《Long Wind Crossing》


 Prologue

    In the dark night of the dream, she walked on the road with grasping hands. She carried a lamp and strode in a hurry.


    The moonlight fell on the narrow and winding road [1], reflecting her slim shadow and the swaying light. It seemed as if she was a ghostly messenger carrying a lamp at night.


    Not far away, the end of the valley highlighted bright lights with many people standing around. There was crying and shouting among discussions, with the roars of men and screams of women intertwining. It was like the world had been sent to hell, making one¡¯s scalps tingle when listening.


    She walked out of the alley and mixed into the crowd. With a fast and anxious heartbeat, she could only hear others ask around: ¡°What crime did the Gu family commit?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the crime?¡± The onlookers said: ¡°It¡¯s just that Lord Wang is short of food and wages, so he¡¯s slaughtering a fat sheep.¡±


    She looked sideways. The person who spoke was a storyteller from the east side of the city who was very well-informed. He sighed and said: ¡°After the rebellion of the Duke of Liang, Fan Xuan led his troops into the eastern capital, saying he was on the side of the Qing emperor. It¡¯s said that he killed all the descendants of the Li family in one night and then seized the empress dowager and hundreds of officials until they recognized him as emperor. He¡¯s just a military governor of Youzhou and dares call himself the Son of Heaven. How could other heroes out there be convinced? So other provincial governors established themselves as monarchs in the name of exterminating rebels. When chaos came long, our Lord Wang just followed the trend.¡±


    ¡°But the fault also lies in the Gu family.¡± Sir Storyteller pointed with a fan. Everyone¡¯s eyes fell to the big scarlet door before the gate. Officials were dragging out a woman in front of the gate by her hair. She hoarsely screamed but was met with an indifferent crowd. They were listening to the storyteller say: ¡°His family was wealthy to begin with; back then, because of his relationship with Lord Liang, he always ran amok in Yangzhou. His son over there Gu Jiusi was a bad influence, always gambling and causing trouble all day long. If he hadn¡¯t broken the leg of Lord Wang¡¯s eldest son back then, perhaps today¡¯s disaster wouldn¡¯t have fallen upon them.¡±


    Once this started, everyone began talking amongst themselves. In no time, Liu Yuru clearly heard that this playboy who originally just liked to fight and gamble suddenly became a demon king who murdered, set fires, and committed evil.


    She found it difficult to breathe.


    She wasn¡¯t sure why she was feeling this way; she just had a clear thought that the Jiu youngster¡¯s mother, who originally led a corrupt life and was scolded daily, became a pure and lonely old woman.


    They also said that Lord Wang¡¯s son was a real hungry ghost who had ruined many good girls. But because the family was powerful, no one could do anything about him.


    She quietly watched everything, squeezing the lantern in her hand. Then she saw a luxoriously-dressed woman being dragged out by a man in his twenties, followed by a man roaring after her, shouting: ¡°Mother!¡±


    The young man who was chasing them out looked less than twenty years old. His jade crown had long been skewed, his ink-like, silky hair was messy and scattered, his shirt was stained with blood, and his face was covered with tears and anger; however, these details did not take away from his appearance.


    His eyes were like peach blossoms, eyebrows like distant mountains, and his entire being was extremely elegant. But because he grew tall and thin with sparse eyebrows, even if he had delicate features, he did not give off a feminine energy [2]. Instead, the features made people feel as if he was clear and handsome, like bamboo or pine.


    The moment he appeared, the gossiping crowd suddenly stopped talking and looked over. The man dragging his mother turned his head, put his hand on his mother¡¯s shoulder, and said with a smile: ¡°Gu Jiusi, aren¡¯t you quite capable? Now you know how to cry?¡±


    Hearing this, Gu Jiusi¡¯s whole body trembled slightly, but he still said: ¡°Wang Rong, if a person does things then that person is responsible; you let my mother go.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Wang Rong laughed, flicking the whip lightly in his hand, ¡°Your Gu family followed the Duke of Liang to rebel ¨C is that done by yourself? Don¡¯t worry, your mother won¡¯t die. My father has always been generous. Your family¡¯s children and women will all stay. Oh, by the way, you don¡¯t have a son yet, do you?¡±


    As he said that, Wang Rong seemed to feel a little pity and sighed: ¡°Ai, you haven¡¯t married a wife or concubines. The family is only left with your mother and your father¡¯s few concubines who can be sold. Too bad they¡¯re old and yellow like ancient books; they can only be sold to the lowest ranking gloomy brothels. What a pity.¡±


    ¡°Wang Rong!¡±


    Gu Jiusi roared. Wang Rong laughed when he saw his appearance: ¡°Isn¡¯t this perfect? Someone can take good care of your mother, and you and your father don¡¯t have worry when you leave.¡±


    Gu Jiusi did not speak.


    He tightly clenched his fists. The patter of rain started to fall and the screams of women were closeby. The men in the house were going to die anyway, so each one held a sword in front of the women, as if they wanted to protect their wives and children.


    Gu Jiusi quietly looked at Wang Rong, his gaze desperate and sad. He was like a lonely crane imprisoned in a desperate place, proud and decisive.


    He finally said: ¡°Wang Rong, what do you want before you are willing to let my mother go?¡±


    ¡°What do I want?¡± Wang Rong smiled and rubbed his chin, thinking about it. ¡°How about you kowtow to me three times and become my godson from now on? When you become my godson, you¡¯ll also be considered my father¡¯s grandson. Maybe your Gu family will be off the hook?¡±


    Hearing these words, Gu Jiusi¡¯s eyebrows trembled slightly.


    Liu Yuru quietly watched. The surrounding rain was getting heavier and heavier, soaking the lamp in her hand. The onlookers left one after another because of the rain, until Liu Yuru was the only one standing with a calm face displaying neither sadness nor joy.


    After a long time, she heard Gu Jiusi whisper in a low voice: ¡°Okay.¡±


    As he spoke, he trembled, lowered his head, and bent his knees.


    At that moment, the woman beside Wang Rong suddenly pulled out a sharp blade from her sleeve and fiercely stabbed it into Wang Rong¡¯s abdomen. The closeby guard reacted very quickly and swung his sword at the same time the woman drew her blade. Gu Jiusi shouted and pounced to protect the woman, but there were swords on all eight sides. Mother and son were penetrated by a dozen swords on the spot.


    ¡°My son¡­¡±


    The woman trembled slightly, raised her blood-stained hand and covered Gu Jiusi¡¯s face. She gasped: ¡°Better to be a dog of peace¡­ than to be a man of chaos¡­ On the road to reincarnation, don¡¯t take the wrong path¡­¡±


    Gu Jiusi did not move. He vomited out a large mouthful of blood from his mouth. As the woman slowly closed her eyes, he knelt on one knee and answered in a low voice: ¡°This son¡­ obeys orders.¡±


    Then, he pulled the knife out of his body and slowly stood. The rain mixed with his blood drenched all the way down to his feet. As he turned around with the knife, lightning and thunder struck. The man was covered in blood and seemed like Shura [3].


    Everyone left was shocked and took a step back.


    But the man walked towards her step by step with the knife in hand.


    ¡°Save me¡­¡±


    He hoarsely said. His eyes were fixed on her: ¡°Liu Yuru,¡± he called out her name, ¡°Save me!¡±


    ***


    Footnotes:


    [1] Literal translation: a road as twisty as sheep¡¯s intestine, idiom.


    [2] Literal translation: Yin energy. Yin is usually denoted as feminine while Yang is masculine. Ever read a piece of dialogue where a guy had to ¡°balance out his yin energy?¡± or vice versa for a girl? Thanks Taoism.


    [3] Refers to a demon god in Buddhism/Hinduism.

 CH 1

    Liu Yuru was awakened by the sound of roosters.


    When she opened her eyes, it was already morning. The sun had just come out, and the light fell softly in the room. Her maid Yinhong came back with the rose balsams [1] she just picked from the yard and inserted them into the vase. She looked at Liu Yuru with a smile and said: ¡°Is the lady awake?¡±


    Liu Yuru lightly gasped but did not reply. Her mind was full of those desperate and painful eyes. Yin Hong frowned, walked in front of Liu Yuru, and couldn¡¯t help but ask: ¡°Miss, are you scared?¡±


    Yin Hong¡¯s words made Liu Yuru slowly return to her senses. When she reacted, she patted her forehead and sighed: ¡°It was a nightmare.¡±


    Not only a nightmare, but one with some absurdity.


    She not only dreamed of Gu Jiusi, who she had never known, but also of the Duke of Liang plotting a rebellion and the world being thrown in chaos.


    Everyone knew that the Duke of Liang was a loyal duke in the southwest. He held a heavy army and saved the emperor several times before. In order the reassure the emperor, he even sent his family to the eastern capital as hostages to appease people¡¯s speculations. If he wanted to rebel, he would have done so long ago. Why wait until now?


    Although she didn¡¯t know the exact name of the governor of Youzhou, she knew that his surname was Zhao, and not the Fan Xuan in her dream.


    As for Gu Jiusi and Wang Rong¡­


    The two of them have always been friends. Although she hadn¡¯t heard much about Wang Rong and Gu Jiusi¡¯s interactions, they must have a good relationship. Why would he break Wang Rong¡¯s leg?


    After thinking about it for a while, Liu Yuru felt ridiculous. She was actually frightened by this kind of dream.


    Why would she dream of Gu Jiusi?


    She couldn¡¯t help but think that it was too strange.


    Gu Jiusi and her had never been in contact at all [2]. Gu Jiusi was the direct son of the most powerful family in Yangzhou City, and she was just the insignificant, unloved legal daughter of a small cloth merchant¡¯s family. The only reason why she knew Gu Jiusi was because this young master was always causing trouble in Yangzhou, and she heard about it wherever she went.


    One day it was heard that he threw money recklessly [3] at the Spring Wind House [4] to win the smile of a flower girl, the next day it was heard that he gambled ten thousand taels of silver and lost it all in one night. Occasionally when she went to the market, she would meet Gu Jiusi. He was very conspicuous and often dressed in white ¨C one hand held a fan, and the other held a birdcage. His splendid face held a smile like the spring wind, and arrogance and contempt were displayed on his eyes and brows.


    When a person is so good-looking and acts so imperious, it¡¯s hard not to notice them.


    She didn¡¯t know if Gu Jiusi knew her or not. She thought he might have heard of her. After all, she was quite famous in Yangzhou. But her reputation was not something to celebrate, for no other reason than what she was known for: being notoriously difficult.


    Her family was from Yangzhou and barely ranked among the wealthy merchants, making a living from silk fabrics. Her father, Liu Xuan, was romantic by nature. Her mother, Su Wan, was married by her parents¡¯ matchmaker. Therefore, although she was in the main room, she was not favored. In addition, her health was not good. After so many years, she only gave birth to a daughter, Liu Yuru. On the other hand, the concubine Zhang Yue¡¯er gave birth to two boys and one girl.


    Not having a son was the biggest fault of a woman in this era, so although Su Wan was the main wife, Zhang Yue¡¯er was in charge of the family. Without power, they naturally did not live well. So the whole city of Yangzhou knew that Liu Xuan loved his concubine and destroyed his wife. They were very sympathetic to Su Wan and Liu Yuru.


    Living in such an environment, Liu Yuru learned to abide by the rules at all times, understand current affairs, and know how to advance and retreat. She should have good relations with everyone she meets, not do anything out of line, find a suitable and decent person, get married well, and live the rest of her life in peace. This was her life plan.


    She was a very goal-oriented and direct person. In order to live a good life, she decided early on that she wanted to marry the eldest son of the Ye family, Ye Shi¡¯an.


    The Ye family was different from their merchant family ¨C they had a scholar origin. Earlier, the Ye family lived across the door from the Liu family. Liu Yuru was close to Ye Yun, the eldest lady of the Ye family, and often visited the Ye family. She saw from early on that the Ye family was upright and was not the type to scorn the poor while idolizing the rich. The old madam of the family also liked her. She met Ye Shi¡¯an, the son, a few times some years ago before he went to White Heron Academy. She was still young at the time and didn¡¯t take note of his appearance, but his character was decent. Although he didn¡¯t talk much, his work was solid. When he was young, he was the best student in the school, and he might be able to earn a name in the future. Ye Shi¡¯an was a decent person, and the Ye family was also good. If she married him, she could almost reach her goal of living a life of ¡°safety and stability.¡±


    So the day before her maturity ceremony, Old Madam Ye personally came to her door as her guest and privately said: ¡°In a few days, I will come to talk to your parents again alone.¡±


    With these words, she understood what Old Madam Ye meant, and waited.


    She waited all the way to today. When she washed her face with water to wake herself up from the nightmare, she heard Yin Hong happily say: ¡°Miss, Old Madam Ye is here!¡±


    Hearing this, Liu Yuru¡¯s heart quickly jumped.


    She really wanted to go to the front hall to hear what Old Madam Ye had to say, but as a junior, it was inappropriate to go without being summoned. After waiting for a long time, someone finally came over and asked Liu Yuru to go to the front hall. Liu Yuru had already finished freshening up; she took a deep breath and followed the maid to the front room.


    There were three people sitting in the hall. Old Madam Ye sat on the chair directly above the left side, Liu Xuan sat on the right, and Zhang Yue¡¯er was sitting on the nearest chair beside Liu Xuan with a smile, talking to Old Madam Ye.


    Liu Yuru was stunned for a moment, then quickly lowered her head to cover up the trace of displeasure.


    Seeing her coming in, Old Madam Ye happily said: ¡°Come, come, Yuru. Sit down and talk.


    Liu Yuru raised her head and smiled at Old Madam Ye, but she still respectfully bowed first. Only after getting Liu Xuan¡¯s permission did she came to sit next to Old Madam Ye. Old Madam Ye held her hand and said with a smile: ¡°Yuru ah, she is the most well-behaved and polite girl I have ever met. I used to think that the Liu family¡¯s teaching was so good, how could they teach such a well-behaved girl? If this girl was my granddaughter, then that would be great.¡±


    ¡°Old Madam, what kind of words are those,¡± Liu Xuan poured tea for Old Madam Ye and said with a smile: ¡°Yuru is good because she was always by your side and you taught her well. The Ye family¡¯s scholarly family also brushed off on Yuru like ink.¡±


    After the two sides complimented each other for a while, Liu Xuan finally told Liu Yuru the heart of the matter, and lightly coughed: ¡°Yuru, the old madam came to discuss your marriage with us today. She hopes that you will marry the Ye family¡¯s eldest son, so we asked you to come here. What do you think?¡±


    After hearing this, Liu Yuru suppressed her impulse and gently said: ¡°Yuru listens to her parents.¡±


    Everyone laughed. Liu Xuan said: ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. But the eldest son seems to be participating in the township examination now. I don¡¯t know when it will be possible to propose a marriage?¡±


    Speaking, Liu Xuan seemed to be a little worried: ¡°I heard that the eldest son of the Gu family has also come of age, and his mother is showing him off everywhere. He recently turned up at the doors of the Li¨² family [5]. Old Madam,¡± Liu Xuan turned his head and said to Old Madam Ye, ¡°we must make haste.¡±


    Everyone in the room understood what Liu Xuan meant. Gu Jiusi was a famous overlord in Yangzhou, but his family was big, so his parents naturally wanted him to marry the best girl in Yangzhou. It¡¯s just that every decent girl in Yangzhou doesn¡¯t look at him. They¡¯re afraid that he will look for the second best and come to marry Liu Yuru. She¡¯s top-notch and has an average family background; at that time, if the family forces them to marry, she would have to even if she doesn¡¯t want to.


    It¡¯s just that since Gu Jiusi went to the Li¨² family¡¯s house, he shouldn¡¯t come to the Liu family¡¯s house. After all, Li¨² Yusi¡¯s background is better than Liu Yuru¡¯s. Liu Xuan only mentioned it to save Liu Yuru some face.


    When Liu Yuru heard the ¡°Li¨² family¡±, she subconsciously raised her eyes to look. Her heart had an uneasy feeling. Li¨² Yusi was her handkerchief friend [6], and she had a deep friendship with her. Gu Jiusi actually went to her house?


    She lowered her eyes and thought that she would have to meet Li¨² Yusi in a while.


    Old Madam Ye on the other hand didn¡¯t think much after listening to Liu Xuan¡¯s words. She just said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, when the township exam is over, I will immediately ask my son to bring Shi¡¯an to the house to propose marriage.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you let Master Ye [7] come to propose marriage first?¡± Zhang Yue¡¯er said at the right time: ¡°This is also the matter of the elders. If the eldest son can¡¯t come back, it¡¯s okay. We can make a decision first, so as to avoid future changes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t work,¡± Old Madam Ye shook her head. ¡°A friend of my son was appointed as the military governor of Youzhou. He rushed to celebrate them and hasn¡¯t returned yet.¡±


    Hearing ¡°military governor of Youzhou¡±, Liu Yuru subconsciously said: ¡°But are they surnamed Fan?¡±


    Everyone looked at her. Liu Yuru was stunned. She didn¡¯t understand why she suddenly asked this sentence.


    Maybe it was the dream in the morning that kept her a little dazed, but the words had already been asked, and it was not a big deal. She deliberately softened her voice and pretended to be ignorant: ¡°The new governor of Youzhou, is he named Fang Xuan?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡± Old Madam Ye was a little surprised. Liu Yuru was shocked, as if she had been hit in the head, but she didn¡¯t show it. She just said: ¡°I heard from a friend. I didn¡¯t believe it before, but how could the position of governor be changed just like this?¡±


    ¡°So that was the case,¡± Old Madam Ye laughed: ¡°You are right, but this Fan Xuan has served in Youzhou for thirteen years and has a solid foundation. The last governor passed away and recommended him before he died. That¡¯s why he became the new military governor.¡±


    Hearing this, Liu Xuan nodded his head and said with emotion: ¡°The fate of life ah¡­¡±


    When the marriage was almost finished, Madam Ye chatted for a while, then got up and left.


    After Old Madam Ye left, Liu Yuru returned to the room and called Yin Hong away. Her whole person became anxious.


    She came to the desk and began to desperately write the message in her dream.


    ¡°Youzhou governor, Fan Xuan.¡±


    ¡°Gu Jiusi, Wang Rong.¡±


    ¡°Duke of Liang.¡±


    ¡­


    She wrote everything in the dream and looked at the words on it. Gu Jiusi¡¯s eyes came to her mind.


    ¡°Save me¡­¡±


    She slowly closed her eyes.


    Fan Xuan¡­ was it a coincidence or foreshadowing


    Maybe a coincidence?


    Li¨³ Yuru tried her best to convince herself that maybe she had heard the news in the past, but just forgot¡­


    She searched for countless reasons. However, after a long time, she couldn¡¯t help it, stood up and said: ¡°Go and tell Concubine Yue that I¡¯m going to the Li¨²¡¯s house, and ask her to agree.¡±


    ***


    Footnotes:


    [1] Rose balsam flowers:


    [2] Direct translation: Couldn¡¯t even hit with eight poles. Idiom to describe someone very distant and unrelated. Source: ChineseStackExchange.


    [3] Direct translation: Stake a thousand pieces of gold in one throw. Idiom to describe spending a reckless amount of money.


    [4] Spring Wind House is the name of a brothel.


    [5] Going forward, I will use tones to differentiate the ¡°Liu¡± surnames. The FL¡¯s surname is ¡°Li¨³¡±, while her friend¡¯s surname is ¡°Li¨².¡±


    Edit: Because ¡°Li¨³¡± is not showing up right with this font, I will continue to denote the main character¡¯s surname as ¡°Liu.¡±


    [6] In ye olden days, an exchange of handkerchiefs signified women who had a good relationship. Source: Baidu.


    [7] To clarify, Old Madam Ye is Shi¡¯an¡¯s grandmother while Master Ye is his father. Here is a glossary I started.

 CH 2

    Zhang Yue¡¯er was presently in charge of all affairs related to the courtyard. As such, Liu Yuru required Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s permission to leave the house.


    Not knowing the reason for Liu Yuru¡¯s instructions, Yinhong could only remind her, ¡°It¡¯d be a good time to talk to Madam about your marriage, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Liu Yuru considered for a moment and sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right. I ought to talk to Mother about it.¡±


    She walked over to Su Wan¡¯s room. Su Wan¡¯s room smelled of medicine all year around. She was lying on the divan, her head bent over a book.


    Liu Yuru entered and proceeded to inspect the furnishings in the room. After confirming that the servants had not been remiss in attending to Su Wan, she sat down beside Su Wan. ¡°Mother, did you hear? Old Madam Ye visited us today.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard.¡± Su Wan coughed lightly and smiled. ¡°Your father sent for me, but I am feeling unwell and unable to receive guests, so I had Concubine Yue go in my stead.¡±


    Liu Yuru did not expose Su Wan¡¯s lie. She knew Su Wan was trying to comfort her; it was beyond humiliating to be denied the right to conduct marriage talks for her biological daughter, and for a concubine to receive guests on her behalf.


    Though Liu Yuru felt a little sad, she said nothing and served tea smilingly to Su Wan. Then she summarised the day¡¯s events.


    ¡°Concubine Yue and Father are anxious to get their hands on the Ye family¡¯s betrothal gifts, which are certain to be generous. They¡¯re in a hurry to secure the union, lest the marriage falls through.¡± Liu Yuru smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Mother. This marriage would not be a raw deal for me.¡±


    Su Wan frowned despite these words.


    She seemed to want to say something, but eventually said nothing and sighed helplessly, ¡°It is not right and proper of your Father to act like this. We¡¯ll be looked down on.¡±


    Liu Yuru felt bitterness in her heart¡ªof course she knew that too. But she could not cry and complain to her Mother. After all, there was nothing Su Wan could do. Mentioning it would only deepen her grief. So Liu Yuru pretended to know nothing. ¡°Mother, you overthink. Old Madam Ye really dotes on me.¡±


    Seeing her daughter¡¯s silly, obliviously cheerful appearance, Su Wan did not know if she ought to be worried or thankful. At length, she let out a long sigh. She instructed her daughter to behave, said she was tired, and lay down to sleep.


