“Ha.” Gu Hui sneered with a sidelong glance, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, then said coldly, “If I were to send my son to the Northern Frontier, it seems like the end of my Gu family would be near.”
Lu Zhao lowered his eyes, and said indifferently, “Indeed, but now His Majesty is extremely wary of the Gu family. Just because of fear of death, Uncle Gu, do you really not want to think of a way out?”
Without a way out, it’s still death. Lu Zhao made it very clear.
“Young Master Gu has deliberately neglected his studies for several years. Is he truly content?” Lu Zhao’s eyes casually glanced at the door, and Gu Ziyan outside the door shuddered all over. Lu Zhao’s words hit him where it hurts, causing him to clench his fists tightly and restrain himself forcefully.
Lu Zhao continued with a hint of implication, “Since he can’t take the Imperial Examinations, why not join the military and earn military achievements step by step on his own? And…” Lu Zhao chuckled lightly, his tone icy, “Uncle Gu, do you think His Majesty can hold on for a few more years?”
With this remark, everyone inside and outside the room trembled, then fell into a long silence.
“Such audacity!” Shen Qingyao sighed.
The system, accustomed to such scenes, remained quiet, waiting for her next words. Sure enough, Shen Qingyao added triumphantly, “Truly a man chosen by me!”
[…] Did you really choose him? The system snorted.
Gu Ziyan outside the door lowered his head and stared at the ground, his thoughts unknown. After a while, his gaze gradually became firm. He gritted his teeth, abandoned the idea of entering the room, and turned to leave.
The shadow imprinted on the door disappeared, and a faint smile played at the corner of Lu Zhao’s mouth. From Shen Qingyao’s perspective, he looked particularly like a villain.
Startled, she glanced at Lu Zhao’s head. Seeing no change in the numbers, she thought they wouldn’t change for now, so she relaxed.
Gu Hui evidently also noticed the shadow. His expression changed slightly, but he didn’t say much, just sighed.
After a strange silence, Gu Hui called for Uncle Zhao again, and everyone seemed to have completely forgotten the tense atmosphere just now, chatting and laughing as if what had just happened was staged for someone else’s benefit…
Shen Qingyao : I don’t quite understand, but I’m greatly impressed.
As the two returned to the inn, Shen Qingyao saw Gu Ziyuan from afar on the carriage. He was laughing carefreely, flirting with a girl dressed in green clothes on the street, whom Shen Qingyao had seen before, the one she met when entering the city.
It must be Lin Wan’er.
At this moment, Lin Wan’er’s face was partially covered by a light veil, but even from her eyes alone, one could sense her helplessness and annoyance.
After watching for a while, Shen Qingyao turned her head and sighed. What can I do to save you? Oh Straight Guy Gu, the elementary school kid who just started to fall in love.
Then she glanced at Lu Zhao, thinking that this person is quite something.
Lu Zhao raised an eyebrow, somewhat curious, “What did you see, Yaoyao?”
Why was she looking at him with such a strange expression again?
Shen Qingyao whispered, “I saw Young Master Gu and his childhood sweetheart.”
“Childhood sweetheart?” Lu Zhao repeated.
“It’s Miss Lin, the one he’s engaged to.” Shen Qingyao paused, suddenly realizing that strictly speaking, she and Lu Zhao were also childhood sweethearts.
Afraid that Lu Zhao might say something dangerously teasing again, Shen Qingyao quickly changed the subject and asked, “Elder Brother Lu Zhao, do you know I don’t remember things from before?”
She remembered him mentioning it earlier.
Lu Zhao nodded, his gaze gentle, “Yes, when you fell ill that time, I happened to be with my father in Xiling. We agreed to bring you back Xiling’s osmanthus cake, but when I returned, you didn’t recognize me…”
Lu Zhao’s tone was filled with melancholy as he spoke, and it saddened Shen Qingyao too. She even dared not ask, where did the thing he brought back go?
Avoiding eye contact in panic, Shen Qingyao felt a tightness in her chest. She steadied her mind and thought it best not to dwell on such heavy topics anymore.
So she forced a smile and asked again, “What’s the deal between Uncle Gu, Dad, and Father1? Wasn’t it said that Mother almost… almost got married off to Gu Hui?” Shen Qingyao glanced at Lu Zhao and thought that if it had been a little bit more, Lu Zhao would have been surnamed Gu.
Lu Zhao seemed surprised by her question, and with a smile, he ruffled her hair affectionately, “Back then, Uncle Gu, my Father, and your Dad were all close friends studying together. Later, they all achieved success in their respective careers. Father went to the frontier to serve in the military, your Dad entered the Hanlin Academy but was transferred to another official position within two years, and Uncle Gu…” Lu Zhao paused for a moment, seemingly contemplating the appropriate words, “At that time, the Gu family was in great trouble, and Uncle Gu couldn’t escape either; he was exiled.”
“How could that happen?” Shen Qingyao covered her mouth in astonishment.
“It wasn’t until later, when the current Emperor reexamined the Gu family’s case, that Uncle Gu was rescued and returned. Within two years, the late Emperor passed away, and the current Emperor ascended the throne, allowing the three of them to reunite. However, as all three had become important officials, they naturally couldn’t display too close of a relationship. It’s normal that you didn’t know,” Lu Zhao explained.
“As for Uncle Gu and Mother…” Lu Zhao paused skillfully once again, piquing Shen Qingyao’s curiosity even more.
“Come on, spill it out!” Shen Qingyao was eager for the juiciest part, almost wishing she could pounce on Lu Zhao to hurry him up.
Lu Zhao chuckled lightly, feeling nothing improper about gossiping about his own mother, especially when there wasn’t much gossip, just rumors.
