Gold Ingot the Size of an Egg! (Part Three)
The sight of the bustling streets in the capital filled people with a sense of yearning.
Standing at one end of the long street and looking toward the other, there was an endless sea of lanterns, which created a beautiful scene.
Yu Fu walked side by side with Gu ShuBai at the front, while Gu Xiang and Gu Yi followed behind them. At the very back of the group were Yan Zheng and a few soldiers.
Of course, these soldiers were dressed in civilian clothes. If they did not, who knows just how much attention they would draw on such a crowded street.
Gu Yi looked back then moved to Gu Xiang’s side, “Look at them. What the point of them wearing civilian clothes? It’s immediately clear that they’re soldiers. They’re standing as straight as planks.”
Gu Xiang snuck a look back and could not hold back his laughter: “It’s true. Look at how careful Yan Zheng is. It’s as if there are assassins all around us.”
What a joke. With Gu ShuBai personally taking the lead and with he and Gu Yi helping out, could it be that they would be unable to protect Yu Fu?
If not for Huo ShanJing being so chatty, they could not have needed to bring Yan Zheng along!
“Eldest brother, look. There are so many people.”
Occasionally, pedestrians might get too close, and Gu ShuBai would move to use his arms to pull Yu Fu into his embrace, shielding her from the people passing by.
When the two came close, his chin happened to brush against her head. When Yu Fu lifted her head, she could clearly see the concern in his eyes.
With eyes that shone like stars and were filled with kindness, it felt as if he did not see anyone aside from her.
Yu Fu’s face turned slightly red, as her chest began to beat like a drum that was following a rapid beat.
Gu Yi stretched his arms and legs, resigning himself to being bumped into by others, “Gu Xiang, I’ve suddenly started to miss the tomboy. If she was here, I could also protect her.”
Gu Xiang rolled his eyes, “What? Now that you have both been paired up, you’re ganging up to bully me?”
With a whooshing sound, a person’s figure suddenly rushed to the front and stood in front of Yu Fu.
“Move aside. Hey, I’m talking to you. Move a little to the side!”
Yan Zheng was tall and large. With his bearing as a soldier, anyone who saw him ferociously standing in front of Yu Fu would go around.
There was no longer any need for Gu ShuBai to shield Yu Fu with his body, but he seemed to be a little displeased.
He never should have listened to Huo ShanJin and brought this rash person along…
Yan Zheng turned back and smiled at Yu Fu, “Young miss, don’t worry. With me here, nobody will be able to bump into young miss!”
On that day, he had rushed back to Marquis Gu’s Manor while forcing himself to endure and stay awake, never daring to stop and rest. The first person that he saw was Yu Fu.
When he woke up, he was lying down in one of the Western Wing’s side rooms. A young maidservant was in the middle of feeding him his medicine.
It was only then that he knew that Yu Fu had saved him. She had treated the poison afflicting him and left medicine for Yao Lan to feed to him every day to get rid of any lingering poison.
The grace of saving his life was something that he had been unable to repay. Now that he finally had the chance to protect Yu Fu, he would definitely do a good job!
“Oh, thank you.”
Yu Fu helplessly stood behind him. Seeing Gu ShuBai glare daggers at Yan Zheng, she let out a laugh.
“Hey, isn’t that ShuBai’s group?”
On the third floor of a building further down the street, the second prince stood next to the railing and looked down at the crowd.
It was not just the civilians who liked going out at night during the Lantern Festival to look at the various lanterns, as quite a few young sirs and young misses from noble families would also go out to play.
He had sent someone early to reserve the third floor of this restaurant for the sake of not needing to mingle with the crowd and happily take in the scenery at night.
“Where?”
Princess DanYang walked up from behind him and followed the second prince’s finger and looked where he was pointing. Sure enough, she immediately saw Gu ShuBai in the crowd.
His tall body was slim and graceful, and his bearing was lofty. He was as graceful as the clouds above the mountain peaks and as refined as the scented Solomon’s-seal.
