She couldn't hold back and bent over to dry heave for a while, clutching her belly. Nothing came out, but her lower abdomen was excruciatingly uncomfortable. She closed her eyes, and when she looked up again, her eyes were already half red.
Gu Shuang was the first to notice her. Forgetting all about the little rabbit charm and Young Master Fu, she hurried over to help her up, "Second sister, what's wrong with you?"
She tiptoed to brush the thick snowflakes off her head, and her fingers touched the cold blood scabs on her face, frightened into silence.
She held her second sister in her arms in inner panic, hurriedly taking off her cloak to wrap her up, calmly saying, "The wind outside is strong. Second sister, let's go back now."
"Come here, go find Hong Zhu and Yin Lan quickly!" She was about to take her to find the Marquis's carriage.
Gu Ying clamped her wrist, hoarsely saying, "Bring Fu Xunzhi too."
Only then did Gu Shuang react slowly...
"Alright, second sister, wait for me."
Soon, Hong Zhu, Yin Lan and Fu Xunzhi had gathered around.
Gu Ying's lower abdomen hurt so much that her forehead was covered in sweat. Leaning weakly against the carriage, she watched Shang Jiao bid farewell reluctantly to Fu Xunzhi's back from afar.
Although she did not believe in gods or Buddhas, nor believed that Shang Jiao would be reborn and return in the same way.
But with Jiang Yin here, she didn't know what Jiang Yin would say or do to Shang Jiao, so she deliberately orchestrated their "coincidental" encounter here tonight.
At least she could see that Shang Jiao had special feelings for Fu Xunzhi, which made her feel even more uncomfortable.
With a worried look on her face, seeing her mistress' pale little face, Yin Lan said, "Mistress, get on the carriage first. The snow outside is too heavy, your body can't stand the cold air. Whatever it is, we can talk in the carriage."
Staring at Fu Xunzhi, Gu Ying fell silent for a good while.
Fu Xunzhi felt his scalp tingle uncomfortably under her gaze. After thinking it over, he still couldn't help asking, "Princess consort, is there anything I have done wrong? If I was being improper, the princess consort can teach me. But I beseech the princess consort to not jeopardise your own health."
He could also see that she was unwell, but etiquette prevented him from continuing to watch her face and pained frown.
With so many pairs of eyes looking at her so eagerly, Gu Ying no longer pretended to be strong. She turned her head and got on the carriage, but kept everyone else out.
Leaving only Fu Xunzhi alone standing by the carriage side.
She had something to tell him.
Fu Xunzhi stood upright and straight outside the carriage, maintaining a gentlemanly distance, "Princess consort, please go ahead, I'm all ears."
The carriage was very warm. Gu Ying hugged the hot water bottle to her palm, and the numb, dull ache in her head finally showed signs of relief.
She paused, then said, "Master Fu, do you truly like my fourth sister?"
Fu Xunzhi answered without hesitation, "Yes."
"Master Fu is determined to marry her and will not change his heart in the future?"
"I will not. I, Fu Xunzhi, once I decide to marry someone, I will definitely be with them for life and never let them down."
Fu Xunzhi did not speak loudly, and his voice was not particularly pleasant.
But his attitude was extremely determined, which was quite admirable indeed.
Gu Ying was a little surprised. She hadn't had close contact with Fu Xunzhi before, only having vaguely heard of his loyalty to his wife.
Now, hearing him say this and linking it back to his previous life, she couldn't help but feel endless emotions welling up inside.
After all, Shang Jiao was innocent too. Without her interference, Shang Jiao could have had a happy life too.
For a moment, Gu Ying didn't know if she should mention Shang Jiao.
If she did, it might make him overthink.
But if she didn't, she wouldn't feel at ease.
After thinking about it, she opened her mouth, "Master Fu, since you have proposed to my fourth sister today, and I believe in your character too, so we can be considered family now. There's something I want to casually mention today... whether you and my fourth sister have fate between you, that is for you to see yourself."
Not understanding, Fu Xunzhi paused before answering, "Alright."
After a stick of incense...
Fu Xunzhi's eyes outside the tightly shut carriage curtain stirred slightly, incredulous. He turned to face the curtain.
Gu Ying seemed tired and sighed, "Master Fu, let my fourth sister come up, I'll send her back to the Fu residence."
Fu Xunzhi was still dumbfounded. Coming back to his senses,
he moved his numb, cold body and walked over to Gu Shuang with his head raised for the first time to openly look at Gu Shuang's gentle brows and eyes.
His heart was filled with countless doubts.
He heard everything the princess consort said, he just didn't understand how it could be so.
The princess consort said he had an emotional tribulation in his fate that might entangle endlessly with a girl called Shang Jiao.
She told him to steady his mind and not be calculated by others.
