The 96th time

  Damn it! Ancient times!

  Minglan adjusted the gray mouse fur cloak with green and silver intertwined branch flowers on her body, sitting in a half-hall with open doors and windows on all sides. In the center of the room was placed a purple copper stove with the character "Fu" (good fortune) on it, burning brightly with charcoal fire. On one side of the stove was placed a small, long-mouthed bronze kettle with bat patterns, boiling water with a gentle gurgling sound.

  Minglan was nibbling on a plump melon seed and couldn't help but admit that Madame Hualan had indeed put in a lot of effort.

  This is a hall with open spaces on all four sides, built in the middle of a small pond. In summer, when the doors and windows are removed from all four sides, it becomes a pavilion. The surrounding three sides are surrounded by water, and one side leads to an empty space, where there is no hiding place within 100 steps, and absolutely no one can eavesdrop. As far as the eye can see, you can clearly see what people inside the hall are doing.

  Moreover, as far as she could see, the place had been cleared out long ago. Except for the maid who led her in, Minglan didn't see any other figures, and the maid who led the way also disappeared without a trace.

  Minglan was in a state of "the wind is blowing gently, the water is cold" as she waited for what was to come. When Minglan had eaten her 14th melon seed, a tall figure appeared in the distance, and Minglan's eyelids twitched a few times before continuing to eat melon seeds.

  That's great, she also had something to ask him.

  Before long, the man walked against the cold wind and entered the hall with his head held high and a wide stride. Seven or eight steps away from Minglan, he made a fist with one hand and smiled: "Long time no see."

  Ming Lan slightly narrowed her eyes. Today, Gu Ting Ye wore a sky-blue brocade robe with white fox fur trim on the collar and cuffs. The robe was embroidered with intricate patterns, and he had a dark silver-inlaid jade belt around his waist. Over it, he wore a black fur cloak with a thick, rolling hem. This kind of heavy fur cloak only looked good on men with tall, sturdy builds. Men like Sheng Hong, who were slender and refined, would be overwhelmed by the garment instead.

  Ming Lan stood up, respectfully saluting with her hands clasped together: "Second Uncle, it's been a long time."

  Then, Minglan saw with great pleasure that Gu Tingye's mouth curved up slightly; Gu Tingye stopped talking, stretched out his hand to pull open his cloak and casually threw it aside, turned around and sat down on a taishi chair opposite Minglan, the two of them sitting facing each other about five or six steps apart.

  Gu Tingyan glanced at Minglan, then looked at the empty tea cup in front of him. Seeing that Minglan didn't seem to be planning to pour him a cup, he picked up the teapot himself and poured a cup of boiling water before speaking in a low voice: "You and I are about to get married, so don't call me like that anymore."

  Minglan clenched her fists, forcing herself to suppress her anger. The man in front of her wore a smile on his face, but his words were slow and low, with a hint of bloodthirstiness lurking beneath his long eyelashes, the kind that could only be forged in the midst of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

  Minglan endured for half a day before slowly and calmly saying, "I completely don't understand what Second Uncle is saying. I was raised by Old Madame since childhood, and she never mentioned anything about marriage."

  Gu Tingyan furrowed his brow and said, "Marriage is a matter decided by one's parents."

  Ming Lan said: "Then Ming Lan will wait for Father and Mother's words."

  The hall fell silent, Gu Ting Ye stared at Ming Lan, who turned her head to look out the window. Gu Ting Ye raised an eyebrow, and in the slanted light, his brow seemed to be shrouded in a faint blue mist. He said quietly, "You're angry."

  Minglan burst out laughing: "It's fine, it's fine."

  Gu Tingyan let out a deep breath: "When we were on the Huai River, I told you that I don't want to hear insincere words."

  Ming Lan immediately shut her mouth like a clamshell.

  Looking at Minglan's tightly closed small face, Gu Tingye felt a bit of a headache and could only slightly slow down his tone: "I know you're upset, but everything needs to be said openly, sulking isn't the way to do it, being honest with each other is the right thing to do."

  Gu Tingyan coaxed and cajoled, his tone as if coaxing a small child, using gentle words when authority wouldn't solve the problem. Minglan listened, almost bursting into laughter three times, before turning her head and smiling: "To tell the truth to someone who tells the truth is called treating each other sincerely; to tell the truth to someone who doesn't tell the truth is called hitting one's brain; does Commander Gu think Minglan looks a bit foolish?"