No matter where she went, she would always be able to find him.
“Gu Xiang and Gu Yi are also there. Huh, the girl at his side is… Yu Fu?”
Princess DanYang did not dare believe it, as she leaned against the railing to look. Furrowing her brow, she asked, “Second brother, is that Yu Fu? How did she become so beautiful? It looks as though she grew up overnight?”
The second prince looked at Yu Fu, his pupils slightly constricting. Who knew what he was thinking.
After a long period of time, he finally said: “She was always very beautiful. It’s just that she did not catch people’s attention because she was young, but have you ever seen any girl who is as beautiful as her? Girls at that age grow quickly, and it’s already been three months since you last saw her at Lord Marquis Gu’s birthday celebration. It’s natural that there would be a great deal of change.”
Princess DanYang faintly snorted and turned away to ignore him.
He was clearly poking at a sore spot by bringing that up. He clearly knew that the announcement of Gu ShuBai and Yu Fu’s engagement at Gu HuaiJiang’s birthday banquet was something of a sore spot for her, yet he still chose to poke at it!
The second prince also seemed to realize that he had said something wrong and hastily tried to make up for it, “Dear little sister, it was I who misspoke, so just forgive second brother, alright? I know that you are still thinking about Gu ShuBai, so second brother will go and invite them up. How does that sound for an apology?”
After saying this, he raised his hand and had a personal guard go and invite Gu ShuBai’s group.
Princess DanYang turned her head, but that person had already disappeared.
She anxiously said: “Who’s still thinking about him? Since he won’t marry me, what would I still think about him for? Everyone knew that I used to like him, so how awkward would it be for me if you invited him up here?”
The second prince lightly chuckled, “Who said that he won’t marry you? Though Lord Marquis Gu openly expressed that he wants to have him marry Yu Fu, I heard that Immortals Valley did not agree. They also haven’t exchanged keepsakes. The rites for the engagement have not yet been completed. Who dares to say that he will definitely marry Yu Fu?”
Princess DanYang fell silent. Thinking back to the day of Gu HuaiJiang’s birthday banquet, this did indeed seem to be the case.
Her complexion recovered slightly, as she could not stop herself from smiling, “Alright, if that’s the case, seeing them can’t be helped. For the sake of having father Emperor announce second brother as the crown prince, we can’t distance ourselves from Marquis Gu’s Manor.”
An understanding smile appeared in the second prince’s eyes.
He understood his little sister better than anyone else.
She might say that she does not want to see Gu ShuBai since he got engaged, but she still liked him. As long as there was the slightest chance that she could marry him, she would not let go of it.
Girls, they really were unable to get past their feelings.
There was no shortage of young couples walking about. The girls, with sweet smiles on their faces, held lanterns given to them by their lover.
Passing by a small stall that sold lanterns, Gu ShuBai asked: “Yu Fu, I’ll buy a small and cute one for you to hold. What do you think?”
Yu Fu followed his gaze and took a look. This small stall had many beautiful lanterns. They were all hanging from a bamboo rack to the side.
She stood at the foot of the bamboo rack and looked up, resting a finger on her chin, “I can only get one, but these are all so beautiful…”
The lanterns sold in the street stalls were all handcrafted, unlike the ones in the manor.
Though the lanterns in the manor were of exceptional quality, they were made to be displayed, thus there was a limit to the shapes that could be made, and they were all patterns that symbolized prosperity and auspiciousness.
The ones made by the stalls were not as fine, but the variety of patterns dazzled Yu Fu.
Gu ShuBai stood behind her and waited for her to slowly decide, “If you buy more, would you be able to hold all of them?”
Yu Fu also thought this to be true. If she held two lanterns, she would not have an unoccupied hand. Gu ShuBai and the others would have their hands free, but it would not be good to have a bunch of grown men holding these sorts of things meant for younger girls.
“Then I’ll choose that lantern of the puppy!”
She pointed at a lantern with a charming white puppy, and Gu ShuBai immediately understood why she chose it.
