Chapter 2: Pearls and Sand
Well, this was great. In the end, she had to take the fall for everything. Seriously, what the actual hell...
Shu Yunfu’s expression twisted as she gripped the teacup in her hand so hard it nearly shattered. Anyone who got in the way of her living a good life was her enemy!
“Anyway, what’s done is done. From now on, we need to avoid the Duke. After all, I’m technically his brother’s woman now. He probably won’t do anything to me openly, but behind the scenes… Hmm? Yuyan, what’s wrong?”
“Th-The… The Duke!”
Since things had come to this, she could only face the consequences. Judging from Gu Changting’s demeanor earlier, it was best to steer clear of him. But just as she gave that warning, Yuyan suddenly looked like she’d seen a ghost.
She was about to turn around when Yuyan’s trembling voice froze her to the spot.
Crap! He heard everything. That’s just throwing oil on the fire!
“I—”
“Out.”
She turned slowly, trembling, only to meet Gu Changting’s thunderous expression. She forced a smile, just about to speak, when he cut her off. Seeing this furious man, she shrank back and didn’t dare say another word.
All she could do was watch as Yuyan, understanding the situation, sensibly slipped away like oil off the sole of a shoe—not even slightly worried that her mistress might get devoured by the Duke.
“You…”
Now only the two of them were left in the room. Shu Yunfu couldn’t handle the suffocating pressure. She tried to explain, but the moment she opened her mouth, a large hand suddenly gripped her slender neck. She couldn’t breathe. Her petite face flushed red, her back slamming painfully into the table behind her.
“You climb into my bed, then turn around and become Gu Changheng’s woman? What a clever seduction. A perfect scheme to sow discord!” His breath was icy cold, and his grip tightened. “Speak! What’s your goal? Did Shu Hanshan send you?”
Shu Yunfu froze, staring at the furious man gripping her throat. A realization dawned—so that’s what this was about. He thought her cheap father had sent her!
“Mm…”
This man’s grip was terrifying. Wasn’t he worried he might actually strangle her? “Your Grace, don’t wrongly accuse me. We did spend a night together, after all—surely that counts for something. Could you really kill me?”
“And besides, I didn’t climb into your bed. You took advantage of me. I saved your life, and now you’re turning on me? That’s really heartbreaking~”
She smiled, lifting her head and gazing straight into his eyes with limpid, glimmering ones full of false charm. Her fingers, painted a seductive red, slid onto his trim waist. The firmness reminded her of that wild night from a few days ago. She, more than anyone, knew how desirable this man’s body was to women.
“Do you really suspect me… or are you just jealous?”
Her delicate fingers started sliding upward, but the man stepped back repeatedly like she carried the plague. That made her feel thoroughly annoyed. But still—
Cough cough…
She rubbed her newly freed throat and gave a crooked little smile, her gaze hooking onto him. So he did react.
“Enough!”
Gu Changting’s face darkened. He glared at her as if she were a seductive fox spirit, teeth clenched.
He’d once thought her clever. But today made it clear—this woman wasn’t as pure-hearted as he had assumed. Everything she did seemed to have ulterior motives.
“Those are harsh words, Your Grace. Are you saying you want to deny it all now? This situation… it wasn’t my wish either.”
She pouted, visibly hurt, tilting her head with a troubled look. “Your brother is indeed a promising young man. Being his concubine isn’t exactly a disgrace.”
“But compared to you, there’s simply no contest…” She poured a cup of tea, her fair fingers gracefully holding it as she stepped closer. Her eyes sparkled like stars. “With a pearl in front of me, how could I possibly notice the gravel?”
“Mm…”
Gu Changting shifted uncomfortably. Her blunt words left him unsure how to respond.
But even more questions surged in his mind. He opened his mouth—only to have it shut by a cup of tea being shoved into his hands. With narrowed eyes, he swallowed the tea slowly. Let’s see what other sweet-talking nonsense she had to say.
“Hehe~”
She covered her mouth with a laugh, her long sleeves brushing as she sat back down at the table. She poured herself another cup and took a small sip, speaking unhurriedly:
“Actually, Your Grace, this question isn’t something you should be asking me…”
She rested her cheek on one hand, turning to look at him, brows slightly raised. “Surely Your Grace knows that your cousin has long had… someone in his heart, right?”
