Gu Cheng Yao didn't know what was wrong with him, suddenly on this quiet winter night, he remembered his first wife Gao Xi.
Gao Xi passed away in December last year, which was also a snowy winter day. As soon as Gu Cheng Yao returned from outside, he was told that Shizi Consort had gone.
What was his mood at that time? He didn't know, he just remember that he was very shocked. Because the jade pendant's matter he had prejudice against Gao Xi. Later, he didn't like her domineering personality, so he even more didn't want to go back to see her. It wasn't until Gao Xi died of illness on that heavy snowy day that Gu Cheng Yao knew that Gao Xi's illness was already serious.
Before that, he had always thought that was just the inner house women's blackmailing trick.
Gu Cheng Yao learned about Gao Xi's news all through Bu Mama and Yun Hui. What he heard the most all day long was generally how Shizi Consort kicked people around and how she relied on her family background to bullied the old servants of the mansion. A gentleman, of course, should pity the poor and cherish the weak, as a results it was difficult for Gu Cheng Yao to have a good impression of his wife. Later, Gao Xi's news gradually disappeared. He began to think that Gao Xi realized her tricks were useless, aware enough that she was embarrassing herself so she restrained herself. It was a long time later he realized that Gao Xi had stopped the news and prevented people from passing it to him. However, Gu Cheng Yao never expected that when he heard the news of Gao Xi again, it turned out to be the news of Gao Xi's death.
At that time he was standing under the hall, the white snowflakes kept falling from above onto his shoulders. Gu Cheng Yao stood in the wind for a while before slowly remembering that before he went out today, it seemed that there was indeed a maid who came over and invited him to see Shizi Consort. He was anxious to go out at the time, and disliked Gao Xi to use such tricks to lead him back, so he didn't take it seriously and sent her away. It turned out that should be the last time he and Gao Xi met, but he still didn't go back.
Gu Cheng Yao finally went to the backyard to visit his Shizi consort. Gao Xi's house was as quiet and orderly as before, completely couldn't tell that its mistress no longer there. Gao Xi was extremely strict with her servants. Gu Cheng Yao had always felt that Gao Xi who easily punished at every turn was no good. But at that moment he was standing in the house where Gao Xi was alive. Although the servants had red eyes but they didn't dare to be noisy, the people although messy but not also chaotic. Gu Cheng Yao was surprised that Gao Xi's prestige among her servants was so strong that even when she died, no one dare to disobey her rules while she's still alive
Was this the situation where Gao Xi was not favored and seriously ill in bed for a year?
When the attending maids saw him, they bowed their heads to avoid him, as if he was not in the house. Some of the maids were probably Gao Xi's close attendants. When they saw Gu Cheng Yao, their faces were indignant, but they were immediately taken by the people next to them.
Gu Cheng Yao thought that he should go to see Gao Xi one last time. Those few maids were very unwilling. One maid even said, "When Shizi Consort was seriously ill did not see Shizi come even once. Now that Shizi Consort's heart has stop beating and the entanglement has been broken, Shizi instead come over, why is that? Shizi Consort walked by herself to get peace and quietness, why should Shizi disturb her death?"
The maid dressed in silk was pinched by someone next to her before she finished speaking. She could only reluctantly shut her mouth and bowed her head angrily. Gu Cheng Yao had been pampered since he was a child, when was the last time he was contradict by people like this? The suffocation that had been lingering in his heart since learning Gao Xi's death diminished a lot. Gu Cheng Yao wanted to turn around and leave directly. Who are these maids dare to spur him? But Gu Cheng Yao didn't leave. He let his personal attendant pulled away the white cloth. Separated by life and death, he saw Gao Xi for the last time.
Gao Xi's nature was headstrong, even at this time, she had herself cleaned up, showing no signs of weakness and sickness. Instead, she was painted delicately and vividly, as if she was just asleep. Gu Cheng Yao only took a glance, before letting people put down the white cloth and turned around and went out.
The impact left to him by this last sight was far greater than Gu Cheng Yao's own imagination, and even greater than Gao Xi's imagination.
Since then, Gu Cheng Yao had been deliberately avoiding Gao Xi's death. In Gao Xi's mourning hall, his father-in-law, that is Gao Xi's father, the Duke Yingguo's Shizi, cautiously proposed him to remarry his family's daughter. Gu Cheng Yao agreed without thinking about it. He thought he would need a wife soon, as long as this position was not empty, Gao Xi's figure would soon fade away. In fact, on that day he didn't hear clearly which Gao Xi's sister that was, but later learned that it was Gao Xi's sister from the same parent, Gao Ran.
The rest everyone knows, Gao Xi passed away and Gao Ran became the second wife. Gu Cheng Yao told himself that this was very good. All the mistakes were restored. Everyone was happy. That was enough. After Gao Ran got married, Gu Cheng Yao tried his best to be nice to Gao Ran out of a compensatory mentality that even he didn't realize. Everyone felt that this was because Gao Ran was really loved by Shizi. Gu Cheng Yao almost felt the same way. But on this quiet and cold snowy night, Gu Cheng Yao heard the same sound as that day and realized that it might not be true.
