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“After Shedding My Armor, I Await Marriage” Chapter 12

"A cold, indifferent gaze that looks at everything as if looking at ants."

After the Xie family left, Gu Qizheng called Gu Fu to follow him to the study.

The Old Madam, partial to Gu Fu, immediately blocked Gu Qizheng. “Why are you calling her over? The one most upset about the broken engagement is Fu’er, and now you want her to apologize to you?”

Gu Qizheng laughed angrily and pointed at Gu Fu. “She’s upset? Mother, she’s probably celebrating inside. Upset? She’s likely thrilled that no man in the world wants her!”

As the center of the argument, Gu Fu glanced at Gu Qizheng and thought: He really is my father, knowing me so well.

The Old Madam, known for yielding to gentleness but not to force, became even more resolute seeing Gu Qizheng raising his voice at her. “The reason the Xie family backed out is that they don’t want a girl who knows martial arts in their household. Our Fu’er is skilled in martial arts, and even if her skills were not exposed during that poetry gathering, living with them day by day would eventually reveal her abilities. Better to make it clear early on rather than have the Xie family accuse our Gu family of deception later.”

Gu Fu applauded her grandmother in her heart. Although her grandmother didn’t know, the Xie family’s claim of “not wanting a martial arts-skilled daughter-in-law” was just an excuse. The real reason was that she had threatened and nearly strangled Xie Zichen, who valued his life dearly.
Gu Qizheng wanted to argue further but was afraid of angering the old madam, so he had to give up and temporarily let Gu Fu off the hook.

Gu Fu, worried that Gu Qizheng might act against her behind her back, stayed with the Old Madam for most of the day and had lunch with her before leaving.

Recently, it hadn’t snowed, and the weather was clear. As Gu Fu walked through her family’s garden, she calculated the days, thinking about when to contact Li Yu and have him help her leave the capital, staging a farewell between brothers.

However, in a few days, it would be the Minor New Year, which meant there would be a grand end-of-year ceremony, and the city’s defenses would be stricter than usual, making it inconvenient to enter or leave the city.

If she chose to leave in the next few days, it might be too rushed, and Li Yu, who was busy with the Imperial Guard, might not have the time. Perhaps it was better to wait until after the New Year.

As Gu Fu pondered, a familiar figure suddenly came into view. Looking closely, she saw it was Gu Shishi.

Gu Shishi had been waiting outside the old madam’s courtyard for a long time, just to confront Gu Fu as she came out. “Did you do it on purpose?”

What did she mean by “did you do it on purpose”? Gu Fu was a bit confused.

Gu Shishi continued, “You purposely caused the Xie family to break off the engagement just to drag me down and make me an old maid too. How could you be so malicious?”

Gu Fu was speechless. She wanted to ask how their Gu family could produce such a brainless fool like Gu Shishi.

Although Gu Fu didn’t want to talk to a fool, she couldn’t resist her nature and replied, “Fourth Sister, are you mistaking me for the Xie family’s ancestor? If I tell them to break off the engagement, they would actually listen to me?”

Gu Shishi argued, “You knew the Xie family doesn’t like girls who can fight, so you deliberately showed off at the poetry gathering, making them not want you anymore.”

Gu Fu put on a look of surprise. “Using Qingyao’s near-drowning as a pretext to ‘show off’? Fourth Sister, are you judging others by your own standards? Then your heart must be even more malicious than I thought.”

Gu Shishi didn’t expect Gu Fu to say that and was both angry and anxious. “I didn’t! You’re making things up! You’re slandering me! I won’t talk to you anymore! After Xie Zichen, there will surely be Wang Zichen, Li Zichen. If you have the guts, make sure you never get married!”

Gu Fu smiled and took a step towards Gu Shishi. Gu Shishi couldn’t help but step back a few steps, then turned sideways to make way.

Gu Fu didn’t stop walking. As she passed Gu Shishi, she whispered, just loud enough for only the two of them to hear, “Let me tell you, Fourth Sister, I really have that ability.”

Gu Shishi widened her eyes, staring at Gu Fu’s departing figure, stammering, “You, you…” for a long time without managing to complete a sentence.

Gu Shishi’s combat prowess was too weak, yet she came to provoke Gu Fu. The result was that Gu Fu remained completely unharmed while Gu Shishi was left stomping her feet in frustration.

After the Minor New Year, the capital became increasingly lively, with many merchants entering the city, hoping to make a profit before the holidays.

One day, Gu Fu accompanied Mu Qingyao to buy rouge. As their carriage passed the entrance of a small alley, Gu Fu smelled a familiar scent of alcohol.