    Liu Yuru sighed as she walked out of Su Wan¡¯s room. As she looked out at the patch of sky that was enclosed by the courtyard walls, she wondered if she¡¯d be able to come back often to visit Su Wan after getting married. After setting her thoughts in order, she obtained Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s permission and hastened to the Liew residence.


    On her way there, she had someone head to the Liew Manor in advance to inform Liew Siyu of her arrival. Liew Siyu had ample time to prepare for her arrival, but Liu Yuru could tell it hadn¡¯t been long since Liu Siyu stopped crying.


    Feigning ignorance, she walked up, pulled Liew Siyu to her smilingly and said, ¡°What¡¯s with you today? Why have you come to see me with swollen eyes? ¡±


    Hearing this, Liew Siyu¡¯s eyes promptly reddened. Liu Yuru gave the surrounding maids a meaningful look, dismissing them. Then she pulled Liew Siyu along as she entered the garden and said, ¡°Let it all out. We¡¯ll have a nice stroll around the garden. Tell me all about it when you feel better?¡±


    Liew Siyu sniffed. She forcibly raised the corners of her mouth several times, but none of her attempts at a smile worked out. Finally she said, resigned, ¡°Forget it. I won¡¯t force myself to smile around you.¡±


    ¡°What in the world happened? Won¡¯t you tell me about it?¡±


    ¡°Old Master Gu came to my house,¡± Liew Siyu began with difficulty. ¡°Two days ago, Old Master Gu and his wife came together. They summoned me to the main hall, looked over me briefly, praised me, gave me a jade bracelet, and then dismissed me.¡±


    Liu Yuru frowned. ¡°Why¡¯d they do that?¡±


    ¡°Beats me. But my parents think,¡± Liew Siyu said, on the verge of tears again, ¡°they mean to propose marriage on Gu Jiusi¡¯s behalf.¡±


    The unexpected answer made Liu Yuru sigh. Dream Gu Jiusi¡¯s eyes flashed across her mind. Regardless of the authenticity of the dream, this marriage must not go through.


    While Liu Yuru and Liew Siyu met up, three youths dressed in the Liu family servant attire walked into the garden with their heads hung low.


    The two flanking the one in the middle were a tad shorter. The one in the middle was much taller. Walking together, they perfectly formed the word, ¡°É½¡± (shan; mountain)


    Though the trio were dressed in servant garb and had stiff expressions, there was no sense of timidity in their gestures and bearing. They obviously did not look like servants, especially the one in the middle, who even whipped out a fan from his sleeve as he walked. He lightly prodded the youth in front of him with the fan and asked, ¡°Chen Xun, what the devil are you up to?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know in a bit.¡±


    Chen Xun, who was walking in front, counselled, ¡°Patience, Jiusi.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve said the same thing practically all day today,¡± Gu Jiusi grumbled. ¡°When we were outside you said you¡¯d tell me when we sneak into the Liew manor, and now that we¡¯re in the Liew manor you¡¯re still leaving me hanging. Are you asking for a beating?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll spill,¡± Yang Wenchang, who had been bringing up the rear, piped up excitedly, ¡°We¡¯ve brought you here to see your wife!¡±


    ¡°My wife?!¡±


    Gu Jiusi stopped abruptly. Yang Wenchang nearly crashed into him. Seeing Gu Jiusi¡¯s utterly stupefied expression, he answered somewhat apprehensively, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Where did this supposed wife of mine come from?¡± Gu Jiusi¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Why don¡¯t I know she exists?¡±


    ¡°Your parents called on the Liews two days ago,¡± Yang Wenchang ventured carefully. ¡°Didn¡¯t you know?¡±


    Hearing this, Gu Jiusi sucked in a deep breath, squeezed his fan and turned to leave. On either side of him, Yang Wenchang and Chen Xun immediately held him back and urged in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t go, don¡¯t go. Since you¡¯re here, you might as well steal a glance before you go. At least find out what she looks like.¡±


    ¡°She can be as beautiful as a fairy for all I care¡ª Not interested!¡± Gu Jiusi scowled in a low voice. Just as Chen Xun was about to say more, Yang Wenchang pushed them towards the fake mountain and whispered urgently, ¡°Someone¡¯s coming!¡±


    The three burly lads panicked and quickly hid inside a fake mountain cave. It was a bit of a squeeze as the three grown fellows squished up against each other. Gu Jiusi pointedly jabbed Chen Xun with his fan. Chen Xun gritted his teeth silently and held Gu Jiusi¡¯s fan in place. The two of them exchanged a flurry of murderous glares in the cave. The sound of footsteps came from outside the cave, followed by the sound of two girls chatting.


    After eavesdropping for a good while, the trio got a sense of the situation: One of the girls was Liew Siyu; her unwillingness to marry Gu Jiusi was the reason for her anguished weeping.


    And judging by how she was addressed, the other talking girl was Liu Yuru, the first daughter of the Liu family, who had been infamous in Yangzhou for spoiling the concubine while neglecting the principal wife.


    And so the trio stopped fooling around and began to eavesdrop in earnest. Liew Siyu sobbed piteously as she got to an emotional part. ¡°Yuru, the Gu family is a powerful family with a large enterprise. The prospect of my father accepting the match for the money terrifies me. How am I to live if I do marry him?¡±


    Liu Yuru sighed, held Liew Siyu¡¯s hand and said gently, ¡°I get it. I feel you. If I had to marry him, I would want to throw myself into this lake immediately.¡±


    Gu Jiusi¡¯s expression turned ugly at these words. His buddies looked at him. Gu Jiusi shook his fan open with feigned nonchalance and pretended he didn¡¯t hear anything as he lightly fanned himself. Yang Wenchang quietly raised his arms to hold down the fan that kept trying to smack his face.


    The three of them turned their attention back to the conversation. They heard Liu Yuru advise Liew Siyu, ¡°How about this? We¡¯ll find out what he¡¯s like. When the time comes, act contrary to his likes and preferences till he¡¯s forced to break the betrothal.¡±


    ¡°Force him to break the betrothal?¡± Liew Siyu stared blankly as Liu Yuru nodded and pressed on, ¡°For example, I¡¯ve heard that the main reason why Gu Jiusi is yet to be betrothed is because of his high standards. He despises ladies who are bound by rules and etiquette, particularly those who extoll the wisdom of the ancients. When you go back today, be sure to study the Four Books and Five Classics. Pay extra attention to the sections that preach how one ought to behave in word and deed. Memorise some choice examples and admonish him constantly with them when you do meet him.¡±


    Both Chen Xun and Yang Wenchang looked at Gu Jiusi and gave him a thumbs up.  Their awed expressions seemed to say, ¡°This girl sure is something.¡±


    Gu Jiusi remained silent, his eyes filled with contempt.


    Liu Yuru continued, ¡°I¡¯ve also heard that he hates pretentious women. He¡¯s especially disdainful of those who intentionally try to get close to him. Should you see him in the future, speak in an affected voice. The moment he says anything that¡¯s the least bit harsh, turn on the waterworks. Never speak too logically, like a normal person. You must sound incoherent and behave absurdly while acting like a gold digger.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Liew Siyu said hesitantly. ¡°That¡¯s not very nice.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t make it too obvious,¡± Liu Yuru said, smiling. ¡°Avoid having any direct contact with him before others. Arrange a couple of meetings with him in private, disgust him a couple of times. You should be good after that. With his current reputation, everyone would think he¡¯s slandering you even if he were to speak out against you.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Liew Siyu made up her mind. ¡°You¡¯re right. If I don¡¯t disgust him, he¡¯ll bring trouble to my door.¡±


    ¡°Also,¡± Liu Yuru said, thinking seriously for a moment. ¡°He never attends the flower viewing banquets held in Spring. Once, the Ye family hosted a wine tasting event. When a maid got close to him when he arrived, he sneezed twice in a row. The perfume sachet on the maid¡¯s body gave off a very pungent scent and was made with flower petals. It¡¯s quite possible that he¡¯s not fond of strong floral scents. He might dislike flowers, even. I¡¯ll find you a perfume sachet with a potent odour. When you meet him, don¡¯t forget to dab the scent on your handkerchief. You¡¯ll want to wave it well and often in his face.¡±


    Yang Wenchang and Chen Xun pitied Gu Jiusi even more.


    Gu Jiusi was prone to sneezing when around strong floral scents. His skin crawled. This girl even figured out this much through observation. If she made a serious effort to investigate him, more misfortunes might come his way.


    Fury rose unbidden within Gu Jiusi as he listened to the girls¡¯ schemes to sabotage this marriage.


    Liew Siyu asked in a voice filled with worry, ¡°What should I do if he still wants to marry me even after all that?¡±


    Gu Jiusi reached his limit.


    He felt so humiliated, he dashed out of the cave before Chen Xun and Yang Wenchang could react and yelled, ¡°Oh don¡¯t you worry. I will never marry you!¡±


    Both Liu Yuru and Liew Siyu turned their heads at the same time. Liu Yuru blanked as she looked at the face that had appeared in her dream this morning.


    Liew Siyu frowned. ¡°What¡¯d you say?¡± The surprised Liew Siyu spluttered. ¡°You¡­Whose servant are you? Why are you here? You¡­¡±  Liu Yuru took one look at Gu Jiusi¡¯s raised eyebrows and opened mouth and knew at once that he was about to announce his identity.


    Even if Gu Jiusi¡¯s sighted in their backyard, the Liew family would not dream of mistreating him in any way. Should word of this spread, the ones to suffer the consequences would just be Liu Yuru and Liew Siyu.


    There was no time to waste. Liu Yuru decisively stepped up and shouted angrily, ¡°Where are these servants from? How dare you barge into the courtyard without permission?! Men, seize them and throw them out of the manor!¡±


    So saying, she turned tail and ran off with Liew Siyu in tow. It took Gu Jiusi a good while to recover his bearings after Liu Yuru¡¯s outburst. By the time he¡¯d recovered his senses, the three of them ¡ªhim, Yang Wenchang and Chen Xun¡ª were cornered outside the fake mountain cave by clueless servants.


    This was the first time the Liew family servants had encountered trespassers sneaking into the Liew Manor. Though they had no idea who they were, it was obvious that they were nothing more than some two-bit thugs. Thus, the servants did not hold back as they went after the trio.


    However, the three of them had cut their teeth brawling and getting into scrapes on the street. Gu Jiusi in particular had practised martial arts from childhood and was very much proficient at it. He ducked and swerved amidst the pursuing crowd while bodily pulling along a friend with each hand. The trio were chased around for a good while before they climbed over the wall and made their escape.


    It wasn¡¯t till the trio shook off their pursuers, their clothes in a great mess as they slumped, panting, against a wall, that Chen Xun finally said, ¡°That girl¡¯s such a scaredy cat, screaming for help right away like that. Man, I¡¯m pooped from all that running.¡±


    ¡°She, a scaredy cat?¡± Gu Jiusi scoffed. ¡°As if, it¡¯s all an act. She knew very well what she was doing. She was just afraid we would tarnish their reputations! Liu Yuru, this black lotus. Projecting a pure and saintly appearance on the outside, while being dark and twisted on the inside. She¡¯s far more devious than Liew Siyu.¡±


    ¡°That explains it,¡± Yang Wenchang muttered under his breath, ¡°I wondered how someone like her could get to marry Brother Shi¡¯an.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯d you say she¡¯s gonna marry?¡± Gu Jiusi jerked his head around reflexively. Yang Wenchang replied tentatively, a puzzled look on his face, ¡°It¡¯s that ¡ªuh¡ª White Heron Academy¡¯s top student, Ye Shi¡¯an. It¡¯s said that long ago, Old Madam Ye had made it known that she had her heart set on Liu Yuru as her daughter-in-law. You didn¡¯t know?¡±


    Gu Jiusi was stunned. That girl¡¯s appearance flashed across his mind.


    However you diced it, she¡¯s just an ordinary girl¡ªher background was ordinary, her looks were unremarkable, her personality was the stuffy by-the-book type. Save for being a touch scheming, there was nothing that stood out about her. A girl like that, wed to the likes of Ye Shi¡¯an, the detestable hypocrite with a limitless future, someone who¡¯d been accepted as Grand Secretary Su Wen¡¯s prot¨¦g¨¦ at an early age?


    Gu Jiusi thought about it¡ª


    Nice! He approved of this marriage!

 CH 3

    Gu Jiusi¡¯s impressions of Ye Shi¡¯an were mostly derived from his father, Gu Langhua.


    Though Gu Langhua¡¯s a merchant, he was fond of poetry. It was his fervent hope that Gu Jiusi would study hard, take the imperial examination, and earn an official position.


    Alas, he never had much interest in his studies, preferring instead to have fun, an inclination that he¡¯d had since childhood. To motivate Gu Jiusi to work harder, Gu Langhua would often cite Ye Shi¡¯an as the model example to learn from. By and by, Gu Jiusi¡¯s impression of Ye Shi¡¯an became abysmal. Now that Gu Jiusi knew Ye Shi¡¯an was going to marry a cunning yet ordinary looking girl like Liu Yuru, he couldn¡¯t help but feel rather pleased over his misfortune.


    He smiled, thought for a beat, prodded Chen Xun with his fan, and said to him, ¡°Get someone to keep an eye on Liu Yuru for me.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± Chen Xun asked, stared in confused silence for a moment, then opened his eyes wide. ¡°Jiusi, have you fallen for Liu Yuru?¡±


    ¡°What is this nonsense you¡¯re spouting?!¡± Gu Jiusi snapped as he whacked Chen Xun on the head with his fan. ¡°Am I such a tasteless person? I¡¯m telling you, even if every other woman in the world drops dead, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m marrying her!¡±


    ¡°Then why would you ask Chen Xun to watch a girl like her?¡±


    Yang Wenchang was alarmed; he always felt that Gu Jiusi was capable of anything. Gu Jiusi raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°Am I to let things slide after what she put me through today? Are you two just gonna sit by and do nothing? Let me tell you, she¡¯s currently Ye Shi¡¯an¡¯s fiancee. Ye Shi¡¯an oppresses us, and now she has dealt such a slap to our faces. Retaliation is the only recourse. How can we call ourselves men otherwise?¡±


    Yang Wenchang and Chen Xun thought his argument was very persuasive.


    Ye Shi¡¯an was the premier object of hatred among the wealthy and idle young masters of Yangzhou. Ye Shi¡¯an oppressed them on account of his excellent academic results, and now his fiancee bullied them too. Enough was enough, they had to strike back!


    The three quickly came to a consensus. Chen Xun¡¯s street ruffians were immediately ordered to keep Liu Yuru¡¯s house under constant surveillance. Not even the slightest whiff of activity would go unnoticed.


    As the trio discussed how to deal with Liu Yuru, Liu Yuru raced back to the courtyard while pulling Liu Siyu along.


    Liu Yuru explained the situation to Liew Siyu. After Liu Yuru had calmed Liew Siyu down in the Liew manor, Liu Yuru returned home.


    Sitting in the carriage, she began to feel troubled.


    It looked like Liew Siyu¡¯s not going to marry Gu Jiusi after all. Judging by Gu Jiusi¡¯s temper, there was no way he¡¯d marry Liew Siyu. Given how much his family doted on him, they wouldn¡¯t force him to marry against his wishes. However, Gu Jiusi now had a grudge against her.


    She¡¯d always been cautious, yet she offended a major menace like Gu Jiusi the one time she got a bit reckless. Well, at least I¡¯m getting married soon¡­


    The thought comforted Liu Yuru, and she heaved a sigh of relief.


    Her marriage was imminent. Once she¡¯s married to Ye Shi¡¯an, Gu Jiusi would have to take the Ye family into consideration before he acts. No matter what he might have against her, there¡¯d be nothing he could do. Probably.


    The Gu family could look down on the mercantile Liu family, but the Ye family had gentry roots, so they would still have to give them some face no matter what. Besides, she was just a young girl. Surely a grown chap like Gu Jiusi would find it too embarrassing to pick a fight with her.


    A twinge of uneasiness still remained. All she could do was hope for Ye Shi¡¯an to return quickly and settle their marriage once and for all.


    Liu Yuru spent the next couple of days looking forward to Ye Shi¡¯an¡¯s return, inquiring about Ye Shi¡¯an¡¯s news, and putting the Gu family manor under watch. Not two days later, Yinhong smiled as she came into her room and said, ¡°Miss, have you heard? Yesterday, Old Master Gu got so worked up that he chased Master Gu down to the main street.¡±


    Hearing Gu Jiusi¡¯s name made Liu Yuru¡¯s hand tremble. She looked down as she sewed her flowers, and feigning indifference, asked, ¡°Why¡¯d he do that?¡±


    ¡°They say it¡¯s because of his marriage.¡±


    Yinhong tidied up the table and said idly, ¡°Master Gu was heard shouting all over the streets that he had the final say in his marriage. Without his approval, any marriage brokered by his parents was invalid. Old Master Gu was in such a rage, they say he picked up a stick in his house and chased after him with it.¡±


    Everyone laughed when they heard this. Liu Yuru also cracked up despite herself.


    She was involuntarily reminded of that dream again.


    Gu Jiusi couldn¡¯t be considered a bad person. He¡¯s just too outlandish at times. He had not done anything that was truly heinous. Rather, he¡¯s often the butt of jokes in Yangzhou. Annoying as he might be, a fate like the one she¡¯d dreamed of was just too terrible and sad.


    Liu Yuru sighed. She didn¡¯t know if those events that happened in her dream meant anything. Even if they came true, what could she do?


    She thought for a very long time. Beside her, Yinhong, who was done arranging the flowers, noticed Liu Yuru staring dazedly into space. She smiled and asked, ¡°Miss, are you bored? How about hitting the streets? You could buy some rouge.¡±


    Liu Yuru came to her senses at once. She remembered now, she¡¯d run out of rouge recently. Su Wan, too, could do with some additional supplies. She considered for a moment, got to her feet and said, ¡°Well then, let¡¯s head out for a stroll.¡±


    Now that she had grown up, the days where she had left in the manor were dwindling day by passing day. She wanted to treat Su Wan better and buy more things for her while she could. It was also her way to show filial piety as a daughter.


    With this thought, she set out for the streets after obtaining permission from Zhang Yue¡¯er.


    The moment she took a step out, the little beggar planted by Chen Xun hastened to snitch on her movements. Gu Jiusi, Chen Xun, and Yang Wenchang were at the gambling house. Gu Jiusi stopped gambling right away the moment he heard that Liu Yuru was out. Dragging Yang Wenchang and Chen Xun along, he made an aggressive beeline for Liu Yuru.


    They had a plan: Whatever Liu Yuru did to Gu Jiusi, he would return the favour in kind.


    Since Liu Yuru told Liew Siyu to act like the sort of person he hated the most, Gu Jiusi would act like the sort of person Liu Yuru hated the most!


    But what did Liu Yuru hate the most?


    Gu Jiusi pondered for a while. He didn¡¯t know much about anything else, but one thing¡¯s for certain: Liu Yuru hated him very much.


    After all, Liu Yuru said it herself¡ª ¡°If I had to marry him, I would want to throw myself into this lake immediately.¡±


    Since she hated him this much, he would repulse her as soon as he could.


    The frivolous young masters¡¯ thought process was very simple¡ªthey went straight to where Liu Yuru was. When they arrived, Liu Yuru was choosing rouges in the rouge store. She was this store¡¯s regular customer. The shopkeeper knew she was not wealthy, but she was good-tempered and good-natured, unlike those arrogant and wilful ladies from rich families. Hence their relationship was good even though she wasn¡¯t a huge spender. The shopkeeper introduced the latest products to her while making conversation.


    The latest rouge product caught Liu Yuru¡¯s eye. She was very taken with it, but its price gave her pause. Just as she was having an internal debate over it, someone called out loudly from outside the store: ¡°Yuru-meimei!¡± (TL note: meimei; younger/little sister, can also be used to refer to a younger female)


    The voice sounded affectionate, sweet, as if filled with honey. Liu Yuru stiffened. She looked over automatically and saw three young masters entering the rouge store. Leading the way was Gu Jiusi, who was dressed in a scarlet robe with gold threaded embroidered cloud patterns, and on his head was a golden crown adorned with pearls. Bearing a folding fan in his hand, he wore a bright smile that was as pretty as peach blossoms. Trailing behind him, each waving their fans, were Yang Wenchang in a blue robe, and Chen Xun in a bamboo green robe.


    In this place filled with women, the three men showed not a whit of embarrassment on their faces. Spooked, the other female customers quickly covered their faces with their circular fans and made themselves scarce. Though Liu Yuru¡¯s reaction speed was half a beat slower than the rest, she quickly recollected herself, turned away, and strode briskly towards the store¡¯s inner hall.


    ¡°Yuru-meimei!¡±


    Chen Xun reacted quickly. He took large strides and was in front of Liu Yuru in no time.


    Liu Yuru pivoted swiftly. Yang Wenchang immediately blocked off Liu Yuru¡¯s other escape path. Liu Yuru and her maid were surrounded by the three large fellows. Gu Jiusi leaned bodily against the nearby cabinet and drawled indolently, ¡°Yuru-meimei. Buying some rouge?¡±


    Gu Jiusi was good looking.


    If others had tried replicating that casual movement of his, they would¡¯ve just looked lethargic and soft-boned, but when he did it, there was a languid elegance to the way he moved, a certain pleasing charm.


