Unlike his twin brother, the Third Young Master Gu was robust, talkative, and active. He had been chided by his elders during the family banquet at noon, leaving him in low spirits. When he happened to run into Shen Ji, Gu Yuanwei was struck by a sudden whim and pulled him to the attic for a drink.

“Come on, come on, let’s drink together. I have a huge stash, all rare, fine wines. I wouldn’t invite just anyone, you know.”

“Mm.”

The Third Young Master Gu had a treasured collection of fine wines. Being a generous man, he poured them freely. After just a few cups, he couldn’t help but start airing his grievances. “Sigh, my parents are really something else, insisting on forcing me to marry. They even said that as soon as the national mourning period is over, they’ll go make a formal proposal…”

Shen Ji’s eyelids twitched. He lowered his head and took another drink.

National mourning period? A marriage proposal?

Shen Ji didn’t usually drink much. As the fine wine entered his stomach, a burning sensation instantly spread through his organs, yet it only served to make him more clear-headed.

“Cousin Shen, you have no idea. That Miss Wan, Wan Yonglan—don’t let the ‘Lan’ in her name fool you. She doesn’t have a single ounce of a young lady’s refinement. I met her once, two years ago. My god, she has a worse temper than I do, and she’s strong too. Her father’s broadsword weighs dozens of catties, but she can lift it without even blinking. If I really marry her, my life is over.” As Gu Yuanwei spoke, he took another large gulp of wine.

“Then what kind of woman do you want to marry?” Shen Ji asked absently, his mind elsewhere.

Gu Yuanwei thought for a moment, then said seriously, “Someone gentler, I suppose. Yes, gentle. And preferably good-looking.”

“And what do you consider gentle and good-looking?”

Gu Yuanwei was a bit stumped. The number of women he knew was limited, and he couldn’t come up with an answer right away. He raised his wine cup, tilted his head, and thought hard. “Someone like A Yue, maybe? Of course, I’m not talking about A Yue herself. A Yue is definitely out of the question.”

Shen Ji’s hand, which was pouring wine, paused slightly.

He had been using the wine to distract himself, but unexpectedly, he heard her name from the Third Young Master Gu’s lips.

Ignoring the strange feeling in his heart, he asked nonchalantly, “Why is A Yue out of the question?”

There was no one else in the attic at the moment, but Gu Yuanwei still glanced left and right, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice. “Cousin, you’re not an outsider, so I won’t hide it from you. You don’t know this, but A Yue almost became my eldest sister-in-law.”

“Oh? Is that so? Such a thing happened?” Shen Ji’s voice was perfectly steady, with almost no trace of abnormality.

“You didn’t know, did you? If you ask anyone else, they won’t tell you either.” Gu Yuanwei, his head fuzzy from the wine, wore a mysterious expression. “A Yue’s father was my uncle’s Adjutant General. Ten—no, wait, eleven years ago, during the suppression of the southwestern rebellion, her father took an arrow for my uncle and died on the spot. Her grandmother couldn’t handle the shock and passed away too. A Yue’s mother had died early on, so my uncle, seeing how she was all alone, brought her over.”

“I’ve heard about that.”

“Then you definitely haven’t heard that my uncle initially wanted her to marry my older brother when she grew up, right?”

Shen Ji’s wine cup trembled, and a little of the liquid spilled out. “No.”

“My older brother and A Yue were close, and he wasn’t against the idea. It’s just…” Gu Yuanwei paused, his voice dropping lower. “It’s just that Grandmother and my aunt felt A Yue’s family status wasn’t good enough, so they didn’t quite approve. With their differing opinions, the matter kept getting dragged out. My brother originally thought that if he made some achievements in his official career, Grandmother and my aunt would stop objecting. But who knew, who knew…”

Shen Ji refilled his cup for him and continued, “Who knew His Majesty would suddenly bestow a marriage.”

“Isn’t that just it?” Gu Yuanwei slapped his thigh heavily. “What a mess this whole thing is! Actually, it wasn’t that sudden. Let me tell you, back in March this year, there was a banquet in the palace. The Chang Le Princess—my current eldest sister-in-law—was pushed from a high place by someone. My brother was nearby and reacted quickly, saving her. You’d think that was a good deed, right? Who knew saving someone could bring you so much trouble?”

Gu Yuanwei looked deeply regretful. “Not long after, the Emperor bestowed the marriage. I heard the Grand Princess personally went to the palace to request the imperial decree. My brother was unwilling. But it was a marriage bestowed by the Emperor; who could refuse? Not only could he not refuse, but he had to accept it with joy and gratitude. He couldn’t very well say the Emperor was playing matchmaker irresponsibly, could he? With no other choice, Grandmother then declared that A Yue and my brother had a sibling-like bond from growing up together. She gave a strict order that anyone in the manor who dared to speak incorrectly would not be let off lightly. She also had A Yue move to the villa for the time being.”

