Chapter 16 Are You Silly?

Gu Chaobei's mouth twitched as he lowered his head to look at Shen Guiyan, who seemed even more nervous.

"The voice is really scary," Gu Chaobei muttered. "I wonder if she would still yell like this if it were her own daughter?"

Shen Guiyan gave him a strange look and then tried to enter the main hall. But just as she took a step, Gu Chaobei pulled her back.

"Are you stupid?" Gu Chaobei rolled his eyes and grabbed her hands, took a deep breath, and forcefully led her into the main hall.

"What are you doing..." Shen Guiyan was startled by him and followed him into the hall, almost stumbling and falling.

All eyes turned to them, and Shen Guiyan tried to break free from his grip, as his strong hold was causing her pain. But Gu Chaobei didn't let go and calmly looked at the people in the hall, saying, "Are you all here?"

Mr. Shen was not at home as he was attending court today, and Mrs. Shen intended to handle the matter strictly. But with Gu Chaobei forcibly bringing Shen Guiyan in, how could she blame Shen Guiyan for it?

It seemed like Gu Chaobei was the one who took her away against her will.

"Where have you been?" Mrs. Shen asked with a stern face.

Shen Guiyan wanted to speak, but Gu Chaobei pulled her back and faced Mrs. Shen, saying, "The weather is nice today, so I took Yan'er to offer incense to the Qin family. Yan'er and I are engaged, so it's only natural for me to pay respects to the Qin family."

"The Qin family?" Mrs. Shen snorted. "That family is not fit to enter our hall. Why did you go to see them? Not to mention that it's inauspicious to mix bad and good events. Fourth Young Master Gu, by coming to see Yan'er today, you have broken the rules."

"Rules are made by people, aren't they?" Gu Chaobei snorted. "It's just that Madam has taught Yan'er to be so rule-abiding that it's difficult to take her out. If I didn't have such strength, I wouldn't have been able to take her away."

After speaking, he glanced at Shen Guiyan and said somewhat reproachfully, "I'm almost your husband, and you're still so concerned about avoiding suspicion. Isn't that too rigid?"

Shen Guiyan was stunned, looking into Gu Chaobei's eyes with a sense of bewilderment.

He was actually defending her.

His words were well-spoken, leaving Mrs. Shen at a loss for words. Should she scold Shen Guiyan? She was the victim and hadn't done anything wrong, and had always tried to abide by the rules. But to blame Gu Chaobei?

The son of the Prime Minister's family, how could she dare to reprimand him?

Mrs. Shen felt frustrated for a while and then said to Shen Guiyan and Gu Chaobei, "Let's forget about today's matter. Yan'er, go back to the Yan Pavilion, and Fourth Young Master Gu, please leave. After the wedding, there will be plenty of opportunities to meet."

"Alright." Gu Chaobei let go of Shen Guiyan's hand.

Shen Guiyan breathed a sigh of relief and gently picked up the fan that had fallen to the ground, bowed to Mrs. Shen, and then left with Gu Chaobei.

"Miss..." The maid had not cried until she saw Shen Guiyan return, and tears finally fell from her eyes.

Shen Guiyan looked at her swollen face with pity. "I'm sorry for what you've been through."

The maid shook her head and looked at Gu Chaobei, saying, "As long as Madam didn't find a chance to punish Miss, it's fine. It's common for a servant to endure a couple of slaps, it's nothing."

Gu Chaobei forced a laugh and casually took out a bottle of medicine from his pocket. "This is a blood-activating and stasis-resolving medicine that I often use. It works well. Take it as a compensation."

The maid hesitantly reached out, and the white porcelain bottle fell into her hand.

"...Thank you, Fourth Young Master."

Waving his hand, Gu Chaobei looked at Shen Guiyan and said, "The next time we meet, it will be on our wedding night."

Shen Guiyan blushed and nodded. "Yes."

"There are still a few days before then. Don't get into any trouble," Gu Chaobei said, his smile fading as he spoke seriously. "No matter who is hanging around outside your window, don't pay any attention to them."

Shen Guiyan was stunned and looked up at him. "You know?"

He knew that Gu Chaodong was still hanging around outside her window?

Gu Chaobei smirked and leaned in closer to her. "There's nothing I don't know."

Nonsense! Shen Guiyan cursed him in her heart, but still nodded obediently. She wouldn't pay any attention to Gu Chaodong again, even if it was difficult to let go for a while. That was a problem for her to ponder in private. When facing Gu Chaodong, she would definitely not be lenient.

"Marry me, and you will get what you want," Gu Chaobei touched his nose and whispered, "Although I may seem unreliable."

His self-assessment was quite accurate, and Shen Guiyan nodded.

"Well then, goodbye," Gu Chaobei stood up straight and revealed a mischievous smile. "Wait for me to come and marry you."

Shen Guiyan: "..."

After Gu Chaobei left, Shen Guiyan returned to the Yan Pavilion with the maid and sat in her room, suddenly curious. "What kind of person is Fourth Young Master Gu?"

