Chapter 4: Stay Away. She Must Stay Away From the Male Lead.

The second day after falling into the water, which was also the thirty-ninth day since Su Zhenyue had moved to the villa in the city’s outskirts, the people from the Jing An Marquis Estate were coming to take her back to live at the estate.

At this, Doukou and Nanxing were both delighted and hurriedly packed their bags.

“This is wonderful! The Marquis Estate is a deep, grand compound with many guards. It’s much safer than here.”

Su Zhenyue said nothing, only standing silently by the window.

She had taken another dose of medicine in the early morning, and her fever had now subsided, but her face was still pale.

That the Marquis Estate wanted to take her back was within her expectations. After all, that was how it had been in the dream. But as for whether she should actually go back, she was momentarily undecided.

Although Su Zhenyue was said to be a distant relative of the Jing An Marquis Estate, she actually shared no blood ties with the Gu family; it was just a coincidence that her grandmother and Old Madam Wen shared the same surname. Her birth mother had died early, and she had been raised by her grandmother since childhood. When she was six, her father, an Adjutant General, had taken an arrow for Jing’an Hou on the battlefield and died on the spot. Upon hearing the news, her grandmother fell ill and never recovered, passing away soon after.

From then on, the uncared-for Su Zhenyue was taken into the Jing An Marquis Estate as a “Miss of the family,” and she lived there for eleven years. It was only a little over a month ago that she had moved to the villa in the city’s outskirts.

Objectively speaking, the villa certainly couldn’t compare to the Marquis Estate. At first, Su Zhenyue had also pondered how she could return to the Jing An Marquis Estate. However, the events of yesterday and today, as well as that strange dream, had changed her mind.

Should she go back? Judging from the dream, it was indeed safer after returning. At least, she didn’t encounter another assassination attempt until she was married off to the distant Shu Region.

But if she really returned to the Jing An Marquis Estate, although her life would be safe for the time being, according to the dream, Princess Chengping would still believe her existence was hindering the development of the male and female leads’ relationship and would request an imperial decree to marry her off to Yuan Ye of the Shu Region.

The thought of that sadist Yuan Ye made Su Zhenyue involuntarily shudder.

No, absolutely not!

She could not walk the old path from her dream.

“Miss, don’t stand by the window. Be careful of the draft,” Nanxing reminded her.

Su Zhenyue returned to her senses, murmured a soft “en,” and finally made her decision: she would return to the Jing An Marquis Estate.

First, she would deal with the present and save her own life, then she would slowly scheme to avoid the marriage to Yuan Ye.

Su Zhenyue had only been living at the villa for a little over a month, so she didn’t have many things. They were packed up quickly.

Second Master Gu was exceptionally excited about having just found a nephew and didn’t want to delay, so they set off for the city immediately.

In the carriage back to the city, Nanxing told Su Zhenyue, “Miss, have you heard? It turns out Young Master Shen is the Marquis Estate’s young cousin! His mother is the ‘aunt-in-law’ who was raised by the Old Madam before marrying into a family in Qingzhou.”

—Nanxing was meticulous and had sensitively noticed the Miss’s unusual mood, so she intentionally tried to distract her.

“Is that so? What a coincidence,” Su Zhenyue feigned surprise at the right moment, though she wasn’t particularly surprised in her heart.

The name Shen Ji was not unfamiliar to her. In that long dream, apart from their brief encounter at the villa, the two of them didn’t have much interaction. Moreover, he had never formally appeared in the book.

But she had an extremely deep impression of this person.

Shen Ji of Qingzhou, a man of astonishing talent who met a tragic end. At nineteen, he became the Number One Scholar, his fame spreading throughout the land. Later, for some unknown reason, he offended the Emperor at the Qionglin Banquet. He failed to enter the Hanlin Academy and was instead dispatched to Anle County to serve as the county magistrate. Unfortunately, on his way to his post, he died in a fire at a Postal Station, his body burned to ashes.

In the dream, when the news reached the capital, Su Zhenyue, who was about to be married off to the Shu Region, had also lamented his fate and had even secretly burned incense for him.

