Gu Fu spit out a mouthful of tea onto the floor, completely lacking the demeanor of a noble lady, startling Gu Qizheng, who widened his eyes and roared—
“What kind of behavior is this!!”
Gu Fu also wanted to roar back, “Are you really my father? Why are you making things difficult for me?”
Gu Fu put down the teacup, wiped the tea from her mouth with her hand, and asked Gu Qizheng, “Father, did you know that Li Yu once served in the Northern Army?”
Of course, Gu Qizheng knew.
Li Yu was able to become the commander of the Imperial Guards at such a young age, not only because of his capability and background but also because he had made military contributions in the Northern Border. He was one of Gu Fu’s capable subordinates.
Receiving a positive response from Gu Qizheng, Gu Fu was utterly puzzled, “Then why did you find a deputy commander of the Imperial Guards who is on good terms with Li Yu? Aren’t you afraid that Li Yu will recognize me?”
Gu Qizheng had his own reasoning and thoughts: “So what if he recognizes you? He is a close aide to the Emperor and the Empress’s most favored nephew. Even if he recognizes you, does he dare to go around talking about it? His Majesty went to great lengths to protect your secret, even faking your death to bring you back to the capital. Li Yu, if not for himself, would also have to consider the Empress.”
Gu Fu was rarely at a loss for words: “What you say makes so much sense, I can’t argue against it.”
In the end, Gu Qizheng wanted to find a good match for Gu Fu and ensure her future would be peaceful and happy. Whether Gu Fu’s identity would be exposed in front of Li Yu was not his concern, since Li Yu wouldn’t dare to spread it around.
Even in the worst-case scenario, if Li Yu told others that the second daughter of the Gu family was actually General Gu Fu, who had supposedly died in the Northern Border, the Gu family would not need to worry. They wouldn’t even need the Emperor to take action; the patriarch of the Li family could personally declare that Li Yu was insane and everything he said was mad talk, thus protecting the entire Li family and the Empress.
This was the Li family; their success was based on their ability to “know their place.”
Her father was also quite capable, Gu Fu thought.
But Gu Fu would not compromise.
Even if Wu Huaijin’s immediate superior was not Li Yu, Gu Fu still would not marry him. Therefore, as before, Gu Fu would find a way to make Wu Huaijin himself express a reluctance to marry her.
…
The maid who caught Gu Fu at the small gate was surnamed Ma, and she was notorious in the residence for her sharp tongue and cunning mind.
She considered herself the most knowledgeable about the intricacies of the inner court and knew how to please a legitimate daughter like Gu Fu. When delivering flowers, she deliberately placed Aunt Yang and Gu Shishi’s flowers at the end and even chose two damaged flowers to give them.
Aunt Yang smiled and accepted the flowers. After Maid Ma left, she put them in a prominent vase, waiting for Gu Qizheng to come by and see that Gu Fu had sent damaged flowers to humiliate her.
The situation with Gu Shishi, however, was much livelier.
Gu Shishi heard from her maid that Maid Ma had come to deliver flowers, and they were apricot blossoms that Gu Fu had picked from her own estate. She turned to her friends who were visiting and sneered, “See, what did I say? My sister has been away for five years and has forgotten all her manners. She acts like a country bumpkin, going to the estate to pick flowers herself. Clearly, she could have ordered someone to do it, but she insists on doing a servant’s job herself. She’s becoming more and more unpresentable.”
The girls who could get along with Gu Shishi naturally sided with her. Amid their supportive comments, Maid Ma entered with a small bundle of perfect apricot blossoms but handed Gu Shishi a damaged one, shocking her and her friends.
“What do you mean by this?!!” Gu Shishi was furious.
Maid Ma hadn’t expected there to be outsiders in Gu Shishi’s room. Knowing that if this got out, the second miss would be accused of bullying her half-sister, and she herself would be in trouble, she quickly came up with an excuse, “Fourth Miss, please calm down. The remaining flowers are for the Master. We can’t give the good flowers to you and the bad ones to the Master. If others find out, they might misunderstand and think you lack filial piety. What then?”