    Yinhong was so frightened by this posture that she started to tremble. Liu Yuru willed herself to stay composed, quickly turned to the shop owner and said, ¡°Excuse me, I should think it inappropriate for men to be about. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    The shop owner immediately flashed Gu Jiusi a polite smile and said, ¡°Master Gu, this is a rouge store. With you here, my customers¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, not to worry,¡± Gu Jiusi cut in. He lifted his gaze, shot the shopkeeper a warning look and continued, ¡°I¡¯ll buy out the rouges you have here today. Your customers won¡¯t be affected.¡±


    Gu Jiusi turned his head to look at Liu Yuru, his voice dropping to a gentle tone, ¡°Yuru-meimei, feel free to pick out whichever rouge that catches your fancy. This gege will buy them all for you.¡± (TN: Gege; elder brother, can also be used to refer to an older male)


    ¡°Master Gu, please watch your words!¡±


    Yinhong finally blurted out, her voice quivering, ¡°My lady is an innocent maiden from a respectable family. By doing this, you¡¯re¡ª you¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m what now?¡± Gu Jiusi returned gleefully. ¡°Go on, girl, what about me?¡±


    ¡°Master Gu.¡±


    Liu Yuru put on an aggrieved, frightened, and slightly embarrassed expression. ¡°I do not know the reason why you¡¯ve come looking for me today. The great difference between our status notwithstanding, we are ill-acquainted. If my brothers or family members have offended you in any way, I entreat you to please forgive us.¡±


    Liu Yuru understood that Gu Jiusi was set on making trouble for her today. Hiding was useless. The top priority was to protect her reputation. It would be unthinkable for others to think that she had illicit relations with Gu Jiusi. Hence, the first thing to do was to clarify their relationship and hint to everyone that her family members were the ones who had offended Gu Jiusi; she was but a victim.


    Her demeanour grated on Gu Jiusi like a toothache. But before he could open his mouth, Liu Yuru went on, ¡°Master Gu, they say that a greater man notes not of a lesser man¡¯s faults, that anyone can make mistakes, so one should strive to be forgiving. I apologise on behalf of my brothers and family members, so can you please stop putting me in a spot?¡±


    Liu Yuru¡¯s eyes reddened promptly. To outsiders, she looked just like a virtuous woman being bullied.


    Next to her, Yang Wenchang and Chen Xun grew flustered as their conscience began to condemn them. They even made her cry. Could they have gone too far?


    Gu Jiu was well aware of Liu Yuru¡¯s little scheme. He scoffed in spite of himself. ¡°Quite the act you¡¯re putting up there.¡±


    ¡°Master Gu¡­¡± Liu Yuru¡¯s tears promptly began to fall.


    Yang Wenchang said in an abashed voice, ¡°Jiusi, let¡¯s just drop it¡­¡±


    A fire lit within Gu Jiusi as he regarded the traitor beside him.


    This woman¡­This woman!


    It was more than he could take. He took a deep breath and steeled himself. It was time to bring out the mutually destructive ultimate move¡ªhe smiled, a terrifically indulgent look on his face as he spoke gently, ¡°Yuru-meimei, why are you crying? I wasn¡¯t trying to make things difficult for you. I like you.¡±


    Liu Yuru¡¯s brain stopped working.


    She looked up blankly. Watching the one before her play the lovestruck man, a desire to slap him seized her, but she focused on schooling her expressions instead¡ªwearing a shy, confused, and slightly scandalised expression, she cried out, ¡°Master Gu, please do not jest!¡±


    ¡°Yuru-meimei,¡± Gu Jiusi took a step forward as Liu Yuru took a step back. Looking at her pretentious mannerisms, Gu Jiusi suppressed the urge to throw her into the lake outside. ¡°That was no jest,¡± He said tenderly. ¡±The first time we met, I fell in love with you at first sight. Now seeing you again, my feelings for you have only grown stronger. I have decided: in this lifetime, I shall take no one but you as my wife!¡±


    Liu Yuru: ¡°¡­¡±


    She felt as if she¡¯d lost.


    In a battle of shamelessness, she had to admit she was not his match.


    Seeing Liu Yuru¡¯s pretence on the verge of crumbling, Gu Jiusi beamed smugly.


    It became apparent to Liu Yuru just how petty Gu Jiusi was. She fell silent for a while. If she kept this up, Gu Jiusi would just dig his heels in till the bitter end.


    She sighed and said softly, ¡°Master Gu, I do apologise for what happened last time. I only did so for want of a better solution; a woman¡¯s reputation is of great consequence, you see. The fault is all mine. Today you came to collect your debt, and collect your debt you did. Would you be so kind as to call it quits? Please?¡±


    Gu Jiusi smiled mirthlessly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d jump into a lake if you had to marry me? I¡¯ve proposed to you, so hurry up now. Time and tide wait for no man, Yuru-meimei.¡±


    He lifted his chin and whispered, ¡°The moat is right behind you. Go ahead and jump.¡±


    Gu Jiusi considered.


    In truth, the sight of Liu Yuru shaking in anger, coupled with her legitimately respectful apology, had worked off the bulk of his anger.


    Since he was no longer that mad, he¡¯d also lost the desire to make fun of her. So after a moment¡¯s deliberation, he grinned, rubbed his chin and said, ¡°Well, actually no, that¡¯s not quite necessary. What you do have to say is ¡®Ye Shi¡¯an is a huge bastard. He¡¯s not as refined, handsome, suave, quick-witted, or upstanding as Gu Jiusi.''¡±


    Those were the compliments that his father had heaped on Ye Shi¡¯an in the past.


    Liu Yuru fell into stunned silence for a few moments. She opened her mouth, tried to recall the adjectives he¡¯d just used, and spoke quietly in a stiff voice, ¡°Yes, Master Gu. Ye¡­.Master Ye is a huge bastard. He¡¯s not¡­not as refined, handsome¡­¡±


    ¡°Suave,¡± Gu Jiusi reminded her.


    ¡°Right,¡± Liu Yuru nodded and continued with difficulty, ¡°handsome, suave, quick-witted, up¡­¡±


    ¡°Upstanding.¡±


    ¡°Yes, upstanding.¡± Liu Yuru continued to nod. She hurried to add, ¡°You sir, are a righteous gentleman with outstanding moral character. Which is why you certainly would not make things difficult for a young girl like me.¡±


    Gu Jiusi let out a ¡°pft¡± at her words. Then he said, ¡°You¡¯ve certainly got a way with words. Alright,¡± He picked up a box of rouge and tossed it between his hands. ¡°You can go.¡±


    Liu Yuru spun toward the exit, moving with the swiftness of one who had just received a great pardon.


    She had lifted the train of her skirt and had barely taken a few steps out when Gu Jiusi called out to her, ¡°Hold it.¡±


    Gu Jiusi eyed the ladies in the inner hall who had been keeping their faces hidden with their fans. He announced, ¡°Everyone, pick a box of rouge of your liking. They¡¯ll be on me.¡±


    At this, the ladies exchanged glances and considered his offer. A couple of them stepped forward boldly.


    With these ladies taking the lead, everyone soon began to pick and choose. Gu Jiusi wordlessly held his fan. After giving some further orders to his pageboy and leaving some money, he called out to Yang Wenchang and Chen Xun and gestured for them to leave. He walked over to Liu Yuru, looked her up and down, raised his chin and said, ¡°What are you standing around for? Choose.¡±


    Liu Yuru hesitated. Gu Jiusi cocked an eyebrow. ¡°You look down on me?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    Gu Jiusi chucked a box of rouge towards her before she could finish. ¡°Take this, then choose a couple more. After you¡¯re wed to Ye Shi¡¯an,¡± he lowered his voice to a whisper, his pretty eyes twinkling, ¡°sort him out for me, will you?¡±


    Then he grinned broadly and swept off with his people.


    Liu Yuru stood rooted to the spot. Holding the box of rouge in her hand, she dazedly recalled the scene of Gu Jiusi cocking his eyebrow again.


    This was the box of rouge that she couldn¡¯t bear to buy earlier.


    As Gu Jiusi walked out of the shop, Yang Wenchang asked quizzically, ¡°Why¡¯d you give them rouges?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy,¡± Gu Jiusi answered as he fanned himself.


    Chen Xun was confused. ¡°What¡¯s not easy?¡±


    Gu Jiusi sighed and said sympathetically, ¡°When she abruptly changed her tone to apologise to me, she suddenly didn¡¯t seem that disagreeable anymore.¡±


    He raised his hand and turned over the fan to shield himself from the sunlight overhead. He looked up at the windchimes hanging from the pointed eaves of Spring Wind House, his brows furrowed as he continued, ¡°It occurred to me that it¡¯s rather uncharitable to bully her like this. After all,¡± Gu Jiusi pursed his lips. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have an easy life.¡±

 CH 4

    TN: Psst¡­I didn¡¯t like the sound of ¡°Old Master Gu¡±, so I decided to change some forms of address.


    It took a long time for Liu Yuru to recover her senses.


    The ladies in the store were too busy choosing their rouges to pay heed to the conversation between Gu Jiusi and her. Yinhong went to pick up a box too. On her return, she saw the rouge in Liu Yuru¡¯s hand and said with a smile, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to choose another, Miss?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes¡­right.¡±


    Liu Yuru lowered her eyes. The ladies in the store were picking out their rouge. She would¡¯ve stood out if she didn¡¯t follow suit.


    She quietly slid the rouge into her sleeves and went up to select a couple more. The shopkeeper smiled at her and said, ¡°Miss Liu, that¡¯s Young Master Gu¡¯s temper for you, try not to let it get to you. That¡¯s just the way he is¡ªsharp of tongue but soft of heart. I¡¯d wager he came to vent his spleen on you after your brother bested him in the gambling den. Just bear with it a little and he¡¯ll have vented his fill before you know it. It¡¯s nothing, really. See? After working that bit of hot air out of his system, he has gone off to buy happiness with his silver.¡±


    ¡°I see your point,¡± Liu Yuru sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve embarrassed myself. I¡¯m sorry you had to see that.¡±


    As Liu Yuru selected her rouges, Gu Jiusi continued gambling in the gambling house. Meanwhile the conversation between the two swiftly made its way back to the Gu family: Gu Langhua was in the living room angrily complaining about Gu Jiusi to his wife, ¡±That little brat doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s good for him. He should have thought of why I want him engaged: his uncle might drag him off to the palace, to recommend him as prince consort. With looks like that, he might just catch some princess¡¯ eye. If that were to happen, I just know he wouldn¡¯t be able to put up with that.¡±


    ¡°Come now, it¡¯s time you cooled off.¡±


    Lady Gu, Jiang Rou, sighed. ¡°Jiusi has a point¡ªit is his marriage after all. He should find someone he loves. By getting him engaged without his knowledge, he¡¯ll end up marrying someone he doesn¡¯t care for. That would not be right.¡±


    ¡°What, then, would be considered ¡®right¡¯? Would being forced to marry a princess be considered ¡®right¡¯?!¡±


    As the two argued, the Gu family housekeeper burst in with great haste.


    ¡°Master! My Lady!¡± The housekeeper shouted joyfully. ¡°I¡¯ve found her!¡±


    ¡°Who have you found?¡± Gu Langhua and Jiang Rou were both confused. The housekeeper replied brightly, ¡°Young Master¡¯s one true love!¡±


    Jiang Rou was the first to speak. She cried out incredulously in a louder voice, ¡°Jiusi has someone he loves?! Why didn¡¯t he tell us?¡±


    Gu Langhua asked in a voice that was more composed than Jiang Rou, ¡°How did you know Jiusi has a lady love?¡±


    The housekeeper repeated the words related by a guard and said happily, ¡°Young Master said he would marry no one but this girl. What else could that be, if not true love? Master, I¡¯ve heard about this girl. I¡¯ve inquired about her¡ªshe¡¯s from a good family and is said to have the most agreeable temper. Her looks are a tad plain, but they¡¯re not bad by any means. It is said that in marriage, one should seek a wise and virtuous wife. That Young Master likes her is more important than anything else.¡±


    ¡°Well put,¡± said Jiang Rou. She promptly added, ¡°You¡¯d better get ready then, and best be quick about it. I want you to find out more about this girl. If she¡¯s truly as good as you say, your master and I will call on her family on the morrow; we¡¯ll make a marriage offer right there and then.¡±


    The housekeeper speedily withdrew. Gu Langhua meditated over the housekeeper¡¯s words and turned to Jiang Rou, ¡°My Lady, something¡¯s off about this.¡±


    ¡°It is odd indeed,¡± Jiang Rou replied with a sigh. ¡°Jiusi always tells me everything, yet I¡¯ve never heard him mention anything about liking a girl, much less a girl quite so ordinary. I do wonder how they got to meet.¡±


    Gu Langhua said nothing and sank into deep thought. Then he said to Jiang Rou, ¡°Keep this marriage business from Jiusi for now. He did say he would marry no one but this girl. The priority is to nail the engagement. There will be no more tomfoolery this time.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± said Jiang Rou hesitantly. ¡°Marriage is a major life event. Would it really be alright to leave him in the dark?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Gu Langhua said as he waved his hand dismissively. ¡°If we drag this out too long, your elder brother would suggest sending Jiusi to the capital. It¡¯ll be too late for us to refuse by then.¡±


    Jiang Rou understood: Gu Langhua no longer cared to know the reason behind Gu Jiusi¡¯s words. All that mattered was that it gave him an excuse to quash whatever objections his son may attempt to advance.


    Liu Yuru was a born and bred native of Yangzhou. She had an ordinary past and was the archetypical lady. Wasting no time, the Gu family¡¯s housekeeper brought a portrait of Liu Yuru and an account of her life story back to the Gu family the very next day. It gave Lady Gu immense pleasure to learn that her unreliable son had found such a reliable girl.


    ¡°There is, however, one rumour,¡± the housekeeper said, hesitating, ¡°Word is that the Ye family¡¯s elderly matriarch is remarkably fond of Miss Liu, that the families have a certain¡­ understanding.¡±


    Jiang Rou grew anxious. ¡°They have an engagement?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± The housekeeper was quick to add, ¡°They¡¯re just rumours, is all.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± said Gu Langhua. He considered for a moment and said calmly, ¡°We will pay the Lius a visit in person and find out the truth of the matter. If an engagement does exist between the two families, we shall back out graciously as we should. If no engagement has been fixed, we¡¯ll leave the final choice to the Lius.¡±


    Armed with an understanding of Gu Langhua¡¯s intentions, the housekeeper drew up a list of bridal gifts with Jiang Rou the very next day. As soon as they were done, the Gu couple went straight to the Liu family¡¯s manor.


    By the time Master Gu and his wife arrived in Liu Yuru¡¯s home, Liu Yuru was taking care of Su Wan inside the house.


    No one had marriage on their minds when Jiang Rou and Gu Langhua came to visit, so Liu Yuru was not summoned forth by Liu Xuan to greet the guests.


    The Gu family was rich and influential in Yangzhou, and that made Zhang Yue¡¯er and Liu Xuan uneasy. They inwardly guessed at Gu Langhua¡¯s intentions while making idle chit chat. After some banter, Gu Langhua smiled and spoke up, ¡°Days ago, I heard there¡¯s been cause for celebration in your household¡ªan engagement between your eldest daughter and the Ye family¡¯s son, I believe. Is it true?¡±


    Liu Xuan and Zhang Yue¡¯er exchanged looks. She instantly grasped Gu Langhua¡¯s reason for coming.


    She had wondered at their coming. So Liu Yuru was the reason.


    Liu Yuru was Su Wan¡¯s daughter. Zhang Yue¡¯er had never been much fond of her, though she treated her well enough to keep up appearances. She had seen the effort Liu Yuru had poured into her own marriage; she knew of Liu Yuru¡¯s desire to marry into a good family.


    The more well-to-do Liu Yuru¡¯s husband was, the more generous the bridal gifts would be. Once these bridal gifts crossed the Liu family¡¯s door, they¡¯d all go to her son some day. Thus, Zhang Yue¡¯er was perfectly happy to let Liu Yuru exert herself as much as she desired in service of her marriage. She was, to begin with, very much pleased with the Ye family, whom Liu Yuru was originally promised to. The Ye family did not stint on the bridal gifts, which contributed to a great eagerness on her part to get Liu Yuru married off as soon as possible. But now that the Gu family had come along, the Ye family¡¯s fortune had lost its original shine.


    Zhang Yue¡¯er weighed her options rapidly. Taking advantage of Liu Xuan¡¯s pondering silence, she broke in with a smile, ¡°Oh no, they¡¯re just rumours, nothing more. Our Yuru has always been very dear friends with the Ye family¡¯s eldest daughter, and while that has brought the two families closer, marriage has never been on the table. The Ye family¡¯s eldest son is far too busy with the imperial exams at any rate; they haven¡¯t got the time to speak of such matters.


    Liu Xuan was discomfited by Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s blatant lies, but what was done was done, and he did not want to embarrass Zhang Yue¡¯er. Thus he simply nodded and said, ¡°There¡¯s no engagement.¡±


    Jiang Rou and Gu Langhua locked gazes; each breathed a small sigh of relief. Jiang Rou went right to the heart of the matter: she said, ¡°We will be frank. We have come today to propose marriage between our son Jiusi and your eldest daughter.¡±


    Jiang Rou complimented Liu Yuru liberally, did the same for Gu Jiusi, before finally arriving at the main point: She waved at the maid beside her, turned to Liu Xuan and said, ¡°Our Gu family is a straightforward family. We try to be sincere in all that we do. Should the two of you agree to this marriage, this will be the Gu family¡¯s list of bridal gifts, and we shall formally send the gifts out on the morrow. Should you find anything unsatisfactory about our arrangement, please do not hesitate to let us know. We will do our utmost to address any worries that you may have.¡±


    Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s eyes lit up at these words. She looked at the list that Liu Xuan had received with a delighted smile on her face. The sheer length of the list was very impressive to begin with. The actual amount listed was positively staggering for an ordinary mercantile household like the Lius. Zhang Yue¡¯er searched Liu Xuan¡¯s face. Though he had made a valiant attempt at affecting composure, his expressions betrayed his true feelings, which Zhang Yue¡¯er noted silently.


    Liu Xuan passed the list over to Zhang Yue¡¯er after reading through it. Zhang Yue¡¯er felt her breath hitch as she processed the figures she was seeing. Still, she merely coughed lightly, donned a regretful expression and said, ¡°Although I¡¯m not Yuru¡¯s birth mother, Yuru is a trueborn daughter of our family, and I have always treated her as I would my own blood. Money is not what¡¯s most important here. What matters most is Young Master Gu¡¯s sincerity.¡±


    Jiang Rou had done an exhaustive background check on the Liu family before coming, and was thus under no illusions as to the kind of person Zhang Yue¡¯er was; she knew what she meant by ¡°sincerity¡±. She glanced at Gu Langhua and smiled pleasantly, ¡°You see, we are not good at talking; flowery words are quite beyond us; silver and gold is our way of conveying our sincerity. Please be assured that we have absolutely no intention of insulting the young lady. In life, only tangible things can be grasped within our hands. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Langhua gave a light cough. ¡°We have five stores on East Street. We¡¯ll include those in this list. How does that sound?¡±


    East Street was the busiest, most prosperous street in Yangzhou. A single store was worth a lot, let alone five.


    This was a generous offer, even for the Gu family.


    Zhang Yue¡¯er knew not to push her luck. She cast a quick glance at Liu Xuan and repressed her bubbling excitement as she answered, ¡°Young Master Gu is a promising young man. It is Yuru¡¯s good fortune to be deemed worthy of this match. What are your thoughts, Master?¡±


    Liu Xuan¡¯s gaze fell upon the list. He was worried about Liu Yuru¡¯s future, but he found it hard to part with the silver and gold.


    After a long internal struggle, he finally asked, ¡°Pardon my boldness. May I ask what Young Master Gu¡¯s thoughts on this match are?¡±


    The Gu couple seemed easy enough to get along with. Liu Yuru probably wouldn¡¯t have a hard time if she married into their family. And although Gu Jiusi¡¯s conduct could be¡­preposterous at times, the distinguishing factor that determined how well a woman lived was whether her husband loved her.


    Jiang Rou smiled. ¡°Our son is in love with your eldest daughter. Why else would we put ourselves through all this trouble?¡±


    Liu Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. That explained it. By his reckoning, the Gu family ought to have gone to a family like the Liews first even if they wished to marry down.


    Liu Xuan smiled. He was just about to say that he would ask for Liu Yuru¡¯s opinions on the matter when Zhang Yue¡¯er exclaimed, ¡°Then it¡¯s a match made in heaven, one appointed by the god of marriage Yue Lao himself! Our Yuru once said, ¡®Young Master Gu is handsome and has a heart of gold. A good man like him is few and far between¡¯!¡±


    Liu Xuan¡¯s expression stiffened. Jiang Rou asked, ¡°Did Miss Liu really say that?¡±


    ¡°Why of course she did,¡± replied Zhang Yue¡¯er. She turned to Jiang Rou, ¡°Though our Yuru and Young Master Gu are but slight acquaintances, she has spoken most favourably of him.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Jiang Rou turned to look at Liu Xuan, ¡°It¡¯s settled then. Master Liu, we¡¯ll send the betrothal gifts on the morrow. I trust we are in agreement?¡±


    Liu Xuan could muster no argument in opposition. After some serious consideration, he came to the conclusion that parents should have the ultimate say when it came to marriage. Liu Yuru had always been gentle and obedient. Whether her husband was Ye Shi¡¯an or Gu Jiusi probably made little difference to her.


    And so Liu Xuan nodded and smiled as he said, ¡°I will welcome your esteemed selves on the morrow.¡±


    Liu Xuan got up. He and Jiang Rou saw Gu Langhua and Jiang Rou off together. Then he sighed, turned around, and said, ¡°I would like you to inform Yuru about this. Some things are better said woman-to-woman.¡±


    Zhang Yue¡¯er smiled, took Liu Xuan¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Worry not. The Gu family is far superior to the Ye family. There are many more rules to be followed in the Ye family. The Gu family is easygoing, powerful, influential and has Gu Jiusi as the only son. Gu Jiusi does get rather absurd at times, but no one is perfect. So long as Gu Jiusi loves our Yuru, she¡¯ll live a comfortable life.¡±


    ¡°It is as you say,¡± Liu Xuan sighed. ¡°That was well considered.¡±


    ¡°So set your mind at ease. I will break the news to Yuru,¡± Zhang Yue¡¯er said pleasantly. ¡°Yuru is still young, and marriage is such a tremendous deal. As elders, it is only right for us to look out for her.¡±


    With Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s reassurances, Liu Xuan was able to set aside his misgivings, so with a newfound peace of mind he went about attending to his business. After Liu Xuan left, Zhang Yue¡¯er sent someone to find out what happened between Liu Yuru and Gu Jiusi. In this way she learnt about the rouge store incident.


