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“After Shedding My Armor, I Await Marriage” Chapter 60

"I also gave her a jade pendant."

With such a large quantity of gunpowder, Prince Ying’s intentions were clear. The question now was: when would he choose to use this stockpile?

Gu Fu’s mind raced. “The Winter Hunt?”

According to ancestral customs, every year in the winter month, the Emperor, along with the princes and ministers, must go to the Xishan hunting grounds. If Prince Ying wanted to use the gunpowder soon, that would likely be the time.

By this time, Yi Hua had already brought the carriage to them. Fu Yan helped Gu Fu onto the carriage and replied, “Most likely.”

As the curtain fell, Yi Hua directed the carriage back to Prince An’s residence. Gu Fu knew that Fu Yan didn’t want the people from the Secret Pavilion—like Yi Hua, who was driving the carriage—to notice anything, so she didn’t say anything further. Instead, she started to undo her belt, preparing to change back into her clothes.

This time, Fu Yan was smarter. As soon as Gu Fu began untying her belt, he turned away.

Seeing Fu Yan turn around, Gu Fu finally realized something. She stopped untying her belt and leaned into Fu Yan’s back, hugging him and softly asking, “Are you embarrassed?”

Fu Yan didn’t turn to look at Gu Fu, but she could see his ears gradually turning red. She leaned in closer, taking his earlobe into her mouth.

Fu Yan’s eyelashes trembled slightly. He neither responded nor resisted, which only encouraged Gu Fu. Her hands began to roam freely over Fu Yan’s body, her lips sliding down to his neck, where she sucked and nibbled, leaving behind a trail of dark marks.

“Mm…”

It was supposed to be Gu Fu changing clothes, but soon enough, Fu Yan was the one nearly stripped by Gu Fu. The confined space grew increasingly stifling, filled with the sound of rustling clothes and increasingly erratic breathing. Fu Yan’s fingers interlocked with Gu Fu’s on one hand, while the other pressed against the carriage wall, his knuckles turning white from the pressure…

What interrupted them before they could go any further was Yi Hua’s extremely loud and deliberate cough.

Fu Yan: “…”

Gu Fu: “…Tsk.”

Mu Qingyao held the sleeping Gu Xiaowu in her arms and waited until all the other young ladies had emerged from the maze, yet there was still no sign of Gu Fu. Growing increasingly concerned, she was just about to inquire when Lu Zhu approached her, saying, “Miss Mu, my lady is still with the old Dowager Consort and can’t leave just yet. She asks if you could continue looking after Miss Wu for a while longer. If the gathering ends and my lady still hasn’t returned, she may have to trouble you to take Miss Xiaowu to Master and the Third Young Master.”

Mu Qingyao nodded in agreement. “Alright.”

Afterward, Mu Qingyao stayed with Gu Xiaowu and the other young ladies. When the banquet concluded and Gu Fu had still not returned, Mu Qingyao gently woke Gu Xiaowu and led her, still drowsy, to find Gu Qizheng and Gu Zhu.

As the guests were leaving, men and women from different families converged from the separate male and female seats into the central courtyard. The heir to Prince An, Wen Qize, and his younger brother were assisting their parents in seeing the guests off.

Mu Qingyao looked around for Gu Qizheng and Gu Zhu but instead spotted Lady Wu Xiao and Mu Baidi first.

“Mother! Sister is over there!” Mu Baidi tugged at Lady Wu Xiao’s sleeve.

Lady Wu Xiao was engaged in conversation with several newly acquainted ladies. Hearing this, she turned to see Mu Qingyao and waved at her.

Mu Qingyao had no choice but to take Gu Xiaowu over to greet them.

Mu Qingyao was just contemplating how to handle the situation if Lady Wu Xiao reverted to her old ways and publicly criticized her in front of so many people when she heard Mu Baidi’s delicate voice say to Lady Wu Xiao, “Mother! I just saw Sister in the garden with lots of older brothers!”

These words were inappropriate, and immediately, one of the young ladies accompanying Mu Qingyao rebuked Mu Baidi:

“What nonsense are you spouting!”

“Exactly! Mu Qingyao has been with us the whole time!”

Mu Baidi responded crisply, “But I saw it. You all left Sister to play in the maze, and Sister was with a lot of older brothers, along with the little sister from the Gu family!”

The young ladies then remembered that they had indeed been separated from Mu Qingyao for a short time. But given the current situation, they were determined not to admit it.

Even Mu Qingyao defended herself, “I did not…”

Lady Wu Xiao interrupted her softly, “Alright, alright, whatever it is, we’ll talk about it at home.”

Her tone carried an untimely reproach, as if she wasn’t surprised by Mu Qingyao’s supposed behavior, implicitly accepting that Mu Qingyao was indeed a wanton girl who would mix with various men.

A surge of anger caused Mu Qingyao’s breathing to quicken, and the gazes from all around made her chest feel as though it might burst open.

A buzzing filled her ears. It was as if she heard people whispering about her, saying they never expected her to be like this, but perhaps it was just the hallucination brought on by her rage. Yet one thing was certain—once she left this gate, the rumors would spread, and her reputation would be utterly ruined.

