Beneath the Surface Chapter 22

Song Chuzhao slipped out of the Duke Gu’s mansion, unseen.

Over the past few days, she had already familiarized herself with the various small gates and the patrol routes of the guards in the mansion. It posed no difficulty for her.

She exited the mansion smoothly, her steps light and quick.

As Song Chuzhao ran halfway, she suddenly remembered that Gu Fengjian had already moved out from there.

She stood in the biting autumn wind, shivering and sneezing twice.

Gu Fengjian’s body was too frail. by carpreads.pages.dev

It was truly too frail, to be afraid of such a small chill!

Then Zhaozhao was willing to run a little further for him, to properly exercise his body!

Song Chuzhao changed direction, without hesitation, heading back towards the Duke’s mansion. Only this time, her steps were slightly heavier, carrying a touch of worry about the unknown.

She had only been to the He Mansion once, and even then, she had only walked from the main gate to the living room before being chased away. She hadn’t even managed to get a bite of lunch.

How could she possibly know where Gu Fengjian lived?

Song Chuzhao paced back and forth outside the wall, measuring the distances on both sides, guessing the location of the courtyard where Gu Fengjian resided.

The outer wall of the He Mansion had no anti-theft measures. The top was built flat, making it easy to climb.

It was unlikely that anyone would be foolish enough to try to steal anything from the He Mansion, after all, it was guarded by trained fighters.

But this was convenient for Song Chuzhao.

She skillfully climbed the high wall, careful not to expose her head too much, only peering stealthily into the depths of the mansion.

In ordinary homes, they wouldn’t plant overly tall and lush trees, as they would provide easy hiding places for thieves. So, as long as she chose the right spot and stood on the wall, she could have a clear view of many things.

A faint flicker of doubt arose in Song Chuzhao’s mind: She was returning to her maternal grandfather’s home, why was she acting so sneaky?

She circled the perimeter of the He Mansion, switching walls twice and checking three locations, finally discovering a courtyard that was different.

The courtyard was filled with an abundance of new furnishings. And light was shining from the windows of the main house.

Master He and Madam He were elderly, they usually went to bed early. If someone was still awake at this hour, it was most likely Gu Fengjian.

This Fifth Son Gu, staying up so late at night… it was her head that was going bald!

She absolutely had to have a serious talk with Fifth Son Gu about this.

Song Chuzhao flipped over the wall, landing lightly, and crept towards Gu Fengjian’s courtyard along the path.

Although it was late, Gu Fengjian was still awake, reading a book.

The silhouette cast by the window showed only him.

Chundong was unusually excited today. She had missed the climax of the drama, only hearing about it from others. But the lingering echoes of the high point were still there, and she used the excuse of needing to organize her own things to stay at the Song Mansion for a while.

She watched as people pointed fingers, threw trash at the entrance of the Song Mansion, Second Miss Song cried and cried, urging Old Madam to shirk responsibility, Old Madam Song nearly fainted again, passionately berated General Fu, and Third Master Song shut himself in his room, quietly packing his bags and preparing to run away. It was a chaotic scene of gloom and doom, a Song Mansion on the verge of collapse.

She was amused by this scene of despair and impending disintegration, and then she skipped over to the He Mansion.

The people at the He Mansion were sorting through the three cartloads of belongings.

Master He saw the piles of old furniture, blew his beard and glared, and immediately ordered them to be thrown out. He was so angry at noon that he had no appetite and even ate one less bowl of rice.

Afterward, to compensate for the bowl of rice he had missed, Master He instructed the steward to go out and buy all sorts of new things with silver.

He didn’t care whether the He mansion already had those things or not. They just had to be new, expensive, and grand! After buying them, he would take them for a few laps around the street, letting everyone know that their Third Miss was someone who was loved and cherished, not to be bullied lightly.

Besides preparing daily necessities for his granddaughter, he also bought a set for Chundong.

Thus, Chundong found herself wearing new clothes, living in a new room, and sleeping on a new bed.

Her entire being was brimming with newfound joy. She walked with a spring in her step, a smile on her face, and a desire to return to the He mansion and show off to her fellow maids.

Moreover, the He mansion had more male servants and strongmen than maids. The maids were either old servants who had been with Madam He for years or older women hired to do rough work. There were hardly any young and beautiful maids like her.

She had only been there for half a day, and she was already overwhelmed by the countless “beautiful sister” and “little Chundong” calls from the strong men who knew how to appreciate beauty. Her cheeks flushed red, and she thought the He mansion was truly wonderful!

---

The He mansion was indeed very good—Gu Fengjian thought so, looking at the row of well-preserved books against the wall.

After the room was tidied up, Master He came to inspect it with his wife. Perhaps due to the shock he had received at the Song Mansion, Master He shook his head, still dissatisfied.

Not enough! Not grand enough! Not luxurious enough!

Their Zhaozhao must have a grand presence!

So, Master He moved all the dusty treasures from his study—inkstones, paperweights, antiques, imperial-granted paintings—into this room.

Fortunately, the room was large enough, having been connected to the adjacent room. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been enough space for all those things.

Gu Fengjian had initially wanted to refuse, thinking that Master He, as a grandfather, was going a bit overboard with his affection. But when he stepped forward to open the painting, he swallowed his words. Then, he flipped through a few rare books…

Good.

Very good.

Song Chuzhao deserved this grand presence.

If a grandfather couldn’t be close to his granddaughter, then who could he be close to? She had suffered so much at the Song Mansion.

Gu Fengjian decided to help Song Chuzhao sort through these books, and he continued from dusk until now.