Gu Shishi didn’t believe Maid Ma’s nonsense. Normally, she would have thrown all the flowers on the ground and stomped them to pieces. But since she had guests, she couldn’t lose her temper and had to swallow her anger.
After Maid Ma left, Gu Shishi’s friends tried to comfort her, praising her for being sensible. They said that Maid Ma must have been lying and joined Gu Shishi in condemning her harsh second sister.
Gu Shishi followed her friends’ lead, but she was still unhappy and couldn’t help but say the worst thing she could think of: “I don’t bother with her. You all know she’s getting older and still hasn’t settled down, so of course, she’s anxious. With nowhere to vent her frustration, she takes it out on me.”
Gu Shishi’s friends exchanged glances, unable to resist their curiosity, and asked her, “Why hasn’t she settled down? In a city full of nobles, does she not like any of them?”
Gu Shishi, intent on belittling Gu Fu, forgot the potential consequences of her words and said unkindly, “She doesn’t like them? More like they don’t like her. Two families backed out before the engagements were finalized. I hear my father found another match for her. Just wait and see; it won’t even get to the engagement this time either.”
…
Gu Fu didn’t know that sending flowers could create such enmity. That evening, she took the remaining flowers to the Qitian Tower, intending to give them to Fu Yan to cheer him up and make amends.
The result was positive; at least Fu Yan didn’t send her away early like he did the previous night.
“Hey, am I missing a piece of my music score?” Gu Fu asked Fu Yan.
Fu Yan’s expression remained unchanged, “You must be mistaken.”
“Really?” Gu Fu was skeptical. The young attendant serving tea sped up, quickly placing the tea down and retreating, afraid Gu Fu would notice that he, under the Imperial Preceptor’s orders, had hidden the deadly new music score.
Unable to find the new score she was practicing, Gu Fu didn’t play the konghou. Instead, she found a spot with a good view and used Fu Yan’s “Thousand-Mile Eye” to look down.
The “Thousand-Mile Eye” was a product of the military workshop. It appeared as an unremarkable cylinder but was capable of seeing great distances. It was an essential tool for scouts, so former scout Gu Fu was familiar with it.
However, she was still curious about the Imperial Preceptor’s Thousand-Mile Eye because it was different from the ones she had used.
The ones she had used were just covered with a layer of copper, but the Grandmaster’s was gilded, wrapped in deerskin, and inlaid with several circles of gems, making it very unique.
But there was no difference in function. After a while, she got bored, put down the Thousand-Mile Eye, and quietly leaned on the railing, lost in thought.
Fu Yan was initially pleased that he didn’t have to listen to Gu Fu play the konghou. But it didn’t take long for him to start feeling like something was missing, making him somewhat uncomfortable.
This kind of “unaccustomed” feeling made it difficult for him to concentrate. He would occasionally look up and glance at Gu Fu.
Gu Fu noticed Fu Yan’s unusual behavior and leaned against the railing to ask him, “Why do you keep looking at me?”
Fu Yan put down the pen in his hand, “Why aren’t you playing the konghou?”
Gu Fu straightened up, “Do you want to hear it?”
Fu Yan hesitated for a moment before finally nodding, “Yes.”
Gu Fu immediately stood up, went to the konghou, and played her most practiced piece.
The sound of the konghou was clear and crisp. Whether it was because he had gotten used to it or because, in contrast to the torment of the new piece from the previous night, it sounded beautiful, Fu Yan suddenly felt that Gu Fu’s konghou playing wasn’t… that bad.
Accompanied by the sound of the konghou, Fu Yan lowered his head and continued his work.
The stack of reports on his desk was as tall as a small mountain. He would review and make decisions on them before sending them to the Emperor.
Fu Yan opened a red report that mentioned the Gu family hosting the Wu family from Dongqiao in two days.
