Novel: Marrying the Imperial Uncle
Author: An Xiang
He Runsheng listened to the murmurs of the surrounding commoners, feeling his face twitch with pain. His expression shifted between black and white, a truly spectacular sight.
Gu Qingyi looked at He Runsheng’s eyes, which seemed to wish they could devour her alive on the spot, and her smile grew even more dignified and virtuous.
Whose face isn’t a face? Let’s see if yours hurts now!
She didn’t speak to stop her, and the green-clad maid, Zhi Qiu, took out another small booklet and began reading aloud. This one recorded the festival gifts He Runsheng had sent to Gu Qingyi over the years.
Huh?
Compared to the Gu family’s generosity, Dingbei Wang’s festival gifts were far too shabby. The most valuable item was merely some fine silk, while the rest consisted mostly of food and everyday trinkets. When Zhi Qiu read out that the Dragon Boat Festival gift included a single embroidered pouch, someone finally couldn’t hold back a laugh.
That laugh seemed to break some kind of restraint, and laughter erupted one after another.
He Runsheng felt his figure sway slightly, yet he couldn’t simply storm off—after all, there was still the great Buddha he himself had invited present.
With the Imperial Uncle here, even Dingbei Wang dared not act recklessly.
In that moment, He Runsheng finally understood why the Gu family had insisted on a witness and why they had specifically demanded the Imperial Uncle. They had been waiting for him here all along!
Gu Qingyi watched He Runsheng, furious to the point of bristling with anger yet unable to vent it, and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief in her heart. Did he really think she was so easy to bully?
If He Runsheng, that scoundrel, wanted to step on her reputation to elevate Fu Lanyun, he’d have to see if she’d give him that face!
Today, she had stripped He Runsheng’s face bare and stomped it into the ground. She wanted to see if the Fu family, who prided themselves on being a noble clan, would still agree to marry him.
In this era, reputation was everything. Once tarnished, one would inevitably be scorned and despised.
Playing the game of public opinion? She wasn’t afraid at all!
Song Fengyu’s gaze swept past Gu Qingyi’s calm and elegant face. He lowered his eyes slightly, his deep, cold-pool-like eyes revealing no emotion as he looked at Dingbei Wang. “Hezhi, do you have any objections to what is recorded in this booklet?”
Hezhi was He Runsheng’s courtesy name.
Hearing the Imperial Uncle address him this way, He Runsheng first felt a wave of relief. It was crucial not to incur the Imperial Uncle’s displeasure. Although the Gu family’s exposure of his past was utterly detestable, there would always be opportunities to repay them later. Thus, he replied, “Your subject is ashamed and has no objections. In earlier years, my family was impoverished, and I could not afford lavish gifts for the young lady of the Gu family. I simply never imagined that the young lady would take such offense as to record them as evidence.”
In saying this, He Runsheng sought to explain himself somewhat while also taking a jab at Gu Qingyi, accusing her of being petty, materialistic, and lacking the refined elegance of a noblewoman—utterly vulgar.
Hearing this, Gu Qingyi chuckled softly. “Dingbei Wang remains as impoverished now as he was back then.”
He Runsheng: …
This mouth truly suffers no loss!
Upon reflection, the crowd agreed. In the past, he had been poor, but later, the Late Emperor had promoted him to an official position, and he had led troops into battle. As for how much profit a military commander could skim—well, that was an open secret.
He might have been poor before, but he certainly wasn’t poor now.
The most recent festival gift was for the New Year, and it seemed He Runsheng had only sent the Gu family a jar of fine wine and two bolts of silk.
And when they thought back to the gifts the Gu family had given…
Gu Qingyi fixed her gaze on He Runsheng’s face, her smile growing even more composed. “Other gifts are one thing, but that exquisite carved jade vase with a hundred flowers is my father’s cherished possession. I must ask Dingbei Wang to return it without fail.”
He Runsheng felt his vision darken. It was precisely this item that he had given to Fu Lanyun. Since it had already been gifted, how could he possibly ask for it back?
He absolutely could not do such a disgraceful thing in front of the woman he admired!
Gu Qingyi watched He Runsheng’s expression, on the verge of fainting, with great satisfaction. You little rascal, using my things to curry favor with your beloved—let’s see how you handle this mess!