Chundong rushed in so quickly that she nearly collided with Miao’er, who was standing at the entrance of the courtyard. She quickly stepped aside, calling out, “Miss! Miss, something’s wrong!”
Gu Fengjian said with displeasure, “Has the sky fallen?”
“The… the sky is about to fall!” Chundong rushed in front of him, her face pale. “People outside said that the young master got into a fight on the street!”
Gu Fengjian lifted his eyelids, “What did you say!“ by carpreads.pages.dev
Chundong nodded, “Yes! It was a big commotion, and he was even caught by the Imperial Insignia Guards!”
Gu Fengjian abruptly stood up, the chair swaying as he bumped into it. He asked in a deep voice, “Who did he fight with?”
“It is said to be Fan Chongqing! It was too chaotic there, and the Imperial Insignia Guards had already dispersed the crowd. I don’t know what happened, but they just started fighting. It was in the largest tavern in front!” Chundong felt a headache coming on. “Oh my god, how could Fifth Young Master get into a fight?”
Chundong wanted to ask if she should go to the Gu Mansion to find out more, but the person in front of her had already disappeared.
Gu Fengjian forgot to put down the things in his hands and rushed out the door.
Chundong was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly shouted, “Miss!”
The guest room was very clean, and the windows of the first-floor guest room happened to face a garden.
Song Chuzhao went over to take a look and found a soldier guarding outside. The soldier cracked a smile at her. Song Chuzhao returned a wry smile and then closed the window.
She walked to the edge of the bed and sat down, resting her head against the bedpost, closing her eyes and thinking.
Actually, there was nothing much to think about. At most, she felt that she had miscalculated earlier, and she should have just broken the man’s leg and kept him.
As for Fu Changjun, she had never met him, and her mother had never mentioned him. She didn’t even know that he was her mother’s sworn brother.
Song Chuzhao half-opened her eyes, her gaze hazy.
If there were any clues, there were some. For example, she couldn’t understand why her mother was so resistant to the capital city. And why she would marry her father as a second wife.
She believed that her mother was not that kind of person, and she didn’t think that her father had been deceived. The matter had been going on for a long time, and the inside story was definitely not as the servant had said. The man’s words were all directed at her mother and General Fu, with malicious intent, and could not be trusted.
But she thought that perhaps Old Madam Song really thought this way, otherwise, she wouldn’t treat her the same way as an enemy. It made sense.
Song Chuzhao didn’t feel angry, instead, she laughed.
That old woman was truly ridiculous and ignorant.
After being alone for a while, Song Chuzhao heard a familiar voice.
The person said, “I’m here to find Fifth Son Gu.”
Song Chuzhao quickly pushed open the door, sticking her head out to look.
The soldier guarding the courtyard said, “Miss, Fifth Son Gu has committed a crime and was arrested by our general. It’s not convenient to see him.”
Following that, the door of the next room also opened. Fu Changjun, like her, poked his head out of the room.
Gu Fengjian and Fu Changjun met each other’s gaze, both of them were stunned for a moment.
Song Chuzhao shifted her gaze, interpreting their expressions.
Gu Fengjian’s eyes said “What a coincidence,” while Fu Changjun’s eyes expressed a simple “surprise.”
There was nothing fishy.
Then Fu Changjun waved his hand, allowing his soldiers to let the person in. Gu Fengjian and Fu Changjun exchanged a fist salute.
This wasn’t the usual way a young lady greeted people. Since Song Chuzhao had grown up on the frontier, Fu Changjun was accustomed to it and didn’t mind.
Gu Fengjian walked straight to Song Chuzhao, slipped inside, and closed the door behind him.
Song Chuzhao looked at him, remembering her mistake, and quickly confessed, “I hit him.”
She felt a great deal of guilt towards Gu Fengjian, after all, she had caused him trouble because of her own personal affairs. Her voice softened as she said, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.”
Gu Fengjian said, “If you want to hit him, then hit him.”
Song Chuzhao stared at his face, seeing his furrowed brow and the hurried way he spoke. She wondered if he was so angry that he was speaking in irony, or if he truly didn’t care.
Gu Fengjian took two steps forward, but the windows and doors had been closed by Song Chuzhao, making the light dim. He couldn’t see clearly, so he could only ask, “How is it?”
Song Chuzhao pointed towards the back, “He’s lying in the room behind us. He should be fine. I held back, I didn’t hit him hard. He was still jumping around just now.”
Gu Fengjian said helplessly, “I’m talking about you.”
