Chapter 2: Good! He approved of this marriage!

In the Liu household, Zhang Yue managed the affairs of the rear courtyard. If Liu Yuru wanted to go out, she needed Concubine Yue’s permission.

Yin Hong failed to grasp her mistress instruction and could only remind her, “Miss, shouldn’t you inform Madam about the marriage first?”

Liu Yuru paused as realization dawned. She sighed, “You’re right. I should tell Mother first.”

She made her way to her mother’s room, always redolent with the scent of medicinal herbs. Su Wan reclined on a couch, engrossed in a storybook.

Liu Yuru entered the room and meticulously inspected the arrangements, ensuring the servants were not neglecting her mother’s needs. She sat beside her and said, “Mother, did you hear about Old Madam Ye’s visit today?”

Su Wan smiled, a light cough escaping her lips. “I did. Your father sent someone to invite me, but given my ill health, I asked Concubine Yue to go in my stead.”

Liu Yuru’s heart clenched at the lie, knowing her mother only said it to spare her feelings. The truth—that a mere concubine received the guest for her daughter’s marriage instead of the mother—was too humiliating to voice.

Swallowing down the bitterness in her heart, Liu Yuru simply smiled and poured her mother tea, then recounted the day’s events in detail.

“The Ye family’s betrothal gifts should be generous. Concubine Yue and Father were simply anxious to settle the marriage. They feared the Ye family might have second thoughts,” Liu Yuru said with a smile. “Don’t worry, Mother. I won’t be wronged after marrying into their family.”

Su Wan’s brow furrowed, seeming to want to say something but ultimately sighing helplessly, “Your father’s actions are improper. It will make people look down on us.”

Liu Yuru’s heart turned bitter. How could she not know? But she couldn’t cry and complain to her mother, who was powerless to change anything. It would only add to her sorrow. So, Liu Yuru feigned ignorance. “You’re overthinking, Mother. Old Madam Ye adores me.”

Seeing her daughter’s naively happy expression, Su Wan couldn’t decide whether to feel worried or relieved. With a deep sigh, she reminded Liu Yuru to mind her manners and lay down to rest.

Liu Yuru left her mother’s room, her heart heavy. She gazed at the small world enclosed by the courtyard walls, wondering if she’d be able to visit her mother often after marrying into the Ye family. With a sigh, she informed Concubine Yue and set off for the Liyu residence.

On the way, she sent someone ahead with a visiting card for Liyu Siyu. Upon her arrival, Liyu Siyu was prepared, but Liu Yuru could tell she had just finished crying.

She approached Liyu Siyu while pretending to be ignorant. She smiled as she took her hand and said, “What happened, Siyu? Your eyes are swollen.”

Liyu Siyu’s eyes welled up once more. Liu Yuru dismissed the maidservant and led her friend to the garden. “Let’s walk in the garden. You can cry if you need to, and we’ll talk when you feel better.”

Liyu Siyu sniffled, her lips quivering as she tried to smile. “Forget it. I won’t force a smile in front of you.”

“What exactly happened? Tell me.”

“Master Gu and his wife visited a few days ago. They summoned me, praised me after observing me when I sent my greetings, then they gave me a jade bracelet, after that I was dismissed.” Liyu Siyu said, her voice strained.

Liu Yuru frowned. “What could they mean by that?”

“I don’t know, but my parents fear they came to propose a match with Gu Jiusi.” Liyu Siyu’s voice broke as fresh tears threatened to fall.

The expected answer made Liu Yuru sigh. In her mind, she thought of Gu Jiusi’s eyes from her dream. Whether the dream was true or not, this marriage couldn’t happen.

Unbeknownst to the young ladies, three young men disguised as Liyu family servants walked in the garden with their heads bowed. 

Two were slightly shorter, while the one in the middle was much taller. They formed a typical “mountain” shape as they walked together.

Despite their servant garb, they lacked the subservience of true servants. This was especially true for the middle one, who took out a fan and poked the young man in front. “Chen Xun, what the hell are you up to?”

“Patience, Jiusi. You’ll know soon,” Chen Xun replied.

“You’ve been saying that for a long time.” Gu Jiusi said, dissatisfied. “When we were outside, you said you would tell me after sneaking into the Liyu residence. Now that we’re inside, you still won’t tell me. Are you asking for a beating?”

Yang Wenchang, bringing up the rear, couldn’t contain his excitement. “I’ll say it, I’ll say it. We brought you to see your wife!”