If she claimed no one in the Gu family knew about Gu Changheng’s attachment, she wouldn’t believe it. The reputation of the Duke’s residence preceded them, even she had heard of it. There was no way Gu Changting, as the head of the household, didn’t know. If that were the case, the Gu family would’ve crumbled long ago. It was just that outsiders didn’t know.
She had thoroughly investigated the brothers before. Gu Changheng was over twenty and had neither wife nor concubine—not even a bed maid.
If she hadn’t accidentally overheard that little secret, she really might’ve believed he was some chaste, noble man. But it turned out he was a total disaster!
Her mind couldn’t help but wander back to the moment by the lotus pond when she’d accidentally discovered Gu Changheng’s secret…
More than a month ago, the imperial court sent an imperial inspector to Xuancheng to investigate the embezzlement of dam construction funds. That inspector turned out to be none other than the famous Duke of England, Gu Changting—the Emperor’s favored minister.
When news of this "Great Buddha" spread, all the local officials of Xuancheng became visibly tense, terrified of giving even the slightest offense, even more afraid of being implicated. After all, everyone knew that although the Duke was still young, his abilities were anything but small.
Especially those who had taken bribes—they lived in constant fear yet couldn’t show it.
Originally, hosting such an imperial envoy had nothing to do with the minor official Shu Hanshan and his household. At most, the Shu family would serve as a background prop for the more important players.
But the prefect's prepared lodging didn’t please Gu Changting. Neither did the prefect’s own residence. For some reason, he took a liking to the Shu family’s elegant little courtyard, claiming it looked pleasant.
Whether or not Gu Changting actually found it “pleasant,” she didn’t know. But for the Shu family, it was like preparing for war. Receiving such a grand guest caused chaos and panic. If there had been more time, they probably would’ve renovated the whole estate.
And so, the Shu family ended up hosting a young, handsome, and supremely capable imperial envoy—Gu Changting. Along with him came his cousin, the equally talented and handsome Gu Changheng.
If those two had been greasy old men with fat bellies, it wouldn’t have been a problem. But with their identities, status, looks, and abilities—these two were the ultimate golden bachelors in all of Da Rong. Naturally, the noble young ladies of Xuancheng society were in a frenzy.
Shu Yunfu’s expression twisted as she gripped the teacup in her hand so hard it nearly shattered. Anyone who got in the way of her living a good life was her enemy!
“Anyway, what’s done is done. From now on, we need to avoid the Duke. After all, I’m technically his brother’s woman now. He probably won’t do anything to me openly, but behind the scenes… Hmm? Yuyan, what’s wrong?”
“Th-The… The Duke!”
Since things had come to this, she could only face the consequences. Judging from Gu Changting’s demeanor earlier, it was best to steer clear of him. But just as she gave that warning, Yuyan suddenly looked like she’d seen a ghost.
She was about to turn around when Yuyan’s trembling voice froze her to the spot.
Crap! He heard everything. That’s just throwing oil on the fire!
“I—”
“Out.”
She turned slowly, trembling, only to meet Gu Changting’s thunderous expression. She forced a smile, just about to speak, when he cut her off. Seeing this furious man, she shrank back and didn’t dare say another word.
All she could do was watch as Yuyan, understanding the situation, sensibly slipped away like oil off the sole of a shoe—not even slightly worried that her mistress might get devoured by the Duke.
“You…”
Now only the two of them were left in the room. Shu Yunfu couldn’t handle the suffocating pressure. She tried to explain, but the moment she opened her mouth, a large hand suddenly gripped her slender neck. She couldn’t breathe. Her petite face flushed red, her back slamming painfully into the table behind her.
“You climb into my bed, then turn around and become Gu Changheng’s woman? What a clever seduction. A perfect scheme to sow discord!” His breath was icy cold, and his grip tightened. “Speak! What’s your goal? Did Shu Hanshan send you?”
Shu Yunfu froze, staring at the furious man gripping her throat. A realization dawned—so that’s what this was about. He thought her cheap father had sent her!
“Mm…”
This man’s grip was terrifying. Wasn’t he worried he might actually strangle her? “Your Grace, don’t wrongly accuse me. We did spend a night together, after all—surely that counts for something. Could you really kill me?”
