… Tonight?
Gu Fu’s thoughts were running wild, and she wanted to ask more, but Fu Yan had already turned and left.
Gu Fu gathered her emotions and ran back home. The anxious Mingzhu pulled her to sit down and started redoing her hair. Soon, a cheerful female voice was heard from outside, “Miss, you’re not still in bed, are you?”
Before the words were finished, the person had already entered the room.
The visitor was petite, dressed in a fiery red dress that was as bold as fire. Her actions were brisk and efficient, with none of the softness and charm typical of women.
This person was none other than Miss Qi, the wife of Guo Jian, the current commander of the Chiyao Army.
The day after the Dragon Boat Festival, Miss Qi had come to the Gu family with a sachet that Gu Fu had given her, crying profusely while holding the “resurrected” Gu Fu.
Afterward, Gu Fu asked her aunt, Second Madam Li, to help integrate Miss Qi into the circle of Second Madam Li even came to thank Gu Fu for this, because Miss Qi’s straightforward personality and medical skills were particularly liked by the elderly madams. Moreover, there were many taboos when it came to women in the inner courtyards seeing doctors, fearing that others might find out. Since Miss Qi was the wife of the Chiyao Army’s commander, she could discreetly offer medical consultations during her visits, which was extremely convenient.
After learning about Miss Qi, many families asked Second Madam Li to make introductions, which not only expanded Miss Qi’s social network but also widened Second Madam Li’s connections.
Now, Guo Jian’s affairs were progressing more smoothly, thanks in no small part to Miss Qi’s efforts.
Gu Fu looked at her from the mirror and smiled, “I got up early, but I just went out for a bit.”
Miss Qi teased her, “Went out? To see the Imperial Preceptor?”
Girls from the northern border weren’t as reserved as those in the capital. Frequent interactions between engaged couples were not seen as inappropriate. However, Miss Qi had received some pointers from the old madams and knew that such remarks should only be made in front of Gu Fu.
Gu Fu indeed didn’t think much of it and replied, “Yes, I went to ask for a birthday gift.”
“I have also prepared a gift for you,” Miss Qi said as she pulled out a small jar from somewhere. “It’s a new scar-removal ointment. When you run out, just send someone to get more from me.”
Gu Fu’s smile stiffened as she suddenly remembered the many unsightly scars on her body.
—What if Wangxi finds them ugly?
For once, Gu Fu felt anxious. Normally, she didn’t pay attention to the scars on her body and didn’t consider them a big deal. However, the thought of Fu Yan’s possible reaction made her feel uneasy.
—Should I blindfold him when we are intimate?
Overly cautious, Gu Fu started to think of countermeasures.
—Blindfolding him might not be enough; he could still remove it. Maybe I should tie his hands as well.
While Gu Fu was contemplating this, Lu Zhu lifted the curtain outside and called into the room, “Miss, your cousin has arrived with Fifth Miss and the girls from the poetry club.”
Gu Fu said, “Let them in.”
Soon, Mu Qingyao entered holding Gu Xiaowu’s hand, accompanied by several girls from the poetry club.
Gu Fu greeted them and noticed that Gu Shishi was also with them, trailing at the back, quiet and barely noticeable—since the empress had summoned Gu Fu, Gu Shishi and her mother, Aunt Yang, had not dared to cause trouble in front of Gu Fu.
Perhaps they were now too scared to act up.
“Second Sister Gu, why is it that your room is filled with nothing but swords and knives? You should at least add some other things,” a girl commented upon seeing the sword hanging on the wall and the two knives that Gu Zhu had brought that morning.
Tang Wu countered, “What’s wrong with that? I like it a lot. Second Sister Gu, can I touch this knife?”
Gu Fu replied, “Sure, be careful not to cut yourself.”
Tang Wu said, “Don’t worry, I won’t draw it out. I’ll just hold it and have a look.”
“Hey, let me hold it too!”
Several girls who were interested in the weapons took turns examining Gu Fu’s swords and knives. One of them asked, “Second Sister Gu, I heard you can play the konghou. Why don’t you have one here? I was hoping to hear you play.”
