Chapter 21

Chapter 21

To avoid drawing attention, Gu Yu had deliberately ridden in the same carriage as Jiang Heng. Now, for the return journey, it was only natural that he would share the carriage with Jiang Wan.

Jiang Wan sat primly in the corner, observing the man sitting upright, almost pressed against the opposite side of the carriage, leaving a significant space between them.

Jiang Wan withdrew her gaze, no longer looking at him, a great deal now clear in her heart.

Before today, before sharing the carriage with Gu Yu, she too had harbored the illusion that Gu Yu still held lingering feelings for her. But at this moment, she suddenly thought otherwise.

Upon their arrival at the Jiang residence, Madam Wang rushed out, weeping, as soon as they entered. She embraced Jiang Wan, calling her "Xiao Qi," "Ling Lu," and "my dear."

Gao Rulan reminded her, "Mother, don’t forget, you must call her A Heng."

No sooner had she spoken than another voice also called out "Ling Lu," inquiring about her well-being.

Gu Yu listened to the repeated calls of "Ling Lu" from all sides and cast a glance at Jiang Wan. After a moment, he looked away.

Perhaps because the "Ling Lu" he was accustomed to was Jiang Heng, he now felt that every call of "Ling Lu" was directed at the wrong person.

He had once thought the sisters looked very much alike, but now, upon closer inspection, they didn’t appear so similar after all.

Gu Yu had other matters to attend to and had no interest in staying to witness their reunion. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Gao Rulan say to Jiang Wan, "Your current identity is A Heng. To be cautious, you should stay in A Heng’s bedchamber. Even to your own aunts and uncles, you must act as A Heng."

Gu Yu paused mid-step. Jiang Heng’s bedchamber? That was… the place where he and his wife had rested.

"That’s not appropriate. I’ve stored important items there," Gu Yu offered an excuse, flatly refusing.

Everyone was surprised.

Gao Rulan had made this arrangement at Gu Yu’s request—the more realistic, the better, and the fewer people who knew, the better. She hadn’t expected him to be the first to object.

Jiang Xing quickly agreed, siding with Gu Yu: "Alright, alright, she’ll stay in Xiao Qi’s boudoir. We’ll just say that A Heng’s boudoir is under renovation and cannot be occupied."

Only then did Gu Yu say no more. He left the Jiang residence and headed straight to Guanyin Temple to meet with Prince Zhennan’s envoy.

After dismounting at the temple gate, he was about to climb the steps when he heard someone respectfully call out "Duke Wei" from behind. Gu Yu turned to see a monk over sixty years old.

The monk had been sitting behind a table carving votive tablets. Upon seeing Gu Yu, he stood up, pressed his palms together, and said, "Amitabha," followed by "Happy birthday." He then offered a peace stone with both hands, saying, "Yesterday, your wife requested a peace stone from me, but my old eyes are dim, and I must have given her the wrong one. This morning, I discovered a cracked stone was missing and realized I must have mistakenly given it to your wife. I am now presenting you with a genuine stone and hope your wife will not take offense."

Gu Yu frowned slightly, pondering.

His birthday was in the winter months, still far away. Why would Jiang Heng have requested a peace stone for him at this time?

However, he had matters to attend to and didn't ponder it further. Accepting the peace stone, he walked briskly through the temple gate.

He had intended to seek Prince Zhennan’s envoy in the guest quarters but unexpectedly encountered him in front of the main hall.

The envoy stood quietly, a tabby cat perched on his shoulder, looking toward a small path as if waiting for someone.

He also noticed Gu Yu and, perhaps fearing the cat might scratch him again, sent the cat away before approaching.

"Duke Wei, when can I meet..." He paused, this time avoiding an argument, and said, "Madam Guiyi?"

Gu Yu had come to discuss this very matter and didn't avoid the question as before. "Likely within the next two days."

His attitude had changed rather quickly, and Yan Hui finally confirmed his suspicions.

He had been waiting here all morning but had not seen Jiang Heng.

She had been dining in the dining hall last night but was gone this morning, likely recalled urgently during the night.

What did they want Jiang Heng to do?

Yan Hui had guessed but had clung to a glimmer of hope, thinking perhaps he was wrong. After all, they were A Jiu’s closest relatives—her parents, brother, and husband. How could they treat her like that?

But now, from Duke Wei’s reaction, he knew he had not been mistaken.

Yan Hui clenched his fist silently, his one eye beneath the mask lingered deeply on Gu Yu for a moment before shifting to stare blankly ahead. "Duke Wei, please grant me a pass to enter and exit freely. I wish to see Madam Guiyi myself."

Gu Yu’s first impulse was to refuse.

But the Emperor had tacitly allowed Prince Zhennan’s envoy to handle Madam Guiyi’s case. Gu Yu also knew that when the envoy conducted the trial, he might very well exclude them from participation. His request for a pass likely meant just that.

He had already prepared the story with Jiang Heng and gone over specific scenarios with her, so he was not afraid of the envoy detecting any inconsistencies.

"What? Afraid I might take Madam Guiyi away privately?" Yan Hui, seeing Gu Yu’s hesitation, said provocatively.

Gu Yu smiled faintly. "Military Advisor Xiao, I doubt you're capable of that."

"Then why is Duke Wei so hesitant? Afraid that if I see Madam Guiyi myself, I might uncover something detrimental to you?" Yan Hui pressed, attempting to provoke him.

Gu Yu gave a light chuckle again, his tone casual. "We conduct ourselves with integrity and would not vent the shame of a fallen nation on a woman. Military Advisor Xiao, as a man of honor, should also handle things fairly, shouldn’t you?"

Yan Hui smiled sarcastically. Impartial handling? Having his own wife imprisoned in place of her sister and then talking about impartiality?