“And besides, I didn’t climb into your bed. You took advantage of me. I saved your life, and now you’re turning on me? That’s really heartbreaking~”
She smiled, lifting her head and gazing straight into his eyes with limpid, glimmering ones full of false charm. Her fingers, painted a seductive red, slid onto his trim waist. The firmness reminded her of that wild night from a few days ago. She, more than anyone, knew how desirable this man’s body was to women.
“Do you really suspect me… or are you just jealous?”
Her delicate fingers started sliding upward, but the man stepped back repeatedly like she carried the plague. That made her feel thoroughly annoyed. But still—
Cough cough…
She rubbed her newly freed throat and gave a crooked little smile, her gaze hooking onto him. So he did react.
“Enough!”
Gu Changting’s face darkened. He glared at her as if she were a seductive fox spirit, teeth clenched.
He’d once thought her clever. But today made it clear—this woman wasn’t as pure-hearted as he had assumed. Everything she did seemed to have ulterior motives.
“Those are harsh words, Your Grace. Are you saying you want to deny it all now? This situation… it wasn’t my wish either.”
She pouted, visibly hurt, tilting her head with a troubled look. “Your brother is indeed a promising young man. Being his concubine isn’t exactly a disgrace.”
“But compared to you, there’s simply no contest…” She poured a cup of tea, her fair fingers gracefully holding it as she stepped closer. Her eyes sparkled like stars. “With a pearl in front of me, how could I possibly notice the gravel?”
“Mm…”
Gu Changting shifted uncomfortably. Her blunt words left him unsure how to respond.
But even more questions surged in his mind. He opened his mouth—only to have it shut by a cup of tea being shoved into his hands. With narrowed eyes, he swallowed the tea slowly. Let’s see what other sweet-talking nonsense she had to say.
“Hehe~”
She covered her mouth with a laugh, her long sleeves brushing as she sat back down at the table. She poured herself another cup and took a small sip, speaking unhurriedly:
“Actually, Your Grace, this question isn’t something you should be asking me…”
She rested her cheek on one hand, turning to look at him, brows slightly raised. “Surely Your Grace knows that your cousin has long had… someone in his heart, right?”
If she claimed no one in the Gu family knew about Gu Changheng’s attachment, she wouldn’t believe it. The reputation of the Duke’s residence preceded them, even she had heard of it. There was no way Gu Changting, as the head of the household, didn’t know. If that were the case, the Gu family would’ve crumbled long ago. It was just that outsiders didn’t know.
She had thoroughly investigated the brothers before. Gu Changheng was over twenty and had neither wife nor concubine—not even a bed maid.
If she hadn’t accidentally overheard that little secret, she really might’ve believed he was some chaste, noble man. But it turned out he was a total disaster!
Her mind couldn’t help but wander back to the moment by the lotus pond when she’d accidentally discovered Gu Changheng’s secret…
More than a month ago, the imperial court sent an imperial inspector to Xuancheng to investigate the embezzlement of dam construction funds. That inspector turned out to be none other than the famous Duke of England, Gu Changting—the Emperor’s favored minister.
When news of this "Great Buddha" spread, all the local officials of Xuancheng became visibly tense, terrified of giving even the slightest offense, even more afraid of being implicated. After all, everyone knew that although the Duke was still young, his abilities were anything but small.
Especially those who had taken bribes—they lived in constant fear yet couldn’t show it.
Originally, hosting such an imperial envoy had nothing to do with the minor official Shu Hanshan and his household. At most, the Shu family would serve as a background prop for the more important players.
But the prefect's prepared lodging didn’t please Gu Changting. Neither did the prefect’s own residence. For some reason, he took a liking to the Shu family’s elegant little courtyard, claiming it looked pleasant.
Whether or not Gu Changting actually found it “pleasant,” she didn’t know. But for the Shu family, it was like preparing for war. Receiving such a grand guest caused chaos and panic. If there had been more time, they probably would’ve renovated the whole estate.
And so, the Shu family ended up hosting a young, handsome, and supremely capable imperial envoy—Gu Changting. Along with him came his cousin, the equally talented and handsome Gu Changheng.
If those two had been greasy old men with fat bellies, it wouldn’t have been a problem. But with their identities, status, looks, and abilities—these two were the ultimate golden bachelors in all of Da Rong. Naturally, the noble young ladies of Xuancheng society were in a frenzy.
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