“Me?” Song Chuzhao waved her hand, “I’m fine. I just don’t know if you think you’re… fine.”
Gu Fengjian’s eyes remained fixed on her. Song Chuzhao felt intimidated by his gaze and asked, “Do you want me to go apologize to him or something? Just tell me, I’ll do what you say.”
Gu Fengjian sighed, pointed to the edge of the bed, and motioned for her to sit down. Then he moved a chair and sat opposite her.
He sat upright, looking very serious. Song Chuzhao also sat up straight and engaged in conversation with him.
Gu Fengjian asked, “Why did you fight?”
Song Chuzhao said, “I heard some filthy words, and I was upset.”
Gu Fengjian: “Was it Fan Chongqing who said it?”
Song Chuzhao said, “Not really.”
Gu Fengjian: “Where is that person?”
Song Chuzhao regretfully pounded her leg, “He seems to have run away. Fan Chongqing wouldn’t let me stop him!”
Gu Fengjian walked to the window, looked out into the courtyard, and asked, “Is it that person?”
Song Chuzhao rushed over and saw that someone had appeared in the courtyard at some point, bound hand and foot, lying there. His mouth was stuffed, and he was wriggling like a worm.
Song Chuzhao nodded and said, “Yes! It’s him!”
Gu Fengjian closed the window again.
Knowing that the person had been caught, Song Chuzhao’s mood instantly brightened.
Song Chuzhao said, “Didn’t he run away?”
“In the capital, there are very few people the Imperial Insignia Guards can’t catch. Especially since General Fu leads the most elite Iron Guards in the capital.” Gu Fengjian said, “You should rest assured that handing him over to General Fu for interrogation will be enough.”
Song Chuzhao remembered the filthy words that man had spoken and didn’t want Fu Changjun to know.
Gu Fengjian happened to ask, “What did that person say that made you so angry?”
Song Chuzhao hesitated for a moment and said, “I don’t want you to know. It’s not something important.”
Gu Fengjian: “Alright. Then I won’t ask.”
Song Chuzhao, upon hearing this, raised her head in surprise.
“Don’t you want to know? Aren’t you curious? Won’t you ask?”
Gu Fengjian said, “I’d rather not know, than have you try to deceive me.”
Song Chuzhao said, as if assuring him, “I won’t deceive you!”
In the corner stood a wooden frame, on which rested a copper basin.
Gu Fengjian walked over and discovered that the water inside had just been changed, still slightly warm, but now almost cold.
He pulled a hanging towel, wet it with water, wrung it out, and walked over to Song Chuzhao.
“Hand.”
Song Chuzhao said, “I just washed my hands.”
Gu Fengjian pointed, “You have a cut on your hand.”
Song Chuzhao looked closer and saw that there was indeed a cut. Perhaps it was a scratch from wood shavings during the fight, or maybe it was a scratch by that man, two long red lines.
It wasn’t noticeable before, but now it was bleeding slightly and swollen, making it look even worse. Actually, she didn’t feel any pain.
Gu Fengjian pulled her hand over and pressed the cloth on the cut.
The cool, damp cloth wiped across her hand, suppressing the itch that had been brewing, making her feel much more comfortable.
“Are you really not angry with me?” Song Chuzhao observed his expression, “I hit someone, you know.”
It was common knowledge that Fifth Son Gu was usually refined and courteous, humble and reserved, rarely showing anger in public. How could he handle things so furious like her?
“He couldn’t beat you, it’s his own fault.” Gu Fengjian said matter-of-factly, “I doubt he’ll have the face to come looking for trouble. No one in the capital will say anything bad about you for this.”
“Why?” Song Chuzhao mumbled, “If it were my father, he would have sent someone to beat me.”
When she mentioned her father, it was as if her throat was choked, and she didn’t know what to say.
Gu Fengjian smiled, his eyelashes fluttering, “Because you are now, Fifth Son Gu.”
Song Chuzhao said, “Doesn’t Fifth Son Gu care about his reputation?”
Gu Fengjian: “No, because Fifth Son Gu is a man, and men sparring with each other is nothing to make a fuss about.”
Gu Fengjian raised his head, his clear pupils reflecting her face.
“Many things wouldn’t be your fault, the fault lies only in you being a woman. But you are not now.” Gu Fengjian said, “Look at my fourth brother, then look at Fan Chongqing, they have a hundred ways to live, they can be unrestrained in a thousand ways. Would the world say they are wrong? Where is the wrong?”