  Gu Tingyan smiled slightly when Minglan changed her way of addressing him, and hearing her teasing tone, he felt a tickle in his heart. He said, "You're not stupid, naturally." He glanced at Minglan's hand on the table, with its slender white fingers on the shiny black wood, and transparent pink fingernails. He couldn't help but clear his throat lightly, and then asked seriously, "What makes you say I'm insincere?"

  "Let's start with Lord Gu's proposal."

  Gu Tingyan's expression turned solemn, and he stared fixedly at Minglan. His eyes were deep and black, making Minglan's heart feel a chill, but she had seen serial killers in the criminal court before, so she managed to withstand his intimidating gaze. After a while, Gu Tingyan slowly spoke up: "Have you guessed?"

  His voice was calm, but he couldn't hide his commanding tone.

  Minglan nodded and said, "You're not someone who's okay with having no fish or shrimp."

  At first, Minglan thought that Gu Tingye was aiming for Rulan, the legitimate daughter, but who knew that the gun would suddenly turn and become herself. She didn't believe a word of what Sheng Hong said, although they hadn't met many times, but every time she ran into Gu Tingye's marriage disputes, she intuitively knew that Gu Tingye wouldn't casually promise a daughter to the Sheng family, he must have known who he was going to marry.

  Gu Tingyan hesitated for a moment, looking at Minglan with a rather complex gaze. After a brief pause, he slowly said: "From the time you threw mud." "Huh?" Minglan listened in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

  "Aren't you wondering when I started having ideas about you?" Gu Ting Ye's eyes had a few hints of amusement, and he repeated again: "I'll tell you, it was from the time you threw mud at your sister."

  Minglan's face turned bright red as she slapped her hand on the table and stood up, with several blue veins bulging out of her forehead. She almost shouted: "Who asked you that!!"

  "Oh, you didn't want to know that." Gu Tingyan leaned back in his chair, covering his mouth with the back of his hand, and chuckled softly. Only at this moment did he shed some of the fierce aura of a killer, revealing a hint of the noble air of a young master.

  Minglan made an effort to calm her breathing, letting the flush on her face slowly fade away. In a confrontation between two armies, it was most important not to lose one's temper. Calm, calm... It took some time for her to compose herself before she stared at Gu Tingye and quietly asked: "Did you intend to marry me from the very beginning?"

  Gu Tingyan nodded very slowly and certainly.

  Minglan couldn't help but shout: "Then why don't you just go and propose? What's the point of making such a big fuss?" Almost costing Xiaojue and Rulan half their lives.

  "Are you willing?" Gu Tingyan retorted.

  Ming Lan's voice was stifled for a moment, and she paused before quickly adding: "As for the matter of marriage, it's not up to me to decide, as long as my parents agree."

  "Is your old lady willing?" Gu Tingyan asked again.

  Minglan was choked again, her face a little embarrassed, and she couldn't speak for a moment.

  Gu Tingyan slowly picked up the teacup and took a sip, his three long fingers steadily holding the tea tray, which he placed on the table before speaking: "It's not easy to arrange a marriage, but it's even harder to call one off. The Qi family is of high social standing, and there's a difference in your generations... any excuse will do, let alone with my own questionable behavior. Your mother has a stubborn temper and refuses to back down, and your father doesn't have the final say either."

  Minglan couldn't help but raise three points of ridicule and smiled faintly: "You're quite clear about yourself."

  No one expected that Gu Tingyan's face was quite thick, and he couldn't hear Minglan's sarcasm at all. He said very seriously: "A person is valuable for having self-awareness, I still have this advantage."

  She couldn't tease him, so Minglan secretly felt depressed and hummed: "It's a pity that it's all in vain."

  "It's okay, it's okay." Gu Ting Ye learned from Ming Lan's tone and also laughed.

  Minglan thought of He Hongwen and felt that it was better to clarify things once and for all today, otherwise there would be endless troubles. After hesitating for a while, she finally gritted her teeth and said: "Then... do you know... do you know about the He family's affairs? My grandmother has already..."

  "I know." Gu Ting Ye quickly interrupted Ming Lan's words, his face pale, but his tone somewhat displeased.

  "Do you know...?!" Minglan was taken aback and stared at him in shock: "Then why are you still...still...still coming to propose?!"

  Gu Tingyan said straightforwardly, "What's it to you? Whom your daughter marries is your family's business, whether or not we propose marriage is our family's business; as for the He family..." His cold face seemed to have a hint of disdain, and he said decisively, "You're not destined to be related to us."

  Minglan's anger reached its peak, and she suddenly stood up straight, coldly laughing three times: "Haha! The Matchmaker's Red Thread Shop is your family's business, isn't it? You say there's no fate, then there's no fate?!"

