The provincial-level imperial examinations ended around dusk. At this time, Jiang Jinghui sat inside a teahouse in the capital. Sitting across from her was the man who often sneaked into the Jiang family house in black clothing.

Tonight, though, he was dressed in a blue regular attire. His posture was upright, and his demeanour was warm and composed.

Jiang Jinghui had a faint smile on her face as she rested her chin on her hand and asked, “So, what now? It seems your little scheme to frame your brother for cheating has fallen through.”

Her tone sounded concerned, yet there was a distinct trace of schadenfreude in it.

It seemed as though watching him flounder brought her genuine delight.

Song Xuanjing, who sat across from her, remained unruffled by her words. His expression was as calm as ever. He chuckled softly, as if the matter held no importance to him as he said, “Gu Huaisheng shielded him. What else could I do?”

He had gone to the trouble of planting the evidence—tiny gold foil sheets of excerpts from the Four Books and Five Classics, carefully hidden inside a hollow brush handle. Somehow, though, those cheat sheets were switched out for Buddhist scriptures. After thinking it through, he figured out that the only possible explanation was that the exam overseer, Gu Huaisheng, had intervened and swapped it.

Knowing Gu Huaisheng, he’d probably have destroyed the original sheets by now.

Song Xuanjing saw no point in continuing that scheme now.

He appeared indifferent to the turn of events. Things hadn’t gone as planned, but so be it. What more could he do?

Jiang Jinghui, however, found his explanation puzzling. Gu Huaisheng helped Song Xuan’an? That didn’t make sense.

After all, if Gu Huaisheng had any feelings for Jiang Jingchun, wouldn’t that put him in direct competition with Song Xuan’an? Shouldn’t he have been eager to see Song Xuan’an fail?

She thought back to Jiang Jingchun’s decision to leave the city. Could it somehow be connected to this incident?

Jiang Jinghui couldn’t make sense of it, so she decided to drop the matter for now. Instead, she asked him, “Now that you’ve failed to use this chance to bring Song Xuan’an down, you might not get another opportunity. How will you seize power in the Song family after this?”

If Song Xuan’an had been convicted of cheating, with Song He’s immense affection for Song Xuanjing, the future of the Song family’s main branch would undoubtedly have fallen into Song Xuanjing’s hands.

Now, things were becoming complicated.

Song Xuanjing let out a sigh and said in a languid tone, “What’s there to fear? After all this, do you really think he can pass the imperial examinations? I doubt it. As long as he doesn’t pass, everything else will fall into place.”

That made sense.

If Song Xuan’an couldn’t pass, then the rest wouldn’t matter. Everything Song Xuanjing wanted would still be in reach for him.

As for Song Xuan’an learning the truth? Song Xuanjing didn’t seem concerned about that.

If he’d been afraid of being discovered, he wouldn’t have made his move in the first place.

He only regretted that, after years of careful scheming and after the perfect opportunity had presented itself, someone else stepped in to foil his plan.

Jiang Jinghui chuckled and said, “What a good elder brother you are; Song Xuan’an trusts you so completely, but his trust is really misplaced.”

Song Xuanjing sneered with scorn upon hearing her remark. He raised his cup for a sip before replying, “If we’re talking about good siblings, you’re no better. Jiang Jingchun left the city, and you immediately had some people tail her. What exactly are you plotting?”

The smile in Jiang Jinghui’s eyes faded. “Oh, that? I just want her to see how harsh the world can be.”

She wanted Jiang Jingchun to experience for herself the kind of life she had endured.

The words Jiang Jingchun had spoken that day still rang harshly in Jiang Jinghui’s ears. Now that the opportunity had arisen, she wasn’t about to let it slip.

When she was younger, she had been sold to a brothel and had spent ages trying to escape. She was curious—if Jiang Jingchun encountered the same fate, how would she handle it?

After all, Jiang Jingchun had only brought along a single female bodyguard with some martial arts skills. What use would that be?

---

At the gates of the examination compound, with the provincial-level imperial examinations concluded, the candidates poured out from within the examination compound.

After coming out of the examination compound, Song Xuan’an didn’t see Jiang Jingchun and found it odd. Hadn’t she said earlier that she would come here to meet him? But now, why was she nowhere to be found?

He couldn’t fathom why his elder brother’s gift—a wolf-hair brush—had contained something like that. When the gold foil sheets were discovered during the inspection, he was taken to a holding cell for an entire afternoon. While the others had their verdicts determined, his case remained unresolved for some time. He had already resigned himself to his fate, yet, unexpectedly, he was eventually released.

It turned out that Gu Huaisheng’s investigation revealed that the writing on the gold foil sheets was actually Buddhist scripture. No further action was taken against him.

Song Xuan’an wasn’t sure if his brother, Song Xuanjing, had been aware of the gold foil sheets. Perhaps his brother had deliberately placed those sheets as a way to bless and protect him. After all, if his brother had wanted to harm him, he likely wouldn’t have been released in the end.

So, he thought, this whole ordeal must have been an accident. Maybe his elder brother had only hoped to bring him some good fortune.

After all, his brother had always been so good to him. How could he possibly wish him harm?

Still, even if it was an accident, Song Xuan’an’s young and immature mind couldn’t help but be shaken by the experience.

He had spent three muddled days inside, to the point where he could barely remember what he had written during the examination period.

His unease was worsened when he stepped out of the examination compound and failed to spot Jiang Jingchun. His heart started to pound even harder. He asked Madame Song what had happened, but she evaded his questions at every turn.

After the earlier incident, Madame Song didn’t even ask how Song Xuan’an had performed during his examination, nor did she address any questions about Jiang Jingchun. All she wanted was to get through this one day without facing more trouble.

The incident had frightened her so much that she avoided discussing anything related to the provincial-level imperial examinations and refused to answer any of Song Xuan’an’s questions. Right now, she just wanted to take Song Xuan’an home.

She said, “Don’t concern yourself with anything else for now. You’ve been inside the examination compound for three days, and it’s a blessing you’re out. Can’t you just focus on something lighter for a moment? Go home, take a bath, and get a good night’s sleep to relax.”

After hearing this, Song Xuan’an finally stopped pestering her.

The two left the gate of the examination compound and headed back towards the Song family residence.

---

That autumn night was quiet. The moonlight shone on the yellow leaves that had fallen to the ground, which rustled softly underfoot. As the sky had turned dark, Jiang Jingchun, Huayun, and Xuezhao went to an inn in the town to rest for the day.

The travelogue that Chen Muqing had given to her was truly great. Following its guidance, she and her companions had journeyed southward from the capital, and saw delightful scenery along the way. Though the journey had been somewhat exhausting, the three of them felt their spirits lifting thanks to this trip.

Xuezhao, who was naturally reserved, had been cold and distant at first. At first, she was unwilling to engage much with Jiang Jingchun and Huayun. However, after spending three days together, the female bodyguard finally warmed up to them and spoke more.

It had gotten late, so they decided to spend the evening in the small town’s inn and continue their journey the following day.

Once they entered the inn, Jiang Jingchun booked three adjacent rooms. After enjoying their dinner at that inn, they each retired to their own rooms for the night.

Jiang Jingchun had gotten thoroughly worn out from the past few days. After she washed up and prepared for bed, she lay down on the bed and practically drifted off the moment her head hit the pillow.

As the night deepened and the time neared the third watch, Jiang Jingchun was fast asleep. It was then that a faint rustling sound came from the window.

The inn was only two stories tall, which made entry through the windows effortless. A stick of sedative incense burned a hole in the window paper and released smoke that quickly filled the room. The already slumbering occupant sank even deeper into unconsciousness.

After a while, a figure slipped in through the window. That figure moved in with practised stealth. Without making a sound, that figure wrapped Jiang Jingchun’s quilt tightly, with her still in it, and carried her off that way. In that way, Jiang Jingchun disappeared from the inn without a sound.

All of this was observed by the secret guards stationed outside the inn.

The two secret guards following Jiang Jingchun were a man and a woman.

Seeing Jiang Jingchun being taken away, the female secret guard immediately said, “These people really dared to act! This doesn’t look good—Miss Jiang seems to be in danger. Should we intervene?”

The male secret guard said, “Don’t rush. Didn’t Shuliang just send word today? If nothing serious happens, letting them scare her a bit is fine. Let’s follow them for now and see what they’re planning. If things really take a turn for the worse, we’ll still have time to step in.”

The female secret guard hesitated for a moment, then said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Scaring her aside, we don’t know where they’re taking her. What if something happens? That would be disastrous.”

Clearly, the two had different definitions of ‘danger’ and ‘scare.’ The female secret guard believed they should act immediately, while the male secret guard thought it premature. After all, she hadn’t experienced anything truly frightening yet.

The male secret guard said, “You’ve seen how detached and unfeeling our young master usually is. If he said to scare her, he definitely meant it. Miss Jiang sneaking out like this must have really upset him. How could we let her off without letting her suffer a little?”

The two of them clearly held their own opinion. However, the man added, “Don’t worry. Let’s do it my way this time. If anything goes wrong, I’ll take full responsibility. Besides, as secret guards, we’re prohibited from revealing our identities. Moreover, if Miss Jiang finds out we’ve been tailing her all this time, and it implicates the young master, things will spiral out of control.”

The woman found his reasoning sound. After all, secret guards indeed should remain in the shadows whenever possible. If Jiang Jingchun discovered them and went to confront their young master later, that would be a nightmare. Seeing that the man was willing to bear the consequences, she finally relented and dropped her insistence on taking action.

Neither spoke further as they followed the group of people who had abducted Jiang Jingchun.

The group of abductors, who consisted of three men, carried Jiang Jingchun directly into a brothel.

After the three carried Jiang Jingchun to the brothel, they sold her to the brothel madam and then disappeared. Seeing that Jiang Jingchun was still unconscious, the madam did nothing immediately and simply left her lying on the floor before stepping out of the room.

The two secret guards initially stayed outside and only observed through the window. Once the coast was clear, they slipped inside and perched on the beams of the room. They took turns to rest through the night while keeping a close watch on Jiang Jingchun.

Around dawn the next morning, the madam returned.

She instructed her servant to wake up the still-unconscious Jiang Jingchun.

Jiang Jingchun, who had been knocked out with a sedative the previous day, was still groggy and disoriented. In her haze, she felt someone pinching her, which made her frown in pain.

The sharp discomfort jolted her awake. Seeing the unfamiliar and gaudily dressed middle-aged woman standing before her, she snapped into full alertness.

What was going on? Wasn’t she sleeping soundly in the inn last night? How did she wake up in this strange place? And where was this, exactly?

She looked down and realised that she was still dressed in her sleepwear. Her quilt had been casually tossed beside her.

She quickly deduced that she must have been abducted while she was asleep.

She’d spent the last night lying on the cold, hard floor, so her body now ached, as though it were falling apart.

As her senses returned, Jiang Jingchun surveyed her surroundings.

The room was gaudy to the extreme. It had red and purple drapes. Tacky and overwhelming tablecloths and decor. Luxurious silks and brocades filled her vision, and they almost made her eyes ache.

