"The other day, the State Preceptor proposed that I help you matchmake His Majesty and the young lady. Now I agree. I'll never let General Gu marry the young lady."
"Really? So straightforward," the State Preceptor said with a smile, but his pestle never stopped pounding the medicine. It seemed to be a pressing matter to grind the medicine as soon as possible.
But Qingcao didn't understand why he was smiling. "Whether the State Preceptor thinks I'm acting out of self - interest or for the sake of the young lady and His Majesty, anyway, I'm determined to help you matchmake them."
"No, no, no. I'm not the kind of person who measures the heart of a noble with the heart of a mean person." The State Preceptor was busy with his hands and still didn't seem to care much about what Qingcao was saying.
"Your words really flatter me, State Preceptor. How could a veteran official of two dynasties like you be a mean person? Besides, I'm just a humble maid. I'm definitely not a noble person."
"Alas, miss, you're wrong. A noble person is judged by their heart and deeds, not by their gender or social status. That day, you were clearly extremely anxious. You were even more reluctant than this old man to see General Gu propose marriage to the Su family. But you still couldn't bear to break up this seemingly well - matched couple. It shows that you have no self - interest at all."
"Seemingly well - matched? Does the State Preceptor mean that he had already seen that General Gu and the young lady are not a good match?" At this moment, Qingcao really thought that the State Preceptor was not just being mysterious but actually had some shrewdness.
"Yes, they are really not a good match."
This statement really left Qingcao speechless. Even if he knew, there was no need to be so blunt.
"So what does the State Preceptor plan to do now? His Majesty is determined to hold a beauty pageant, and General Gu is determined to propose marriage. We still don't know what the young lady will decide. If she is really pushed too hard, she might..."
"Yes, it seems that we really need to hurry up."
Qingcao was speechless again. Although it was the truth, it was kind of a useless statement. She had been worrying and talking for a while, but all she got was that they needed to hurry up.
"State Preceptor, could you stop grinding the medicine for a while? Now the young lady is happily reuniting with her father and the great general. But General Gu has no family, so he will surely come over later. From what I know of the master, won't he give the young lady a good lecture?" Although the master had taught the young lady military strategies since childhood, he still regarded her as a girl and naturally hoped that she would get married soon. Now that the young lady was in her twenties, it was really late for a girl in the capital.
"Moreover, not only the master but the whole Su family will surely try to persuade her. Or, to make a worse assumption, the master may not listen to the young lady's words about not wanting to get married and only wanting to fight on the battlefield. He may just make the decision himself and finalize the marriage."
"Okay, okay, I'll stop grinding. It's almost done." The State Preceptor stood up and clapped his hands. Qingcao quickly stood up too.
"I only ask you one question. Are you completely devoted to General Gu?"
Hearing this, Qingcao blushed deeply. This State Preceptor really lived up to his decades - long position as a powerful official under the emperor. Was he really that good at judging people?
"What do you mean, State Preceptor? It's useless to talk about this now."
"No, no, no," the State Preceptor shook his head. "How can it be useless? This old man didn't just rest at home these half - days." The State Preceptor sized Qingcao up and down.
"Besides national affairs, this old man has spent quite a bit of time on strange and ingenious arts in his life. Have you heard that the longer two people stay together, the more alike they will look?"
Qingcao still didn't understand what he meant. It was true that people would look more alike and have similar habits if they stayed together for a long time, but generally, this influence was quite minimal.
"In this old man's opinion, you and the marshal are very similar. If you don't look at your face directly, your height and build are almost the same as the marshal's."
"State Preceptor, what do you mean?" Qingcao couldn't help but panic. Why was it related to her resemblance to the young lady? What did the State Preceptor want to do?
"Let's put this aside for now. How about we talk about General Gu? In your opinion... Is General Gu a very polite person?" The other day, he casually made up an excuse that His Majesty wanted to advance side by side with the marshal, but this man who was often on the battlefield and had little time to read books deeply suspected it. It showed that either he valued etiquette by nature or he really took time to read these classics.
But from his observations in the past few days, General Gu never seemed to read books. It showed that these etiquettes were deeply ingrained in him.
"Yes. Although General Gu is now a heroic deputy marshal on the battlefield, he used to be a scholar and even passed the highest imperial examination. So he has the demeanor of a Confucian general and naturally attaches great importance to rules and etiquette." Qingcao remembered that day when he kept saying that after marrying the young lady, she should obey her husband. It showed that Gu Jingtian, who always talked about Confucianism and Mencius, was still the same old Gu Jingtian.
"This will be easy, but it will require some sacrifice from you. General Gu wants to propose marriage because he wants to get married. If we let him get married in advance, then the marriage proposal will fall through."
"Ah," Qingcao was stunned. "What marriage proposal and marriage? It's as hard to understand as a riddle."
But then she was filled with a panicked fear. Marry someone before the marriage proposal. Did the State Preceptor mean that General Gu should marry someone else first, and that someone was her, who resembled the young lady?!
Seeing Qingcao's expression, the State Preceptor laughed. "You're really very smart, miss. You're also a perfect match for General Gu. Such a good marriage is not a sacrifice."
"You!" Qingcao became even more flustered. "State Preceptor, this is not a joke. What on earth do you want to do?"
"I want to do what you're thinking." The State Preceptor looked at her again.
"Let me be frank. You and the marshal are so similar. We can just find a way to get General Gu drunk or confused and let him mistake you for the marshal. Then, with his stubborn nature of adhering to etiquette, we just need to wait for good news." The State Preceptor stroked his beard as if he had everything under control.
Sure enough, Qingcao thought it was even more absurd. Was the State Preceptor joking? Did he want her to seduce General Gu?! And then use this method to stop him from marrying the young lady?
The State Preceptor seemed to think it was perfectly reasonable.
"Yes. At that time, all you need to do is insist that General Gu has wronged you and that you must be his main wife. If he wants to take you as a concubine, just slap him and wake him up."
"State Preceptor!" Qingcao was furious. She flung her sleeves and ran out.