Chundong propped her chin on her hand, leaning over Gu Fengjian’s bed, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she gazed at him. Ever since she returned to the Gu Mansion, she had been acting strangely.
Gu Fengjian was feeling unwell. He turned over, his back to her, and said, “You can go now.”
Seeing him like this, Chundong herself understood that women did not feel well during those few days of the month. She couldn’t bring herself to tease him. She tucked the blanket around him and asked, “Miss, it’s rare for you to go to sleep so early. Are you afraid you won’t be able to sleep? Would you like Chundong to make you a bowl of sweet soup? It’s warm and will make you feel better.”
Gu Fengjian wished that only he existed in the world. He perfunctorily said, “No need. You can go.”
Chundong reluctantly said, “Alright. If you need anything, call out loud. Chundong will be waiting next door.”
The door closed, and a little warmth gradually accumulated in the room.
Not long after Chundong left, Gu Fengjian heard the familiar sound of stones hitting the window from outside.
The sound rang out intermittently five or six times. The person, receiving no response, was unwilling to leave and finally couldn’t help but climb in through the window.
Song Chuzhao patted her legs, carefully landing on the ground. She tiptoed to the bedside and saw that there was indeed a raised lump inside.
“Fifth Son Gu, you’re here! Why don’t you come out?” Song Chuzhao approached and patted his shoulder. “It’s me! I’m here.”
Gu Fengjian turned around and glanced at her. “I know it’s you. No one else would climb into my window.”
Song Chuzhao stroked her chin, thoughtfully walking around the bed. “Why do I feel like you’re not in a good mood today?”
Usually, when she saw him, he seemed quite happy. At least he wouldn’t be like this now, full of not wanting to respond to things.
Song Chuzhao pushed aside a small piece of the blanket and sat down by the bed. “Did Chundong tell you something? Do you feel guilty and that’s why you don’t dare to see me?”
Gu Fengjian immediately propped himself up on his elbow, grabbing her sleeve and asking, “What did Chundong say?”
Song Chuzhao was taken aback. “Chundong didn’t say anything, but your mother said everything she should and shouldn’t have said.”
Gu Fengjian breathed a sigh of relief, but he was too weak to deal with her. He continued to lie down, half-dead.
Song Chuzhao grabbed his shoulders with both hands. “Don’t you want to know what your mother said?”
Gu Fengjian coldly said, “No.“ by carpreads.pages.dev
Song Chuzhao wouldn’t allow him to shirk his responsibility. She leaned forward, her face close to his, and said fiercely, “Your mother said that it was thanks to me that you were rescued. Otherwise, you would have been lost in the mountains. It means that I delivered your message, but you lied to me, saying that I was untrustworthy and wouldn’t return. You’re taking advantage of the fact that my mind is muddled and I don’t remember things! You knew who I was all along and deliberately tricked me!”
Gu Fengjian stared at her intently. They were too close, their breaths mingling on each other’s faces.
As Song Chuzhao leaned closer, she noticed that Gu Fengjian had a layer of cold sweat on his forehead, and his brows were furrowed in displeasure.
“What’s wrong with you? Are you sick? But if you were sick, why didn’t Chundong say anything?” Song Chuzhao touched his forehead, finding that he wasn’t feverish. She asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”
Gu Fengjian sighed helplessly and said, “Let go of me first.”
Song Chuzhao released him. Gu Fengjian moved slightly and pulled the blanket down a little.
Song Chuzhao waited for him to explain. Gu Fengjian hesitated, realizing that Song Chuzhao was not easily dismissed. He could only say, “It’s late tonight. You should go back.”
Song Chuzhao said, “It’s late tonight? It’s still early!”
Gu Fengjian said, “I haven’t been feeling well these past two days. You don’t need to come.”
Song Chuzhao scrutinized him, looking for a moment before suddenly realizing. “Oh… I almost forgot, you’re not a man now.”
Gu Fengjian almost jumped up and fought with her. Seeing his rare display of ferocity, Song Chuzhao quickly pressed him down through the blanket and gently wiped his forehead with her sleeve, smiling and trying to appease him. “Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. You can’t get angry at this time. If you get angry, you’ll have to take a deep breath… It’s not good for your health.”
Gu Fengjian also realized this, so his breathing became heavy, his chest heaving violently, and even his blinking movements were filled with despair.
In truth, the mental shock was far more devastating than the physical pain. Gu Fengjian longed to sleep for days, to simply let time pass. But Chundong found out, and Song Chuzhao found out too.
Song Chuzhao, having already come to terms with the situation, spoke to him with the air of someone who had been through it all: “Fifth Son, don’t worry. You’ll get used to it. Once you do, it won’t be so bad.”
Gu Fengjian: “I have to get used to it?”
“I suppose so. Just bear with it.” Song Chuzhao pondered for a moment, then added, “But you’re going to sleep so early, you’ll wake up early tomorrow. I have to tell you, the worst part isn’t the first day, it’s the second.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Fengjian slowly closed his eyes, as if losing all signs of life.
Song Chuzhao felt a mixture of sympathy and amusement towards him. But thinking about how Gu Fengjian would endure such a pitiful existence, a consequence of her own carefree ways, she felt a pang of guilt. At least she had a conscience, so she put on a face of deep distress.
“I’ll tuck you in properly.” Song Chuzhao turned around and pulled the blanket down, tucking in the edges. As she reached the foot of the bed, she slipped her hand under the covers and discovered that Gu Fengjian’s feet were indeed ice-cold.
