==Chapter Twenty==
While Feng Wenyu was Releasing River Lanterns, the Zhou residence had already fallen into chaos. The news of Zhou Chiyu’s prolonged absence from the manor couldn’t be concealed, and Madam Lu had no intention of hiding it either. Both Old Madam and Zhou Yuangui had received the news.
As the night grew deeper, the old lady, supporting her frail body, sat in the main hall, anxiously furrowing her brow:
“Has he still not been found?”
She glanced at Lu Shi, aware that Lu Shi had sold off all the servants from Zhou Chiyu’s quarters. Although she felt such measures were overly harsh, she ultimately said nothing.
For such cunning servants, discipline was necessary.
Lu Shi was utterly vexed and couldn’t be bothered to speak. Zhou Yuangui looked at her, understanding her irritation, and took the initiative:
“Send more people to search! Even if we have to turn Yangzhou City upside down, we must find him!”
Zhou Yuangui frowned. The Imperial Envoy had been in Yangzhou for several days, and the city was far from calm now. Zhou Chiyu had better not cause any trouble!
Seeing both of them so aggressive, the old lady couldn’t help but rub her temples. She sighed: “Just bring him back once you find him. Sending so many people might frighten the child.”
Madam Lu suddenly let out a cold laugh. How could someone about to come of age still be called a child?
Suling looked as if she had something to say but hesitated. Madam Lu shot her a glance and frowned: “What is it?”
Suling hesitated and whispered:
“Madam, do you think… the third young master might have gone to… Yunyan Tower?”
Madam Lu’s expression changed abruptly. She stood up directly, not even glancing at Old Madam or Zhou Yuangui, her voice turning cold: “Go search Yunyan Tower! If he’s really found there, break his legs and drag him back here!”
Before Old Madam could even react to the mention of Yunyan Tower, she frowned at the words “break his legs”:
“What kind of talk is that!”
Madam Lu’s demeanor was even more imposing, her fierce gaze directly pressing down:
“I’ve said it before—if you want to discipline Zhou Chiyu, I won’t object. But if he dares to hinder Bo’er, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
“He’d better pray he didn’t go to Yunyan Tower!”
Old Madam’s breath hitched. Realizing Lu Shi’s resolute stance, she turned to Zhou Yuangui: “Yu’er is your own son! Are you just going to let her run wild?!”
Zhou Yuangui frowned. He thought it utterly worthless to stir up such a fuss over a concubine-born son so late at night, and being caught between his mother and wife only added to his impatience:
“Mother should know that having two conflicting voices is the greatest taboo for family harmony.”
Madam Lu wasn’t the least bit surprised by Zhou Yuangui’s response.
Having been married to Zhou Yuangui for so many years, with a continuous stream of concubine-born children under her care, she and Zhou Yuangui could still be considered a harmonious couple for one reason—he knew what mattered.
Regarding the inner household, he had handed its management to her, and over the years, he never uttered a word of interference nor contradicted her decisions.
Even taking concubines required her approval.
Men in this world had too many inherent flaws. If she dwelled on them, she would spend her entire life restless and discontent. Compared to the benefits she gained, she could turn a blind eye to Zhou Yuangui’s lustful tendencies.
After all, there were too many things she cared about in this life—she wasn’t going to spend it clinging to a man.
Lu Shi also raised her head: “Mother, don’t forget—you have more than just Zhou Chiyu as a grandson!”
The old lady’s expression shifted slightly. She could hear the threat in Lu Shi’s words. Zhou Yuangui was a man who strictly distinguished between legitimate and illegitimate children. In his heart, all the children born of concubines combined could not outweigh Zhou Chibai’s importance. The ultimate heir of the Zhou Residence would only be Zhou Chibai, and for Zhou Chibai, his mother was undoubtedly more important than his grandmother.
The old lady also cherished Zhou Chibai, her only legitimate grandson, but over the years, Zhou Chiyu had spent more time by her side, and she couldn’t help but favor him a little more.
In the past, she had always maintained a sense of proportion, ensuring this favoritism did not cross the line, which had kept the residence peaceful and harmonious for so many years.
The old lady closed her eyes, her face twitching twice. Finally, she snorted coldly:
“I’m old now, I can’t control any of you anymore.”
Lu Shi could tell the old lady had conceded a step and couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to her grumbling.
While the Zhou Residence was locked in a stalemate over Zhou Chiyu, Feng Wenyu and Zhou Chibai had also made their way from the Twenty-Four Bridges to the market district. Suddenly, Zhou Chibai spotted something, his gaze sharpening.
Feng Wenyu followed his line of sight and saw a group of men dressed like servants walking by. Puzzled, she asked:
“What’s wrong, Cousin?”
Zhou Chibai wasn’t sure if he should be honest. He frowned slightly: “Those are people from the residence.”
Feng Wenyu was taken aback for a moment before understanding. At this time, the only reason the Zhou Residence servants would be mobilized in full force was to search for Zhou Chiyu.
Hesitantly, Feng Wenyu asked: “Should we go and take a look too?”
Zhou Chibai was still concerned about the situation at the residence. Hearing this, he nodded. Apologetically, he said to Feng Wenyu: “It’s my fault, Cousin. I didn’t let you enjoy yourself fully. Another day, I’ll make it up to you.”
Feng Wenyu pretended to be annoyed: “What kind of talk is that, Cousin? You’re being too formal.”
Secretly, she felt helpless. She wasn’t a heartless person—how could she only care about having fun when something had happened at the Zhou Residence?