Gu Fu was Fu Yan’s remedy, so naturally, her marriage was of utmost importance to him. Therefore, he had taken it upon himself to elevate the secret reports regarding Gu Fu’s marriage to a high priority and would withhold them from being sent to the Emperor.
After reading the report about Gu Fu, he cut a piece of paper and wrote a line on it.
When Gu Fu left, Fu Yan had the young attendant send this note to the spy embedded in the Wu family of Dongqiao.
Though the Wu family of Dongqiao wasn’t a prominent family, Wu Huaijin was the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards. For this reason alone, the Secret Cabinet wouldn’t relax its surveillance of the Wu family.
The note reached the hands of Madam Wu’s trusted nanny early the next morning. The nanny read it discreetly and then burned it before returning to the main courtyard to attend to Madam Wu’s dressing and breakfast.
After breakfast, Madam Wu was choosing the clothes she would wear for the visit to the Gu family the next day. The old maid hesitated, successfully drawing Madam Wu’s attention.
“Is Yan’er causing trouble again?” The Wu family had always been thin on heirs. Master Wu had no siblings, and Madam Wu had only given birth to one son, Wu Huaijin. A concubine had given birth to a daughter, Wu Yan, over a decade ago, but whether due to congenital issues or something else, Wu Yan had an unusual temperament and often caused trouble.
The nanny dismissed the other servants in the room and bent down to whisper in Madam Wu’s ear, “It’s not about Miss Yan; it’s about the Gu family.”
Madam Wu’s eyebrows twitched. “The Gu family? What’s wrong with the Gu family?”
The nanny said, “Madam, do you remember that the second daughter of the Gu family accompanied the old matriarch to the Zuowang Mountain for five years to practice Buddhism?”
Of course, Madam Wu remembered. If not for this, she wouldn’t have chosen the second daughter of the Gu family.
Given the strange circumstances of the Wu family’s single lineage and Wu Yan’s peculiar behavior, Madam Wu feared something evil was plaguing her family, preventing it from thriving. So she selected Gu Fu, who had spent five years at a temple, believing that the second daughter, cleansed by Buddhist practices, could suppress the family’s misfortune.
However, the nanny informed Madam Wu, “I’ve heard that the second daughter of the Gu family went to Zuowang Mountain because a high monk predicted that her fate was ill and that she needed to cleanse herself at a Buddhist place to change her destiny.”
Madam Wu was astonished, “Is this true?”
The nanny continued, “Madam, think about it. If it wasn’t absolutely necessary, who would let their daughter go to a temple and practice Buddhism for five years, wasting her prime years and making it difficult to arrange a marriage now?”
Madam Wu speculated, “What if it was just because her elders didn’t like her and did it on purpose…”
The nanny emphasized, “Madam, the old matriarch of the Gu family, accompanied the second daughter for the entire five years without returning home. How could this be a deliberate attempt to mistreat her? Clearly, the elders were deeply concerned and had no choice but to resort to this extreme measure.”
Madam Wu sprang to her feet and paced back and forth several times before stopping. “But since her fate has already been changed, it should be fine, right?”
The nanny sighed, “For ordinary families, marrying her wouldn’t be a problem, but for our family…”
Madam Wu followed the old maid’s train of thought and grew increasingly uneasy. Finally, she slammed her hand on the table. “No, this marriage cannot go through. Tomorrow, I’ll go to the Gu family first, and when I return, I’ll talk to my husband and have him cancel this arrangement.”
Madam Wu was so anxious that she didn’t notice an extra carriage behind her when she left the next day. It wasn’t until she arrived at the Gu family residence that she realized Wu Yan had secretly followed in that extra carriage.
At her wit’s end, Madam Wu nearly screamed, “What are you doing here?”
Wu Yan hid behind her brother, Wu Huaijin, looking everywhere except at her stepmother, fully displaying her eccentric temperament.
The Old Madam and Gu Qizheng were there to receive the Wu family. Since Wu Yan had come along, the Old Madam sent the young girl to the back to play with Gu Fu.