Sensing her actions, Gu Fengjian abruptly pulled his feet back and looked up, asking, “What are you doing?”
“It’s cold, your feet will be even more uncomfortable if they’re cold.” Song Chuzhao said enthusiastically, “Your feet are my feet. I always wished someone would warm my feet. After all these years, I can finally do it for myself. There’s probably no one else in the world who can do that. Or would you like me to try?”
Gu Fengjian was exasperated and laughed, calling out, “This little ancestor!”
Song Chuzhao: “Yes?”
She actually dared to respond, and Gu Fengjian burst into laughter: “Stop messing around.”
“I don’t mind it so what do you mind?” Song Chuzhao sighed, “I’ve come to terms with it.”
Gu Fengjian asked, “What have you come to terms with?”
Song Chuzhao said frankly, “I’ve come to terms with a lot of things. You see, right now, you’re not you, and I’m not me. If I’m wary of you, it seems strange. If I try to explain myself, it feels absurd. Since things are already a tangled mess, I don’t care if they get even more chaotic. As long as we know in our hearts that we’re innocent, that’s all that matters.”
Gu Fengjian: “…” The problem was, he didn’t know.
What exactly did Song Chuzhao mean by “innocent”?
Gu Fengjian covered his face with his hand and chuckled, “You haven’t changed a bit.”
Song Chuzhao: “How do you know I haven’t changed?” She’s grown a lot!
Gu Fengjian was already unable to sleep, and Song Chuzhao’s antics only made him more awake.
“Forget it.” He struggled to sit up, “Give me a hand.”
Song Chuzhao went over and helped him up, then propped him up with a pillow. She then took off her shoes and sat opposite him.
Gu Fengjian rubbed his forehead and said, “I heard you solved some case of Ji Yutang’s, and it involved the Imperial Censor and Fan Chongqing. Chundong couldn’t explain it properly. What exactly happened?”
“It was just a coincidence.” Song Chuzhao said, “If you want to hear about it, I’ll tell you!”
Song Chuzhao then briefly recounted what happened at the tavern, emphasizing Ji Yutang’s foolishness and Fan Chongqing’s annoyance, as those were the most memorable parts.
Gu Fengjian asked curiously, “Did you learn how to solve cases?”
Song Chuzhao smiled, “It’s nothing special, not really a skill. There are many trivial matters in the military camp. If the people living on the border have problems they can’t solve, and they don’t want to go to the government office, they’ll come to the military camp. After all, many of the soldiers are their own people. If the person seeking help is a young lady, my mother will be asked to intervene. I’ve been around her, and I’ve learned a lot without realizing it. To be honest, I’m more interested in these cases than in reading books.”
Song Chuzhao whispered, “The case Ji Yutang encountered is nothing unusual. You know, people often use beauty tricks to sow discord among men. When the beauty trick fails, it might turn into a venomous beauty trick. I was warned about this early on, and I’ve seen it happen many times. Those two are nothing special. Fifth Son, you should be wary of these things when you go out.”
Gu Fengjian pondered for a moment, then said, “That’s an extraordinary skill. The fact that even the Imperial Censor admires you shows you’re truly a talent. You think quickly, not something you can learn just by studying.”
“A talent?” Song Chuzhao repeated, then laughed, “This is the first time someone has described me that way.” Perhaps it was a talent for making things up.
Song Chuzhao pounded her fist on the table. “Right, there’s one more thing I need to tell you. The Imperial Censor seems very keen on recruiting you to the Censorate. He’s asked me several times. Do you think I should refuse him or agree?”
Gu Fengjian asked, “Do you want to go?”
“Whether I want to or not doesn’t matter,” Song Chuzhao said. “I don’t know when we’ll switch back. The Imperial Censor isn’t trying to recruit the real me anyway.”
Gu Fengjian said, “If you want to, you can go and take a look. If you don’t like it, you can always leave.”
Song Chuzhao said, “My main concern is that the people in their official offices will see me, admire my talent, and ask me to recite a poem. Then I’ll have to cry in front of them.”
Gu Fengjian said, “That’s not a problem. If you don’t want to compose a poem, just stare at them with a blank expression. They won’t dare to ask.”
“Just staring at them will do the trick?” Song Chuzhao touched the curve of her lips. “My mother says I look a bit simple when I don’t speak.”
“I don’t know if that will work. But my face can certainly do that.” Gu Fengjian paused, then reminded her, “But don’t agree too quickly. Decline politely, saying you haven’t decided yet.”
Song Chuzhao said, “I know! You scholars are arrogant and proud. You need to be invited three times before you can show your sincerity, right?”
…It was just that he didn’t want to arouse Duke Gu’s suspicions. Gu Fengjian said, “Yes.”
The two of them chatted for a while, and when Gu Fengjian was truly tired, Song Chuzhao rose to her feet and took her leave.
As she jumped out of the window, she suddenly remembered, didn’t she come to talk to Gu Fengjian about his deception?
Song Chuzhao glanced back, then decided against it. Seeing him like this, she thought he had gotten what he deserved.
Gu Fengjian leaned against the headboard and gradually drifted off to sleep.
In his dream, there was a torrential downpour and a pitch-black sky.
Purple lightning flashed, and he heard someone calling from above, “Hey, is anyone down there?”