“Doing well?” Xin Fei’s eyes filled with tears, staring intently at Gu Qingtong’s face, but her eyes held only surprise, no other emotion. She had truly forgotten her, and wouldn’t even mention Han Yue’an?
The old Princess Consort glanced at Gu Qingtong: “Han Pavilion Master will not mistreat her, and now she lives as a young lady, which is much better than being a servant.”
“Your Highness, we must not make a mistake now, otherwise with the Emperor…” The old wet nurse’s words were soft but resolute, though she trailed off at the end.
Gu Qingtong was confused, watching Xin Fei study her for a long moment before finally holding back her tears.
“Are you doing well now?”
“Qingtong is doing very well,” she replied with some hesitation, secretly wondering about the relationship between her and this Xin Fei.
“Han Pavilion Master hasn’t mistreated you?”
“My adoptive father treats me very well.”
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“Then, when you’re alone at night, do you miss your father and mother?” Xin Fei paused painfully when mentioning parents.
“Qingtong can no longer remember her parents’ faces.”
Xin Fei immediately burst into tears: “No wonder, no wonder, no wonder…”
“Your Highness, if you keep crying, your eyes will swell, and it will be hard to explain when you return to the palace,” the old wet nurse hurriedly dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief.
The old Princess Consort finally couldn’t bear it: “Your Highness, return to the palace. I will watch over this child.”
Xin Fei turned her head, tears welling up again: “Aunt, thank you.”
“We’re family, what’s there to thank? This is truly a tragedy!” The old Princess Consort gripped the chair’s armrest and stood up.
Gu Qingtong quickly stepped forward to support her.
Xin Fei, seeing her demeanor, wiped her tears and stood at the door, looking back several times. Only after the old wet nurse whispered “Your Highness, endure a little longer, or all will be in vain” did she resolutely leave.
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But when Lü Guo went out and came back, she was so angry that she was jumping with rage.
“Lü Guo, what’s wrong?”
“I just ran into Liang Qingniang. When she heard that the young miss came back early, she actually thought the young miss was driven back.”
Gu Qingtong listened to her complaint, initially feeling somewhat indignant. But when she heard Lü Guo’s words and imagined the scene, she couldn’t help but laugh: “Pfft.”
“Young miss, you’re still laughing.”
Gu Qingtong had to suppress her laughter: “I don’t know where Ruan Niang went. Without her, I have nowhere to turn.”
“Ruan Niang is probably out buying rouge and powder.”
“Mm.” Gu Qingtong had something on her mind and couldn’t sit still in the room, so she stood up, “Lü Guo, come walk with me.”
“It’s almost time for lunch. The young miss still wants to go out?”
Gu Qingtong touched her stomach: “I seem to be a bit hungry.”
“Then let’s eat lunch before going out.”
“No, Lü Guo. I just received a reward today, so let’s go out and eat, treat ourselves.”
“Treat ourselves?”
“Let’s go.” Gu Qingtong had already walked out, pausing halfway to look at Luo Xue’s tightly closed door, “Luo Xue is definitely still with Master Li Le. We’ll go by ourselves.”
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Gu Qingtong remembered the Zhu Qing Yue Restaurant she had visited before but didn’t get to eat anything good. Now she was finally craving it. She arrived at Zhu Qing Yue, and the waiter skillfully led her to a private room. Gu Qingtong casually ordered a few dishes and had Lü Guo sit down, sipping tea slowly.
“Knock, knock…”
“Someone’s knocking?” Lü Guo was surprised and opened the door, discovering it was the young master of the Jiang family. She was momentarily stunned. But Jiang Shangheng had already entered, and Gu Qingtong quickly stood up.
“Young Master Jiang?”
Jiang Shangheng’s face was stern, pointing at Lü Guo: “You, go out.”
Lü Guo didn’t dare to refuse but looked to Gu Qingtong for guidance. Gu Qingtong guessed his purpose was related to the marriage contract and knew Lü Guo shouldn’t hear it, so she nodded: “Lü Guo, go outside and keep watch. Don’t let anyone in.”
“Yes.” Lü Guo glanced at Jiang Shangheng in surprise and bowed out.
Gu Qingtong smiled slightly, but that wasn’t the point. She had no feelings for him, and he probably didn’t have any for her either.
“Young Master Jiang, since I’ve already destroyed the betrothal document, why are you still so persistent?”
“Persistent? We were betrothed from infancy…”
“Wait,” Gu Qingtong quickly stopped him. “Young Master Jiang, are you insisting on marrying me because of the betrothal, or do you have feelings for me?”
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21 Exchange
Jiang Shangheng had never thought about love between men and women. He had simply been convinced since childhood that she would be his wife. Now, Gu Qingtong didn’t care about the betrothal at all and instead asked if he had feelings for her.
He had truly never considered this and didn’t know how to answer.
Gu Qingtong saw his discomfort and smiled faintly: “Young Master Jiang, I appreciate your intentions. But a mere betrothal document is not worth worrying about.”
Jiang Shangheng wanted to speak but hesitated. His mind was muddled by her question. To him, marriage meant mutual respect, growing old together, and having many children. But Gu Qingtong clearly didn’t think the same way.
“Young Master Jiang, you can go be the royal consort with peace of mind. This is good for you, for me, and for the Jiang family,” Gu Qingtong continued without waiting for his response. “You care about a mere promise without considering my identity. The gap between us is already evident. As a trial wife, I’ve shared a bed with many men, so you needn’t compromise your reputation for me.”
“Reputation? What does sharing a bed matter when they never touched you,” Jiang Shangheng said in a low voice.
“You really don’t mind?”
“I don’t mind.”
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“The betrothal document is destroyed. I won’t entangle you. Let’s draw a clear line between us.”
Gu Qingtong thought this meal was probably not going to happen and prepared to leave.
“Gu Qingtong!”
Hearing him call, she paused briefly. But with no further words, she quickened her pace and returned with Lüguo. She looked back at the Zhiqing Yue signboard, thinking she should probably not come again.
Fortunately, the kitchen had just prepared two dishes. Lüguo paid and immediately followed: “Miss, you haven’t had lunch yet. Shall we go to Zhiwei Zhai?”
Gu Qingtong looked where Lüguo pointed, which seemed even more upscale, and nodded in agreement.
The waiter at Zhiwei Zhai didn’t recognize her, and the place was busy, so Gu Qingtong had to wait a while.
“Qingtong?”
Gu Qingtong was stunned. It was unexpected to run into Jiang Shangheng, but now she’d encountered Hua Jianwei.
“Qingtong, it really is you,” Hua Jianwei looked delighted.
Gu Qingtong turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm.
“Young Master Hua, please show some respect.”
“Qingtong, I…” Seeing people around starting to whisper, Hua Jianwei said, “Can we talk in a private room?”
“No.”
“If you don’t agree, I won’t let go. In the end, you’ll be the one people point at,” Hua Jianwei suddenly became shameless.
Gu Qingtong looked at the people around and reluctantly agreed, following him upstairs. But after Hua Jianwei sat at the table, she moved to the window: “Young Master Hua, let’s be clear today. I truly have no feelings for you, so please stop pestering me.”
