The next day when Shen Qingyao woke up, surprisingly Lu Zhao was still lying beside her, not having left.
Listening to the steady breathing of the person beside her, Shen Qingyao’s hand was still resting on his waist, almost entirely nestled in his embrace. Feeling the strength of the muscles under her palm, Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but blush.
But she didn’t retract her hand, instead boldly feeling it, finding the sensation quite nice.
Lu Zhao usually appeared lean, but unexpectedly, he had a well-built physique underneath. Shen Qingyao couldn’t help but smirk, wondering about something.
Suddenly, a large hand pressed down her wandering hand. Shen Qingyao jumped in surprise, looking up to see Lu Zhao awake.
Lu Zhao, who had just woken up, looked sleepy, his eyes opening and closing lazily, but he didn’t let go of Shen Qingyao’s hand. His voice was husky and low, with a hint of a smile, “Satisfied with the touch, Yaoyao?”
She was indeed quite satisfied, but being caught red-handed was a bit embarrassing. Shen Qingyao’s head was steaming, and with a muffled sound, she buried her head in Lu Zhao’s shoulder like an ostrich, tactically avoiding this dangerous question.
Lu Zhao chuckled even louder, opening his eyes again and squeezing the hand that was holding onto him, trying to pry the clinging girl off him, to no avail. He couldn’t resist teasing her, “Seems like you’re very satisfied, huh? Yaoyao doesn’t want to let go.”
Shen Qingyao lifted her head, her lips tightly sealed, clearly indicating she wouldn’t speak, only silently accusing with her eyes. She wanted to say: It’s clearly you holding onto my hand and not letting me retract it!
After enough of the fuss, Shen Qingyao settled down next to Lu Zhao again, enjoying the laziness, and casually asked, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, are you not going out today?”
Lu Zhao murmured in agreement, gently patting her back, making Shen Qingyao feel drowsy again. He said, “Things are almost sorted out, we’ll be able to leave Ning City soon.”
Hearing this, Shen Qingyao lifted her eyelids to glance at him, feeling somewhat happy. “Really? That’s great!”
If they had secured the iron mine, then her brother-in-law’s worries would be resolved. With the weapons produced from the iron mine, the army in the Northern Frontier would undoubtedly become much stronger!
“Why does Yaoyao never ask me where I’m going?” Lu Zhao suddenly asked.
Shen Qingyao’s heart skipped a beat, suddenly realizing that indeed, apart from knowing that Lu Zhao wasn’t after a gold mine, she had never asked about anything else. Normally, one would ask what he was doing. Not to mention, Shen Qingyao was Lu Zhao’s wife, who should be concerned about everything.
But Shen Qingyao didn’t, because she already knew.
Forget about the system, she herself was like a super plug-in as she knew the plot.
“…” She made a big mistake.
Shen Qingyao choked, her brain suddenly blank, unable to come up with any excuses.
Fortunately, Lu Zhao didn’t really care about this. If she didn’t ask, he would take the initiative to tell her.
“How about Yaoyao accompany me somewhere later?” Lu Zhao got up.
“Where to?” Shen Qingyao also sat up, holding the blanket and asked.
Lu Zhao had already gotten out of bed, his back clad in an undershirt perfectly displaying his well-defined waist and abdomen. Shen Qingyao felt a bit flustered, hastily avoiding eye contact, but after a moment of hesitation, she couldn’t help but sneak another glance.
“We’re old married couple who have been married for a month, what’s wrong with me taking another look?” Shen Qingyao thought to herself with unwavering confidence.
System : [Heh, just married for a month, what old married couple.]
“…”
Sensing her gaze, Lu Zhao revealed a mysterious smile, making Shen Qingyao feel guilty for a while. Only then did she hear him leisurely say, “We’re going to the Gu Residence.”
“This is the mansion of the Governor of Ning State?” Shen Qingyao looked around curiously, feeling like it didn’t quite look like one.