“My wife?!” Gu Jiusi halted abruptly, causing Yang Wenchang to nearly crash into him. Seeing Gu Jiusi’s stunned expression, Yang Wenchang felt a tinge of apprehension. “That’s right,” he confirmed.

“Where did my wife come from?” Gu Jiusi scowled. “How come I don’t know?”

“Your parents went to the Liyu residence a few days ago,” Yang Wenchang explained cautiously. “You didn’t know?”

Gu Jiusi inhaled deeply, grasping his fan as he prepared to depart, but his friends stopped him. They whispered urgently, “Don’t go, don’t go. Since we’ve come this far, at least let’s take a peek at her.”

“Even if she looks like a fairy, I’m not marrying her!” Gu Jiusi hissed.

Chen Xun wanted to say more when Yang Wenchang suddenly pushed them behind a rockery. “Someone’s coming!”

The three men panicked and quickly hid inside a cave in the rockery. The cave was cramped with the three squeezed together. Gu Jiusi jabbed Chen Xun with his fan, causing Chen Xun to clench his teeth in silent frustration. He grabbed Gu Jiusi’s fan, and the two engaged in a fierce, wordless battle with their eyes.

At that moment, the footsteps and voices of two young ladies echoed from outside.

After listening intently for a while, the three men gathered that one of the ladies was Liyu Siyu, who vehemently opposed marrying Gu Jiusi and was pouring her heart out in tears.

Based on how they addressed each other, the other young lady was Liu Yuru, the legitimate daughter of the Liu family, known for favoring the concubine while neglecting the wife.

The three men ceased their antics and listened attentively. They overheard Liyu Siyu say emotionally, “Yuru, the Gu family is powerful and wealthy. I’m really afraid my father will agree to this for money. If I really marry him, how can I live?”

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuru sighed deeply. She clasped Liyu Siyu’s hand and spoke gently, “I understand. I empathize with your suffering. If I were to marry him, I would even consider jumping into this lake.”

As these words reached Gu Jiusi’s ears, his expression turned sour. His two brothers glanced at him, prompting him to feign composure. He opened his fan and nonchalantly fanned himself, pretending he hadn’t heard a thing. Yang Wenchang silently raised his hand and pressed down on the fan that kept smacking his face.

Then, they overheard Liu Yuru offering advice to Liyu Siyu, “Here’s what we can do. Let’s gather more information about his personality and preferences. Once we have that, we’ll act in ways that go against his likes, forcing him to call off the engagement.”

“Make him cancel the engagement?” Liyu Siyu was taken aback.

Liu Yuru nodded, continuing, “For instance, I’ve heard that Gu Jiusi has very high expectations for his future wife, which is why he’s still unmarried. He can’t stand well-mannered young ladies who strictly follow etiquette, especially those who love to quote classic texts. When you go home today, study the Four Books and Five Classics thoroughly, focusing on the parts about giving advice. Memorize them well. The next time you see him, keep lecturing him.”

Hearing this, Chen Xun and Yang Wenchang glanced at Gu Jiusi, giving him a thumbs up, their eyes filled with admiration. “This girl is pretty impressive,” they seemed to say.

Gu Jiusi didn’t say anything, but there was a hint of disdain in his eyes.

Then, they heard Liu Yuru continue, “I’ve also heard that he can’t stand overly affectionate women, especially those who actively pursue him. He despises them even more. If you meet him in the future, talk in a high-pitched, annoying voice. If he says something harsh, start crying. When you speak, don’t be too logical. Speak unclearly and do things in a muddled way. Just focus on asking him for money.”

“This…” Liyu Siyu hesitated. “Isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”

“Don’t make it too obvious,” Liu Yuru smiled. “In front of others, avoid any direct contact with him. Privately, run into him a few times and make him feel disgusted. With his reputation, even if he speaks badly of you, people will think he’s slandering you.”

“Alright,” Liyu Siyu made up her mind. “You’re right. If I don’t disgust him, he’ll cause trouble for me.”

“Also,” Liu Yuru thought carefully, “He never attends the Spring Flower Banquet. One day, when the Ye family held a banquet and he came, a maidservant approached him. He sneezed twice in a row. The maidservant’s sachet had the cheapest, strong fragrance made from flower petals. Perhaps he doesn’t like strong floral scents, or even flowers in general. I’ll find a strong-scented sachet for you. When you see him, remember to put the scent on your handkerchief and wave it in front of him.”

