Qin Xianyue was strikingly beautiful.
Her shoulders were as if carved, her waist like a silken cord.
Especially her clean and aloof demeanor, which no amount of rouge or powder could replicate.
No wonder Gu Yanchi was unwilling to let her go.
Such a beautiful woman born into a noble family was a blessing.
But someone as lowly as Qin Xianyue could only be a source of disaster.
Upon hearing Madam Wei mention marriage, Qin Xianyue immediately became alert.
As expected, she heard her continue.
“The younger brother of the Prime Minister's Manor's second Madam, the Imperial Merchant Mr. Lu of Yun Jing, is selecting a Ninth Concubine. If you marry him and can win his favor, you will undoubtedly enjoy endless wealth and honor in the future, which is not a bad outcome.”
Qin Xianyue sneered.
Having lived in Yun Jing for seventeen years, how could she not know that the Lu family was notoriously a den of wolves.
Old Master Lu was over fifty, lecherous and violent, and specialized in tormenting young girls.
Of the previous eight concubines, some went mad, others died.
The most respectable one was sent to a nunnery outside the city in a simple blue sedan chair last December.
If she entered the Lu Manor, would she have a good end?
This was what Madam Wei called a good outcome.
Qin Xianyue lowered her gaze and replied.
“My maternal grandmother passed away only three years ago. I should be observing mourning rites for her. As the mourning period has not yet passed, Xianyue does not wish to discuss marriage.”
Madam Wei sneered.
“You are not surnamed Gu, so how can you have a mourning period?”
Qin Xianyue's fingertips dug into her palm.
She heard Madam Wei continue.
“Even for the Gu family, Great Zhou law stipulates that the mourning period ends after two years. It is only because Yan'er is an official of the Imperial Court and needs to pay special attention to etiquette that it has been prolonged.”
“Now that it has been a full three years since Guyu, are you still going to stop him from marrying?”
“My elder brother's affairs are naturally not for me to comment on.”
Qin Xianyue lowered her eyes.
“Since the affairs of the residence have already caused Madam much trouble, please do not trouble yourself further for an outsider like me.”
With that, she curtsied and turned to leave Chengan Hall without looking back.
Madam Wei wished she could bore a hole through Qin Xianyue's retreating figure with her gaze.
“What an ungrateful wretch! The Marquis's Estate raised her with luxurious food and clothing for over ten years, only to raise a white-eyed wolf.”
The beaded curtain rustled, and a young girl in an apricot-red ruqun emerged from behind the screen, rushing to Madam Wei's side.
“A woman like her, who knows her status yet clings to another family's home, can't be anything good! Mother, there's no need to let her upset you.”
Madam Wei's expression finally softened, and she patted the girl's hand.
“Zhaoyun is still the most considerate.”
“But…”
Gu Zhaoyun's eyes flickered, and she bit her lip, tugging at Madam Wei's sleeve.
“If Qin Xianyue cannot be sent to Old Master Lu as a concubine, how can Second Madam help arrange my marriage to Young Master Song?”
Last year, at the Lantern Festival, Song Xiuyuan, the nephew of the Left Prime Minister, solved nine lantern riddles and won first prize.
His elegant demeanor as he penned a poem, his sleeves fluttering, captivated Gu Zhaoyun at first sight, and she had been unable to forget this talented scholar since.
However, the Prime Minister's Manor was the leader of noble families, with a pure and distinguished lineage.
Even though the Marquis's Estate currently enjoyed great favor from the Emperor, forming a marriage alliance with them was by no means easy.
She had originally thought that if Qin Xianyue could be sent to Old Master Lu, and Second Madam owed the Marquis's Estate a favor, perhaps this matter might have a chance.
But who knew Qin Xianyue would be so unappreciative? It seemed she was determined to enter the Marquis's Estate.
Madam Wei pulled Gu Zhaoyun to sit beside her and gently comforted her.
“Don't worry, Mother has a plan.”
Gu Zhaoyun nodded obediently on the surface, but her mind was already working.
Since being found by the Marquis's Estate, her father and mother had naturally doted on her.
But her elder brother's attitude had always been lukewarm, as if deliberately keeping his distance from her. Instead, he was exceptionally protective of that Qin Xianyue.
