."

How could he be like this, blaming her for things she hadn't done?

Gu Huaisheng talked about what happened on Duanwu Festival a few months ago. He said, "On Duanwu Festival, you went out with Song Xuan'an. I saw the two of you coming out of the alley. Your lip balm was so messy. Were you kissing?"

Hearing Gu Huaisheng's words, Jiang Jingchun frowned and began to recall what happened on the Dragon Boat Festival.

It had been two or three months since the incident, and Jiang Jingchun still had difficulty recalling it. She finally managed to remember it.

It turned out to be the lip balm that Song Xuan'an had rubbed off with his hand that day. Later, when the two of them went into the alley, she was just tying the sachet for him.

Gu Huaisheng was thinking about something in his mind all day long, and he actually felt that they were doing such a thing in his mind.

She made him laugh out of anger, and said, "You are dirty at heart, so there is no need to think of others as being the same as you."

When Gu Huaisheng heard this, his brows furrowed even more tightly, and for a moment he didn't know how to react.

Hearing what Jiang Jingchun said, he seemed to have misunderstood something.

He didn't say anything, but Jiang Jingchun continued, "I didn't like him before, and I never kissed him. At that time, I only liked you. Are you satisfied with this answer?"

She said she only liked him before.

Gu Huaisheng's eyelids twitched slightly when he heard this.

Jiang Jingchun caught his emotional changes, and she seemed to suddenly understand why he was so unreasonable today.

He is still brooding over something that happened so long ago.

After figuring it out, Jiang Jingchun was no longer angry or panicked. She even chuckled, and this chuckle was also a bit mocking. She said to him, "I really like you, but that was in the past. Do you understand what the word 'in the past' means? In the past, it means that the past cannot be changed, but the future can still be pursued."

For someone as smart as Gu Huaisheng, does he really need her to explain all this word by word?

The two men were in a standoff. Jiang Jingchun was barely a head shorter than him, but at this moment, she had the upper hand. She was trapped in the corner by Gu Huaisheng and could not escape, but she used words to break his mind bit by bit.

She said, "If you really want to investigate what happened in the past, then let me ask you, do you remember anything else about the Dragon Boat Festival?"

"That day, I waited for you at home for a whole day. I dressed up beautifully, put on nice lip balm, and wore a gorgeous skirt, just to go out with you. I also made a scent sachet for you, but in the end, you were with someone else at the wedding. So, I tied the scent sachet to Song Xuanan in the alley."

"Now I have let go of the past. I call you my cousin. Why are you still thinking about the past? I want to get married and have a new life of my own."

The Jiang family was a rotten quagmire that anyone could stay with if they wanted to. Except for her grandmother who was relatively kind to her, she hated everything about it.

She knew that Gu Huaisheng couldn't let go. He couldn't let go of the past.

But what does that have to do with her?

"Gu Huaisheng."

"Just raise your hands and stop pestering me."

Jiang Jingchun is not a person who will go back on her old ways. She will not like the person who hurt her in the past. There was a first time, who knows if there will be a second time. Moreover, it is a terrible thing for a person to indulge in the past. Just like her, if she recalls the past, it is like drowning in water, unable to breathe.

The past is gone, like dead ashes that can never be rekindled.

Look forward, I said to her and to Gu Huaisheng.

Jiang Jingchun pushed Gu Huaisheng again, and this time he finally pushed him away.

Gu Huaisheng actually staggered. He watched Jiang Jingchun leave, his eyes fixed on her back, staring at her intently, unable to come back to his senses.

What she said just now is still echoing in my ears.

Stop tangling...

High hands?

She had completely broken off relations with him.

It was at this moment that Gu Huaisheng suddenly understood how Jiang Jingchun felt when she was pushed away by him in the past.

It hurts, it really hurts, my heart feels like it has been cut open by a knife.

At this moment, he would rather Jiang Jingchun was still a child, a child who was easy to coax and deceive. However, she grew up and experienced so many things. She has become different from before.

Song Xuanan is nice to her? He can be nice to her too.

Song Xuan'an will never bully him? He won't either.

Song Xuan'an has a good destination, so why can't he be the same?

