Gu Jun truly felt the sky was bluer, the water clearer, and his mood greatly improved. He immediately said, “My daughter speaks wisely. Dingbei Wang must not forget this old man’s beloved item.”
“Lord Gu, rest assured. This prince will certainly return it.” How could He Runsheng, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, do anything that would damage his reputation? Even though he knew the Gu father and daughter were deliberately scheming against him, he could only swallow this bitter pill.
Gu Yishu was also in high spirits. He looked at the Imperial Uncle and bowed, saying, “Since Dingbei Wang has no objections, we ask the Grand Marshal to witness the drafting of a marriage dissolution agreement between our two families. From now on, each may marry freely without interference.”
Upon hearing this, Song Fengyu glanced at Gu Yishu, his long eyebrows slightly raised. Beneath his calm eyes lay a dark, swirling depth. He nodded slightly and said, “It should be so.”
Gu Jun immediately had his household servants bring writing materials. He personally took up the brush and wrote the marriage dissolution document. After finishing, he respectfully presented it to the Imperial Uncle for review.
Song Fengyu stepped forward, looking at the clear black characters on the white paper on the table. He then raised his head and glanced at Gu Qingyi, asking, “Does Lady Gu also have no objections?”
Gu Qingyi looked up, meeting the Imperial Uncle’s distinct yet unfathomable eyes. Even though she had done nothing wrong, she felt inexplicably guilty under his gaze. Tightening her grip on her handkerchief, she said, “This humble girl has no objections. I defer entirely to the Grand Marshal’s judgment.”
Song Fengyu’s gaze sharpened slightly before he slowly withdrew it. He signed his name on the agreement and then looked toward He Runsheng.
He Runsheng hurriedly bowed and stepped forward, picking up the brush to sign his own name on the marriage dissolution document. Finally, Gu Qingyi added her signature.
Watching Gu Qingyi finish writing, He Runsheng felt an inexplicable emptiness in his heart. He should have been happy, yet he instinctively looked at Gu Qingyi again. He saw her standing there with a slight smile, her posture straight and composed, as if the dissolution of the engagement was no great matter.
This… was completely different from what he had imagined.
He had thought Gu Qingyi would be reluctant, but she was not.
Could it be that all her affection for him over the years had been false?
Gu Jun no longer paid any attention to He Runsheng. Instead, he smiled at the Imperial Uncle and said, “We have troubled the Grand Marshal to make this trip. Regardless, please come into the residence for a cup of wine. We hope the Grand Marshal will honor us with your presence.”
“No need. Since the matter is concluded, this prince will take his leave first.”
Song Fengyu turned and directly boarded his ox cart. The surrounding crowd quickly made way for him.
Once the Imperial Uncle had left, He Runsheng, hearing the murmurs and pointing fingers of the onlookers, could no longer stay. With a darkened face, he boarded his own ox cart and drove away.
After all, he still needed to figure out how to retrieve a jade vase with openwork carving—one identical to the one he had given to Lady Fu Liu. However, he could no longer clearly recall the exact appearance of that jade vase. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became, and his resentment toward the Gu family grew even stronger.
Gu Qingyi gazed intently at Song Fengyu’s departing ox cart. Once again, she caught a faint scent, and her palm grew slightly warm. Clenching her fist tightly, she bid farewell to her father and brother and returned to her own courtyard.
After dismissing Mianchun and the others, she entered her bedchamber, drew the curtains, and sat cross-legged on the bed. Only then did she relax her tightly clenched hand.
In an instant, a small sapling, about the size of a palm, emerged from her palm. It was translucent, as if carved from the finest jade, and emitted a faint, soothing fragrance that calmed her restless spirit.
It had been ten years since she arrived here. This small tree had appeared in the third year, when she went to offer incense at the Great Xiangguo Temple and happened upon the unconscious Song Fengyu.
Suddenly, a tree shot out from her palm. Whether others went crazy or not, she didn’t know, but she nearly scared herself to death, thinking she had mutated due to a genetic anomaly.
At first, she had no idea how to use it. It took nearly a year of trial and error before she began to grasp its workings.
The leaves on the tree could be plucked. When used in incense, they could calm the mind and soothe the spirit; when used in medicine, they could strengthen the body and improve health. Moreover, in moments of life-threatening danger, when her mental focus was at its peak, she could even wield it like the legendary Golden Cudgel.
Truly, it was an essential item for blending incense, preparing medicine, and even for… home defense or travel.