"Gu Mingda." Gu Hui Yan's voice contained a warning, but Gu Mingda didn't care, even if he was going to get military punishment when he returned, he had to finish these words. He had been with Gu Hui Yan for more than 20 years and had been by his side since Gu Hui Yan was a half young man. It was precisely because he understood him that Gu Mingda knew how difficult it was for Yan Wang to meet a person he likes. Wangfei was very good, and the most important thing there was affection between Yan Wang and Wangfei. Gu Mingda couldn't sit back and watch this hard-won marriage ruined by those inexplicable past events.
"Wangye, in life, gold and riches is easy to get, a confidant is hard to find, and a caring partner is one in a million fate. Wangfei cares very much about this matters. Why do you want to destroy her expectations? Women jealous because they care, don't wait for Wangfei to be hurt and become cold, then you will make up for it. Feelings and trust are very fragile things. This point Wangye should know better than this subordinate."
Gu Hui Yan had the army in the palm of his hand, and nowadays he was in power. He had seen so many cross-sections alliance, and he certainly understood how precious and fragile trust was. He could coax Lin Wei Xi to sleep, and he could prove to Lin Wei Xi with double patience that there was no one else in his heart, and Lin Wei Xi did accept his arrangement just now. But even if she didn't say it, it didn't mean that she was really willing to be distracted.
If these obstructions were not removed, then his and Lin Wei Xi's lives would be built on a shaky foundation. Lin Wei Xi's temperament was particularly clear-cut, hating bad people and things like enemies. If it's someone she likes, she could act coquettishly and shamelessly, but if she didn't like, she didn't even bother to pretend to smile, spoke coldly, and showed no mercy. In fact, she was the most arbitrary person. She preferred to rely solely on her own judgment and did not give the other party a chance to explain.
This could be seen in Lin Wei Xi's attitude towards him and Gu Cheng Yao.
When Gu Hui Yan imagined in his mind Lin Wei Xi lost her trust in him, he found it really unbearable. He didn't dare to imagine what he would do if that day come.
Gu Hui Yan sat quietly, not moving for a long time. Gu Mingda didn't want to disturb, slowly withdrew, and closed the door for Gu Hui Yan.
The moonlight was shut out, and the darkness returned to the study. Gu Hui Yan sat alone in the dark, slowly returning to nineteen years ago. At that time, he was fifteen years old, young and inexperienced, and still liked to show-off.
In the twenty-fourth year of Chu Yuan, Beidi disturbed the border, and the Yan fief was the first to be hit by the war. The old Yan Wang sighed at the palace report every day, but he had achieved mediocre achievements over the years, and his talents and wisdom were not really good. Except for hoping that a military prodigy would be born in the border, or the Gods and Buddhas suddenly showed mercy to protect Yan fief, he actually had no strategy left to try.
In this situation, Gu Hui Yan asked for himself to join the war. He was only fifteen years old, at the hot-blooded age. The old Wangfei certainly disagreed. Whoever took pains to raise their son until the age of fifteen, and the son had a heroic and upright appearance, soon could get married and start a family, they definitely would not be willing to send their son to the battlefield. However since he was little, once Gu Hui Yan made decision, he would resolutely fight for it. Before the old Wangfei relented, he took the people and left the house.
At that time, the front line really needed a leader to appear to boost morale. Who else better than Yan fief's heir, the young Shizi Gu Hui Yan?
Gu Hui Yan at the beginning could only deal with trivial matters. Obviously, other people didn't believe that this Yan Wang Mansion's son could handle military affairs properly. But the fact was the war were critical, and commanders were especially scarce. Gu Hui Yan gradually began to participate in large and small battles. While leading the army on the road, he encountered a riot of refugees. This was a small matter. Gu Hui Yan led the people to suppress the rebel, and he even manage the subsequent resettlement of the refugees, after that he took the manpower to continue on the road.
Later when he was replenishing the supplies in the next town, he heard a message from his subordinates that a woman was standing in front of the gate and wanted to thank him in person. This woman went out from home some time ago and was swept away by the riots. Thanks to his timely action, she was able to get out. The woman was grateful, so she came to thank Gu Hui Yan.