Considering Gu Ziyan’s usual style of dress, where he always adorned himself with either gold or silver, and at the very least, with jade, Shen Qingyao had always imagined that she would see a grand and luxurious mansion. However, she never expected that the Gu Residence would be built with such elegance. Short trees obscured artificial mountains, while meandering waters flowed along the path, with the sound of clear music lingering in the air. It exuded more scholarly charm than the typical noble family. It was difficult to imagine that this was the residence of someone who owned a gold mine.
Lu Zhao led her forward without the need for servants’ guidance, appearing very familiar with the surroundings. He nodded at Shen Qingyao’s question and explained softly, “The Gu family used to be a renowned scholarly family in the past. However, they encountered great difficulties during the previous dynasty and declined. It wasn’t until this generation that Governor Gu regained favor from His Majesty and rose again.”
Lu Zhao paused for a moment before continuing, “Although it may seem that Governor Gu has only recently gained favor as a newly appointed official, in reality, the family’s heritage is no less than any other prestigious family.”
Lu Zhao’s expression was solemn as he spoke, indicating that there were some hidden details he couldn’t reveal to her.
Shen Qingyao nodded understandingly, refraining from asking further questions. She couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised that in a scholarly family lineage, there emerged a son like Gu Ziyan, who disliked studying and instead favored martial arts.
She chuckled softly, finding this setup quite fitting for a male lead.
Lu Zhao looked at her with confusion, “What’s so funny?”
Shen Qingyao quickly shook her head, “It’s nothing…”
After a few more steps, a figure emerged from the house to greet them. It was an elderly man with white hair but a lively spirit. Upon seeing Shen Qingyao beside Lu Zhao, he smiled warmly and directly bypassed Lu Zhao to greet her.
Shen Qingyao was puzzled and turned to look at Lu Zhao, who had already become accustomed to this, and called out, “Uncle Zhao,” then patted Shen Qingyao, indicating for her to follow the man inside.
Inside, Gu Hui had been waiting for quite some time. Upon seeing them enter, he snorted coldly, “You come earlier and earlier when you need something. Now that your goal is achieved, you don’t even bother to put on a facade? It’s already midday, and only now you remember to come?”
Shen Qingyao’s face reddened slightly, realizing that her tendency to oversleep was to blame for them being late. However, Lu Zhao remained calm and smiled faintly, showing no signs of panic. “Regardless of when I come, Uncle Gu will always agree to help me. Instead of going through the motions, why don’t we all just get a good night’s sleep?”
“You brat!” Gu Hui pretended to be angry, but upon seeing the person beside him, he cleared his throat a couple of times and ultimately didn’t follow through with the scolding.
From the moment they entered, Shen Qingyao had been looking around with astonishment. No one had informed her that it would be such a casual scene!
She had assumed that the head of a scholarly family would be dignified and mysterious, and that Lu Zhao’s negotiations would be conducted with confidence and dignity, akin to high-level business discussions. She hadn’t expected it to be like this, with everyone bantering as if they were family.
Suddenly, the filter was shattered.
As if sensing her thoughts, Lu Zhao chuckled softly. He explained, “Uncle Gu and my father were old acquaintances from their time in the capital. They were colleagues with your father for a while too. It’s just that later, Uncle Gu was transferred to Ning City. Speaking of which, both your Brother and I spent some time learning under Uncle Gu when we were younger.”
Seeing her stunned expression, Lu Zhao continued, “When we were young, you often went to Uncle Gu’s house with your Brother. Uncle Zhao was the one who took care of you. It’s just that you probably don’t remember now.”
Shen Qingyao widened her eyes, hastily showing her respect, although she couldn’t help but wonder, why wasn’t this mentioned in the script? And how could Uncle Gu have old ties with the Lu family? Didn’t the rumors say that Grand Princess Duanhua almost married this man? Could it be that two good friends fell for the same person? But that didn’t seem likely.
Before she could delve deeper into her thoughts, Gu Hui gestured for her to rise, his gaze now gentle and affectionate.