Though Jiang Jingchun had never visited such places before, the decor and the woman’s garish attire made it clear where she was. She was in a brothel.

Upon realising this, her face tensed.

What was going on? Who had abducted her and brought her here?

The madam noticed the growing panic in Jiang Jingchun’s eyes and smiled even more broadly. She pinched Jiang Jingchun’s cheek and said, “You’re truly a beauty. Even while frightened, you’re still this lovely. You’re worth every bit of the hundreds of taels I paid to buy you.”

Disgust and fear surged in Jiang Jingchun’s heart at the old woman’s leery expression. She couldn’t understand how she had been abducted. Just yesterday, everything had been fine. How had she ended up in such a situation after one night?

She tried to reason with the madam. “What you’re doing is human trafficking. If the authorities find out, you’ll be done for…”

The madam tightened her grip on Jiang Jingchun’s face. Her disdain was evident in her expression as she mockingly laughed and said, “Are you going to report me? To whom, exactly? You’re in my hands now, and you still think you can involve the authorities?”

This naive little thing. She looked young and delicate, but the madame didn’t think that she’d be this childish.

Seeing that her reasoning didn’t work, Jiang Jingchun tried another approach. “How much did you pay for me? I’ll give you double! Just let me go, and I’ll have the money delivered to you right away.”

“500 taels.”

Jiang Jingchun said, “I have it! I’ll give you the money, just release me!”

The madam clearly didn’t believe her. She thought that Jiang Jingchun was talking big and lying to escape. How could a young girl have and offer 1,000 taels so lightly? Who was she to have that kind of money? Anyhow, the madam would rather bet on the girl’s value as a commodity rather than some empty promise.

“Pretty girl, do you know how much a single night of springtime joy can fetch? Keeping you here and selling you to the right customer will make me far more than a thousand taels.”

The madam’s gaze raked over Jiang Jingchun, who was still dressed in pristine white inner garments. Her underclothes were faintly visible beneath. 

She clicked her tongue in admiration, then said, “What a figure. Truly exceptional. It’s just those feet…”

She paused and frowned slightly. “What’s this? Your family didn’t bind your feet? Hah… well, big feet will have to do.”

Jiang Jingchun realised that the madam had no intention of letting her go and tried another tactic. “Do you know who my grandmother is? She’s a first-rank madame of imperial conferment! If you harm me, she’ll never let you get away with it!”

The madam laughed upon hearing this. “Oh, this is rich! Most people boast about their powerful parents, but you’re throwing your grandmother into the mix? Listen here, little girl. Even if your father were the king of Heaven and your grandmother the goddess Guanyin, it wouldn’t matter now. You’re in my brothel. If you think you’re walking out of here, think again.”

She dismissed Jiang Jingchun’s claims as nonsense. What respectable household wouldn’t have their daughters bind their feet? The girl was clearly making things up. Besides, who would boast about their grandmother instead of their parents? How absurd.

Anyhow, the madam didn’t care about familial connections. Once someone ended up here, there was no way out—unless they left clinging to a man’s waist.

Jiang Jingchun was furious and overwhelmed. Her mind was a chaotic mess right now. After all, she had never encountered anyone so overbearing and unreasonable before. 

There was nothing else she could do except glare at the madam.

Still, she forced herself to calm down. Huayun and Xuezhao must have woken up by now. If she could hold out a little longer, they would surely come to rescue her.

The madam noticed that Jiang Jingchun still hadn’t given in, so she stood up, turned around, and ordered her hands and feet to be tightly bound.

The madam smoothed her hair and said, “Take your time to think things over. I have plenty of ways to make you comply. I’m giving you a chance because you’re exceptionally beautiful. I’ll return in a while, and I hope you’ll have changed your mind by then.”

With that, she left, leaving Jiang Jingchun tied up and helpless.

Seeing the madam leave, the two secret guards hiding in the ceiling beams remained still. They had already sent a carrier pigeon to inform Shuliang of the location, and their group should have set out early this morning. By noon, they would surely arrive.

With that in mind, the secret guards decided to stay hidden and continued to wait for Gu Huaisheng to arrive.

At this point, there was no sense in exposing their identities.

Huayun and Xuezhao woke up that morning and realised that Jiang Jingchun had disappeared. They panicked and quickly reported it to the authorities. However, the local officials were dismissive and unwilling to take the two young women seriously when they claimed their young miss had vanished. Their indifference was so blatant they didn’t even pretend to care.

In her frustration, Xuezhao nearly drew her sword. Only then, faced with her menacing stance, did the officials reluctantly agree to look into the matter.

Yet by noon, the officials still hadn’t taken a single step outside to search. Instead, they leisurely sat down for lunch, ignoring the desperate pleas of the two women entirely.

Xuezhao was livid but helpless. A strong dragon couldn’t suppress a local snake—their status had little influence here, as they were far from the capital, and making a scene here wouldn’t help. Stirring up trouble would only delay their search for Jiang Jingchun.

When the authorities proved useless, Xuezhao and Huayun decided to take matters into their own hands.

At the brothel, Jiang Jingchun had been tied up in a room for the entire morning. Her entire body ached, and the ropes binding her were so tight that the more she struggled, the deeper they cut into her skin. By the time her hands grew numb from the constriction, she stopped resisting altogether.

Though she was still scared, she managed to keep her composure. It had been a few hours since she woke; Huayun and Xuezhao must have noticed her disappearance by now and were probably out searching for her.

However, they couldn’t have known she had been sold to a brothel. Who knew how long it would take for them to find her here?

She racked her brain, trying to figure out who she could’ve offended—who could’ve done this to her. As far as she could recall, she hadn’t encountered anyone suspicious lately. Who could have slipped into her room while she was sleeping and abducted her from there?

The madam said she’d return in a while, but Jiang Jingchun had no idea how long that ‘a while’ would last. She had never experienced anything like this before.

She lay on the ground and tried to pass the time by sleeping, but her aching body and gnawing hunger made rest impossible.

Suddenly, the door swung open again. Jiang Jingchun turned her head to see the madam sauntering in with her usual exaggerated sway.

So soon? Were they expecting her to cave after just one morning?

Jiang Jingchun averted her gaze and refused to look at her.

The madam noticed Jiang Jingchun’s icy expression and sighed. She had hoped that locking up such a delicate young miss for a few hours would break her spirit, but it seemed this one was unusually stubborn.

Her face darkened. As she stood over the girl sprawled on the ground, she sneered and said, “Little missy, let me give you some advice. The less you resist, the less you’ll suffer. If you force me to use harsher methods, it’ll only hurt you more. You’ve got such tender skin—do you really want it ruined?”

Her tone was almost sickeningly concerned, as if she genuinely cared for Jiang Jingchun’s well-being.

Jiang Jingchun remained motionless. She looked as if she was on the verge of passing out. But at the madam’s words, her eyelids twitched slightly. Seeing this, the madam felt a surge of hope. Thinking her threat had finally worked, she asked, “Have you come to your senses?”

Jiang Jingchun raised her gaze. Her lips moved, as if she were about to speak. The madam leaned in close, eager to catch her words.

To the madam’s shock, Jiang Jingchun suddenly lunged forward and sank her teeth into her ear.

The madam let out a piercing scream. She was completely caught off guard by the pain. For someone who looked so frail, Jiang Jingchun had a ferocious bite. The madam flailed and cried out for help.

The others in the room were also startled by the sudden attack and rushed over. However, they didn’t dare yank Jiang Jingchun away, as they were afraid her teeth might tear the ear clean off. They were left with no choice and began punching and pinching Jiang Jingchun to force her to let go. Yet the more they hit her, the harder Jiang Jingchun bit down.

It wasn’t until someone applied pressure to her jaw that she was finally forced to release her grip.

The madam trembled with rage. She touched her ear and found her hand covered in bl00d. In a fit of anger, she grabbed a handful of Jiang Jingchun’s hair and slapped her hard across the face.

The blow left Jiang Jingchun dazed. Her ears rang, and her vision blurred. 

The side of her face that was slapped immediately began to redden and swell. The sharp pain in her face was excruciating.

The metallic taste of bl00d filled her mouth, though she wasn’t sure if it was hers or the madam’s.

The madam, who was still clutching her injured ear, began cursing furiously. “You little wretch! I tried to treat you kindly, but you don’t know what’s good for you! If you’d been obedient, I would’ve treated you well. 

“Fine, if that’s how you want it, don’t blame me for what happens next. You think there aren’t men who like girls with a bit of fire? Breaking a woman like you has its own appeal. You couldn’t even begin to imagine their methods of taming women like you. You’ll see—since you’ve refused the path to heaven, don’t blame me for sending you straight to hell!”

The two secret guards on the roof were also shocked and frightened by the sudden incident. They exchanged uneasy glances, and their expressions clearly said, ‘We’re screwed.’

They were only supposed to scare her, but now, she was injured. They were done for!

The female secret guard prepared to jump down but was stopped by the male secret guard, who mouthed, “Footsteps.”

It was probably Gu Huaisheng.

She listened closely and realised that there were indeed footsteps approaching. Before she could react, the door to the room was violently kicked open.

Everyone in the room turned towards the entrance in surprise.

Who dared to barge in like this in broad daylight?

A group of men strode in. All but one of them, who was dressed in white, wore black clothing.

The man in the centre immediately caught everyone’s attention. He was dressed in a fine round-collared brocade robe with a gold and white jade belt at his waist, and his expression was icy. He was tall and commanding, and he exuded an air of effortless authority. He also had a piercing gaze. His strikingly handsome features were impossible to ignore.

Even the madam forgot her pain for a moment. Who was this man, and why had he stormed into their territory?

In an attempt to maintain her composure, the madam forced an ugly smile onto her face and said, “Young Master, who might you be? Could it be that you’ve entered the wrong room?”

Gu Huaisheng ignored her entirely and strode straight into the room without a word. 

Seeing Gu Huaisheng ignore her, the madam’s face turned livid. She signalled to her lackeys nearby to throw him and his entourage out. However, before they could do anything, Gu Huaisheng spoke first. In a steady and calm voice, he said, “If you don’t want to see bl00d, stay put.”

At those words, no one dared make another move.

This man appeared composed and unparalleled in grace, yet his words and actions were anything but benign.

The madam, uncertain of his background, noticed that the people accompanying him were all highly skilled fighters. She dared not provoke him further and could only watch helplessly as he slowly approached the young girl who had been slapped to the ground.

A table had been blocking Gu Huaisheng’s view of Jiang Jingchun earlier. All he could see was her crumpled figure on the ground. But now, as he stepped around it, her pitiful state came fully into his view.

She was sprawled on the ground, and her hands and feet tightly bound. Perhaps someone had yanked her hair earlier, for her once-tidy bun was now dishevelled beyond recognition. Through the messy strands that framed her face, Gu Huaisheng saw her reddened eyes brimming with unshed tears. Her long lashes glistened with moisture, and the tears seemed ready to fall at any moment. The red, swollen handprint on her face stood out starkly, and it pierced Gu Huaisheng’s heart.

She was dressed in nothing but her white inner garments, and it seemed that she had spent the previous night sleeping on the cold floor.

