Madam Gu and Song Chuzhao entered, and immediately, Minister Fan ceased his scolding.
The two leading elders apologized to Fu Changjun together, saying, “We have caused General Fu trouble.”
Fu Changjun chuckled softly and replied, “I have already inquired about the matter, and it is not a big deal. The man outside has said that he will not hold it against you. How do you two young masters intend to resolve the misunderstanding between yourselves?”
This was mainly because Fan Chongqing had been beaten, so it depended on whether he wants to pursue it.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Fan Chongqing brought up his previous lame excuse again, “It was indeed an accidental injury. I tripped and fell.”
Minister Fan said the same thing as Song Chuzhao, covering his face and saying, “You are so useless!”
Immediately after, he said something that Fan Chongqing had expected, “I will deal with you when I get home!”
Fan Chongqing: “…“ by carpreads.pages.dev
He had come to terms with reality. Whether he was of use or not, he would still be beaten. If he was useful, he would be beaten together with Fifth Son Gu, once by Uncle Fu and once by his own father. If he was useless, at least he would only have to endure it once.
Let him be useless then.
Just as Fu Changjun was about to speak, Fourth Son Gu rushed in, shouting and scolding, “Fan Chongqing, you shameless villain, you dare to attack my fifth brother, you—”
He entered the room and realized that it was unusually quiet, and everyone’s expressions were not right. They all turned their gazes towards him.
Looking at Fan Chongqing’s resentful face, Gu Fengwei abruptly changed his tone and laughed, “Oh, your little face, why is it so red?”
Fan Chongqing was furious and slapped his hand away, “Gu Fengwei, are you sick? You’re always badmouthing me! Do you think I don’t have a temper?”
Minister Fan was annoyed by the two of them, “Both of you, shut up!”
The two younger ones voluntarily stood against the wall, reflecting on their mistakes.
Fan Chongqing was particularly depressed.
Why was he the one who got beaten, but he was also the one who lost face? Couldn’t everyone be fair?
He also wanted to be the beloved Second Young Master Fan! Why wouldn’t they give him a chance?!
A son was still a son. Minister Fan finally remembered to present a united front. He turned to Madam Gu and snorted, “Madam Gu, you said earlier that if anyone beat your son, you would definitely not let them off, right?”
Madam Gu raised her hand to adjust her loose hair, her expression unchanged, “Not necessarily, it depends on the person. If someone beats our Fourth Son, I won’t care.”
Fourth Son Gu: “???”
Song Chuzhao said shyly, “Actually, I got hurt too.”
Minister Fan: “Where are you hurt?”
Song Chuzhao rolled up her sleeve, extended her hand, and enthusiastically showed him the small cut at the base of her thumb.
Minister Fan leaned closer to take a look. Oh, such a big gash, it even made his beard stand on end. He slammed Song Chuzhao’s hand down and shouted, “You are pushing it too far!”
Fu Changjun turned his back, tapping his long whip in his palm, and said, “If you fight in the street and cause a commotion, you should be punished. Even if you are two young masters, you should be whipped ten times and paraded through the streets.”
Madam Gu’s face turned dark, and she cried out, “No! My son has just recovered from a serious illness, how can he be punished? He is not like Fan Chongqing, who has been practicing martial arts for years and can withstand twenty lashes. My son can’t even take one lash!”
Minister Fan: “???”
I give you an inch, and you take a mile?
Fu Changjun was also amused by the two of them, but he still pretended to be serious, “So, it was just a misunderstanding?”
What else could Minister Fan say? He brushed his sleeve and glared at his son.
“You two have damaged quite a few items in the tavern, so you must make compensation. You also caused a disturbance in the street, so you should be fined.” Fu Changjun said, “As for how much you should pay, you can discuss it with the shopkeeper. Triple the fine will be paid to the Imperial Insignia Guards as a warning. Don’t do it again.”
The juniors all obediently admitted their fault, not daring to be presumptuous.
Fu Changjun was the first to leave the room.
He walked into the courtyard and stopped in the middle. The bound man whimpered and moved towards him, trying to straighten his body and bow to him.
Fu Changjun looked down at him and smiled amiably, “Want to apologize?”
The man nodded frantically.
But Fu Changjun said, “You always like to say things you shouldn’t, so I don’t want to hear it now. You’ve been beaten quite badly, so I’ll take you to get medical treatment first. What do you think?”
The man was terrified, his tears streaming down his face as he shook his head violently and bowed to Fu Changjun again.