Madam Wu was worried but couldn’t say anything, so she watched as Wu Yan was taken away.
As the elders conversed, the Old Madam noticed a hint of unease in Madam Wu’s demeanor—it seemed Madam Wu wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about this marriage proposal?
While the old matriarch grew suspicious, Gu Fu, looking at the much younger Wu Yan, felt a bit troubled. “How about we go play in the garden?”
Wu Yan didn’t speak but nodded, her large round eyes staring unblinkingly at Gu Fu, which was somewhat unsettling.
However, Gu Fu didn’t mind—being stared at by a little girl was nothing compared to being stared at by fallen comrades whose eyes remained open even after death. That was a true nightmare—terrifying and painful.
Gu Fu led Wu Yan to the garden, which was quite pleasant as the weather warmed up.
She sent Mingzhu to the kitchen to fetch some snacks to be taken to the pavilion by the lake, but when she turned around, Wu Yan was nowhere to be seen.
The Wu family’s maid was frantic, but Gu Fu calmly reassured her. Wu Yan couldn’t leave the Gu residence; they just needed to ensure she didn’t fall into the water.
Gu Fu then dispatched the other maids to help the Wu family’s maid look for Wu Yan and also stationed people by the lake to prevent the little girl from accidentally falling in.
After all these arrangements, only Nanny Lin remained by Gu Fu’s side.
Gu Fu waited in the garden for a while, but when the usual distant gaze didn’t come, she asked Nanny Lin, “Why hasn’t Wu Huaijin come?”
Nanny Lin, more familiar with the customs of prominent families, replied, “Although it is customary for the couple to see each other from a distance before the engagement, it is not mandatory. Some even get engaged without knowing each other’s appearance.”
Gu Fu was surprised, “Is that so?”
Nanny Lin chuckled, “General, you really don’t know much about these things.”
After thinking for a moment, Gu Fu instructed her, “Go to the third young master’s place and tell him to bring Wu Huaijin to the garden. Tell him that if he agrees, I’ll find a way to get the Sunset Bow back and let him see it.”
Nanny Lin was astonished, “Just to see it? That’s quite stingy.”
Gu Fu clicked her tongue, “You don’t understand.”
The Sunset Bow wasn’t hers, and whether she could borrow it for Gu Zhu to see was still uncertain. Even if the bow was hers, she wouldn’t dare give it to Gu Zhu, as it could cause trouble in the hands of anyone other than the Imperial Preceptor.
Moreover, Gu Zhu would be so excited for days without sleep just by having an arrow from the Sunset Bow. If he got the actual bow, he might go insane. Gu Fu was doing this to protect her brother’s mental and physical well-being.
“Blaming others for not knowing what you won’t tell them, you’re no different from those stubborn men,” Nanny Lin muttered, pouting as she swayed her hips and headed towards Gu Zhu’s courtyard.
Gu Fu waited a long time under the covered walkway by the garden until she finally saw Gu Zhu and Wu Huaijin approaching.
Gu Zhu was leading, his face pale as if he had been severely tormented.
Wu Huaijin followed behind. Despite his refined name, Wu Huaijin was strong and imposing due to his martial arts training. However, he looked bewildered, clearly not understanding why the third young master of the Gu family, whom he had never met, had called him out.
Seeing Gu Fu, Gu Zhu almost burst into tears. “Second sister, you must, you must bring the bow.”
He had never worked so hard in his life, and if he couldn’t at least see the Sunset Bow, he felt he might as well find a rope and hang himself in front of his second sister.
Gu Fu reached out and patted his head. “Alright, alright, I will definitely bring it for you.”
If Fu Yan refused to lend her the Sunset Bow, she would take Gu Zhu directly to Qitian Tower. She couldn’t let such a good child suffer.
After comforting the pitiful Gu Zhu, Gu Fu turned her attention to Wu Huaijin.