Did this and Pang Jiu, the puppy that she was raising, not look exactly the same?
The owner of the stall was an old man with a kind countenance, and he brought down the lantern with the puppy on it for her.
“Many thanks, young miss, for the kind words. All of these lanterns were made by this old man. If young miss likes it, you can have it. I won’t take your money.”
Yu Fu received the lantern but hastily waved her hand upon hearing this, “No, no, money must be paid.”
The old man smiled and said: “To have young miss carry a lantern that I made is an honor. Also, if others were to see such a beautiful young miss holding a lantern that I made, they will definitely rush to come and buy one.”
Yu Fu was worried that this old man would not take her money and quickly reached for the purse hanging at her hip but only felt a few gems that she kept to play with. There was no silver or copper.
For someone who almost never went out, where would they carry silver?
Yan Zheng was about to rush forward to hand over some silver but had a corner of his clothes grabbed by Gu Xiang, “Don’t go up and add to the trouble. Do you still want to find a young wife or not?”
Handing over silver and wanting to find a young wife, how were they connected?
Yu Fu could not find any silver and turned somewhat awkwardly to tug at the hem of Gu ShuBai’s clothes.
“Eldest brother, did you bring any money?”
It was Gu ShuBai who had mentioned wanting to buy her a lantern. Seeing Yu Fu unable to find any money but not make a sound, he wanted to see if she would turn to him for help.
Fortunately, the one that Yu Fu looked to was him and not Gu Xiang, Gu Yi, or Yan Zheng.
This made him feel satisfied.
“I did.”
He happily extended a hand to the old man, and something hard rolled into the old man’s sleeve.
Gu ShuBai nodded to him, “There are many people outside tonight. Elder sir should take a look after getting home. The winter days are cold, so go back early to rest.”
The old man did not understand what this meant. When Gu ShuBai’s group left, he could not control his curiosity and pulled the hard object out of his sleeve…
Heavens, it was a gold ingot the size of an egg!
Gold Ingot the Size of an Egg! (Part Three)
The sight of the bustling streets in the capital filled people with a sense of yearning.
Standing at one end of the long street and looking toward the other, there was an endless sea of lanterns, which created a beautiful scene.
Yu Fu walked side by side with Gu ShuBai at the front, while Gu Xiang and Gu Yi followed behind them. At the very back of the group were Yan Zheng and a few soldiers.
Of course, these soldiers were dressed in civilian clothes. If they did not, who knows just how much attention they would draw on such a crowded street.
Gu Yi looked back then moved to Gu Xiang’s side, “Look at them. What the point of them wearing civilian clothes? It’s immediately clear that they’re soldiers. They’re standing as straight as planks.”
Gu Xiang snuck a look back and could not hold back his laughter: “It’s true. Look at how careful Yan Zheng is. It’s as if there are assassins all around us.”
What a joke. With Gu ShuBai personally taking the lead and with he and Gu Yi helping out, could it be that they would be unable to protect Yu Fu?
If not for Huo ShanJing being so chatty, they could not have needed to bring Yan Zheng along!
“Eldest brother, look. There are so many people.”
Occasionally, pedestrians might get too close, and Gu ShuBai would move to use his arms to pull Yu Fu into his embrace, shielding her from the people passing by.
When the two came close, his chin happened to brush against her head. When Yu Fu lifted her head, she could clearly see the concern in his eyes.
With eyes that shone like stars and were filled with kindness, it felt as if he did not see anyone aside from her.
Yu Fu’s face turned slightly red, as her chest began to beat like a drum that was following a rapid beat.
Gu Yi stretched his arms and legs, resigning himself to being bumped into by others, “Gu Xiang, I’ve suddenly started to miss the tomboy. If she was here, I could also protect her.”
Gu Xiang rolled his eyes, “What? Now that you have both been paired up, you’re ganging up to bully me?”
With a whooshing sound, a person’s figure suddenly rushed to the front and stood in front of Yu Fu.