The two followed the direction the servants had taken. Meanwhile, back at the Twenty-Four Bridges, someone approached Gu Yushi and whispered a few words in his ear. Gu Yushi frowned, immediately abandoned Pei Yan, and turned to leave.
Pei Yan was surprised but, after hesitating for a moment, also chased after Gu Yushi in the direction he had gone.
As the scent of alcohol and cosmetics gradually filled the air, and the sound of women’s laughter reached her ears, Feng Wenyu’s mind hadn’t yet registered what was happening, but her footsteps had already slowed. She glanced at Zhou Chibai.
Seeing Zhou Chibai frowning intently at the servants, she hesitated for a moment. Just as she was about to follow him, her arm was abruptly grabbed. Feng Wenyu jumped in fright and turned her head hastily to see Gu Yushi staring at her with a cold, stern expression.
He must have rushed over quickly, as his breathing was slightly unsteady. What stood out the most was the gloom on his face.
Feng Wenyu’s face still bore traces of fright. She pressed a hand to her pounding chest and glared angrily at Gu Yushi:
“What are you doing? You scared me!”
Gu Yushi steadied his breathing and let out a cold laugh: “I should be the one asking—what are you planning to do?”
Feng Wenyu was confused.
Gu Yushi stared fixedly at her: “Haven’t you realized what kind of place is ahead?”
Feng Wenyu fell silent abruptly.
Seeing this, Gu Yushi understood everything. A surge of frustration lodged in his chest, leaving him feeling stifled and unable to vent.
Feng Wenyu felt inexplicably guilty under such a gaze and instinctively explained, “It was an emergency, and I wasn’t going to do anything.”
Gu Yushi didn’t want to lose his composure, but he couldn’t help it. Whenever he faced Feng Wenyu, he seemed unable to stay calm. He said, “An emergency? Feng Wenyu, what could possibly be more important than your own well-being?!”
She might not have intended to do anything, but as long as she frequented such places, people would gossip about her.
She clearly cared deeply about her reputation and dignity, so why did she always act recklessly at times like this?
It was the same in her past life, and it remained unchanged in this one.
In her past life, she had frequently visited the Imperial Music Academy for that Linyu Gongzi. While busy with official duties, Gu Yushi had to clean up after her in his spare time, eliminating any potential consequences. Otherwise, he doubted she would have remained untouched by rumors.
Society always held women to a different standard. Her visits to the Imperial Music Academy would inevitably lead outsiders to question whether the Feng family’s conduct was all like this.
Gu Yushi understood her too well.
She was thin-skinned and cared too much about her reputation and the Feng family. If rumors ever reached her, she would regret it too late, only to torment herself inwardly.
In moments of extreme frustration, Gu Yushi had once resented her.
Was an outsider worth all this? Was he worth her pushing their relationship to such extremes?
Gu Yushi had countless questions he wanted to demand answers to, but when his eyes met Feng Wenyu’s, he could only close his eyes. She was herself, yet not entirely the same.
He couldn’t blame the current Feng Wenyu for the issues of her past life.
Otherwise, it would be unfair to her.
Feng Wenyu thought he was making a fuss over nothing but couldn’t find the words to refute him. For a moment, she bit her lip, refusing to speak or back down.
Especially the sorrow and resentment in Gu Yushi’s eyes made Feng Wenyu feel dazed for an instant. It felt as if she were intimately familiar with this version of Gu Yushi—so familiar that her heart tightened briefly.
But she and Gu Yushi had never quarreled before.
Their argument startled Zhou Chibai, who finally realized from their conversation how inappropriate it was for Feng Wenyu, a woman, to visit such disreputable places. His face showed regret, but he immediately stepped in to stop Gu Yushi: “It was my oversight, but this matter has nothing to do with Lord Gu. Please release my cousin.”
Gu Yushi looked at Feng Wenyu and saw her stubbornly holding her ground. He fell silent. He knew all too well how stubborn she was—the more he tried to control her, the more she resisted.
Besides, the current Feng Wenyu truly had nothing to do with him, didn’t she?
Gu Yushi slowly released his grip and said coldly, “I overstepped.”
Feng Wenyu’s nose inexplicably tingled with sadness, and she abruptly turned her head away.
Just then, noise from nearby broke the tense standoff, drawing everyone’s attention. Feng Wenyu quickly wiped her face. She didn’t want to feel upset, but some emotions were beyond her control.
To outsiders, she and Gu Yushi had been broken off for months.
But only she knew that during this time, Gu Yushi had never truly been absent. His lingering presence in her dreams only tangled their relationship further.
No one noticed that Gu Yushi’s gaze remained fixed on one place the entire time.
He had seen it.
And so, he grew even more silent. A dull ache spread from his heart throughout his body, and the tips of his fingers inside his sleeves turned pale.
The chaos nearby finally became clear—a group of people were forcibly dragging a young master out of Yunyan Tower. The man, utterly humiliated under the public gaze and unable to save face, could only shout in furious desperation:
“You damned lackeys! Let go of me! If you don’t release me now, I’ll make you pay dearly when we return!”
Hearing the familiar voice, Feng Wenyu took a deep breath, pretending nothing had happened, and hurriedly looked up.
Gu Yushi also finally turned his head, but when he caught sight of a corner of an object peeking from Zhou Chiyu’s collar, his eyes narrowed sharply, and his entire demeanor turned icy and somber in an instant.