To Gu Jiayan’s despair, Huan Che nodded and agreed to Gu Yunrong’s suggestion.
Gu Yunrong was not surprised. She had known he would accept. For one thing, he now had some free time. For another, his original intention in walking around with his horse was probably to observe the local conditions along the way. Having someone familiar with the area guide him would naturally be more convenient.
Even if he had no such intention at first, he would still take the opportunity to look around. After all, once he returned to the capital, the Emperor would question him about what he had seen. During his previous outings, he had mainly focused on the city defenses and the terrain. He had not paid much attention to the people’s daily lives.
The place Gu Yunrong wanted to take him was the Matu Niang Temple, beside the Moon Elder Shrine.
In her previous life, after the Shen family members were exposed for their crimes, Shen Biwu and the Crown Prince had reacted quickly and managed to cover up the matter. Although the Emperor knew what had happened, he simply chose to turn a blind eye.
To be honest, Gu Yunrong had never fully understood many of the Emperor’s decisions.
After observing him for so many years, she still could not decide whether he was a foolish ruler or a wise one. But one thing was certain: the Emperor was extraordinarily intelligent—or at least, he was most of the time.
Huan Che had inherited this quality from his father and surpassed him in some ways. He could almost see through the hidden intentions behind every move the Emperor made. Even when the trusted eunuchs who had served the Emperor for many years could not understand his wishes, Huan Che could still figure out what his father was thinking.
Of course, most of the time, Huan Che kept his thoughts to himself.
Sometimes, he would explain the meaning behind his father’s words and actions to her. But when the Shen family’s scandal came to light, he never explained the Emperor’s intentions. He only gave her a general account of what had happened during one of their casual conversations.
At the time, Huan Che had mentioned one particular detail. Shen Ji, the leading member of the Shen family’s collateral branch, had conducted a secret deal with Japanese pirates near the Matu Niang Temple under the cover of darkness.
There was no Matu Niang Temple in the capital, so Huan Che had asked her several questions about the place.
If the transaction had taken place near the temple, then inspecting the surrounding area might lead to some useful discoveries. That way, she would not have to worry about how to bring up the matter with Huan Che.
She was not worried that he would become suspicious of her. He must have investigated the Gu family thoroughly before summoning her to the government office. Besides, given her family background and current circumstances, there was no way she could have known the details of the smuggling operation.
Still, to avoid making her intentions too obvious, Gu Yunrong led Huan Che and his party on a roundabout route.
When she was about to head toward the Matu Niang Temple, Gu Jiayan quickly stepped in front of her and warned her in a low voice.
“Don’t even think about going to the Moon Elder Shrine!”
Gu Yunrong had been wondering how to find an excuse to lead Huan Che in that direction. Her brother’s warning suddenly gave her an idea.
She could visit the Moon Elder Shrine first!
There were several grain shops near the Moon Elder Shrine, and the Matu Niang Temple was nearby as well. They could ask about grain prices, something Huan Che would probably find interesting.
Gu Yunrong pointed toward the signs of the grain shops in the distance and naturally began walking in that direction.
Gu Jiayan was caught off guard. Before he could stop her, his little sister had already slipped away with the group.
He tried to salvage the situation by suggesting that they go somewhere else, but Huan Che actually followed Gu Yunrong’s lead.
Gu Jiayan gritted his teeth and reluctantly went after them.
When Huan Che dismounted and headed toward the grain shops, he noticed numerous porters moving between the different storefronts. Although there were many people coming and going, everything seemed orderly.
He asked Gu Jiayan whether these workers belonged to any trade associations or guilds.
Gu Jiayan had traveled to various places for his studies and was fairly knowledgeable about such matters. Hearing the question, he began to regard Huan Che with a little more respect.
At first, he had genuinely thought that a prince raised in luxury had come south merely to put on a show. But through Huan Che’s various questions, he gradually realized that this prince was not simply going through the motions.
Now, Huan Che had immediately noticed the organization among the porters. Gu Jiayan could not help but admire the young prince’s sharp eye.
However, that was a separate matter. It still did not rule out the possibility that Huan Che had designs on his little sister.
Gu Jiayan replied, “Your observation is correct. Each shop has its own hired workers, while the porters and carriers are supervised by appointed foremen. That is why, although the shops are crowded together, there is little conflict between them. Once the grain arrives at the wharf, it can be delivered directly to the appropriate store.”
Gu Yunrong lowered her eyes.
These foremen were also known as gang bosses. Kou Hu had once been the chief boss controlling several major docks in the area.
The porters were actually highly trained and worked according to an orderly division of labor. Each group had its own leader, and everyone knew exactly which shop each shipment was supposed to go to.