“Move aside. Hey, I’m talking to you. Move a little to the side!”
Yan Zheng was tall and large. With his bearing as a soldier, anyone who saw him ferociously standing in front of Yu Fu would go around.
There was no longer any need for Gu ShuBai to shield Yu Fu with his body, but he seemed to be a little displeased.
He never should have listened to Huo ShanJin and brought this rash person along…
Yan Zheng turned back and smiled at Yu Fu, “Young miss, don’t worry. With me here, nobody will be able to bump into young miss!”
On that day, he had rushed back to Marquis Gu’s Manor while forcing himself to endure and stay awake, never daring to stop and rest. The first person that he saw was Yu Fu.
When he woke up, he was lying down in one of the Western Wing’s side rooms. A young maidservant was in the middle of feeding him his medicine.
It was only then that he knew that Yu Fu had saved him. She had treated the poison afflicting him and left medicine for Yao Lan to feed to him every day to get rid of any lingering poison.
The grace of saving his life was something that he had been unable to repay. Now that he finally had the chance to protect Yu Fu, he would definitely do a good job!
“Oh, thank you.”
Yu Fu helplessly stood behind him. Seeing Gu ShuBai glare daggers at Yan Zheng, she let out a laugh.
“Hey, isn’t that ShuBai’s group?”
On the third floor of a building further down the street, the second prince stood next to the railing and looked down at the crowd.
It was not just the civilians who liked going out at night during the Lantern Festival to look at the various lanterns, as quite a few young sirs and young misses from noble families would also go out to play.
He had sent someone early to reserve the third floor of this restaurant for the sake of not needing to mingle with the crowd and happily take in the scenery at night.
“Where?”
Princess DanYang walked up from behind him and followed the second prince’s finger and looked where he was pointing. Sure enough, she immediately saw Gu ShuBai in the crowd.
His tall body was slim and graceful, and his bearing was lofty. He was as graceful as the clouds above the mountain peaks and as refined as the scented Solomon’s-seal.
No matter where she went, she would always be able to find him.
“Gu Xiang and Gu Yi are also there. Huh, the girl at his side is… Yu Fu?”
Princess DanYang did not dare believe it, as she leaned against the railing to look. Furrowing her brow, she asked, “Second brother, is that Yu Fu? How did she become so beautiful? It looks as though she grew up overnight?”
The second prince looked at Yu Fu, his pupils slightly constricting. Who knew what he was thinking.
After a long period of time, he finally said: “She was always very beautiful. It’s just that she did not catch people’s attention because she was young, but have you ever seen any girl who is as beautiful as her? Girls at that age grow quickly, and it’s already been three months since you last saw her at Lord Marquis Gu’s birthday celebration. It’s natural that there would be a great deal of change.”
Princess DanYang faintly snorted and turned away to ignore him.
He was clearly poking at a sore spot by bringing that up. He clearly knew that the announcement of Gu ShuBai and Yu Fu’s engagement at Gu HuaiJiang’s birthday banquet was something of a sore spot for her, yet he still chose to poke at it!
The second prince also seemed to realize that he had said something wrong and hastily tried to make up for it, “Dear little sister, it was I who misspoke, so just forgive second brother, alright? I know that you are still thinking about Gu ShuBai, so second brother will go and invite them up. How does that sound for an apology?”
After saying this, he raised his hand and had a personal guard go and invite Gu ShuBai’s group.
Princess DanYang turned her head, but that person had already disappeared.
She anxiously said: “Who’s still thinking about him? Since he won’t marry me, what would I still think about him for? Everyone knew that I used to like him, so how awkward would it be for me if you invited him up here?”
The second prince lightly chuckled, “Who said that he won’t marry you? Though Lord Marquis Gu openly expressed that he wants to have him marry Yu Fu, I heard that Immortals Valley did not agree. They also haven’t exchanged keepsakes. The rites for the engagement have not yet been completed. Who dares to say that he will definitely marry Yu Fu?”