Chundong had been running between the three mansions all day and had been excited for a long time. By evening, she was very tired. She stayed up to keep Gu Fengjian company for half the night. She had persuaded him several times, but seeing that he had no intention of going to sleep, she went to the next room to rest for a while.

Gu Fengjian didn’t need anyone to keep him company; he was engrossed in his reading. But as he was deeply absorbed, he heard a familiar tapping sound from outside the window.

The tapping sound persisted for six or seven times before Gu Fengjian noticed it. He raised his head in surprise and went to see what was happening.

A dark figure stood on the grass in the courtyard. The figure, seeing him come out, swayed happily.

What time was it?

Gu Fengjian rubbed his slightly blurry eyes, thinking it must be almost past midnight.

Song Chuzhao waved to him, her voice a low whisper, as if she were trying to entice him: “I have something to tell you. Come over here. Come over here, you!”

Gu Fengjian put down his book and walked towards her.

But Song Chuzhao turned and ran.

Gu Fengjian: “……???”

Although he didn’t understand, he still chased after her.

Song Chuzhao could be seen hopping all the way, escaping to the edge of Master He’s mansion. She used the wall as cover and quickly climbed up to the top, then sat down with her legs crossed.

She let out a sigh of relief and said with satisfaction, “Good, let’s talk here.”

Gu Fengjian: “…”

He actually had many descriptive words he wanted to use, but he couldn’t say them due to his status. He only asked meaningfully, “You dare climb the wall of the He’s mansion?”

Song Chuzhao felt a little insecure inside, but she couldn’t let it show. She looked around carefully, making sure there was no one within twenty meters, before whispering confidently, “To be honest, I’ve climbed countless walls. This one at of the He’s mansion is just so-so.”

Was this something to be proud of? Gu Fengjian laughed in disbelief.

Yet, when she said this, she pretended to be serious and her eyes sparkled. It made her seem cute, making it hard to call her out for being silly.

Gu Fengjian saw her sitting on the narrow wall and felt it was dangerous. Especially since her body language was so expressive, she always liked to move around. He advised, “Why don’t you come inside to talk?”

“No, no, no.” Song Chuzhao refused repeatedly, “If I go into the courtyard, I won’t be able to run away in time. Wouldn’t I become a turtle in a jar then? This spot is perfect. If anyone comes, I can just jump down and they won’t be able to catch me.”

Gu Fengjian: “…”

Song Chuzhao smiled modestly.

She had no other talent, only that practice makes perfect.

Gu Fengjian couldn’t help but laugh and cry. He could only continue to look up at her and talk.

“Why did you have to wait until this late at night to come? It’s so dark on the road, weren’t you afraid?”

The frustration that Song Chuzhao had forgotten about after seeing Gu Fengjian came rushing back. She angrily slapped her leg and said, “It’s because of this late night! Your father came to my room and woke me up, so I couldn’t sleep!”

Gu Fengjian: “My father?”

“Wait, let me think, what did he say.” Song Chuzhao held her head and started searching, “He said so much, but I only remember him scaring me.”

Gu Fengjian was astonished, “He said a lot to you?”

Song Chuzhao nodded, “A lot!”

Gu Fengjian thought to himself, Duke Gu was clearly a cold and taciturn person. Even when he scolded people, he would only spit out words one by one. How could he be talkative?

The person on the wall started talking again.

“Oh, he told me to study!” Song Chuzhao was heartbroken and couldn’t help but cry. She patted the earthen wall beneath her and lamented, “He insisted that I promise him to take the Spring Examinations. He’s been holding a grudge that I haven’t been reading lately and even insisted on giving me new books! He even knows about me going out with Fourth Son Gu. But what can I do? I don’t like reading at all! Fifth Son Gu, how can you have such a hobby? Does this mean I’ll only be able to stay in the study room from now on?”

Even her own mother hadn’t pressured her this much. Duke Gu’s soft knife cut so deep!

Song Chuzhao was so excited that she spoke a little chaotically, but the main point was very clear.

Gu Fengjian was also silent. He didn’t know where to start with his evaluation. After a long time, he asked in confusion, “You’re saying… it was really my father?”

Song Chuzhao was certain, “It was your father!”

Gu Fengjian still doubted, “…Are you sure?”

Song Chuzhao was angry, “I’m very sure!”

Gu Fengjian hesitated: Could he really be so kind? To even take the initiative to give her books?

Song Chuzhao said, “He’s so heartless! He can stab me in the heart with every word. Oh, right, do you have any books you want to buy? Write them down for me now, and I’ll have him buy them tomorrow.”

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On this rather restless night, Master He was also unable to sleep.

He slept lightly, half-awake, and heard the sound of footsteps pacing outside the door. Years of habit caused him to suddenly wake up, and he sat up alertly.

Madam He was awakened by his commotion and said angrily, “What are you doing!”

Master He said, “There’s someone outside!”

The person outside, hearing that he was awake, spoke out, “Master, it’s me.”

Master He cursed, “The devil knows who you are!”

There was silence outside for a moment, then the steward spoke innocently, “Master, it’s me, steward He.”

Master He rebuked, “What are you doing out there playing tricks? If you have something to report, report it directly. If not, get out!”

The steward, no longer bothering with euphemisms, said, “Master, Fifth Son Gu has come again.”

“If he’s come, let him in…” Master He frowned, and halfway through his sentence, he finally realized something was wrong. He perked up, “Why is he coming in this middle of the night?”

The steward found it difficult to say, “He climbed over the wall.”

Madam He, beside him, said in bewilderment, “Ah?”

Master He had already leaped out of bed, raised his right arm, his brows furrowed, and shouted, “Bring me my sword!”

Author’s Note:

Song Chuzhao: You think I’m afraid of a sword? My name has two swords in it!