Chapter 15: Soil contains beautiful jade

Gu Chaobei was taken aback, then burst into laughter, "Are you really going to kill me? Then you would be a widow as soon as you were about to get married?"

The horse had run far ahead, leaving everyone behind, and it was too late to turn back. Shen Guiyan sighed in resignation, relaxed, knowing that she would be punished when she returned, so there was nothing to fear.

"I have always been curious, why did Fourth Master Gu suddenly come to Shen's house to propose marriage to me? We have never met before, and it seems that my looks may not necessarily catch the eye of Fourth Master Gu." Shen Guiyan had been pondering this question for days, and now she finally had the opportunity to ask.

Gu Chaobei slowed down the pace, the horse walking on a quiet street. He leaned close to her and said in a low voice, "Although we have never met, I have always heard of Miss Shen's great reputation. From the age of five, the different and extraordinary Miss Shen, rumored to be precocious and clever."

It was rumored in the city that the third Miss Shen of the Shen family was born with exceptional talents, perhaps even destined to be the mother of the world.

Shen Guiyan pursed her lips, wondering why some people believed in such absurd things. At eight years old, she had been betrothed by Minister Gu, otherwise she might have been fought over by several princes in the palace. The Queen's decree – did those people truly believe that marrying her would make them an emperor?

Absurd.

"I just want to know why such a dazzling Miss Shen would fade into obscurity after the age of eight. So I went to the Shen residence to take a look." Gu Chaobei said casually, "After taking a look, I became very interested in you, like a beautiful jade wrapped in mud, wanting to take it home and slowly remove the dirt to see it."

Shen Guiyan was stunned.

"Dirt?"

"Yeah," Gu Chaobei leaned his chin on her shoulder, teasingly said, "Burdened by complicated rules, always cautious and careful to avoid making mistakes, isn't that being masked by dirt?"

With a light snort, Shen Guiyan turned away.

If it weren't for circumstances beyond her control, who would willingly fade into obscurity?

Gu Chaobei raised the reins, and the horse sped up, heading towards the west street. By the time Shen Guiyan snapped out of her thoughts, they were standing in front of a half-closed door with a signboard that read "Drunk Flower Pavilion."

Drunk Flower Pavilion - a renowned brothel in the capital, and also the place where Gu Chaobei made a name for himself.

Shen Guiyan opened her mouth in surprise, "Why have you brought me here? Aren't we supposed to go to Luoxia Mountain?"

Gu Chaobei lifted her off the horse, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Just to broaden your horizons. Let's go in and take a look, there are familiar faces inside."

Shen Guiyan: "..."

They might be familiar to him, but she did not know anyone here!

"Ah, Young Master Gu, why are you here at this hour?" The welcoming madam came out, looking surprised, and then glanced back, "The girls are just going to bed at this time. And who might this be...?"

Unconsciously, Shen Guiyan wanted to step back, but she was grabbed by Gu Chaobei's shoulder and could not move.

"This is Miss Shen, the third Miss of the Shen family."

The welcoming madam suddenly understood, and with no sign of panic, she smiled and said, "It's not busy here in broad daylight. You can come in for tea."

Shen Guiyan was somewhat surprised. The girls here were supposed to know Gu Chaobei, and she was about to become his official wife. Wasn't the madam supposed to be discreet about her presence?

Upon entering, she noticed that Drunk Flower Pavilion was different from what she had imagined. There were no extra veils, no embroidered cloths on the tables, and no colorful brocade on the stairs. It looked more like an ordinary tavern. There were two girls, looking disheveled, sitting at the bottom, quickly tidying themselves up when they saw the visitors.

"Master Gu?"

Gu Chaobei casually found a place for Shen Guiyan to sit, and the welcoming madam brought them tea and snacks.

"You might imagine, what does a brothel look like?" Gu Chaobei asked her in a low voice.

Shen Guiyan gestured, "Over there, there should be veils of luxurious colors, embroidered cloths on the tables, colorful brocade on the stairs, and girls dressed in revealing attire..."

Gu Chaobei nodded, "Is that what you read in books?"

Shen Guiyan coughed lightly, admitting. She read all kinds of books, including folklore, and some records of brothels, which she couldn’t mention.

"Singing and dancing girls have a hard life," Gu Chaobei said lightly, "Their youth fades as time goes by, and they may only have a few years of prosperity. If they can't save enough money for when they're older, once they leave this place, they may die of hunger."

Shen Guiyan was slightly stunned, looked at the two girls in front of her, probably sixteen or seventeen, without makeup, looking a little pale. When they weren't looking at anyone, there was no trace of a smile on their faces.

She had always thought that a brothel was a place of luxury, and that the women inside were indulgent and only cared about money. It turned out there was such an inner secret.

She felt for her purse, having just changed her clothes, and there were only two taels of silver inside, which she had saved from her monthly allowance last month. Shen Guiyan looked at the small amount of silver with some worry, but decided to leave it on the table.

"What are you doing?" Gu Chaobei raised an eyebrow.

"Breakfast money," Shen Guiyan finished her porridge, stood up and said, "You can't just eat here for free."