“Uncle Gu had no relationship whatsoever with Mother!” He lightly tapped the young girl’s head and then pulled her into his embrace, “Mother and Father were a couple in love since they were young, and Uncle Gu had his own love interest at the time. The so-called arranged marriage was just a test from the Emperor at the time, but Father, Mother, and Uncle Gu thwarted it together.”
“Uncle Gu’s love interest? Was it Madam Gu?” Shen Qingyao, fueled by her desire for the full story, asked another question. It seemed she had never heard the Gu father and son mention this mysterious Lady Gu.
But Lu Zhao shook his head and whispered softly, “No. His love interest at the time was someone he couldn’t marry. And now, Madam Gu whom he married, also passed away after giving birth to their son.”
Shen Qingyao gasped, taken aback. She hadn’t expected there to be more to the story. Goodness, wasn’t the male lead of this book supposed to be Gu Ziyan? With such parents’ background, it would be hard to wrap up the story!
“Then…” The legendary love interest whom Uncle Gu couldn’t marry was…?
Lu Zhao knew what she wanted to ask. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered a name. Shen Qingyao’s eyes widened in disbelief. “How could it be…”
Lu Zhao didn’t react much. He withdrew from her, saying calmly, “So whoever comes this time, Uncle Gu would agree to cooperate with the Northern Frontier. It’s just that if it’s me, Xiao Mu would feel more reassured.”
Shen Qingyao nodded absentmindedly, still in shock.
The next day, news spread in Ning City that the Young Master of the Gu family had run away from home.
Shen Qingyao was so shocked that she dropped a teacup upon hearing it. She exchanged a glance with Lu Zhao, who seemed oddly unsurprised. A sudden realization struck Shen Qingyao.
The news didn’t cause much of a stir in Ning City. After all, they were used to Gu Ziyan causing trouble and doing something ridiculous like running away from home every now and then. The common people didn’t believe he could go far, and they expected him to slink back home within a few days.
The only notable reaction came from the Gu Mansion itself. It was said that Gu Hui, after reading the letter left by Gu Ziyan, was so furious that he smashed his beloved blue-and-white porcelain vase.
When Shen Qingyao followed Lu Zhao back to the Gu Mansion the next day, she found that just one night had turned the mansion upside down.
At least… Shen Qingyao looked around at the mess, struggling to find a place to stand, and thought, At least this reception room had indeed undergone a significant change.
Meanwhile, Governor Gu Hui was leisurely holding a teacup, sipping slowly, and then leisurely knocked over a vase nearby with a smile on his face… well, he roared angrily, “Go find that little bastard for me! If you can’t find him, don’t bother coming back!!!”
The team of guards outside, fully prepared, showed no signs of panic. They even appeared relaxed and, with a casual acknowledgment, went off ‘to catch’ someone, stepping lightly.
Shen Qingyao : “Uh, this…”
System : [Uh, this…]
What’s going on? Shen Qingyao went to look at Lu Zhao with question marks all over her head.
Lu Zhao was also shocked by the scene before him, unable to speak for a long time. He never expected Gu Hui to go to such lengths. After a while, he finally chuckled.
“Uncle Gu, why are you so angry?” Facing Gu Hui’s smiling but ‘angry’ face, Lu Zhao asked seriously.
Gu Hui snorted when he saw him coming, confirming the ‘rumor’ of his anger.
Lu Zhao calmly met his gaze for a while and asked, “Even the dark guards who have been trained for years have been sent out. It seems Uncle Gu agrees to let Young Master Gu go to the Northern Territory?”
“What’s the use of whether I agree or not? This kid has already run away!” Gu Hui grabbed a piece of paper next to him and waved it at Lu Zhao, his voice full of resentment. “Don’t think I don’t know. Those words you said yesterday weren’t meant for me to hear. They were all for my son, right?”
Lu Zhao smiled obediently and didn’t respond to Gu Hui’s words, looking as if he didn’t know what Gu Hui was talking about.
Shen Qingyao looked around and felt that this was a scene of superb acting of throwing blame around. She exclaimed how wonderful it was.
“If Uncle Gu doesn’t agree, I’m afraid Young Master Gu won’t be able to leave Ning City no matter how capable he is.”
Gu Hui snorted again, tacitly agreeing.
Only Shen Qingyao didn’t understand. Yesterday, he said he wouldn’t let Gu Ziyan go, but now he agreed when his son ran away himself?
“I certainly can’t actively send him to the Northern Territory, nor can I show any support. But…” Gu Hui smiled like an old fox. “Everyone knows my son’s stubbornness. He ran away from home, and I’ve sent people to catch him. However, before I could catch him, he stumbled into the Northern Territory by accident and was forced to join the army. He’s already registered as a soldier. Even if I’m his father, I can’t go against the country’s laws, right?”
Lu Zhao nodded in agreement. “Uncle Gu is right. Even if His Majesty finds out, at most, he’ll just scold you for not disciplining your son properly. Without evidence, His Majesty won’t do much to you.”
[…Just to join the army? How could it be so complicated just to join the army?] The system was already confused, even AI couldn’t keep up with the intricate schemes of humans.
However, Shen Qingyao couldn’t explain too much to it either because she was confused herself. But she vaguely understood that ancient people valued legitimacy. With this approach, even if the Emperor wanted to make trouble, he lacked a pretext and couldn’t do much.
She looked at the eyes of the two men in front of her. She realized that there was an intellectual gap that she couldn’t cross. She willingly admitted defeat…
- Dad is referring to Father Shen (Shen Qingyao’s father), and Father is referring to Duke Lu (Lu Zhao’s father) ↩︎