Fu Changjun continued to smile, “You don’t need to worry. The Duke Gu’s Mansion will pay for the consultation fee. I’m off duty today, so I have plenty of time. Think carefully and then tell me. Take him away.”
A soldier beside him grabbed the man and dragged him out of the courtyard, ignoring his struggles and pleas, behind the crowd.
After Fu Changjun and the others left, Song Chuzhao and Fourth Son Gu followed them out. Madam Gu told them to go back and rest first, and she would handle the rest.
Fourth Son Gu clung to Song Chuzhao, chattering incessantly, “How could you be with Fan Chongqing? And you even fought with him. Tell Fourth Brother, how did you beat him? Of course, Fourth Brother isn’t saying you’re wrong, that blow to his face was pretty accurate. Did he bully you? You, with your temper, would actually fight, what was it all about…”
Song Chuzhao responded half-heartedly, and Fourth Son Gu, despite being brushed off, remained undeterred. He relied on his imagination and guesses to haphazardly reconstruct the truth of the matter.
The two left the backyard and walked onto the street.
Fourth Son Gu tugged at Song Chuzhao’s sleeve, saying he wanted to take her to eat something good, to get rid of the bad luck she had picked up from Fan Chongqing. He pulled, but realized the person beside him wasn’t moving.
It had rained earlier today, and although it had stopped now, the streets of the capital were still damp.
Gu Fengjian stood under a pear tree across the street, dressed in white, his feet sinking into the mud, silently watching them.
The autumn wind after the rain was cool, blowing his clothes and long hair, adding a touch of coldness to him. It also brought a sense of ethereal detachment.
Fourth Son Gu followed Song Chuzhao’s gaze, initially not recognizing the person, thinking it was some beautiful girl out for a stroll, and even thought she was a pretty and refined woman. When the person beside him ran towards the other, he realized it was actually Third Miss Song.
This was the first time Fourth Son Gu had seen Third Miss Song in person.
Everyone told him that Third Miss Song was domineering, willful, and vulgar, but no one told him that Third Miss Song was a woman who looked so ethereal.
He was surprised for a moment, then chased after his brother.
There were many raindrops left on the pear tree leaves, and when the wind blew, they rustled down.
“Why are you still here?” Song Chuzhao saw that Gu Fengjian’s shoulders were already wet with rain, and she brushed them, saying, “You’ve gotten wet, be careful of catching a cold.”
Gu Fengjian said, “I was worried you wouldn’t be able to argue with them. I’m waiting here to see.”
Fu Changjun was not easy to deal with, and he didn’t like to give face to people. If he was unhappy, no one could get anything good from him.
Gu Fengjian thought, now that he was in Song Chuzhao’s body, he could still appeal to him, so he was waiting here in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
Fourth Son Gu laughed and interjected, “Miss Song, don’t worry. My fifth brother is eloquent and knowledgeable, there’s no one he can’t outsmart!”
He patted his fifth brother’s shoulder, “Don’t look at him, he’s not good at martial arts, but in the entire capital, no one can bully him.”
Song Chuzhao and Gu Fengjian both glanced at him sideways, both finding him a bit of an eyesore, but Fourth Son Gu was oblivious.
Song Chuzhao pulled Gu Fengjian aside a couple of steps.
“Where’s Chundong?”
“I told her to go buy some things.” Gu Fengjian wrinkled his nose. “She’s pretty noisy too.”
Song Chuzhao laughed and said, “She wants you to go back, doesn’t she? Go back, I’m fine here.”
She suddenly remembered about going to the He Mansion and was about to remind him, but Fourth Son Gu leaned in again, pointing at Gu Fengjian’s hand and saying, “Hey, Miss Song, what book are you holding?”
Gu Fengjian had brought this book with him in a hurry. Although he was holding it close to his chest, it had still gotten a little wet and the cover was slightly wrinkled.
He lowered his head to smooth out the bottom corner of the page, revealing the title.
Fourth Son Gu said, “Huh? You’re reading this book? I remember my fifth brother borrowed a copy of this a while back. You two really have similar interests, how rare! I heard Miss Song grew up on the frontier, so you’re a cultured person after all!”
Gu Fengjian said flatly, “Where are there many books on the frontier?”
Fourth Son Gu: “Huh?”
“Of course there are more military books on the frontier, everything else is considered miscellaneous!” Song Chuzhao said helplessly, “Fourth Brother, can’t you tell this is your fifth brother’s book?”
“Ah? So this is my fifth brother’s book!” Fourth Son Gu was startled at first, then followed up with another startled expression of respect. “Goodness, I can’t even understand this book! Miss Song, you actually read such difficult things for my fifth brother!”
