Chapter 8
Main Room.
The warm room was already set with a table full of food: Sweet and Sour Pork, West Lake Vinegar Fish, Three Delicacies Chicken Soup, complemented with various fresh vegetables, filling the whole table.
Duke Gu Wuji, in his early forties, dressed in a long robe looked very elegant. Though his face now bore traces of aging, one could still see the past youthful beauty between his eyebrows. He was a trusted confidant of the Emperor, a prominent court official. While usually admired wherever he went, today he paced anxiously in the room with his hands behind his back.
Changshan had grown up alongside him since childhood and was considered Gu Wuji’s sworn brother.
Seeing Gu Wuji devoid of his usual calm demeanor was both amusing and frustrating. He said, “Duke, it’s been almost a quarter of an hour since you left. Aren’t you tired?”
Gu Wuji shook his head as if remembering something, suddenly turned and asked, “How long has it been?”
Changshan answered, “It’s been nearly two quarters.”
“If Manman is still unwilling to come,” the man in his forties spoke carefully, his expression low, then glanced at the table full of dishes behind him, all of which were favorites of Gu Wuji.
He sighed lightly, fell silent for a moment, then continued, “If she refuses to come, take all the food over there.”
The room was brightly lit, the long handle palace lamps illuminated Gu Wuji’s handsome and elegant face. His long eyelashes draped over his face, forming a clear and dense shadow. In this silent room, one could sense a hint of loneliness.
Changshan, seeing him like this, was about to say something comforting.
A messenger’s voice interrupted, “Duke, Miss Wu has arrived.”
As soon as the voice fell.
The man, who had been silent and looking down, suddenly raised his head. Genuine happiness shone on his face, his brows dancing, even before Changshan could move, he strode out. When he saw the young woman being supported by Bai Lu coming over, his steps halted.
Under the night sky.
Gu Wuyou was wearing a gorgeous crimson cloak embroidered with clusters of peonies. Inside, she wore a white pleated short jacket with floral patterns, paired with a delicate green embroidered skirt. One could vaguely see her wearing the most popular pointed embroidered shoes in Langya, adorned with a small pearl at the top.
In fact, she didn’t resemble her birth mother Wang Chengdai at all.
Wang Chengdai’s appearance was just like her name, “Faraway mountains are like ink, near waters hold mist.” Raised in the Wang family’s inner chambers, she was educated in literature and etiquette from a young age, exuding a scholarly and elegant aura that was unforgettable.
But Gu Wuyou?
Her appearance was delicate and striking.
If Wang Chengdai was a ink painting of a southern landscape, then Gu Wuyou was the artist’s most vivid brushstroke. Even among a thousand people, she was still the most eye-catching.
Yet, every time Gu Wuyou’s father saw his daughter, he always inadvertently remembered Wang Chengdai’s figure.
He always remembered the first time he saw Wang Chengdai. It seemed to be a day like this, the girl wearing a cloak, holding a lamp in her hand, walking slowly towards him through the corridor. When she saw him, she seemed to pause for a moment, then revealed a gentle smile, and lowered her head again.
When Gu Wuji was young, he didn’t like to read, but when he saw Wang Chengdai that day, his mind was filled with numerous praises he had heard about beautiful women before.
One of them, roughly said something like—
“When she lowered her head, it was as if a lotus flower floating in the moonlight was gently brushed by the wind, carrying endless tenderness.”
That was the first time in Gu Wuji’s life that he felt a heartbeat. During the days he lived at the Wang’s house, he was like a fool, trying his best to meet her. He loved watching her smile the most. When she smiled, her eyes would involuntarily bend into a crescent shape.
The happiest day she laughed was when he secretly took her out of the mansion, galloped with her on horseback, and picked flowers for her.
She stood in the green mountains, the wind blowing through her long hair, the lilac-colored long skirt on her body lifted by the wind. She looked up at him, bent her eyes, and said softly, “Big Brother Gu, this is the happiest day of my life.”
“Master Duke.”
Bai Lu’s greeting brought Gu Wuji back from his old thoughts. He nodded, but his gaze always fell on Gu Wuyou. The girl lowered her head, pursed her red lips lightly, tiptoed on the ground, and the pearls on her head shone brightly under the light.
It seemed like she was hesitating on how to speak.
Gu Wuji, with his handsome and broad brows, couldn’t help but show a hint of smile. He actually wanted to reach out and touch her head, but he only thought about it. He coughed lightly and spoke to Gu Wuyou in a very cautious tone, “Manman, let’s go in and eat.”
Gu Wuyou nodded in agreement.
Gu Wuji wanted to be alone with his daughter, so he naturally didn’t have unnecessary people to serve, leaving only Changshan and Bai Lu. He sat opposite Gu Wuyou, taking the initiative to pick up dishes for her and said, “The chef from before, try whether the taste is the same as before.”
After speaking, he eagerly waited for Gu Wuyou to eat, whispering softly after she took a bite of sweet and sour spare ribs, “How is it?”