Gu Hui Yan heard it once and ignore it, naturally did not go see this woman. There were many things that require his attention, and people who wanted repay the gratitude because they were conveniently saved count as nothing. But the other party was a girl after all. Although Gu Hui Yan didn't come forward, he still let people settled down the girl, and tomorrow he would asked his personal guards to send the girl home. However, the next day turmoil broke out in the neighboring city, and the road was really unsafe. Gu Hui Yan could only let the woman live in his courtyard and wait for the road conditions to improve before going back on the road.
Although the woman lived in his courtyard, Gu Hui Yan almost never met her. He only stayed in that courtyard for a few days and then left. He left another manpower with the intention to send the woman back safely. After the arduous military affairs, Gu Hui Yan quickly forgot about this matter, until three months later, the old Yan Wangfei sent a letter.
The old Yan Wangfei strongly disagreed with Gu Hui Yan leaving home to go to the battlefield, but the woods had turned into a boat, and she could only sigh. Later, Gu Hui Yan's news was sent back one by one. Her son had performed well on the battlefield, which was remarkable. In the past few months, there had been frequent victories, and old Yan Wangfei's anger quickly turned into pride.
The old Yan Wangfei was born from an ancient noble family in the capital, and later married the much-suspected old Yan Wang. After that, she went to the border with her husband and never returned to the capital. Her live before and after married were like two different worlds, but the old Yan Wangfei was most proud of her son. Even when she exchanged New Year's gift or communicated with the sisters who remained in the capital, she did not hesitate to brag about her son. Gu Hui Yan had good looks, from childhood his temperament was cold and full of planning, far better than the sons of her maiden sisters. Old Yan Wangfei never said it in front of Gu Hui Yan, but in her heart, she was deeply proud.
Now that her son had grown to fifteen, and in his prime, he was quickly showing off his amazing military talent on the battlefield. Old Yan Wangfei felt very proud and elated. Of course, she must carefully choose a perfect marriage for her son. Her son deserves the best woman in the world.
Gu Hui Yan's personal conditions were indeed superior, even the top aristocratic madams in the capital also willing to tie the knot with the old Yan Wangfei. Old Yan Wangfei was simply beaming, but suddenly heard news from her servants that Shizi himself had set a marriage outside.
This shock was not small, and the old Yan Wangfei hurriedly asked the servant to go out to investigate, and finally figured out the source of the rumors. It turned out that Gu Hui Yan rescued a woman on a riot, and then he had been keeping her in his own courtyard ever since. This woman was also very resolute, in this kind of world, she dared to seek husband for thousands of miles, following the trail of Gu Hui Yan all the way. Gu Hui Yan was very famous these days. People were just curious about this young Shizi. Now there was a live saving grace, chasing husband for thousand miles and so on story that usually written as romance scandals, the rumors among people naturally became more and more intense. Until now, everyone said that Gu Hui Yan and this beautiful woman fell in love at first sight, but because of the chaos of the war, the time they were together were short but the separation was long. After the war settled down, Gu Hui Yan would marry this beautiful woman as Wangfei.
When the old Yan Wangfei heard this, she was stunned. What was this? However, the common people were most enthusiastic about such love stories. When Old Yan Wangfei heard about it, the rumors among people had already evolved out of control. When the old Yan Wangfei heard the rumor outside that was so detail, she really thought this was someone Gu Hui Yan really fancy, and kept her outside to privately set livelong events. She was so angry that she wrote a letter to question him immediately.
Only then did Gu Hui Yan know what was going on, and he finally realize that time he rescued a woman in passing, whom he had not even asked the name of, actually turned into a scene where a hero saved the beauty and the beautiful woman gave her heart.
The people's enthusiasm for love stories was unreasonable. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai were not people of the same dynasty, and they were still passed down as eternal stories.
TN: Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, the protagonist from Chinese legend The Butterfly Lovers, it's a famous story so some of you must know, if you don't it's basically a Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet.
Gu Hui Yan took the time to return to the mansion. The old Yan Wangfei learned that Gu Hui Yan didn't know about this matter at all, and there was nothing like falling in love at first sight or would not marry without love this kind of thing. Old Yan Wangfei was relieved, and didn't plan to pay attention to this woman. Anyway, this kind of thing had no effect on man. At most, he would be said to be romantic. But for the woman, her reputation would be destroyed. If she couldn't marry Gu Hui Yan, then the only way to prove her innocence was to hang herself from the roof beam.