Now that she knew he would face a calamity in the future, she would have to find an opportunity to give him a serious reminder or two.

Having made up her mind, Su Zhenyue closed her eyes and rested quietly.

The group soon returned to the Jing An Marquis Estate.

Second Master Gu had Su Zhenyue return to the West Wing Courtyard first, while he took Shen Ji to Chunhui Hall to pay respects to Old Madam Wen.

Seeing her foster daughter’s only bloodline grown into such a fine and talented man, Old Madam Wen was overjoyed. She refused to let him leave and ordered the first madam, Zhou Shi, to prepare a courtyard for Shen Ji to stay in the estate. “Just consider it as fulfilling your mother’s filial duties on her behalf.”

With the matter put this way, Shen Ji no longer refused.

—It was only for a few months anyway. To him, it was the same no matter where he lived.

“Find a quiet place. We can’t let it interfere with He Ming’s preparations for the imperial examinations,” Old Madam Wen instructed earnestly.

“He Ming” was Shen Ji’s courtesy name.

“I understand. Rest assured, Old Madam,” Zhou Shi replied with a smile and went off to get busy.

Facing Shen Ji, Old Madam Wen’s emotions were complex. One moment she was reminiscing about her foster daughter, the next she was feeling sorry for her grandson… When she spoke of sad things, her eyes couldn’t help but well up with tears.

All the attendants standing by her side shed tears along with her.

Suddenly, the head maid, Jialan, walked over and whispered a few words in the Old Madam’s ear.

Old Madam Wen’s expression changed instantly. “Really?”

“Yes,” Jialan nodded.

Seeing the Old Madam’s strange expression, Shen Ji pretended not to notice and didn’t ask the reason. He only said, “I just remembered, I haven’t paid my respects to the Marquis yet.”

“What a coincidence, your eldest uncle isn’t home right now. But you can have a good talk with your second uncle,” Old Madam Wen forced a smile and had someone take the young cousin to see Second Master Gu.

Only after Shen Ji had left did Old Madam Wen turn to Jialan, her face showing fatigue. “You just said the Heir Apparent is not in the ancestral hall?”

“That’s right.”

“Do you know where he went?”

Jialan shook her head.

“What a sinful fate,” Old Madam Wen pressed her temples, her mind racing. “Go and check on the West Wing Courtyard.”

Old Madam Wen had originally not disliked Su Zhenyue, whom she had watched grow up. But because of recent events, she couldn’t help but feel a bit of displaced anger.

…

At this moment, Su Zhenyue had just returned to the West Wing Courtyard not long ago.

After being away for over a month, the West Wing Courtyard hadn’t changed much, except that many of the leaves on the trees in the courtyard had fallen.

Doukou and Nanxing were busy directing the servants to sweep the rooms and put things away.

Su Zhenyue, however, took down the zither hanging on the wall and casually plucked it a few times.

The zither’s notes were clear and cold, instantly creating a desolate mood.

“Someone tried to kill you last night?” A clear, cold voice suddenly rang out.

Su Zhenyue’s hand trembled, and the zither let out a sharp “ding.”

She looked up and, as expected, saw a familiar figure.

The man was dressed in a cloud-pattern brocade robe. He had a tall, slender figure and a handsome face, but he exuded a natural coldness. It was none other than the Heir Apparent of the Jing An Marquis Estate, Gu Yuanchen.

—Because of yesterday’s events, he had caused the Old Madam’s old ailment of headaches to flare up. He would rather be punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall than go to the Princess Manor to apologize. During his punishment, he had been worried about Su Zhenyue, who had fallen into the water and was unconscious, so he had his trusted subordinate secretly make inquiries. It was only a moment ago that he learned she had been assassinated and had returned to the Marquis Estate. Gu Yuanchen immediately left the ancestral hall, wanting to find out the truth.

Seeing him, Su Zhenyue’s heart gave a jolt. In an instant, many images flooded her mind.

There was the time when they were children, and he had said seriously, “From now on, this is your home.”

There was the time after the imperial decree for their marriage was issued, and he had said resolutely, “I will not marry the Chang Le Princess. The person I want to marry is A Yue.”