But why only Song Xuan'an?

Why do you just want to break up with him?

Why, why on earth?

Looking at the direction Jiang Jingchun left, his palms gradually tightened.

Gu Huaisheng thought of the fortune he had drawn in the temple before, and his wish came true...

He never used to be ashamed of the word "force", but now he thought that if he could get what he wanted by forcing it, it didn't matter.

When did his moral bottom line drop to this level?

*

Jiang Jingchun was a little anxious when she returned to Chen's house because she had been staying here for a long time. She almost ran back, but fortunately she returned to Chen's house before curfew.

She hurried back to the Chen family and rushed back to Chen Muqing's yard, but unfortunately she ran into Shen Tao at the hanging flower archway, and the two of them bumped into each other.

Jiang Jingchun thought of what Shen Tao said when she came to Chen Muqing's room last time. Knowing that she didn't like girls who didn't follow the rules, he bowed to her respectfully before he could even take a few breaths.

After all, she was temporarily staying in the Chen family. Even though she was a stepmother, she was still the wife that Chen Muqing's father had brought back in a grand sedan chair, so she had to observe all the necessary etiquette.

Seeing that she hadn't even caught her breath when he saluted her, Shen Tao couldn't help but laugh, "What are you so afraid of me doing?"

It was just a meeting, just like a rabbit meeting a tiger.

The last time she quarreled with Chen Muqing, it still left some shadows on Jiang Jingchun. How could she dare not be respectful? Jiang Jingchun hurriedly said, "I dare not."

Seeing Jiang Jingchun like this, Shen Tao did not continue to ask, she turned to ask: "Are you also spending the Mid-Autumn Festival here this year?"

Seeing that she had been away from the Jiang family for so many days, Shen Tao also realized that she might have had a falling out with the Jiang family, and it was unknown whether she would go back for the Mid-Autumn Festival this year.

Jiang Jingchun thought about Shen Tao's intention in asking her this question, and she hesitated for a moment.

She would not be willing to go back to the Jiang family to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with those people, but she could stay at the Chen family. Looking at Shen Tao's expression, could it be that she was annoyed by her living in the Chen family for too long?

Shen Tao saw her wandering gaze and knew that she was thinking about something else. She said, "Oh, kid, why do you have so many thoughts? I was thinking that if you were here for the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, I would make it more lively. In the past, it was just me and Chen Muqing, and she didn't like to spend it with me. At most, we would just have a meal together. If you are here this year, I will make it bigger, and more people will make it more lively. Then, after dinner, you can go out to play on the street. There will be lanterns, and it will be lively."

In this huge Chen family, there were only Chen Muqing and her stepmother, and Chen's father didn't even have any concubines. Chen Muqing didn't like Shen Tao, and Shen Tao wouldn't be bored enough to go around her, so the Mid-Autumn Festival in previous years was getting more miserable every year.

Maybe Chen Muqing didn't like talking to her in this family, so, apart from the servants around her, she had no one to confide in. Now that she finally found someone she could talk to, she couldn't stop talking.

Jiang Jingchun discovered that Shen Tao was not as annoying as Chen Muqing said.

She heaved a sigh of relief when she heard that Shen Tao didn't find her annoying. She smiled and nodded, "If I don't go back, I'll just stay at Chen's house. I hope my aunt doesn't find me annoying."

Shen Tao smiled even more happily when she was called aunt. She said, "Stay, and you can go out and have fun during the Mid-Autumn Festival. She is tired of learning the rules these days, and it's time for her to relax."

Speaking of "learning the rules", Shen Tao remembered another thing. She said to Jiang Jingchun, "I know you were hiding in Chen Muqing's room when I came to look for her that day. I didn't mean to say anything bad about you that day. It's just that I have a bad temper and I say anything when I'm angry. Don't take it to heart and don't be afraid of me because of that."

Shen Tao was talking about what happened on the first day Jiang Jingchun came to join Chen Muqing.

After listening to Shen Tao's words, she smiled and shook her head, "I don't take it to heart."

She was a little afraid of her temper...but she didn't hold a grudge against that incident.