She immediately instructed Nanny Lin, who was traveling with them, to go into the alley to buy some wine. However, considering her current status, Nanny Lin only bought back two small jars.

Upon returning home, Gu Fu eagerly took a sip and found that it was indeed the strong liquor she had once drunk in the northern region—”Huang Sha Tang.”

Gu Fu was puzzled, “How is this northern liquor here?”

Nanny Lin had inquired while buying the wine and knew the reason. “The people who made it are from the northern region.”

Gu Fu, with a sharp instinct, remarked, “Traveling all the way to the capital to sell wine?”

“Not exactly,” Nanny Lin knew quite a bit about this, “they said they came with a northern official returning to the capital to report on his duties. But I suspect this story is half true, half false. It’s possible that the official has no connections in the capital and is short on funds, so he had his household servants come out to sell wine.”

This makes sense now.

Gu Fu had only bought two small jars of wine, so she didn’t dare drink too much. She limited herself to at most two cups a day just to savor the taste.

On New Year’s Eve, every household was brightly lit, with large families gathering to have a feast that was more sumptuous than usual and staying up all night to welcome the new year.

During dinner, Gu Fu received New Year’s money from her grandmother.

After dinner, the palace banquet also concluded. Gu Qizheng returned from the palace, changed out of his court attire, went to pay his respects to the Old Madam, and joined the family in staying up late.

While everyone was watching the fireworks, Gu Qi Zheng quietly told the old madam, “I just came back from the palace and met Marquis Changning on the way.”

The old madam was puzzled, “Isn’t the Marquis Changning’s residence on Xuanyang Street?” Xuanyang Street was not in the same direction as the Gu family.

Moreover, due to the curfew, officials attending the palace banquet would have palace attendants accompany them to avoid any conflict with the patrolling guards. It was rare for someone to trouble the attendants to take a detour to another place before returning home, so it was indeed strange that Gu Qizheng had met the Marquis Changning, who was not on the same route.

Gu Qizheng explained, “Marquis Changning came specifically to find me and asked if Fu’er had any engagement.”

The old madam was startled, “Marquis Changning wants to form a marriage alliance with our family?”

Gu Qizheng replied, “Almost certainly.”

“But haven’t all his sons already been married?” The old madam would never let Gu Fu be a concubine, not even for the Marquis Changning’s family. After all, their Gu Fu was Marquis Zhongshun.

Gu Qizheng had to remind the old madam, “Marquis Changning has a young son named Wen Xi.”

The old madam was stunned and then exclaimed, “That child is younger than Fu’er.”

Because of this, the old madam had previously excluded Wen Xi, the youngest son of Marquis Changning.

Gu Qizheng explained, “From what Marquis Changning said, he wants to find an older girl for his youngest son. He even praised Fu’er for rescuing people at Earl Lin’an’s residence.”

In other words, Marquis Changning didn’t mind finding a daughter-in-law who was older and skilled in martial arts, and it seemed he specifically valued Gu Fu’s qualities.

The Old Madam and Gu Qizheng discussed this quietly, planning to inquire about the character and conduct of the Marquis Changning’s youngest son during the New Year visits.

Gu Fu, with her sharp hearing, overheard the conversation between Gu Qizheng and her grandmother, but she didn’t say anything. She simply drank tea and ate snacks with Mu Qingyao, teasing Gu Shishi whenever she came to provoke her.

Though it was customary to stay up all night on New Year’s Eve, the old madam was too old to stay awake the whole night. So, just after midnight, Gu Qizheng and his brother Gu Qirong escorted her back to her courtyard to rest.

Those who couldn’t stay up included Gu Xiaowu and Gu Fu’s eldest sister-in-law, who was in poor health.

Finally, Gu Qizheng also sent Concubine Yang, Gu Shishi, Mu Qingyao, and Gu Fu to rest.

After leaving, Gu Fu didn’t return to her own Flying Sparrow Pavilion but went to Mu Qingyao’s courtyard.

Gu Fu also asked Nanny Lin to bring her own wine, and she drank heartily.

Mu Qingyao, dressed in her nightwear and reading a book, didn’t ask Gu Fu what was wrong. It wasn’t until Gu Fu finished drinking and wanted to sneak out to buy more wine that Mu Qingyao spoke, telling Gu Fu that the men’s clothes she made for her were in the wardrobe.

Gu Fu changed out of her beautiful dress, removed her hair ornaments, tied her long hair into a neat ponytail, and skillfully climbed over the wall to leave the residence.

She ran along the rooftops, passing several lively households, and finally arrived at the wine shop.

She climbed over the wall and found the shop empty.

