Within The Sound of Swallows - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Jade Hidden in Dirt

Gu Chaobei was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: “If you really killed me, wouldn’t you get married only to become a widow?”

The horse had already bolted far ahead, leaving the people behind completely out of sight. It was too late to turn back now. Shen Guiyan sighed helplessly and simply gave in. Since she would be punished either way, there was no need to fear anything anymore.

“I’ve always wondered—why did Fourth Young Master Gu suddenly come to the Shen family to propose marriage to me? We’d never met before, and looking at my appearance, it doesn’t seem likely that I could have caught Fourth Young Master’s eye.”

Shen Guiyan had been pondering this question for days and finally had the chance to ask it.

Gu Chaobei slowed the horse as they traveled along the quiet street. He lowered his head and leaned down. He whispered in her ear: “Although we’d never met, I’ve long heard of Third Miss’s reputation. Since the age of five, you’ve been different from others, rumored to be exceptionally bright and sharp-witted.”

There were even rumors in the market that the Third Miss of the Shen family was born extraordinary, with a phoenix jade in her mouth, maybe even destined to become the mother of the nation, the empress, in the future.

Shen Guiyan pursed her lips. She didn’t understand why people believed such nonsense. If the Prime Minister Gu hadn’t arranged their marriage when she was eight, she might have been fought over by the princes in the palace. That so-called fate of an empress, did they really think marrying her would make someone an emperor?

That’s absurd.

“I’m just curious as to why the brilliant and dazzling Third Miss of the Shen family suddenly became ordinary after the age of eight. That’s why I went to the Shen residence to take a look.” Gu Chaobei said leisurely. “After seeing you, I became very interested. You were like a piece of beautiful jade covered in dirt. I wanted to take you home and slowly uncover what’s hidden beneath.”

Shen Guiyan was stunned.

“Dirt?”

“Exactly.” Gu Chaobei said with a playful tone, resting his chin on her shoulder. “All those tedious rules, constantly worrying about making mistakes, being overly cautious to appear that you’re no different from everyone else—isn’t that like being buried under the dirt?”

Shen Guiyan let out a light scoff and turned her head away.

If it were not for being powerless, who would willingly want to become ordinary?

Gu Chaobei flicked the reins, and the horse sped up, heading straight for West Street. By the time Shen Guiyan snapped out of her thoughts, they were already in front of a half-opened door with a sign that read “Drunken Blossom Pavilion.”

The Drunken Blossom Pavilion was a famous brothel in the capital, and it was also the place where Gu Chaobei first earned his reputation.

Shen Guiyan’s mouth fell open. “Why did you bring me here?” Aren’t they supposed to go to Louxia Mountain?

Gu Chaobei helped her off the horse and slung an arm over her shoulder, saying, “To broaden your horizons. Want to take a look inside? They’re all old acquaintances.”

Shen Guiya: “…”

They were his old acquaintances. She didn’t know a single person here!

“Ah, Young Master Gu, what brings you here at this hour?” Madam Ying came out in surprise, glancing behind him, and said, “The girls have just gone to bed. And this young lady is…?”

Shen Guiyan instinctively tried to back away, but Gu Chaobei grabbed her shoulder, holding her firmly in place.

“This is the Third Miss of the Shen family.”

Madam Ying’s eyes lit up with understanding, but she showed no sign of panic, only smiling. “It’s not lively here during the day, but the two of you are welcome to come in for some tea.”

Shen Guiyan was a bit surprised. Rumor had it that Gu Chaobei knew all the girls here, and yet, despite her status as his soon-to-be wife, Madam Ying showed no signs of avoiding her.

She followed him inside, and only then did she realize how different  Drunken Blossom Pavilion was from other brothels. There were no excessive drapes or curtains, and it looked more like an ordinary tavern. Two early-rising girls, disheveled and unkempt, were sitting downstairs, eating pastries. When they saw people coming in, they hurriedly tidied up their appearances.

“Young Master Gu?”

Gu Chaobei casually found a spot to sit with Shen Guiyan, and the madam brought them some tea and breakfast.

“Ladies, please continue eating. We’re just passing through.” Gu Chaobei waved at the two girls. They gave shy smiles, nodded at Shen Guiyan, and went back to eating their pastries.

Shen Guiyan looked around and felt something wasn’t quite right. How could a brothel look like this?

“What do you think a brothel is supposed to look like?” Gu Chaobei asked her softly.

Shen Guiyan gestured vaguely with her hands: “There should be gauzy drapes in peony colors over there, embroidered tablecloths, colorful silk decorations on the stairs, and girls dressed in revealing outfits…”

Gu Chaobei nodded. “From what you read in books?”

Shen Guiyan coughed lightly, silently admitting it. She read all kinds of books. Aside from the Four Books and Five Classics, she also read various strange tales and even some records about brothels… However, she couldn’t say that out loud.

“Singers and dancers don’t have it easy.” Gu Chaobei said lightly. “What’s frightening is that as days and nights pass, beauty fades, and they only have a few years to earn a living. If they can’t save up money for when they become old, once they leave this place, they might starve to death.”

Shen Guiyan froze and glanced at the two girls again. They couldn’t be older than sixteen or seventeen with their faces pale without makeup. When no one was looking, their expressions seemed to be devoid of joy. 

She had always thought brothels were dens of debauchery, filled with licentious women who only cared about money. Turns out, there was this kind of hidden truth behind it.

She patted her pockets. Having just changed clothes, her purse only had two taels of silver, which she had saved from last month’s allowance. Shen Guiyan looked at the meager amount of silver with some worry. She thought for a moment and eventually placed it on the table.