The most powerful leader at a wharf was called the dock boss. Anyone who wanted to earn a living working at the docks had to negotiate with him and obtain his permission first. They were also forbidden from bringing their own carrying poles. Instead, they had to rent them from the dock boss, paying an annual fee of three or four shi of rice.
The porters’ daily workload was measured using tokens. Each load they carried earned them one token. At the end of the day, they would take their tokens to the dock boss and receive their wages according to the number they had collected.
Because the dock bosses exploited the workers so heavily, most of them became extremely wealthy.
Kou Hu had made his fortune overnight through this business. He was also ruthless, and his influence had spread rapidly. Even the county magistrate had to show him some respect.
That was why her circumstances had been even more difficult in her previous life.
After Gu Yunrong saved Huan Che in her previous life, Kou Hu continued to harass and threaten her. Eventually, she could no longer visit Huan Che as often as she wanted.
The last time she secretly went to the cave to bring him food and clothing, she discovered as soon as she entered that his mind seemed confused.
She anxiously called out to him, but he suddenly pushed her away and quietly told her to leave.
Thinking there might be danger nearby, she cautiously went outside to look around. However, she found nothing unusual.
When she returned, she intended to help him sit up and give him some water. But as she tried to pull him up, he suddenly pressed her to the ground.
He leaned over her, his deep, beautiful eyes fixed on her. His gaze was dark and intense, like a stormy sea with waves crashing violently beneath its surface.
She had no idea why he had suddenly become like this. He had been perfectly fine the last time she saw him.
Their bodies were pressed tightly together. She could even feel his breath brushing against her cheeks, growing hotter and more uneven by the moment.
He lowered his head, pulling at her clothes while kissing and biting her recklessly.
Her body stiffened for a moment. Her mind was in complete chaos. Countless thoughts seemed to flash through her head, yet at the same time, she could hardly think of anything at all.
She had previously believed that once their strange connection had ended, they would never have anything to do with each other again. She had never expected they would meet once more.
At the time, she was wearing a gold hairpin with a sharp pointed end. There were also stones nearby, and his grip on her was not particularly secure. She could have used either of those things as a weapon to escape.
But she did not move.
What would escaping accomplish? She would only return to a hopeless situation. It was better to take a gamble.
So she allowed him to continue.
Even now, she still did not know why he had suddenly lost control that day.
Gu Yunrong glanced at Huan Che, who was walking beside Gu Jiayan and talking with him. Suddenly, the tips of her ears turned red.
Huan Che had never shown much interest in women before. That one night of intimacy in her previous life seemed to have awakened something in him.
The first time, he had been inexperienced and impatient. He had held her down and moved about recklessly, leaving her in so much pain that she had nearly wanted to scratch him to death.
But after that, he gradually learned what to do on his own.
After they married, he sought her company quite frequently. She had never known whether it was because he had finally discovered the pleasures of intimacy and become addicted to them, or because he was eager to have a legitimate son.
Since he did not love her, the most likely reason he had married her as his principal wife was that they had spent that night together and she might have become pregnant. Perhaps he had happened to want a legitimate heir at the time.
That was one of the few explanations she could come up with that made some sense.
Gu Yunrong realized that after climbing out of the trap she had once fallen into with him, she could finally look at certain things she had previously refused to face.
And they were not nearly as difficult to accept as she had imagined.
In this life, Kou Hu was no longer a threat. Her brief encounter with Huan Che in her previous life would most likely never happen again either.
She no longer needed to exhaust herself trying to warm Huan Che’s heart. She would probably have a much easier life this time.
As Huan Che walked alongside Gu Jiayan, he caught sight of Gu Yunrong’s expression changing several times in quick succession. By the end, a faint smile had even appeared at the corner of her mouth.
He paused slightly.
A moment ago, he had seen her secretly stealing glances at him. After looking at him, the tips of her ears had turned red, and then she had started smiling to herself.
Was this girl being a little too obvious? It was almost as if she did not care whether he noticed.
Over the past few days, he had experienced several more strange and vivid dreams. Some contained the same suggestive scenes as before, while others were completely different. But most of them involved Gu Yunrong.
The settings were no longer limited to that secluded cave. He had also dreamed of magnificent palace halls and scenes inside the prince’s residence.
He was beginning to think that something was seriously wrong with him.
Just then, Gu Yunrong glanced to the side and noticed a group of people emerging from the Moon Elder Shrine in the distance.
Leading the group was a mother and daughter dressed in luxurious silk garments, with their hair adorned with pearls and jade ornaments. Several maids followed behind them with their heads lowered.