Yan Hui didn't want to argue anymore and said calmly, "Naturally."

"In that case, Military Advisor Xiao, please wait patiently. Tomorrow, I will send someone with the pass."

***

The following night, Gu Yu finally dispatched someone to deliver the pass to Prince Zhennan’s envoy. "No need to rush; it’s fine if it arrives a bit late."

Just as his attendant withdrew after accepting the order, Gu's younger sister again appeared at the study door, peering in and asking eagerly, "Third Brother, may I come in?"

Gu Yu nodded slightly, and only then did Gu Qingyue dare step over the threshold. She hesitated several times before finally speaking: "Third Brother, did you know that Sister-in-Law commissioned a ten-foot stone Buddha at Yique Mountain?"

Gu Yu, of course, did not know. But considering his wife’s devout faith in Buddha, sponsoring a stone Buddha was not unreasonable. He remained noncommittal and only asked, "What about it?"

"Do you know how much that costs? Three thousand strings of cash!" Gu Qingyue thought it was excessively wasteful.

Gu Yu assumed that his elder sister-in-law disapproved of Jiang Heng’s excessive devotion to Buddhism and was unwilling to pay the three thousand strings, hence sending his younger sister to intervene. After a moment’s thought, he said, "She did it to pray for the family’s peace and safety. Her intentions are noble. Let her be. Deduct the three thousand strings from my monthly allowance."

The Gu family had lived together and shared resources since their poorer days, and this practice continued. All of Gu Yu’s rewards, salaries, fiefs, official lands, and hereditary lands were managed by his elder sister-in-law. His expenses were covered by a fixed monthly allowance. Concerned about his needs, his elder sister-in-law allotted him two hundred strings per month. Since he was often away on campaigns, he naturally had little use for it, and his savings likely exceeded three thousand strings.

Hearing this, Gu Qingyue realized her brother had misunderstood and quickly waved her hands. "I’m not here for money. Elder Sister-in-Law doesn’t know about this. It’s... it’s Princess Huyang who told me at Guanyin Temple. She said even the imperial relatives aren’t as extravagant as Sister-in-Law. I’m just worried that Sister-in-Law might be... too ostentatious..."

Gu Yu understood his sister’s concern.

She aspired to marry Prince Qin and had grown close to Princess Huyang. She was also very concerned about Prince Qin’s opinion of the Gu family. Prince Qin was known for his frugality, and Jiang Heng’s actions might lead Prince Qin to misunderstand the Gu family as extravagant, diminishing his favorable impression of her.

"Once in a while is fine," Gu Yu said.

Gu Qingyue shook her head. "But it’s not just once! We used to think Sister-in-Law often went to Guanyin Temple just to copy scriptures and pray, at most donating some oil money. But now I’ve heard she’s a major benefactor there. Besides incense, flowers, lamps, and ointments, she often sponsors the regilding of Buddha statues. That costs a lot!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yu’s eyebrows lifted slightly, and a faint smile touched his lips. He knew she was devout, but he hadn’t realized she was this devout.

Thinking about it, it suited her temperament. Among the countless prayer plaques hanging from the trees, only one wish—"May the gentleman be safe and harmonious"—stood without any selfish desires. Not a single prayer was for herself.

"Alright, when she returns, I'll tell her not to try so hard in the future. As for Prince Qin, you needn’t worry. If he truly minds, I’ll explain it to him."

Gu Qingyue blushed, embarrassed, and said, "When did I mention Prince Qin? I was clearly talking about my sister-in-law..."

Suddenly remembering something, she grinned playfully at Gu Yu and said, "Third Brother, I never realized you were so tight-lipped—you never even told us her milk name!"

Gu Yu looked up at his younger sister. Milk name?

But Gu Qingyue called out mischievously, "Yan Jiu, Yan Jiu, for long-lasting happiness!" With that, she laughed and ran off.

Gu Yu was deep in thought when Cheng Ping knocked and asked to see him.

"What is it?"

"Master, that necklace pendant has been repaired." Cheng Ping respectfully handed over a small box and explained, "It was fixed a few days ago, but seeing how busy you were, I didn't want to bother you."

Gu Yu said nothing. He took out the pendant, studying the design engraved on it, then gestured for Cheng Ping to leave.

"Yan Jiu, Yan Jiu, long and lasting." So the character "Jiu" was taken from her milk name?

He had never heard that her milk name was "Yan Jiu." Not even her own Jiang family called her that.

Yan Jiu, Yan Xiaoshi, Yan Rong...

Could it be that the Jiang family had relatives with the surname Yan, and Jiang Heng was ranked ninth among them, hence a milk name that's a homophone?

Gu Yu thought it must be so.

He ran his thumb over the character "Jiu" on the pendant, recalling how Jiang Heng had refused to see him again when he left the prison cell.

Though she had never uttered a single word of complaint about taking Jiang Wan’s place in prison, deep down, she must have held some resentment against him, right?

"Zhou Wu, prepare the horse." He was going to the Dali Prison.

Gu Yu set out late at night and arrived at the Dali Prison around midnight. The prison guard on duty was already dozing at his desk. Gu Yu glanced at him but didn’t investigate further, simply saying, "No need to follow me," and headed straight for Jiang Heng’s cell.

From a distance, he saw Prince Zhennan standing in front of the cell, gazing inside as he slowly removed his aged bronze mask.

He had sent the token late in the evening, assuming Prince Zhennan wouldn’t come until the next day at the earliest. He hadn’t expected him to arrive with such haste.

"Brother."

Gu Yu heard Jiang Heng call out, her voice soaked with tears, thick with the emotion of a long-lost reunion.

"A Jiu, it’s me."

He watched as Prince Zhennan removed his mask and gazed deeply at his wife.