There was no one here, but the wine was still present. Gu Fu took the wine and placed the New Year’s money she had just received on the shelf where the wine had originally been.

Afterwards, she jumped back onto the roof, preparing to go home.

Perhaps because she had drunk a small jar of wine before leaving, her mind clouded by the effects of alcohol, Gu Fu looked at the distant Qitian Tower and suddenly felt a stirring desire to act.

Last time, caught unprepared, she had been chased away by the Imperial Preceptor who had the high ground. This time, she would take the initiative; perhaps she could get even for the disadvantage she suffered last time.

No sooner had Gu Fu thought of it than she acted, carrying a large jar of wine as she ran towards Qitian Tower.

The base of Qitian Tower was heavily guarded, showing no signs of laxity, even during the New Year festivities. However, Gu Fu was especially skilled in stealth, having even infiltrated enemy camps before, let alone a place like Qitian Tower.

Thus, without alerting any guards, she successfully slipped inside.

Out of caution, and for convenience, Gu Fu didn’t take the stairs. Instead, she climbed up using the flying eaves on the exterior of the tall tower.

Finally reaching the seventh floor of Qitian Tower, Gu Fu entered and had just put down the wine jar when she heard the sound of an arrow cutting through the air.

As Gu Fu dodged this arrow, she swiftly darted towards the direction from which the arrow had come.

The seventh floor of Qitian Tower was dimly lit, which is why Gu Fu didn’t immediately notice the person standing in the corner. Now that the person had revealed their own position, Gu Fu certainly wouldn’t hold back.

The Sunset Bow fell heavily to the ground. Gu Fu, once the commander of the Northern Border Army, hardly exerted any effort to pin the Imperial Preceptor against the wall corner.

Looking at the white-haired immortal who once looked down on her, now right in front of her, trapped in a dark corner where even the candlelight couldn’t reach, unable to move like a lamb waiting for slaughter, Gu Fu felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction rise within her.

The best part was, even while restrained, the immortal’s appearance remained cold and sharp, his indifferent gaze looking at everything as if observing ants.

His thin lips parted slightly, his voice even colder than the winter wind: “Let go.”

“No,” Gu Fu replied. She was a bit shorter than the Imperial Preceptor, just at the right height to catch the faint medicinal scent from his neck.

Gu Fu had come to ‘settle a score’ and naturally wanted to see him lose his composure and get angry. So she leaned in close, lowering her voice to whisper in his ear with utmost ambiguity: “You smell so good.”


Translator’s notes:

The “minor” New Year mentioned refers to the “Little New Year” (小年, Xiǎonián), also known as the “Preliminary Eve” or “Lesser New Year.” It falls on the 23rd or 24th day of the 12th lunar month, which is a preparatory day before the Lunar New Year (Spring Festival). It involves various traditional activities such as cleaning the house thoroughly, preparing offerings to ancestors, and making festive decorations. It serves as a precursor to the larger celebrations of the Lunar New Year.


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After Shedding My Armor, I Await Marriage

After Shedding My Armor, I Await Marriage

卸甲后我待字闺中 Xiè Jiǎ Hòu Wǒ Dài Zì Guī Zhōng
Score 9.2
Status: Completed Type: Author: Released: 2020 Native Language: Chinese

In the ninth year of Yongqing, General Gu Fu died in Qi Huai. The current emperor posthumously honored him as Marquis Zhongshun.

In the twelfth month of the same year, the second Miss Gu, who had accompanied her grandmother to the mountains to perform Buddhist rites for five years, returned home. The first thing she faced upon arrival was punishment—kneeling in the ancestral hall. In the ancestral hall, the elder of the Gu family scolded her, telling her not to act recklessly in the future and to obediently wait for the elders to arrange a marriage for her. However, she responded with a single sentence that made him storm off in anger. An unaware aunt and younger sister came to visit, seemingly out of concern, but they were actually mocking her. She calmly countered their remarks. Finally, her elder brother arrived. The scholarly eldest son of the Gu family paced back and forth in front of her, eventually blurting out, "The military camp is full of men! Do you know that if word of your disgraceful behavior spreads, it will bring shame to the family's daughters?" Gu Fu finally shed her carefree demeanor and replied seriously, "Defending the country is not a disgrace." Upon hearing that the Gu family wanted to marry off the second Miss Gu, the current emperor immediately sought out the empress, earnestly saying, "I regard the second Miss Gu as my own daughter. I can't let her marry just anyone. If empress has time, perhaps you could help me by looking for suitable candidates for her in the capital." The empress: "..." Understood, Matchmaking 101 it is.
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