    Zhang Yue¡¯er chuckled upon hearing the story. She sat on a chair and said to the maid beside her, ¡°Su Wan may be incompetent, but the same is not to be said of her daughter. Alright, ground her with this as an excuse. Tell her that she has misbehaved, and as punishment she¡¯s to be grounded for half a month. We¡¯ll set this union to rights before dealing with her. Make sure the servants keep their mouths shut. I will sell off anyone who lets slip of this matter to her before the engagement is done.¡±


    The maid knew Zhang Yue¡¯er was serious and said hurriedly, ¡°You can count on me, not a single tongue will wag.¡±


    Zhang Yue¡¯er nodded, thought for a moment, and added, ¡°See that you¡¯re tactful about it. She¡¯s still anxiously waiting for Ye Shi¡¯an to come and ask for her hand. Comfort her, placate her. I¡¯ll talk sense into her once the match with the Gu family is settled.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± the maid said smilingly. ¡°Rest assured. It will be done, and properly. She¡¯s to be Lady Gu after all; I will be careful not to offend her.¡±


    ¡°Pity,¡± Zhang Yue¡¯er sighed. ¡°How regrettable that I have no daughter of marriageable age¡­ Xue¡¯er¡¯s1 far too young, else the Ye family would have made a fine choice too.¡±


    ¡°I must say,¡± Zhang Yue¡¯er peered down at the list of bridal gifts, a wry smile on her face, ¡°This Liu Yuru¡¯s worth a pretty penny.¡±


    Xue¡¯er1: ¡°-er¡± is a diminutive suffix, it¡¯s a term of endearment when attached to the end of a given name, usually used on women or children.

 CH 5

    Liu Yuru was somewhat blindsided by Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s order to ground her.


    Though Zhang Yue¡¯er treatment of her could not be considered good, she¡¯d always portrayed herself as a warm, caring mother to please Liu Xuan. She behaved as if she were the primary wife despite being a concubine. In these past years, while she took no special care in her education, there was no precedent of confining her. That she would detain her over Gu Jiusi¡¯s antics was therefore somewhat of a surprise to Liu Yuru.


    Guixiang, the maid who came to relay the news to Liu Yuru, smiled as she explained, ¡°I ask that you not hold it against Concubine Yue, Miss. Concubine Yue said that things are not like before. She has to ground you to show others that the Liu family takes rules and discipline seriously. It¡¯s for the sake of your reputation, so please try to understand.¡±


    Guixiang¡¯s words sounded reasonable and fair. If Liu Yuru wasn¡¯t so intimately familiar with the nature of Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s character, she might have thought of Zhang Yuer¡¯er as a wonderful mother.


    Liu Yuru knew Zhang Yue¡¯er to be a woman highly driven by self-interests. Unsettled by this sudden display of kindness, she concealed her uneasiness as she accepted this news meekly. After she sent Guixiang off, she took out a sewing needle from inside the house and began embroidering flowers with Yinhong in the small courtyard.


    Yinhong, the straightforward type, blurted out in puzzlement, ¡°Miss, what do you think sparked Concubine Yue¡¯s change in personality? Why has she become so concerned for your welfare?¡±


    Liu Yuru¡¯s sewing hand hovered over her embroidery. She thought about it before saying at last, ¡°She¡¯s concerned about my engagement with the Ye family, I think. She doesn¡¯t want any changes to upset her plans.¡±


    After all, her marriage meant more gleaming silver for Zhang Yue¡¯er. Her lack of blood brothers  meant that Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s son was heir to the Liu family inheritance.


    The lack of conflict in core interests spawned a relationship akin to allies, and it was thanks to this that they were able to enjoy years of domestic harmony between the ladies of the Liu family. Liu Yuru knew that marrying well was the only way to ensure her mother could live with dignity and ease, even without a son.


    A good marriage would oblige Zhang Yue¡¯er to treat Su Wan with due respect and consideration.


    For women, to be born is to experience rebirth for the first time; it dictates her fate before marriage; when a woman marries, she experiences rebirth for the second time; it dictates her fate for the rest of her life. Liu Yuru was such a firm believer in this concept that she worked hard from an early age just to land a good marriage. Now she was on the brink of realising her wish. Perhaps that was the reason for Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s change in attitude.


    Feeling her eyes smart after she was done embroidering a pair of mandarin ducks, she set her sewing needles down, stood up and headed for the house.


    ¡°Miss,¡± said Yinhong. Knowing what Liu Yuru was about to do, she asked a little disbelievingly, ¡°You¡¯re reading again?¡±


    Liu Yuru answered in the affirmative. She took out a book titled Records of the Little Rocky Mountain and said softly, ¡°Last time I went to the Ye Mansion, A-Yun1 told me that Young Master Ye was very fond of this book. I am determined to keep up. I must if I am to have common topics we can talk about.¡±


    Yinhong sighed at these words. ¡°Miss, I daresay you¡¯re thinking too far ahead. You¡¯ll turn yourself into a renaissance lady at this rate.¡±


    Liu Yuru smiled but made no reply.


    She bent her head over the Records of the Little Rocky Mountain and began to read.


    Ever since she made up her mind to marry Ye Shi¡¯an, she would routinely fish for news about him from Ye Yun. A bosom friend who was no stranger to her intentions, Ye Yun hid nothing from her; Liu Yuru knew exactly which books Ye Shi¡¯an had read and the things that he liked. To ensure that she¡¯d be able to get along with Ye Shi¡¯an in the future, she made sure to read the books Ye Shi¡¯an had read, studied the Four Arts (zither, Go, calligraphy, painting), learnt how to compose reasonably presentable poems, and even practised calligraphy in the small regular script style by copying his handwriting; as a result, her handwriting bore a strong resemblance to Ye Shi¡¯an¡¯s.


    For years, she worked hard stoically in preparation for marriage with Ye Shi¡¯an some day. When one has worked hard for a long time, invested much time and energy in something, the mind inevitably starts conjuring impressions that feel real; she had met Ye Shi¡¯an only a couple of times and had barely spoken to him¡ªhe had gone away to White Heron Academy ever since he was thirteen; her memories of him had stopped at his thirteen year old self¡ªYet she felt that she likely, surely, fancied Ye Shi¡¯an.


    The thought of marrying someone else never crossed her mind.


    As she read Records of the Little Rocky Mountain, she tried to imagine Ye Shi¡¯an flipping the book; tried to guess the sort of thoughts he might have had when he encountered this passage or that. When she had finished reading the book, she sighed, looked over at Yinhong and said pensively, ¡°Say¡­when do you suppose Young Master Ye will return?¡±


    ¡°Fret not,¡± said Yinhong with a smile. ¡°Young Master Ye shall return very soon.¡±


    She lowered her voice to a whisper, ¡°He shall return soon to marry you!¡±


    ¡°You and your nonsense¡ª¡± Liu Yuru gave her a playful shove, the smile on her face showing no signs of waning. Liu Yuru allowed herself to let loose a little in private; Yinhong knew this about her. After exchanging some light hearted banter, Liu Yuru washed up and went to bed. As she lay there staring at the book beside her, a whisper escaped her lips before she knew it, ¡°Come back soon, Young Master Ye. My life depends on you.¡±


    She hugged the book tightly to her chest as if cradling all of her hopes.


    The next morning, Liu Yuru woke up as usual. Shortly after completing some calligraphy exercises, she heard some commotion outside. Intrigued, she told Yinhong, ¡°Could you go out there and find out what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Yinhong replied in the affirmative and did as she was asked. She hadn¡¯t been gone for long when she returned to say, ¡°Miss, the guard outside told me you¡¯ve been grounded. I, too, will not be able to enter or leave freely. He has sent someone to check it out, and will return with answers presently.¡±


    Liu Yuru nodded, still feeling unsettled. Breakfast was sent in sometime later. Liu Yuru said to the maid serving the breakfast, ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to pass on a message to Concubine Yue. Please inform her that I would like permission to see my mother.¡±


    The maid assented and left while Liu Yuru waited inside. Yinhong said to her, ¡°Miss, why don¡¯t you have something to eat? Surely it can wait till after breakfast.¡±


    Liu Yuru knew that Yinhong was right; there was no sense in losing her head now, especially when she didn¡¯t even have a handle on the situation. So she composed herself, took her breakfast, and waited.


    Hardly had she been seated when her eyes began to tire. No longer able to keep her concerns about this abrupt and overwhelming bout of drowsiness to herself, she remarked at last, ¡°Yinhong, I feel awfully tired. I can¡¯t imagine why that is so.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re feeling tired?¡± echoed Yinhong, sounding somewhat perplexed. ¡°Would you like to take a nap then, Miss?¡±


    Somewhat dazed and terribly sleepy, she nodded absent-mindedly and let Yinhong help her to her bed. Yinhong smiled as she said, ¡°Miss, did you not sleep well last night? That might explain your exhaustion.¡±


    Liu Yuru said nothing¡ªshe dropped off to sleep the moment her head touched the pillow.


    It was a long, uninterrupted nap. By the time she awoke, it was noon. Yinhong softly called out to her, ¡°Miss, Miss¡ª¡±


    Liu Yuru looked at her blearily. Yinhong hastily said, ¡°Miss, you need to get up. Concubine Yue¡¯s here. She said there¡¯s something she¡¯d like to talk to you about.¡±


    Liu Yuru sat up sharply.


    Her head throbbed, slightly. Alarmed by these out of sorts sensations, yet clueless to its cause, she got up, got washed and dressed, and headed to the outer hall.


    Zhang Yue¡¯er had been waiting for some time. When she saw Liu Yuru coming in, sorrow appeared on her face, ¡°Yuru¡­¡±


    Liu Yuru¡¯s heart gave a jolt when she saw Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s expression. Zhang Yue¡¯er sighed and said, ¡°Yuru, there¡¯s something I have to talk to you about today. Today¡­¡± Zhang Yue¡¯er said, paused. ¡°You see, the Gu family sent their betrothal gifts here today.¡±


    Liu Yuru¡¯s eyes widened abruptly.


    She understood the gist of what had transpired in an instant.


    There was, however, something she couldn¡¯t wrap her head around.


    The Gu family sent betrothal gifts.


    Why would the Gu family send betrothal gifts?!


    Liu Yuru swayed where she stood. Yinhong rushed forward to support her. Yinhong was in a right state. She was acutely aware of how much Liu Yuru wanted to marry Ye Shi¡¯an. She knew how Liu Yuru had been looking forward to Ye Shi¡¯an¡¯s return everyday.


    But how could it be? ¡­Why did the Gu family send betrothal gifts?


    ¡°Father¡ª¡± Liu Yuru said while being supported by Yinhong. ¡°And what of Father? ¡­What did he say?¡±


    ¡°Master has accepted it.¡±


    Liu Yuru shut her eyes miserably.


    Zhang Yue¡¯er stood up, held Liu Yuru¡¯s hand, and said gently, ¡°Yuru, I understand that you¡¯re feeling very upset about this. But know that your father only did it for your own good.¡±


    Liu Yuru shook slightly as she gritted her teeth in silence. Zhang Yue¡¯er eased her down into a seat and said in a sincere tone, ¡°In truth, your father had reservations about letting you marry into the Ye family. The Ye family is a scholarly family with strict rules; we are merchants by trade. Should you marry into their family, I fear they¡¯ll turn up their noses at you. Besides, Ye Shi¡¯an has gone to take the imperial exams, and has a bright future ahead of him. If he becomes an official in the capital, there¡¯s no telling what sorts of people he¡¯ll meet. If he turns out to be like Chen Shimei (TN: Chen Shimei¡¯s a chinese opera character who¡¯s infamous for being a heartless and unfaithful man), you¡¯ll end up as an ill-fated wife whose life is filled with hardships.¡±


    Zhang Yue¡¯er looked heartbroken again. ¡°The capital is so far away, it¡¯d be very hard for you and your father to meet again if you were to marry into the Ye family. Your father was deeply troubled by this when the Gu family came to propose marriage. Consider your father¡¯s perspective: Gu Jiusi, though a mite incompetent and dissolute, has a wealthy and powerful family; Lady Gu¡¯s brother holds a high position in the capital, while Master Gu is the richest man in Yangzhou. Having no noteworthy accomplishments to recommend him, Gu Jiusi will not be marked for the capital in the future. This will allow you to stay in Yangzhou and live in luxury for the rest of your life. Besides, the Gu couple¡¯s regard for you was plain to see. When you¡¯re married into the Gu family, you¡¯ll be the principal wife to the Gu family¡¯s firstborn son, a most stable and fortunate position to be in¡ªyou¡¯d be the one calling the shots. With your days being yours to make, you can just let Gu Jiusi live as he pleases.¡±


    Liu Yuru said nothing. She had gradually calmed down over the course of Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s speech.


    She understood the situation now.


    The Gu family came to propose marriage. Given their wealth, they must have offered a princely sum. What was a mere daughter compared to material wealth? So what if they offended the Ye family? Getting their hands on the riches came before all else.


    Why did Zhang Yue¡¯er ground her? Why did she feel so tired after having breakfast? They were all part of Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s plan to secure this marriage; they feared that she would kick up a fuss, feared she would not go along with her plans.


    But how could she just accept this?


    Liu Yuru gnashed her teeth.


    For years and years she¡¯d been at this, waiting for Ye Shi¡¯an, and the wait was finally coming to its end.


    She had pinned all her hopes on Ye Shi¡¯an, only to be told that she had to marry Gu Jiusi, the nightmare of every lady born of a respectable family, the widely denounced devil incarnate.


    It was all well and good if her spiel about the marriage ¡°being for her own good¡± and setting her up for a life of luxury came to pass, but it would be a different story if the dream proved to be prescient.


    The current governor of Youzhou was already Fang Xuan. If the dream was real, marriage with Gu Jiusi would not only mean ruining her future, it would mean forfeiting her life.


    She did not fear death, but she found it hard to imagine what would become of her mother if she died.


    Her mother had no other children aside from her. Her death would render her mother a childless woman who could be abandoned at any time. There would be no one to speak for her mother, no one to care for her.


    Moreover, would her mother be able to live on without her?


    These thoughts thoroughly chilled her.


    Seeing Liu Yuru¡¯s silence, Zhang Yue¡¯er patted Liu Yuru¡¯s hand and said kindly, ¡°Yuru, don¡¯t take it so hard. Your mother will live very well indeed should you marry into the Gu family. Take your mother¡¯s illness for starters. The doctor did say that she required treatment that called for some rare herbs to maintain her health. It is unfortunate that our family lacks the means to obtain the medicine that your mother needs. Marry into the Gu family, and even the most precious medicinal treasures could be yours. Yuru,¡± Zhang Yue¡¯er said half warningly, half coaxingly, her eyes brimming with concern. ¡°Spare a thought for your mother, hm?¡±


    Liu Yuru kept silent and opened her eyes.


    She calmed down rapidly and regarded Zhang Yue¡¯er quietly. Zhang Yue¡¯er felt chilled by her clear gaze¡ªit was as if Liu Yuru could see through her thoughts¡­


    Zhang Yue¡¯er dismissed the idea as quickly as it surfaced¡ªwhat could a girl of fifteen know?


    She watched as Liu Yuru lowered her head and said sadly, ¡°May ¡ª May I discuss this matter with my mother?¡±


    ¡°Oh you silly child,¡± Zhang Yue¡¯er said gently, ¡°Your father has made his choice. The betrothal gifts have been accepted. There is no turning back.¡±


    ¡°Annul this marriage, Yuru, and you shall not find another family quite like the Gus again.¡±


    Zhang Yue¡¯er was right. If she broke off this match, her future marriage options would be limited to men of no fortune, butchers, traders and the like.


    Liu Yuru lapsed into silence. Appearing resigned, she said, ¡°You and Father have accepted the match, so I will accept it too. But the Ye family¡­will require an explanation.¡±


    ¡°That you do not have to worry about,¡± Zhan Yue¡¯er said briskly. ¡°I¡¯ve sent someone to explain things to Old Madam Ye. The Gu family sent the betrothal gifts so suddenly, so unexpectedly; given their influence and standing, we cannot possibly dare to offend the Gu family¡ªOld Madam Ye will understand.¡±


    Liu Yuru said nothing. Zhang Yue¡¯er had everything planned out; she had meant to leave her with no choice.


    She felt a strong urge to shed all pretences of courtesy and go down in flames with her, consequences be damned.


    But reason held her back.


    So she stymied her impulse, lowered her head with teary eyes and said hoarsely, ¡°You¡¯ve thought of everything, Concubine Yue. It¡¯s very reassuring.¡±


    She stood up and said softly, ¡°Concubine Yue, it¡¯s time for my mother to take her medication. I  don¡¯t think I can rest easy unless I check on her. May I?¡±


    Zhang Yue¡¯er fell silent for a moment as she mulled over her request. Liu Yuru¡¯s marriage was a foregone conclusion. It would be prudent to avoid starting feuds. Liu Yuru had yet to fully grasp the situation she was in, it seemed. She might as well play the part of a good stepmother for now; there would be bigger fish to hook in the future.


    So she said softly, ¡°By all means do so, if you don¡¯t mind the trouble. Take good care of your mother. Now that you are engaged, there¡¯s no need to confine you for appearance¡¯s sake. You are no longer grounded.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Concubine Yue.¡±


    After Liu Yuru expressed her thanks, Zhang Yue¡¯er left contented.


    After she left, Liu Yuru raised her head and clenched her fists, her expression icy.


    ¡°Miss¡­¡± Yinhong said, sounding a little scared. ¡°What¡­what should we do?¡±


    Liu Yuru simply told Yinhong, ¡°Can you fetch a girl from the outer courtyard called Yunyun? I¡¯m taking her to Mother.¡±


    Not knowing what Liu Yuru was planning to do, Yinhong did as she was bid.


    After Yinhong left, Liu Yuru sank into a chair. Gritting her teeth, she finally hung her head and let her tears flow out.


    This was it.


    She was painfully aware that nothing she did from this point on would make a real difference.


    Her life was effectively over.


    TN:


    A-Yun1: ¡°A-¡± (sounds like ¡°Ah¡± in English) is a common, informal prefix that expresses intimacy or familiarity when attached to a given name.


    Side note: A new trailer for the drama adaptation of LWC, Destined, has been released by iQiyi.

 CH 6

    Yinhong soon brought Yunyun to Liu Yuru. By then Liu Yuru was done with crying.


    She washed her face before Yinhong arrived and wore a calm expression. There were no signs that she had cried, save for some tell-tale redness and moisture on her face.


    The girl was slender and looked elegant and gentle. Standing there, she gave off the impression of a frail willow swaying in the wind¡ªa look at her was enough to make anyone¡¯s heart ache. Liu Yuru glanced her over and said, ¡°Yunyun, is your mother feeling better?¡±


    Yunyun¡¯s reply came swiftly: ¡°Yes, Miss. Thanks to you, my mother has been feeling much better of late.¡±


    ¡°Yunyun,¡± said Liu Yuru. She sighed. ¡°I called you over today to ask you a question. I¡¯ll be married soon. Would you be willing to assist by my mother¡¯s side?¡±


    Yunyun lapsed into silence. Liu Yuru hastily added, ¡°I was simply inquiring. Stay only if you¡¯re willing. It¡¯s more than fine if you¡¯re not. It¡¯s not my wish that you force yourself.¡±


    Yunyun understood the implications behind Liu Yuru¡¯s words and smiled. ¡°What are you saying, Miss? My family is poor. No ordinary family would accept me because of my looks; If a family of means were to take me on, my choices would be between a dancer or a bed-mate. It would be my good fortune to serve as a concubine beside First Madam. Why wouldn¡¯t I be willing?¡±


    ¡°I was afraid you¡¯d find it unfair,¡± Liu Yuru said hesitantly. ¡°You¡¯re still young, after all¡­¡±


    ¡°Miss,¡± said Yunyun, sighing. ¡°I¡¯ve thought it through. I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so unfair about living a cushy life. Besides, you¡¯ve been so kind to me that I¡¯ve been feeling ashamed and guilty. I¡¯ll be happy to help take care of First Madam in your stead.¡±


    Liu Yuru felt relieved at her words. She patted Yunyun¡¯s hand and gave her some instructions. Then she sent someone to wash and dress Yunyun before directing her to Su Wan¡¯s room.


    Su Wan was sound asleep in the room. She had a sickly constitution and felt poorly and tired most of the time. As a result, she often took naps during the day. Not daring to interrupt, Liu Yuru waited quietly. When Su Wan woke up some time later, Liu Yuru quickly went up to help Su Wan get up. Su Wan rinsed her mouth with tea, walked over to the table with Yuru¡¯s support, and said softly, ¡°It sounded rather lively outside today. I suppose the Ye family¡¯s betrothal gifts have arrived?¡±


    Everyone else froze. Still none the wiser, Su Wan picked up her chopsticks and continued, ¡°A good part of this affair will be taken care of once the Gu family are done with the delivery of their betrothal gifts. I¡¯ve inquired about this Young Master Ye. He¡¯s a fine young man. It¡¯d be a load off my mind to see you settled in marriage.¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­¡± began Liu Yuru tentatively. Su Wan looked at Liu Yuru quizzically. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The gifts aren¡¯t from the Ye family,¡± Liu Yuru said at length. Su Wang paused. Confusion in her eyes.


    Liu Yuru took a deep breath, raised her head to look at Su Wan, and said seriously, ¡°They¡¯re from the Gu family, not the Ye family.¡±


    Shock coloured Su Wan¡¯s features. Clutching her chopsticks, she pressed, ¡°Which Gu family are you referring to?¡±


    ¡°Gu Jiusi¡¯s,¡± Liu Yuru practically bit out his name. Su Wan went completely still.


    ¡°Gu Jiusi¡­¡± Then it hit her. ¡°Do you mean the lackadaisical ne¡¯er-do-well who spends his days gambling or brawling, the one who gallivants about indulging in diabolical mischief because his family can afford to get away with it? That Gu Jiusi?¡±


    Silence from all present. Liu Yuru cast her eyes downward. Su Wan¡¯s breaths came quick and shallow. Liu Yuru hastened to support Su Wan, only to see her spit out a mouthful of blood upon contact.