He was guilty, he compensated it on someone who didn't know.
When Gu Cheng Yao was very young, he often heard her mother's story about her encounter with his father. Almost every day, as long as Shen shi has time, she would told Gu Cheng Yao about Yan Wang's life-saving grace and love for her. In fact, the details of Shen shi's story often changed, and Gu Cheng Yao didn't know which ones were true and which ones were Shen shi's own conjectures. His mother liked to read story books very much, and she could hardly extricated herself from the stories of talented men and beautiful women, heroes and beauties, and often couldn't distinguish between reality and falsehood. Although Gu Cheng Yao felt that his mother was not so good, she was his mother after all. Gu Cheng Yao immediately felt that it was really unfilial to think so.
At that time, there were only grandmother, mother and him as the three masters in the mansion. Grandmother would sometimes call him over and teach him, but not long after he sat down, Shen shi would follow him and weepingly stood on the side, her eyes stared at him, as if afraid Gu Cheng Yao would be abused. Of course, his grandmother was very displeased. After reading a few words in the book, she could only let Shen shi took her son back. After this happened several times, his grandmother rarely took care of Gu Cheng Yao anymore.
The impact of childhood was always silent and everywhere. When Gu Cheng Yao grew up, he recalled the past and felt that day his mother was not good. His grandmother, Old Yan Wangfei, was a daughter from literature family in the capital. She taught Gu Cheng Yao history books and Confucian classics was for Gu Cheng Yao's sake. But Gu Cheng Yao was still influenced by the Shen shi unknowingly. He subconsciously felt that the love of his parents was indestructible, that gifted scholars and beautiful women could cross the social class, and Yan Wang and Shen shi were together because of life-saving grace. So when the same thing happened to Gu Cheng Yao, he unconsciously fell into this kind of deliberate suggestion. He told himself that this was the right thing to do, so he was going to marry a woman he barely met before, someone whose identity, looks, conduct, and family were unknown. Later, it was discovered that this was the eldest granddaughter of Duke Yingguo Mansion, who was worthy of Yan Wang's family. Gu Cheng Yao was overjoyed and became more convinced that he was right.
Just like in those mystery story book, this was exactly a marriage predestined by fate.
Gu Cheng Yao and his wife passed the first month of their marriage, only to suddenly learn that he had admitted the wrong person. In other words, his predestined marriage was deliberately replaced by someone else.
This may be a story with some ups and downs. If it Shen shi, seeing this kind of plot, she would inevitably cry for the poor heroine and resent the vicious sister who replaced the heroine. Gu Cheng Yao's impression of Gao Xi also plummeted. Later Gao Xi died and he remarried Gao Ran. If life was really a drama, this would be a happy ending.
TN: So at first GYC didn't know that he will be marrying GR, that's surprising!
In the first month after Gao Xi's death, Gu Cheng Yao always felt buzzing in his ears. He arranged the wedding very quickly, even when he knew it would offend his father. When Gao Ran entered the door in February, the shadow of Gao Xi's existence was quickly erased, and Gu Cheng Yao felt better.
Everything was back on track, this direction should be how it developed. Only it was a pity that his father did not come to participate in a very important day of his life. One day in early spring, when the ice and snow melted, and the air filled with a unique sense of moisture. His father, who had been away for many years, finally returned home. Gu Cheng Yao personally greeted his father's attendants. When he entered the door, he suddenly saw under the vermilion corridor, a slender and quiet silhouette stood facing him, and at the same time, he heard someone shouting: "Sister Xi."
Gu Cheng Yao's blood suddenly froze, and then, he saw the woman slowly turned around, ice muscle jade bone, it was the time in his life to see such an exquisite facial features, with eyes flowed with coldness and indifference. Gu Cheng Yao didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed. It turned out to be Lin Wei Xi, a woman he didn't know.
From then on Lin Wei Xi, this woman seemed to suddenly alive in his life, to the point that she was almost everywhere. When Gu Cheng Yao entered the door, he always unconsciously searched her silhouette. He watched her change from plain clothes like snow to high hair updo and colorful and beautiful dresses. She became his stepmother, his father's Wangfei.
Gu Cheng Yao knew that he was simply disgraceful, but he couldn't control the absurdity in his heart. Her every move, her words and deeds, and even the lightly raised eyebrows and glances all brought him an unparalleled sense of familiarity.
"Shizi? Shizi!"
Gu Cheng Yao's mind suddenly returned. He saw Yun Hui looking at him anxiously, with unconcealed concern in her eyes.
Gu Cheng Yao suddenly thought that when Lin Wei Xi was with his father in private, would she be this gentle and graceful? In his impression, Gao Xi was always refined and dignified. To her husband gently and considerately pampered almost never happened.