The maid was well-informed about all the trivial matters in the family, and she couldn't wait to come forward when she heard Shen Guiyan's question. "It's said that Fourth Young Master Gu is an ominous person."

Shen Guiyan was taken aback.

"He was brought back by the Prime Minister from outside, said to be an illegitimate child, and his mother passed away early. Once he returned to the Prime Minister's residence, it suffered from theft and even a big fire several times. That's why the people in the residence don't like him much, but the Prime Minister dotes on him, so he has been able to survive until now."

The maid spoke with a touch of regret. "He is considered one of the best-looking men in the capital, and many young ladies are fond of him, even Princess Duanwen is infatuated with him. But he is a playboy, indulging in worldly pleasures, so not many respectable families want to marry their daughters to him."

I wonder if our young lady is happy or worried about getting married this time.

Shen Guiyan propped up her chin and thought for a while, then smiled softly, "It seems quite interesting."

"What's interesting?" Bao Shan asked in confusion.

Shen Guiyan shook her head and continued to embroider the wedding dress by the bedside. She had originally thought that Gu Chaobei was just an ordinary playboy, but after their recent interactions, he seemed to be like a numb pillow stuffed with embroidery, which was quite interesting.

Finally, she had some expectations for this marriage.

The second wedding between the Shen family and the Gu family was rushed and hasty. Not many relatives and friends were notified, and there was no time for the betrothal gifts. They could only send the betrothal gifts along with the welcoming party.

The news of the third Miss Shen from the Shen family marrying the fourth son of the Gu family was only spread on the day of the wedding, attracting the attention of the people in the capital, who came to watch the excitement.

"A good girl, why did she marry such a person!"

"What a pity, what a pity, flowers are inserted in cow dung."

"I heard that there were many people who wanted to marry the third Miss Shen from the Shen family. How did it end up being the playboy Gu Chaobei?"

Gu Chaobei turned a deaf ear to the people around him, dressed in a red wedding gown, sitting on the horse, and heading towards the Shen family.

Today was the big day, and there were thirty boxes of betrothal gifts behind him, which was not less than what the eldest son, Gu Chaodong, had given. It seemed that the Gu family attached great importance to this marriage.

Shen Guiyan still got up early and dressed up, but this time, it was not Qin Ayi who helped her with her hair, but the maid Xiu Rong by the side of Mrs. Shen.

"When you go to the Prime Minister's mansion, you should naturally support the fifth Miss. As a concubine's wife, you should naturally go along with the fifth Miss's wishes. If the lady knows that you hold grudges against the past and are not favorable to the fifth Miss, then it will definitely not end well for you."

Xiu Rong said as she combed Shen Guiyan's hair, with a proud expression.

Shen Guiyan didn't even lift her eyelids, just smiled lightly.

Xiu Rong paused, "What? Does the third Miss think what the maid said is wrong?"

"No," Shen Guiyan looked at her in the mirror and smiled gently, "How could what you said be wrong?"

Xiu Rong frowned. It seemed that the third Miss had become even more difficult to handle recently. She used to be easily threatened, but since Qin Ayi's death, she seemed to have no scruples.

It was also the fault of that person for being too impulsive and acting directly. Fortunately, there were no mistakes with the fifth Miss, so now she could easily surpass the third Miss. Otherwise, if it were found out, it would be inviting trouble.

After reciting a few words of "Amitabha," Xiu Rong didn't say anything more and finished helping Shen Guiyan before leading her out.

The preparations of the Shen family this time were really careless. Except for the red cloth hanging at the gate, the other places were barely decorated. Shen Lao Ye blamed Mrs. Shen, and Mrs. Shen just used the excuse of being in a hurry to pass it off.

The welcoming procession from the Gu family arrived outside, and Gu Chaobei entered the Shen family with the betrothal gifts, greeting Shen Lao Ye, "Son-in-law pays respects to Father-in-law."

Even if Shen Lao Ye was not satisfied with Gu Chaobei, he had to smile and nod now that his daughter was about to be married off.

"This is the list of betrothal gifts." The steward of the Gu family handed over the list.

Mrs. Shen smiled and handed over the list of dowry items. After both sides checked, the etiquette was considered complete. The items listed on the betrothal gift list were very generous, and Mrs. Shen thought to herself that it was quite a profit to sell off a person, as the returns were not insignificant.

"Wait!" Unexpectedly, after Gu Chaobei looked at the list of dowry items, he suddenly shouted.

Everyone was stunned, but Gu Chaobei took back the list from Mrs. Shen and tore off a part of it.

There was dead silence all around, and the faces of the people from the Shen family turned extremely colorful. Shen Lao Ye didn't know what to say, but fortunately, among the relatives and friends outside, the wife of the High-ranking Minister, Madam Wu, said, "This Gu Fourth Young Master is indeed considerate. If the natal family mistreats the daughter, he knows not to mistreat the daughter-in-law."

Mrs. Shen's face turned iron blue, crumpling the list of dowry items in anger, "Is Gu Fourth Young Master trying to humiliate my Shen family? Are you not satisfied with the dowry for Yanyan?"