    Yinhong yelped in surprise. Liu Yuru hurriedly sent for a physician and helped Su Wan to her bed. She tried to get her to lie down, but Su Wan struggled to get up. Anger clouded her usually gentle looking face. ¡°I shall see your father about this¡­I¡¯ll see him right this instant! Has he not a shred of shame¡­ This match cannot go through. It must not!¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡± Liu Yuru restrained Su Wan and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s pointless!¡±


    Su Wan froze. Liu Yuru¡¯s eyes reddened as she said quietly, ¡°The gifts have been sent. No decent family would allow their son to marry a girl who has backed out of a match. Mother,¡± Liu Yuru rasped. ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice.¡±


    Su Wan stared lifelessly at the top of the bed, despair seeping out of her entire body.


    ¡°Yuru¡­¡± At length, she said hoarsely, ¡°It¡¯s my fault for being useless.¡±


    Unable to bear a son, she lived in constant fear of divorce. Divorce would have brought such shame upon the Su family, it could only be expunged via a white silk on a beam.


    She had lived so cautiously to eke out a better path for Liu Yuru, only for things to come to this.


    She was aware of the efforts Liu Yuru had put in to marry into the Ye family. And now those years of effort lay dead and buried, courtesy of Liu Yuru¡¯s father. All for the Gu family¡¯s shiny silver.


    Oh how she hated.


    Su Wan clenched her fists. A terrible desire to drag Liu Xuan, Zhang Yue¡¯er, and everyone in the Liu family to their deaths welled up inside her, but she reined it in. She could not¡ªnot when her daughter¡¯s good name was at stake. Even if Gu Jiusi did not end up marrying Liu Yuru, her daughter had an entire life left to live.


    Su Wan was mired in despair. Seeing this, Liu Yuru clutched her hands tightly, brushed away a handful of tears and said quickly, ¡°Mother, you¡¯re letting your imagination run wild. I want this.¡±


    Su Wan slowly turned to regard her, a knowing look in her eyes.


    ¡°You want this, you say?,¡± she said in a raspy voice. ¡°I have noticed this tendency of yours over the years¡ªyou only tell me about the good things, never the bad; you always claim to be doing well. But how can I not know how you really are doing, where your true feelings lie? Even so, there was little I could do. All I could do was watch on while you swallowed your grievances and contrived to get into Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s good graces. I had hoped she would treat you better on account of how readily we fell in line.¡±


    ¡°But look at where that got us today,¡± Su Wan¡¯s tears fell. ¡°She sold you.¡±


    ¡°Mother, that¡¯s not true,¡± Liu Yuru smiled and wiped away her tears. ¡°I want to marry him, I do. Gu Jiusi¡¯s wonderful. We know each other. He helped me in the past. I found him to be very good and he felt the same way about me. That¡¯s why the Gus came to propose a union.¡±


    Liu Yuru hurriedly spun a tale of how they met, taking care to embellish the frivolous young master in a most favourable light¡ªand so a story of love at first sight where Gu Jiusi was an earnest and pure-hearted albeit troublemaking young man was born.


    ¡°The rouge I got for you was a present from him. He saw that I could not bear to buy it, yet feared sullying my reputation if he were to buy it just for me. So he bought out the rouges from the store and gifted them to every lady present. He did that for me.¡±


    ¡°He treats me well. Truly. I know I won¡¯t have to suffer after I¡¯ve married him.¡±


    Liu Yuru¡¯s account, a mixed bag of truths and lies, was sufficiently convincing enough that Su Wan was unable to discern truth from lies. So with her tears still flowing, Su Wan clasped her daughter¡¯s hands and blamed herself for powerlessness.


    The physician arrived and determined that anger had attacked her heart, causing qi and blood to flow in the opposite direction. After prescribing a couple of prescriptions and using acupuncture on her, the physician left.  Seeing that Su Wan had calmed down, Liu Yuru hesitated a moment, held Su Wan¡¯s hand, and said quietly, ¡°Put it out of your mind, Mother; my marriage with Gu Jiusi is set in stone. We¡¯ve a far more pressing matter ahead of us.¡±


    Su Wan turned her head around and saw Liu Yuru¡¯s state calmly, ¡°The Gu family¡¯s betrothal gifts are undoubtedly worth a small fortune. It has to be so for Father to endorse the union and risk offending the Ye family. It would be in line with Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s character to stinge on my dowry. A mockery, I¡¯d be, unable to hold my head up high in the Gu family.¡±


    Su Wen grew solemn. ¡°Right, you¡¯ve reminded me,¡± she returned. ¡°I must fight for your dowry¡­¡±


    ¡°Mother, let¡¯s leave that aside for now.¡± Liu Yuru said calmly. ¡°The Gu family¡¯s betrothal gifts have just been delivered. There¡¯s still some time till the wedding. Your relationship with Father has been cool at best. Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s the favourite. You don¡¯t stand a chance against her as you are now.¡±


    ¡°What is to be done?¡±


    ¡°Yunyun,¡± Liu Yuru called out. Yunyun walked out from behind Yinhong. She curtsied before Su Wan and Liu Yuru and murmured softly, ¡°Greetings, Lady Su.¡±


    ¡°Mother,¡± Liu Yuru held Su Wan¡¯s hand and said gravely, ¡°Yunyun will take care of you in my stead after I¡¯m married.¡±


    Su Wan looked at the approaching girl. She looked to be eighteen or nineteen and was a beauty. As per Liu Yuru¡¯s orders, make-up had been applied on her. She looked every inch an affluent man¡¯s daughter.


    Su Wan stared at Yunyun in stunned silence¡ªYunyun¡¯s face reminded Su Wan of that painting in Liu Xuan¡¯s study.


    Once upon a time, Liu Xuan loved a girl sincerely. But the girl was said to have died early, shortly after coming of age, as a result of a terrible illness. Liu Xuan grieved her passing for the rest of his life.


    Both she and Zhang Yue¡¯er looked a lot like the girl in the painting, but Yunyun¡¯s resemblance to that girl bordered on the uncanny.


    Su Wan immediately understood Liu Yuru¡¯s plan.


    ¡°Mother, I sent Yunyun to the outer courtyard for two reasons. Firstly, I didn¡¯t want to make an enemy out of Zhang Yue¡¯er. I had hoped to maintain the peace that we¡¯ve established over the past years. Secondly, I was afraid of upsetting you. But times have changed. I worry about leaving you alone in this place.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Su Wan returned. Her feelings might have been hurt had this occurred in the past, but now, looking at her daughter¡¯s face, she reached out a hand, closed it around Liu Yuru¡¯s, and said, ¡°I understand it all. Leave her here by my side. I will lure your father over by feigning illness on the morrow.¡±


    The three of them discussed the matter for a spell. It was late night by the time Liu Yuru left the room. She walked to the courtyard and thought for a little before remarking at last, ¡°Yinhong. I¡¯d like you to find out the full list of betrothal gifts we¡¯ve received today.¡±


    A family like the Gus would have sent a servant to read out the list of betrothal gifts that they have sent. Anyone within earshot in the courtyard would have been able to hear it. Yinhong murmured assent and went about completing her assigned task. Night had deepened by the time she returned to report to Liu Yuru on her findings. After hearing what Yinhong had to say, Liu Yuru buttoned her lips and said immediately, ¡°Yinhong, send some servants¡ªreliable ones, mind¡ªto the gambling house at once. They are to track down Gu Jiusi and pass on a letter from me. I¡¯ll write a request for him to transfer ownership of the title-deeds in the list over to me.¡°


    A red seal was required to render the transfer in title-deed ownership official. Gu Jiusi¡¯s family had sent the betrothal gifts on such short notice, they would not have been able to obtain the red seal in time. They must have simply written the stores¡¯ names on the betrothal gift list. The title-deeds, highly valuable as they were, were the only items on the list that had yet to be sent to the Liu family. If she wanted to prevent the Gu family from naming Liu Xuan as owner to the title-deeds, she would need to act fast.


    Yinhong began rather apprehensively, ¡°Miss, won¡¯t the Gu family look down on you for this?¡±


    ¡°Do you really think the Gus would be unaware of the rumours about our family? Is there a soul left in Yangzhou who hasn¡¯t yet heard of them? Has Old Madam Ye or Lady Gu ever asked me about my mother? See, they must have known that in the Liu family, a concubine held sway over a main wife; Mother¡¯s opinions don¡¯t matter.¡± Liu Yuru smiled bitterly. ¡°I am a laughing stock. I have long been one. So why should I be afraid of losing face?¡±


    ¡°Miss¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Liu Yuru sighed. ¡°Gu Jiusi¡¯s nature isn¡¯t bad. That I¡¯m certain of. I wouldn¡¯t have asked you to pass on my words otherwise.¡±


    While he was certainly rather flashy and imperious, his gift of rouges evidenced his good heart. Perhaps he was the protective sort whose heart was untethered to common rules of propriety. He had his parents ask for her hand. That meant that he harboured some measure of affection for her, at least. Even if her request were to reach his ears, it would be, at most, fuel for some future jape made at her expense.


    Yinhong pondered over Liu Yuru¡¯s words and thought it made sense. So once Liu Yuru had finished writing her letter, she sent a few dependable servants out to find Gu Jiusi. It was early morning by the time a servant had located him.


    Gu Jiusi had spent a full day and night gambling in the gambling house and lost all his money. Yawning as he strolled under the morning sun, he had barely begun his journey home when a stranger caught hold of him and stopped him in his tracks.


    Bemused, Gu Jiusi cast the servant an appraising glance, yawned and said, ¡°If you can¡¯t cough up a good reason for getting in my way, don¡¯t blame me for hitting you.¡±


    ¡°Young Master Gu,¡± The servant handed a letter to Gu Jiusi and repeated Yinhong¡¯s words seriously, ¡°A message from milady¡ªsince you have expressed a desire to be man and wife, backing her up a little would be nice.¡±


    It all sounded very ludicrous to Gu Jiusi. He opened the letter, frowning, and said, ¡°What are you babbling on about? You must have mistaken me for someone else. Look, yours truly here is Gu Jiusi, so spare me this ¡®man and wife¡¯ rubb¡ª¡±


    A frightful sense of foreboding gripped Gu Jiusi before he could finish his words. He scanned through the letter¡¯s contents. The thought of his father¡¯s modus operandi swam up before him. He jerked his head up and demanded, ¡°Tell me, who is your lady?¡±


    ¡°The Liu family¡¯s eldest daughter¡­¡±


    ¡°Liu Yuru?!¡± Gu Jiusi gasped in a louder pitch. The servant studied Gu Jiusi¡¯s expressions, trying to make sense of his reaction. Gu Jiusi drew in a deep breath as understanding dawned upon him. He clenched his teeth. ¡°Wonderful¡­absolutely wonderful.¡±


    He made to leave¡ªonly to be grabbed by the servant. ¡°Young Master Gu,¡± the servant pleaded. ¡°The title-deed¡­¡±


    ¡°Give me a break! Consenting to such a proposal ¡ª Your Lady must be sick in the head!¡±


    Gu Jiusi yanked him off. ¡°Hands off, or I¡¯ll break your doggone legs!¡±


    The servant acquiesced at once. Gu Jiusi fumed as he stormed back home: ¡°Rotten old man¡ª Playing deaf I see¡ª¡±


    Unable to comprehend Gu Jiusi¡¯s reaction, the servant could only head back to the Liu manor. Yinhong called out to him by the manor¡¯s entrance as soon as she caught sight of him. ¡°How is it? What did Young Master Gu say?¡±


    The servant flushed but said nothing. Yinhong anxiously implored, ¡°Well? You¡¯ve got to say something, at least!¡±


    ¡°Young Master Gu¡­ Young Master Gu said¡ª ¡± The servant hemmed and hawed. Finally, he said a little awkwardly, ¡°¡ªHe said our lady is sick in the head¡­¡±


    Yinhong gave Liu Yuru a verbatim report of what the servant said.


    Liu Yuru¡¯s hands vibrated with fury as she drank her tea.


    Yinhong dismissed the rest of the servants, looked at Liu Yuru and said a little frantically, ¡°Miss, it does your body no good to get yourself all worked up. Why don¡¯t you think of another solution? Young Master Gu seems awfully unreliable. What are you going to do if Lady Su fails to secure your dowry before you marry into the Gu family?


    ¡°They¡¯re sick¡­¡± Liu Yuru¡¯s hands shook as she gritted out. Yinhong was rather flummoxed. ¡°Pardon, Miss?¡±


    Liu Yuru lost her temper ¡ª along with her usual composure and poise. She smashed her tea cup onto the floor and snapped, ¡°Gu Jiusi¡¯s family! They¡¯re all sick in the head!¡±


    She understood now.


    The Gu family sent their betrothal gifts before getting a clear picture of the situation.


    Gu Junior irresponsibly ran his mouth off and got them into this mess; gambling being the only thing on his mind, he was blissfully ignorant about this match.


    It was evident from their flippant treatment of her marriage that neither the younger nor the older members of the Gu family could be relied upon.


    They¡¯re sick, alright¡ªevery last one of them!

 CH 7

    Liu Yuru hadn¡¯t hated many people in her life.


    Yet she really hated Gu Jiusi at that very moment.


    Going off her servant¡¯s description of Gu Jiusi¡¯s attitude and the Gu couple¡¯s recent visit to her home, she was able to piece together a general timeline of events: the Gu family intended to find a match for Gu Jiusi, much to Gu Jiusi¡¯s chagrin. When his announcement that he wanted to marry her reached the Gu family¡¯s ears, his parents decided to get him engaged to her so as to settle the matter once and for all. A single sentence from Gu Jiusi was all it took to undo her years of hard work.


    Endless waves of injustice surged through Liu Yuru. She felt utterly helpless. This must be what it feels like to be an ant, she thought.


    To Gu Jiusi and the Gu family, her life was just a joke.


    Would Gu Jiusi help her? She had no idea. She even expected Gu Jiusi to assume she had schemed to marry up into his family. (A suspicion that would prove to hold true, for that was indeed what Gu Jiusi believed of her)


    Gu Jiusi could not understand why Liu Yuru would accept this engagement out of the blue. Even if his parents went to propose marriage, the option to turn them down existed. Why would she agree?


    Didn¡¯t she say she would rather throw herself into a lake?


    Such a scheming girl¡­


    And then it clicked: His family. Perhaps that was what she was after all along; everything could well be part of her plan.


    It would be well within Gu Jiusi¡¯s expectations if that was the case. He certainly didn¡¯t underestimate her capacity for deceit in the least.


    He stalked home in a foul mood, went right up to the door leading to his parents¡¯ bedroom and yelled angrily, ¡°Dad! Gu Langhua! Come out, you old coot!¡±


    Gu Langhua and Jiang Rou had just woken up only to find their darling son making a grand ruckus. Outraged, Gu Langhua instantly fished out a rod from beside his bed and bellowed, ¡°The runt¡¯s gone out of control again!¡±


    He rushed out of the door and blazed, ¡°How dare you waltz back in here?!¡±


    ¡°Care to explain the Liu Yuru situation?!¡±


    The sight of Gu Langhua¡¯s rod failed to intimidate Gu Jiusi this time. Gripping Liu Yuru¡¯s letter in his hand, he said unyieldingly, ¡°The two of you set me up with the Liu family without consulting me. How could you?¡±


    ¡°Consult you? You are my son!¡± Gu Langhua roared, fury driving all plans to be civil clean out of his mind. ¡°Marriage has always been decided by parents and coordinated by matchmakers. You will marry whomever I tell you to. You wish to revolt? Perish the thought.¡±


    ¡°I told you!¡± Gu Jiusi flared. ¡°No one can force me into marriage. You may be my Dad, but not even you can make me submit.¡±


    ¡°One moment,¡± Jiang Rou looked from father to son and said apprehensively, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the girl you wanted to marry?¡±


    ¡°When did I ever say that?¡± Gu Jiusi asked, exasperated. The housekeeper, who had been hovering close by, supplied hastily, ¡°Young Master, you said so yourself, back in the rouge store. Plenty of witnesses can attest to that.¡±


    ¡°Hear, hear!¡± the maidservant behind Jiang Rou pitched in. ¡°The entire city knows.¡±


    Gu Jiusi blanked. Then he remembered. A beat later, he said weakly, ¡°I ¡ª I was just joking. You can¡¯t possibly take that seriously¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t joke about marriage!¡± Gu Langhua boomed as he gestured angrily. ¡±You must be true to your word. To shirk responsibility at this juncture would be to besmirch a lady¡¯s honour. I can excuse your usual larking about, but this is something else. A blot on her honour is a lifelong matter!¡±


    ¡°And is marrying me not a lifelong matter?¡± Gu Jiusi countered without hesitation. He gestured in frustration and went on, ¡°I don¡¯t care. Annul this betrothal as soon as you can. She¡¯s about to marry Ye Shi¡¯an. Stop messing around already!¡±


    ¡°Ah, is that what¡¯s holding you back?¡± Having assumed that her son was honourably repressing his true feelings due to a mistaken belief that Liu Yuru was promised to Ye Shi¡¯an, Jiang Rou¡¯s tone softened considerably. ¡°We heard the truth from the Lius,¡± She hurriedly explained. ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding. You¡¯re the one Miss Liu fancies.¡±


    Those words struck Gu Jiusi¡¯s brain like a thunderbolt.


    Liu Yuru fancied him?


    Ye Shi¡¯an was the golden boy with the golden future; He was unlearned, a mischief-maker, a gambler, and a dandy. Yet the one she fancied was him?


    Good lord, something¡¯s seriously wrong with her brain!


    But Gu Jiusi rapidly recovered his wits.


    No, her brain¡¯s fine.


    After all, not only was his family wealthier than the Ye family, they¡¯re not such sticklers for rules. He was the only son and his parents were constantly fretting over him. His mother was sure to entrust the management of the family businesses and finances to her in the future.


    From a financial standpoint, this marriage was an absolute win for Liu Yuru. His only real vice was being a trifle playful. If money was what she¡¯s after, marrying him was leagues better than marrying Ye Shi¡¯an.


    Gu Jiusi¡¯s opinion of Liu Yuru plummeted in an instant¡ªshe disgusted him to the hilt.


    It¡¯s quite possible that Liu Yuru had spread the rumour about her forthcoming marriage to Ye Shi¡¯an as a ploy to get closer to him, to attract his attention. It was all a trap!


    His temper flared at this thought. He announced immediately: ¡°No way in hell will I marry her. I won¡¯t hear of it!¡±


    ¡°Preposterous!¡± Gu Langhua bellowed with a ferocity he did not have before. ¡°The engagement has been fixed. Think of what¡¯s to become of Miss Liu should you call it off! You¡¯ll ruin her for life!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, she¡¯s the one who¡¯s about to ruin me for life!¡± Gu Jiusi bristled. ¡°Even if I am to marry, I want to marry someone I like. Why should I allow you to coerce me into marriage? I¡¯ll be walking right into her trap.¡±


    ¡°I coerced you?¡± Gu Langhua gave a sardonic laugh. ¡°You said you would take no wife but her, did you not?¡±


    Gu Jiusi gagged on those words. ¡°I was kidding!¡± He retorted after a beat.


    ¡°A man should have the courage to be true to his words; if he can¡¯t do it, he shouldn¡¯t say it. You said she was the only one for you, so we asked for her hand for you. I need you to think long and hard about cancelling this engagement. What is she to do for the rest of her life?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®what is she to do¡¯?¡± Gu Jiusi didn¡¯t get what the fuss was about. ¡°Why, she should find someone she likes and do what she wants. It¡¯s just a broken engagement. What¡¯s she gonna do, hang herself or put a sword to her neck? Surely there¡¯s more to her life than just marriage. You¡¯re all being ridiculous!¡±


    Not even Jiang Rou, who was wont to indulge him, could let this slide. She frowned and chided, ¡°Jiusi! Men and women have their differences. What would people think if she breaks it off? Think of what they¡¯d whisper about her! Who would still want to marry her? Jiusi, you wouldn¡¯t want to marry a girl who has scuppered a match, would you?¡±


    ¡°If I love her, whyever not?¡± Gu Jiusi replied without a second thought. Gu Langhua and Jiang Rou stared in disbelief. They saw it clear enough: their doting and indulgent style of parenting had produced a son whose worldview was jarringly out of step with the current times.


    He had a contrarian streak, one that disposed him to think ill of those who were wholly dissimilar to him, for that to him betrayed cowardice and weakness.


    Jiang Rou would not make any headway arguing with him. After a long silence, she could only say in exasperation, ¡°Jiusi, unlike you, Yuru was brought up to be a proper lady. She¡¯s not equipped with the courage that you have. Cancel the engagement today, and she might just take her life out of shame the next day.¡±


    ¡°Why are the both of you so eager to see me married?¡± Gu Jiusi looked coldly at Jiang Rou. Jiang Rou sighed, walked down the steps and said gently, ¡°Your uncle sent a letter. He wants to take you to the capital and present you before the Princess in the hopes that you¡¯d catch her eye. Marrying a princess will destroy your career prospects. ¡®Prince-consort¡¯ has a nice ring to it, but it¡¯s an empty title. You¡¯ll be unable to wield positions of power and be dependent on Her Highness¡¯ grace for the rest of your life. It¡¯s a stifling life, one of quiet suffering. You don¡¯t know what your uncle¡¯s like. He has made his request. Once he comes to take you away, there¡¯s no denying him, hence all that hurry to get you married before he¡¯s here. You¡¯ve never had a girl you¡¯ve liked, so when we learnt that you finally had someone in your sights, we decided it was best to strike while the iron was hot.¡±


    ¡°A likely story!¡± Gu Jiusi sneered defiantly. ¡°I could refuse to go. I doubt Uncle would coerce me.¡±


    Jiang Rou gave a rueful smile.


