Gu Jiangzhi’s head buzzed as his mother’s scolding rang in his ears. His voice was dry, carrying one last trace of resistance. “Mother, if it’s only about money… then why break off one engagement to arrange another? If I marry Miss Nian, wouldn’t everyone get what they want?”
“Everyone gets what they want, my foot!” Madam Jin nearly laughed in exasperation at her son’s naivety. “How is the daughter of a merchant family worthy of being your principal wife? Who do you think will arrange a proper post for you in the East City Military Command? Can the Nian family pave your way in official circles?”
Bitterness rose in Gu Jiangzhi’s throat. He fell silent. Back when the Dongli clan had raised their army, his mother had been terrified he would die in battle and had forced him to feign illness and remain at home for years. As a result, he had completely missed the best opportunity to earn military merit and advance his career. Now, if he wanted a genuine official appointment, the only path left was to attach himself to General Lu’s family.
A greedy gleam flashed in Madam Jin’s eyes. “Marrying Miss Lu secures the future of our Gu family for decades to come. Taking the Nian girl as a concubine fills the holes in our finances right now. I want both.”
At the mention of the East City Military Command, Gu Jiangzhi’s heart stirred again. Without a promising career, he always felt inferior when standing before Miss Nian. He was tired of feeling so inadequate.
“My son, go. Go talk to Miss Nian again.”
This time, however, Gu Jiangzhi felt ashamed. He had just stood before Miss Nian and declared, “I will never let you down.”
And now he was supposed to turn around and ask for her dowry? How was he supposed to say that?
Seeing that her son couldn’t let go of that last shred of pride, Madam Jin let out a cold laugh. “Our Gu family isn’t dependent on her alone. Without the protection of that marriage contract, the Nian family is nothing more than a group of vagrants squatting in the capital. When the authorities come to expel them, if they delay even for a moment, it’ll count as resisting the law. Once they’re arrested and thrown into prison, whether they’re kneaded round or flattened will no longer be up to them.”
Gu Jiangzhi suddenly felt those words sound strangely familiar. His whole body stiffened. Only then did he remember what Miss Nian had said earlier: “You’ve already planned everything, haven’t you? First you’ll use the threat of breaking off the engagement to make the Nian family panic. Then you’ll generously offer me the position of a noble concubine. If I refuse, you’ll withdraw your sponsorship and have the authorities arrest the Nian family under the charge of ‘vagrants resisting the law.’”
A chill ran up his spine. At the time, he had assumed those words were merely spoken in anger to hurt him. Yet now, he was hearing almost the exact same scheme from his own mother’s mouth.
He raised his head abruptly, his voice trembling in a way he did not notice. “Mother, are you also planning to frame the Nian family for supporting rebel forces and send their entire household to prison?”
Madam Jin stared at him in shock. Panic flickered in her eyes. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Without blinking, Gu Jiangzhi fixed his gaze on her. “Those weren’t my words. Miss Nian asked me that, word for word.”
“What?” Madam Jin shot to her feet, her expression changing drastically. “How could she know?”
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized she had misspoken.
The color slowly drained from Gu Jiangzhi’s face, as though all the blood had been sucked from it. He opened his mouth and forced out a hoarse whisper. “So… you really were planning that?”
Madam Jin turned her face away awkwardly. “As if I had that kind of ability! It was your aunt in the palace. She keeps saying that when a family prospers, everyone prospers together, and when it falls, everyone suffers together. Your marriage is a bargaining chip for advancing the family.”
She paused before continuing, “Which imperial consort in the palace isn’t desperately trying to strengthen her own faction these days?”
“You can’t treat the Nian family like this either!” Gu Jiangzhi’s head was buzzing. “If there’s something to say, then say it properly. Why resort to such vicious methods and drive people into a dead end?”
Madam Jin forced out a cold snort. “If she knew what was good for her and obediently entered our household as a concubine, bringing her mountains of gold and silver with her, who would want to go to such extremes?”