There was also the dream, where he said with a tone of apology, “I’m sorry, A Yue. I only feel guilt and pity for you.”

And in the dream, for the sake of the Chang Le Princess, he had sliced her in half at the waist with one strike of his blade.

…

Su Zhenyue subconsciously took two steps back, her snow-white face turning deathly pale in an instant.

She and Gu Yuanchen had grown up together. To say there were no feelings at all would be a lie. But that bit of affection had largely dissipated with his marriage. Yesterday’s dream, in particular, made her fear and resent him, making her want to stay as far away from him as possible.

“Who wants to kill you?” Gu Yuanchen frowned, finding it somewhat hard to believe. “Is it… the Princess of the Commandery?”

“It wasn’t her who pushed me into the water. I don’t know who wants to kill me! The captured assassins all bit their tongues and committed suicide,” Su Zhenyue said quickly.

Gu Yuanchen’s brows furrowed even tighter. “A Yue…”

“Don’t call me A Yue. Just call me Miss Su from now on. We don’t have any relationship anyway,” Su Zhenyue said very quickly. “No, we shouldn’t see each other again.”

“Did the assassins force you to say this?” A guess formed in Gu Yuanchen’s mind.

If the assassins went to great lengths just to get such a promise from her, then the mastermind behind it was very easy to guess.

Su Zhenyue shook her head. “No, the assassins didn’t speak to me. This is what I think myself.”

She composed herself, her expression sincere. “Heir Apparent, I know you feel guilty towards me. But there’s really no need. My father was an Adjutant General; protecting his commander on the battlefield was his duty. Besides, he took an arrow for the Marquis, not for you. You really don’t need to feel indebted to me.”

“A Yue!” Gu Yuanchen strongly disapproved.

He had known since he was young that A Yue’s father had sacrificed himself because of his father. The Gu family owed her and should treat her well. That was why he took care of her in every way. Knowing she liked the Marquis Estate, he thought he would marry her when they grew up, letting her stay here for a lifetime.

Unfortunately, the Emperor’s bestowed marriage had disrupted his plans. He had resisted, but his entire family had opposed him. His grandmother had even secretly sent her away, claiming it was for “recuperation.” But what illness did she have? It was just the Jing An Marquis Estate being afraid that he would really defy the decree, so they chose to sacrifice her.

He was indeed indebted to her.

Su Zhenyue took another two steps back. “Also, we may have grown up together and are closer than others, but we don’t have a formal engagement. We each have our own marriages to attend to, so it can’t be said that anyone has wronged the other. Since you are already married, it’s better that we don’t associate with each other. I said these words to you yesterday, and I’m saying them to you again now, for the last time.”

—It was just that when she said it at the villa yesterday, her attitude was still friendly, thinking that if they couldn’t be husband and wife, they could still be like brother and sister. After all, Gu Yuanchen was the Heir Apparent and would inherit the Marquis Estate in the future. Having such a backer would be beneficial to her. But now, she only wanted to completely sever all ties with him.

What backer? How could a backer be more important than her life?

Gu Yuanchen pressed his lips together tightly. “We can stop seeing each other, but I can’t just stand by and watch you fall into danger.”

“As long as you stay far away from me, my danger will lessen,” Su Zhenyue retorted.

“So you also think…”

Su Zhenyue cut him off. “Just consider it for my own good. Don’t look for me again. Pretend you don’t know me. I’m begging you.”

The girl’s eyes, as clear as water, showed a rare look of resolution and resistance.

This kind of avoidance, as if he were a snake or a scorpion, was something Gu Yuanchen had never seen from her before.

After a long silence, he finally said with difficulty, “I won’t bother you again.”

“Thank you.”

Gu Yuanchen gave her one last deep look, then turned and left.

If she wouldn’t elaborate, then he would investigate it himself. No matter what, he had to help her eliminate the danger.

Watching his retreating back, Su Zhenyue let out a long sigh of relief.

Just keeping her distance from Gu Yuanchen probably wasn’t enough. How could she make Princess Chengping realize that she posed no threat whatsoever to the Princess of the Commandery’s happy life?

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