Chapter 134: Voluntarily Requesting to Leave

The guard revealed the grudge between Su Wan and Su Mixue.

“Mr. Gu’s original fiancée was Su Mixue. She is Su Wan’s stepsister, and the two of them are only a few days apart in age. The two sisters exchanged marriages, with Su Mixue becoming the current Crown Princess and Su Wan marrying Mr. Gu.”

With the sisters exchanging marriages, Su Wan fell from grace, from the clouds to the dust. Naturally, she would be resentful—how could the couple live in harmony?

Cao Suxue’s heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. It’s good that Su Wan doesn’t like Gu Huaizhi; when the time comes, she will help Su Wan “escape her misery.”

Although the Dingyuan Marquisate is of the highest rank, surpassing all officials in the court, her father manages local military and political affairs and holds real power. Comparing the two, her father is indeed more capable.

Moreover, Su Wan’s father doesn’t care for her, and her stepmother persecutes her, so she can’t help Gu Huaizhi in his career.

She’s different. Her birth mother doesn’t make things difficult for her, her father still dotes on her, and he greatly appreciates Gu Huaizhi. As long as Gu Huaizhi marries her, her father will certainly give him strong support.

Cao Suxue was confident. The reason Gu Huaizhi previously refused to marry her was because he had an engagement. Now that Su Wan treats him poorly, if she comes to offer him warmth, he will definitely choose her.

“Don’t let this matter slip to my sister.”

“Yes.”

“Xue’er, are you up yet? We need to hit the road soon.” Cao Wanqing’s voice sounded from outside.

A flash of annoyance passed through Cao Suxue’s eyes. On this trip to the capital, she had orchestrated an entire play, all for the purpose of having Cao Wanqing die at the hands of an “enemy.”

The Governor’s mansion has seven young masters and two young ladies.

Although her father loves her, compared to Cao Wanqing, she is somewhat less favored.

In the eyes of her grandmother, aunt, and uncle’s wife, only Cao Wanqing exists. They genuinely love Cao Wanqing, and only out of convenience do they express concern for her with a casual word.

As long as Cao Wanqing is present, she overshadows her completely.

Her father once said something that she has never forgotten: “Qing’er is more suitable for Huaizhi. If he were from a high-ranking family, they would be a perfect match, and it would be a beautiful union.”

He sighed deeply, filled with regret.

Resigned to her second choice, her father arranged for her to be married to Gu Huaizhi.

Cao Suxue became acutely aware of the gap between herself and Cao Wanqing.

A terrifying thought began to take root.

If Cao Wanqing were to die, she would become the only girl in the family.

Her father would undoubtedly value her greatly, placing her under the care of the main wife, and the family’s resources would be directed toward her.

“Yes, sister, I understand,” Cao Su Xue said as she opened the door, and saw Cao Wanqing standing in the morning light, dressed in a silver-red long dress. She looked like a peony enveloped in mist, or a crabapple blossom bathed in the rosy dawn—radiant and captivating.

Jealousy surged in her heart. Cao Wanqing, just because she was born of the main wife, had the privilege of choosing among nobles and ministers.

If she wanted to marry into a prestigious family, she could only be matched with a concubine’s son, or become a concubine herself.

Otherwise, she would have to marry a man of lower status.

Gu Huaizhi was the best choice for her.

“Wait for me a moment, I still need to pack a few things,” Cao Suxue hesitated and asked, “Sister, can we stay a few more days?”

“No,” Cao Wanqing refused, “Grandmother is waiting for us to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival together.”

Cao Suxue felt a pang of regret. Originally, she had planned to use Cao Wanqing’s death to escape the marriage her grandmother had arranged for her, to stay in Guangling Prefecture for a few more days, to garner Gu Huaizhi’s sympathy, and to live at the Gu household to nurture their relationship.

Grandmother intended for Cao Wanqing to marry into the Defender Duke’s household, while she would marry Gu Huaizhi.

One into a noble family, the other into a humble one.

She would still live in Cao Wanqing’s shadow.

