It was late at night, and Kong Shuhuan tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. On the one hand, she was troubled by her cousin’s matter, which she had already heard about from her mother; she was naturally very shocked afterward, but the situation had not yet been resolved today.
She hadn’t expected her cousin to be so bold, but her cousin’s shaless actions implicated the Kong Mansion.
Although she was already engaged, it was uncertain whether the Zhu Mansion would hold any grudges against her in the future. After all, this incident was disgraceful, and taking a daughter-in-law like her out in the future could jeopardize Zhu Mansion’s reputation.
On the other hand, Kong Shuhuan was restless because of the incident with Gu Chengyu at Hanlan Pavilion earlier in the day.
Suddenly, a noise ca from the window, startling Kong Shuhuan.
Ying Yue, the maid, also heard the sound, since even the slightest noise in the dead of night could awaken the on-duty maids, who usually slept lightly.
She could hear the sound of her mistress shifting restlessly in bed.
Ying Yue got off her bed in the outer room, holding a candlestick, and approached Kong Shuhuan’s bed. "Miss?"
She thought the noise was made by the mistress, so she ca in, draped in clothes.
Kong Shuhuan, hearing Ying Yue’s voice, summoned up her courage; earlier, she had been too frightened to make a sound. Otherwise, if a man had entered the room, it would have alerted everyone in the mansion.
By the light of the candle Ying Yue held, she glanced at the window and found a small slip of paper wedged in an opening.
"Huh? When was this window opened? It’s chilly in the night; take care not to catch a cold, Miss."
Following Kong Shuhuan’s gaze, Ying Yue looked over at the window and noticed the gap rather than the slip of paper tucked there.
She assud her mistress had opened it for fresh air, intending to close it, only to find a piece of paper stuck at the top.
She was puzzled and tempted to unfold the paper to see, but then she thought better of it and realized it wasn’t sothing her mistress would do.
"Miss?" Ying Yue panicked and hurriedly shut the window tight, afraid soone might jump in through it.
"Don’t panic!" Kong Shuhuan gripped the scissors in her hand tighter, listening intently for any sounds outside.
After a pause, they both only heard their own breathing and heartbeats.
Kong Shuhuan set down the scissors she had taken from the sewing basket, thinking the person had no real intentions or had left. Otherwise, the two of them, being defenseless won, couldn’t stop it.
"Give that slip of paper to look at." Kong Shuhuan relaxed, leaning back against the pillow, feeling her back damp with sweat.
Ying Yue cald herself, picking up the discarded slip with trembling hands.
Kong Shuhuan took a look, "I swear to keep this matter confidential, Miss Kong, you need not worry. Pardon the intrusion, I beg your forgiveness!"
Seeing this, Kong Shuhuan was reminded of her earlier concerns. It was evident who had sent the slip of paper.
To deliver it in the dead of night, dismissing the guards as if they were nothing, this person’s martial skills must be exceedingly high.
Upon returning today and hearing from her mother about the incident’s general course, she realized Gu Chengyu had the ability to knock out Ji Mingxuan and enter and exit through windows freely, indicating Gu Chengyu’s martial arts were not weak.
But her cousin ended up being conspired against, which baffled her. Could it also be Gu Chengyu’s doing?
After pondering for a while, she inexplicably trusted Gu Chengyu wouldn’t do such a thing; it must have been her cousin’s own ideas, a twist of fate leading to this, as Gu Chengyu had no reason to do so.
Gu Chengyu and her cousin were strangers and had no reason to fra her cousin.
The signature below was rely two words: Han Lan.
Kong Shuhuan knew without guessing it referred to the incident at Hanlan Pavilion today, and the lack of a full signature indicated Gu Chengyu’s ticulous mind.
The handwriting was ordinary, not in the Yan Style popular in the Capital, showing no distinguishing features.
"Miss? Who wrote this?" Ying Yue looked at Kong Shuhuan with so concern, worried that her mistress, who was already engaged, might have so romantic entanglent.
But she imdiately dismissed that notion; she had always been with her mistress, and even when she wasn’t on duty, other maids accompanied her. When did her mistress have any chance to et other n?
Kong Shuhuan knew Ying Yue would worry if she didn’t explain, so she handed the slip over.
Ying Yue took it, "Huh? Could it be this?"
Ying Yue felt a burst of joy, knowing that her mistress had been tossing and turning earlier, worried about sothing unspoken, undoubtedly concerning this matter. Now that Mr. Gu had directly addressed it with her mistress, she should finally be able to sleep well.
Kong Shuhuan nodded in agreent, finding Gu Chengyu’s careful consideration impressive. Gu Chengyu was indeed a good person; it was a privilege for Zhu Pang to befriend him.
After the joy subsided, Ying Yue casually placed the slip over the candle. They had already read it, so burning it would be best to avoid unnecessary trouble from being discovered.
Kong Shuhuan quickly stopped Ying Yue from burning the slip.
"Wait! What are you doing?"
Ying Yue was confused, "Miss! It’s not safe to keep this paper..."
Kong Shuhuan paused, "Oh! You’re right; then burn it quickly! I’m weary, you should also rest now!"
The shout was just an instinctual reaction, regretted as soon as it left her mouth. Ying Yue hadn’t done anything wrong; she wasn’t sure why she called out to stop her, but she wouldn’t think further on it.
After burning the paper, Ying Yue suddenly thought of sothing. She glanced at her mistress, who was pulling a quilt over her head to sleep, and sighed softly.
She turned and left the room, an image of the noble figure flashing in her mind. Mr. Gu was indeed a fine man, but it had nothing to do with her mistress, nor with herself.
Gu Chengyu was in the study, reading books related to the previous dynasty, when Ming Mo appeared in black attire in the room.
"Sir! The matter is settled."
Gu Chengyu nodded, closing the book, "You weren’t spotted by her mansion’s guards, were you?"
Ming Mo quickly assured that he hadn’t been discovered and then directly questioned Gu Chengyu.
"Young Master, that is Mr. Zhu’s fiancée, you...?"
Though Ming Mo knew his question was overstepping, he felt an obligation to remind his own master. It was his master’s friend; he couldn’t stand by and watch them beco estranged.
Gu Chengyu saw Ming Mo’s hesitation and knew Ming Mo had misunderstood.
With a mixture of exasperation and amusent, Gu Chengyu gave Ming Mo a stern look.
However, understanding Ming Mo’s good intentions, he patiently explained a few words to him.
"Do you really think I’m that kind of person? I wouldn’t act so impulsively. Rest assured, sothing happened to Miss Kong during the day that I happened to witness. I’m rely offering her so peace of mind, ensuring she won’t have qualms and preventing any rift with Zhu Pang in their future life together."
Ming Mo breathed a long sigh of relief, glad that was not the case!
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