But what does this have to do with old Yan Wangfei? She didn't care whether this woman was dead or alive. Her son should be matched with a brocade garment jade meals noble girl from the capital. Why should an ordinary girl bind her son? Old Yan Wangfei intended to continue to seek candidates for Shizi Consort in the capital, but Gu Hui Yan stopped her.
No need, marrying any wife was the same to him, however he couldn't do harm to this woman. Gu Hui Yan had been honed in the army these days, and what he saw was life and death, blood and war have made Gu Hui Yan grew up quickly. He had become more and more responsible, and more and more like the master of a vassal state. It was his responsibility to protect this land and protect the people here. It was impossible for Gu Hui Yan to be like an ordinary young master, solely engrossed in their own comfort, regardless other people's life and death.
Anyway, he was going to marry a wife after all. In that case, he might as well marry Shen shi. By the way, it wasn't until this time that Gu Hui Yan knew the woman's surname was Shen, and she was a county deputy's daughter in Linhe County.
It could be imagined how reluctant old Yan Wangfei was. But she couldn't persuade Gu Hui Yan. Such a thing was simply an unexpected calamities for Gu Hui Yan, it was baffling from beginning to end. He could completely ignore it, no matter whether Shen shi was dead or alive. However, he still married Shen shi in accordance with public opinion, which was equivalent to saving Shen shi again. Old Yan Wangfei was unbearably angry, but she also understood, this was her son, strict with himself, self-disciplined and full of sense of responsibility.
This was the truth about the so-called hero saving beauty, falling in love at first sight, and lovers breaking through the social status and finally getting married.
After marrying Shen shi, Gu Hui Yan certainly wanted to have mutual respect with his wife and manage their lives well. But Shen shi's mother had died since she was a child, and there were three older brothers above her. Her father and older brothers simply spoiled her to the bones. The Shen family was extremely defensive towards the stepmother, for fear that the stepmother would treat Shen shi harshly. Later the stepmother also put up her hands and didn't care. She wanted to see if these men raised Shen shi like a pet, what kind of virtue they raised in the end.
Sure enough, as her stepmother expected, she was... childishly unrealistic. She always spoke with a coquettish tone, and always felt that everyone in the world was pampering her. Her father and elder brothers always gave her whatever she want, that Shen shi really grew up in isolated atmosphere. Fifteen years old' Shen shi never washed her face herself, to washed her hands, she only need to spread her fingers and let her older brother come, even walking still let her older brother carried her. The stepmother looked at all this coldly, without speaking or reminding.
Every woman hopes to be spoiled by her father and brother like a princess. Actually this was a very tragic thing. People are human because they have independent personality and ability to support themselves.
Later, Shen shi married Gu Hui Yan in the eyes of ten thousand people, and the Shen family's father and brother couldn't help crying on the spot and eagerly sent Shen shi to get married. Only the Shen family's stepmother stood at one side, looking at Gu Hui Yan with sympathy.
Gu Hui Yan only felt strange that day. After returning to the mansion, he understood what the Shen family stepmother's eyes meant. However, spilt water was difficult to retrieve. Gu Hui Yan really tried to get along with Shen shi, but Shen shi was completely immersed in her own world. She chased people for a thousand miles because Gu Hui Yan's appearance was too dazzling, she rightly felt that this was a hero who saved the beauty, and Gu Hui Yan must like her when he saved her. Later, when the guards of the mansion wanted to send her home, she refused, and stubbornly waited for her 'husband' to return. When asked, she was not hesitant to tell her "beautiful encounter" with Gu Hui Yan. In this way one pass ten, ten pass a hundred (tn: how rumors spread). One person was immersed in the fantasy and couldn't extricate herself, and the other didn't know anything because of leading the army to fight, and the news was delayed. When Yan Wang Mansion and Gu Hui Yan knew about it, everything was too late.
What's frightening was that Shen shi was still dreaming after marrying. She still thought that Gu Hui Yan had deep love for her, and that old Yan Wangfei was cold to her because she was a bad mother-in-law. She thought that Gu Hui Yan liked her, that Gu Hui Yan liked to eat freshwater fish, and that the old Wangfei wanted to separate them, but she never actually opened her eyes to see what kind of person Gu Hui Yan was.