How pitiful.

On the way here, Gu Huaisheng had felt a slight anger. After all, her eagerness to escape had been more than a little irritating to him. He had resolved to frighten her into learning her lesson so she wouldn’t dare pull such a stunt again.

However, he’d only intended to scare her, not to hurt her.

In his mind, the fright should have ended the moment she was captured. But it was clear now that what he considered a ‘fright’ had been interpreted very differently by his secret guards, which led her to be in this miserable state.

Gu Huaisheng knelt on one knee before her.

However, his arrival did not seem to bring Jiang Jingchun any sense of relief or joy. She stared at him with wide eyes, as if she had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

Right.

She had run away to avoid marrying him. How could his sudden appearance possibly make her happy?

Gu Huaisheng reached out. He intended to gently touch the red mark on her face, but she turned her head away to dodge him.

She wouldn’t let him touch her.

Gu Huaisheng pressed his lips together. Seeing her behaviour made him realise that she must still be angry about what happened when they last met. He decided not to force the matter and instead focused on untying the ropes around her wrists.

His long, slender fingers were fair, with faint veins visible on the back of his hands. He had exceptionally beautiful hands. His expression was unusually concentrated as he untied the ropes binding her. While he untied them, the bindings seemed to be made of elegant silk rather than rough hemp.

Gu Huaisheng had experience with criminal investigations and was well-versed in interrogation techniques. He immediately recognised this type of knot—it was used to restrain uncooperative prisoners and would tighten further the more the prisoner struggled.

Judging by the marks on her wrists, Jiang Jingchun must have struggled quite a bit.

She continued to fidget, which prompted Gu Huaisheng to gently chide her, saying, “Stop moving. Do you want to lose your hands?”

Her wrists were already bruised and swollen from the tight bindings. If she kept moving, the bl00d flow would be further constricted, and she would be in unbearable pain.

Hearing this, Jiang Jingchun finally stilled, though her dissatisfaction was written all over her face. She muttered, “Why don’t you just grab some scissors? Wouldn’t that be easier?”

Gu Huaisheng raised his gaze to meet hers. “What? Are my hands not good enough?”

With him here, why should she bother looking for other tools?

He could tell she was still sulking, and he had half a mind to say something further. However, when his eyes landed on the red mark on her face, the words caught in his throat.

As his gaze lingered on her face, his peripheral vision caught sight of her thin inner garments. Her fair skin was too glaring to ignore. He realised she must have been lying on the cold ground all night, her body surely aching, and judging by the commotion earlier, she likely hadn’t eaten yet.

She must’ve been lying on the ground all night, and her body must surely be aching. Moreover, she likely hadn’t eaten, either, since she was first abducted.

Nevermind. For now, her priority was to get her out of here. He could say whatever he wanted to say later.

After freeing her wrists, Gu Huaisheng moved to untie the ropes around her ankles. However, Jiang Jingchun suddenly refused to let him continue. She seemed to suddenly realise something and struggled fiercely to keep him away.

She was wearing only her inner garments. While freeing her hands had been acceptable enough, untying her feet brought a new layer of awkwardness—she wasn’t even wearing socks or shoes. 

The memory of Gu Huaisheng’s actions at the examination compound, which had solidified his image in her mind as a shameless scoundrel, resurfaced. The moment his hand neared her ankle, she kicked at him in panic.

Gu Huaisheng was caught off guard by her kick and momentarily lost his grip. When he looked back at her, he frowned slightly. Her eyes were filled with wariness and a clear warning not to approach.

Gu Huaisheng didn’t understand her sudden outburst, at first. However, as he met her guarded gaze, the realisation dawned on him.

She was holding a grudge over their kiss at that time.

Now, she clearly regarded him as a complete scoundrel—someone so dishonourable that even the brushing of his fingers against her ankle set her off.

Gu Huaisheng let out a soft chuckle. He didn’t take her reaction to heart. He stepped aside and walked towards a guard standing nearby, then retrieved a small knife from the guard. He also instructed Shuliang to purchase a set of women’s clothing.

If she wouldn’t let him touch her, then fine. He’d cut the ropes instead.

The madam’s anxiety spiked as she watched Gu Huaisheng rise and retrieve the knife. Her heart pounded in fear.

This man, who seemed so gentle and kind to the girl, exuded an icy aura towards everyone else. Even a single glance from him carried an indescribable tension. She couldn’t tell what kind of relationship the two shared but hoped he wasn’t planning to use the knife on her because of that slap…

She inhaled in fear. When Gu Huaisheng walked back and crouched down before Jiang Jingchun again, the madam finally exhaled in relief.

So, he was just cutting the ropes.

Jiang Jingchun reached out and tried to snatch the blade from him. “Give it to me—I’ll do it myself.”

This time, Gu Huaisheng didn’t indulge her. He raised the knife out of her reach and said, “Your hands aren’t steady. You’ll hurt yourself and make it worse.”

His tone was calm, and his expression seemed normal. However, Jiang Jingchun still didn’t trust him.

After all, ankles were considered private in the eyes of the common folk—a part of the body meant only for one’s husband to see. Since coming of age, she’d never let anyone else glimpse them. Considering his previous behaviour, she wasn’t about to let him take liberties again.

Sensing her continued wariness, Gu Huaisheng cooperated by keeping his eyes firmly fixed on her face. His gaze was clear and composed as he reassured her, “I’m not going to do anything. Don’t worry.”

Before Jiang Jingchun could process his words, he had already grabbed her ankle and swiftly cut the rope.

In one fluid motion, he tossed the severed rope aside and grabbed the quilt from the floor. Then, he draped it over her.

Everything happened so quickly that not even the onlookers caught the details. Jiang Jingchun herself barely registered how he had cut the ropes and wrapped her in the quilt.

She remained silent and only lowered her head as she clutched the quilt tighter. She pulled her feet underneath its cover.

Gu Huaisheng noticed her movements and pursed his lips, but said nothing.

He turned to the madam and asked in a cold, quiet voice, “Do you realise you’ve abducted and trafficked a daughter of a good, respectable family?”

Though he phrased his words as a question, his tone left no room for rebuttal.

The madam trembled. It was clear she had encountered someone she couldn’t handle. She abandoned any hope of recovering her 500 taels and stammered, “Young Master, you speak too harshly! I bought her from someone else. How was I supposed to know she was a daughter of a good, respectable family?”

Gu Huaisheng let out a laugh at these words, but the sound sent chills down the brothel madam’s spine.

He looked at her, his gaze laced with icy disdain, and said, “You’re quite bold, to dare make the purchase.”

The madam’s ear, which Jiang Jingchun had bitten earlier, was still throbbing in pain. She pointed at her bleeding ear and said to Gu Huaisheng, “Young Master, please forgive me. Even though my ear’s been bitten to this state, I won’t pursue it. I’ll even forfeit the 500 taels of silver I paid for her. Just take her and leave. Let’s pretend none of this ever happened.”

Gu Huaisheng sat down on a nearby chair with a slight frown on his face. He seemed as if he was seriously contemplating her suggestion.

His fingers drummed lightly against the table. The crisp sound echoed in the room. To the madam, however, the sound felt like iron hammers pounding against her chest.

Even with her limited insight, the madam could tell Gu Huaisheng was no ordinary man. His commanding presence was far too overwhelming to ignore. She couldn’t help but let her thoughts run wild—was he from the capital? Was he a young master from some prominent family? Whoever he was, today was clearly an unlucky day for her. The best she could do now was to send this big shot away as quickly as possible.

At last, she heard Gu Huaisheng speak. 

“Fine,” he said. “We’ll overlook the matter of her biting your ear, and you won’t get your silver back.

“But,” he continued. “I can’t just overlook the fact that you slapped her.”

Wait… Did she hear him wrong? This man seemed proper and upright, so why was he taking advantage of the situation and still wanting more?

She’d agreed to let the matter go—why was he still refusing to let it drop?

The madam fumed. Never in her life had she encountered someone like this. She wanted to lash out but ultimately swallowed her anger. In a low voice, she said, “Young Master, you’re being unreasonable. Take her and leave—then we’ll have nothing more to do with each other. Why must you press the issue?”

Gu Huaisheng didn’t respond. He only stared at her with a chilling gaze that made her scalp tingle. The madam couldn’t endure his silent intimidation any longer, and snapped, “Then hit me back, if that’ll settle things.”

Gu Huaisheng shook his head and smiled. His smile was a warm, seemingly kind smile. However, his words remained unyielding. “She is my cousin and will soon be my wife. When you struck her, wasn’t that the same as striking me? Do you really think this is something a mere slap can resolve?”

So that was it. He clearly wasn’t going to let this go.

The madam’s face darkened. She said, “Young Master, don’t push me too far. No matter how noble your status, you’re on someone else’s turf now. You’d better rein it in. Push me too hard, and everyone here will burn with me—you won’t leave here unscathed.”

The madam’s defiance hinted at some powerful backing.

This brothel wasn’t far from the capital, yet technically outside its jurisdiction. In small towns like this, corruption between officials and merchants was rampant, and situations like these were a dime a dozen—too numerous for anyone to fully crack down on.

Gu Huaisheng chuckled. His voice was calm but sharp as he said, “Bold words. Let’s hear about this powerful backing of yours.”

The madam opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a word, Gu Huaisheng raised his hand and cut her off. “On second thought, I don’t care to know. After all, it doesn’t matter who it is—this time, no one can protect you.”

The madam didn’t believe a word he said and sneered, “What arrogance, Young Master.”

Gu Huaisheng had no desire to argue further. Just then, Shuliang returned from outside. He was worried about his young master and Jiang Jingchun growing impatient, so he hurriedly picked up a random set of clothes from a nearby shop and completed his errand very quickly.

Gu Huaisheng handed the clothes to Jiang Jingchun, then cleared the room and stepped outside himself to wait.

Once outside, the madam had no idea how Gu Huaisheng planned to deal with her. For now, though, her ear throbbed unbearably, and all she wanted was to dress the wound. Since Gu Huaisheng hadn’t revealed his identity, she figured he couldn’t be that influential. After all, who would go to the trouble of dealing with such a small-town incident? No man of great standing would waste his effort travelling all this way, right?

With her pain mounting, the madam decided to stop arguing and left with her people.

Shortly after the madam departed, the door to the room opened.

Jiang Jingchun emerged from the room.

The new outfit that Shuliang had bought her fit her just right.

Gu Huaisheng looked at her and said, “Let’s go home.”

However, Jiang Jingchun wasn’t ready to give in. She stood her ground and asked, “Do I have to marry you if I return?”

Her question plunged the surroundings into an uneasy silence. Shuliang sensed the tension and tactfully led his men away so they wouldn’t hear anymore.

Gu Huaisheng was momentarily stunned by her words. His long lashes lowered and cast shadows beneath his eyes.

After a long pause, he smiled faintly and replied in a gentle voice, “Cousin, have you forgotten the promise you’ve made to me?”

Hearing this, Jiang Jingchun felt a twinge of guilt. However, it was he who had broken his promise first—right now, she was simply following his example.

