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“After Shedding My Armor, I Await Marriage” Chapter 8

"This kind of affection really makes me sick"

On that day, after returning from Jinchanxuan restaurant, Gu Fu was dressed neatly and taken to meet Xie Zichen’s parents.

People of that time were particularly reserved about matters of marriage. As long as the birth charts hadn’t been exchanged, even if both parties were well aware, they would never mention it openly.

So, when Mr. and Mrs. Xie met Gu Fu, they merely praised her a few times without overtly indicating whether they were satisfied with her or not.

Not long after, Nanny Wei went out for a moment. Upon her return, the Old Madam sent Gu Fu to play in the garden.

Gu Fu didn’t know exactly what the process of meeting a prospective family was like. When she went to the garden and saw Xie Zichen from afar, she finally realized that both families wanted them to see each other.

Gu Fu asked Nanny Wei, who had accompanied her: “Can I go over there?”

She wanted to go over and clarify things with Xie Zichen, encourage him to pursue his own love, and not waste time on her. Unexpectedly, when Nanny Wei heard Gu Fu’s words, she actually laughed out loud: “My dear girl, your marriage hasn’t been settled yet. How could you meet privately?”

Gu Fu thought to herself: It would be too late if it’s really settled.

Gu Fu could ignore Gu Shishi, but she couldn’t neglect to consider Fifth Sister Gu Xiaowu, who was still young. Once the engagement was settled, this marriage would be announced to relatives and friends. If they were to break off the engagement after that, it would inevitably affect the unmarried girls in the family.

So she couldn’t wait until after the engagement was settled.

Under Nanny Wei’s watchful eye, Gu Fu couldn’t go talk to Xie Zichen. However, she noticed Xie Zichen’s calm expression, which clearly showed he had no particular feelings for her. This relieved Gu Fu considerably, and she thought that perhaps Xie Zichen would ask his parents to refuse this marriage as soon as he got home.

The result was beyond Gu Fu’s expectations. The day after the Xie family left, Gu Fu actually overheard the Old Madam discussing the date for the engagement with the Second Madam.

Gu Fu was stunned for a moment, then immediately ran to find Mu Qingyao.

On the morning after Gu Fu’s night investigation, she had told Mu Qingyao that Xie Zichen had someone he loved, and that this marriage would definitely not happen, so she didn’t need to worry about it.

Who knew the slap in the face would come so quickly.

When Gu Fu arrived at Mu Qingyao’s place, she dismissed the maids serving in the room and then said to Mu Qingyao, “I need to know who Xie Zichen’s love interest really is.”

Xie Zichen could even ignore the maid who deliberately tried to seduce him, showing he was a person of strong will. Such a person was unlikely to be fickle in love, unless that girl was already married or no longer in this world. If that were the case, she might need to use some tricks to sabotage this marriage.

Mu Qingyao, who was doing needlework, asked upon hearing this: “Do you have a portrait? If she’s from a prominent family in the capital, I might be able to recognize her.”

Gu Fu didn’t have a portrait in hand, but she remembered the appearance of the woman in the painting and could draw it from memory.

Gu Fu walked to the table, spread out paper, and prepared the ink.

Mu Qingyao also put down her needlework and came to the table.

After Gu Fu finished drawing, Mu Qingyao said: “Your drawing has improved from before.”

Gu Fu had never been fond of scholarly pursuits since childhood and was particularly poor at painting. How strange that after returning from the army, she could now draw.

“With more practice, one naturally improves,” Gu Fu smiled, remembering the days when she was surrounded by people asking her to draw in the army.

Compared to ladies raised in the inner chambers, Gu Fu was truly poor at drawing anything. But to the rough men in the army, her subpar drawing skills were comparable to those of a master painter.

Initially, as a scout, she often had to spy on enemy troops. She would observe the enemy camp’s defenses or the appearance of enemy generals from high vantage points, then sketch them out. Her drawings were passable, and unlike the aloof military scribes, she was approachable. So, homesick soldiers would often come to her, asking her to draw their parents, wives, children, lovers, watchdogs, or hometown scenery.

Although Gu Fu found it troublesome, she would help draw a few sketches during her off-duty hours when she had nothing else to do. There would always be a large crowd surrounding her, with one person describing while the rest either watched for entertainment or queued up impatiently. Everyone would chime in with comments, laughing, cursing, and arguing, giving Gu Fu a splitting headache.

Later, during a battlefield cleanup, she removed armor from a fallen comrade and saw a family portrait kept close to his heart…

Gu Fu’s smile faded. Mu Qingyao noticed the change in Gu Fu’s mood and didn’t press further. Instead, she picked up the portrait and examined it carefully.

After a moment, Mu Qingyao uttered a name: “Tang Mumu.”

Gu Fu didn’t react immediately: “Who?”

Mu Qingyao: “The seventh concubine-born daughter of Earl Lin’an.”

Gu Fu looked incredulous: “You’re too impressive.”

Mu Qingyao shook her head: “It’s not that I’m impressive, but among the people I dislike, she ranks at the top. Of course I’d recognize her.”

Gu Fu hadn’t expected this.

Mu Qingyao continued: “If it’s her, I understand why Xie Zichen, despite liking her, would still agree to marry you.”

Gu Fu was curious: “Why? Is this Tang Mumu already engaged?”

