The fire burned through the night, leaving nothing behind.
Beside the ruins lay stretchers, with two charred bodies covered by white cloth. Judging by their stature and the remnants of clothing, it was almost certain they were the eldest Miss Gu and her personal maid.
In Chunxi Courtyard.
Gu Lin panicked for the first time: “Mother, what should we do?” She twisted her handkerchief anxiously, “Young General Shen won’t suspect it was us…”
“Silence!” Madam Gu scolded, “What does this have to do with us? It was her own ill fate. Don’t mention it again!”
Though she said this, a flicker of panic still flashed in Madam Gu’s eyes.
The fire last night was indeed related to them.
That wretched girl Gu Ning, though she had agreed yesterday to give up the marriage, Madam Gu didn’t believe Gu Ning would be so kind-hearted. Moreover, Gu Ning had a seductive, fox-like appearance, and even if she were willing, Young General Shen might not agree.
Besides, Gu Ning was still that person’s daughter…
Madam Gu clenched her handkerchief, gritting her teeth in hatred.
Even in death, she wouldn’t let anyone live in peace!
“Madam,” Madam Gu’s personal attendant Nanny Zhang hurried in, glancing at Gu Lin, “Our people have seen Young General Shen.”
Gu Lin sprang to her feet: “Where is he? Take me to him quickly!”
“Lin Fang Pavilion.”
Lin Fang Pavilion was Gu Ning’s former residence.
Gu Lin froze in place, clutching a shattered jade pendant in her hand, her face pale as a sheet.
Hearing this, Madam Gu also furrowed her brow.
“Madam and Miss need not worry.”
Nanny Zhang glanced at the panicked pair, intending to ease her master’s worries and earn some credit for herself.
“Miss Ning has just passed away. It’s only natural for Young General Shen to act this way. If he didn’t go to Lin Fang Pavilion and instead acted as if nothing had happened, Miss would have to worry about finding herself a cold-hearted man.”
“You’re right,” Gu Lin bit her lip, “But I’m worried about the future…”
“There’s even less to worry about in the future,” Nanny Zhang said with a smile, “As the saying goes, days flow like water. No matter how deep the feelings, once washed away by the current, they’ll be clean and gone, leaving nothing behind.
“Another saying goes, familiarity breeds affection. Once Miss marries Young General Shen and he learns of your virtues, how could he still remember things from so many years ago?”
“But the fire…”
“Lin’er!”
Madam Gu glared fiercely at her daughter, and Gu Lin reluctantly fell silent.
Nanny Zhang lowered her voice: “Madam and Miss, rest assured. Our people handled yesterday’s matter cleanly, leaving no traces. If Miss is still worried, why not find someone to pin the blame on? Once Young General Shen vents his anger, the matter will be settled.”
Madam Gu nodded in satisfaction, slipping a gold bracelet from her wrist and placing it in Nanny Zhang’s hand: “You speak wisely. Then leave this matter to you. Remember, keep it clean.”
“Rest assured, Madam!” Nanny Zhang took the bracelet, patting her chest confidently, “I guarantee you and Miss will sleep soundly!”
With that, she took her leave and exited through the side gate.
At the side gate, people from the Gu residence came and went, and the area around Lin Fang Pavilion had become a ruin.
Shen Jinyan stood motionless in the ashes, covered in dust, like a statue. Snowflakes began to drift from the sky again. He looked up, feeling as though an eternity had passed.
“Young General, it’s snowing,” Qingshu couldn’t help but advise, “Should we go back? We can come again to pay our respects when the Gu family sets up the mourning hall?”
No one answered.
A stretcher lay covered with a white cloth, charred skin peeking out from beneath. A few snowflakes fell upon it, trembling lightly.
Shen Jinyan slowly crouched down, brushing the snow away. When his fingers touched the corpse’s skin, his hand trembled involuntarily, and large teardrops fell one after another.
All around was silent, only the wind and snow wailed.
The person crouching beside the stretcher seemed to have been drenched by the snow into a thin sheet of paper, ready to be swept away by a gust of wind.
Qingshu watched, his heart aching. “The dead cannot return, Young General. Please don’t be like this. Miss Gu’s spirit in heaven would not bear to see this…”
“No.”