Yang Wenchang and Chen Xun felt even more sympathetic towards Gu Jiusi.

When Gu Jiusi smelled a strong floral scent, he would easily sneeze and even break out in red bumps all over his body. With just one meeting, this girl had observed this. If she seriously investigated Gu Jiusi, perhaps he would encounter even more misfortunes.

Gu Jiusi couldn’t help but feel furious as he listened to the two young ladies planning how to deal with him and force him to break off the engagement.

Then he heard Liyu Siyu worriedly ask, “But what if, after all this, he still insists on marrying me?”

Gu Jiusi couldn’t bear to listen anymore.

Feeling utterly humiliated, he rushed out of the cave before Chen Xun and Yang Wenchang could react, declaring loudly, “Don’t you worry. I absolutely will not marry you!”

Liu Yuru and Liyu Siyu spun around, startled.

Liu Yuru’s eyes met the face she had just seen in her dream that very morning, leaving her stunned. 

Liyu Siyu frowned, asking in confusion, “What did you just say? You… Which courtyard’s servant are you? How dare you come here? You…”

Liyu Siyu’s reaction was a bit slow, her questions coming out in fragments. Liu Yuru saw Gu Jiusi raise an eyebrow and open his mouth. She knew he was about to introduce himself.

Even if the Liu family discovered he had snuck into their rear manor, they wouldn’t dare take action against him. However, if word got out, it would be her and Liyu Siyu who would suffer the consequences.

Without a moment to spare, Liu Yuru decisively stepped forward, shouting angrily, “Where did this lowly servant come from, to actually have the audacity to trespass into the rear courtyard?! Someone, drag him out and throw him outside the manor!”

With that, she grabbed Liyu Siyu’s hand and turned to run.

Gu Jiusi was momentarily taken aback by Liu Yuru’s outburst. By the time he collected himself, he and Yang Wenchang and Chen Xun, who had just emerged from the cave, were already surrounded by servants unaware of the situation.

This was the first time the Liyu family’s servants had encountered someone that had snuck into the Liyu residence like this. Although they didn’t know who these intruders were, they assumed they were lowly ruffians so the servants put all their energy into capturing the three men.

However, the trio was no stranger to street fights, especially Gu Jiusi, who had trained in martial arts since childhood and possessed exceptional skills. They dodged and weaved through the crowd. 

Gu Jiusi grabbed each of his buddies by the hand and made a run for it. The three of them were chased by the servants for a considerable distance before they managed to scale the wall and escape.

When they finally shook off their pursuers and leaned against the wall, they were disheveled and panting. Chen Xun remarked, “That girl was too timid. She called for people without a second thought. She really made us run for our lives.”

“Timid?” Gu Jiusi scoffed upon hearing this. “She was clearly pretending to be muddled, afraid that we would ruin their reputation! Liu Yuru, that black lotus, had a pure appearance but a heart like a nine-turn labyrinth with deep mud and trenches.^[1]A metaphor for a person’s heart being complex, difficult to understand, and full of schemes. She was far more scheming than Liyu Siyu.”

“No wonder,” Yang Wenchang muttered, “I was curious, given her personality, how she could marry Brother Shi’an.”

“Who did you say she was marrying?” Gu Jiusi instinctively turned his head.

Yang Wenchang replied with a strange expression, “You know, the top student of Bailu Academy, Ye Shi’an. I heard that Old Madam Ye had declared long ago that her grandson’s wife must be Liu Yuru. Didn’t you know about this?”

Gu Jiusi was speechless. The image of that girl from just moments ago flashed through his mind.

She seemed like an ordinary girl from an ordinary family, with an average appearance and a law-abiding personality. Apart from being a bit more cunning, she had no other outstanding qualities. 

Was someone like her a suitable match for Ye Shi’an, who had a bright future after being accepted as the closed-door disciple by the esteemed Grand Scholar Su Wen? That detestable hypocrite Ye Shi’an?

Gu Jiusi thought for a moment—

Good! He approved of this marriage!

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Translator’s Notes:

Hello! I’ve decided to pick up this project. The content from the previous translator was no longer available, so I figured I should just start over from the beginning.

I wanted to read this novel, so I thought, why not translate it as I go along? So, that’s what I did. Anyway, I’m going to read alongside you guys. I found this novel a bit more challenging to translate compared to what I usually handle, but I’m going to do my best. 

Please give me your support or comment. Whether it turns from a side project into my main will depend on your reception.

Thank you for reading!