But if he truly liked that Miss Shang, the Gu family would not make things difficult for him and their marriage could be called off. It all depended on how he chose.
"Xunzhi, what's wrong? How is my second sister?"
Gu Shuang's crisp voice rang out. The tip of her flushed nose and the slight happy smile on her lips.
Only then did Fu Xunzhi avoid her gaze, his handsome face slightly red, "The princess consort is fine. She asked me to call the fourth young miss back."
Gu Shuang's brows and eyes smiled brightly. Her fair little face was gentle and moving against the snowy backdrop.
From today onwards, she would be his fiancée.
He had long made up his mind to treat her well for life. Not to exaggerate, he just hoped to always see a smile like tonight's on her face to be satisfied.
Fu Xunzhi's heart softened. He gently said, "Fourth young miss, go over quickly, be careful of catching a cold."
"Then... I'll go home first." Seeing the man staring straight at herself, Gu Shuang shyly lowered her head and stuffed an exquisite little sachet into his palm, "This... I made it a long time ago... The snow outside is getting heavier. Brother Xunzhi, you should head back sooner too... I... I'm going."
With that said, she didn't dare linger and hurried towards the Marquis's carriage without looking back.
Fu Xunzhi dumbly stared in the direction of that luxurious carriage.
Before long, the grand carriage disappeared into the vast snow.
Somehow, the liveliness of Bianjing city quieted down.
He tightly clasped the lily magnolia sachet in his palm. It contained medicinal herbs for calming the nerves and aiding sleep, emitting a comfortable soothing herbal fragrance.
He smiled, standing in place for a while, thinking that the princess consort's words were a little too alarmist after all.
How could there be any emotional tribulations, any Miss Shang?
The only one he liked was Gu Shuang, Miss Gu.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard crisp female voice like a spring oriole behind him, "Sir, thank you for catching my little rabbit back. This rabbit, I'll give it to you!"
Startled, he turned around to see the hawker girl standing prettily behind him somehow, still holding a fluffy white little rabbit in her hands.
Fu Xunzhi knew she came from poor beginnings and it was hard for the young lady to do business, so he said, "Ah? I don't need the rabbit, miss, you should keep it for yourself."
The young lady smiled and stuffed the little rabbit into his arms, "I, Shang Jiao, like gentlemen like you the most! So the rabbit is for you!"
With that said, she left, leaving Fu Xunzhi alone and confused in the wind.
What?
She's called Shang Jiao?!
She couldn't hold back and bent over to dry heave for a while, clutching her belly. Nothing came out, but her lower abdomen was excruciatingly uncomfortable. She closed her eyes, and when she looked up again, her eyes were already half red.
Gu Shuang was the first to notice her. Forgetting all about the little rabbit charm and Young Master Fu, she hurried over to help her up, "Second sister, what's wrong with you?"
She tiptoed to brush the thick snowflakes off her head, and her fingers touched the cold blood scabs on her face, frightened into silence.
She held her second sister in her arms in inner panic, hurriedly taking off her cloak to wrap her up, calmly saying, "The wind outside is strong. Second sister, let's go back now."
"Come here, go find Hong Zhu and Yin Lan quickly!" She was about to take her to find the Marquis's carriage.
Gu Ying clamped her wrist, hoarsely saying, "Bring Fu Xunzhi too."
Only then did Gu Shuang react slowly...
"Alright, second sister, wait for me."
Soon, Hong Zhu, Yin Lan and Fu Xunzhi had gathered around.
Gu Ying's lower abdomen hurt so much that her forehead was covered in sweat. Leaning weakly against the carriage, she watched Shang Jiao bid farewell reluctantly to Fu Xunzhi's back from afar.
Although she did not believe in gods or Buddhas, nor believed that Shang Jiao would be reborn and return in the same way.
But with Jiang Yin here, she didn't know what Jiang Yin would say or do to Shang Jiao, so she deliberately orchestrated their "coincidental" encounter here tonight.
At least she could see that Shang Jiao had special feelings for Fu Xunzhi, which made her feel even more uncomfortable.
With a worried look on her face, seeing her mistress' pale little face, Yin Lan said, "Mistress, get on the carriage first. The snow outside is too heavy, your body can't stand the cold air. Whatever it is, we can talk in the carriage."
Staring at Fu Xunzhi, Gu Ying fell silent for a good while.
Fu Xunzhi felt his scalp tingle uncomfortably under her gaze. After thinking it over, he still couldn't help asking, "Princess consort, is there anything I have done wrong? If I was being improper, the princess consort can teach me. But I beseech the princess consort to not jeopardise your own health."
He could also see that she was unwell, but etiquette prevented him from continuing to watch her face and pained frown.
With so many pairs of eyes looking at her so eagerly, Gu Ying no longer pretended to be strong. She turned her head and got on the carriage, but kept everyone else out.
