Gu Zhao hadn’t expected to encounter her here. Though this was a matter of dreams, the situation had been so vivid that upon suddenly seeing her in the flesh, the events of last night came flooding back, uncontrollably flashing through his mind in fleeting glimpses.
Just thinking about it made him feel a bit hot—a heat that had been clinging to Gu Zhao for nearly an entire day since last night.
It was now the hour of Wei (1–3 PM), with two hours still remaining until You (5–7 PM).
Two more hours until it would be proper and legitimate.
His throat felt dry and itchy. Gu Zhao suppressed that tickling sensation and studied her closely.
Perhaps because she was to serve tea today, the household had finally provided her with some decent attire. Today, she wore a celadon jade hairpin in her hair, a white fox-fur cloak draped over her shoulders, and beneath the cloak, a set of powder-blue jacket and skirt. Her face was lightly made up—brows penciled, powder applied, lips touched with color.
Though still simple and plain, she finally had some of the vibrant hues befitting a young woman. Compared to that day, she appeared even more graceful and elegant, her bearing refined and charming.
As for the jade hairpins in her hands—one was a gold-inlaid-jade plum blossom pin set with rubies, and the other a gold-inlaid-jade butterfly pin set with pearls.
Both pins seemed somewhat out of place with her current attire, but in Gu Zhao’s opinion, the colors of gold and jade actually complemented her striking beauty quite well. She really ought to dress more vividly.
Gu Zhao gave a light cough, suppressing the itch in his throat, and said:
“The plum blossom one is better.”
Suddenly spoken to from behind, Zhu Qingyu was startled. Turning around to find it was the young master of the Gu household, she was even more surprised.
This Vice Minister Gu—who was he talking to?
Surely not to her?
Why?
They weren’t even acquainted.
She looked around. At this moment, aside from herself and the young master of the Gu household, there were no other customers in the jewelry shop.
Zhu Qingyu then looked at the shopkeeper behind the counter, who stared back at her with wide, innocent eyes, looking just as bewildered.
Gu Zhao took two more steps toward her. Up close, his stature appeared even more imposing, his elongated shadow stretching across the light like a mountain bearing down on her.
Zhu Qingyu stood nearly 1.7 meters tall even without shoes—she was hardly what one would call petite—but this shadow pressing down on her inexplicably made her feel fragile and pressured. Instinctively, she took two steps back, retreating from the shadow’s coverage into the light.
How tall was this young master? Must be over 1.9 meters, surely?
Even in the modern world, Zhu Qingyu rarely encountered men this tall.
Gu Zhao stopped in his tracks, glanced at the jade hairpins in her hands, then looked back at her, his expression quite gentle, as if waiting for her to respond.
With such clear and obvious intent, Zhu Qingyu was now certain—the young master Gu was indeed speaking to her.
He was staring at the accessories in her hands, and saying the plum blossom one was better—most likely he had taken a liking to the hairpin she was holding.
Having rare free time today, Zhu Qingyu had come out to the jewelry shop to handle a commission from the Third Miss of the Zhang family—to bring back some fashionable accessories from the capital for her.
She had already discussed it with Zhang Shen, and they were set to depart for Yangzhou tomorrow.
Zhu Qingyu actually knew nothing about jewelry. She came from a family of physicians—seventeen generations of doctors going back. She had accompanied her parents on house calls since she could sit up, and the greatest taboo was wearing too many cumbersome accessories during consultations. She hadn’t even had her ears pierced. Asking her to pick out accessories for a young lady was truly putting her in a difficult position.
However, even if she didn’t know what was good, she knew what was expensive. Judging from the Third Miss’s usual style of dress, her aesthetic could be summarized in one word: she liked gold.
Besides, Zhang Shen was wealthy—he could certainly afford to buy some accessories for his own biological sister.
So Zhu Qingyu had entered the most bustling Vermilion Bird Street in the capital, spotted the most lavishly decorated shops that clearly looked expensive, and walked into several in a row, buying a bit of everything for the Third Miss.