"It doesn't have to be this much." Gu Chaobei laughed helplessly, "When I dine here, I don't have to pay."

The welcoming madam happened to come over with snacks, and seeing this, Shen Guiyan grabbed Gu Chaobei's hand and ran out.

"Hey." Gu Chaobei was pulled by her, staggering and bumping as he ran out with her.

Shen Guiyan was afraid that Madame Ying would return the money to her. Although two taels of silver were not a small sum, they weren't considered a lot in this place. She didn't know why she had made the impulsive decision to give her the silver, but for now, they needed to run.

However, after going out, they couldn't mount the horse. Shen Guiyan urgently looked at Gu Chaobei, "Quick, lift me up."

Lift her up? No more aversion? Gu Chaobei's eyes brightened, and he reached out and lifted her onto the horse. Shen Guiyan took the reins and, after Gu Chaobei got settled, mimicked his posture, "Giddy up!"

The horse neighed and dashed forward. Shen Guiyan suppressed a scream, adapting to the speed and jolting of the horse, realizing that riding a horse was quite interesting.

On the other hand, Gu Chaobei was halfway scared to death by her, quickly snatching the reins back, "It's just two taels of silver, isn't it? Why run so fast?"

Shen Guiyan blushed but didn't say anything, pursing her lips.

Gu Chaobei couldn't help but chuckle, reaching out to take the reins from her, saying, "I was planning to wait for a few sisters to get up and show you a dance. Since we've already run out, let's go straight to Luoxia Mountain."

Normally, it's best to visit Luoxia Mountain at dusk because the sunset is extremely beautiful. However, it was clear that they didn't have the time to wait until dusk, so they had to go to Luoxia Mountain quickly before they were captured and taken back to the Shen residence.

As for why they had to go to Luoxia Mountain, Gu Chaobei didn't say, and Shen Guiyan didn't ask.

There were many graves on Luoxia Mountain, new and old graves scattered across the hill. Gu Chaobei took Shen Guiyan to a new grave.

Qin Ayi was part of the Shen family, and if she had a better background, she could have been buried in the Shen family's ancestral grave. However, being a maidservant by birth and not being favored by Madame Shen, her body was sent directly to a charity cemetery and buried haphazardly.

Shen Guiyan looked at the inscription on the gravestone, stiffening and not moving for a long time.

Grave of Shen Qin, the unfilial daughter, Guiyan.

It was Ayi Qin's grave.

This piece of land had relatively good Feng Shui. Shen Guiyan looked around, ensuring that there were no graves pressing against Ayi Qin's grave and that the mountain water flowed appropriately.

Slowly kneeling in front of the grave, she kowtowed a few times. Gu Chaobei then took out incense and fruits from the saddlebag, apparently prepared in advance.

Shen Guiyan looked deeply into his eyes, Gu Chaobei's carefree smile disappeared when facing the gravestone, and he knelt down with her, paying respectful kowtows.

"I don’t think you would have a chance to leave the residence, let alone help your birth mother with her burial," Gu Chaobei said softly. "Since I'm going to marry you, I have to do something good, right? So, I've done what is probably the thing you wanted most."

After saying that, he turned to look at her. "How about it? Are you moved? Do you feel that marrying me is not a regret?"

Shen Guiyan was truly moved upon seeing the gravestone, but upon hearing his words, she couldn't help but feel the corners of her mouth twitch, almost wanting to punch him.

Couldn't he, like those distinguished gentlemen, express a few heartfelt words? Did he really have to directly state his intentions like this? Shen Guiyan looked at the gravestone, unable to figure out whether to cry or laugh.

Mother, you see, your daughter is about to marry such a rascal. Well, he may be a rascal, but he seems more reliable than those dashing gentlemen.

The breeze passed over the grave, surprisingly carrying some warmth. Shen Guiyan placed the fruits in front of the gravestone, lit the incense, and knelt alongside Gu Chaobei, waiting until the incense burned out.

On their way down the mountain, Shen Guiyan felt a lot lighter in her heart, and she found that she also looked at Gu Chaobei in a better light.

"Are you falling in love with me?" Gu Chaobei stroked his chin, casting a seductive smile at her. "I think this kind of man really deserves to be loved!"

Shen Guiyan: "…"

She withdrew her previous thought. It was really not easy to make this man more agreeable to look at!

As they rode back to the residence, the closer they got to the Shen residence, the more forced Shen Guiyan's expression became.

"No need to be so nervous," Gu Chaobei smiled. "Everyone knows that I was the one who took you out. If there's a punishment, it'll be mine; it won't be your turn."

Besides, in the Shen residence, how could they possibly punish Gu Chaobei? This wretch had probably long thought it out.

Madame Shen, accompanied by two maids, was already waiting in the main hall. Baoshan knelt at the lower end, with a few slapped marks on her face. Despite that, she didn't cry, but gritted her teeth and kept her head low.

When Gu Chaobei led Shen Guiyan into the main hall, they could already hear Madame Shen's sharp tone: "This is the first time I've heard of the groom-to-be taking the bride and running away!"