  Gu Ting Ye burst out laughing, and after his laughter gradually subsided, he looked deeply into Ming Lan's eyes and said slowly: "Fate is something that is half given by heaven and half brought about by one's own good fortune. You're a clever person, you clearly understand what I'm saying, and indeed, you two don't have fate."

  Minglan's smile faded, and her heart sank halfway.

  She had known He Hongwen for a long time, and Old Lady Shen had also intended to marry them off for a long time. After returning to the capital from Youyang for the first time, Old Lady Shen checked He Hongwen's character and talent while also taking a look at several other young men on the side. After careful comparison, she still felt that He Hongwen was the best, and the He family agreed as well. Seeing that both sides were very satisfied, Old Lady Shen planned to arrange this marriage for Minglan first, but who would have known that in the autumn of that year, the "Shen Chen incident" occurred, followed by chaos throughout the capital, with many people losing their heads, and the wedding was delayed.

  Then, the old lady was critically ill, and Sheng Lao Tai Tai went to Yu Yang to visit her, so this matter was delayed again; afterwards, Ming Lan also went to Yu Yang, originally planning to return to Beijing after the old lady's funeral, but unexpectedly the 'Jing Yan Rebellion' broke out, with troops in chaos for thousands of miles and several provinces, until May of Chong De year 2 could they return to Beijing.

  However, upon returning to the capital, he encountered the trouble of Cao's cousin, and the old lady was so angry that she almost died. The marriage was delayed again; then, after twists and turns, it dragged on for half a year until now. Then, Gu Tingyan took over the process, biting the golden axe, and fought his way in.

  To say it's a pity, Minglan thinks that many times it's just fate. To say it's not a pity, if He Hongwen had been more decisive and settled the marriage earlier, Gu Tingye wouldn't have had a chance to intervene. In their constant bickering and calculations, perhaps the affinity between them has already been exhausted.

  Thinking of this, Minglan felt a little melancholy - wait a minute, she suddenly had an idea, and abruptly raised her head, looking at the man in front of her, suspiciously saying: "How do you know so clearly? You... could it be that you also made a move against the He family? And the Cao family...... Ah!"

  There was one thing that Minglan had thought about before, but hadn't thought deeply about. Liangzhou is located in the northwest, and even if a flying horse were to deliver an imperial edict, it would take at least four or five months to arrive in Liangzhou. For a family like the Caos, who have many mouths to feed and little silver, it would take at least twice that amount of time to return to the capital. However, the Caos had almost returned to the capital within a year... unless...

  Gu Tingyan did not deny it either, calmly saying: "That's right. The water transport along the river is what I asked Shi brothers to use a boat to send them back to the capital."

  This time Minglan was so angry that she didn't have the strength, and could only stare at him with her mouth agape. Gu Tingye frowned and retorted, "Do you want the Cao family to come knocking on our door again after we've finalized the engagement with the He family, or even after we're married?!" He actually had the audacity to say, "The sooner this abscess is lanced, the better; I'm doing you a favor."

  Ming Lan sat down abruptly, her mind a complete mess. She looked out the window, then back at Gu Ting Ye and said woodenly: "Thank you."

  Gu Tingyan smiled and replied: "No need to be polite."

  The girl's skin was originally very white, and she didn't like greasy makeup, so she only applied a thin layer of fragrance. The winter sun shone into the hall, making her skin seem as fragile as white rice paper, as if it would break with just one touch. Her raven-black hair was softly scattered with a few strands framing her face, like a cluster of flowers that had just begun to bloom, elegant and beautiful.

  Those eyes, those eyes, Gu Tingyan quietly gazed at her, as if he had liked them for a very long time. Dark and serene like a quiet spring, yet with a strange flame burning within, seemingly anger, seemingly disappointment, alternating between light and darkness, unpredictable and astonishing, making his heart skip a beat, not to mention other things.

  Minglan's mind turned a hundred times, thinking for a long time. The past is already gone, what's important is the future. She adjusted her attitude and smiled slightly at Gu Tingye: "Thank you, Governor, for your kind intentions; but... it's better to say it early. I'm afraid I won't make a good wife, neither virtuous nor obedient, with countless bad habits; please, Governor, think carefully."

  Gu Tingyan smiled slightly: "Things have come to this, Gu Sheng's marriage has long been known to all, your sister still has the surname Wen to marry, what about you? Not to mention that you would rather settle for the He family!"

