Seeing Jiang Che didn't answer, Gu Liyue said again, "If there's nothing else, I'll go home."
Jiang Che quickly stopped her. Glancing at the oblivious Tangyuan beside them, he forced himself to say, "I really came here... to apologize to you. I was thoughtless today. I didn't expect you wouldn't..."
At this point, he stammered. Usually quite eloquent, why couldn't he get a proper sentence out today?
He hesitated, and Gu Liyue grew impatient. She simply said, "I said today that I wouldn't hold it against you, and I really mean it. But you, sir, are probably used to being flattered. You do whatever you want and never listen to others. Since that's the case, let me have a word with you. If I offend you, please forgive me."
"I think you're really irresponsible, both in the past and now. In the past, when you were dissatisfied, you didn't dare to talk to your parents but only found fault with me in private..."
Jiang Che nodded repeatedly. "Yes, after I realized my mistake, I never..."
"You're still the same now," Gu Liyue interrupted his interjection. "Now you say you want to apologize, but your so - called apology doesn't care about my reputation at all. Without the connection through the Jiang family, you're just an outsider to me. Such contact is inappropriate. I think you know that, don't you? If you really want to apologize, you should send the apology gifts to my uncle and elder brother and let them apologize on your behalf. But why didn't you do that and instead came to me privately? It's not that you don't understand the etiquette. You're just afraid of being blamed by my father and brother and only dared to come to me in private, right?"
Jiang Che was hit right in the heart. Flushing with embarrassment, he said, "Sorry... I..."
"You don't need to say sorry to me anymore, Third Master Jiang. Whether things were good or bad in the past, I don't care anymore."
Jiang Che looked up at her. After a long while, he stammered, "Liyue, you've changed. You were never so pressing before."
Gu Liyue sneered. "Yes, in the past, what right did I have to be pressing? I was just an embroiderer trying hard to please Lady Jiang. At most, I could only argue on principle. How could I dare to be pressing? But Young Master Jiang, I'm now a daughter of the Gu family. I have loving family members who support me. I haven't changed. I'm still the same as before. If you don't provoke me, we'll live in peace. If you come to annoy me on purpose, how can you say I'm being pressing?"
The commotion at the door had already alerted the Gu family. Gu Chengzhi was the first to rush over. He thrust his long spear directly into the eye of the stone lion beside the door.
"Jiang Che, how dare you come to my house and bully my sister? You're courting death!"
Gu Liyue gave Jiang Che a cold look. Ignoring Gu Chengzhi's ferocity, she turned around and entered the mansion.
At the end of March, the emperor's betrothal decree came down. The betrothal between Lu Jinchen, the heir of the Prince of Liang, and Gu Liyue, the eldest daughter of the Gu family, was settled. The wedding date would be discussed by the two families.
Such news caused quite a stir in the capital. After all, Lu Jinchen, the heir of the Prince of Liang, was such a noble and elegant man and would be the future Prince of Liang. And Gu Liyue... Even though the Gu family was a marquis family, it was the eldest branch that would inherit the title. She was just a daughter of the third branch. Moreover, she had grown up in the countryside since childhood, lacked proper upbringing. How could she be worthy of Lu Jinchen?
Those young ladies who secretly admired Lu Jinchen simply hated Gu Liyue to the core. Even though many of them knew they were not worthy of Lu Jinchen and could only be a concubine if they entered the Prince of Liang's mansion, they still couldn't accept Gu Liyue as the main wife.
As for the eligible young men in the capital, they didn't react much, but their mothers all breathed a sigh of relief. Gu Liyue's status was awkward, and the Gu family members were all protective. She was too hard to match. If she were to be engaged to their sons, it would be a laughingstock.
At this moment in the Prince of Liang's mansion, the Prince of Liang frowned. Looking around, he asked, "Jinchen still hasn't come back?"
The Princess of Liang had someone set the meal and laughed. "That child has a grudge against me. I can understand. But this time, he really didn't act sensibly. He didn't even discuss his marriage with the family. He only went to the palace to tell the emperor. Isn't that embarrassing for you?"
The Prince of Liang glanced at her. Sitting on the main seat, he said coldly, "The emperor has talked to me about it."
The Princess of Liang quickly laughed again. "It's the emperor's kindness. I mean, Jinchen should have told you first... It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you father and son..."
"It has nothing to do with you."
The Princess of Liang served him food. Seeing that his brows were still furrowed, she comforted him, "Your Highness, actually, thinking about it, it's not strange for Jinchen. If this marriage had been discussed with you and me first, I'm afraid I wouldn't have agreed. After all, that young lady of the Gu family... Although I'm not Jinchen's biological mother, I've raised him. I may not be extremely kind to him, but I'm definitely not bad to him. He's the heir. Let me be honest with you, Your Highness. I really don't think much of the girl from the Gu family."
The Prince of Liang softened his expression. "I know how good you've been to him. But we're a royal mansion. As long as he likes her, we don't have to value family background so much. The Gu family is a marquis family and is highly regarded by the emperor. Although the young lady of the Gu family is from the third branch, she's the only daughter of the Gu family. It's not that bad."
The Princess of Liang nodded. "Your Highness, what I'm talking about is not the family background. I also know that Jinchen is the heir and your successor. But you know his personality. If he doesn't have a wife who can restrain him, he'll cause trouble in the future."
The Prince of Liang really looked solemn and thoughtful.
The Princess of Liang continued, "Moreover, his wife will be a royal noblewoman in the future, the Princess of Liang, and will be in charge of the entire Prince of Liang's mansion. Your Highness, don't blame me for speaking out of turn. It's just... My family is not as powerful as my sister's. My family was not prominent in the first place, and then they committed a crime. For so many years, it's been extremely difficult for me to be the Princess of Liang. If it weren't for your Highness's favor, I would have..."
"Those are all old stories. Why are you still talking about them? Is there anyone in the capital who would say a single bad word about you now?"
The Princess of Liang shook her head. "Your Highness understands my hardships, but does Jinchen understand Miss Gu's hardships? A princess has to do more than just serve her husband. Can Miss Gu really manage the entire mansion? I've always favored the eldest daughter of the Qi family. In terms of family background, appearance, and ability, she's outstanding. Maybe... it was my own decision that made Jinchen dislike Miss Qi even more."
The Prince of Liang put down his chopsticks. Feeling restless, he didn't have much of an appetite. The emperor had been in poor health these days. As the emperor's younger brother, he had to share some of the big and small matters in the court. He didn't even have the energy to take care of his son's marriage. But even without considering these, he clearly knew the difference between Qi Manyan and Gu Liyue.
"Forget it. The emperor has already arranged the marriage. If I were to plead, it would seem like I'm being too demanding. It was Jinchen who chose her. He'll have to bear the consequences, good or bad." The Prince of Liang thought for a while and added, "Anyway, she's a daughter of the Gu family. After she gets married, you can teach her more."