“What are you doing?” Gu Chaobei raised an eyebrow.

“It’s for breakfast,” Shen Guiyan kept her head down as she finished the congee, then stood up. “You can’t just eat here for free.”

“You don’t need to give this much.” Gu Chaobei laughed helplessly, looking amused. “I never have to pay when I eat here.”

Just then, Madam Ying happened to be walking over with a tray of light snacks. The moment Shen Guiyan saw her, she immediately grabbed Gu Chaobei’s hand and dragged him outside in panic.

“Hey—” Gu Chaobei stumbled as she pulled him along, barely keeping his footing as they rushed outside.

Shen Guiyan was afraid Madam Ying would return the silver. Two taels wasn’t a small amount, but in a place like this, it wasn’t much either. She didn’t even know why she had impulsively given the money, but it was better to run away first.

They made it outside, but she couldn’t get on the horse. Shen Guiyan anxiously looked at Gu Chaobei. “Quick, help me up!”

Help her up? No longer worrying about propriety? Gu Chaobei’s eyes gleamed as he lifted her onto the saddle. Shen Guiyan grabbed the reins, and once he was settled behind her, she mimicked his earlier posture and shouted, “Hyah!”

The horse let out a loud neigh and bolted forward. Shen Guiyan held back a scream, but as she got used to the speed and jolts, she realized riding was actually kind of fun.

Gu Chaobei, however, was nearly scared out of his wits. He quickly snatched back the reins and said, “It’s just two taels of silver! Was it really necessary to run away like this?”

Shen Guiyan’s ears turned red. She kept her lips tightly pressed together and said nothing.

Taking full control of the reins, Gu Chaobei couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “I was originally planning to wait for a few of the older girls to get up so you could watch their dance. But since we already dashed out, let’s just head straight to Luoxia Mountain.”

Ideally, Luoxia Mountain was best visited at dusk, as the view of the sunset was breathtakingly beautiful. However, the two clearly didn’t have time to wait until then. Therefore, they could only hurry to Luoxia Mountain for a quick look before being dragged back to the Shen residence.

As for why they were going to Luoxia Mountain, Gu Chaobei didn’t say anything, and Shen Guiyan didn’t ask.

Louxia Mountain was dotted with graves, old and new, scattered across the hillside. Gu Chaobei led her to a recently erected tombstone.

Qin Yiniang was a member of the Shen family. If her background had been a bit better, she could have been buried in the Shen family’s ancestral tomb. But she had been born a maid and was never liked by Madam Shen, so they sent her body off to a public graveyard and buried her without much thought.

Shen Guiyan looked at the words carved on the tombstone, her body froze, not moving for a long time.

Tomb of Shen Qin. Erected by her unfilial daughter, Guiyan.

It was Qin Yiniang’s grave.

This plot of land had relatively good feng shui. Shen Guiyan looked around. No other graves crowded around her tomb, and the surrounding mountain and water were just right.

She slowly knelt in front of the grave and kowtowed a few times. Gu Chaobei reached into the saddlebag and pulled out incense and fruit, which he had clearly prepared ahead of time.

Shen Guiyan gave him a deep look. Gu Chaobei still wore his usual playful smile, but when facing the tombstone, he put away his smile, knelt down beside her, and respectfully bowed his head.

“I figured you probably wouldn’t have the chance to leave the residence, let alone build a grave for your birth mother,” Gu Chaobei said softly. “Since I’m going to marry you, anyway, I should at least do something meaningful. So I went ahead and did what I guessed you’ve probably wanted to do the most.”

After speaking, he turned to look at her: “Well? Are you touched? Don’t you feel like marrying me won’t be such a regret now?”

When she saw the tombstone, Shen Guiyan was truly moved, but hearing him say all that, the corner of her mouth couldn’t help—she really wanted to punch him.

Couldn’t he be a bit more like those refined young lords and say a few heartfelt words? Did he really have to be so blunt and state his intentions outright? Looking at the tombstone, Shen Guiayan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Mother, look, your daughter is going to marry such a rascal. They say he’s a rascal, but he seems more reliable than those elegant young masters?

A breeze passed over the grave, oddly gentle and warm. Shen Guiyan placed the fruit before the tombstone, lit the incense, and knelt quietly with Gu Chaobei, waiting for it to finish burning.

On their way down the mountain, Shen Guiyan’s heart felt much more at ease, and looking at Gu Chaobei, he was starting to be a bit more pleasing to her eyes.

“Are you falling for me already?” Gu Chaobei stroked his chin and gave her a charming smile: “I think a man like me really does deserve to be loved!”

Shen Guiyan: “…”

She took back what she had just thought. It really wasn’t easy for this guy to become likeable!

The two mounted the horse and rode back to the residence. The closer they got to the Shen estate, the stiffer Shen Guiyan’s expression became.

“Don’t be too nervous,” Gu Chaobei said with a smile. “Everyone knows I was the one who dragged you out. If anyone’s getting punished, it will be me, not you.”

Besides, how could Gu Chaobei possibly be punished in the Shen residence? This bastard had long since thought it through.

Shen Guiyan covered her face and thought to herself: No wonder this person was so unruly yet has managed to grow up safely in the Prime Minister’s residence until now. He was truly a disaster that will last for a thousand years.

Madam Shen, along with two concubines, was already waiting in the main hall. Baoshan knelt there, her face swollen from several slaps, but she didn’t cry, only clenched her teeth and kept her head down.

As Gu Chaobei led Shen Guiyan inside, Madam Shen’s sharp voice rang out: “This is the first time I’ve heard of a groom abducting his bride just before their wedding!”

***

✒️ TL Note:

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