Jiang Jingchun asked again, “How did you know I was here?”

She knew he must’ve only left the examination compound yesterday and today, he was here. How had he managed to find her so quickly?

Her tone suggested she found his presence here unwelcome. She might not want to return with him, but surely she should grasp the gravity of her situation. Still, with the slap mark still fresh on her cheek, Gu Huaisheng chose not to scold her harshly. 

Instead, he lightly asked her, “If I hadn’t known you were here, what would you have done?”

Her boldness was astounding. Even after all that earlier, she dared to bite the madam’s ear. If she hadn’t provoked the madam, would she have been slapped so viciously?

Jiang Jingchun didn’t want to face him, but she still should consider what would’ve happened to her had he not arrived.

Did she think the madam was some benevolent person playing harmless games with her?

Hearing his words, Jiang Jingchun thought for a moment before replying, “Huayun and Xuezhao would’ve found me. They would’ve gone to the authorities.”

Her answer made Gu Huaisheng chuckle softly. His cousin was truly naive.

“This is a place where human lives are traded like commodities, yet you still think reporting it to the authorities would help? If it were that simple, you wouldn’t have been sold into a brothel overnight in the first place.”

His blunt words made Jiang Jingchun’s face darken. Her expression crumpled. The side of her face that had been slapped burned with pain.

Gu Huaisheng’s unvarnished truth left her feeling foolish and childish.

When she left home, she’d thought the outside world was clean and safe. She thought, what could possibly happen to her, anyway? But in just three days, she’d been sold to a brothel in the dead of night. Reality proved how naive she had been—she’d been naive to the point it was almost absurd and ridiculous.

Leaving home alone might seem brave, but since she was incapable of handling the unforeseen dangers, that made the act reckless—foolish, even.

She had never encountered something like this before. Growing up, if someone hit her, she would hit them back. Just moments ago, when she bit the brothel madam, she hadn’t thought of anything else, only that she wouldn’t stop until she’d dragged her down with her. When she took that slap to her face, her eyes had reddened with tears from the pain as she crumpled to the ground. She’d had no choice but to listen as the madam hurled vicious threats at her.

Looking back now, if Gu Huaisheng hadn’t appeared when he did, she might very well have been hurt to the point where she would have wished for death.

And yet, even with Gu Huaisheng here now, she still had a stubborn knot in her heart. She couldn’t let it go. She couldn’t accept it. She had run for three days. How had he still managed to find her so quickly?

Gu Huaisheng caught the flicker of emotion in her eyes and said, “The world out there is terrifying. You’ve been out for only three days, and you’ve already run into something like this. Do you think worse things won’t happen if you keep going?”

He added, “The world is dangerous, and it’s even more dangerous for women.”

Though his words weren’t pleasant to hear, they couldn’t have been more true.

What kind of troubles might a beautiful, delicate girl encounter when she ventured out alone? 

Too many. Too many terrible things.

Still, Jiang Jingchun wasn’t ready to give up. She knew that he never took kindly to forceful words, so with her softest, most earnest tone, she pleaded, “Cousin, I’ll go back with you and marry you. After all, you really did help Song Xuan’an, and I’m not one to go back on my word. But… I’m not done having fun yet. Let me go out for just one more month, and I promise I’ll come back right after.”

Her persistence was impressive, even admirable in a way. But clearly, this ordeal hadn’t taught her the lesson Gu Huaisheng had hoped it would. She was still thinking of running away—this time for a whole month.

What would be the difference between these past three days and that whole month?

Did she really hate the idea of marrying him that much?

If so, there was nothing more he could do.

Jiang Jingchun’s behaviour only reinforced Gu Huaisheng’s resolve. She was naive, stubborn… She was the kind who wouldn’t give up until she hit the bitter end. With her personality, she was far too easy to deceive and far too likely to be taken advantage of. If he didn’t marry her, he truly wouldn’t feel at ease.

His voice softened, but still carried a chilling undertone as he said, “Cousin, finding someone isn’t as hard as you think it is. You’ve seen enough on this trip. Go home. Don’t think about running away again.”

Chapter 43

Jiang Jingchun ultimately ended up being taken back by Gu Huaisheng.

If she hadn’t been sold into a brothel, she could have come up with a thousand arguments with which she would refute Gu Huaisheng. She could have contradicted his claims about how frightening the outside world was. But her current circumstances… the red handprint on her face… and all the foolish things she’d done left her without the dignity to argue with Gu Huaisheng on this matter.

Everything about her situation now served to validate Gu Huaisheng’s words as undeniably correct.

Gu Huaisheng was far too domineering. As long as he didn’t find her, anything was possible. But once he’d found her, what else could she do?

No matter how fiercely she tried quarrelling with him, he would simply cast her a casual glance and then take her back home anyway.

Also, Gu Huaisheng had a knack for delivering the most unyielding and outrageous statements in the most indifferent tone.

Talking to him would serve no purpose other than to make herself angrier.

In the end, she decided to shut up. She didn’t want to waste any more energy on arguing with him.

Meanwhile, Huayun and Xuezhao were frantically searching for her. Eventually, Shuliang found the two of them, and when they were reunited with Jiang Jingchun, Huayun burst into tears once more.

That morning, when Huayun saw Jiang Jingchun’s room empty, she was so terrified her heart nearly stopped. She cried non-stop while searching for her, and now her eyes were red and swollen like a pair of peaches. 

Even Xuezhao, who was usually composed, showed rare signs of panic. When Shuliang found her, her face was pale with worry, and it wasn’t until they confirmed Jiang Jingchun was safe that she finally regained her usual composure.

After having lunch, the group boarded carriages back to the capital.

Gu Huaisheng and Jiang Jingchun shared a carriage.

Because she hadn’t slept well the night before, Jiang Jingchun lay down on the seat as soon as she got into the carriage. She turned her face towards the wall of the carriage, then closed her eyes and began to nap as if no one else were there.

Gu Huaisheng didn’t say anything. While she lay down, he sat nearby and tended to the pile of official documents he’d accumulated over the past few days.

The carriage moved steadily towards the capital. Its luxurious build dampened the jolts of the journey and made the ride smooth. Jiang Jingchun lay on the seat, lulled by the rhythmic sound of the wheels rolling over the stone-paved road. The low clunking of the wheels seemed to only lure her to sleep.

A cool breeze filtered through the carriage window, carrying the desolate air unique to autumn. It blew on her ears and lightly brushed against her cheek.

Before long, Jiang Jingchun’s eyelids grew heavy, and she drifted off into a deep sleep.

Only when her soft, even breathing reached his ears did Gu Huaisheng set down the papers in his hand.

The carriage was always stocked with ointment, just in case of emergencies.

He opened a small cabinet, retrieved a jar of ointment, and approached Jiang Jingchun. Carefully, he eased her away from the wall of the carriage.

Despite his utmost care, the movement still disturbed her slumber. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she murmured something incomprehensible in her sleep.

Fortunately, she only frowned and didn’t show signs of waking.

Gu Huaisheng scooped a small amount of the ointment onto his fingers and began gently applying it to the red mark on her face.

Her pale, jade-like skin bore a glaringly bright handprint. It was clear the brothel madam had struck her with malice. Half her face was still swollen, and her furrowed eyebrows suggested she might be dreaming of something unpleasant.

Gu Huaisheng brushed aside the loose strands of hair near her face and carefully applied the ointment.

The swelling was so severe that even the gentlest touch brought pain. No matter how delicate Gu Huaisheng’s movements were, the discomfort roused Jiang Jingchun from her light sleep.

Her eyes fluttered open. They were still hazy with drowsiness.

The first thing she saw was Gu Huaisheng’s cold, distant gaze. As the carriage continued its steady journey, the curtains were occasionally lifted by the breeze. At that moment, the warm afternoon sunlight spilt over his face and softened the sharpness of his features.

A faint, clean scent lingered in the air. His cool fingertips still rested lightly against her cheek.

Their gazes locked unexpectedly.

Jiang Jingchun’s mind was foggy from sleep, which made her slow to react.

Truthfully, Jiang Jingchun had never harboured any true wariness towards Gu Huaisheng. From childhood until now, apart from the incident at the examination compound, he had never done anything outrageous to her. He’d also always behaved coldly and properly, and given that he hadn’t behaved inappropriately during their encounter at the brothel, she had also lowered her guard upon entering the carriage.

So when she woke to find him close, her muddled mind didn’t immediately register alarm.

After all, Gu Huaisheng wasn’t the kind of person who would take advantage of someone while they slept.

Moreover, she was still groggy and so lacked the energy to do much. She only frowned and asked, “What are you doing?”

What was he doing next to her?

She was still drowsy and wasn’t fully awake yet. Even her voice carried a hint of languid, sticky softness as she spoke.

He was afraid that she’d make a fuss if she was awake, so he’d only sneaked over to apply the ointment on her face after she had fallen asleep. However, despite his caution, he had still woken her. He expected that she’d be angry and kick up another fuss, but to his surprise, he found her relatively calm. Because of this, he relaxed a little.

In a gentle tone, he explained, “Sleep. I’m applying medicine to your face. It’ll stop hurting soon.”

Seeing her quiet compliance made him instinctively soften his voice. Indeed, his voice now carried a tenderness that was never present before.

Jiang Jingchun was utterly exhausted. She was so sleepy that she couldn’t muster the will to stay awake. The coolness of the ointment soothed the pain on her face, and indeed, it didn’t hurt as much anymore.

The past three days of travelling and rushing about had already drained her body. On top of that, she hadn’t slept well the night before. Now, with Gu Huaisheng’s soft voice as a lullaby, her drowsiness surged like a tidal wave. She let him apply the ointment and, without realising it, drifted back to sleep.

After finishing with her face, Gu Huaisheng gently rolled up the sleeves of her robe to inspect her arms.

Her wrists were slender, almost fragile, and the bright red marks around them stood out starkly against her pale skin. Upon closer examination, he noticed the rope had cut so deeply into her flesh that it had broken the skin and drawn bl00d.

What kind of torment had she endured on this trip?

How could she still think about running away after all that?

Surely, she’d have learnt her lesson this time. She’d be more cautious in the future and wouldn’t make such foolish mistakes again…

Maybe.

After all, even though one couldn’t always be taught by other people, one harsh experience could teach anyone plenty.

But with so many dangers out there, who could predict what might happen next time?

Gu Huaisheng let out a soft sigh. His fingers lightly traced the red marks on her wrist. The crimson streaks encircling her jade-like forearm made for a strange, almost poetic beauty. He could feel the faint pulse beneath his fingertips, and he couldn’t help but linger in his touch.

His expression remained composed, but his thoughts wandered to the events of that day at the examination compound.

It took him a long time before he could return to his senses.

A faint smile tugged at his lips, and for the first time in a while, his usually cold and distant peach-blossom eyes seemed to hold a hint of emotion.

She had said she’d make him regret marrying her.

But no. Never. He wouldn’t regret it even if he died.

---

Their group hurried back to the capital and barely made it before the curfew.