The two of them didn't continue talking after they had started. It was getting dark. If Jiang Jingchun didn't go back, Chen Muqing would get anxious again, so Shen Tao let her go back first.

The two said goodbye.

*

Jiang Jingchun had been away from home for a few days, and Li finally couldn't help but want to ask what happened in the temple that day.

She only knew that Jiang Jingchun suddenly returned home from Miaoen Temple, and then suddenly moved away the next day. She was worried and felt very strange, but she didn't dare to ask. But when she saw that Jiang Jingchun was reluctant to move back from Chen's house, she finally couldn't help it.

She originally wanted to go to Chongming Hall to ask the old lady, but when she stood up, she saw Jiang Jinghui just coming in from outside.

Jiang Jinghui was holding pastries in her hands. This time she came just to find out whether Li knew that Jiang Jingchun had left the Jiang family. If she knew, why had she not made any move in the past few days?

Seeing her going out, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Where are you going, mother?"

Li was thinking of something, and her expression was a little awkward. She tentatively asked Jiang Jinghui, "Why did your sister suddenly insist on coming home from the temple a few nights ago?"

If it was another temple, Li would not feel so guilty, but in that place, there was no guarantee that Jiang Jingchun would know something.

Jiang Jinghui said truthfully: "Mother, my sister seems to know what happened in the past..."

Upon hearing this, Li's face changed drastically, "She, how did she know that?"

Li became so excited that he couldn't even speak clearly.

"Speaking of this, it's all my fault... I was the one who listened to gossip in the temple and told my sister something I shouldn't have heard."

Li no longer had time to care about who leaked the news. She just thought that Jiang Jingchun already knew the truth of the matter... Then it was no wonder that she was in that state and no wonder she couldn't wait to move out of the Jiang family.

Thinking of the past, Li felt that she could hardly breathe.

Li looked at Jiang Jinghui and asked, "Did she say anything?"

Jiang Jinghui was still fanning the flames. She said, "My sister was just crying because she was very sad, but mother, don't think too much about it. I don't think this matter has anything to do with mother. Mother treated her like this and raised her for so many years. She was already very kind."

Jiang Jinghui sighed again and said, "If she hadn't been brought home by her mother, she might have died by now."

After hearing what Jiang Jinghui said, Li's mind calmed down a little, and she even vaguely took Jiang Jinghui's words to heart.

She was right. That woman was so sick that she would not live long. If she did not bring Jiang Jingchun back, how could she survive? Besides, she had been good to her all these years. She gave Jiang Jingchun whatever she wanted. What could she blame her for now?

It seemed that thinking this way, Li no longer felt so upset, and what she had done did not seem so abominable.

Jiang Jinghui added: "My sister always complained about mother on the way to the temple."

After hearing this, Li got angry, "It seems that she is still blaming me for the marriage! I don't have a sharp eye to look at this and that for her. It's obvious that she chose Fang Zhiping herself. Can I see through his skin and see what kind of person he is? I treated her so well for so many years, but she hates me so much because of such a thing..."

Jiang Jinghui echoed this and sighed, "Oh, my sister is indeed a little petty about this matter."

After all, that old story was really too abominable, so abominable that even Li herself could not accept it. Li tried her best to find faults in Jiang Jingchun, as if she could put some of the blame on her, and she would be free of all faults, and she could pretend that nothing had happened.

She was right, she thought, she was just a poor mother who lost her child.

If she hadn't brought her back, she might have gone with her mother. She was saving her, not harming her!

She didn't want to think about what she had done in the past, and because Jiang Jinghui was fanning the flames, she finally said, "If she wants to leave, then let her leave. With her temper, she won't be able to stay out for a few days. She will have to come back in the end, right?"

In her memory, Jiang Jingchun is a child who will never grow up. She attributed her current behavior to the child's temper and running away from home. She will come back sooner or later.

Besides, what would it matter if she knew the past? * If she left them, where would she go in the future?

However, Jiang Jinghui said, "Really... I heard today that my sister came back from Chen's house, but she only went to see grandma and left immediately."

After hearing this, Li looked dazed.

Came back, left again...

Li looked listless even after Jiang Jinghui left. Even Jiang Nan noticed something was wrong before going to bed at night.