    ¡°Jiusi, everyone has to contend with circumstances beyond their control over the course of their lives. When power towers before our feet, not even a House like ours can refuse to bend the knee.¡±


    Gu Jiusi snorted derisively. ¡°Bunch of excuses!¡±


    Gu Langhua saw the futility in trying to reason with him and adopted a different tack: ¡°If all of that has gone over your head, you can bugger off to your room and chew on it there. No need to think about anything else. Just sit tight and wait to get married!¡±


    ¡°I will not get married!¡± Gu Jiu insisted at once. ¡°I¡¯ll call it off. I¡¯ll do it right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Guards! Take him down!¡± Gu Langhua barked. The guards in the courtyard surged toward Gu Jiusi. Gu Jiusi dodged hither and thither as every guard in the Gu residence bore down upon him. After a protracted struggle, the guards emerged triumphant and tied him up securely.


    ¡°Confine him in his room. The room stays locked till his wedding day! No one is to let him out!¡±


    Everyone present could see how livid Gu Langhua was. Gu Jiusi was thus unceremoniously hauled back to his room.


    Stuck in his room, Gu Jiusi hurled abuse for an entire morning until he wore out his throat. Since he had nothing better to do, he picked up Liu Yuru¡¯s letter and reread it.


    It was a pretty well written letter, he had to admit: The tone of Liu Yuru¡¯s prose was sincere; pleading her case humbly like a victimised young maiden, she explained the injustice she had to suffer at home before rounding it off with a request for assistance in securing the title-deeds.


    Reading the letter, he was so mad that he laughed; he had to hand it to Liu Yuru for how thoroughly she had calculated everything. After fuming for a time, reason prevailed: chances were that most of what Liu Yuru said were true.


    The Liu family was a mess. Everyone knew that. Besides, he was no fool. His parents had proposed a match on such handsome terms. The Liu family must have gone nuts over it.


    He thought Liu Yuru was beneath him, that was true, but he despised the Liu family more than he despised her. He thought of the ¡°wife-spurning, concubine-spoiling¡± Liu Xuan and his disreputable second wife. The sheer thought of handing over his family¡¯s silver to them left a bad taste in his mouth. He considered it for a moment before sending for Jiang Rou.


    Jiang Rou arrived to see Gu Jiusi sitting cross-legged on his bed. Her heart broke when she heard how hoarse his voice had become. ¡°Oh son,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll tell the servants to boil you some pear and snow fungus soup.¡±


    ¡°Er ¡ª Mom,¡± said the sitting Gu Jiusi with a rather unnatural expression on his face. ¡°I have a favour to ask of you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°So, uh,¡± There was nothing improper about the request Gu Jiusi was about to make, yet a curious, squirrelly feeling tugged at him and made him unable to look at Jiang Rou. He said in what he hoped was an offhand voice, ¡°I see that there¡¯s to be no finagling out of this match. Liu Yuru¡¯s basically half a Gu family member. You know how it is with their family. Our betrothal gifts will probably fall right into the hands of that what¡¯s-her-name ¡ª I mean that concubine¡¯s hands ¡ª It nauseates me just thinking about it ¡ª Could you¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Jiang Rou said with a gratified smile; it seemed Gu Jiusi had finally learnt to show consideration for others; though he sounded so begrudging, he was looking out for Liu Yuru in practice. She quickly added, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it, which is why I¡¯ve already signed off the most valuable items on the list¡ªthe plots of land and those stores on East Street¡ªunder her name. Once the documents are stamped with the red seal, I¡¯ll personally send those over. I plan to give them a good knockin¡¯ on their noggins regarding their dowry. I¡¯ll request Miss Liu¡¯s birth mother to be in charge of the matter.¡±


    Gu Jiusi felt relieved.


    Still feeling rather awkward, he pursed his lips and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you to take care of it. No need to pay special attention, mind. I¡¯m only doing this because that concubine¡¯s too repulsive. I have no other intentions.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Jiang Rou said as she held off a smile. ¡°I get it.¡±


    Liu Yuru knew nothing of Gu Jiusi¡¯s and Jiang Rou¡¯s plans.


    After figuring out what was going on, she no longer expected anything from Gu Jiusi. Su Wan arranged for Yunyun to serve in her room. That very night, Liu Xuan stayed over at Su Wan¡¯s.


    Su Wan personally took charge of Yunyun¡¯s living arrangements. Taking Liu Yuru¡¯s advice, she did not elevate Yunyun¡¯s status immediately. As a result, Liu Xuan visited Su Wan daily to see Yunyun. Knowing that Zhang Yue¡¯er would be upset with him if she found out, he dared not inform her about Yunyun, and would furtively come looking for Yunyun under the pretext of visiting Su Wan.


    A formidable sweet talker, it wasn¡¯t long before Yunyun had Liu Xuan completely under her spell. Su Wan, having let go of her previous airs, appeared dignified and magnanimous. Liu Xuan couldn¡¯t help but feel a rush of affection for Su Wan. He even began to think he was too severe on Su Wan in the past.


    Half a month passed in such a fashion. Both the Liu family and the Gu family had their hands full preparing for the wedding. Gu Jiusi remained under house arrest under his father¡¯s orders, while Liu Yuru practised her calligraphy daily to settle her mind.


    Half a month later, Jiang Rou visited the Liu residence personally with title-deeds in hand.


    She was delivering a windfall to his doorstep; Liu Xuan naturally had a warm reception prepared. After exchanging pleasantries with Zhang Yue¡¯er and Liu Xuan for a while, Jiang Rou remarked suddenly, ¡±I¡¯ve yet to see Lady Su and your eldest daughter after all this time.¡±


    Zhang Yue¡¯er froze. Before, Liu Xuan would have glossed over this by saying that Su Wan was indisposed. Now, however, he felt some guilt and affection for Su Wan. He knew that Su Wan would¡¯ve liked to have a say in Liu Yuru¡¯s marriage. To Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s surprise, he coughed lightly and said to a servant: ¡°Fetch First Madam and Yuru.¡±


    Zhang Yue¡¯er was a little flustered. Before long, Liu Yuru came into the room while supporting Su Wan.


    Only then did Jiang Rou see Liu Yuru for the first time.


    Everyone said that Liu Yuru had ordinary looks, but Jiang Rou could tell that Liu Yuru had a lovely bone structure. Her facial features had the immature, child-like feel that came with youth. They were not pronounced, which made her look ordinary. However, as she grew into her looks, she was certain to bloom into an elegant beauty.


    Liu Yuru moved with grace and refinement as she supported Su Wan inside. Even though the Liu family was a minor household, her deportment was as immaculate as that of the noble ladies she¡¯d seen in the capital.


    Liu Yuru had deliberately learnt how to carry herself from the Ye family. The Ye family was a noble House and took great pains in cultivating well-bred children.


    Liu Yuru felt Jiang Rou¡¯s appraising eyes upon her. She stood primly behind Su Wan without looking up.


    Jiang Rou smiled as she made small talk with Liu Xuan. Then she said, ¡°Oh my, I nearly forgot! I¡¯ve come today to deliver the title deeds. By rights, the deeds ought to go to Yuru¡¯s brother, but it doesn¡¯t appear that she has any. Besides, we realised that offering too large a sum in the way of betrothal gifts would give you all undue pressure to return the favour via the dowry. So to keep things simple we decided to sign off these stores and deeds under Yuru¡¯s name. As for your dowry, we are not particular about it; just a token sum of gold and silver will do.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?!¡± Zhang Yue¡¯er raised her head upwards abruptly in shock. ¡°The deeds are under Yuru¡¯s name?!¡±


    Zhang Yue¡¯er blanched, as did Liu Xuan.


    Jiang Rou¡¯s expression remained unchanged, while Su Wan and Liu Yuru watched in stunned silence.


    Zhang Yue¡¯er was the first to react after a long silence. She squeezed out a smile and said, ¡°How you jest, Lady Gu. Yuru has two younger brothers. How can you say she has no brothers?¡±


    ¡°Younger brothers?¡± Jiang Rou echoed, surprised, a remorseful expression appearing on her face. ¡°Dear me, it would appear I¡¯ve been quite misled. I was told that Lady Su has only one daughter, with no other children to her name. Lady Su has other children, I see¡­¡±


    ¡°I most certainly do not,¡± spoke Su Wan. She wasn¡¯t very adaptable in general, and her inability to bear a son was her sore point, yet she very much approved of what Jiang Rou had said at that moment. She said composedly, ¡°There are no other children under my name.¡±


    Jiang Rou revealed a confused expression as she looked at Zhang Yue¡¯er. Liu Xuan coughed lightly and said, ¡°Uh, about that. Both of my sons were born to Concubine Yue.¡±


    Jiang Rou lowered her head and lightly brought a handkerchief to her lips as if to stifle a chuckle. The atmosphere shifted ever so subtly. Zhang Yue¡¯er in particular had the strangest feeling that Jiang Rou was laughing at herself.


    Liu Xuan felt his face burn. Jiang Rou said nothing; she felt as if she¡¯d been made a laughing-stock.


    ¡°Ahem¡­Master Liu,¡± Jiang Rou pursed her lips and smiled as she raised her head. ¡°A distinction has to be observed between the trueborn and the baseborn. Whoever heard of a bastard being heir? It is unheard of amongst distinguished Houses. In such Houses, even in cases where the principal wife has begotten no sons, it is customary for said wife to adopt a concubine¡¯s son and raise him as a trueborn scion. That is to say¡­as a trueborn daughter, Yuru has a disparate status that ought to be respected.¡±


    The expressions of everyone present shifted.


    Their family situation was an open secret to outsiders: everyone knew but kept it hush-hush. After all, they had better things to do than to stick their fingers into another household¡¯s family drama. Now and then someone might dredge it up again in private, but that was the extent of it.


    No one had roasted them publicly over it¡ªuntil now. But so what if she embarrassed them? This was Lady Gu of House Gu, the wealthiest family in all of Yangzhou. There was nothing for it but to grin and bear it.


    Liu Yuru lowered her head and stifled a giggle. For the first time, marrying into the Gu family didn¡¯t seem like such a bad idea.


    It was her first time meeting a woman who could drink tea so serenely while casually humiliating her father and stepmother.


    Su Wan¡¯s hands vibrated slightly as she savoured a rush of pleasure unlike anything she¡¯d experienced before.


    Zhang Yue¡¯er said hurriedly, ¡°Be that as it may, I do believe the deeds ought to be under my husband¡¯s name, if not Yuru¡¯s brothers¡¯. Naming Yuru is as good as taking the deeds back!¡±


    ¡°Madam Yue,¡± said Jiang Rou smilingly. ¡°This brings me to my second point of consideration: the dowry. Suppose we named Master Liu instead. What will the Liu family offer in return?¡±

 CH 8

    Everyone¡¯s expressions changed. Only Liu Yuru¡¯s face stayed as placid and composed as before.


    Not knowing if Jiang Rou was a friend or foe worried and scared Su Wan. Believing that Jiang Rou had gone too far, Liu Xuan¡¯s expression darkened completely.


    Zhang Yue¡¯er had initially planned on throwing in a couple of nice sounding but relatively worthless articles as part of Liu Yuru¡¯s dowry. The Gu family was fabulously wealthy and powerful and Gu Langhua was said to be a generous man. Since the Gu family said nothing about the dowry during the marriage talks, she assumed they were not going to bring up the issue again. She certainly did not expect her to broach the topic after the engagement was settled.


    Liu Xuan was of a similar mind as Zhang Yue¡¯er on the matter, but as a father and the head of the household, he had to be rational. However tempting the Gu family¡¯s betrothal gifts might be, preserving their dignity took precedence. He coughed lightly and asked Jiang Rou in return, ¡°Have you an arrangement in mind, Lady Gu?¡±


    ¡°You must be joking, Master Liu,¡± said Jiang Rou, smiling amiably. ¡°I was just asking. Naturally it¡¯d be best for your family to hammer out the details amongst yourselves. Now, though we confess little interest in your daughter¡¯s dowry, it does reflect respect for the bride. I feared Lady Su might be lacking in experience, which is why I thought to ask.¡±


    Realising that Jiang Rou had discharged dowry duty upon Su Wan, Zhang Yue¡¯er broke in hastily, ¡°We needn¡¯t trouble Her Ladyship. I could field your questions, Lady Gu.¡±


    Jiang Rou¡¯s gaze landed on Liu Xuan, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. ¡°It seems to me that in the Liu family, a concubine, rather than Lady Su, is the one holding court.¡±


    Liu Xuan fell silent. The thought of Jiang Rou¡¯s barbed remark a while ago had pained him. Acknowledging that Zhang Yue¡¯er was indeed the one who took charge of household affairs would only drive the wound deeper. He glanced at Su Wan reflexively. Su Wan, too, said nothing. Her head was turned to one side as she clutched onto the armrest for dear life, her eyes welling with tears, looking wretchedly aggrieved.


    Guilt accosted Liu Xuan. He was about to open his mouth to speak when Zhang Yue¡¯er beat him to it: ¡°Lady Gu, it seems you¡¯re unaware. Lady Su has a¡­delicate constitution. I¡¯ve been helping to share her burden.¡±


    ¡°You mean you¡¯ll share the burden of her daughter¡¯s dowry too?¡± Jiang Rou asked, smiling, repressed wry amusement in her eyes.


    ¡°Lady Gu is speaking,¡± Liu Xuan blurted out sharply. ¡°What right have you to cut in?¡±


    Zhang Yue¡¯er froze, shocked that Liu Xuan had taken such a tone with her. It struck her as odd, and suddenly it occurred to her¡ªLiu Xuan had been visiting Su Wan awfully often of late. It seemed that something fishy was going on between Liu Xuan and Su Wan.


    She had coasted along unimpeded in the Liu household for more than ten years, such that she had come to take Liu Xuan¡¯s favour for granted. She clenched her teeth and looked away in pointed silence.


    Pleased to see that peace and quiet had been restored, Liu Xuan coughed lightly and addressed Su Wan, ¡°My Lady, since you¡¯ll be handling the dowry issue, be sure to have a nice talk with Lady Gu.¡±


    Su Wan assented, thanked him courteously, and started the discussions with Lady Gu.


    Su Wan was not the sort to demand a mile when given an inch. She estimated the amount of money the Gu family had offered and proposed a sum that, while not terribly impressive, took into consideration the deeds from the Gu family and was respectable and fair. Satisfied with Su Wan¡¯s offer, Jiang Rou left in high spirits. Zhang Yue¡¯er immediately acted up the moment Jiang Rou left. She said angrily, ¡°Not only did she give basically nothing, we are expected to pay for the dowry. Are we marrying off a daughter or giving out money?¡±


    ¡°Will you give it a rest?¡± Liu Xuan griped. Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s nagging had given Liu Xuan a headache. Zhang Yue¡¯er had grown increasingly arrogant over the years. Nowadays, she would constantly harp about money. Indeed, she was a far cry from Yunyun; even Su Wan, who had always been the quiet one, felt more agreeable than her.


    Though he could not help but compare these women inwardly, he still held considerable affection for Zhang Yue¡¯er. He remembered the Gu family¡¯s fortune and remarked to Su Wan, ¡°My Lady, don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but you really ought to fight for that money.¡±


    ¡°Master,¡° Su Wan said and sighed. ¡°Even if I fight and win, the prize is just a sum of money. What you lose is the entire Liu family¡¯s dignity. You have your prospects to think of. You mustn¡¯t leave a stain on your life over such petty gains. Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll supplement Yuru¡¯s dowry with money from mine.


    One kept haranguing him over money, while the other thought about her husband¡¯s future and even wanted to subsidise the cost of the dowry with her own savings. The difference between them was night and day.


    Have I been blind this entire time? Liu Xuan suddenly thought, annoyed.


    That night, Liu Xuan stayed over at Su Wan¡¯s courtyard again. Su Wan sent Yunyun to wait on him. After drinking and eating to his fill, he sighed with Yunyun in his arms. ¡°Acting one way today, and another the next day. Tell me, what is wrong with this person?¡±


    Yunyun said softly, ¡°She who carries her husband in her heart, carries his best interests in her thoughts.¡±


    Yunyun left it at that, but Liu Xuan understood. His lack of presence in her heart would explain her preoccupation with her self-interests.


    He had an epiphany: Zhang Yue¡¯er wasn¡¯t fighting for the money for the sake of the Lius, she was fighting for herself and her sons!


    Liu Xuan was miffed. When he woke up the next day, the sight of Su Wan¡¯s sickly appearance roused in him a sensation of guilt so overwhelming that he sighed and said to Su Wan, ¡°Wan¡¯er, keep your money. Our family can well afford to pay for Yuru¡¯s dowry. I had a dowry prepared for Yuru anyway. Use that instead.¡±


    Su Wan offered various excuses to turn him down, but the more she refused, the more guilty Liu Xuan felt. This back and forth went on for a while till Su Wan finally accepted. Though Liu Xuan¡¯s heart ached over this expenditure, Su Wan¡¯s grateful expression made him think, ¡°I suppose there¡¯s no helping it. The Gu family¡¯s betrothal gifts have been generous. Our family suffered no losses, only gains.¡±


    After a hectic round of preparations, Liu Yuru¡¯s dowry issue was finally settled. By then the day of the wedding was right around the corner.


    After being imprisoned in his own room for several days, Gu Jiusi felt like he was losing his mind. Everyday, he would sit by the door, rap against it again and again while chanting weakly, ¡°Let me out¡­let me out¡­¡±


    Liu Yuru also locked herself in her room for fear that she would run away from marriage once she ventured outside.


    Of course, just because she had such thoughts, didn¡¯t mean she would actually go through with it.


    After all, the Gu family¡¯s betrothal gifts had been accepted, the wedding date had been fixed, her mandarin duck bridal bed sheets had been embroidered; it was far too late for regrets.


    Still, thoughts of having to marry Gu Jiusi and thoughts of that dream bogged Liu Yuru down, suffocating her.


    The day before her wedding, Liu Yuru slept fitfully. Drifting between sleep and wakefulness, she dreamt of the Gu family manor being raided again, only this time, she was no longer a bystander. In this dream, someone dragged her out of the door. Wang Rong.


    ¡°You acted so noble and clean back when I had a thing for you,¡± He said, a sickeningly caressing note in his voice. ¡°But look at you now. It¡¯s your destiny to be sold to the whorehouse.¡±


    Liu Yuru woke up with a scream, her body soaked in cold sweat.


    She stared at her bedsheets in the dark, the idea of marrying Gu Jiusi flooding her with immeasurable dread.


    By this time, the lighting of lanterns outside had already begun. The servants busied themselves with pasting cutouts bearing the Chinese character for ¡°happiness¡± (‡Ö).


    Yinhong entered Liu Yuru¡¯s room from the outside and said with a smile, ¡°Was about to wake you, Miss, but I see you¡¯re already up.¡±


    As Yinhong went up to Liu Yuru, she asked quizzically, ¡°Is something the matter, Miss? Your forehead¡¯s drenched with cold sweat.¡±


    Liu Yuru moved her eyeballs and slowly recovered her bearings.


    A dream.


    It¡¯s just a dream, she kept telling herself.


    She had no doubt it was just a dream, but it frightened her nonetheless.


    She wasn¡¯t one to entertain superstitions, but the dream felt so real, she could not help but feel disturbed.


    Seeing how distracted Liu Yuru was, Yinhong smiled and said, ¡°Miss, you¡¯re a bundle of nerves. Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll manage.¡±


    Liu Yuru shook her head, took in a deep breath and pulled herself together.


    She would be wed to Gu Jiusi, and that¡¯s that. Ruining a settled match over a dream was out of the question.


    She wasn¡¯t that ridiculous.


    She stood up and put on her wedding attire with her maidservants¡¯ help.


    Liu Yuru had her wedding robes prepared a long time ago. Every stitch of the embroidery on it was sewed by her hand. She had worked on the patterns while expecting praise from Ye Shi¡¯an for her clever hands.


    Ye Shi¡¯an¡­


    She looked at her reflection in the mirror. For some reason, the thought of that name made her feel aggrieved and sad.


    To her, his name wasn¡¯t just a name, it meant seven years of her life.


    When she was eight years old, she understood for the first time that she would have to marry someone one day. From then on, she had her heart set on Ye Shi¡¯an.


    Perhaps there was some pragmatism to it, perhaps it was because it felt right; whatever the case, her feelings for him more or less involved some girlish sentiment on her part. She and Ye Shi¡¯an only spoke a couple of words when they were young, and hadn¡¯t seen each other since Ye Shi¡¯an left for White Heron Academy at age thirteen. She didn¡¯t even know if what she liked was Ye Shi¡¯an or the feeling of liking, the feeling of anticipation itself. In any case, he was the one person she had been the most serious about in her life, the one for whom she had persevered the longest.


    Yet today, she was giving him up.


    So unexpectedly and so swiftly was this decision hoisted upon her that by the time the full weight of what giving up entailed finally left its mark on her, she could not forbear the welling up and subsequent rush of tears. Words could not describe the ineffable feelings that roiled inside her.


    Su Wan was up early to brush her daughter¡¯s hair. When she caught sight of her daughter sitting before the mirror, weeping silently with her teeth clenched, she felt as if her heart was being driven through by a knife.


    Su Wan hugged her tightly. When she spoke, her voice came out like a croak, ¡°It has been hard on you, I know¡­ I know how you have suffered¡­¡±


    All Liu Yuru wanted was to marry Ye Shi¡¯an, but not only did her toil and efforts amount to nothing in the end, she had to marry the most insufferable fellow she had met in her life.


    As a mother, Su Wan was naturally well aware of the injustice and despair her daughter had to face.


    But even so, what could she do?


    If Liu Yuru was a son, she could just rescind the engagement. No matter how brave a front she put on, she was just a girl.


    Holding Liu Yuru in her arms, Su Wan sobbed harder and more sorrowfully than even Liu Yuru. Liu Yuru quickly sniffed, patted Su Wan¡¯s hand and said,  ¡°Mother, I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t be sad. They say that it¡¯s auspicious for a bride to have a good cry when she¡¯s about to get married. I was just crying to invoke my luck.¡±


    Liu Yuru hurriedly wiped away her tears and tried to smile. ¡°Come. I¡¯m ready to put on my makeup. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Liu Yuru¡¯s behaviour only made Su Wan feel even worse. She held Liu Yuru¡¯s hands while repeating, ¡°I understand¡­¡±


    She did understand.


    She understood that her daughter was so obedient and sensible that she always took it upon herself to bear everything alone for fear of worrying her.


