Gu Shen'an: “The princess saved my life. Naturally, this life of mine belongs to you, and so does all my money.”
Rongyao: “Is that really all right?”
Gu Shen'an’s usually cool face held a trace of loneliness. Lowering his eyes, he said, “So the princess despises my money after all.”
Rongyao hurriedly shook her head. “Of course not! I like it very much! I love money most of all!”
Gu Shen'an raised his head, his refined and handsome face glowing like warm spring sunshine. “Then I beg Your Highness to spend my money. That you are willing to spend it is the greatest good fortune of my life.”
Looking at Gu Shen'an’s sincere and handsome face, Rongyao was stunned. She could not take her eyes off him.
Gu Shen'an was such a fool. Why did he like giving money to other people?
Gu Shen'an really was wonderful. He had been an excellent person in her previous life, and he was just as wonderful in this one. She truly had not been wrong about him—Gu Shen'an was a genuinely kind man.
As the Grand Princess, she would protect him even more from now on.
Gu Shen'an belonged to her now!
No one was allowed to bully him!
Not even those few imperial brothers of hers!
“Does the princess still disdain spending my money?” Gu Shen'an asked, lowering his head and speaking in a slightly dejected voice.
Rongyao came back to herself and hurriedly said, “Since you mean it so sincerely, I’ll make sure to spend plenty of your money from now on!”
“Thank you, Princess.” Gu Shen'an’s voice was filled with delight.
Seeing how genuinely happy Gu Shen'an was, Rongyao was happy too.
How fortunate she was to have met Gu Shen'an. She loved spending money, hoarding grain, buying land, farming, and supporting people, while Gu Shen'an loved giving money away. He really was a gift from Heaven meant for her!
“We still have to leave the palace later. Let’s hurry and send the trunks back to the Palace of Eternal Joy,” Rongyao urged Gu Shen'an.
Gu Shen'an replied gently, “All right. I just wonder what Your Highness plans to do outside the palace, and who will be accompanying you?”
Rongyao: “Wu Wanning. She’s accompanying me and said she’d take me out for something delicious.”
Gu Shen'an lowered his head. “I’m truly envious of Miss Wu. She actually won Your Highness’s favor and gets to accompany you out of the palace.”
Rongyao looked at him and asked hesitantly, “Would you like to come with me, then?”
Gu Shen'an lifted his head. His eyes shone as he looked at Rongyao. “May I?”
Rongyao: “Of course. You’ve been so good to me, so naturally you can come with me.”
Gu Shen'an: “Thank you, Princess! I promise I’ll protect you!”
When they arrived at the Palace of Eternal Joy, Noble Consort Cui was not there. She had gone to the Empress’s Palace of Phoenix Grace to pay her respects.
As Gu Shen'an was a man from outside the palace, he could not enter the Palace of Eternal Joy. Rongyao called Hongyu out and ordered her to move the trunks into her room.
After the trunks had been put away, Rongyao did not open them. She simply ran out of the room and left the Palace of Eternal Joy with Hongyu.
Sure enough, Gu Shen'an was still waiting where he had been.
“Gu Shen'an! Let’s go!”
“All right!”
With the token that allowed her to leave the palace in hand, Rongyao passed smoothly through the palace gates.
Wu Wanning was indeed waiting for her there.
Wu Wanning was twelve years old that year and very tall—she was almost a full head taller than Rongyao. Not only that, but her strength was beyond anything ordinary people could match. If she ran into anyone looking for trouble, she could grab one in each hand.
Though Wu Wanning possessed extraordinary strength, it was not easy for others to tell. She was tall, but not especially broad, and her face was cool and composed. Anyone who saw her would probably assume she was a well-bred young lady from a respectable household, someone who knew all the proper rules.
But the moment she saw Rongyao, her frosty expression broke apart. She hurried over and called, “Rongrong! You’re finally here! I thought something had happened in the palace and that you wouldn’t be able to leave!”
The two of them had long since agreed that whenever they left the palace, Wu Wanning would call Rongyao “Rongrong” rather than “Princess,” so that her identity would not be exposed.