  Minglan's anger surged, and the various grievances could no longer be tolerated. She stood up suddenly, coldly smiling: "It seems that marrying you is like falling into a vat of honey - everything is perfect, with not a single thing wrong!"

  Gu Tingyan suddenly stood up, his tall and slender figure took a few steps forward, the shadow that followed enveloped Minglan's entire person. Minglan endured and did not retreat half a step. Gu Tingyan smiled proudly and said loudly: "I don't dare say that marrying me is a thousand times better or ten thousand times better, but I dare to swear to heaven that after marrying me, you will never be wronged or stifled again!"

  Minglan grew even angrier, coldly laughing repeatedly: "General Gu, don't think too much, Minglan has grown up in luxury since childhood, how could she be humiliated and oppressed? And it's not like someone else would come to play the hero and rescue me from disaster!"

  Gu Ting Ye didn't get angry, but his deep eyes stared quietly at Ming Lan as he said word by word: "No, you're lying. You've always been stifled, and your life has been one of humiliation. You look down on those stinky rules between legitimate and illegitimate children, yet you have to follow them. You're clearly outstanding in everything, but you're deliberately humble and never dare to show off! That's why you chose a mediocre family like the He family!"

  Minglan was furious, completely unaware that her eyes had turned red. She let out a loud, cold laugh: "Refuse to accept fate?! Everyone in this world has to accept their fate, if they don't... Hmph! The fourth prince of the previous emperor refused to accept his fate, and what happened? A cup of poisonous wine! The sixth prince refused to accept his fate, and was demoted to a common member of the imperial family! The princes of Jing and Tan refused to accept their fate, and now they're all beheaded!... You big men are all like this, let alone me, a small woman! What do I have to lose? If you don't understand this, how can you survive?!

  She doesn't like embroidery, with fine wounds on her fingers. She doesn't like Wang Shi Lin's aunt and Mo Lan. She doesn't like to smile when she's not happy. She doesn't like to pretend to be cute and obedient in front of people she dislikes. She doesn't like that new clothes and good things have to be picked by others first. She doesn't like to pretend to be stupid about all the grievances... There are so many things she doesn't like, but she has to pretend to like them!

  She has no choice but to live on!

  Gu Tingyan took a step forward, not giving an inch, pressing in step by step: "That's right, you're too smart! You're clever, you're transparent, you see everything clearly, so you don't dare take a step beyond the boundary. But in your heart, you can't calm down; you're indignant, you're unwilling, yet you have no choice but to be helpless, you're wronged, you're stifled, and you can only pretend to be stupid, compromise everywhere, and be careful all the time, forcing yourself to be a flawless Sixth Young Lady of the Sheng family!"

  Minglan's whole body trembled, unsure whether it was from anger or fear, a cold sweat broke out on her back, and her fingers dug deep into her palm, as if an old wound that had already scarred over was being ripped open again, revealing a bloody gash that had never fully healed. She wanted to scream loudly, she wanted to cry in pain, but everything got stuck in her throat, standing there, at a loss for what to do next, her eyes welled up with hot tears.

  Ten years of ancient boudoir, half a lifetime of dreams in the past life, she has been pretending for too long, acting too deeply into the play, she has forgotten how to truly cry, forgotten how to recklessly scold with abandon, forgotten that she is not Sheng Minglan, but originally was Yao Yiyi.

  Gu Tingyan saw Minglan's tear-stained face, and his heart also felt inexplicably sour. He took another step forward, bowed deeply, and clasped his hands together in a salute. Lifting his head, his clear voice was tinged with hoarseness, yet every word was distinct: "I have long admired you, I wish to take you as my wife, entrust you with the family's legacy, continue our lineage, and spend the rest of my life with you!"

  In a daze of tears, Minglan only saw Gu Tingye's sincere and earnest face, and for a moment she was at a loss.

  Gu Ting Ye's eyes were filled with expectation, burning and dazzling as he gazed at Ming Lan: "I don't dare say that I'll make you live a life like a fairy, but with me by your side, you will never be wronged! Among men, I am someone to be reckoned with, and among women, you can also be someone to be reckoned with!"

  Every word is like a hammer blow, ringing out loud and clear.

  Minglan was stunned and didn't realize that her face was covered with a layer of coldness, she reached out to touch it and found that it was all tears.

  Because of being awake, it's painful. Because of understanding, it's bleak. Hope is always followed by despair. She doesn't dare to hope, nor does she dare to expect. Everyone else is awake while I'm the only one drunk. It's just wearing shackles and treading on a knife's edge with a foolish smile.

  Damn it! Ancient times!

  Everyone knows, right?