Lu Jinchen's eyes flashed. Uncle Gu used to be a remarkable figure in the capital city, and Lu Jinchen had naturally heard of him. Whenever people mentioned Uncle Gu, they would only talk about how handsome and elegant he was in those days, which made the noble ladies in the capital city secretly fall in love with him. But when it came to what happened later, everyone was tight - lipped.
Uncle Gu was a taboo in the Gu family, and gradually, he became a taboo for everyone in the capital city. No one dared to mention him, and no one was willing to. It was as if he was a stain on the noble family. If you mentioned him, you would be contaminated by that filth.
Gu Chengzhi took a deep breath and whispered, "I heard a little from my grandmother. My third uncle was the most handsome young man in the capital city. His literary talent and knowledge were outstanding. But when he was twenty, after being sent away from the capital, he fell in love with a peasant girl."
Lu Jinchen pursed his lips and said nothing. It seemed that Uncle Gu and he had something in common. However, he knew his responsibilities and was still thinking of a way to have the best of both worlds.
Gu Chengzhi continued, "At that time, my grandmother had already chosen a fiancée for my third uncle and was just waiting for him to come back and finalize the engagement. But a letter came from my third uncle, saying that he wanted to marry that woman. My grandfather was so angry that he immediately ordered my father to chase after him and bring my third uncle back. However, my third uncle came back on his own, with that woman, saying that he wanted to marry her in a proper way."
Lu Jinchen slightly clenched his fist and asked, "Your grandfather is a bit old - fashioned, but he always loves his children. Was that woman really so unbearable?"
Gu Chengzhi shook his head. "She was not from a low - status family or a servant family. She was just an ordinary civilian. When I was young, I heard my grandmother say that the woman was gentle and charming. Although she was a bit timid and cowardly, it was obvious at a glance that she was a kind and inoffensive person."
Gentle, charming, timid, cowardly, kind and inoffensive.
Lu Jinchen looked in the direction of Gu Liyue. The woman described by Gu Chengzhi's grandmother seemed to match her perfectly.
Gu Chengzhi added, "My grandmother said that if she had given in earlier, maybe there wouldn't have been so many things. I don't know what happened later. I only know that something happened to the woman's family, and my third uncle took her away. After that, they disappeared. My grandfather was very angry and said that he would just pretend he never had such a son!"
Lu Jinchen asked, "Later, didn't your grandfather and grandmother look for them?"
Gu Chengzhi replied, "My eldest uncle secretly went to look for them. However, my eldest uncle is most like my grandfather. If my grandfather hadn't given his permission, he wouldn't have gone. It seemed that my third uncle didn't want to come back. After that, I don't know."
Under the light, Gu Liyue was standing by the riverbank. No one knew what she was thinking. Maybe she was missing her parents.
Lu Jinchen just watched. He was not Uncle Gu, and he would never let things end up so miserably.
Gu Chengzhi whispered, "If you think she's good, then think so. But you're my good friend, and I can't just watch you do something that will lead to your own destruction. She's not worthy of you."
Lu Jinchen didn't say anything and just turned around and left.
When Gu Liyue came up, she couldn't see Lu Jinchen. She curiously looked around and asked, "Master Gu, has Master Lu left?"
Gu Chengzhi gave her a cold look. "Why, do you still want to pester him?"
Gu Liyue choked. Forget it. This Gu Chengzhi had never liked her. Today was already better. She wouldn't argue with him.
"It's like this. Earlier, A Jie gave me a cat, which belongs to Master Lu. But it's not very convenient for me to keep it there. I brought it here today to return it to Master Lu."
Gu Chengzhi asked doubtfully, "Does Mrs. Jiang not allow you to keep a cat?"
Gu Liyue smiled slightly. "It's not like that. But my current situation is embarrassing. When I have the ability to protect it in the future, I'll ask Master Lu for it again."
Gu Chengzhi was originally unhappy, thinking that Gu Liyue meant to get closer to Lu Jinchen on purpose. But after hearing her words, he thought of his third uncle. He didn't remember much about his third uncle, but maybe at that time, his third uncle decided to take his third aunt away from the capital because he couldn't protect her.
A passionate love was indeed enviable, but he couldn't watch his good friend fall into a quagmire.
"Give it to me."
Gu Liyue quickly thanked him with a smile. "Thank you, Master Gu."
Showing two small teeth like rice grains, Gu Chengzhi was a bit dazed. He always felt that he had seen such an expression somewhere.
...
In a private room on the third floor of the Fuguilou, there were two young girls sitting. One was Qi Manyan with a livid face, and the other was Jiang Yingyue with a twinkling look in her eyes.
There were originally many young girls in the private room, but since Qi Manyan was in a bad mood, the others had been invited out.
Just now, when they were standing by the window, they saw two people standing under a street lamp not far from the Tianmi River. One was Lu Jinchen, and the other was Gu Liyue.
They were so close to each other, just like many lovers that night, being sweet and intimate by the Tianmi River.
Jiang Yingyue gently comforted her. "Don't be in a hurry, Sister Manyan. You're the most beautiful girl in the capital. How can Gu Liyue, a wild girl, compare with you? Even if she has a bit of good looks, she can't match one - in - ten - thousandth of yours."
Qi Manyan was not comforted by her friend. Tears welled up in her eyes. She gritted her teeth and said after a long time, "I... I sent him an invitation long ago, inviting him to take a boat ride on the Tianmi River with me tonight."
Everyone in the capital knew what it meant for unmarried men and women to take a boat ride on the Tianmi River during the Lantern Festival. But Lu Jinchen rejected Qi Manyan and took the initiative to be with Gu Liyue...
Jiang Yingyue tried to persuade her again. "It was the young master of the Lin family who picked up Gu Liyue from the Jiang Mansion, not the heir Lu."
Qi Manyan shook her head. "I've known him since childhood, but he's never been attracted to me. My mother once advised me that his position as the heir might not last long and told me not to be so persistent. But Yingyue, I've liked him since I was a child and have made up my mind about him. How could I not be persistent? I've already told myself that in this life, I'll only marry him."
Jiang Yingyue paused. "Manyan, do you really want to torture yourself like this?"
Qi Manyan slowly stood up and turned around in front of Jiang Yingyue. "If you were a man, would you like me?"
Jiang Yingyue nodded desperately. "Like a startled swan in flight. Sister Manyan, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. If I were a man, I would surely be drunk under your charm."
Qi Manyan nodded. "Yes, everyone says so. I think maybe he's so used to the beautiful women in the capital that when he suddenly meets such a simple girl, he might feel a sense of novelty. If Gu Liyue were not around, his eyes would surely return to me."
Jiang Yingyue was overjoyed. She stood up excitedly. "But, but... she has my aunt protecting her, and now the heir Lu is attracted to her. It might not be easy to deal with her."
Qi Manyan gave a soft laugh. Her eyes were extremely charming. Her red lips slightly parted, but what she said was as cold as iron. "Once I, Qi Manyan, make a move, I won't fail, especially when dealing with such a helpless opponent... Lu Jinchen's actions have already made the Prince of Liang dissatisfied. I just need to ask my brother to put in a good word for me in front of the Prince of Liang. In a while, he will have to go out of the city for training."
She walked up to the tall bronze mirror beside the private room and carefully examined her figure. A smile curled up on her lips. Opportunity? If there was no opportunity, couldn't she create one herself?