In private, Wu Wanning often called Rongyao “Rongrong” as well.
Rongyao, meanwhile, called Wu Wanning “Strongman.”
Yes, Strongman.
That was the courtesy name Wu Wanning had chosen for herself: Strongman.
Wu Wanning had begged Rongyao to call her that.
Rongyao felt she ought to respect Wu Wanning’s wishes, so she had no choice but to comply.
It was only after Wu Wanning came closer that she noticed there was someone besides Hongyu behind Princess Fuxi.
Gu Shen'an!
Wu Wanning’s brows drew together sharply. She stepped in front of Rongyao and asked, “Fourth Young Master of the Gu family, what are you doing here?”
Gu Shen'an: “The princess is leaving the palace, so naturally she needs a guard.”
Wu Wanning: “Why would she need you? I’m all she needs!”
Gu Shen'an lowered his head. “I just wanted to take a trip outside the palace.”
Wu Wanning widened her eyes as she stared at the inexplicable Gu Shen'an before her.
What was wrong with this man? Shouldn’t he be arguing with her as he always had, leaving her speechless? How could he already be giving up after only a few words today?
“Strongman! I invited him to come with us,” Rongyao said.
Wu Wanning: “Why did you invite him?”
Rongyao: “Why shouldn’t I? He gave me an excellent birthday gift. He’s a very good person.”
Wu Wanning: “Every time he gives you a trunk, it’s heavy—extremely heavy. It must be filled with rocks! And you still think he’s a good person?”
Rongyao: “…”
Wu Wanning was indeed extremely true to her word. In the past, she had lost a martial contest to Gu Shen'an and promised not to open the trunks or ask what was inside. She had never looked inside them, nor had she ever asked about them.
Rongyao: “They aren’t filled with rocks. They contain something excellent. Besides, we’re classmates, so naturally we can leave the palace together.”
Wu Wanning reluctantly glared at Gu Shen'an, keeping a wary eye on him at all times.
She would never believe what the princess said. The princess must have been deceived by Gu Shen'an. How could Gu Shen'an possibly give the princess anything good?
Everyone knew that this Gu Shen'an was a famous pauper in the capital.
Whenever he ate with others, someone else always paid.
He never spent a single copper.
Even if someone tore his clothes, he would demand compensation from them.
He had no shame and absolutely no bottom line!
Many of the capital’s noble young masters were unwilling to dine with him because he never took the initiative to pay. He always freeloaded off others.
She even suspected that Gu Shen'an had come out with the princess today simply to mooch a meal.
How could the son of a respectable Duke’s residence be so poor? She truly could not understand it. She really could not.
Just look at the other young masters of the Duke’s household. Every one of them was generous and polished. How could he be anything like them? He did not even have any friends!
The three of them went to the Hundred Fragrances Restaurant.
Wu Wanning had already reserved a private room.
Rongyao and Wu Wanning both loved to eat, so naturally they would not let themselves go hungry. They planned to fill their stomachs first before going anywhere else.
The three of them got out of the carriage and entered the Hundred Fragrances Restaurant. They found the manager and asked about the private room Wu Wanning had reserved.
They were then informed that someone else had taken it.
Wu Wanning’s expression darkened as she questioned the manager. “Why? Why did you give my private room to someone else?”
The manager replied, “The person who came is the daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites. She said that you two are like sisters from the same family and don’t need to distinguish between what belongs to whom.”
Wu Wanning’s face flushed purple with anger. “That private room is mine! Throw her out!”
The manager grew anxious as well. “Since you know each other and are practically sisters, couldn’t you dine together?”
Wu Wanning: “Impossible! Just seeing her ruins my appetite! If you can’t throw her out, then find us another private room.”
The manager said helplessly, “The restaurant is packed today. We don’t have anywhere else available.”
Wu Wanning was so furious that her teeth ached, and the veins on the back of her hand stood out as she clenched her fist. She turned to Rongyao and asked, “Why don’t we eat somewhere else?”