Jiang Nan lifted the quilt and lay down on the bed, and saw that Li looked half dead.

He couldn't help but ask her, "What happened to you today?"

Before, Jiang Jingchun left the Jiang family and moved to the Chen family, but she didn't seem to be sad at all. But why did she suddenly become like this today?

Li lay back on the bed, still frowning. She said, "I thought she would be back in a few days."

She originally thought that she would stay at the Chen family for a few days, vent her temper, and then come back when she was no longer angry. After all, she had lived in the Jiang family for so many years, she knew nothing, she was just an immature child, how could she stay outside all the time and not go home?

She heard today that Jiang Jingchun had returned and thought that he would come back to stay, but who knew that he just went to Rongde Hall for dinner and left again.

She didn't expect that she could come back to her side. Wouldn't it be nice for her to live with the old lady? Why, the Jiang family was like a den of dragons and tigers, and she couldn't stay there for a moment?

Li was angry and resentful. She felt suffocated and was mad all night.

Seeing that she was still upset, Jiang Nan tried to persuade her, "To put it bluntly, she was not a member of the Jiang family... Now that she knows the truth, her heart is naturally not here anymore."

Since Jiang Jingchun didn't confront them, they should just be happy. Why are they still bothering themselves with other things?

He sighed and said, "If she doesn't want to come back, then she doesn't have to come back. There's no point getting angry. You have a daughter of your own, why put your heart on someone else?"

Instead of calming down, she became even angrier after hearing his words. "If you had treated her better, not been so mean to her and not bullied her, she wouldn't have done this. She left without a care in the world and now she has no attachment to this family at all!"

Jiang Nan also got angry after hearing what Li said, "Did you treat her badly, Li Wanning? How come you still don't understand whether this is a good thing or not?"

After doing something like that, she still wants people to call her mother? Jiang Jingchun is not really spineless.

Seeing that Li was still glaring at him, Jiang Nan continued, "Okay, then you wait, you just wait at home. Anyway, she really can't stay in the Chen family for the rest of her life. Even if she wants to get married, she has to leave through the Jiang family. You just wait at home and see if she will come back to find you."

Li was speechless after hearing his question, and tears came to her eyes. But Jiang Nan was determined not to argue with her anymore, so he just pretended not to see her and turned his back, not looking at her anymore.

Seeing him like this, Li kicked him to vent her anger, then turned her back and said nothing more.

Li did not sleep well that day and woke up early the next day. After breakfast, she called Jiang Runchu over as he was going to work.

Jiang Runchu didn't know what Li was doing so early in the morning until Li said, "Your sister hasn't been home for a long time."

Jiang Runchu pursed his lips, knowing who she was talking about. He said indifferently, "Mid-Autumn Festival is coming in a few days, and she will come back for a family dinner then."

He obviously didn't know what happened at that time. He just thought that Jiang Jingchun had some problem this time and ran away from home because of her temper. He thought the same as Li, that Jiang Jingchun would come back sooner or later. She had nothing outside, and at least someone in the Jiang family called her Miss.

Jiang Runchu said, "She must be thinking of ways to trouble us because Jinghui has returned and she feels that we have neglected her. But she just wants us to care about her. Why should mother care about her so much? She will naturally come back when the time comes."

Li shook his head subconsciously, "No..."

She won't come back.

But seeing Jiang Runchu's puzzled eyes, she fell silent again. Was she going to tell Jiang Runchu about this embarrassing thing? No, she couldn't say it.

She just said, "Go to Chen's house after you get off work today and ask her to come home for the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Jiang Runchu looked unhappy. It was fine if she didn't want to come back, but he really wanted to go and invite her in a sedan chair.

He was about to argue but was interrupted by Li, "Going to Chen's house won't cause any trouble for you, just go."

Li didn't give him a chance to refute and immediately got up and went back to the house.

Jiang Runchu had no choice but to listen to her and go to Chen's house in the evening.

*

In the evening, after finishing his shift, Jiang Runchu went directly towards Chen's house.

When the Chen family's doorman saw Jiang Runchu coming, he stopped him at the door. Chen Muqing had ordered that no one from the Jiang family except Jiang Jingchun was allowed to enter.