Mu Qingyao’s body began to tremble, and her vision started to darken at the edges. She wanted to say something—anything. She couldn’t let herself be destroyed like this; she absolutely couldn’t…

“She was with me at that time.” A familiar voice, like a heavenly sound, cut through the tension.

Mu Qingyao and the others turned to see the heir to Prince An, Wen Qize, walking towards them with his brother, cutting through the crowd.

Unlike the previous times, Wen Qize appeared different this time—his face was stern and intimidating. After stopping, he addressed Lady Wu Xiao and everyone present, saying, “My mother had already proposed a marriage alliance between our families. Today was merely an opportunity for me to meet the second Miss of the Mu family. However, I foolishly stopped her when I saw that she was busy taking care of the little girl from the Gu family and wasn’t with the other ladies. We spoke for a while in the lakeside pavilion in the garden. At that time, besides the two of us, the second Miss of the Gu family was also present, and she can testify.”

Wen Qize, concerned that the idea of a “chance encounter” might seem too coincidental and uncertain of how long it had been before Mu Qingyao rejoined the other ladies after he left, decided to take full responsibility for the situation. It is common for potential couples to meet privately during marriage negotiations. He admitted that it was improper of him to hold Mu Qingyao back for so long, thereby proving that Mu Qingyao had not interacted with any other men.

Lady Wu Xiao’s expression turned peculiar as she smirked slightly. “Who doesn’t know that the second Miss of the Gu family and Qingyao have been close since childhood? Naturally, she would side with Qingyao. There’s no need for you, Your Highness, to say such things to cover for my daughter, lest it tarnishes the reputation of your family.”

Wen Qize coldly interrupted her, “I also gave her a jade pendant.”

He then looked at Mu Qingyao, who met his gaze with a moment of surprise before retrieving the jade pendant that Wen Qize had given her as an apology during their encounter at the lakeside pavilion.

Mu Qingyao hadn’t intended to use this pendant to ask Wen Qize for anything. She had simply taken it out of frustration at his impeccable timing, planning to return it at some point. However, she hadn’t expected that this jade pendant would prove so useful at this critical moment.

As Mu Qingyao opened her hand to reveal the pendant in her palm, Wen Qize’s younger brother exclaimed, “Isn’t that the pendant our grandmother gave to my brother?”

Mu Qingyao’s hand trembled slightly.

The grandmother of Wen Qize—the old Dowager Consort.

A jade pendant with such an origin was certainly not something to be given away lightly.

Wen Qize himself had mixed feelings. He had chosen this particular pendant because he feared breaking it; he usually kept it in his pouch and rarely showed it to anyone outside his family. This way, even if it appeared in Mu Qingyao’s possession, it wouldn’t attract gossip. However, due to the special significance of the pendant, it inadvertently confirmed the lie that they were indeed discussing marriage.

With Wen Qize’s testimony, Mu Qingyao’s situation wasn’t as dire, but it wasn’t enough to completely silence the rumors. Words alone wouldn’t be sufficient to quell the gossip.

Mu Qingyao’s other hand hung by her side, clutching her dress tightly—she had to save herself. The heir of Crown Prince An had already helped her this much; she needed to completely extricate herself from this situation.

Swallowing hard, Mu Qingyao felt her dry throat ache, but she endured the pain and asked Mu Baidi, “Who taught you to say those things?”

Mu Baidi hadn’t expected Mu Qingyao to suddenly turn the tables on her. Seeing everyone’s eyes shift toward her, she panicked and instinctively looked toward Lady Wu Xiao for help.

Lady Wu Xiao quickly pulled Mu Baidi behind her, smiling as she said, “She’s just a child; she doesn’t understand much. She simply said what she saw.”

Mu Qingyao pressed on, “Then tell her to describe exactly who those ‘older brothers’ were. If she doesn’t recognize them, let her point them out one by one! If she can’t, surely you, Xiaoniang, can recognize them? I don’t believe you would let her wander the garden alone. Bring those people here, one by one, and let’s see where they were and who can vouch for them! My conscience is clear! Xiaoniang, do you dare?”

Lady Wu Xiao hesitated, responding with difficulty, “This kind of thing, offending people, isn’t something that should be aired in public.”

Mu Qingyao bit down on her lip hard enough to taste blood. She stared at Lady Wu Xiao, struggling to understand why someone could have such a blackened heart, and what Lady Wu Xiao hoped to gain by doing this.

Since that’s the case, then let’s all perish together—Mu Qingyao had never been so angry before. At this moment, her mind was filled with the thought of mutual destruction.

However, before she could speak, Gu Fu’s voice suddenly sounded from behind, “Then let’s talk about something that can be brought to light: which family wouldn’t want their daughter to remain pure? Why is it that Madam Mu insists on dragging Mu’er through the mud? Is it because Mu’er isn’t your own daughter?”