Mu Qingyao, in the most calm and indifferent tone, said the most disparaging words about a person: “She’s not engaged, but she always manages to wrap men around her finger. If it were just that, I might even praise her for her skill. After all, if men can philander, why can’t women? The problem is she’s indiscriminate and doesn’t spare even married men. Men who are interested in her are often charmed into keeping her in their hearts, yet still marry others as arranged by their families, to avoid troubling her or damaging her reputation. This kind of affection truly makes me sick.”

Gu Fu learned something new and asked curiously: “What does she gain from this?”

Mu Qingyao: “Who knows what she’s after.”

Although Mu Qingyao said this, she had many guesses in her mind. However, these were just speculations and couldn’t be stated as facts. Moreover, it concerned a woman’s reputation. No matter how much she disliked Tang Mumu, she couldn’t casually ruin someone’s reputation, so she didn’t voice her thoughts.

Having confirmed the identity of the woman in the drawing, a new problem arose – if Xie Zichen was marrying for Tang Mumu’s sake, how could Gu Fu persuade him to change his mind?

Mu Qingyao: “Just tell the Old Madam directly. Say you heard the information from someone else. The Old Madam dotes on you; she surely won’t marry you off in such a confused situation.”

“How can we be sure of information we’ve just heard? Unless we show grandmother all the paintings Xie Zichen drew. And then there’s aunt…” Gu Fu sighed.

Gu Fu wasn’t a fool. She could naturally see that Second Madam Li particularly cared about others’ opinions of her and wanted to do everything flawlessly. If Madam Li found out there was a problem with the husband she had chosen for Gu Fu, she would surely die of shame.

It wasn’t right for Madam Li to bear the consequences of Xie Zichen’s mistake.

After careful consideration, Gu Fu finally made a decision –

“I need to see him and clarify things face to face,” Gu Fu said. She didn’t believe Xie Zichen would be shameless enough to still insist on marrying her after she exposed the secret in his heart.

Mu Qingyao: “That’s easy. I know the fifth young lady of the Marquis of Lin’an’s family. We can ask her to host a poetry gathering and send an invitation to the Xie family.”

Gu Fu: “Are you sure?”

With the imperial examinations approaching, Xie Zichen might not attend such a social gathering.

Mu Qingyao’s face was expressionless: “I’m sure.”

All those men who had met Tang Mumu, without exception, were infatuated with her. When besotted, they could even forget their own parents’ names.

If Tang Mumu’s fifth sister held a poetry gathering, not only would Xie Zichen, who received an invitation, attend, but other men who hadn’t received invitations would also find ways to participate just to catch a glimpse of Tang Mumu.

Mu Qingyao went to Earl Lin’an’s mansion that afternoon. As soon as she left, the fifth young lady of the marquis’s family sent out invitations for the poetry gathering to various households.

Others didn’t find this strange, as Mu Qingyao indeed had a poetry society, and the fifth young lady of Earl Lin’an’s family was also a member.

The poetry gathering was set for three days later.

Gu Fu, whose true intentions lay elsewhere, paid no attention to what makeup Nanny Lin applied for her, nor which clothes Mingzhu chose for her.

Before departing, she went to join Mu Qingyao. On the way, she encountered Gu Shishi.

When Gu Shishi saw her, she was first stunned, then for some unknown reason, suddenly became angry. When Gu Fu greeted her, she ignored it and walked away quickly.

What kind of mood swing was that?

Gu Fu didn’t dwell on Gu Shishi’s reaction. When she arrived at Mu Qingyao’s courtyard and heard that Mu Qingyao was still getting ready, Gu Fu went in directly to wait.

“Wait for me, I’ll be right…” Mu Qingyao turned her head to look at Gu Fu. The moment she clearly saw Gu Fu, her words caught in her throat. Only after Gu Fu sat down did she regain her composure and ask, “Who did your makeup?”

Gu Fu had been wondering why everyone who saw her seemed to pause for a moment. Hearing Mu Qingyao’s question, she instantly understood that there must be something unusual about her makeup.

Gu Fu poured herself a cup of tea and answered, “Nanny Lin.”

Then she asked, “Is it very frightening?”

Mu Qingyao smiled genuinely, which was rare for her: “No, it’s very beautiful.”

Gu Fu didn’t take it seriously, thinking Mu Qingyao was just comforting her. She took a sip of tea and said, “Don’t make fun of me.”

It was understandable that Nanny Lin, who had lived in the northern border for a long time, would use makeup styles that didn’t match the fashion in the capital.

Anyway, Gu Fu didn’t care about her appearance as long as she didn’t scare people. Besides, she was going to persuade Xie Zichen to give up on her, not to win him over. Being a bit ugly wasn’t a big problem.

Seeing that Gu Fu had misunderstood, Mu Qingyao started to explain but then decided against it. She didn’t want Gu Fu to know how she looked now, fearing she might wash her face and reapply her makeup.

This was just fine.

Mu Qingyao thought, their Gu Fu should be the most beautiful woman in the world, whether she got married or not. There was no reason for her to make herself ugly just because someone else didn’t want to marry her.


Translator’s notes:

In ancient Chinese culture, the practice of exchanging birth charts to determine compatibility was an important aspect of matchmaking and relationship assessment. This practice, known as “Ba Zi” (八字) or “Four Pillars of Destiny,” is based on the principles of Chinese astrology and the belief that a person’s fate and characteristics are influenced by the time of their birth.


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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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