Princess DanYang fell silent. Thinking back to the day of Gu HuaiJiang’s birthday banquet, this did indeed seem to be the case.
Her complexion recovered slightly, as she could not stop herself from smiling, “Alright, if that’s the case, seeing them can’t be helped. For the sake of having father Emperor announce second brother as the crown prince, we can’t distance ourselves from Marquis Gu’s Manor.”
An understanding smile appeared in the second prince’s eyes.
He understood his little sister better than anyone else.
She might say that she does not want to see Gu ShuBai since he got engaged, but she still liked him. As long as there was the slightest chance that she could marry him, she would not let go of it.
Girls, they really were unable to get past their feelings.
There was no shortage of young couples walking about. The girls, with sweet smiles on their faces, held lanterns given to them by their lover.
Passing by a small stall that sold lanterns, Gu ShuBai asked: “Yu Fu, I’ll buy a small and cute one for you to hold. What do you think?”
Yu Fu followed his gaze and took a look. This small stall had many beautiful lanterns. They were all hanging from a bamboo rack to the side.
She stood at the foot of the bamboo rack and looked up, resting a finger on her chin, “I can only get one, but these are all so beautiful…”
The lanterns sold in the street stalls were all handcrafted, unlike the ones in the manor.
Though the lanterns in the manor were of exceptional quality, they were made to be displayed, thus there was a limit to the shapes that could be made, and they were all patterns that symbolized prosperity and auspiciousness.
The ones made by the stalls were not as fine, but the variety of patterns dazzled Yu Fu.
Gu ShuBai stood behind her and waited for her to slowly decide, “If you buy more, would you be able to hold all of them?”
Yu Fu also thought this to be true. If she held two lanterns, she would not have an unoccupied hand. Gu ShuBai and the others would have their hands free, but it would not be good to have a bunch of grown men holding these sorts of things meant for younger girls.
“Then I’ll choose that lantern of the puppy!”
She pointed at a lantern with a charming white puppy, and Gu ShuBai immediately understood why she chose it.
Did this and Pang Jiu, the puppy that she was raising, not look exactly the same?
The owner of the stall was an old man with a kind countenance, and he brought down the lantern with the puppy on it for her.
“Many thanks, young miss, for the kind words. All of these lanterns were made by this old man. If young miss likes it, you can have it. I won’t take your money.”
Yu Fu received the lantern but hastily waved her hand upon hearing this, “No, no, money must be paid.”
The old man smiled and said: “To have young miss carry a lantern that I made is an honor. Also, if others were to see such a beautiful young miss holding a lantern that I made, they will definitely rush to come and buy one.”
Yu Fu was worried that this old man would not take her money and quickly reached for the purse hanging at her hip but only felt a few gems that she kept to play with. There was no silver or copper.
For someone who almost never went out, where would they carry silver?
Yan Zheng was about to rush forward to hand over some silver but had a corner of his clothes grabbed by Gu Xiang, “Don’t go up and add to the trouble. Do you still want to find a young wife or not?”
Handing over silver and wanting to find a young wife, how were they connected?
Yu Fu could not find any silver and turned somewhat awkwardly to tug at the hem of Gu ShuBai’s clothes.
“Eldest brother, did you bring any money?”
It was Gu ShuBai who had mentioned wanting to buy her a lantern. Seeing Yu Fu unable to find any money but not make a sound, he wanted to see if she would turn to him for help.
Fortunately, the one that Yu Fu looked to was him and not Gu Xiang, Gu Yi, or Yan Zheng.
This made him feel satisfied.
“I did.”
He happily extended a hand to the old man, and something hard rolled into the old man’s sleeve.
Gu ShuBai nodded to him, “There are many people outside tonight. Elder sir should take a look after getting home. The winter days are cold, so go back early to rest.”
The old man did not understand what this meant. When Gu ShuBai’s group left, he could not control his curiosity and pulled the hard object out of his sleeve…
Heavens, it was a gold ingot the size of an egg!
