Chapter 141: A Letter from the Love Rival

Qi Fifth?

Qi Family Army?

Gu Huaizhi vaguely guessed the identities of Qi Third and Qi Fifth. Su Wan introduced them to him candidly, which inevitably left him feeling quite surprised.

His heart was conflicted, yet there was an inexplicable sense of joy.

Su Wan knew very well what the existence of the Qi Family Army represented.

Her willingness to tell him about them was enough to show her trust in him.

Gu Huaizhi nodded slightly. Beneath his calm expression, he concealed a turbulent surge of emotions.

“Young Master, there really isn’t anything between the Young Lady and General Zhao. General Zhao escorted the Young Lady away to discuss a sparring match between us and the Zhao Family Army,” Qi Fifth assured him, as he patted his rock-hard chest.

Gu Huaizhi’s pleasant mood vanished completely with Qi Fifth’s words.

Zhao Wei was the first to know about the existence of the Qi Family Army.

Su Wan trusted Zhao Wei to the same extent.

“Don’t overthink it. Qi Third and Qi Fifth didn’t want Zhao Wei to know their identities. When Qi Third was rescuing someone, Zhao Wei caught a glimpse of his sword technique.”

Su Wan keenly sensed the change in Gu Huaizhi’s emotions. She extended a finger and gently hooked it around his sleeve. “I never intended to hide it from you.”

Gu Huaizhi smiled and said, “Everyone has secrets; I understand.”

Su Wan had a feeling that Gu Huaizhi was saying the opposite of what he meant.

But when he mentioned, “Everyone has secrets,” she thought of Mo Yuan and Mo Chen, and she released her fingers that were gripping his sleeve, no longer in the mood to placate him.

He also had things he was hiding from her, and yet he had the nerve to be unhappy.

Both of them kept their faces stiff, and the atmosphere became subtly tense.

Even Qi Fifth, with his thick nerves, finally sensed that something was off.

Did he say something wrong?

Qi Fifth looked at Qi Third in confusion.

Qi Third nearly wanted to jump up and give him a beating. He hurriedly explained to Gu Huaizhi, “Young Master, don’t listen to Qi Fifth’s nonsense. The Young Lady brought us to the prefectural city specifically to pick you up and formally introduce us to you. The situation with General Zhao was just an accident.”

Gu Huaizhi’s mood wasn’t sour because Zhao Wei was the first to know about the existence of the Qi Family Army.

What he cared about was whether Su Wan regarded Zhao Wei and himself as equals—merely friends.

Su Wan was free-spirited and unconstrained by romantic feelings between men and women.

Even when they shared the same bed, she showed none of the shyness typical of a woman.

It was evident that she hadn’t developed feelings for him.

“You go back to the inn and rest first. I’ll make arrangements for the workshop and the medical hall  and we’ll return to Xihe Town early tomorrow morning.”

After saying this, Su Wan quickly fled from the atmosphere that made her feel very uncomfortable. She walked around the medical hall for a while, then took a piece of xuan paper and a brush dipped in ink. She began sketching and came up with a new renovation design. “Qi Third, you stay in the prefectural city and find a few craftsmen to do some refurbishing.”

Taking advantage of this break, she rehired a doctor and a medicine boy.

“Yes,” Qi Third carefully tucked the blueprint into his chest.

Knowing he had made a mistake, Qi Fifth volunteered, “Young Lady, I’m pretty good at carpentry work. I can stay behind to supervise the construction. Qi Third can go back with you; he’s a bit more quick-witted and can protect you better.”

“You both stay behind,” Su Wan decided firmly.

When Su Wan returned to the inn, Mo Chen and Mo Yuan were standing guard on either side of the door.

“Mrs. Gu, you’re back!” Mo Chen’s eyes lit up as he saw her. “Young Master Gu is inside, waiting to have dinner with you.”

Su Wan nodded and pushed the door open to enter the room.

Gu Huaizhi was sitting by the table, and there was a book spread open on it. With one hand supporting his cheek, he was dozing with his eyes closed. The sharpness in his features was hidden beneath a gentle facade.

Su Wan stood beside him, and Gu Huaizhi slowly opened his eyes, the light in them cold and piercing.

“Did I wake you?” Su Wan suppressed the flutter in her heart that came from his gaze and nonchalantly lifted the lid of the food box, taking out the dishes. “Why didn’t you eat first?”