It was all his fault.
If he hadn’t deliberately used Gu Lin to test whether she truly cared for him yesterday, she wouldn’t have gone out to stroll and buy so many fireworks and firecrackers to clear her mind.
The servant from the Gu residence said the fire had started because sparks from the firecrackers ignited the dry wood and hay.
If she hadn’t set off those fireworks, she wouldn’t have died.
It was all his fault.
The north wind lifted a corner of the white cloth, revealing the charred, hideous face. He reached out, tracing it inch by inch as if caressing the most precious treasure.
She loved beauty.
She adored beautiful dresses and hairpins.
Though she always pretended not to care in front of him, whenever she passed by clothing or jewelry shops, she would unconsciously glance twice.
He had never told her that he had bought every hairpin and dress she had ever looked at. He wanted to give them to her but always felt too embarrassed, so they piled up, filling an entire room.
Now, those things could never be given.
It was all his fault.
The one who deserved to die… was him!
“Pfft—” Suddenly, a mouthful of blood sprayed out! Drops of crimson scattered across the white cloth of the stretcher.
“Young General!”
Amid Qingshu’s cry of alarm, Shen Jinyan swayed and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
…
Time flowed like water, and in the blink of an eye, three years had passed.
Spring warmth and orioles singing, the southern city of Ling was lush and green. On the bluestone streets, Gu Ning walked slowly with Hong Yao.
“Miss, that Young Master Jiang is truly despicable! How dare he use the Moon-silk Flower to threaten you into marrying him!”
Hong Yao carried a basket on her arm, fuming with indignation, and spat on the ground. “Pah! A toad dreaming of eating swan meat—why doesn’t he look at himself in the mirror? See what kind of trash he is! Offering medicinal herbs, yet so different from Young General Shen…”
Realizing what she had said, Hong Yao suddenly stopped, biting her lip. “I’m sorry, Miss. Hong Yao spoke out of turn.”
“It’s fine,” Gu Ning replied calmly with a smile. “He’s not someone we can’t mention. And you’re right.”
Mentioning Shen Jinyan felt like something from a past life. Over the years, she had followed her senior martial brother to open a clinic in Ling City, traveling here and there, to the point where she could barely remember his face.
Sunlight pierced through the clouds, pouring down. Suddenly, a petal of peach blossom, carried by the wind, landed on her hair. Gu Ning plucked it off. A faint floral scent lingered on her hand, like an unripe peach with a hint of bitterness.
She sighed softly, released her hand, and the wind swept the peach blossom away again.
After all these years, he must have already married and had children, right?
“Alright, let’s hurry back. We shouldn’t keep Senior Martial Brother waiting.”
The mistress and servant made their way through the streets and alleys. When they were still half an alley away from the clinic, a silver-red carriage embroidered with golden threads caught their eye.
“Is this Jiang fellow ever going to stop? He just came by yesterday afternoon, and now he’s back again this morning? There’s not a single thing wrong with him from head to toe, yet he comes in and sprawls there like a lord, ordering you and the young master around,” Hong Yao fumed, rolling up her sleeves. “Miss, you wait here. I’ll go chase him away!”
“Don’t be rash,” Gu Ning grabbed Hong Yao’s arm, feeling a headache coming on. “The only ingredient missing from the medicine for the senior brother is this Moon-silk Flower. We can’t afford to offend this man too harshly for now.”
This young master, Jiang Shijin, was the brother-in-law of the garrison commander of Ling City and the second son of the Jiang family, the largest medicinal herb merchant in the area. With power, wealth, and influence, he was not someone to be easily provoked, especially since the clinic was still operating within Ling City’s territory.
“But we can’t just let him come here every day to harass you, can we?” Thinking of the recent encounters, Hong Yao couldn’t help but curse. “Dressed like a gentleman, full of talk about benevolence, righteousness, and morality, but those eyes of his? They’re lecherous, glued to any pretty girl he sees!”
“Why are you like a little firecracker?” Gu Ning couldn’t help but laugh, patting her back to soothe her. “I said we can’t offend him too harshly, not that others can’t.”
Hong Yao’s eyes lit up. “Miss, you mean…”
“Don’t forget, there’s another fly in our clinic.”