The three-day trip had thoroughly worn Jiang Jingchun out. On the journey back, she had alternated between being awake and asleep. By the time they reached the capital, though, she was still fast asleep.

Gu Huaisheng carried her directly to a guest room to let her rest. She was deeply asleep, and his steady hold didn’t disturb her in the slightest.

Many of the household staff caught glimpses of this scene. Though they found it odd, none dared to comment.

However, word of it naturally reached Madame Gu.

Yesterday, Gu Huaisheng had only just returned from the examination compound. He was supposed to have three days of rest, yet this morning, he had rushed out again. Where had he gone, and why? It was all very strange. She hadn’t given it much thought at first—after all, Gu Huaisheng was of an age where it was no longer her place to meddle in his affairs.

But now, he had suddenly brought Jiang Jingchun back with him.

She recalled hearing from Old Madame Jiang that Jiang Jingchun had gone out of the capital for some sightseeing. The old madame had been quite worried and unwell as a result, and her stomach troubles had flared up again from the stress.

When Madame Gu heard that Jiang Jingchun had come, she couldn’t help finding it odd.

Hadn’t she gone out of town? Why had Gu Huaisheng brought her back today?

He had left at dawn and returned at dusk with her in tow. Could it be that his sole purpose today had been to find her? But why? Even if she had gone on a trip, it had little to do with him.

How curious.

Eventually, Madame Gu couldn’t resist her growing suspicion. Just as she was about to summon Gu Huaisheng for answers, a servant’s voice came from the door.

“Greetings, Young Marquis Gu.”

It seemed he had come to see her of his own accord.

Her curiosity only deepened as she watched him enter the room. His manner was solemn, and he seemed as if he had something important to say.

Night had fallen, and the room was already lit with candles. The flickering light cast Gu Huaisheng’s tall figure in elongated shadows, and he seemed even taller than he already was.

He greeted her politely, and she gestured for him to sit. Before she could even ask about his intentions, he spoke first.

Gu Huaisheng lowered his gaze slightly as he got straight to the point. 

“Mother, I’ve come today to discuss an important matter.”

It was rare for Madame Gu to see him acting this way, so she straightened her posture and nodded, saying, “Speak.”

She had a hunch this might have something to do with Jiang Jingchun, though she couldn’t guess exactly what.

Gu Huaisheng opened his mouth and said, “I wish to marry my cousin.”

As soon as he said that, the room fell into a dead silence.

Madame Gu’s mind had gone completely blank. For a moment, her expression was a mix of disbelief and bewilderment. Had she misheard? Did he just say he wanted to marry his cousin?

The abruptness of his statement left her momentarily stunned.

Hadn’t he always been indifferent to Jiang Jingchun? When had things taken such a dramatic turn? Why hadn’t she noticed a single sign?

Madame Gu couldn’t reconcile the cold, aloof person she knew with the one now suddenly declaring his intent to marry his cousin.

Her thoughts raced as she tried to piece things together. Eventually, her mind drifted back to an incident in the seventh month when they had encountered the Jiang siblings during a visit to Miao’en Temple.

She remembered that look in Gu Huaisheng’s eyes as he gazed at Jiang Jingchun. It had been laden with something she couldn’t quite decipher. And that night, he had insisted on escorting her down the mountain and going back home…

In the past, he had never shown such concern, such kindness to anyone, except Jiang Jingchun.

After a moment’s hesitation, Madame Gu carefully asked, “Do you feel sorry for your cousin, and you want to give her a home…?”

Her words made the room turn even quieter, so quiet that even the drop of a pin would have been audible.

Gu Huaisheng’s lips twitched slightly at her question. What kind of person did his mother take him for? Did she think he was someone who went around marrying people out of pity?

Gu Huaisheng wasn’t the kind of person who’d easily pity someone else. Indeed, he was not a soft-hearted person. But, when he saw Jiang Jingchun, with a frown on her face and her reddened face… Yes, he’d felt pity for her.

Still, he shook his head and said, “I simply want to marry her. It’s not out of pity.”

Madame Gu could see he meant what he said. Gu Huaisheng had never been one to make light of such matters. 

Though she didn’t know when this wish had taken root, she understood that once he had made up his mind, it would not change.

After some thought, she asked, “And what does your cousin think of this?”

She had noticed recently that Jiang Jingchun seemed less inclined to interact with him. Even if he wanted to marry her, would she agree?

Besides, hadn’t she heard just the other day that Song Xuan’an planned to visit the Jiang family to propose marriage after the provincial-level imperial examinations? What was going on here, with Gu Huaisheng? 

Before she could finish pondering, Gu Huaisheng replied, “She agreed.”

She had agreed… but that indicated nothing regarding whether she’d made that agreement willingly.

Madame Gu couldn’t help asking, “You… You didn’t force her, did you?”

She didn’t think that Gu Huaisheng would ever do such a thing. However, after she asked this, he actually fell into a long silence.

She couldn’t help pressing, “You… Did you really force her!?”

Gu Huaisheng’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly shook his head and said, “No.”

It wasn’t coercion, not exactly. He had simply made an exchange with her.

That couldn’t be considered forcing her.

However, Madame Gu no longer believed his words. His initial reaction earlier had been too genuine to be a lie.

He had truly gone so far as to force someone else to marry him.

As this thought crossed her mind, Madame Gu’s anger flared uncontrollably. Her finger trembled as she pointed at him.

“You… you fool!” she scolded. “You even still dared to deny it! Do you take me for an idiot? Your cousin doesn’t even like you right now—how could she possibly want to marry you!? Gu Huaisheng, I never knew you could be so… so shameless! When she liked you, you wouldn’t give her the time of day, but now that she doesn’t like you, you’re determined to marry her? Huh!? Are you listening to me!?”

Now it all made sense. No wonder he had been so reluctant to take a wife. So it turned out he had his sights set on his cousin all along.

Her words were harsh, but Gu Huaisheng acted as if he hadn’t heard them. He let her berate him without a word.

Madame Gu’s gaze plainly showed her disappointment.

If he insisted on marrying his cousin, wouldn’t that be just outright taking her by force? Wasn’t that forceful plundering? Could a young gentleman of a respectable family truly stoop to such behaviour? She’d never seen anyone from a decent family do something so disgraceful.

If he had taken a liking to some concubine or servant, that would have been easier to handle. He could simply bring her into the household.

But no, he wanted to marry, and that meant making her his legitimate wife.

Moreover, he wanted to force her!

Gu Huaisheng had always been upright and principled. For 21 years, he had lived an honourable and disciplined life. Though he often didn’t listen to her, he had never done anything improper or shameful. But now, he was determined to do something so out of line, so contrary to his character, that she couldn’t accept it.

It was as if a straight, towering tree had suddenly grown crooked.

Seeing his silence, Madame Gu pressed on, “Don’t try to fool me. Marriage is a significant matter, one that requires mutual affection. What you’re doing is absurd. Besides, your grandmother holds Jingchun in the highest regard. What if she finds out about this? Do you intend to anger her to death?”

Even after hearing all this, though, Gu Huaisheng didn’t even so much as frown.

After a brief pause, he said, “There are few instances in the world where mutual affection truly exists between a married couple.

“I was wrong before. Yes, everything that happened in the past was my fault, but shouldn’t I be given a chance to make amends? As for Grandmother, I’ll explain everything to her.”

After all, if they were to marry, they would have to complete the formal rites—involving the matchmaker and the six rites, following proper tradition. It wasn’t something that could be skipped, even if he wanted to.

Madame Gu knew Gu Huaisheng’s resolve was unshakable. No matter how much she tried, she wouldn’t be able to dissuade him. She turned her gaze away and said coldly, “You will receive no good outcome if you go through with this.”

No good outcome.

In the deep silence of the night, Gu Huaisheng’s voice was as soft as the cold light of the moon. He laughed faintly and replied, “That would still be better than no outcome at all.”

He didn’t know when his cousin had become a lingering red scar on his heart. A physical wound, like the marks on her wrists, could be treated with an ointment, but what about the one on his heart?

Perhaps it could never be healed, Gu Huaisheng thought.

Still, he knew he’d rather let her claw scars on his body than allow the mark on his heart to grow deeper, to the point where he could no longer extricate himself.

After Gu Huaisheng left, Madame Gu remained stewing in her frustration. When Marquis Gu returned home, he noticed her peculiar state.

Marquis Gu returned around the Pig hour. However, despite the late hour, she still hadn’t prepared for bed. Instead, she was lying listlessly on the chaise lounge with a troubled expression. He didn’t know what was on her mind.

A servant had informed him that Gu Huaisheng had paid her a visit earlier. Ever since he left, she had been like this.

Marquis Gu sat down at the edge of the chaise lounge.

Still, Madame Gu made no response.

Marquis Gu leaned closer and noticed that she was clearly awake but ignoring him. He couldn’t help but ask, “I heard Fuyan came by earlier. What’s wrong? Did you two argue?”

Madame Gu was furious with Gu Huaisheng, and she now extended her anger to Marquis Gu as well. While still facing away from him, towards the wall, she bitterly spat, “It’s all your fault. All you do is sit by the river fishing all day. You pay no attention to your son. Now he’s turned into a scoundrel. Let’s see how you’re going to fix this.”

Despite suddenly being scolded for no apparent reason, Marquis Gu didn’t get angry. From the sound of it, though, he could gather that Gu Huaisheng was indeed the one who had angered her.

He asked, “What did he do?”

Everyone envied their family for having such a son—how could someone like him possibly turn into a scoundrel?

Madame Gu’s simmering anger immediately found an outlet. After hearing Marquis Gu’s question, she said, “Do you know what he’s planning? He wants to marry his cousin!”

Gu Huaisheng marrying Jiang Jingchun? Marquis Gu was surprised at first, but after a moment of thought, he didn’t see much of an issue. Why couldn’t the two of them be together?

Why was she so angry?

“Like I said—you’re always preoccupied with your silly fish, and I wasn’t wrong! You truly don’t care about him at all. Look at Jingchun these days. She’s shown no signs of wanting to marry him anymore. Just the other day, when I went to visit Mother, I heard she’s interested in that boy from the Song family. But now, what? He says he’s going to marry her. Even though Jingchun doesn’t want to, he’s going to force it! Tell me, how could he not be a scoundrel!?”

Unexpectedly, Marquis Gu didn’t join in her criticism. Instead, he said, “Well, there’s not much we can do. After all, his cousin used to cling to him. It’s only natural for him to grow fond of someone who pays attention to him, especially considering we’ve never paid as much attention to him as his parents. If you must assign blame, don’t put it all on me—you’re not blameless yourself.”

Neither of them had truly taken responsibility for Gu Huaisheng, and so, in the end, neither of them had much control over him. That he remained fixated on his cousin might seem unusual, but upon closer reflection, it also made a certain sense.

Although Marquis Gu usually appeared indifferent, he was keenly aware of everything.

Madame Gu was momentarily stunned by his words. She stared at him in speechlessness for a long while.

“When something is meant to be, it will be. When it’s not, forcing it won’t make it so. And even if we wish to intervene now, we’re already too late. Anyhow, we used to not meddle in his business much, so we can’t suddenly do it now.”