“Not hungry,” Gu Huaizhi replied concisely, closing the book and placing it by the pillow. “Is everything done at the medical hall?”

Su Wan responded with a faint “Mm.”

They looked at each other in silence.

Gu Huaizhi served a bowl of rice for Su Wan.

Su Wan sat across from him, eating in silence.

Gu Huaizhi held his bowl but did not pick up his chopsticks. His gaze was calm as water as he looked at Su Wan and said softly, “Mo Chen and Mo Yuan are my people.”

Su Wan responded with an “Mm,” and said, “I know.”

Gu Huaizhi wanted to confess the nature of his relationship with the Regent, but when he thought about Gu Jingyun’s identity, he realized it would involve digging deeper into many things. His gaze fell on her tired face, and he hesitated.

He could guess some of the Regent’s intentions.

The Regent didn’t intend to support the Crown Prince’s ascension; his choice was Gu Jingyun.

Seeing that Gu Huaizhi had some talent, the Regent planned to cultivate him to assist Gu Jingyun in the future.

If Su Wan were to marry the Crown Prince, she would naturally not meet a good end. The Regent wanted to protect Su Wan, so he arranged for her to marry Gu Huaizhi instead.

It was precisely because of this that when Su Wan married into the family, and at his mother’s plea, Gu Huaizhi tacitly allowed Su Wan to stay.

But he had forgotten that the Regent never explained his actions to others.

Unaware of the Regent’s intentions, Su Wan acted recklessly.

In the end, when she proposed selling Gu Jingyun and Gu Baozhu, it crossed his bottom line. He gave her a letter of divorce, allowing her to leave the Gu family on her own, so that the Regent couldn’t blame him, while also taking Gu Jingyun away from the Gu family.

However, after that incident, Su Wan’s personality drastically changed. She continued to stay in the Gu family, and things developed to this point, completely beyond his control.

Su Wan urged him to achieve his scholarly title as soon as possible. Gu Huaizhi was worried that she intended to propose a divorce once he gained success and fame.

She had tested the idea of divorce more than once.

Gu Huaizhi had a headache—he needed to wait a bit longer.

When he achieved the top rank in the imperial exams, he would explain everything to her, one by one.

“Are you done talking?” Su Wan tilted her head slightly. Her dark, clear eyes stared at him unblinkingly as she spoke, half-serious, half-teasing: “I thought you had a lot to explain.”

“That’s all for today,” Gu Huaizhi replied, his expression unchanged.

Su Wan rolled her eyes.

As the night deepened, the two of them washed up and lay down, each under their own quilt.

Su Wan was so tired that she fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

Gu Huaizhi’s arm rested on his forehead, and just as he started to feel a bit drowsy, the quilt was tugged. Not long after, a soft body slipped in next to him. He stretched out his arm, and Su Wan’s head rested on it. She snuggled into his embrace, finding a comfortable position, and fell into a deep sleep.

He opened his eyes and looked at her serene sleeping face, completely defenseless around him. The way she leaned on him stirred an unusual emotion in his heart. Almost involuntarily, he leaned down and gently brushed his lips against her forehead.

—

The next morning, the two of them packed their bags, ate breakfast, and then took a carriage back to Xinghua Village.

When they arrived at the village, it was just around nighttime.

Mother Gu was about to go to bed. After seeing the two of them return, she joyfully came forward to greet them, circling around them to make sure they were just a bit thinner and otherwise healthy. “You two haven’t eaten yet, have you? There are fresh vegetables in the kitchen. Let me cook a couple of dishes for you.”

“No need, a bowl of fried rice will do,” Su Wan said, not wanting Mother Gu to tire herself out.

“Alright, there happens to be some leftover rice in the pot,” Mother Gu said, suppressing the joy in her heart. She was about to go to the kitchen to cook, but suddenly remembered something. She returned to the room and took out a letter, handing it directly to Gu Huaizhi. “This letter came from the prefectural city quite some time ago. Take a look; it might be something important.”

Gu Huaizhi glanced at the envelope, which had “To Gu Huaizhi” written on it. He didn’t recognize the handwriting, so he opened the letter.

Su Wan caught sight of the signature at the bottom of the letter, which bore the name “Cao Suxue.”