At this, he heaved another heavy sigh, his voice even lower. “Let me tell you, when A Yue was at the villa, wasn’t there an assassination attempt on her where she almost died? I suspect the Grand Princess was behind it. She must have found A Yue to be an eyesore and a threat to her daughter. Who in the entire capital doesn’t know how much the Grand Princess dotes on her daughter?”

Then, Gu Yuanwei quickly and carefully added a warning, “Cousin, this is just between us. You can’t tell anyone else.”

Shen Ji didn’t respond, only taking another drink.

In truth, he had already guessed eighty to ninety percent of it, but hearing it now from Gu Yuanwei’s mouth, his heart still sank further and further.

Childhood sweethearts with a deep bond, cruelly torn apart. How pitiful and lamentable.

And yet, she had never revealed a single word of this experience to him.

In front of him, she had always been innocent and clever, infatuated with him. Her naive demeanor was clearly that of someone experiencing love for the first time.

Shen Ji recalled asking her once if she had a good relationship with the Gu Heir Apparent. She had been vague at the time, only saying that she was close with both the Heir Apparent and the Young Miss Gu.

Thinking of her shy and timid gaze, thinking of her prayer that night… Beyond his anger, Shen Ji felt a bitterness seep out from the bottom of his heart, traveling through his veins to every limb.

Not only had she once been deeply in love with someone else, but she had also just been using him. What was that about feeling sorry for him and repaying him in the future? She knew she had wronged him? Did he look like he was in need of repayment?

It was his own fault for being too proud and conceited. He had believed everything she said without ever trying to verify it.

“Liar.”

Hearing this, Gu Yuanwei got a little anxious. “I’m not lying to you, everything I said is true. If you don’t believe me, go ask around.”

Shen Ji remained silent, offering no explanation. He simply raised the wine cup before him and drained it in one go.

“No, wait, you’d better not ask about this kind of thing,” Gu Yuanwei said, belatedly realizing his mistake. “It’s a taboo topic in the manor; we’re not allowed to talk about it. Besides, talking about this isn’t good for A Yue’s reputation.”

Shen Ji said nothing, only letting out a derisive laugh.

That night, for the first time ever, Shen Ji drank too much. He didn’t return to Qingfeng Courtyard, instead staying the night at the Third Young Master Gu’s place.

Early the next morning, Ping An arrived with a set of clean clothes.

Shen Ji took another bath, but a faint headache still lingered.

The events of the previous day surfaced uncontrollably in his mind. Shen Ji closed his eyes.

It seemed this wine wasn’t of much use after all.

“Young Master, why the sudden urge to drink? Don’t you dislike wine?” Ping An muttered as he helped tidy up. “Miss Su came to Qingfeng Courtyard looking for you yesterday and waited for a long time.”

Shen Ji’s hand, which was drying itself, paused. His face was expressionless. “How long? Did she wait all night?”

“Not that long. She left before it got dark.”

Shen Ji let out a soft snort and said coldly, “If she comes looking for me again, just say I’m not here.”

“Oh, okay,” Ping An agreed instinctively, then it dawned on him. He scratched his head and asked, puzzled, “Huh? Why? Young Master, I was talking about Miss Su, not someone else.”

Didn’t Miss Su come over often? He’d never heard the Young Master say anything unwelcoming before. Had they quarreled?

Shen Ji glanced at him. “Why ask so many questions? Just do as you’re told.”

Seeing his master’s displeasure, Ping An shrank back and didn’t ask any more questions, though he was truly baffled. Everything had been fine just yesterday.

Gu Yuanwei was still asleep. Shen Ji informed the young servant by his side and returned to Qingfeng Courtyard.

Before he even reached the gate, he saw Su Zhenyue’s figure from a distance.

The twelfth lunar month was cold. She was dressed in a pale cyan dress, standing at the entrance to Qingfeng Courtyard. When a cold wind blew past, her sleeves fluttered, making her seem all the more slender and frail. Perhaps from a poor night’s sleep, her face was pale and her expression a little wan.

But this did nothing to detract from her beauty; instead, it gave her a pitiful, fragile kind of charm.

Shen Ji’s brow furrowed, and he subconsciously wanted to avoid her.

But on second thought, he wasn’t the one in the wrong. Why should he be the one to hide?

And so, he walked over with a blank expression.

His eyes remained fixed forward the entire time, as if he hadn’t seen her at all.

Ping An, however, brightened up and greeted her familiarly, “Miss Su!”

Su Zhenyue pulled at the corners of her mouth, managing a nod in his direction before her gaze fell on Shen Ji. Her naturally watery eyes were misty. “Cousin…”

—She had barely slept a wink last night and had come to wait at the entrance of Qingfeng Courtyard first thing in the morning. She knew she looked somewhat haggard at the moment and made no effort to hide it.

For one, she was in no mood to dress up; for another, she wanted to use the opportunity to make Shen Ji’s heart soften.

Shen Ji acted as if he hadn’t heard and pushed the gate open to enter.

However, just as the gate opened, his sleeve was gently tugged by a fair hand.