Gu Yunrong froze for a moment.
Wasn’t that Shen Biyin and her mother, Madam Zeng?
Shen Biyin was Shen Biwu’s cousin and the legitimate daughter of the Shen family’s second branch.
But why was she here? Had she taken the opportunity to travel south for a visit?
The Moon Elder Shrine in Hangzhou was famous for granting blessings in matters of marriage. People from nearby areas and even distant places often came there to pray for a good match.
Gu Yunrong would not have found it strange at all if Shen Biyin had deliberately traveled all the way here to ask the Moon Elder to grant her a good marriage.
Shen Biyin was also an extremely proud young woman. Relying on the Shen family’s power, she had always considered herself one of the most distinguished young ladies among the noble families.
She constantly compared herself to her cousin Shen Biwu, even when it came to marriage.
However, there was only one Crown Prince. Shen Biyin could hardly enter the palace and become one of his lesser consorts. As a result, she had been extremely picky about marriage prospects and had delayed settling on a match.
At present, among the imperial princes, only Huan Che and the Sixth Prince, Huan Lang, remained unmarried. The Emperor had probably already begun considering selecting brides for both of them.
Gu Yunrong had a feeling that the Shen family wanted to marry one of their daughters to one of these two princes.
It was always better to place several bets.
After all, the Crown Prince was not particularly outstanding when it came to political schemes and manipulation. The Emperor’s thoughts were difficult to predict, and several of the younger princes who were already old enough to establish their own princely territories had not yet been ordered to leave the capital.
Even the Shen family probably had no idea how the situation would develop in the future.
However, one of their daughters had already married into the imperial family. Whether they could arrange another marriage would depend on how the Shen family intended to play its cards.
Shen Biyin held Madam Zeng’s arm, smiling as she chatted with her while walking toward their sedan chair.
As they passed Gu Yunrong’s group, Shen Biyin casually glanced to the side. The moment she caught sight of Huan Che’s profile, she stopped for a brief moment. Then, realizing that she had been staring, she quickly looked away, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
Gu Yunrong noticed her reaction and assumed that Shen Biyin had recognized Huan Che.
But Shen Biyin soon turned her gaze away.
It seemed that she did not recognize him after all.
That was not particularly surprising. Shen Biyin rarely had opportunities to enter the palace, so it was entirely possible that she had never met Huan Che.
Just as Gu Yunrong turned her attention back to the road, a commotion suddenly broke out behind them.
She looked back and saw that the Shen family’s sedan chair was too large and had blocked the path of a group of porters transporting grain. The workers and the Shen family’s servants had gotten into an argument.
Shen Biyin and her mother hurried forward. Instead of making way, however, they became even more aggressive.
Although they were not very far away, Gu Yunrong could still hear parts of their argument.
“Making such a racket in broad daylight! What kind of behavior is this?” Madam Zeng was naturally domineering. Her expression darkened as she said, “Do you think you can bully us just because we didn’t bring our guards?”
Shen Biyin stood beside her mother without the slightest embarrassment. She smiled lightly and said, “Mother, don’t waste your time arguing with these vulgar commoners. They have no manners at all.”
Most of the porters were not from the south. Having traveled extensively, they were familiar with people from different regions and could understand what the mother and daughter were saying.
One of the leading porters glared at them angrily.
“Such an arrogant tone! If you want to throw your weight around, you’d better find out who our boss is first! If you provoke us, don’t blame us for reporting you to the authorities!”
Shen Biyin suddenly stopped smiling.
“I wonder which of us is being arrogant. Do you even know whose family we belong to?”
Madam Zeng gave her daughter a warning look, but Shen Biyin pretended not to notice.
“My cousin is the Crown Princess, and the Empress is my maternal aunt. If you think the capital is too far away for anyone to care, then surely you’ve heard of Prince Heng, who came to Zhejiang recently.”
Shen Biyin raised her eyebrows slightly and continued proudly, “Prince Heng’s maternal family also has ties to our clan. You want to report us to the authorities? Prince Heng is in Hangzhou right now. Why don’t you go and lodge a complaint directly with His Highness?”
The surroundings suddenly fell silent.
Huan Che, who had been speaking with Gu Jiayan, noticed that everyone accompanying him seemed to be looking in his direction. He stopped talking.
Gu Yunrong thought Shen Biyin’s attempt to claim a family connection was rather far-fetched.
The noble families and imperial relatives in the capital had crossed paths with one another from time to time, but Huan Che’s maternal family had no particularly close ties with the Shen family.
Besides, casually dragging Huan Che’s maternal relatives into the matter like that…
Wasn’t she practically asking for trouble?