Even if they tried, would it make any difference?

In the past, at least he would listen to his teacher. But ever since he fell out with his teacher, he had stopped heeding anyone’s advice.

Marquis Gu could only offer this meagre comfort to Madame Gu. Even if she remained unwilling to accept it, there was little else to be done.

Seeing her still sulking, Madame Gu paused for a moment before suggesting, “Why not join me in the outskirts one of these days? We can go fishing together—you can clear your mind.”

“Are you trying to kill me!? You deliberately irritate me every single day—”

Madame Gu was angered again and launched into another tirade against Marquis Gu, so Marquis Gu hurriedly coaxed her again. Fortunately, her anger was now solely towards Marquis Gu, and she no longer had the mind to continue being upset with Gu Huaisheng.

In the end, the couple fell into a rare silence. Marquis Gu eventually also lay down on the chaise beside Madame Gu. 

Madame Gu pushed him away with irritation. “Why must you squeeze into this tiny space? Don’t you find it cramped?”

“There’s plenty of room. It’s not cramped.”

After saying this, Marquis Gu unexpectedly called Madame Gu by her maiden name.

“A-Ruo.”

His sudden use of her old name startled Madame Gu. She paused before responding with the same annoyed tone. “What now?”

“Do you remember when Fuyan got into that fight as a child?”

The two of them were now lying side by side, staring up at the beams of the ceiling. At Marquis Gu’s words, Madame Gu thought back and recalled the past.

Marquis Gu was referring to an incident from when Gu Huaisheng was about six years old. There was a rare occasion when he got into a scuffle with other children.

Gu Huaisheng had always been mature beyond his years. As a child, he wasn’t talkative, didn’t smile much, and wasn’t fond of playing. Perhaps because his interests differed from those of other children, he rarely mingled with them.

The only exception was his cousins from the Jiang family.

Jiang Runchu, in particular, had always been fond of clever people, and naturally, he adored his younger cousin from the Gu family.

Initially, Gu Huaisheng wasn’t very willing to engage with him, but Jiang Runchu, being persistent and a year older, eventually coaxed Gu Huaisheng into playing together with him.

Noticing Gu Huaisheng’s solitary nature, Jiang Runchu made it a point to encourage him to join in with other children. One day, he brought Gu Huaisheng to play with a group of other kids.

For some reason, though, things took a turn. Jiang Runchu left briefly, and in his absence, Gu Huaisheng ended up fighting with the other children. He fought alone against the group and ended up sustaining injuries all over his body. Despite this, he didn’t make it easy for them either. One boy, who was in the middle of losing his baby teeth, even had two knocked out in the scuffle.

The incident was naturally brought to the adults’ attention. All the children unanimously claimed that Gu Huaisheng had started the fight, and Gu Huaisheng also didn’t offer a single word of defence. He only tacitly accepted their version of events.

In the end, Marquis Gu had to apologise profusely to the families of those children to smooth things over. 

Upon returning home, Gu Huaisheng was punished by being made to kneel in the Gu family’s ancestral hall for three days.

Why Gu Huaisheng had gotten into that fight was a mystery. He was normally a child who barely spoke, so what had driven him to suddenly lash out like that?

Madame Gu naturally remembered this incident. Over the years, Gu Huaisheng had always been a dependable child—except for that one time he fought with other children as a boy.

Marquis Gu turned to look at her and asked, “Do you know why he got into that fight?”

Madame Gu naturally didn’t know. Back then, upon hearing that Gu Huaisheng had hit someone, she was furious. Despite the injuries he already bore, she’d insisted on beating him a few times herself to punish him for his actions.

She had asked him why he had attacked those boys.

But no matter how she pressed, he wouldn’t say. Even when she punished him, he remained silent.

Now, she asked Marquis Gu, “Why?”

Marquis Gu recounted the reason.

“I asked him while he was being made to kneel. He was only six years old at the time, wasn’t he? He was still easy to deceive. I just bluffed a little and he told me everything.

“He said it was because those boys had insulted you. He couldn’t hold back.”

When Jiang Ruo first married into the Gu family, the Jiang family had not yet regained its former glory. Compared to the prominent Gu family, the Jiang family was practically destitute. 

Still, she eventually adhered to the marriage arrangement between her and Marquis Gu, which their fathers had made for them. After that, she became the target of envy and gossip, and people often criticised her family background. Even after Jiang Nan slowly gained some standing in court, there were still plenty who delighted in dredging up their family’s past.

What adults said frequently became fodder for their children’s chatter.

Marquis Gu explained, “Kids are like that. They love picking on the ones who seem different. Back then, Xiaosheng didn’t like talking to others or interacting with them, so naturally, he stood out. Those children would mock him and repeat all the gossip they’d overheard from their parents. They said nasty things about you in front of him.”

Madame Gu knew what kind of things those people said about her. She had heard her fair share of those people’s unpleasant words.

However, she had never realised that Gu Huaisheng had fought those children because of her.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Madame Gu’s eyes reddened as she thought about the past. 

She had been so angry that day and had hit Gu Huaisheng several times with a rod.

“He didn’t want me to tell you,” Marquis Gu replied. “He said if I did, he’d never speak to me again.”

He fought those boys because he didn’t want them to insult his mother. He also didn’t want his mother to hear such hurtful words.

The young Gu Huaisheng at that time didn’t understand what ‘love’ was. He didn’t know he loved his mother. He just knew that he didn’t want anyone speaking ill of his mother.

That was all.

Seeing Madame Gu start to cry, Marquis Gu quickly pulled her into his arms and said, “I told you long ago—Xiaosheng is just not a talkative child. But you never believed me. Then, you insisted on having Xiaolang, and after that, you stopped paying much attention to Xiaosheng.”

When Madame Gu was expecting her second child, Gu Huaisheng said nothing. He respected his mother’s decision. What she couldn’t get from him, she could naturally seek from someone else.

But he had also stopped hoping for anything from them.

His closest parents had, in a way, given up on him, and he didn’t particularly mind. He thought, after all, that no one in this world was obligated to give their unconditional love—not even one’s parents.

Even his teacher, whom he had once admired most, had eventually cast him aside without hesitation.

No one could stand him, Gu Huaisheng thought about himself.

So, when Jiang Jingchun used to chase after him relentlessly, his first reaction was scepticism. He couldn’t believe anyone could truly like him that much. That all her girlish feelings were stirred by him seemed impossible.

But perhaps he had underestimated her devotion.

She was like a little butterfly, flitting around him for nearly two years. Slowly, his gaze began to follow hers, and his emotions started to move along with hers. But in the end, even that butterfly couldn’t endure him anymore…

Marquis Gu said, “It’s too late to intervene now, no matter how much we wish to. We can only let everything follow its course.”

Madame Gu wept silently. Her heart ached deeply, and she said no more.

---

The next morning, Jiang Jingchun woke up in a guest room. Seeing the unfamiliar furnishings surrounding him made her feel a little disoriented. Fortunately, after Huayun saw her waking up, she quickly stepped forward to explain, “Miss, after you fell asleep yesterday, Young Marquis Gu brought you to the marquis’ residence to rest.”

Jiang Jingchun hadn’t expected to have slept so long. Even her head felt heavy and uncomfortable.

Huayun then asked her if she wanted breakfast.

After all, she had slept from yesterday afternoon until this morning, so she hadn’t even had dinner. She was probably starving now.

As soon as Huayun finished speaking, Jiang Jingchun’s stomach rumbled.

The sound showed that she really was hungry.

Huayun wanted to go fetch breakfast for Jiang Jingchun, but Jiang Jingchun stopped her. 

She said, “There’s no hurry. Let’s eat somewhere else.”

She wanted to visit the Chen family residence first. She wasn’t sure how Song Xuan’an had fared in the recent provincial-level imperial examinations or whether the incident had caused him any trouble. Moreover, she had promised to pick him up after the exams but had left without explanation. She wondered if Chen Muqing had told him the reason.

She needed to explain everything clearly. Otherwise, it wouldn’t feel right…

Yes, she should go to the Chen family residence first. After that, she’d have Song Xuan’an come to the Chen family residence and then explain everything to him.

With that in mind, Jiang Jingchun got up and left. She’d frequented the Gu family residence in the past, so she knew her way around. After passing through the corridor and exiting the courtyard, she realised where she was. She turned her head and noticed the adjacent courtyard, which belonged to Gu Huaisheng.

As soon as she stepped out, someone from Gu Huaisheng’s courtyard spotted her and ran to inform him.

Moments later, Gu Huaisheng appeared.

He strode quickly to catch up with Jiang Jingchun, who was about to leave.

He didn’t stop her. He only followed her and asked, “It’s still so early, and you haven’t even had breakfast yet—where are you going?”

She hadn’t eaten since yesterday’s lunch. Wasn’t she hungry? Why was she in such a hurry?

Jiang Jingchun initially didn’t want to respond, but a sudden thought struck her, and she changed her mind.

She turned to him. In a calm and collected tone, she said, “Oh, I’m going to see Song Xuan’an.”

She was now well-rested, and she was also in the capital. What could Gu Huaisheng do to her now?

Hearing that name, Gu Huaisheng’s eyelid twitched, but he maintained a neutral expression. While feigning indifference, he asked, “Why are you looking for him so early? You should at least eat breakfast first—”

Jiang Jingchun interrupted him with a laugh. “What’s this? We’re not married yet, are we? How can you try to control me? And what exactly is your standing to do so? My cousin? Or what? If it’s as my cousin, maybe I’ll listen. But as my husband? I’d never listen to my husband.”

Gu Huaisheng’s expression finally darkened. He pressed his lips together and fell silent.

Jiang Jingchun wasn’t fazed by his reaction. In fact, she continued to provoke him. She said, “Why don’t you just stay as my cousin? Don’t marry me. I’ll treat you like an honoured guest and listen to everything you say.”

Chapter 44

Gu Huaisheng didn’t get angry upon hearing what Jiang Jingchun said. Instead, he laughed and said, “What’s so great about being an honoured guest? Being your husband sounds much better.”

This man was shameless and incorrigible, and he could change his words on a whim whenever. Jiang Jingchun couldn’t argue with him, and though she wanted to infuriate him, his words always left her so exasperated that she nearly choked on her anger. This time, she chose not to respond and turned on her heel to walk away.

Watching her leave without looking back, Gu Huaisheng called after her, “Wait a moment before you go. I have something to give you.”

He leaned close to Shuliang’s ear and whispered something unintelligible, which prompted Shuliang to scurry off and disappear almost instantly.

Jiang Jingchun frowned and gave him a confused look. What now? Was there really something she needed to take with her before heading out?

Seeing her expression cloud with impatience, Gu Huaisheng spoke in an unusually gentle tone. “Waiting a little won’t hurt. It’ll be quick.”

His excessively earnest attitude left Jiang Jingchun no room to vent her frustration. So, although she was still visibly annoyed, she turned her head away and refused to look at him, but still waited, however reluctantly, to see what this ‘thing’ was.

It didn’t take long before Shuliang returned—bringing Gu Huailang along with him.