After marrying Li Qinyan, Gu Wuyou didn’t love sweet food as much as before. The taste in her memory had almost been forgotten, but seeing the man in front of her expectantly looking at her, she didn’t want to hurt his feelings.
She nodded slightly, “Delicious.”
Although she only said two words sparingly, Gu Wuji was ecstatic. It was the first time that Gu Manman didn’t lose face, and he was very happy! He couldn’t stop picking up each dish and piling them on her plate like a small mountain.
Gu Wuyou felt somewhat uncomfortable seeing him like this.
She actually wanted to have a good conversation with him, to say “I miss you” and ask him not to be so careful, but she had never had a good relationship with her father since she was young. She didn’t know what a normal father-daughter relationship was like.
If it was the Great General—
Gu Wuyou couldn’t help but think of what Li Qinyan had said to her before.
“Manman, the affection between family members is the most solid, but you also need to learn to express it. Don’t always make people guess what you’re thinking or wanting to do. Say it yourself… Don’t wait until one day, the other person is no longer there when you want to say it.”
Her hand holding chopsticks paused.
Gu Wuyou looked at the man in front of her and remembered his melancholic appearance in her past life lying on the bed. Even if she learned to let go in her previous life, there was no time to be with him.
And in this life—
She seemed to hesitate for a long time in her heart, but finally she pursed her lips, picked up a chopstick and said softly to Gu Wuji in his stunned eyes, “I don’t know what you like to eat, but this dish is not bad.”
She lowered her head, moved the food in the plate with the chopsticks. Perhaps because it was the first time she did such a thing, she felt a bit unsure, but she tried to finish speaking, “You don’t always have to pick up food for me. You also should eat.”
After saying that.
Not only Gu Wuji, even Changshan and Bai Lu were a little surprised.
But after the surprise came happiness, especially for Gu Wuji. His eyes were a bit red now, his voice became somewhat choked, “Good, xiaoma, I will eat, I will eat now.” As he spoke, he put the dish Gu Wuyou picked for him into his mouth.
Whether it was because he ate too fast or was too excited, Gu Wuji couldn’t help but cough. He propped his hands on the table, bent over, his face turning red from coughing.
Changshan hurriedly poured him a cup of tea.
Worryingly, Gu Wuyou put down her chopsticks, frowned, and kept looking at him, asking only when he stopped coughing, “Are you… okay?”
Gu Wuji waved his hand, smiling, “I’m fine, I’m just… too happy.”
After that, he picked up another chopstick and said, “Let’s eat quickly.” While speaking, he turned to Changshan and ordered, “Go and get my wine.” He was happy today and wanted to have a few more drinks.
Although Changshan was about to dissuade him.
Gu Wuyou frowned and said, “Drinking hurts the body, don’t always drink.” In her past life, her father had headaches caused by long-term drinking, and nothing could cure it.
Gu Wuji was stunned for a moment, but soon smiled again. He looked at Gu Wuyou under the flickering light, his voice becoming much gentler, “Okay, I’ll listen to you and won’t drink.”
Gu Wuyou saw this and returned to eating, but she was thinking about how to ask her father to agree to let her study at the Lu Ming.
Here, the father and daughter enjoyed a rare peaceful meal together.
On the other hand, the Wei State Duke’s Mansion appeared very desolate. The Li family’s second and third branches had all gone to other places, leaving only the main branch in the capital. They usually ate together, but even so, it was only Li Lao’s wife, Duke Wei Li Cen, Li Cen’s concubine Yin Wan and her son Dong’er, just the four of them.
Li Lao’s wife is fifty-five years old this year. She dressed modestly, always wearing a string of Buddhist beads on her wrist. Looking at the table full of food, she just furrowed her brows and sighed, “I wonder how Xiaoqi is doing?”
Upon hearing this, Li Cen beside her paused for a moment, and after a while, he said in a deep voice, “If he’s not doing well, he will naturally come back.”
When Li Lao’s wife heard this, she frowned. She had a gentle temper usually, but whenever the matter of Li Qinyuan came up, she couldn’t help but argue with her only child. Yin Wan was afraid that they would quarrel again, so she set down her chopsticks and gently said, “Mother, don’t worry. I already sent someone to Jin Tai Temple earlier to send a message. Your birthday is coming soon, and Qilang will definitely come back.”
Hearing this, Li Lao’s wife’s dissatisfaction on her face lessened a bit. She flicked her Buddhist beads and said, “When Qilang comes back this time, pay attention and don’t always say unpleasant things that make him leave again.”
Li Cen frowned, about to retort, but Yin Wan held his sleeve. After a moment of silence, he still didn’t speak.
The people in the room were eating their meal indifferently. At the gate, a white figure dismounted, it was Li Qinyuan, who had not returned home for a long time. Despite the freezing weather, he still dressed in the same attire as usual, a tight white outfit that seemed natural to him.
The red lantern swayed in the wind. The servant boy couldn’t see clearly, but when the others approached, he said hesitantly, “Young Master Qi?”
Li Qinyuan simply responded with a faint “En.” He threw the reins to the boy, and as he was about to enter, he glanced at the plaque bestowed by the late emperor, a mocking smile appearing on his face.