    As a result, unlike other children who would typically cry into their mothers¡¯ arms whenever they were upset, Liu Yuru would shed secret tears in hidden corners instead. She did so for fear of letting Su Wan find out, for fear of upsetting her.


    Now, she had grown up, but still she swallowed her complaints and unhappiness while putting on a brave smile so as to put Su Wan at ease. She did that, even when faced with a prospect that meant a lifetime of forbearance.


    Yuru was her flesh and blood. Of course she had known all these about her. Su Wan held Liu Yuru¡¯s hand and said hoarsely, ¡°There hasn¡¯t been much that I¡¯ve been able to do for you. Don¡¯t worry about me, and I won¡¯t worry about you. Cry as much as you want. I won¡¯t be upset.¡±


    Liu Yuru was quiet for a moment, then she said with a smile, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m getting married; I¡¯ve got nothing to cry about. It really was just for good luck.¡±


    As mother and daughter chatted, Liu Yuru had her makeup done, wore her bridal dress, and put on her phoenix crown. Then, after her head was covered with the bridal veil, she waited for Gu Jiusi to come for her.


    After waiting for a long time, a disturbance sounded from outside: ¡°They¡¯re here, they¡¯re here.¡±


    Liu Yuru wringed her handkerchief nervously.


    Bang. The door was kicked open. Gu Jiusi snapped in a voice laced with suppressed anger, ¡°On your feet, and be quick about it. We¡¯re leaving.¡±


    Liu Yuru: ¡°¡­¡±


    If she didn¡¯t know better, she might have thought they were in a hurry.


    Liu Yuru stayed stock-still. Gu Jiusi was about to blow his top when a coldly spoken ¡°Jiusi¡± from Gu Langhua silenced him.


    Jiusi was reminded of the beating that had taken place in his room earlier in the morning, as well as the page that remained strung up in his house.


    He shut his eyes with a grimace as if pained by the memory. He walked up to Liu Yuru, passed her a length of red silk, and said stiffly, ¡°Hold this and follow me.¡±


    Liu Yuru said nothing. She knew Gu Langhua and Jiang Rou had to be present; she was willing to endure for Jiang Rou¡¯s sake. She grabbed onto the red silk, stood up, and followed Gu Jiusi across the threshold and out the door.


    Gu Jiusi walked in front. He glanced behind him begrudgingly. It occurred to him that it would be inconvenient for Liu Yuru to walk with the veil over her head. If word got out that she took a tumble on her wedding day, she¡¯d be laughed at across the whole city.


    No matter what, she was to be his wife. Even if he didn¡¯t think of her as his wife, there¡¯s no harm in letting others think so.


    Gu Jiusi scoffed rather sullenly and muttered, ¡°There¡¯s a bump in the road up ahead.¡±


    Liu Yuru froze for a moment. She gave a wry smile, feeling a lot less angry than before.


    She sat down in the palanquin. Gu Jiusi lowered the palanquin curtains. Only then did he get on his horse.


    The palanquin was lifted off the ground. Wedding music rose all around her. Liu Yuru sat in the bridal palanquin, enduring the noisy din made by the wedding procession around her.


    It hit her then and there, with unprecedented clarity: Her life as Miss Liu was over. A new phase of her life was about to begin.


    Unbeknownst to her, what awaited her was not just a life as ¡°Young Mistress Gu¡±. Rather, she was in the opening chapters of a veritable saga.


    At that time, the fifteen year old Liu Yuru didn¡¯t know that, and could only sit in her palanquin while worrying about her future and reminiscing about her past. Suddenly, she heard a loud voice shouting amidst the ruckus, ¡°Slow down, Eldest Young Master!¡±


    There were plenty of ¡°Eldest Young Masters¡± in Yangzhou, yet her heart beat faster all the same.


    Hands shaking, a sudden desire to take off her veil took hold of her. She really, really wanted to take a peek outside. Could this be the ¡°Eldest Young Master¡± she thought of day and night?


    At thirteen, she began to look like a young maiden; at fifteen she came of age. When Ye Shi¡¯an left, she had just turned twelve, and her teeth had yet to be replaced. Though she had never met Ye Shi¡¯an since becoming a young maiden, he encompassed the entirety of her girlhood years.


    She always lived by the rules, and never did anything rebellious. But at that moment, some sort of power surged through her¡­


    ¡­She lifted her veil. A bright festive red, all around her. Discreetly, she drew the palanquin curtain back a crack¡ª


    Someone happened to drive his horse right past her. The rider, a gentleman dressed in white, wore a jade crown* atop his head. From his billowing wide sleeves wafted the sweet fragrance of plum blossoms, which tickled the tip of her nose and lingered there. She saw his face clearly. Five years had passed since they last met, yet that exquisitely sculpted face, those eyes that glinted like stars were unmistakable.


    It was Ye Shi¡¯an.


    On the day of her wedding, Ye Shi¡¯an had come back.

 CH 9

    Liu Yuru sat in the palanquin in a daze. She did not actually expect to see Ye Shi¡¯an when she removed her veil. By her calculations, he ought to have just completed the provincial exams. It would have made sense for him to take a couple of days of rest before coming back.


    His appearance at this moment flustered her.


    Why is he back so early?


    Could it be¡­? Could it be¡­?


    A couple of inconceivable thoughts flashed through Liu Yuru¡¯s mind. She quashed them immediately. She had always been calm and self-possessed. These thoughts were too dangerous to even contemplate. She took in a deep breath and resolutely pushed them out of her mind.


    She lowered her eyes, put on her veil and sat there as she was borne to the Gu estate¡¯s entrance, the strains of wedding music reverberating all around her.


    Forcing herself to empty her mind, she accepted the red silk and mindlessly followed Gu Jiusi inside. The loud intonations of the officiant, the fiery crackle of firecrackers going off, and the congratulatory messages of various well wishers who had come for some red packet money bombarded her as she crossed the doorway leading to the Gu residence and entered the main hall.


    She and Gu Jiusi paid their respects to Heaven and Earth as per custom.


    There was none of the bashfulness or nervousness that she¡¯d imagined. The actual wedding turned out to be completely unlike the one she had been looking forward to. She felt calm and hollow. As far as she was concerned, these were mere formalities she had to complete. There was nothing more to think about.


    After the two of them performed the requisite nuptial rituals, she was helped to the nuptial chamber. There she waited alone with the veil dutifully covering her head, motionless.


    Yinhong was the only one left. The cacophonous commotion outside contrasted sharply against the withering silence inside. Yinhong fetched some snacks and said to Liu Yuru, ¡°Miss, you¡¯ve had nary a bite since dawn. How about some food?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass,¡± replied Liu Yuru. ¡°The veil has to be lifted by my husband. It¡¯d be bad luck if it fell by accident.¡±


    Yinhong stared at her for a moment, set down the plate of snacks and sighed.


    Having grown up with Liu Yuru, she naturally knew what she had given up. Hearing that Liu Yuru had resigned herself to this marriage made her feel inexplicably sad.


    ¡°When I was outside today¡­¡± Yinhong said hesitantly. ¡°I saw Young Master Ye. You were in such a hurry. Do you think he¡ª¡±


    ¡°Weigh your words before you speak,¡± Liu Yuru reminded her.


    Still, Yinhong¡¯s words struck at her heart, stirring up ripples of emotion within her. Even Yinhong was affected, let alone her.


    But the rational side of her checked her, and she said calmly, ¡°I¡¯ve married into the Gu family and am now one of them. Whatever happened in the past died yesterday. Make no mention of them again. We¡¯ll only invite unnecessary trouble if others hear of those.¡±


    Knowing that Liu Yuru had a point, Yinhong said ¡°yes¡± reluctantly and said no more.


    The wedding banquet lasted all the way into the night. Gu Jiusi showed no signs of returning to the bridal chamber. The sound of approaching footsteps issued from the distance. After a while, Liu Yuru heard the sound of the door opening, followed by Ye Yun¡¯s voice speaking to someone: ¡°Lady Gu sent me here to be with the bride. You¡¯re all dismissed.¡±


    Although Liu Yuru could not help but be surprised to hear Ye Yun¡¯s voice, her face remained impassive. She heard the sound of retreating footsteps. Ye Yun stood by the door, hesitated for a moment, before taking a seat beside Liu Yuru. She sighed and said, ¡°There¡¯s no one else here now. I¡¯ve come to accompany you. You can just take off your veil now and put it back on later.¡±


    ¡°Rules are rules,¡± Liu Yuru replied politely. ¡°We can just talk like this. It¡¯s no bother.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡ª¡± Ye Yun said, exasperated. ¡°Always going on about rules, rules, rules, when in reality your heart is wilder than anyone else¡¯s. You¡¯re gonna make life hard for yourself if you keep saying what you don¡¯t mean.¡±


    Hearing Ye Yun speak took her back in time, back to the days when she was still unmarried. Sadness welled up inside her. She found herself bursting to ask Ye Yun about Ye Shi¡¯an. But knowing that it would be improper, what she said instead was, ¡°What brought you here?¡±


    ¡°Lady Gu came looking for me while I was sipping my wine during the banquet,¡± Ye Yun explained. ¡°She said you¡¯ve been waiting in the room for a long time now and figured you¡¯d gotten bored, so she sent me here to sit with you.¡±


    Liu Yuru felt warm and fuzzy. Jiang Rou¡¯s a good mother-in-law and was kind to her. Liu Yuru was grateful for it.


    ¡°That¡¯s very thoughtful of Her Ladyship.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Ye Yun nibbled on some melon seeds and sighed. ¡°I wonder what sort of fortune awaits you once you¡¯ve married into the Gu family. While Granny¡¯s mighty fond of you, I doubt she would¡¯ve been quite as nice to you as Lady Gu has been. As for my mother¡­forget it, you¡¯ll be lucky if she leaves you in peace. Then again, you¡¯ve always been so abidingly proper. She¡¯d be hard pressed to find fault with you.¡±


    Ye Yun¡¯s words were somewhat inappropriate, but knowing Ye Yun¡¯s temperament, Liu Yuru let her say her piece.  ¡°By the way,¡± she said casually. ¡°My brother¡¯s back. You know that, right?¡±


    Liu Yuru started. She fell silent for a while. ¡°Isn¡¯t he supposed to be back later? Why is he back?¡±


    ¡°News about your engagement with the Gus spread. He decided to return early.¡±


    Ye Yun paused before saying at length, ¡± Yuru, I hope you don¡¯t blame my brother for this.¡±


    Liu Yuru was at a loss for words. Ye Yun said slowly, ¡°Before you came of age, Granny once sent a letter to him, asking for his thoughts on being engaged to you. He said he would go along with whatever the elders have planned. Later on, after the Gus proposed a match, Granny¡­decided to let it go. After all, the Gu family isn¡¯t exactly the sort of family you¡¯d wanna get on the wrong side of. Besides, you know how Granny is¡­¡±


    Ye Yun did not say it outright, but Liu Yuru understood.


    The Ye family was an illustrious House and set great store by their reputation. Not only was the Gu family the first to have proposed a match, they would never have allowed their son to marry a girl who had once been engaged. Even if they were to raise a fuss against the Gu family, they would not do so for the ordinary and unremarkable Liu Yuru.


    Liu Yuru knew that clearly, which was why she had not placed any hopes in the Ye family from the beginning.


    Ye Yun looked as if she was afraid Liu Yuru would bear a grudge against Ye Shi¡¯an. She explained, ¡°However, my brother objected. When he learnt about your engagement, he wrote a letter home saying that Gu Jiusi would not be a good husband for you. He said a gentleman makes good on his word: Since our family had an agreement with you, we should personally clarify things with the Gu family. He said Master Gu¡¯s a reasonable man and would not twist our arm. That¡¯s why he hurried back.¡±


    ¡°But he was too late,¡± Liu Yuru said calmly.


    Although she sounded perfectly emotionless, she knew that beneath her veil, her tears had already betrayed her.


    She was suddenly very glad that she had not taken her veil off; it helped hide her wretched appearance from Ye Yun.


    Though Ye Yun was unaware of Liu Yuru¡¯s tears, she knew Liu Yuru had to be feeling down. She sighed and said comfortingly to Liu Yuru, ¡°As it is, marrying Gu Jiusi may not be as bad as it seems. At least Gu Jiusi likes you. That¡¯s a point in his favour over my brother. My brother seems great on the surface, but inwardly he¡¯s pretty cold-hearted and dispassionate. He only has eyes for his career. It¡¯ll be hard being his wife.¡±


    ¡°Gu Jiusi¡¯s a good catch. He may be a wastrel, but his family is powerful and influential.  You¡¯ll have no worries on the financial front even if you lead an extravagant lifestyle for the rest of your life. Most importantly, he likes you and pampers you. Look, he was even willing to buy out an entire store¡¯s stock of rouges just to gift you a single box. You were the envy of everyone when word got out. Yuru,¡± Ye Yun held Liu Yuru¡¯s hand and murmured, ¡°Don¡¯t hate my brother. Don¡¯t be sad either. You¡¯ll live a very good life, y¡¯know?¡±


    Liu Yuru said nothing. After a long silence, she steadied her voice and said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I understand the way of things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it.¡±


    Ye Yun let out a held breath and hurriedly said, ¡°You couldn¡¯t have known, but I haven¡¯t had a good night¡¯s rest for the past couple of days. I¡¯ve been so worried over this, I could barely sleep a wink. It was mortifying, the thought that you might come to hate me and my brother. I feared you were doing poorly, that you would no longer wish to talk to me. We grew up together. I feel closer to you than any of my other girl friends. I hope you don¡¯t estrange yourself from me over this.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Liu Yuru sighed. ¡°A-Yun,¡± She said softly, ¡°I¡¯m a little tired. Would you mind leaving me alone? I would like to have some rest.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ye Yun was quick to say. ¡°Have a good rest. I¡¯ll be on my way.¡±


    With Ye Yun¡¯s departure, Liu Yuru became the only one left in the room. No longer able to hold back, she began to sob faintly.


    Perhaps it would not have stung as much if she never had a chance. But the person she wanted the most was this close to being with her. Not only that, it turned out that Young Master Ye wished to marry her too. How could she not feel bitter?


    Inwardly, she was in turmoil. On one hand, she resented the Gu family for ruining half a lifetime¡¯s worth of effort, resented Gu Jiusi¡¯s childish and reckless behaviour; On the other, Jiang Rou¡¯s kindness and Gu Jiusi¡¯s occasional displays of consideration were not lost on her¡ªshe found herself unable to truly hate them. Not knowing who she could blame for her fate, all she could do was weep under her veil in silence.


    She cried for a long time. When she was finally done crying, there was still no one else in the room. Taking advantage of this, she got up, touched up her makeup, and sat back onto the bed and waited. When the sounds of chatter outside receded, she picked up some sort of clamour outside. Shortly after, the door was kicked open with a ¡°bang!¡±; someone tumbled into the room; the door swung shut with a clang.


    Thereupon Gu Jiusi¡¯s angry voice rang out: ¡°Let me out! Release me if you dare, Gu Langhua! I¡¯ve married her as you wished, what more do you want? Stop forcing me! Must you drive me to an early grave before you¡¯re satisfied?!


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Gu Langhua¡¯s furious voice boomed from outside: ¡°Seal the windows shut. Break his legs if he dares take a single step out of his room!¡±


    ¡°Try me!¡± Gu Jiusi spat in Gu Langhua¡¯s direction. ¡°You¡¯re a liar, old man! You said all I had to do was go through with the rites. What¡¯s the deal with locking me here? You went back on your word! Let me out, or you¡¯ll regret it!¡±


    Gu Langhua no longer said anything to Gu Jiusi. He instructed the servants to seal the windows and door, gave orders for the guards to standby in the courtyard outside, and left.


    Gu Jiusi sat by the door and launched a salty tirade of abuse. Liu Yuru listened quietly as she sat with the veil over her head.


    After some time, tired of scolding, he got up from the floor, found some water, and gulped down a mouthful. Only after he was done drinking did he see Liu Yuru sitting decorously on the bed. That scared the crap out of him. He took an alarmed step back before coming back to his senses. Still reeling from shock, he stammered, ¡°W-why are you sitting there with your veil still on? You didn¡¯t sleep?¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t back,¡± Liu Yuru replied respectfully and woodenly, refusing to let herself think about any unnecessary thoughts. ¡°I dare not sleep when you¡¯ve not lifted my veil.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you do that yourself?¡± Gu Jiu groused, baffled. He crossed over and pulled off Liu Yuru¡¯s bridal veil, nonetheless. Then he went back to the table while holding his cup.


    Liu Yuru¡¯s expression was placid as she sat on the bed. Gu Jiusi glanced at her. She did not move an inch. His brows furrowed. ¡°Why are you all frozen stiff when I¡¯ve already removed the veil? Are you pretending to be a corpse? It¡¯s the middle of the night, don¡¯t go scaring people like that. You should wash up soon and go to bed.¡±


    ¡°We have yet to share the wedding toast, Husband.¡±


    Gu Jiusi was frightened out of his wits; his hands started twitching.


    Eyes widened in alarm, he turned back to look at Liu Yuru as she sat on the bed. Liu Yuru showed no joy, no anger. She looked as lifeless as a stagnant pool of water. There was none of the liveliness of spirit that she¡¯d shown when they first met.


    He studied her quietly. After a long silence, he asked abruptly, ¡°Did you wish to marry me? Truly?¡±


    Liu Yuru looked up at Gu Jiusi silently.


    Gu Jiusi felt a little nervous as he fingered his cup. He stammered, ¡°I¡¯m aware of my¡­lack of standing among the ladies in Yangzhou. It is only natural; I have nothing going for me save for my face and my wealth. Not that I had plans to be looked upon favourably by the ladies to begin with, mind. I just want to marry a girl who would sincerely love me as I would her, someone with whom I could happily spend the rest of my life with.¡±


    ¡°And your point is?¡±


    Liu Yuru wasn¡¯t sure what he was driving at. She watched Gu Jiusi as he pondered, poured a cup of tea, and jogged over to her in a fawning sort of way. He sat on the chair in front of her and handed her a cup of tea.


    Liu Yuru accepted his cup of tea wordlessly. With an obsequious look on his face, Gu Jiusi said ingratiatingly, ¡°Miss Liu. I know that you¡¯re a discerning and very clever girl.¡±


    Liu Yuru looked up and met his gaze, waiting for him to elaborate.


    Gu Jiusi smiled. ¡°Which is why I¡¯ve been meaning to hash things out with you. I know that what you like about me isn¡¯t actually me. How about this? From now on, I¡¯ll give you free rein to run the household as you see fit. You have my blessings to make your fortune with my family¡¯s money. We¡¯ll wait till you¡¯ve made lots and lots of money and placed yourself comfortably. Then, when either one of us meets someone we really like, we¡¯ll commence with the divorce proceedings. What do you think?¡±


    Liu Yuru¡¯s eyes grew wide as she stared at Gu Jiusi, horrified.


    Immersed in his beautiful vision for the future, Gu Jiusi explained his plans earnestly, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it. You women place such importance on your reputations so as to snag a good partner and marry into a good family, and marrying into a good family is for the sake of leading a good life. If you have the means to live a good life, you will no longer need to marry into a good family; what others say about you will no longer be of any concern to you, for they¡¯ll no longer have any bearing on your life. Is that not the case?¡±


    ¡°For humans, a single lifetime consists of a couple of decades at most. We should treat ourselves well while we live, so as not to squander the time we have been given to experience this world. Miss Liu, say you become a rich merchant in the future and meet someone who loves you. If his love for you is true, he¡¯ll naturally wish to marry you. To spend a lifetime with someone who loves you would be a lifetime well-lived. Even if romance isn¡¯t in your cards, it¡¯s okay to stay single too.¡±


    As for me, I¡¯ll also meet a girl whom I like. Of course, there¡¯s no helping it if I don¡¯t. Living it up by myself sounds like a pretty sweet life too. But say I do meet someone I really love, I would want to share a good life with her. I would not stand to see my beloved suffer any injustice. I¡¯ve given it some thought. You and I will have to part ways sooner or later. I¡¯m not so noble as to sacrifice my future for yours. I understand that this is hard for you to accept right now. But I really would recommend you giving what I¡¯ve said some serious thought. We have plenty of time, so take your time to mull things over slowly. In time you¡¯ll come to see the merits of my suggestion.¡±


    Liu Yuru¡¯s entire being shook as she said nothing.


    Why oh why do I have to meet someone like him? Teeth chattering, her heart filled with fear, she gritted her teeth and asked, ¡°Since¡­you do not like me, why did you marry me?¡±


    ¡°I should be asking you that.¡± Gu Jiusi looked at her as if she¡¯d said something absurd. ¡°Why¡¯d you marry me if you don¡¯t like me?¡±


    ¡°Your acceptance of this match landed us in this quagmire. Had I refused to marry you, you would do away with yourself. But marrying you would mean burying my life. I can hardly be expected to sit on my hands while tragedy befalls me, can I? Let¡¯s negotiate,¡± Gu Jiusi said, his face completely serious. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll come around to my proposition of divorce some day¡ª¡±


    Her patience wore out. Liu Yuru slapped Gu Jiusi across his face.


    Gu Jiusi went into shock. Liu Yuru broke down into an explosive fit of tears.


    ¡°Go away! Get out of my sight!¡±

 CH 10

    Dumbfounded, Gu Jiusi blankly clutched his face with his hand for a long time. Liu Yuru spilled onto the bed at last, crying her heart out.


    How could I have married such a person¡­?


    How could I have married such a person¡­?


    So he was a dandy¡ªshe could live with that. Good-for-nothing? That¡¯s not so bad. It would have been alright if he liked her to some extent like Ye Yun said. Yet it turned out that he didn¡¯t like her one bit. Not only that, he believed that she hankered for his money, and was only all too eager to bribe her into divorcing him.


    His speech sounded nice in theory, but they¡¯re bunk in reality. The moment he were to divorce her, she¡¯d be lambasted everywhere and drown in a sea of spittle.


    Unable to fathom how Gu Jiusi came up with such absurd notions, she could only conclude that he¡¯d acted out of spite to humiliate her in response to his forced marriage.