Gu Fu’s words were blunt and sharp, but she wasn’t finished. She walked up to Mu Qingyao, glanced around the crowd, and pointed out a lady standing nearby, raising her voice, “Is that Lady Liu from Fude Street?”

The mentioned Lady Liu was taken aback, almost not reacting in time, but she still managed to smile at Gu Fu, “Is there something Gu’err has to ask of me?”

Gu Fu replied, “Nothing much, just wanted to ask if you recall anything from the last time you hosted a wedding banquet, where Madam Mu also attended?”

Lady Liu appeared to be recalling the event, but in reality, she was weighing her options. It didn’t take long for her to make a decision, considering one side was the wife of the great general of the northwest, and the other was the future wife of the national teacher, and the person who might also become the Heir of Crown Prince An’s wife—it wasn’t a hard choice.

“I do remember something odd,” she said, dragging other ladies into it as well, “I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Everyone there that day heard it. I merely complimented Mu’er, and Madam Mu said she wasn’t worth praising, saying many unpleasant things.”

Another lady beside Lady Liu added, “Now that you mention it, it is indeed strange. Mu’er has been a good friend of my daughter for many years and often visits our house. Over the years, both my daughter and I have found Mu’er to be a good person. It’s odd that Madam Mu, having just returned to the capital, can see something wrong with Mu’er.”

With these two leading the way, others who had been hesitant began to speak up in defense of Mu Qingyao.

Mu Qingyao hadn’t spent the past decade in the capital for nothing. Though she had a cold temperament and was somewhat obsessive about cleanliness, she had always tried to play the role of a proper lady, pleasing everyone. As a result, she had accumulated a lot of goodwill, with many willing to speak a fair word for her.

Even those who weren’t close to Mu Qingyao were horrified by Lady Wu Xiao’s disregard for her stepdaughter’s reputation, fearing that such a thing might happen to them or their children. They too spoke in favor of Mu Qingyao.

Hearing this, Mu Qingyao knew she had narrowly escaped disaster. Tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over uncontrollably.

Not fully understanding what had happened, little Gu Xiao Wu quickly took out her small handkerchief and stood on her tiptoes, trying to hand it to Mu Qingyao.

At the same time, Wen Qize also pulled out his handkerchief, but given his height, his handkerchief was above Gu Xiaowu’s, causing the little girl to pout in displeasure, though she didn’t dare say anything.

Mu Qingyao was crying so hard that she didn’t even notice that two people had offered her a handkerchief at the same time. It was Gu Fu who took Gu Xiaowu’s handkerchief and placed it into Mu Qingyao’s hand.

Wen Qize quietly retracted his handkerchief and looked down to see Gu Xiaowu staring up at him, her little face showing a hint of smugness.

Wen Qize: “…”

Meanwhile, Lady Wu Xiao, who had become the target of everyone’s anger, had completely lost her composure. She grabbed the now wailing Mu Baidi and tried to leave.

At that moment, Mu Heng arrived, having received word of the situation. Accompanying him were the Prince and Princess of An, who had been seeing him off, as well as Gu Qizheng and Gu Zhu, who had been with him the whole time.

On his way, Mu Heng had already heard about what had transpired. Wanting to avoid becoming a spectacle, he intended to take Lady Wu Xiao and Mu Qingyao back home first, planning to discipline Mu Baidi and Mu Qingyao once they returned.

As for Lady Wu Xiao, Mu Heng didn’t believe she would have taught Mu Baidi to say those things to slander Mu Qingyao. In his eyes, Lady Wu Xiao was innocent; he merely thought Mu Baidi had made some mistake due to her young age, and Mu Qingyao shouldn’t have blamed Lady Wu Xiao, making it seem like she was deliberately trying to harm her stepdaughter.

Seeing that Mu Heng had no intention of reprimanding Lady Wu Xiao and even seemed to pity her, Gu Fu held onto Mu Qingyao and said, “Grandmother misses you. Come home and stay with us for a few days.”

Gu Xiao Wu, emboldened, chimed in loudly, “And my mother too! My mother misses Sister! Sister, come home! Come home and play with Xiao Wu!”

If it were an ordinary junior from the Gu family, Mu Heng would have undoubtedly ignored them and simply taken Mu Qingyao away. However, it was Gu Fu—once the commander of the northern border—who spoke, so Mu Heng’s demeanor reflected a somewhat unnatural respect. “There’s no need for that,” Mu Heng replied. “Qingyao will return home with me today. She can visit the Gu family another day…”

But before he could finish, Gu Qizheng interrupted him, his expression dark with displeasure. Clearly, he was deeply upset about how Mu Qingyao had been treated. Despite the politeness of his words, he couldn’t entirely mask the anger in his tone. “There’s no need to be so formal, Mu Heng. Qingyao grew up in my family, and she and Fu’er are as close as sisters. I’ve always regarded her as one of my own. Asking her to stay at her own home for a few days is hardly an imposition.”

Gu Qizheng’s words made it clear that he considered the Gu residence to be Mu Qingyao’s home just as much as her current one, and he wasn’t going to let her be taken away so easily, especially after what had happened.


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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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