Song Chuzhao was about to break out in a cold sweat.
Gu Fengjian calmly said, “It is a bit obscure.”
Fourth Son Gu said considerately, “Take your time reading, no rush. If you don’t understand something, ask my fifth brother to teach you.”
Song Chuzhao said dryly, “Fourth Brother, let’s go eat.”
Fourth Son Gu was exasperated with her, whispering in her ear, “It’s already this late, how can you still be thinking about eating? The young lady is worried about you and waited here specially, and you don’t even show any appreciation?”
Song Chuzhao: “…” Why don’t you think about leaving yourself?!
Fourth Son Gu just stood there grinning foolishly. Song Chuzhao and Gu Fengjian exchanged awkward glances. After a while, Madam Gu came out.
Seeing the three of them standing under the tree like three incense sticks, she found it strange and walked over, smiling, “Third Miss Song?”
Fourth Son Gu immediately said loudly, “Yes! That’s right! She was worried about my fifth brother, so she’s waiting here.”
Madam Gu said happily, “I recognized her right away, she’s exactly like my younger sister He Wan when she was young!”
She grabbed Gu Fengjian’s hand and held it, letting out a “yikes”: “Why are your hands so cold!”
Fourth Son Gu said, “Because it’s windy here.”
Madam Gu chuckled and turned her head, gesturing to Song Chuzhao, “Take your fourth brother away first.”
Fourth Son Gu: “…It’s like I’m a nuisance. Fine, I’ll go myself!”
Fourth Son Gu led Song Chuzhao to another place to wait, giving them a chance to talk.
Madam Gu explained to him, “Thank you for your concern, Miss Song. Fifth Son is fine. He’s usually calm and collected, he wouldn’t argue with anyone, let alone fight. What happened today was truly an accident.”
Gu Fengjian: “I know.”
Madam Gu said again, “Fifth Son is concerned about you. Although you two have never met before, I have never seen him care for anyone else like this. It seems like fate.”
Gu Fengjian said, “I have met her.”
Madam Gu said, “Met? Oh, yes, Chundong said you two met at the border.”
Gu Fengjian nodded and mumbled, “He fell off his horse and couldn’t move. In the end, it was the Song family’s personal guards who came to his rescue.”
Madam Gu, upon understanding his words, widened her eyes. After her initial shock, she exclaimed with joy, “So it was you! It was you all along! I said there was no Third Young Master in the Song family, and their only son has always been raised in the capital! Third Girl, it’s you!”
She was so excited that she repeated herself several times. She then grabbed Gu Fengjian’s hand and held it tightly.
“It’s thanks to you that Fifth Son was saved. He’s not in good health and can’t stand the cold. Thank you for leaving your clothes for him and carrying him to shelter from the rain. That place is rarely frequented by people, even less so after a heavy rain.”
Her voice choked with emotion, “If he hadn’t luckily encountered you and you hadn’t risked your life to run through the night to call for help, he might have had to wait for a long time to be rescued. You were so young back then, and you had to walk through the mountains and get drenched in the rain. How difficult it must have been! Fifth Son owes you his life. Child, you are truly a good person.”
Madam Gu held back her tears, suppressing her emotions. She then said, “I wanted to thank you later, but I couldn’t find you. They only said you were sick and couldn’t see guests. Were you very ill back then?”
Gu Fengjian didn’t know how serious it was, but he nodded anyway. Gu Fengjian said, “I’m fine now.”
Madam Gu sighed and said, “No wonder he’s so good to you. Fifth Son is really… he keeps everything bottled up inside. Otherwise, I would have gone to thank you long ago.”
Gu Fengjian lowered his gaze and said with a bitter smile, “Perhaps he didn’t want to add more rumors that would be considered inappropriate.”
“Don’t say that! Don’t listen to those foolish words! What do they know?” Madam Gu was both heartbroken and angry. She stepped forward and hugged him, “Zhaozhao, Sister He Wan is not in the capital, so consider us family. If you need anything, come to me.”
Madam Gu chatted with him for a while longer. Seeing that his clothes were thin, she couldn’t bear to keep him any longer and urged him to go home.
Gu Fengjian looked towards the distance. Song Chuzhao waved goodbye to him, then turned and left. It reminded him of the figure that stood in front of him, shielding him from the storm that raged like a collapsing mountain.
Author’s Note:
Gu Fengjian/Song Chuzhao: I’m romancing my own elder.