Leaving only Fu Xunzhi alone standing by the carriage side.
She had something to tell him.
Fu Xunzhi stood upright and straight outside the carriage, maintaining a gentlemanly distance, "Princess consort, please go ahead, I'm all ears."
The carriage was very warm. Gu Ying hugged the hot water bottle to her palm, and the numb, dull ache in her head finally showed signs of relief.
She paused, then said, "Master Fu, do you truly like my fourth sister?"
Fu Xunzhi answered without hesitation, "Yes."
"Master Fu is determined to marry her and will not change his heart in the future?"
"I will not. I, Fu Xunzhi, once I decide to marry someone, I will definitely be with them for life and never let them down."
Fu Xunzhi did not speak loudly, and his voice was not particularly pleasant.
But his attitude was extremely determined, which was quite admirable indeed.
Gu Ying was a little surprised. She hadn't had close contact with Fu Xunzhi before, only having vaguely heard of his loyalty to his wife.
Now, hearing him say this and linking it back to his previous life, she couldn't help but feel endless emotions welling up inside.
After all, Shang Jiao was innocent too. Without her interference, Shang Jiao could have had a happy life too.
For a moment, Gu Ying didn't know if she should mention Shang Jiao.
If she did, it might make him overthink.
But if she didn't, she wouldn't feel at ease.
After thinking about it, she opened her mouth, "Master Fu, since you have proposed to my fourth sister today, and I believe in your character too, so we can be considered family now. There's something I want to casually mention today... whether you and my fourth sister have fate between you, that is for you to see yourself."
Not understanding, Fu Xunzhi paused before answering, "Alright."
After a stick of incense...
Fu Xunzhi's eyes outside the tightly shut carriage curtain stirred slightly, incredulous. He turned to face the curtain.
Gu Ying seemed tired and sighed, "Master Fu, let my fourth sister come up, I'll send her back to the Fu residence."
Fu Xunzhi was still dumbfounded. Coming back to his senses,
he moved his numb, cold body and walked over to Gu Shuang with his head raised for the first time to openly look at Gu Shuang's gentle brows and eyes.
His heart was filled with countless doubts.
He heard everything the princess consort said, he just didn't understand how it could be so.
The princess consort said he had an emotional tribulation in his fate that might entangle endlessly with a girl called Shang Jiao.
She told him to steady his mind and not be calculated by others.
But if he truly liked that Miss Shang, the Gu family would not make things difficult for him and their marriage could be called off. It all depended on how he chose.
"Xunzhi, what's wrong? How is my second sister?"
Gu Shuang's crisp voice rang out. The tip of her flushed nose and the slight happy smile on her lips.
Only then did Fu Xunzhi avoid her gaze, his handsome face slightly red, "The princess consort is fine. She asked me to call the fourth young miss back."
Gu Shuang's brows and eyes smiled brightly. Her fair little face was gentle and moving against the snowy backdrop.
From today onwards, she would be his fiancée.
He had long made up his mind to treat her well for life. Not to exaggerate, he just hoped to always see a smile like tonight's on her face to be satisfied.
Fu Xunzhi's heart softened. He gently said, "Fourth young miss, go over quickly, be careful of catching a cold."
"Then... I'll go home first." Seeing the man staring straight at herself, Gu Shuang shyly lowered her head and stuffed an exquisite little sachet into his palm, "This... I made it a long time ago... The snow outside is getting heavier. Brother Xunzhi, you should head back sooner too... I... I'm going."
With that said, she didn't dare linger and hurried towards the Marquis's carriage without looking back.
Fu Xunzhi dumbly stared in the direction of that luxurious carriage.
Before long, the grand carriage disappeared into the vast snow.
Somehow, the liveliness of Bianjing city quieted down.
He tightly clasped the lily magnolia sachet in his palm. It contained medicinal herbs for calming the nerves and aiding sleep, emitting a comfortable soothing herbal fragrance.
He smiled, standing in place for a while, thinking that the princess consort's words were a little too alarmist after all.
How could there be any emotional tribulations, any Miss Shang?
The only one he liked was Gu Shuang, Miss Gu.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard crisp female voice like a spring oriole behind him, "Sir, thank you for catching my little rabbit back. This rabbit, I'll give it to you!"
Startled, he turned around to see the hawker girl standing prettily behind him somehow, still holding a fluffy white little rabbit in her hands.
Fu Xunzhi knew she came from poor beginnings and it was hard for the young lady to do business, so he said, "Ah? I don't need the rabbit, miss, you should keep it for yourself."
The young lady smiled and stuffed the little rabbit into his arms, "I, Shang Jiao, like gentlemen like you the most! So the rabbit is for you!"
With that said, she left, leaving Fu Xunzhi alone and confused in the wind.
What?
She's called Shang Jiao?!