Song Chuzhao opened her mouth, wanting to say many things, but finally only whispered, “Actually, that’s what I think too. But if I say it, I’ll get scolded.”
“I won’t scold you.” Gu Fengjian chuckled, “The truth is, I understand. The fault isn’t yours, it’s the world’s. But you can only tell me, don’t tell anyone else.”
Song Chuzhao felt a surge of indescribable warmth in her chest, pushing out all her previous sour feelings, even her eyes were filled with a moist heat.
There was no one else in the world who would tell her, if you were a man, you wouldn’t be wrong, so it’s the world that’s wrong.
Nor would there be anyone else who would understand her, encourage her, and say without a second thought, the idea that the whole world is wrong.
Gu Fengjian’s image in her eyes became incredibly radiant.
“Fifth Son Gu!” Song Chuzhao said sincerely, “You are such a good person!”
How could there be someone as good as you!
Gu Fengjian paused for a moment and said, “Few people say I’m a good person.”
Song Chuzhao blinked, suppressing the moisture in her eyes, “Then they really don’t have eyes!”
Gu Fengjian: “…” How do you know I’m good to others?
Seeing her like this, Gu Fengjian suppressed his smile and admonished, “I didn’t coax you into fighting. Fighting is always bad. Be careful not to hurt yourself.”
“I don’t just hit people randomly,” Song Chuzhao quickly said, “I only fight when they are unreasonable and go too far!”
Gu Fengjian asked with a smile, “What if I make a mistake, would you hit me too?”
“No! No, no!” Song Chuzhao waved her hands, “I won’t hit you! I’ll just reason with you. How could I hit you?”
They were talking and didn’t notice the outside, so they didn’t notice Madam Gu who had already arrived at the door and pushed it open directly.
Madam Gu cried out in pain, “My son!”
Song Chuzhao was startled, and Madam Gu was also startled. Only Gu Fengjian remained calm.
Song Chuzhao realized that their hands were still clasped together and quickly pulled her hand back, hiding it behind her.
Gu Fengjian’s hands were left hanging in the air.
Song Chuzhao raised her hand and pressed it down, guiding him to put his hands at his sides.
In front of Gu Fengjian, Song Chuzhao called out, feeling a little awkward, “Mother.”
Madam Gu moved faster than her. She “swoosh” stepped back, pulling the door shut forcefully.
Song Chuzhao: “???”
Then, a gentle knock on the door sounded.
“Fifth Son, are you there?”
Song Chuzhao was about to answer, but then she heard Madam Gu answer herself, “You’re not there? No one’s in the room? Then I’ll go see Second Son Fan next door and ask a few questions.”
Song Chuzhao: “…” You’re really interesting!
Song Chuzhao was even more embarrassed by her, as if they really had something going on.
Gu Fengjian was also amused.
Song Chuzhao quickly said, “I’ll go see next door too.”
Next door, Minister Fan also had arrived.
He pushed open the door, holding his robe, and as soon as he saw Fan Chongqing, he scolded, “You rebellious son, are you crazy! You dare to hit Fifth Son Gu! How could you do that!”
Fan Chongqing turned around, revealing a slightly swollen face, and cried out in grievance, “Father, I didn’t hit him, he hit me! Look!”
Minister Fan leaned closer, carefully examining his face for a while, and then said even more angrily, “You useless thing! You can’t even beat Fifth Son Gu!”
Fan Chongqing: “???” You’re unreasonable, I’m not sure if you’re my real father.
Author Note:
A unified answer to all questions:
Why didn’t the female lead tell her mother when she came back? It was written in the beginning of the first chapter.
Why stay in the capital and not go back? Ancient transportation was inconvenient, and going on a long journey required a lot of complicated paperwork. Moreover, leaving behind a mess and leaving directly would offend the Gu family. She had only been back for two or three days. In the context of ancient times where filial piety was highly valued, she couldn’t directly turn against her elders at home.
Why not go to her maternal grandfather’s house? In the absence of knowledge, it was an extremely unfamiliar and completely unknown relative. When an ordinary person is troubled by a bunch of problems, would they still think about visiting relatives?
Do you feel the female lead is foolish? You can’t expect everyone to be good at palace intrigue. “Those with grand plans cannot be blamed for their lack of cleverness; those with small intelligence cannot be entrusted with great tasks.” → The female lead in this story is set to be straightforward and brave. She fights when she’s unhappy. Moreover, scheming and intelligence should be viewed separately. I don’t think the female lead can be called foolish.
This book has been said to be a trial run for a romance novel, and the character design will definitely change.
Thank you for your support~