Jiang Runchu was stopped outside, his face was not looking good, and he wanted to turn around and leave, but he thought of Li's instructions, so he suppressed his temper and said to the Chen family's doorman in a cold voice: "Why, is this how you treat guests in the Chen family?"

Given Jiang Runchu's status, the man did not dare to offend him. However, thinking of Chen Muqing's instructions, he was afraid that he would be held accountable if he let the man in, so he was in a dilemma.

He thought of a way to satisfy both parties and said to Jiang Runchu, "Sir, please wait for a moment. I will go in and report to my young lady."

After saying this, he immediately disappeared, fearing that Jiang Runchu would continue to pick on him.

Menzi immediately went to look for Chen Muqing. Her rule was to study one day and rest the next, and today happened to be her free day.

She and Jiang Jingchun sat in the yard eating cakes and discussing how to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Chen Muqing said: "Why has Song Xuan'an been staying at home these days? Is he studying? He is too hardworking. It seems that he will not have time to go out during the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Ever since Song Xuan'an made that agreement with his mother that day, he seldom went out. He must have been working very hard these days, determined to pass the imperial examination.

Moreover, the autumn examination this year was scheduled for two days after the Mid-Autumn Festival, so Song Xuan'an would have a very happy Mid-Autumn Festival.

"Oh, this is hard work." Jiang Jingchun sighed.

She had never seen Song Xuan'an so motivated before, and seeing him like this for a moment really made her feel sad.

She knew that Song Xuan'an wanted to marry her because of the bet he made with his mother. He had never cared so much about fame and fortune before.

After hearing what Jiang Jingchun said, Chen Muqing teased her, "You're already feeling distressed."

Jiang Jingchun said quickly: "No, just tell the truth..."

Chen Muqing laughed even more fiercely.

Jiang Jingchun was so angry when she heard her making fun of her that she tickled her, and the two of them started fighting for a while.

Hua Yun was also laughing.

She found that since leaving the Jiang family and coming to the Chen family, Jiang Jingchun had gotten much better and was a completely different person.

The girls' laughter was particularly clear and pleasant at this moment, until a doorman came running in from outside and interrupted the fight between the two.

Menzi came running over and went straight to Chen Muqing, "Miss, this is not good, this is not good!"

Seeing him so anxious, Chen Muqing couldn't help but frown and asked, "Why are you like this? What happened?"

The doorman said, "The eldest son of the Jiang family is outside and he wants to come in!"

Hearing this, Chen Muqing and Jiang Jingchun looked at each other, with some doubt in their eyes.

What was he doing here today? He and Jiang Jingchun had always been at odds with each other, so what did he want to do to the Chen family now?

Chen Muqing said: "I think he must have wanted to take you home today. Seeing that you haven't returned home for a long time, and thinking that the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming, he wants to take you back."

Jiang Jingchun shook her head, "He doesn't care whether I come back or not."

Jiang Jingchun could more or less guess why Jiang Runchu came.

He must have been forced here by the Li family.

Chen Muqing didn't say anything else. She just asked her, "Do you want to go back? If not, I'll help you chase him away."

Jiang Jingchun shook her head.

She doesn't want to go back.

Chen Muqing understood what she meant, and she said, "Okay, you wait here for me, I'll chase him away."

Chen Muqing quickly got up and followed the doorman outside.

Jiang Runchu was still standing at the door. He was tall and handsome, and looked like a decent human being, but his face looked extremely ugly and his brows were furrowed. No one knew what he was thinking.

Chen Muqing stepped forward and said, "Hello."

Jiang Runchu heard the sound, looked at the person who came, and frowned even more tightly.

He thought to himself that people who hang out with Jiang Jingchun really don't have much manners.

He frowned and said, "This is how the Chen family educates us."

Chen Muqing was too lazy to talk to him any more, and just wanted to get rid of him quickly. She said, "The Chen family's family traditions are not worth letting Young Master Jiang have any say in. If you have the ability, go to the border to find my father and tell him that our family traditions are not right."

