Within The Sound of Swallows - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: If Someone Comes at Midnight, They’re Either a Thief or a Lecher

Gu Chaodong was gentle and refined, but who would have thought his younger brother could be so rude? His words were crude enough to leave anyone speechless. Shen Guiyan’s cheeks flushed with anger, yet Gu Chaobei still wore that carefree and roguish smirk.

Lord Shen was at a loss. Had it been anyone else, he would have had them thrown out long ago. But unfortunately, this was the Fourth Young Master from the Prime Minister’s residence.

“Why is Young Master Gu so intent on marrying the Third Miss?” Ding  Yiniang¹, who was sitting nearby, asked softly. “There hasn’t been any connection between the two of you before, has there?”

Gu Chaobei raised an eyebrow. “I liked her the moment I saw her. Is that not reason enough?”

Shen Guiyan turned to glance at him and couldn’t help but laugh coldly. She didn’t believe in love at first sight. This Fourth Young Master Gu clearly had other motives, and he was putting on the act of a scoundrel trying to force her into marriage.

If she married him, wouldn’t that make her Gu Chaodong’s sister-in-law? What a joke.

“Let’s wait until Young Master Gu sobers up and discuss the matter together with the Prime Minister,” Madam Shen said with a gentle smile. “What the young master says on his own doesn’t count.”

Gu Chaobei raised his brow again and shot a glance at Shen Guiyan. He didn’t press the matter any further, instead, he let go of her hand and smiled brightly. “Very well. Then I’ll have my father come tomorrow to propose formally.”

If the Prime Minister personally came to propose, even if the Shen family were unwilling, they would have no choice but to accept the marriage.

Feng Xiao’s expression changed several times as he listened outside. He quickly tugged on Baoshan’s sleeve. “Sister Baoshan, you must persuade the Third Miss! I need to go and report this to the Young Master immediately. This marriage cannot happen!”

Baoshan glared at him. “Isn’t the Young Master already married to the Fifth Miss? Why is he still thinking about my lady?”

“Good sister, I’m begging you!” Feng Xiao wiped the sweat from his forehead. Seeing that Gu Chaobei was about to leave, he had to hurry up and get ahead of him. “Sister, if you help me persuade the Third Miss, I’ll definitely bring a generous gift next time!”

With that, he dashed off, mounted his horse, and rode back to the Prime Minister’s residence.

Gu Chaobei turned to leave but swayed unsteadily, clearly quite drunk. After taking just a few steps, he nearly collapsed to the ground. When Lord Shen saw this, he sighed helplessly and ordered, “Someone, take Young Master Gu to the guest room to rest. Just send him back to his residence tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir,” a servant responded and stepped forward to support Gu Chaobei out.

Shen Guiyan moved to the side. She was still frowning when she heard Ding Yiniang laugh beside her as she remarked, “Third Miss is truly fortunate. You may not be able to marry the elder brother, but now the younger one has taken a fancy to you. Either way, it’s still the Prime Minister’s household. A life of wealth and status is already guaranteed.”

Shen Guiyan lowered her gaze. “You overestimate my fortune, Ding Yiniang.”

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Madam Shen added with a chuckle. “If you really do marry into that family, you and Ya’er would become sisters-in-law. You could support each other.”

Support each other? Shen Guiyan smiled faintly. The very person who stole her marriage is now asking for her support? At the moment, she was simply overwhelmed by her birth mother’s recent death and had no time to think things through carefully. But once tonight’s heavy rain passed, did they really think she would still be as easy to manipulate as before?

She had endured only because of Qin Yiniang. But now that Qin Yiniang was gone, why should she continue to endure?

However, she said nothing. In this kind of situation, speaking up would only bring more trouble.

Seeing her silence, Lord Shen sighed. “Enough. Let’s all rest for now and discuss this again tomorrow.”

“Yes.” The various branches of the family each went their own way. Shen Guiyan also stepped out of the main courtyard where Baoshan was waiting for her, holding an umbrella. The latter supported her as they walked back.

“Miss… about Young Master Gu…” Baoshan hesitated. Although she was angry at Shen Guiya, she still felt that Gu Chaodong was somewhat innocent.  After all, he and her young lady had shared so many years of affection; was it really going to end just like this?

Shen Guiyan lowered her gaze. “Let me rest for a while, and don’t ask me anything else.”

Even someone hanging themselves gets a moment to catch their breath. First, her wedding dress was snatched, then her mother passed away, and now this scoundrel was trying to force a marriage on her—anyone would break under such pressure.

Baoshan held her tongue before helping her wash and change. Seeing her lady so deep in sorrow, she knew better than to disturb her further and quietly closed the door behind her.

Qin Yiniang’s death wasn’t that simple. Shen Guiyan thought as she lay on the bed with her eyes closed. No one would be foolish enough to consume a large dose of arsenic without knowing. Yet Qin Yiniang’s close maid, Xiujun, insisted she knew nothing. She only remembered that early that morning, when Qin Yiniang went to the madam’s courtyard to pay respects, she had breakfast over there. After that, she returned to her room to prepare for the wedding, and that’s when everything went wrong.

That was what she said. But without a shred of evidence, who would dare accuse the lady of the house? As long as Madam Shen remained in charge of the Shen household, Shen Guiyan would always be under her control. The food she ate, the clothes she wore, her marriage, and even her future; everything was in her hands.