Yun Hui also found that Shizi seemed to be thinking of someone else. She was carefully dressed up like this, and also deliberately changed into thin clothes that showed her breasts, and put perfume on her body. However, Shizi was alone with her and he was still distracted? Yun Hui felt discouraged and also resentful. Who was it that can cause Shizi to worry so much?
Gu Cheng Yao really didn't think much about Yun Hui. He suddenly remembered the moment when he and Gao Xi were newly married. Yun Hui broke into their bridal chamber on the big night. Gao Xi fluttered her eyes lightly and thrown Yun Hui a few words that made her felt ashamed and unable to lift her face. On the second day, Yun Hui naturally came over and cried to Gu Cheng Yao. Gu Cheng Yao also felt that Gao Xi was too tough, not like an ideal gentle wife. Now Gao Ran actually in all aspects was more in line with the virtue of a wife advocated by scholar-officials, even if Yun Hui provoked her, Gao Ran could still bear it. His wife was reasonable and generous. This should be a good thing, but now Gu Cheng Yao suddenly thought, if it were Gao Xi, what would she do?
She would definitely block the entrance to the study room long ago, not only make Yun Hui embarrassed, but Gu Cheng Yao would probably not be spared. Gu Cheng Yao laughed at the thought of this, and after he finished laughing, his heart suddenly felt a long-lost pain like a needle stick.
Another year of heavy snowfall, Gao Xi had been dead for a year.
Yun Hui saw Shizi staring at the same place, obviously thinking of someone, and finally laughed gently. Although it was a laugh, it makes people feel pale and heartbroken. Yun Hui was surprised, what happened? She was in a panic when she suddenly heard Shizi say: "I don't need you here, you can go out."
Yun Hui's drifting mind was immediately pulled back. She was obviously surprised: "Shizi?" She saw that Gu Cheng Yao did not soften his expression, and immediately became aggrieved: "Shizi, the sky is already so dark. If this servant go back, I am afraid it will disturbed many people. Besides, you can't be without people who are serving for you. If Shizi doesn't like it, then this slave will wait outside the door, and if Shizi has any instructions this slave will come in again, absolutely will never disturb Shizi."
Gu Cheng Yao thought that it was indeed not early anymore. Yun Hui was someone who grew up with him. Gu Cheng Yao didn't have the heart to let Yun Hui blow the cold wind outside the house, so he could only say: "Then you wait outside the partitioned. If I need anything I will take it myself, do not need you."
Although she was driven out of the room where Shizi was studying, but fortunately, she didn't have to go back. Although Yun Hui was reluctant, she also softly agreed. At this time, the inner courtyard had already been locked. If Yun Hui went back now, she would have to alarm the maid and granny who were in charge of the door and the key. At that time so many people would make a racket, Yun Hui came to serve Shizi, but she was driven out by Shizi, it would be spread all over. Fortunately, Shizi relented. Although she did not succeed in becoming Shizi's woman, Yun Hui was really relieved that her dignity was still intact.
After Yun Hui left, he was the only one left in the room. Gu Cheng Yao sat at the desk for a long time without turning a page of the book in his hand. Finally, he couldn't bear it, put down the book and walked to the window, pushing the window open.
The cold wind immediately whizzed in, and the air with droplets of snow blew the candle in the lampshade. Gu Cheng Yao stood at the wind, looked at the quiet sky outside the window and the snowy ground with cold light. He stood motionless, lost in thought for a long time.
The lights were on in Gu Cheng Yao's study. North from here could see the largest and most beautiful courtyard in Yan Wang Mansion, which was also constantly lit.
"Taicu Judui is the Taicumen, and Yindejugan is the Yindemen. The first general on the right, the line can be water, the black flag banner, is for the Jingmen." After Gu Hui Yan explained, he asked Lin Wei Xi, "Explained it like this do you understand?" (TN: NO! and I'm sorry I won't bother googling it)
Lin Wei Xi stared with pursed her lips for a long time, and finally shook her head in despair, "No."
"Shoushan Pavilion's book has ten volumes including plots, array charts, sacrificial text, and miscellaneous accounts. If there is no basis for Qimen Dunjia, listening to these is really difficult."
Lin Wei Xi thought to herself that it was more than 'really difficult', she couldn't understand it at all.
Lin Wei Xi had already regretted it. At this time, why she said no to Yan Wang, why did she dig her own grave?
But Yan Wang nevertheless was a man with careful planning and rigorous work. He felt that although the student foundation was a bit poor, but he could try a few more methods, and he would definitely make Lin Wei Xi understand. So Gu Hui Yan went to the bookshelf to pick up another book, planned to start from Qimen Dunjia with Lin Wei Xi.
Lin Wei Xi started to have a headache as soon as she saw the heavy ancient book. Seeing Gu Hui Yan put the book on the table, he turned around and took another writing brush, with 'if you don't understand, do not give up' attitude. Lin Wei Xi panicked. She didn't care about her face, hurriedly straightened up over the table and hugged Gu Hui Yan's waist tightly: "Wangye, it's already dark outside. Let's take a break and do something else, OK?"