Gu Huailang was bleary-eyed. He looked like he had just been woken up.

Jiang Jingchun stared at him in stunned disbelief. This? This was what he meant by ‘something’?

Before Jiang Jingchun could react, Gu Huaisheng had already leaned down to whisper something into Gu Huailang’s ear. Jiang Jingchun didn’t know what he said, but whatever it was, it made Gu Huailang insist on accompanying her out.

“What’s wrong with you?” Jiang Jingchun glared at the little boy, who was now determined to follow her,  and angrily scolded Gu Huaisheng.

So the ‘something’ he mentioned was Gu Huailang?

And to think she had waited for this! Why had he brought Gu Huailang to her? How could it be convenient for her to bring along a child while she was going out?

Gu Huaisheng pretended not to hear what she said. Instead, he looked at her with a smile on his face and said, “I’ll wait for you both to come back for lunch.”

With Gu Huailang in tow, Jiang Jingchun had no choice but to give up any plans of running away this time. Besides, this way, she would have an excuse to return to the Gu family residence soon, rather than being gone indefinitely.

Jiang Jingchun continued glaring at Gu Huaisheng. She truly found herself at a loss for words. She hadn’t realised before just how shameless and manipulative this man could be. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Gu Huailang. The boy had come over, grabbed her hand, and looked up at her with sleepy yet earnest eyes.

He said, “Cousin, do you not like me? Do you not want to take me out with you? I promise I won’t bother you. Please let me come along.”

His soft, sugary voice and drowsy expression made him seem as though he could fall asleep at any moment, yet he stubbornly insisted on going. No one could stay angry at a child who was being so earnest. Jiang Jingchun was unwilling to direct her frustrations at Gu Huailang, so she ignored Gu Huaisheng entirely, but took Gu Huailang’s hand and left with him.

As their figures faded into the distance, Shuliang began reporting on the events of the brothel incident from the day before.

“Young Master, the investigation is complete. The madam behind the brothel is backed by the county magistrate. They work hand in glove and cover for each other. The corrupt county magistrate turns a blind eye and even helps the madam traffick women. The brothel’s profits are then split with the local officials.”

Gu Huaisheng had already suspected as much.

These people relied on the fact that they were far from the emperor’s watchful eyes. They believed no one would bother to police small towns like theirs. That a mere county magistrate could act so brazenly only revealed the depth of their corruption.

Shuliang recalled something. Then, he suddenly sighed and said, “If only the reforms proposed by Master Shen had been implemented back then… Things wouldn’t have gotten this bad. The people wouldn’t be suffering like this, and these officials wouldn’t dare act so recklessly….”

His voice trailed off, and both men fell into silence. 

After a long pause, Gu Huaisheng finally spoke. He said, “Send someone with my token to see that county magistrate. He’ll understand.”

Shuliang nodded and turned to leave, but Gu Huaisheng stopped him again. “Wait. Do we know who those human traffickers are?”

“I’ll summon the secret guards for an update.”

Before long, one of the secret guards who had kept watch over Jiang Jingchun arrived at Gu Huaisheng’s chamber. 

Since the male secret guard was still recovering from being punished, only the female secret guard came to report.

She told him, “They’ve been tailing Miss Jiang ever since she left the capital. It’s likely someone from the capital wants to harm her.”

Gu Huaisheng frowned. “They were only following her?”

“That’s correct. They seem skilled in martial arts. They weren’t ordinary folk. Aside from when they abducted Miss Jiang and sold her to the brothel, they’d only watched her discreetly.”

Their cautious behaviour suggested they were no mere common criminals.

Hearing this, Gu Huaisheng’s mind began to settle on a conclusion. To go to such lengths just to sell her to a brothel—who could harbour such hatred towards her?

---

Meanwhile, Jiang Jingchun brought Gu Huailang onto a carriage. The carriage headed directly to the Chen family residence.

While they were inside the carriage, Jiang Jingchun couldn’t help asking Gu Huailang about what Gu Huaisheng had said to him which made him insist on following her.

Children naturally slept more than adults. Gu Huailang would usually still be asleep at this hour, and this was perhaps the first time he’d ever woken up so early. At this moment, he lay sprawled on the carriage seat and rested his head on Jiang Jingchun’s lap while dozing off.

Hearing Jiang Jingchun’s words didn’t fully wake him up. While still half-asleep, he honestly answered, “Brother asked if I wanted Cousin to become my sister-in-law. I said yes, and then he told me to follow you out.”

Jiang Jingchun’s expression darkened. To think he’d stoop so low as to manipulate even a child. Gu Huaisheng truly had no bottom line.

She didn’t respond further, and instead gently ruffled Gu Huailang’s hair and let him continue sleeping.

Before long, the carriage arrived at the Chen family residence. Jiang Jingchun went directly to find Chen Muqing.

Chen Muqing was surprised to see her back so soon. She couldn’t help but wonder, what was going on? She’d only been gone for a couple of days. Why was she already back?

Jiang Jingchun carried the still-sleeping Gu Huailang into the room and laid him on the couch before responding. “He found me less than a day after leaving the examination compound. I had no choice but to come back.”

To avoid worrying Chen Muqing, Jiang Jingchun deliberately omitted any mention of the brothel incident.

Chen Muqing found it odd. She frowned and asked, “How could that be? You left days earlier than him. How could he catch up to you in just one day? That doesn’t make sense.”

How could he have known which direction she had gone?

It was indeed strange, and Jiang Jingchun couldn’t make sense of it either.

However, pondering it now seemed pointless. After all, she was already back. Besides, the brothel incident had left a shadow in her heart. Even just thinking about that slap still made her face twinge with phantom pain.

Fortunately, the ointment that had been applied to her face the previous night had worked wonders. After a good night’s sleep, the redness and swelling on her face had subsided significantly. There were no longer any visible signs of the slap on her face.

Seeing Jiang Jingchun lost in thought, Chen Muqing wanted to say more. However, she was interrupted by Jiang Jingchun asking about Song Xuan’an.

“He came looking for you yesterday,” Chen Muqing said. “I didn’t know how to explain things to him, so I just brushed him off. But considering his personality, I’m sure he’ll be back.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Song Xuan’an’s voice came from outside.

He was a frequent visitor to the Chen family residence, and recently, Chen Muqing had stopped requiring him to announce his arrival beforehand. 

He had come early today with the intention of pestering Chen Muqing for news of Jiang Jingchun’s whereabouts. To his surprise, he walked in to see Jiang Jingchun sitting there perfectly fine.

Song Xuan’an froze in place. He stared at her in disbelief before rubbing his eyes as if to confirm he wasn’t imagining things.

When he realised that she was truly sitting there, he rushed forward and asked, in an accusatory tone, “Jiang Jingchun, where on earth did you go? Didn’t you say you’d wait for me at the examination compound’s gates? Why couldn’t I find you after I came out?”

The thought of her sudden disappearance had left him anxious and restless. His worry made his voice louder than usual. He startled Gu Huailang, who was sleeping on the couch, awake.

Jiang Jingchun noticed this. She quickly patted the boy’s head to soothe him. She motioned for Chen Muqing to help soothe Gu Huailang, as she intended to pull Song Xuan’an outside to talk. 

However, Gu Huailang clung stubbornly to her sleeve and refused to let her leave. She had no other choice and resigned herself to speaking there.

Jiang Jingchun began by explaining her recent whereabouts. “Don’t worry. I just left the city to go sightseeing for a few days.”

“Was it fun, Cousin?” Gu Huailang interjected from the side.

“When adults are talking, children shouldn’t interrupt,” Jiang Jingchun chided before covering his ears.

Though Gu Huailang pouted, he obediently stayed quiet.

Song Xuan’an sensed that something was off and asked, “Why did you suddenly leave?”

For a moment, Jiang Jingchun didn’t know how to answer. She changed the subject and instead asked him, “Why did you have that item with you during your examination?”

She didn’t believe the golden foil sheets inscribed with excerpts from the Four Books and Five Classics were his doing, but where had they come from? Did Song Xuan’an realize someone had set him up?

Song Xuan’an was confused by her question. Was she talking about the gold foil sheets?

He asked, “You mean the gold foil sheets with Buddhist scriptures on them?”

His response made Jiang Jingchun exchange a glance with Chen Muqing.

It seemed he hadn’t found out what had happened yet.

The gold foil sheets initially had excerpts from the Four Books and Five Classics inscribed on them, not Buddhist scriptures. It seemed that Gu Huaisheng must’ve switched the gold foil sheets after they were found.

For a moment, the group didn’t know how to respond. Seeing their reaction, Song Xuan’an became even more anxious. “Why aren’t you saying anything? You’re killing me here!”

Their hesitant expressions could make anyone watching feel inexplicably uneasy.

It was Jiang Jingchun who finally broke the silence. She said, “Song Xuan’an… the golden foil sheets didn’t originally have Buddhist scriptures on them.”

Hearing her words, Song Xuan’an felt as if his brain buzzed, and his breath stalled for a moment.

“What did you say?” 

Clearly, he found it hard to believe what Jiang Jingchun had just said.

Jiang Jingchun understood his reaction. He had most likely been deceived by someone. If she didn’t tell him the truth, he probably wouldn’t recognise that person’s true nature. So, Jiang Jingchun carefully continued.

She looked at Song Xuan’an and said, “The writings on those gold foil sheets were about the imperial examinations.”

Song Xuan’an’s pupils widened.

Jiang Jingchun had said the content of those gold foil sheets were about the imperial examinations. If he had brought that into the examination compound, wouldn’t that amount to a cheating attempt? 

Song Xuanjing had given him the brush that contained those gold foil sheets. If there was any tampering with that brush, did that mean Song Xuanjing was trying to harm him?

Song Xuan’an couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

His elder brother? Trying to harm him? But from childhood to now, no one had treated him better than Song Xuanjing.

Anyone could harm him, but not his elder brother.

Yet, who would place gold foil sheets with inscriptions on them inside an examination brush out of kind intentions? Even if the inscriptions were Buddhist scriptures, that was still forbidden. The rules explicitly stated that no written materials could be brought into the examination compound. It was Gu Huaisheng who bent the rules and allowed him entry into the examination compound despite that.

Wait… Why would Gu Huaisheng bend the rules for him?

His head throbbed painfully. Things were becoming both clearer and more overwhelming at the same time.

So… the original content on the gold foil sheets wasn’t Buddhist scriptures but evidence suggesting that he was attempting to cheat?

And Gu Huaisheng had been lenient enough to replace those sheets with new ones that had Buddhist scriptures inscribed on them?

He’d found it strange, but it all made sense now. That day, the other detainees in the prison had their wrongdoing quickly determined, but his case remained undecided for an unusually long time.

He couldn’t comprehend it. He truly couldn’t understand why Song Xuanjing would want to harm him.

Was his brother really trying to ruin him?

But why, then, would Gu Huaisheng step in to help him?

Gu Huaisheng had always treated him with inexplicable hostility. At first, Song Xuan’an couldn’t figure out why. But then, he began to notice the peculiar way Gu Huaisheng looked at Jiang Jingchun—so peculiar that it became impossible to ignore.