After Gu Hui Yan just got married, he stayed for only seven days before returning to the army to continue fighting. Later, every time he went home he wanted to get along properly with Shen shi, but Shen shi as always did not listen or look, and Gu Hui Yan really had no way to stay at home. In his short marriage, Gu Hui Yan never felt any family warmth, Shen shi also never cared about his food and clothes, his well-being, or asked about his injuries. As time passed, Gu Hui Yan spent most of his time in the army, even if he was free, he never return to his home.
This was why Bu Mama and others boasted about Shen shi's good destiny, but never dare to be presumptuous in front of Gu Hui Yan. This was a very interesting thing in the mansion. It was rumored that Yan Wang liked to eat freshwater fish. It was rumored that Yan Wang and Shen shi's first encounter was legendary, their love could touch other people's heart. But when Gu Mingda and Zhou Mao Cheng, the true confidants of Yan Wang, talked about Shen shi, they didn't have a good face. Zhou Mao Cheng had always persuading Gu Hui Yan to remarry, and Gu Mingda would risk the world to come to persuade Gu Hui Yan because of Lin Wei Xi's fainting.
Some things only outsiders could clearly see. From the time Lin Wei Xi appeared, Gu Hui Yan constantly made exceptions, and now he had no principles and bottom lines. Gu Mingda was happy from his heart for Gu Hui Yan. Gu Hui Yan was the god in the hearts of everyone in Yan fief. As long as Yan Wangfei treated Gu Hui Yan sincerely, Wangfei was their loyal mistress.
Gu Mingda understood Gu Hui Yan's scruples. You should respect the dead, and moreover the dead was his wife. How could a man of character tell other about the bad things of Shen shi many years after her death? Due to Gu Cheng Yao's face, Gu Mingda couldn't say much about Shen shi, but it didn't mean that Gu Mingda could sit back and watch others use this "legend" and "love" to destroy the relationship between Wangfei and Yan Wang.
Speaking of Gu Cheng Yao, Gu Mingda also had complicated feeling. Gu Cheng Yao was born when they were busy marching the armies. Shizi grew up next to Shen shi. The old Wangfei tried to take Gu Cheng Yao several times to raise him, but she was blocked by the wailing Shen shi. After these few years, Gu Cheng Yao was raised to be extremely conceited. To say something rebellious, Gu Mingda felt that Shizi was very small-minded, didn't have overall view at all. Shizi kept saying filial piety, but Shen shi told him that Yan Wang liked to eat fish, shrimps, crabs and other river fish, which Gu Cheng Yao noted down. In the eighteen years of father and son, didn't know how many meals have been eaten at the same table together, but Gu Cheng Yao had never noticed what Gu Hui Yan liked to eat.
Of course these words were not something that he could say as a subject. Gu Mingda closed the door gently, leaving all the space in the room to Gu Hui Yan. It was useless to say more, what Yan Wang really needs now was silence.
Gu Hui Yan was sitting in the dark room. He didn't know how long he had been sitting. When he came back to his senses, he was already standing in front of the storage box, holding a delicate white cloth in his hand.
There was a heavy rain that day when Lin Wei Xi rushed into his study, and he took this to Lin Wei Xi to wipe her hair. What did Lin Wei Xi say at that time, she didn't like the silk cloth because it's not absorbent, and asked him to prepare a cotton cloth.
Gu Hui Yan was amused and helpless at the time, saying "Yes" half-heartedly. But who knows, after that, he really kept clean cotton cloth in the study.
The night didn't affect Gu Hui Yan's sight. He slowly ran his fingers across the fine silk. That day, in the heavy rain, Lin Wei Xi's dribbling wet hair seemed to also pass to the palm of his hand. When Lin Wei Xi asked him today, Gu Hui Yan also really wanted to know, why he agreed to Lin Wei Xi's, acted in a pique, marriage proposal?
He stood quietly for a while, and slowly put the silk back in the wooden box, restoring everything to its original state. In fact, this was the wooden box that Gu Hui Yan really carefully kept. Fortunately, it was not this one that got wet today.
He thought he might have something to say to Lin Wei Xi.
TN: THEN SAY IT DAMN IT!
Anyway Happy Lunar New Year 🎉🐂