Unless she was married off.

But Gu Chaodong had already married Shen Guiya, so who could she marry now? Should she marry into the Gu family as a concubine? But if she did, that would only mean living under Shen Guiya’s control again.

Clutching her bedsheet tightly, Shen Guiyan opened her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. Heaven never seals off all roads. There must be another way.

“I’ve thought about it for a long time, about why you rejected me.”

Suddenly, a man’s voice rang out in her room.

Shen Guiyan was startled and almost screamed. She clutched the quilt to her chest and sat up, looking out past the bed curtains.

A lamp was lit on the table, and next to it sat a man dressed in brocade and wearing a jade crown. He was murmuring to himself in front of the mirror. “I thought you simply had unique taste. But when I left and  looked in the mirror, I realized the problem lies with me.”

The man shifted his attention to her. His features were striking, like a painting that came to life. Shen Guiyan was briefly stunned, a line from an ancient scroll she had read days ago suddenly came to mind:

A noble youth, unrestrained and elegant, raises his cup and gazes into the blue sky; he’s as radiant as a jade tree swaying in the wind.

The exceptionally handsome man wore a slightly mischievous smile. He looked at her and said, “The rain has sullied my appearance. It must have startled you. But now that you’ve had a better look, don’t you think marrying me isn’t such a terrible idea after all?”

Shen Guiyan came back to her senses and finally realized, “Fourth Young Master Gu?”

“My name is Gu Chaobei,” he said. “You’d best remember it.”

Shen Guiyan’s hand had already reached the dagger she always kept by her pillow. She smiled at him and asked, “What might be Young Master Gu’s purpose for visiting a lady’s boudoir in the middle of the night?”

Not that she really needed to ask, but what else could a man be doing sneaking into a woman’s bedroom at this hour? If he was not a thief, then he was a lecher.

Gu Chaobei stood up and walked to the bedside, rubbing his chin as he said, “I looked in the mirror after I left and just couldn’t accept it. Thus, I freshened up a bit and came back to find you. Third Miss Shen, compared to my elder brother… am I really that much worse?”

Shen Guiyan very much wanted to nod, but this was clearly not the time to provoke him. And so, she just smiled and simply said, “Fourth Young Master Gu, your charm is known throughout the capital. I’ve even heard that Princess Duwen herself is quite fond of you. How could you possibly be inferior to your eldest  brother?”

“Is that so? Then why did you turn me down?” Gu Chaobei asked with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Shen Guiyan retreated slightly and replied, “This young lady’s heart already belongs to your eldest brother. It’s hard to change such feelings, so naturally, I had to refuse you.”

“Your heart belongs to my brother?” Gu Chaobei raised an eyebrow, then let out a cold laugh. “You women always fall for sweet words, only seeing the surface. What’s so great about a man like him? He might shower you with affection in your presence, but who knows how many women he dotes on behind your back? Guys like that always pretend to be so devoted and sincere.”

Shen Guiyan let out a dry chuckle and nodded in agreement, thinking to herself, ‘Aren’t you exactly the same?’

“I’m not like that,” Gu Chaobei said seriously. “I’m a flirt, sure, but I don’t hide it. I’ve never lied to anyone. If I say I’ve got a dozen lovers out there, then it’s exactly a dozen; no more, no less. If I’m shameless, at least I’m open about it.”

Shen Guiyan’s lips twitched. Is being openly shameless something to be proud of now?

“Young Master, you really shouldn’t be here at this hour,” she said. “This isn’t something an honorable gentleman would do.”

“Oh?” Gu Chaobei raised an eyebrow, then glanced back toward the window, seemingly casually. “Are you sure about that?”

“I’m sure.” Shen Guiyan’s grip tightened around the dagger. As she saw him stepping past the edge of the bed, she forced a smile and gave a subtle warning, “One more step, and there will be bloodshed.”

‘Bl00d? From her? These sheltered noble ladies probably haven’t even seen bl00d before.’ Gu Chaobei thought with a sneer. Completely unfazed, he took another step forward.

In the next instant, Shen Guiyan swiftly drew the dagger and drove it hard into his shoulder.

As a sheltered young lady who had never done anything like this before, Shen Guiyan naturally didn’t know how to gauge her actions. She was solely focused on protecting her own reputation, so she struck a bit harder than it should have been, knowing full well that although a stab to the shoulder might be excruciatingly painful, it wouldn’t be fatal.

Gu Chaobei didn’t expect her to really take action. For a moment, he didn’t react, and by the time he did, severe pain shot through his shoulder, with bl00d streaming down from it.

“You…”

She had really done it!

Shen Guiyan pulled the dagger back and grabbed her quilt again, her face stern as she looked at him. “Young Master, please leave at once. If I call someone in, it won’t be good for either of us.”

Gu Chaobei clutched his shoulder, sucking in a few sharp breaths through his teeth. Despite the pain, he still gave her a helpless smile. “You think… just because someone comes in the middle of the night, they must be up to no good?”

“What else could it be then?” Shen Guiyan glared at him.

Gu Chaobei waved his hand dismissively and chuckled before pointing toward her window. Shen Guiyan looked at him, confused. The room fell into a brief silence. Then, unexpectedly, someone knocked on the window.

***

✒️ TL Note:

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