Gu Yanshan nodded, quite proud. “Of course. Qingqing is the only daughter of the Song family. Her parents and five elder brothers dote on her beyond measure.”
“That is precisely why I am so troubled over the betrothal gifts.”
Zhou Du smiled. “That stands to reason. If your gifts are too modest, the Song family out of consideration for your dignity will hold back on her dowry. They may say nothing aloud, yet in their hearts they will feel you have slighted their daughter.”
Gu Yanshan, relieved to be understood, leaned forward. “Exactly. That is why I ask your help.”
“She is the one I hold most dear. And you are my wife. If you come to my aid in this hour of need… then you two may live in harmony within this household. I shall not forget your kindness.”
Zhou Du nearly laughed aloud in scorn. Song Qingqing had not yet crossed the threshold and already Gu Yanshan schemed to lay hands on her dowry, expecting gratitude and favor in return? Silver and gold were far more reliable than a man’s promises.
Zhou Du ignored his fine words. “Here is my proposal. Go to the Song family and learn the value of Lady Song’s dowry. I shall prepare gifts of matching worth from my side. But… you must give me a written note of debt.”
“A note of debt?” Gu Yanshan objected. “We are family now! Must you be so calculating?”
Zhou Du’s patience wore thin. “This concubine is yours to take not mine. If you refuse to give me your word… then find another way.”
Gu Yanshan read the warning in her face. He knew she was not easily swayed and that this concession was generous enough. Reluctant though he was, he agreed.
Better to borrow from his own wife than from strangers. He could not let it be known that the Heir of Yong Ning lacked the means to take a concubine. And after all she was his wife. He would repay the debt whenever he pleased. Surely she would not hound him for every copper.
Zhou Du’s next words shattered that pleasant fantasy.
“The sum I lend you,” she said calmly, “shall be deducted in monthly installments from your personal allowance until the full amount is repaid. If you earn income of your own and wish to settle it sooner… you are welcome to do so.”
Gu Yanshan stiffened, staring at her in disbelief. “Are you truly of the House of Zhou? Why are you so grasping, so shrewd? Have you eyes only for silver? Do you think I would default on my debt?”
Zhou Du shrugged unconcernedly. “Who can say? If your conscience is clear… why so defensive? Why the guilt?”
If he despised money so deeply… he should not come begging for it.
“Preposterous!” Gu Yanshan snapped.
Three days later came the day of the Return Visit. Zhou Du’s family hailed from far Qinghe Commandery but her brother Zhou Ze had remained in the capital since escorting her to the wedding, lodging in their newly purchased mansion until this visit was done.
“Brother!” Zhou Du rushed forward. Though these past days had been bearable, she had missed her family dearly.
Zhou Ze had risen early in preparation. Seeing her radiant, clear‑eyed, and unburdened by sorrow, his heart lightened.
“Brother‑in‑Law.” Gu Yanshan had not wished to come he stood guilty and ashamed before her kin, having abandoned her on their wedding day.
Zhou Ze greeted him with a smile that never reached his eyes. “Your Lordship honors our humble home with your presence. Truly our threshold is graced.”
The Zhou mansion in the capital had been purchased at great cost. It might lack the sprawling grandeur of the Marquis Manor but its location and grounds were finer still.
Gu Yanshan shifted uncomfortably. He had known Zhou Ze would not welcome him. “We are family,” he said stiffly. “You speak too formally.”
The words carried a warning: whatever had passed, Zhou Du was now his wife. To shame him was to shame her also.
Zhou Ze snorted. He would not let this man spoil so auspicious a day. Had custom not required the couple to return together… he would never have suffered Gu Yanshan through his doors.
After the midday meal, Zhou Du and Zhou Ze withdrew to the study. Gu Yanshan wandered the courtyard, bored and resentful.
How cold they are, he thought. Had this been Qingqing’s return visit, the Song family would never have treated him so. At table, brother and sister had spoken only to one another utterly ignoring him.
“Brother… you leave tomorrow? Will you not stay longer in the capital?”
Zhou Ze smiled gently. “I shall return often to visit you. And you must write home often. If you suffer any wrong… do not bear it in silence. Write to us. Promise me.”
Zhou Du blinked back sudden tears and laughed. “Brother… you still do not know me. Am I the sort to suffer wrong quietly?”
“Speaking of which… I have a favor to ask.”
“Speak.”
“It concerns your Second Brother‑in‑Law, Gu Yanchuan. He stands high in his studies and his essays show genuine promise. Yet at fourteen… he has no proper tutor to guide him.”
Zhou Ze nodded. “I remember him. The younger brother who stood in his elder’s place at the altar. Gu Yanchuan, is it not?”
“You wish me to find him a teacher?”
Zhou Du nodded.
“It shall be done,” Zhou Ze promised. “The Marquis is truly short‑sighted lavishing all care upon the elder son, while this boy is cast aside. He too is his flesh and blood.”
Zhou Du sighed. “The Marquis loved his first wife deeply. It is only natural that he cherishes what she left behind.”
The late Marchioness had been weakened by the birth of Gu Yanshan and could bear no more children. Yet one son alone was perilous for a great house. At her insistence, the Marquis had taken a concubine of respectable birth mother to Gu Yanchuan and Lijiao. The Marquis had resisted bitterly at first, yielding only to her pleading. After her death, he had been stationed at the frontier scant attention even to Gu Yanshan, let alone the younger two.
“One word of warning,” Zhou Ze said gravely. “Trust no one in that house not fully.”
The Marquis seemed to favor her, speaking and acting as though she were his own daughter. Yet in the end all he did was for Gu Yanshan.
“I know, Brother.” Zhou Du poured tea for them both.
However fond the Marquis might seem… Gu Yanshan remained his true, beloved heir. Take the wedding ceremony: when Gu Yanshan woke, not a single word of rebuke had passed his father’s lips.
Or rather what punishment could there be? A beating? Gu Yanshan would survive it, proud and stubborn. His father might rage but he would never strike him dead.
Zhou Du looked at her brother’s dark, stormy face and laughed. “Brother… look at you. One would think you were the one being married off! Where is my handsome, carefree Master of Boat and Wilds? Have you hidden him away?”