As for the two gold-inlaid-jade hairpins in her hands, Zhu Qingyu had just picked them up. She didn’t particularly like them, nor was she reluctant to part with them. There was certainly no need to get into a conflict with imperial relatives over a hairpin.
If he liked them, she’d just let him have them.
So Zhu Qingyu respectfully placed the hairpins the young master had just praised back on the counter—both of them—and performed a wanfu salute to bid him farewell, replying:
“You speak wisely, my lord.”
Feeling that her etiquette had been sufficiently observed and the formalities completed, Zhu Qingyu didn’t waste another word. Lifting her skirt, she bolted.
In one fluid motion, she ran out of the jewelry shop, gracefully boarded the Zhang family’s blue-cloth carriage, and with the clatter of horse hooves, vanished without a trace in moments.
Inside the jewelry shop, a faint fragrance lingered from the young woman’s swift departure—the scent of her skirts and ornaments. It smelled like flowers, and yet also like grass and wood.
Left standing in place, Gu Zhao looked at the empty street outside the door, then at the deserted jewelry shop, and met the gaze of the shopkeeper, who had lost business and could only manage a pitiful, forced smile.
Had one sentence from him scared her off?
Hadn’t she been quite bold that day?
Why was she suddenly so shy today?
Her voice was rather pleasant to the ear, though—crisp and melodious.
Well, never mind. It wasn’t as if she could run away. He’d interrogate her tonight.
The more speechless one felt, the busier the mind became. Gu Zhao gave a light cough and said to the miserable shopkeeper:
“Shopkeeper, wrap up these two jade hairpins for me. What else did she look at? Show me everything.”
After Gu Zhao finished buying the jewelry and returned to the residence, his attendant was already arranging the bath and change of clothes.
Once he had bathed, changed, and even dried his hair thoroughly, everything was in order, with still half an hour left before the you hour (5-7 PM).
Not particularly inclined to deal with official matters, Gu Zhao casually picked up a book to pass the time. Whether it was because the book was poorly written or something else, the characters were clearly before his eyes, yet not a single word entered his mind.
Seeing that his young master hadn’t turned a page for a long while and seemed restless, the attendant asked:
“Your Excellency, shall we go to Wanxiang Courtyard now?”
Since this wasn’t taking a principal wife but merely accepting a concubine—his own residence, his own courtyard, his own person—he could go whenever he pleased.
It was only taking a tongfang, after all; there weren’t that many formalities.
Gu Zhao finally turned a page of the book and replied with a detached expression:
“I’ll go at the you hour.”
He had to wait until she was ready. If he went early, she might still be washing and dressing, rushing about—better to avoid startling her again.
When there was about a quarter of an hour left before the you hour, Gu Zhao finally rose, personally carrying a ruby-gilded filigree jewel box, and headed toward the back courtyard.
At the you hour in Beijing’s winter, the sky had already darkened.
Seeing the young master carrying something himself, the attendant hurriedly reached out to take it, but when he saw that the young master showed no intention of handing it over, he withdrew his hand and walked ahead with a lantern to light the way.
After walking for nearly a quarter of an hour, they finally reached the gate of Wanxiang Courtyard.
Upon seeing the young master arrive, the maidservants and matrons of Wanxiang Courtyard all bowed in greeting, and someone ran inside to announce his arrival.
An elderly matron came out to welcome him and inquire after his health, lifting the thick door curtain of the main hall to invite Gu Zhao inside.
Because Gu Zhao was coming today, the charcoal fire in the room had been stoked especially generously, filling the space with warmth.
The attendant helped Gu Zhao out of his fur cloak, and Gu Zhao, still holding the jewel box, proceeded toward the inner chamber.
Entering the inner room, a beauty’s silhouette was reflected on the folding screen, seated gracefully at the edge of the bed.
An almost imperceptible smile unconsciously crept onto Gu Zhao’s face as he rounded the screen. The beauty turned her head at the sound.
Before the smile could even reach his eyes, it had already faded. Gu Zhao looked at that completely unfamiliar face, his expression still calm, but his tone already carrying a chill as he asked:
“Who are you?”