“Isn’t it too much to ask the birthday girl to play a song for you?”
“I’m just curious!”
Before the two could argue further, Gu Xiaowu, who was sitting on Mu Qingyao’s lap, uncharacteristically shouted, “Don’t let Second Sister play the konghou!”
The girls looked at Gu Xiaowu, who immediately buried her face in Mu Qingyao’s bosom but maintained her firm stance, “Don’t let Second Sister play the konghou!”
Miss Wei, who had been silent until now, walked over to Gu Xiaowu, bent down, and asked, “Why can’t we let Second Sister Gu play the konghou?”
Gu Xiaowu didn’t dare to look at Miss Wei, nor did she dare to speak again, instead shrinking into Mu Qingyao’s embrace, pretending to be dead.
The more she acted this way, the more curious everyone became, all looking towards Gu Fu.
Gu Fu withdrew her gaze from Gu Shishi and said with a smile, “If you want to hear it, I can play a piece for you.”
Mu Qingyao immediately said to everyone, “I had the konghou put into storage. I’ll have someone bring it here right away.”
As she spoke, Mu Qingyao put down Gu Xiaowu, stood up, and led Gu Xiaowu outside with such hurried steps that it left everyone puzzled.
The girls were confused, “She could have just asked someone to bring it. Why did she go out?”
Before the girls could figure it out, Lu Zhu had already brought the konghou in. Gu Fu, with her hair neatly done, sat down next to the konghou and placed her hands on the strings…
Not long after, the girls started leaving Gu Fu’s room one by one, each with a headache and a buzzing sound in their ears.
Seeing Mu Qingyao sitting on a stone bench outside and Gu Xiaowu squatting under a tree watching ants, they finally understood why Gu Xiaowu had said not to let Gu Fu play the konghou and realized that Mu Qingyao had fled the room to escape.
Left alone in the room, Gu Fu looked completely puzzled, “What happened? Didn’t they like it? That can’t be right, Wangxi loves listening to me play the konghou.”
Lu Zhu didn’t say a word, quietly stepping forward to move the konghou back to the storage room.
Gu Fu, unable to make sense of it, decided not to dwell on it. She stood up, smoothed her dress, and asked Mingzhu, who was holding her head, to check the wardrobe to see if there was anything extra.
Gu Shishi, who had been standing by the wardrobe since entering the room, had turned pale when she heard that Gu Fu was going to play the konghou but had still stayed in the room. She only left when everyone else couldn’t stand it anymore, following them out. Gu Fu couldn’t believe she hadn’t done anything.
Mingzhu rummaged through Gu Fu’s wardrobe and finally found an unfamiliar sachet. Inside the sachet was a love poem, signed by Zhao Juyi.
Gu Fu knew Zhao Juyi because his father had a good relationship with Gu Qizheng. Every year on Laba Festival, the Gu family and the Zhao family would go to Wanyuan Temple to distribute porridge together.
The sachet’s string had been tampered with. It looked fine on the surface, but a few hard shakes would break it. If the maids in Gu Fu’s courtyard didn’t notice and thought the sachet belonged to her, and if Gu Fu casually wore it, the string would break and someone would find it. Gu Fu wouldn’t be able to explain herself no matter how hard she tried.
Gu Fu instructed Mingzhu, “Send it to my father.”
She couldn’t be bothered with such messy affairs.
As the sun rose higher, more and more guests arrived at the Gu residence. Since it was Gu Fu’s birthday, there were no seats for men, only female guests.
Second Madam Li, Mu Qingyao, the girls from the poetry club, and Miss Qi helped Gu Fu entertain the guests, yet it was still almost overwhelming.
“Where’s Gu Shishi?” Gu Fu asked Lu Zhu when she noticed Gu Shishi was nowhere to be seen.
Lü Zhu replied in a low voice, “The master called Fourth Miss and Lady Yang to scold them. Now both are confined to their courtyard, with a nanny watching outside, so they can’t come out.”
That was good enough.