Jiang Runchu's face became even gloomier when he heard this. He was too lazy to waste time talking to her and said directly, "Let Jiang Jingchun come out. She has been hanging around for so long, it's time for her to go home."

"She's not going back." Chen Muqing said, "You go back by yourself."

"Not going back? Jiang's is her home. If she doesn't go back, will she stay in Chen's house forever? I'm discussing with you to ask her to come out."

His voice was harsh and seemed to carry a hint of anger.

Chen Muqing didn't buy his tricks and said coldly, "Young Master Jiang doesn't seem to understand what I'm saying. I'm not discussing this with you. She won't go back with you."

Her father is in the northern border, and Jiang Runchu wants to pretend to be her father here to teach her. What is he dreaming about?

"You're not coming back? Fine, fine, if you can, then go ahead." Jiang Runchu gritted his teeth and continued, "If you can, then never come back for the rest of your life. When you get married, the sedan chair will come from your Chen family."

Jiang Runchu really didn't understand what happened that day that could make her angry for so long.

He was so angry that he even refused to go back home for the Mid-Autumn Festival when everyone was reunited.

Over the years, she has been called Miss Jiang and Miss Jiang for more than ten years. Now she wants to completely cut off ties with them. How can she?

Chen Muqing was infuriated by Jiang Runchu's shameless words and was about to fight back, but someone else's voice came from the side.

"What does it have to do with you where the sedan chair comes from?"

Chen Muqing turned around and found that the person coming was Song Xuan'an.

He hasn't been to the Chen family for a long time. He should be busy with the autumn examination now. Why did he come here suddenly?

After Song Xuan'an finished speaking, he continued, "She already said she doesn't want to go back, why are you so clingy?"

Jiang Runchu's face turned pale and blue after hearing these words.

However, Song Xuan'an said these two words and pulled Chen Muqing inside, no longer paying attention to Jiang Runchu.

Jiang Runchu was also confused. Although these people were young, their tempers were worse than each other.

It’s none of Jiang Jingchun’s business whether she wants to reply or not.

He was very angry and didn't stay any longer. He left and went straight back to the Jiang family.

Song Xuan'an and Chen Muqing returned to the courtyard they had just been in.

Jiang Jingchun was a little surprised to see Song Xuan'an. Didn't Chen Muqing just chase someone away? Why did Song Xuan'an come again?

Seeing her puzzled expression, Chen Muqing explained, "Song Xuan'an just happened to be here, so he came in together. We have already chased Jiang Runchu away. I'll go in first, so you two can chat first."

She also knew that Song Xuan'an took time out of his busy schedule just to meet Jiang Jingchun, so she decided not to continue to bother them here.

Song Xuan'an sat directly next to Jiang Jingchun.

Jiang Jingchun turned around and asked him, "Why did you come here today?"

Song Xuanan said, "I have been sitting in the study these days, looking up and down, and ten days have passed without me noticing."

Jiang Jingchun didn't understand what he meant.

"When I realized that time was moving, I couldn't help wanting to see you."

"Because I wanted to, I came."

He only wanted to hurry through the autumn examination, so he finally worked hard in his study, reading books by sages. Ten days passed by unknowingly. Finally, he looked out the window and found that osmanthus flowers had begun to bloom. Then he realized that autumn was coming, and things in the outside world finally came to his mind.

He thought of her and wanted to see her, so he came.

When Jiang Jingchun realized what Song Xuan'an was saying, he was stunned for a moment.

I never noticed his slickness before, and how he kept saying so many lies to please people.

"Stop talking."

Song Xuan'an listened and stopped talking about it. He asked her again, "Do you believe me, Jiang Jingchun?"

No one in his family believed him. Not his mother, not his father, not even his grandfather.

They all thought that he would not pass the autumn examination.

Jiang Jingchun heard what he said and said, "Of course I believe you. If I didn't, why would I wait for you?"

When Song Xuan'an heard Jiang Jingchun's words, he laughed even harder. The evening sun shone on the young man's face, making him look so high-spirited. He said, "Okay, then you have to wait."

Wait for him to marry her.

*

A few days passed and the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, all government offices began to have a two-day holiday.