Seeing the disappointment in her son’s eyes, Madam Jin’s heart softened somewhat. She hurried forward and grabbed his arm. “My son, Mother knows you like her. You’ve liked that girl since you were little. Everything I’ve done has been to help you get her smoothly.”
“No… this isn’t right…” Gu Jiangzhi shook his head, feeling dazed.
Miss Nian was far too clever. If she had truly guessed the Gu family’s plans, she must already have a countermeasure in place. Then why had she agreed so readily to become his concubine? Was it because she had feelings for him?
Or… The more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt. Miss Nian had agreed much too easily. That simply wasn’t like her. Suddenly, realization struck him.
“She must be stalling for time!”
It was a delaying tactic!
“Ah? Ah!” Madam Jin also calmed down and immediately grasped the key point. “The residency sponsorship documents our family provided give them a temporary registration period of three months. She must be planning to use that time to buy a house and establish a household registration. Once that’s done, the Nian family can turn openly against us. If that happens, it will be much harder for you to take her as a concubine.”
Gu Jiangzhi slumped into a chair, his mind in complete turmoil. He suddenly felt as though he was about to lose Miss Nian. He had waited for her for five whole years. The thought of her had carried him through years of war and turmoil. How could he just watch that hope vanish into nothing? He could give up the Nian family’s dowry. But he could not give up Miss Nian.
Abruptly, Gu Jiangzhi stood and headed straight for the door.
“Er Gou!” Madam Jin hurried after him a few steps. “Ahem! Jiangzhi! Where are you going?”
“To the Nian family.” He stopped suddenly at the threshold. Turning back, with light and shadow dividing his face in half, he wore an expression colder and more serious than ever before. “Mother, don’t do anything unnecessary for now. I’ll speak with Miss Nian properly.”
A ruthless, calculating look flashed through Madam Jin’s eyes. “Go talk, then. But if talking doesn’t work, you must be decisive. Opportunities disappear in an instant. If you end up losing both the woman and the money, don’t regret it later.”
Gu Jiangzhi disliked hearing his mother speak that way. It only made him feel even less confident in front of Miss Nian. And even more ashamed of himself. But he knew his mother was right. If he missed this opportunity, he might never again even brush the edge of Miss Nian’s sleeve.
After taking a few more steps, he finally clenched his fists and, with his back turned, asked in a trembling voice: “Mother, have the arrangements with the Ward Office been taken care of?”
“Without a single flaw!” Madam Jin lifted her chin slightly, a trace of pride flashing through her eyes. “The very day our family was granted the marquisate, the ward chief came personally bearing gifts to curry favor with us. What further arrangements would we need?”
Gu Jiangzhi fell silent. The dim light from outside the window shone into his eyes, igniting a flame that bordered on obsession. At that moment, his hunger for power and wealth peaked.
“Even so, the necessary gifts should still be given. There can be no mistakes in this matter. Wait for my message. Don’t act rashly.”
Turning around, Gu Jiangzhi strode into the stormy dusk.
He would have Miss Nian. No matter what methods he had to use. No matter what price he had to pay. No one in this world loved Miss Nian more than he did. Once she entered his household, he would treat her twice as well as anyone else, even better than his principal wife.
Gu Jiangzhi walked all the way to the Nian residence.
The Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor was not far from the alley where the Nian family rented their house, only three streets away. But the rain was pouring so heavily that the oil-paper umbrella in his hand was useless against the sheets of water blowing in from every direction. By the time he arrived at the gate, his hair, robes, and sleeves were already more than half soaked through.
A gatekeeper went inside to announce his arrival.
Mingyue happened to be standing beneath the corridor. The moment she heard that Young Master Gu had come again, displeasure and unease rose in her heart. She hurried into the main hall to report it.
“Miss, Young Master Gu has come again.”
“Again?” The moment Nian Weiqing heard this, he was furious. “Go tell that Gu Er-gou we won’t see him! Tell him to get lost!”