Wu Huaijin deduced Gu Fu’s identity from Gu Zhu’s address. He stepped back before saluting Gu Fu, “Second Miss Gu.”
“Young Master Wu,” Gu Fu returned the salute somewhat clumsily and got straight to the point, “I rudely called you here because I don’t wish to get engaged to you. I hope you can help by rejecting this marriage proposal.”
Wu Huaijin was stunned, as was Gu Zhu. He hadn’t expected his second sister to summon Wu Huaijin just to say this.
The air grew tense, with a cold breeze blowing through the corridor, raising goosebumps on Gu Zhu’s arm.
Wu Huaijin regained his composure and asked, “I would never force you, Miss Gu, but I’m curious—why don’t you want to get engaged to me? Have you heard something about me?”
Wu Huaijin asked this out of concern that someone might be spreading rumors about his family.
Gu Fu shook her head. “It’s my own reasons. If you agree to this, I promise to repay the favor in the future.”
Seeing that Gu Fu seemed sincere, Wu Huaijin sighed in relief and replied, “This is no great favor, and besides, I wasn’t particularly keen on marrying you either.”
Realizing his words might come off as rude, Wu Huaijin quickly clarified, “It’s not that there’s anything wrong with you. It’s me. I was once engaged, but the girl I was betrothed to couldn’t go against her family and had to break off the engagement. However, she still has feelings for me. Her husband passed away last year, and she wrote me a letter, so I want…”
Wu Huaijin kept talking until he finally stopped, his face flushed with embarrassment. However, Gu Fu neither asked further questions nor showed any unusual reaction. Instead, she smiled genuinely, feeling relieved, “Then I’m relieved.”
Things turned out to be even smoother than she had imagined. Wu Huaijin still remembered his former fiancée and didn’t mind that she had been married once. He wanted to marry her now that she was widowed. Such a devoted and honorable man deserved happiness.
Wu Huaijin was somewhat surprised by Gu Fu’s reaction. He had asked his parents and sought opinions from friends and colleagues, none of whom were optimistic. Some, though not discouraging him, had suggested he take his former fiancée as a concubine, as Wu Huaijin had never been married, and she was a widow, not comparable to an unmarried girl.
Now, being affirmed by someone felt different, and Wu Huaijin felt a sense of comfort he had never experienced before. The smile on Gu Fu’s face lingered in his mind.
After bidding farewell to Gu Fu, Wu Huaijin turned to head back to the main hall. Gu Zhu, disliking interactions with strangers, had already slipped away, leaving Wu Huaijin to navigate alone. As he walked, he realized he had gotten lost in someone else’s house.
Wu Huaijin wanted to ask a servant for directions, but all the maids had been sent by Gu Fu to look for his sister, so he encountered no one. He had no choice but to continue wandering aimlessly, which led him back to the garden, and eventually near the lakeside pavilion…
Meanwhile, the maids and old servants finally found the wandering Wu Yan. To prevent her from getting lost again, Gu Fu held Wu Yan’s hand and led her to the lakeside pavilion for some refreshments.
The view from the lakeside pavilion was beautiful, with the spire of the Qitian Tower visible in the distance. Wu Yan held a piece of cake in each hand, took a bite from the left, then the right, and finally tossed both pieces onto the table.
Seeing this, Gu Fu asked, “Don’t you like it?”
Wu Yan didn’t answer but instead wriggled around, looking everywhere until she spotted the Qitian Tower. She pointed and exclaimed, “So tall!”
Gu Fu followed Wu Yan’s gaze to the Qitian Tower, and thinking of the person living there, she couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, very tall,” she said, remembering the heavenly person residing there.
Just then, Wu Huaijin, who had gotten lost and wandered nearby, witnessed this scene. His heart skipped a beat and then started pounding rapidly.
—Her eyes sparkled.
If you enjoy my translations, you can consider supporting me on ko-fi! Thank you!
Release schedule: Every Monday.
Unlock chapters to read ahead!