It’s just that because the Autumn Examination is right after the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, the Ministry of Rites, which is in charge of the Autumn Examination, has no vacation and has to be busy with this major examination that takes place once every three years.

However, on the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, someone from the Ministry of Rites came to the Censorate and went directly to the chamber of Zuo Qiandu Yushi, looking for Gu Huaisheng.

The person who came was the Minister of Rites. He came to see Gu Huaisheng today to discuss something concerning the Autumn Examination.

The Minister of Rites knocked on the door of the private room, and a voice came from inside: "Come in."

He pushed the door open.

After entering the house, he found Gu Huaisheng doing official business at the table. He walked up to him and called out, "Young Master Gu."

Gu Huaisheng raised his eyes, recognized the person, and stood up to greet him.

The two went to the reception area and sat down.

They served in the same court, but they were only familiar with each other, not acquainted with each other. Gu Huaisheng knew that the Ministry of Rites was busy with the autumn examination recently, and he didn't know what the minister wanted to do by coming to him.

The Minister of Rites took time out to come here. He got straight to the point and said, "I came to see you today because I want your help regarding the Autumn Examination."

Gu Huaisheng poured him a cup of tea and pushed it over to him, saying, "Sir, just speak frankly if you have anything to say."

"It's like this. The autumn imperial examination is approaching this year, but the supervisor has not yet been decided. This time, I came to ask the young marquis to take this position."

Supervisors are usually officials from the imperial court.

Every year during the Autumn Examination, there are always some restless people who want to cheat, but Emperor Taihe has attached great importance to the Autumn Examination in recent years. If something goes wrong during the Autumn Examination, it will be a very difficult and troublesome matter.

The Minister of Rites spent several days selecting supervisory officials, and in the end he felt that Gu Huaisheng was more reliable.

Gu Huaisheng's reputation and ability are witnessed by everyone in the capital. Just from the fact that he was promoted to the position of second in command within two years of entering the Censorate, it should be known that there is no one in the Censorate who is more capable than him.

Besides, his official position is not too high and he is still young, so he should not be that difficult to talk to. If you ask him for help, he might agree.

The Minister of Rites came to the Censorate on a whim, wanting him to take on this difficult and troublesome job.

After he finished explaining his purpose, he carefully looked at Gu Huaisheng's expression, fearing that he might disagree. He saw that the man sitting opposite him frowned slightly, and for a moment he couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Seeing Gu Huaisheng frowning, the minister couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. His mind raced, and he was trying to find some excuse to ask him for help.

However, before he could open his mouth, he heard Gu Huai's voice on the other side: "Okay, I can help you with this."

As soon as he said this, the excuse that the Minister of Rites was about to make was swallowed back into his throat. He was overjoyed, not expecting that Gu Huaisheng was actually willing to take on this hot potato.

The Autumn Examination lasted for three days, and he served as a supervisor for three days. It was really hard work, and most people would not be willing to take on such a thankless job.

Gu Huaisheng added, "But I will be fully responsible for the affairs of the Gongyuan at that time. If anything happens, please do not interfere."

He was willing to take on this job, of course, for his own selfish reasons. He could endure those troubles for his own selfish reasons. But he also didn't want to make things more complicated. Since the job was given to him, it would be better for the Ministry of Rites not to interfere in the future affairs of the examination hall. Otherwise, the Ministry of Rites would be in charge, and the Censorate would also be in charge. If something really happened, the two sides would inevitably fight, which would make things even more protracted and difficult to deal with.

The minister was even happier when he was able to get rid of this hot potato. He was extremely confident in Gu Huaisheng, and he could be a hands-off manager if he was given the task. He quickly agreed to his words, "If something really happens, the Ministry of Rites will fully cooperate with the Censorate."

He stood up again and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you, young master. I'll go find Lord Yushi and ask him to lend it to you for three days."

Having said that, he took his leave and left.

Even after the man left, Gu Huaisheng still sat there without moving.

I don’t know what I was thinking about.

He pursed his thin lips unconsciously and frowned.

He still remembered what Jiang Jingchun said that night. He broke up with him because of such a person...

He actually wanted to see what basis Song Xuan'an had for saying he would marry her.