Even after going out to handle a case for half a year, the first person he went to see upon returning to the residence was her.
Why?!
Clearly, she was the genuine daughter of the Marquis's Estate, a princess by birth. What was Qin Xianyue to even dare to aspire to be her sister-in-law?!
Even if Mother didn't act, she intended to find an opportunity to teach this woman who didn't know her place a good lesson.
Soon, the day arrived for the Crown Prince's banquet at East Lake.
When Qin Xianyue woke up, she saw that the old woman servant had already delivered the newly tailored clothes.
The crimson was striking, as vibrant as peach blossoms and plum blossoms.
It was the bright and flamboyant style that Gu Yanchi liked.
In the past, she would have catered to his preferences.
But today, she felt the color was too garish, so she had Bao Xiang pick out a simple, elegant, light-colored dress to change into.
When the two of them arrived at the entrance of the Marquis's Estate, they found that Gu Yanchi's carriage had already been waiting by the roadside.
Qin Xianyue paused, about to turn towards the smaller carriage with the blue curtains behind, when she suddenly heard a deep voice from behind the curtain, with an undeniable tone:
"Get in."
Qin Xianyue had no choice but to get in and sit in the corner of the carriage.
As the wheels slowly moved, within the small carriage, it felt as if an insurmountable chasm lay between her and Gu Yanchi.
Gu Yanchi was accustomed to seeing her lively and radiant appearance.
Seeing her in simple clothes today, with her hair styled elegantly, made her appear even cleaner and more sacred, like the pristine snow on a high mountain, unattainable.
Unconsciously, he became somewhat lost in thought.
After a while, Gu Yanchi spoke.
“Why didn't you wear the dress I gave you? Don't you like it?”
Qin Xianyue casually found an excuse.
“Some parts of that dress didn't fit properly, and there wasn't enough time to alter it, so I changed.”
Gu Yanchi's brows furrowed slightly.
He had personally overseen the alterations to that dress; how could it still not fit?
His gaze lingered on Qin Xianyue's slender waist.
Perhaps she had become thinner in the past six months.
As he was thinking, he heard Anfu knock on the carriage.
“Young Master, someone from the Lin family has sent an urgent message. Their young lady's carriage broke down halfway. The weather is cold and windy, so they request the Young Master to pick her up along the way.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Yanchi commanded without hesitation.
“Alright, change course and go quickly.”
The coachman responded and turned the carriage around.
Qin Xianyue lowered her gaze to her clasped hands, suddenly feeling that the brazier in the carriage made her eyes sting.
Only then did Gu Yanchi seem to remember that Qin Xianyue was still in his carriage.
If Lin Meijun knew that they were traveling together, it would inevitably lead to gossip about the Marquis's Estate's rules.
He pondered for a moment, then finally said indifferently, "It will be crowded for three people to travel together. You should hire another carriage and meet me at East Lake."
Due to the urgency, Gu Yanchi didn't even wait for Qin Xianyue's response before instructing someone outside the carriage.
“Stop, let the young lady out.”
After Gu Yanchi's carriage and horses sped away, Qin Xianyue stood on the desolate street in the early spring wind, her eyes filled only with frost.
This place was some distance from the carriage station and was rather secluded.
They waited for nearly half an hour, but not even a single black-canopied carriage appeared.
Bao Xiang looked at Qin Xianyue's pale face from the cold and muttered with concern.
“Couldn't the Lin family hire another carriage? It's so cold, the young lady is freezing.”
The biting wind was bone-chilling, but it couldn't match the surging coldness in Qin Xianyue's heart.
In Gu Yanchi's eyes, three people traveling together was "crowded."
But he had long forgotten that he was the one who got in the carriage first.
While she was lost in thought, she suddenly heard the sound of hurried horse hooves approaching from behind—
"Whoa—!"
The tall steed neighed, its front hooves rearing high, stopping precisely three feet away.
The person on horseback tightened the reins, his black cloak fluttering in the wind.
He stared at Qin Xianyue in the road for a moment, flicked his gilded whip, and said with a hint of amusement.
“There are many women who throw themselves at me, but this is the first time I've seen someone fake an accident to extort money.”
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