Under the covers, Zhu Qingyu reached out and took Zhang Shen’s hand, turning to gently embrace his arm as she softly comforted him:
“I’ve never regretted it. I can’t imagine anyone in this world who could be a better husband than you. Meeting you is my good fortune. Even if you had prepared a dowry for me back then, I still wouldn’t have wanted to marry anyone else.”
Zhu Qingyu spoke from the heart.
Survival was the first priority, and for a single woman to live alone in this world, she would inevitably face countless hardships and ill intentions.
She was fortunate. The first person she met after arriving in this world was Zhang Shen. Without his help and protection, she might have already fallen into the hands of some powerful figure two years ago.
Over these two years, Zhang Shen had treated her with gentleness and care. He had never let her suffer the grievances of the inner household, nor had he ever deprived her of food, clothing, or daily needs. He had even spent money to open a medical clinic for her. She truly didn’t know what more she could ask for.
Between husband and wife, romantic love was not always necessary. Living together like family could also last a lifetime.
Zhu Qingyu spoke sincerely, but whether Zhang Shen didn’t fully take her words to heart or because he had caught a chill, he developed a fever in the middle of the night and fell ill for several days.
He still wanted to go check the accounts at the shop, but Zhu Qingyu pressed him back into bed.
“Drink your medicine and rest properly, alright? It’s so cold—don’t push yourself.”
Zhang Shen had been frail since childhood and understood his own condition. He wanted to live a few more years and didn’t dare overexert himself.
“Then… will you go in my place? Alright?”
Originally, their marriage had been agreed upon as a mutual arrangement—just for appearances, not something real.
But at some point, Zhang Shen had begun, intentionally or not, to involve Zhu Qingyu in the Zhang family’s business. He introduced her to managers from various regions and taught her how to read account books.
As he had once said:
“What if I suddenly die one day? You can’t not even understand our family’s business and let others cheat or embezzle everything away.”
This wasn’t the first time Zhu Qingyu had handled accounts, so she agreed.
“Alright, I’ll go. You rest well.”
And so she became busy. Even after Zhang Shen recovered, she didn’t let him handle everything alone. Together, they managed the affairs in the capital, and before they knew it, it was already the ninth day of the tenth month.
In winter, the capital was a place of constant hustle and urgency, with every household busy with its own matters.
On that same day, Gu Zhao was also busy until the palace gates were about to close before leaving and returning to the Duke’s residence. After dinner and washing up, it was nearly the hour of Hai.
At such a late hour, the old madam was still awake and had sent a maid to the study in the front courtyard to ask:
“The old madam wishes to know if the young master will be in the residence tomorrow. Shall we arrange for Miss Yan to serve you tea tomorrow?”
Gu Zhao had been so busy recently that he had almost forgotten about this matter. Only now, when asked directly, did he remember.
Indeed, the tenth day of the tenth month was his rest day, and he had agreed to it before.
So her surname was Yan.
“I already have plans during the day tomorrow. Arrange it for the You hour. Tell Grandmother I will return then and go to the inner courtyard.”
The maid had not only come to deliver the message but also brought something with her.
“Yes, the old madam also instructed that although someone has been arranged to teach her, Miss Yan was once from a scholarly family. She may be shy and inexperienced, so she might not be entirely adept. She asks that the young master be more understanding.”
What the maid delivered were several booklets.
After sending her off, Gu Zhao flipped through them and realized that his grandmother wasn’t worried about the girl not understanding—she was worried that he didn’t.
They were erotic instructional manuals.
Gu Zhao had never seen such things before, mainly because circumstances had never allowed it.
Since the emperor’s early education, Gu Zhao had served as the crown prince’s study companion, living in the palace for years. At that time, Noble Consort Gao and the Second Prince were at the height of their power, and the late emperor had even considered replacing the heir. Gu Zhao had been extremely cautious, holding himself to the highest standards, never daring to make the slightest mistake.
So not only had he never seen such manuals, he had never even looked twice at palace maids.
Three years ago, when Noble Consort Gao and the Second Prince both died from an epidemic, the late emperor nearly lost his mind. To protect the current emperor, Gu Zhao had been ordered to enter monastic life. In such a sacred place, he had even less contact with worldly matters.
Times had changed. Now that his grandmother had sent them, Gu Zhao did not deliberately avoid them. Taking advantage of some free time before bed, he sat at his desk and flipped through the pages one by one with a calm expression, as if reviewing official documents.
A servant came in to prepare the bed. Seeing the young master studying so seriously by lamplight, he didn’t dare disturb him and quietly withdrew.
Gu Zhao never left things unfinished. Once he started, he would finish. So he read through all the booklets until midnight before extinguishing the lamp and going to bed.
While reading, he hadn’t felt much. But once he lay down, he realized his breathing had become uneven. In the stillness of the night, his heartbeat was especially clear, and a thin layer of sweat formed in his palms.
Desire was human nature. Gu Zhao didn’t think much of it and simply went to sleep.
But once asleep, the effects proved far stronger.
All night, his dreams were filled with indulgent pleasures, with a beauty of unparalleled allure. As dawn began to break, within that boundless dream of passion, Gu Zhao woke with heavy breaths.
When he touched his neck, his hand came away damp with sweat.
It wasn’t the first time he had such dreams, but they were usually fragmented and vague.
Never before had the woman’s face been so vivid, every detail clear as if before his eyes, her soft whispers and breaths as if right beside his ear—so real, so alive, as though it had truly happened.
Hearing movement, the servant asked softly from outside:
“Young Master, shall you rise now?”
Gu Zhao did not get up immediately as usual. The lingering sensations of the dream still wrapped around his mind, the fading pleasure holding his body in place. He neither could nor wanted to move, even feeling a trace of lingering attachment, making it hard to fully wake.
Fortunately, it had only been a dream.
And fortunately, the one he had “offended” in the dream was his own arranged companion.
So it was only natural, nothing improper.
After a while, Gu Zhao let out a long breath and rose as usual. While changing his clothes and tidying himself, he asked:
“What time is it?”
“Nearly the hour of Chen.”
Chen hour—five hours remained until You hour.
Gu Zhao suddenly felt a trace of regret. In truth, serving tea during the day would have been fine as well.
But since the time had already been arranged, it would not be appropriate to change it. He still had to attend his daytime engagement.
After attending a banquet with friends at Zuixian Tower at noon, he should have returned home. Instead, he turned his horse toward Vermilion Bird Street.
He recalled how plain she had looked that day.
His grandmother had said her family had fallen into hardship and that she had been bought into the residence. She likely had no valuables of her own and relied only on what the household provided.
Though she would not be his lawful wife, she would still be someone who would live with him. Gu Zhao thought that even without a grand wedding procession, since today she would formally enter his household, she should at least have proper jewelry.
The noble ladies of the capital usually bought cosmetics, clothing, and jewelry on Vermilion Bird Street. Gu Zhao didn’t understand such things, so he simply chose the most lavish-looking shop and entered.
The moment he stepped inside, he saw the very woman from his dream the night before—smiling sweetly and radiant—standing at the counter, holding up two gold-and-jade hairpins under the light, hesitating as she tried to decide which one to choose.