And now, he was starting to piece things together.

Song Xuan’an turned to look at Jiang Jingchun. His throat felt unbearably dry, and he hoarsely asked, “Will you still marry me?”

Jiang Jingchun lowered her head and remained silent.

Song Xuan’an asked again, “Did you go and plead to him?”

This was the only explanation he could think of.

If Jiang Jingchun hadn’t pleaded with Gu Huaisheng, why would he have helped him? His gaze shifted to Gu Huailang, who stood to the side. It was obvious they had come together from the Gu family residence.

Song Xuan’an’s eyes reddened.

He nearly choked on his words as he said, “How could you go to him?”

It was her whom Gu Huaisheng was willing to help, not him.

He wouldn’t have saved him unless he had taken something from Jiang Jingchun in return.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he choked back his sobs. He said, “Jiang Jingchun, answer me. Will you still marry me?”

Even Chen Muqing, who had only been silently observing, found it hard to watch any longer. It was just too awful. Everything had been fine until something screwed it all up at the last moment. As a result, everything had now descended into utter chaos.

Jiang Jingchun had never seen Song Xuan’an cry before. Watching him now made her eyes sting with emotion. She said softly, “Let it go… Song Xuan’an, you should just forget it.”

Song Xuan’an almost broke down upon hearing her words. “Forget it? How can I forget it?”

Jiang Jingchun couldn’t answer him. She couldn’t bear to look at him like this any longer. She grabbed Gu Huailang, who was seated on the couch, and tried to leave.

But how could Song Xuan’an let her go so easily? He clutched her arm tightly and refused to give in. “Jiang Jingchun, how could you lie to me?”

Jiang Jingchun didn’t want things to be like this, but what could she do? The situation had spiralled out of control. What else could she do?

Her eyes reddened as she spoke to him. “It’s okay, Song Xuan’an. You’ll meet someone else. There’s no such thing as someone who can’t be replaced. We’re just not meant to be. I’m sorry.”

Her words cut into him like a scythe that peeled back layer after layer of his flesh.

“Song Xuan’an, let go,” Jiang Jingchun said softly to him.

However, even after hearing her words, he stubbornly refused to release her. He knew that if he let go now, it would truly be over for them.

She was apologising… Why was she apologising when none of this was her fault? What could he possibly do with her apology?

“You can’t do this to me, Jiang Jingchun.”

His brother had betrayed him. And now, she was abandoning him too?

“Are you afraid I won’t pass this time? Just wait for me… please, just wait…”

However, before he could finish his plea, Jiang Jingchun interrupted him. She said, “I’m going to marry my cousin.”

As soon as Jiang Jingchun said this, Song Xuan’an froze. All the words he wanted to say became stuck in his throat.

She was going to marry her cousin…

Those words seemed to drain all of his strength. His grip on her arm weakened until it finally slipped away.

Jiang Jingchun couldn’t bear to look at him any longer. She pulled her hand back and left with Gu Huailang.

Her figure slowly disappeared from his sight.

Even after she was gone, Song Xuan’an stood there, unmoving. His gaze remained locked in the direction she had left.

His eyes were bloodshot. The usually spirited, confident young man now looked utterly defeated.

Chen Muqing couldn’t help but feel concerned for him. She had never seen him like this before.

Hesitantly, she asked, “Song Xuan’an, are you alright?”

It took a long time before he reacted. He shook his head faintly to answer her question and then stumbled out of the room.

Chen Muqing felt a pang of fear seeing him like that. Fortunately, though he swayed unsteadily, he didn’t fall.

Jiang Jingchun and Song Xuan’an had said everything that they needed to say, and now, they’d left.

This entire situation was indeed terribly unfair to Song Xuan’an.

But then again, was it fair to Jiang Jingchun? The blame could only fall on the true culprit—the one who had thrown everything into chaos.

Chen Muqing sighed deeply and chose not to dwell on it any further.

---

After meeting Song Xuan’an, Jiang Jingchun took Gu Huailang back to the Gu family residence.

On the way, she couldn’t help but think about Song Xuan’an’s earlier state. Eventually, her emotions became too overwhelming, and she couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.

Gu Huailang, who was now fully awake, sat beside her in silence. He saw her crying and didn’t dare speak. Instead, he climbed onto the seat beside her, knelt down, and used a handkerchief to gently wipe her tears.

But the more he wiped, the harder she cried.

“Cousin, why are you crying?”

He had seen that young man in the house earlier, whose eyes were reddened too. Gu Huailang didn’t understand why the two of them cried.

Jiang Jingchun didn’t answer his question. She just kept crying. Seeing this, Gu Huailang fell silent and stopped asking.

By the time they were near the Gu family residence, Jiang Jingchun had already stopped crying and wiped away her tears. She went back to the courtyard that she’d stayed in yesterday and then asked Huayun to send Gu Huailang back to his quarters.

Meanwhile, someone told Gu Huaisheng that Jiang Jingchun had returned looking pale and dispirited. He rose from his seat and went to find Gu Huailang.

Without any preamble, he asked, “Did you hear what they were talking about?”

Gu Huailang tilted his head and looked up at him. “Do you mean what Cousin and that older brother talked about?”

Gu Huaisheng sat down beside him and nodded.

Gu Huailang repeated what he had heard. His tone was matter-of-fact, as if he was reciting a lesson. “Cousin seemed to say something about not being able to marry him, and then that gentleman grabbed her hand and wouldn’t let go. Cousin apologised and said she was going to marry her cousin. Then, that gentleman let go.”

He recounted everything he had overheard, except for the earlier part where Jiang Jingchun had covered his ears because she deemed him too nosy. He had committed everything else to memory.

Gu Huaisheng pieced the situation together from Gu Huailang’s account. He patted Gu Huailang on the head and praised him, “Very good. You remembered everything.”

However, Gu Huailang didn’t seem particularly pleased with the compliment. Instead, he asked, “Brother, doesn’t Cousin seem unwilling to marry you? Otherwise, why would she cry on the way back?”

Cry?

Hearing this, Gu Huaisheng realised for the first time that she had shed tears.

He had only thought she was in low spirits. He hadn’t expected her to cry. So she’d cried because of him?

Gu Huailang repeated his question and pulled Gu Huaisheng out of his thoughts.

Gu Huaisheng made up a casual excuse and replied, “Why she was crying…? Perhaps she’s sad about not being able to spend time with her friends anymore after she gets married.”

“Why can’t she?”

“Because your older brother is stingy and wouldn’t let her.”

She’d cried over him. How could Gu Huaisheng allow her to keep seeing him?

They were two people who had almost been engaged. If she cried for him, there must certainly be only one reason…

Was she lamenting the end of their relationship—the one that never came to fruition?

After asking his question, Gu Huaisheng didn’t linger with Gu Huailang. However, when he returned, he didn’t immediately go looking for Jiang Jingchun either.

She was likely not in a good mood at the moment. If he showed up in front of her, she’d only scold him.

However, by noon, she still hadn’t come out for lunch. Gu Huaisheng sent Shuliang to deliver a meal to her, but the food was returned untouched.

Gu Huaisheng decided to personally take a bowl of porridge to her.

When Huayun saw him coming, she hesitated and wondered if she should announce his arrival to Jiang Jingchun. However, Gu Huaisheng waved her off, and then pushed the door open to enter.

Inside, Jiang Jingchun was curled up on the chaise lounge. From the looks of it, he could guess that she had cried several more times since returning.

He walked over to the chaise and set the porridge on the table beside her.

Jiang Jingchun had slept almost an entire day and night yesterday, so naturally, she wasn’t tired now. As she lay on the chaise, she’d cried a few times and was still nursing her grief. When she heard someone enter, she could guess that it was Gu Huaisheng.

However, she didn’t react.

Gu Huaisheng didn’t ask why she hadn’t eaten or why she’d been crying. He already knew and saw no point in asking again.

Instead, he simply said, “Let’s go to the Jiang family residence to visit Grandmother later.”

Jiang Jingchun still didn’t reply.

Gu Huaisheng lifted his robe and sat down on the edge of the chaise. As if he was speaking to himself, he said, “I suppose you’re not willing to explain things to Aunt, so I’ll speak to Grandmother instead. We can skip the formal proposal and the birth chart request, and go straight to the third rite.”

Once they completed the six rites, they would be married. Their two families were close, and Gu Huaisheng was also not one to rigidly adhere to rules and formalities. He didn’t think that skipping the first two rites of the six rites would cause any trouble. As long as they completed the three other rites—placing their birth charts at the ancestral altar to confirm compatibility, getting betrothed, and then selecting an auspicious wedding date—they could hold the wedding.

Since Jiang Jingchun wasn’t inclined to deal with Lady Li, discussing these matters with Old Madame Jiang would suffice. The two families were relatives, after all, so this arrangement wouldn’t be a big deal.

His tone was as calm as ever, but to Jiang Jingchun, it sounded infuriating, like fuel being added to a fire.

She turned to face him and let out a cold laugh. “Ha! You’re so thoughtful and considerate. Anyone who didn’t know better might actually think you’re some kind of saint.”

He had thought of everything so meticulously, but why didn’t he consider whether she wanted to marry him? To her, his behaviour was nothing short of pretentious.

Jiang Jingchun, who was still lying on the chaise, looked at Gu Huaisheng with slightly swollen eyes. They were clear signs that she’d cried hard. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and her expression carried a clear edge of impatience.

However, even when Gu Huaisheng met her gaze, his expression remained unaffected.

It didn’t matter. She had seen Song Xuan’an today, and it was only natural for her to take her frustrations out on him. 

It didn’t matter. Whatever she had with Song Xuan’an was in the past now. If she needed to cry over this, then so be it. After she finished, she wouldn’t dwell on it anymore.

He said, “You claim I’m not a good person, but I’m the one who helped him this time.”

Jiang Jingchun’s frown deepened at this shameless remark. Her anger was now impossible to conceal.

He kept using this matter to pressure her. Was this all he was capable of saying? Wasn’t there anything else he could come up with?

Gu Huaisheng reached for the bowl of porridge on the table. He scooped up a spoonful and held it to her lips.

Jiang Jingchun refused to open her mouth and turned her head away.

Seeing her like this, the faint smile on Gu Huaisheng’s lips finally faded. He said, “Didn’t you once say you wanted me to regret everything? If so, why torment yourself like this? Do you know why Grandmother has stomach problems? When she was young, she couldn’t afford to eat, and her stomach was ruined from hunger. If you keep this up, you’ll end up the same way when you’re old.”

He was lecturing her again.

Jiang Jingchun looked up at him and blandly asked, “Are you trying to be my husband or my father? Song Xuan’an never lectures me like this.”

She knew just how to make him angry.

The more Gu Huaisheng disliked something, the more she would do it. He wasn’t wrong—there was no point in tormenting herself. Tormenting him was far more satisfying.

Why did she always have to bring up Song Xuan’an in front of him? He really didn’t want to hear that name from her mouth.

It grated on his ears.

Gu Huaisheng let out a seemingly helpless sigh. He then asked, “Are you really not going to eat?”