Cao Suxue dug her fingernails into her palm; she would never allow such a thing to happen.

She would find another opportunity.

As for Gu Huaizhi, she would wait for him in the capital, until after he took the imperial examination in the spring, and then seize him as her husband.

Cao Wanqing, seeing that she no longer mentioned Gu Huaizhi, breathed a slight sigh of relief, fearing that Cao Suxue might stubbornly make a mistake. 

—

Su Wan leased the house on Xuanwu Street and decided to renovate it while waiting for Gu Huaizhi to return to their hometown together.

Qi Third sent a letter to Qi Guang, who then gathered the Qi Family Army and brought them to the prefectural city to help with the house renovations.

Finally, everything was completed by the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month.

A group of rough men, sweaty and exhausted, sat under the eaves, gulping down water.

Qi Third brought over a basket and said, “The Young lady personally made mung bean soup and meat dumplings for us to have a bite. Today is the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Young lady is treating us to a good meal at a restaurant.”

Everyone cheered excitedly, their weariness instantly swept away, and they eagerly rushed to the back room to take a bath.

Su Wan called out, “Come back and eat first before going to bathe.”

The Qi Family Army turned back, each grabbing a bowl of mung bean soup and a plate of meat dumplings. They wolfed down their food before heading to the backyard.

“Where’s Qi Guang?” Su Wan noticed there was one portion left and didn’t see Qi Guang around. “Did he go out?”

“Mm-hmm,” Qi Third mumbled, his cheeks puffed with food, speaking unclearly. “He went to fetch the Iron Lady. Now that the work here is done, and you’re about to open the place, you’ll need her to manage things.”

He looked up and swallowed his food in one gulp, “She’s here!”

Su Wan turned to look, and a woman emerged from the shadowed wall. Her face, as fair as white jade, was adorned with a pair of almond-shaped eyes that sparkled with a straightforward gaze. Her long, shiny black hair was coiled into a high bun at the back of her head, giving her a distinctive charm.

Qi Guang walked behind her, standing at a towering eight feet tall, with a dignified appearance and a robust, imposing presence.

The Iron Lady, whose height only reached his chest, seemed particularly petite next to him, but her demeanor was sharp and efficient.

“Hey! You short-legged woman, taking such big strides, aren’t you afraid you’ll tear something?” Qi Guang teased as he watched her stride energetically, her steps almost like she was doing a split with each one.

“Get lost!” The Iron Lady rolled her eyes dramatically. “I’ll walk however I want, it has nothing to do with your ass.”

“Uh…” Qi Guang’s face stiffened, “So vulgar.”

The Iron Lady slowed her pace.

Qi Guang moved ahead of her.

The Iron Lady delivered a fierce kick to Qi Guang’s backside, causing him to stumble. He turned to glare at her with sharp eyes.

“Oh my, I, this vulgar woman accidentally kicked your ass. My apologies, truly.”

The Iron Lady scoffed and rolled her eyes at him again before taking a few strides to stand in front of Su Wan.

With a calm and confident demeanor, she said, “Young lady, I’m only vulgar towards those who look down on women. Rest assured, I handle my affairs decisively and efficiently. I won’t disappoint you.”

Qi Guang, feeling insulted, wore a gloomy expression. He glanced at the basket, noticing a bowl of mung bean soup and a plate of dumplings. He ate a few dumplings, and leaving the rest for the Iron Lady.

Su Wan carefully observed the Iron Lady. Her features held a certain allure, and she appeared to be in her twenties, with her hair styled like a married woman’s. However, Qi Third had mentioned that she had never been married.

Qi Guang, now in his thirties, had been married once but had no children. After his wife’s father passed away, she requested a divorce and returned to her family, quickly remarrying afterward.

“Yu Niang, let’s talk inside,” Su Wan said, leading the Iron Lady into the house. She handed her a stack of neatly organized documents, saying, “This is the process flow for the Xinglin Workshop in Xihe Town. You can use it as a reference. Tomorrow, you’ll accompany me back to Xihe Town and stay at the workshop for a few days to learn.”