Just as Gu Fu was about to relax, Mingzhu ran up to her again, saying that Miss Wei had an argument with one of the ladies.
As Gu Fu hurried towards the garden, she listened to Mingzhu explain the situation. It turned out that Miss Wei had casually complained while chatting in the garden that the light gauze of the veil covered her entire body, making it a pity that no matter how beautifully she dressed, it couldn’t be seen.
A lady overheard this and scolded Miss Wei for being too showy, even predicting that Miss Wei would become an improper woman in the future. The lady’s harsh words left Miss Wei deeply humiliated and in tears.
Without breaking her stride, Gu Fu instructed Lu Zhu to fetch a veil and a pair of scissors.
Lu Zhu was quick, and by the time Gu Fu reached the garden, she had already brought the veil and scissors.
The garden was filled with people, all maintaining a poised demeanor, but none intervened to mediate the situation.
Miss Wei was surrounded by other girls from the poetry club, but they couldn’t out-argue the lady and could only stand there with red-rimmed eyes, sharing Miss Wei’s anger and embarrassment.
Gu Fu walked past the crowd to stand before them, and, in front of everyone, used the scissors to cut the light gauze of the veil down to half a foot, then placed it on the tear-streaked Miss Wei’s head.
The gauze, which was supposed to cover the entire body, now only reached her shoulders, gently draping down and perfectly concealing Miss Wei’s tearful face.
“This will do,” Gu Fu said calmly. For some reason, Miss Wei’s tears flowed even more upon hearing this.
The lady, displeased with Gu Fu’s actions, remarked, “Going out without covering yourself properly, how disgraceful!”
Gu Fu turned and coldly asked, “What, madam, are you going to accuse me of being an improper woman too?”
The lady’s face turned red with embarrassment—Gu Fu’s engagement was bestowed by the emperor. Criticizing Gu Fu would be like questioning the emperor’s judgment. She dared not, so she muttered quietly, “If you don’t cover yourself, you’ll provoke improper thoughts in others. Isn’t that shameful?”
Miss Qi, who had arrived just a step later, raised her voice upon hearing this, “If someone’s mind is filthy, they can think dirty thoughts even if they see just a bit of wrist. If their mind is pure, they won’t be affected even if you show your arms or legs. Madam, why only scold the young girls here? If you have the courage, go lecture those indecent men on the street as well.”
These words struck a chord with some, while others dismissed them entirely.
For instance, the lady, feeling unafraid of Miss Qi, was about to retort when a servant rushed in, announcing the arrival of Princess Ruiyang.
The ladies observing from the sidelines, fearing the disruption would spoil Gu Fu’s birthday celebration and upset Princess Ruiyang, finally intervened to calm the situation.
Shortly after the feast began, a decree arrived from the palace, a gift from the Empress—a wedding dress for Gu Fu as a birthday present.
Gu Fu was delighted she wouldn’t have to be pressured by Second Madam Li to embroider a wedding dress herself, but her joy was short-lived. Another palace messenger arrived, summoning Gu Fu to an audience with the emperor.
Princess Ruiyang asked the eunuch delivering the decree, “Isn’t there a foreign envoy in the palace today? Why is Father summoning Second Miss Gu?”
The eunuch, not daring to offend Princess Ruiyang, explained everything in detail:
“Your Highness, among the foreign envoys is Princess Yulou, skilled in martial arts from a young age. She has come to challenge our Da Yong warriors. The emperor, concerned about either losing face or winning too easily, remembered that Second Miss Gu is also skilled in martial arts. Hence, he specifically summoned her. Miss Gu, please hurry so as not to keep the emperor waiting.”
The crowd was incredulous—Gu Fu was to duel with a foreign princess?
Everyone turned to look at Gu Fu, who ran to Miss Wei to borrow the veil that only covered the face.
Miss Wei clung to the veil reluctantly, “Remember to return it when you’re back.”
Gu Fu didn’t remind Miss Wei that the veil originally belonged to her family. She simply agreed repeatedly, promising to return it once she came back.
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