    She lost the will to explain herself. So what if Gu Jiusi knew she was forced to marry him? His words rang true: Who would willingly throw their happiness away for some stranger? If Gu Jiusi was serious about divorce, he would divorce her sooner or later. Even if he did not, she seriously doubted he would allow her to live a decent life. Life was a struggle for a married woman who didn¡¯t have her husband¡¯s love, even if she¡¯s the main wife.


    She knew this only too keenly, having learnt from her mother¡¯s example. There were two reasons why Liu Xuan did not divorce Su Wan, the first being that Su Wan endured everything quietly without making a fuss. The second reason was because Zhang Yue¡¯er¡¯s status was unseemly, unfit for the public eye. Su Wan, on the other hand, was a perfectly respectable lady from a respectable family. But what about Liu Yuru? The Gu family would not keep the Liu family¡¯s interests in mind. She also did not have brothers who could help take relations between the families to another level. If Gu Jiusi were to meet the girl of his dreams, there¡¯s no way he wouldn¡¯t divorce her for her family¡¯s sake.


    The more Liu Yuru thought about it, the further she sank into despair. When she thought of how close she was to marrying Ye Shi¡¯an, a goal that had been in the making for years, she felt completely disheartened. She lay on the bed bawling uncontrollably. Her crying had thrown Gu Jiusi for such a loop that for a long while, he couldn¡¯t get a word out. When he finally pulled himself together, all he said as he held his face was, ¡°I thought I was the one who got slapped.¡±


    He was met with an even louder wail in response.


    Feeling like he was at his wits¡¯ end, Gu Jiusi said quickly, ¡°Hush now, cease your tears. I¡¯ll shut up. Your weepiness is giving me a headache. Ugh, never mind. Have you had anything to eat?¡±


    Liu Yuru ignored him and continued to cry. Gu Jiusi¡¯s stomach growled. He¡¯d been beaten by his dad in the morning, then dragged out to attend his own wedding. After that, he was pulled outside to drink. He¡¯d drunk a lot of alcohol, but had barely any food. He got up, stole some snacks that were on the table, poured a cup of tea, and observed Liu Yuru as he ate.


    Liu Yuru kept crying. Gu Jiusi could not understand how she could cry as sorrowfully as she did.


    He offered some pastries to her and sighed. ¡°Stop crying. Why don¡¯t you have something to eat? Food brings happiness.¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Gu Jiusi¡¯s temper blazed. Eyeing Liu Yuru¡¯s tears, he said hotly, ¡°What the devil¡¯s wrong with you? You¡¯re mistaking my goodwill for ill intent. I¡¯m discussing our future with you, aren¡¯t I? You fancy Ye Shi¡¯an, correct? I¡¯ve offered you a solution. Why are you still wailing on and on like there¡¯s no tomorrow?¡±


    Gu Jiusi leaned against a nearby pillar and munched on his pastries sloppily. He said incoherently as he chewed, ¡°¡®m tellin¡¯ ¡®oo, enuf with ¡®e wa¡¯erworks. Jus cry a lil bit if ¡®oo must. I ¡®ave a nas¡¯ee tem¡¯pr, I¡¯ll ¡®ave ¡®oo know.¡±


    Liu Yuru was unmoved by his words. Her cries sounded so desolate that Gu Jiusi exploded: ¡°What the hell are you crying about?!¡±


    He put the plate down and yelled fiercely, ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I¡¯ll divorce you in the future? What¡¯s the big deal? I¡¯ll certainly contrive a way out for you when the time comes so what¡¯s there to be afraid of? Isn¡¯t the one you love Ye¡ª¡±


    Gu Jiusi abruptly froze. Eyes widening with understanding, he stared at Liu Yuru in shock: ¡°You¡¯re in love with me, aren¡¯t you?!¡±


    Liu Yuru lost it and bawled loudly.


    Like him? How could she possibly like someone like him?


    Meanwhile, Gu Jiusi looked as if he had discovered the crux of the issue. Astonished and terrified, he looked at Liu Yuru in stunned silence, at a loss for what to do.


    After so many years, it was the first time in his life that someone liked him romantically. He felt¡­just that wee bit shy and embarrassed.


    But he quickly got over it. He softened his tone and demeanour considerably, coughed lightly and said, ¡°Er ¡ª I understand your feelings now, but I can¡¯t reciprocate your sentiments. You¡¯re not my type. You should just give up on me. If what you want is money, that can easily be arranged¡ªI¡¯m filthy rich anyway. But if what you desire is my heart, you¡¯re asking for the moon.¡±


    He sighed and regarded her with a pitying gaze.


    He thought of how mad and annoyed he was when he learnt of Liu Yuru¡¯s painstaking machinations to marry into his family for his money. This newfound revelation that Liu Yuru had married him because she liked him really made him feel somewhat sorry for her.


    She was not his type.


    His ideal girl was outstanding and unrestrained, radiant, a girl who was unlike any other in this world and could draw him in with a single glance.


    Liu Yuru was ordinary, too ordinary; She was prim and proper, too prim and proper.


    The thought that this would be a doomed, one-sided relationship, as well as the many sacrifices she¡¯d made, made Gu Jiusi feel somewhat guilty. Deciding not to raise his voice at her, he lowered his voice and coaxed her softly, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. We¡¯ve got long days ahead of us. You have plenty of time to think things over. I do not like you, but since you¡¯ve married into my family, my mother will be good to you. My parents are very nice, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Liu Yuru almost vomited blood at his statement: She was marrying him, not his parents!


    She decided to ignore him and release all her pent up grievances and sorrow. Gu Jiusi said placatingly and soothingly, ¡°Come now, dry your tears. I¡¯ll tell you some jokes. Have something to eat. It¡¯s no good going hungry for too long¡ªwe don¡¯t want you hurting your tummy now, do we? Miss Liu, romance is harmful for the body, your love is wasted on me. From now on, you should view things through money-tinted glasses. Cold, hard cash, that¡¯s what truly matters. You¡¯re such an intelligent person, how can you fail to see this?¡±


    ¡°There, there. Take a break, have a good rest. When you¡¯re well rested, I¡¯ll take you out to spend money on the morrow. Once you¡¯ve experienced what it¡¯s like to spend lots and lots of money, you¡¯ll realise that any pain that cannot be healed is the result of not having enough money.¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± Gu Jiusi extracted a banknote from his robes, his final ace up his sleeve. In his past experience, a banknote always had the ability to produce a smile in all who beheld it, though he wasn¡¯t quite sure if it¡¯d work in this instance. He stuffed it in Liu Yuru¡¯s hands and said sincerely, ¡°You must be tuckered out after all that crying. Hug this and have a good night¡¯s sleep.¡±


    Liu Yuru said nothing¡ªshe really was worn out from crying. She let Gu Jiusi help her to the bed. Gu Jiusi removed her phoenix crown, took off her shoes, and carefully tucked her in. Curled up into a ball, Liu Yuru hugged the banknote as she continued to whimper.


    Gu Jiusi sat on the floor against the bed. When her whimpers finally ceased and were replaced by the breathing sounds of one in deep sleep, Gu Jiusi let out a sigh.


    He felt so tired, so exhausted.


    He¡¯s just a dandy for god¡¯s sake. Why must he be saddled with these complicated and heavy love problems?


    He felt his pocket feelingly, having affirmed once again the importance of carrying lots of money¡ªwhen one banknote wasn¡¯t sufficient to solve one¡¯s problems, having another as backup was essential.

 CH 11

    Liu Yuru slept through the night and woke up still hugging the banknote.


    She lay on the bed motionlessly, feeling numb and tranquil, having emptied her brain of all thoughts.


    After the catharsis that came with venting every bit of pain and anger she had bottled up inside, despair and disorientation over her future set in. Her years of perseverance felt so pointless. She had no idea what her next step should be.


    No matter how clever or resourceful she was, she was just a fifteen year old girl. Even if she¡¯d undergone the hair-pinning ceremony, the traditional coming-of-age ceremony that girls went through at fifteen, life was long, and a mere fifteen years was far too little time for a person¡¯s mindset to fully mature.


    It was possible to know the Four Books and Five Classics1 well in fifteen years, but it was not sufficient time to forge the ability to face everything in life with serenity and equanimity.


    She didn¡¯t want to fight anymore, so she gave up completely. She simply lay on the bed, not wanting to move, speak, eat or think.


    Not daring to provoke her, Gu Jiusi hightailed it out of the room the moment the servants opened the door.


    He thought for a night, he thought it through: He must not give in to this fate. He had to oppose Gu Langhua! He had to extinguish Liu Yuru¡¯s feelings for him!


    He would rebel by taking action!


    And so he took out some of his secret savings while it was still dark out, changed his clothes, and waited. The second the servants opened the door to his room, he took off sprinting away from home as fast as he could. The speed at which he made his escape took the Gu family¡¯s servants by surprise. They exchanged stunned looks and reported this to Gu langhua. Gu Langhua and Jiang Rou had just woken up when they heard the news. Gu Langhua waved his hand and said, ¡°He ran? Oh well. How¡¯s our daughter-in-law? Is she alright? She didn¡¯t run away, did she?


    The housekeeper stared and replied confusedly, ¡°She¡¯s still here.¡±


    Is it okay to care only about your daughter-in-law and not your son?


    Both Jiang Rou and Gu Langhua heaved a sigh of relief upon learning that their daughter-in-law was still here. ¡°Our daughter-in-law¡¯s still here, that¡¯s all that matters. Let Jiusi run if he wants.¡±


    Housekeeper: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡­This son must have been adopted.


    Gu Jiusi was unaware of Jiang Rou¡¯s and Gu Langhua¡¯s broad-minded reactions to his escape. He dashed out of the Gu family manor as fast as his legs could take him without daring to stop for breaks, and did not stop until he reached a restaurant that he frequented. He went into a private room and sent runners to deliver letters to Yang Wenchang and Chen Xun. Then, finally feeling somewhat safe, he started to drink some wine.


    He waited in the restaurant for Yang Wenchang and Chen Xun. An hour later, the two young masters came running to him with their clothes unkempt. After the door to the room was closed behind them, the three brothers in arms exchanged looks. A short period of silence later, Yang Wenchang cupped his hands together and said, ¡°Congratulations¡­¡±


    ¡°Knock it off,¡± said Gu Jiusi. He held his head with an anguished look on his face. ¡°My head feels like it¡¯s about to explode.¡±


    ¡°You exaggerate,¡± said Chen Xun. He came over to the table and poured a cup of wine. ¡°So you married a woman. Big deal. If Liu Yuru wants the title of ¡®Young Mistress Gu¡¯ that badly, just give it to her. We¡¯ll still lark around as we please. Relax.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± said Gu Jiusi in a pained voice. ¡°If only she¡¯s a gold digger. The problem is, I found out last night that she isn¡¯t lusting after my money.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s she after then?¡± Yang Wenchang asked, perplexed. The three of them had been unanimous in their denunciation of Liu Yuru as a gold digger.


    Gu Jiusi looked up and sighed. ¡°Me,¡± He said with a pitying voice. ¡°She wants me.¡±


    ¡°She wants revenge?¡± Yang Wenchang said the first thing that popped up in his mind, shocked. ¡°Bit of a high price she paid, if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± said Gu Jiusi seriously. ¡°She¡¯s fallen for me.¡±


    Chen Xun spat out a mouthful of wine in Yang Wenchang¡¯s face, which had been right across from him.


    ¡°My bad. Apologies,¡± Chen Xun said quickly. ¡°Was too shocked.¡±


    Yang Wenchang expressionlessly allowed Chen Xun to mop his face. He turned to Gu Jiusi: ¡°I¡¯m shocked, too.¡±


    ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t be?¡± Gu Jiusi drank a mouthful of wine. ¡°Love debts are the hardest to pay off. It¡¯s fine if she¡¯s after my wealth, but she wants my heart. I just don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    ¡°You want her to close her heart to you forever, huh?¡± Yang Wenchang understood Gu Jiu¡¯s intentions. Gu Jiusi nodded, ¡°Yeah, and the sooner the better. The harder she falls, the harder things will be for me.¡±


    ¡°Piece of cake,¡± Chen Xun put in eagerly. ¡°It¡¯s easy to kill a woman¡¯s interest.¡±


    ¡°What should I do?¡±


    Gu Jiusi looked at Chen Xun as the latter smiled meaningfully, ¡°Spend three nights in Spring Wind House. That¡¯d put an end to her feelings, guaranteed.¡±


    Gu Jiusi fell silent.


    Spring Wind House was Yangzhou¡¯s most famous pleasure house, a place Gu Jiusi used to frequent. He used to go there to keep Yang Wenchang and Chen Xun company. Personally, he didn¡¯t like this sort of place very much. Gambling dens and restaurants were more to his taste.


    Of the four carnal pleasures¡ªfood, wine, women and gambling¡ª he delighted in them all save for women.


    His deep pockets meant excellent treatment wherever he went. Back when Spring Wind House held an auction for their top courtesan¡¯s first night, he spent a fortune on her to celebrate Yang Wenchang¡¯s birthday, and thus made a reputation for himself in the red-light district.


    What could be more devastating for a woman than to have her husband visit a brothel the day after their wedding?


    What could piss off Gu Langhua more than him going to a brothel the day after his wedding?


    Gu Jiusi only had to consider it briefly before he nodded his head and said to Chen Xun: ¡±Aight, to Spring Wind House it is!¡±


    After saying that, Gu Jiusi went happily to Spring Wind House together with Chen Xun and Yang Wenchang.


    When they arrived at Spring Wind House, the manager brought the ladies out, ordered them to line up in rows, then walked right up to Gu Jiusi and said respectfully, ¡°Your preferences, Sir? Our girls have their own niches ranging from singing, dancing, zither playing, poetry to arrow tossing¡­If you would tell me your likes, I¡¯ll be able to recommend some girls.¡±


    Gu Jiusi thought about it seriously, raised his head and said, ¡°Do any of your ladies know how to play leaf cards2?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± said the stunned manager reflexively.


    ¡±How about those who can gamble?¡± Gu Jiusi pressed on.


    Manager: ¡°¡­¡±


    Is he here for the ladies or to gamble?


    Gu Jiusi was, after all, a prized customer, so the manager quickly gathered girls who enjoyed playing cards, drinking and gambling. Overjoyed, Gu Jiusi immediately ordered gambling tables to be set up, and began gambling happily against a backdrop of song and music.


    While Gu Jiusi found a place to have fun, Liu Yuru lay on the bed without moving an inch.


    She knew that Gu Jiusi had left. She did not care to ask where he¡¯d gone. Neither did she wish to ask herself about what to do next. Now that things had come to this point, she no longer had the desire to plan ahead.


    As for rules and propriety, she no longer had the energy to think about those.


    She was like a turtle hiding inside its shell, unwilling to face the changes made to this world.


    Noticing that Liu Yuru was taking unusually long to get up, Yinhong came into the room to take a look. Fear gripped Yinhong when she saw an unnaturally still Liu Yuru staring numbly at a corner of her bed. ¡°Miss?¡± Yinhong said as she carefully gave Liu Yuru a little shake.


    Liu Yuru said nothing. Yinhong closed the door, speedily crossed over to the bedside, and said to Liu Yuru: ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you, Miss? Are you feeling ill?¡±


    ¡°Please say something, Miss,¡± Yinhong pulled her hand and said anxiously, ¡°What happened between you and Young Master last night? Why are you still in your wedding robes? The two of you¡­¡±


    Yinhong stopped, stared, and whispered: ¡°¡­didn¡¯t consummate your marriage?¡±


    Liu Yuru looked down. ¡°Miss,¡± said Yinhong anxiously upon seeing her response. ¡°Please answer me. You¡¯re scaring me.¡±


    ¡°Yinhong¡­¡±Liu Yuru said in a dry, raspy voice. ¡°He wants to divorce me¡­¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Yinhong gasped in surprise. She watched as Liu Yuru curled up on the bed, covered her face with a hand and said hoarsely, ¡°He said he doesn¡¯t like me and will love someone else in the future. He wants to be good to that person and intends to divorce me eventually.¡±


    ¡°He wants me to be prepared in advance¡­¡±


    ¡°Yinhong¡­¡±Liu Yuru shuddered slightly. ¡°What should I do¡­? What should I do?¡±


    What would happen to her life if he divorced her?


    What would happen to her mother if she was unfavoured in the Gu family?


    Her mother personally oversaw her dowry preparations. She brought so much money over. Without the Gu family¡¯s support, her mother would be in for a rough time should Liu Xuan and Zhang Yue¡¯er get their act together and retaliate. How, then, would her mother survive?


    Liu Yuru despaired when she thought of these and her future.


    Yinhong also panicked. She stared at Liu Yuru for a good while in silence before finally saying, ¡°Miss, Young Master¡­he must have been pulling your leg! Please cheer up. His family proposed the match. Lady Gu¡¯s so nice and is fond of you. She¡¯ll do something about him, I¡¯m sure. Don¡¯t be afraid, and don¡¯t be sad, okay? Young Master Gu doesn¡¯t yet know how good you are. Once he¡¯s acquainted with your goodness, he¡¯ll be too busy pampering you to even think of divorcing you.¡±


    Liu Yuru silently lay on the bed, unmoving. As for whether Yinhong¡¯s words were just words of comfort or were true, she had a clear answer in her heart.


    She¡¯d already cried and no longer wished to cry. She hadn¡¯t the faintest idea what she could and should do for her future.


    Yinhong tried to coax her to eat, but Liu Yuru stayed as still as ever as if she¡¯d completely given up. Yinhong sighed and said, ¡°Even if you don¡¯t eat, you should get up to serve Lady Gu and Master Gu their tea. You¡¯re new here. Your manners have to be up to par, else we¡¯ll be laughed at.¡±


    Liu Yuru lowered her eyes.


    ¡°Just tell them that I¡¯m ill.¡±


    She sighed. ¡°I¡¯m so¡­so tired.¡±


    Not daring to press the issue, Yinhong left with Liu Yuru¡¯s words. Jiang Rou and Gu Langhua exchanged a look when they heard the news. Yinhong stood to one side without moving. Gu Langhua felt a little awkward. He coughed lightly and said, ¡°Let Yuru rest since she¡¯s feeling unwell. I¡¯ve sent Jiusi on an errand, which is why he left in the morning. Tell Yuru not to worry about his absence.¡±


    Just as he finished talking, a servant dashed in and said breathlessly, ¡°Master, bad news! Young Master¡¯s gone to Spring Wind House!¡±


    Gu Langhua and Jiang Rou: ¡°¡­¡±


    Gu Langhua looked absolutely appalled. Jiang Rou coughed unnaturally and turned her head away. Yinhong discreetly clenched her fists.


    Visiting a brothel on the second day of marriage¡­This¡­this is too absurd, even for a playboy like Young Master!


    Gu Langhua did not say a word when he recovered from this news. He decisively picked up a rod and made to leave angrily, intending to go out and beat Gu Jiusi. Jiang Rou placed a hand on Gu Langhua and stopped him. ¡°You can¡¯t keep beating him for the rest of his life,¡± she said softly. ¡°He¡¯s married now. Surely you can¡¯t carry on disciplining him as you would a child.¡±


    ¡°That little whelp! If I don¡¯t discipline him, won¡¯t he think he can fly?!¡± Gu Langhua bellowed furiously.  Jiang Rou pulled him down into a seat and said with a smile, ¡°Let me handle this. Calm down. For the past two years, you¡¯ve not skimped on the beatings, but have they worked on him? He¡¯s all over the place, but he wouldn¡¯t fool around. He visited the brothel because he¡¯s angry at you. It¡¯s one thing to beat him while he¡¯s still unmarried, but another now that he is. If you haul him back and beat him, how do you expect him and Yuru to get along in the days to come?¡±


    Hearing these words, Gu Langhua hesitated. Jiang Rou explained, ¡°He¡¯s prejudiced against this marriage to begin with. He thinks that we are in cahoots with Yuru, that we schemed against him. If you stand up for Yuru this time, what do you think Jiusi¡¯s gonna think of Yuru? Things get messy when uninvolved parties interfere in a couple¡¯s conflicts. It is easy to catch him and beat him up, but in doing so you¡¯ll sow seeds of resentment between Yuru and Jiusi.¡±


    Gu Langhua let out a breath, turned his head to Jiang Rou and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave him to you then. I¡¯d like to see how you¡¯ll handle him.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be up to us,¡± Jiang Rou said with a smile. ¡°It¡¯ll depend on Yuru.¡±


    Gu Langhua fell silent.


    Jiang Rou stood up and turned to look at Yinhong. Yinhong expected Jiang Rou to take Gu Jiusi to task, yet she said, ¡°Is your lady well enough to see anyone?¡±


    Yinhong started. ¡°Since she can¡¯t come to see me,¡± said Jiang Rou. ¡°I¡¯ll go see her instead.¡±


    As she said this, Jiang Rou instructed a servant to call for a physician and stepped out of the room.


    By the time Yinhong reacted, Jiang Rou was already by the entrance to Liu Yuru¡¯s room. Not daring to speak up, Yinhong trailed behind the heels of Jiang Rou and entered the room with her.


    Liu Yuru was sleeping. Afraid of waking Liu Yuru up, Jiang Rou quietly entered the room with her servants behind her. Inside, she watched Liu Yuru as she slept with her body curled up and her back facing them. She was still wearing her wedding robes.


    Immediately realising what had happened, she sighed and went next to Liu Yuru.


    Liu Yuru sensed that someone was behind her. She opened her eyes and turned her head around slowly. Jiang Rou looked down at her with a gentle expression.


    ¡°Yuru,¡± she said with concern. ¡°I came to see you since I heard you aren¡¯t feeling well. Are you feeling better?¡±


    Four Books and Five Classics1: the most eminent books on Confucianism written before 300 BC. The Four Books are Chinese classic texts explaining the core tenets of Confucianism, the Five Classics are a corpus of five classic ancient Chinese books that are part of the traditional Confucian canon.


    Leaf cards2 (Ò¶×ÓÅÆ yezipai): an ancient chinese card game dating back to the Tang Dynasty, and is allegedly one of the earliest predecessors of mahjong.