As Lu Zhao led Shen Qingyao to sit down, he poured water for he and pushed the snacks towards her. Watching her slowly eat, he then turned to speak, “We will leave Ning City soon. Regarding future communication with the Fifth Prince, I’ll have to trouble Uncle Gu. Thank you, Uncle Gu, on behalf of the Fifth Prince.”
Gu Hui’s expression turned serious. He lightly tapped the table with his hand and spoke in a deep voice, “You don’t need to thank me. We are simply benefiting each other.”
Shen Qingyao felt that the conversation was a bit delicate for some reason and looked up. However, Gu Hui concealed his emotions very well, and she couldn’t see anything, so she had to give up. She shouldn’t be so curious, isn’t it better to be a lazy bum? Shen Qingyao persuaded herself and took another bite of the snack.
At this moment, a servant rushed in from outside, looking flustered. He shouted, “Sir! Something bad happened! Young Master, he…”
“What has he done again?” Gu Hui’s eyebrows raised when he heard it was Gu Ziyan causing trouble again, his anger evident.
The servant gasped for breath, “Young Master, he went to see Miss Lin again, but he was thrown out by the Lin family’s people…”
Upon hearing the reason, Gu Hui calmed down. Being thrown out of the mansion wasn’t a big deal; there were far more outrageous things than this. So he leaned back and asked casually, “What’s the reason this time?”
The servant swallowed hard and said with difficulty, “Young Master, he… he gave Miss Lin a basket of flowers…”
“What? Nonsense!” Gu Hui’s anger flared up again, startling Shen Qingyao. She grabbed Lu Zhao’s sleeve, not understanding how it could be nonsense. Then she heard Gu Hui continue, “That girl from the Lin family has been allergic to pollen since she was a child. Everyone in Ning City knows it. Why would he still give her flowers?”
…I never expected Lin Wan’er to be allergic to pollen? Shen Qingyao felt a bit guilty. Did she inadvertently cause trouble for Miss Lin by helping Gu Ziyuan?
She blinked and looked at Lu Zhao, her eyes filled with guilt, panic, and more importantly, apology, hoping Miss Lin was okay.
Lu Zhao gently patted her hand to reassure her that everything was fine.
After instructing the servants to handle the matter, Gu Hui sighed heavily, exhausted. “I’ve made you all witness another joke. That stubborn brat, he’s really hopeless!”
Lu Zhao thought for a moment and asked, “Uncle Gu, since Young Master Gu isn’t interested in scholarly pursuits, why not let him try martial arts exams?”
Gu Hui smiled, a glint of wisdom in his eyes. “Do you think I haven’t considered that? But the Gu family already has me, the Governor responsible for guarding the dragon vein. If another martial arts champion emerges, what would His Majesty think?”
Lu Zhao’s lips curved up, as if he had already anticipated such a response. He suggested, “If he doesn’t participate in the martial arts exams, why not let Young Master Gu go out for some experience? He’s just a young man who acts without considering the consequences. Perhaps some experience will improve him?”
“Where to gain experience?” Gu Hui’s wise eyes stared straight at Lu Zhao, and the two silently confronted each other.
“The Northern Frontier,” Lu Zhao said casually, as if he were greeting someone, but the name of the place he uttered was astonishing.
Shen Qingyao suddenly looked up at him. Even the normal path of taking martial arts exams would be viewed with suspicion by the Emperor. Sending his son to the Northern Frontier so openly? Perhaps before Gu Ziyan even arrived there, the imperial decree for his execution would arrive simultaneously at Ning City and the Fifth Prince’s Mansion.
Even she could foresee this outcome. If Lu Zhao knew it, why would he suggest it? Shen Qingyao’s heart tensed.
At the same time, just as Gu Ziyan, who had returned home slowly, was about to enter the door, he heard the conversation inside. When the words ‘Northern Frontier’ were spoken, Gu Ziyan also shook all over, almost without hesitation, he dodged and hid behind the door…
He pressed down his rapidly beating heart and repeated in a low voice, “Northern Frontier?”
Thanks for the chapters!!!!