Her reply came too easily, too lightly—so lightly it hardly seemed real that Gu Zhao didn't react at first, wondering if he'd misheard.
Did she say yes?
Was she agreeing to him?
Gu Zhao barely dared to move, his voice so soft as if afraid of scaring her off, as he asked:
“Qingyu, did you just say—yes?”
Zhu Qingyu stood on her tiptoes, her lips brushing lightly against the corner of his mouth, then stepped back with a smile:
“Yes, I said yes. But—”
How could there be a “but” at a moment like this?!
Absolutely not!
Even if she were a celestial maiden from the heavens, it wouldn't be allowed!
Gu Zhao was frantic with worry, quickly stepped forward again, took her hand, and said urgently:
“No buts! You already said yes! I heard it! You can't take it back, and you can't say 'but'!”
Zhu Qingyu's smile faded, and she looked at him seriously and solemnly:
“Shouming, listen to me carefully. I need to talk to you about the difficulties and the price we'll face.”
Like a sword hanging overhead about to fall, because of her “but,” Gu Zhao felt his breath stop.
Was she about to say it? Was she a celestial maiden who came from the heavens, and would she be punished for marrying a mortal?
If that were the case—if that were truly the case—
Gu Zhao thought to himself that he would rather live out his life alone than let her suffer any punishment.
Zhu Qingyu said:
“But I can make my own decisions about my marriage. Can you decide yours? Shouming, the elders in your family won't agree to this decision of yours. Only if they agree can we begin. If you can't get their consent, you can fight for it if you wish—but you can't make anyone else pay the price for us, especially the Zhang family. Zhang Jingyan is very important to me; she is my family. If the Zhang family is harmed in any way, then we end this here.”
Gu Zhao had been bracing himself to face the thunderous wrath of heaven and the gods, and yet—this was it?
Because it was so completely different from what he'd imagined, Gu Zhao even asked in confusion:
“Huh?”
“Huh” what? What kind of attitude was that?
Zhu Qingyu became even more serious:
“I'm telling you this in all sincerity. If your elders don't agree, we don't have to force it. Just you and I—heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know—we don't necessarily need a worldly marriage.”
How could that be acceptable!
Gu Zhao was agitated:
“What do you mean 'heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know'? No name, no status—do you want me to be your secret lover? Don't even think about it, Zhu Qingyu! I want a proper marriage with full rites, known to all the world! As for my elders, I'll make them agree. And as for you and Zhang Jingyan—even if you're not truly husband and wife, you still need to divorce him. Letting him hold the title of your husband—I won't stand for it!”
Of course she would divorce him. It had been for mutual cover before, agreed upon by all, and nothing real.
But now, since her heart already belonged to another—even if she and Gu Zhao couldn't be together—she shouldn't keep the title of Zhang Shen's wife any longer. It wouldn't be fair to Zhang Shen, and it wouldn't be fair to Gu Zhao either.
Zhu Qingyu replied:
“I will divorce Zhang Jingyan. But the Zhang family must not suffer even a hint of harm because of us, and your elders must also agree to our marriage. These are my two conditions. Only when both are met can we begin. Can you do it?”
Hearing her put the Zhang family first time and again, Gu Zhao felt a pang of jealousy, and a sour look crept onto his face:
“I can. But why are you so good to Zhang Jingyan? Better than you are to me. In your heart, do you love him more than me?”
Oh, those weren't the same kind of feelings at all—how could they even be compared? Gu Zhao didn't even know what he was comparing.
If she didn't make it clear to him, he'd keep overthinking it, always staying hostile toward Zhang Shen.
Zhu Qingyu reached out and lifted the corners of his mouth, which had drooped from unhappiness, and replied:
“Back then, Zhang Jingyan married me to give me the protection of a married identity. It was his kindness. The false ledger Zhang Jingyan wrote to report Zhao Shiyuan—he did it because Zhao Shiyuan wanted to marry me as his concubine. Zhang Jingyan did it to bring him down and protect me, and it even landed him in prison. To me, Zhang Jingyan is my closest kin. Do you understand, Shouming?”
Gu Zhao not only understood—he was somewhat shaken by it, so much so that he just stared at Zhu Qingyu, momentarily unable to speak.
Why Zhang Shen had made that false ledger, he'd never actually bothered to wonder. But it turned out it had been for her.
Now Gu Zhao finally understood why Zhu Qingyu had fought with such desperate effort, giving everything to save Zhang Jingyan back then—not out of marital love, but because she felt she owed him, because Zhang Jingyan had once given everything for her too.
As the two were talking, Xie Ze appeared furtively at the door, even clearing his throat in a transparent attempt to hide his presence:
“Ahem, well—I'd like to mention that Grand General Wen and the Eldest Grand Princess have arrived. They're waiting in the consultation room and have been for a while. It wouldn't be good to keep them waiting any longer, would it?”
For the Grand General Wen and the Eldest Grand Princess to arrive at the same time, something major must be happening. Zhu Qingyu and Gu Zhao set aside their personal matters for now and hurried to the consultation room.
When they arrived, Grand General Wen indeed had official business with Gu Zhao. He took out a memorial and said:
“Lord Gu, this great victory at Jiufeng Mountain needs to be reported to the court. Let's look at how to draft this memorial together. In the next few days, we should send it by express relay at eight hundred li per day to get the memorial to the capital as soon as possible.”
The Eldest Grand Princess, meanwhile, had come specifically to see Zhu Qingyu. She even found a place to speak with her privately and asked:
“Lady Zhu, once this epidemic is brought under control, what plans do you have for the future? The position of Director of the Imperial Medical Academy is currently vacant. If you're interested, I could recommend you for it.”
Although the Director of the Imperial Medical Academy was already the highest post in the academy, after treating the emperor during this illness, Zhu Qingyu had seen enough of court intrigue to be utterly weary of it. She had no interest whatsoever in the position.
So Zhu Qingyu replied:
“Thank you, Your Highness, for thinking of me. But serving the nobles and dignitaries in the Imperial Medical Academy is truly not what I wish for. I've heard the court is promoting the Huiyi Bureau. If possible, I would like to enter the Huiyi Bureau, to practice medicine and benefit the common people, letting ordinary folks see a doctor for just twenty wen—that would be my wish.”
The Eldest Grand Princess nodded:
“Lady Zhu is someone with great aspirations, and you have rendered great service to the northern frontier. I deeply admire you and would gladly help you. But may I ask—which position in the Huiyi Bureau have you set your sights on?”
On this topic, Zhu Qingyu didn't know much about the ins and outs of promotions, so she hesitated:
“I'm currently sixth rank. If I were to aim for the fifth-rank post of Bureau Deputy, I wonder if that's possible? Jumping two ranks, wouldn't that be too much?”
The Eldest Grand Princess smiled:
“It is indeed too little. A mere Bureau Deputy would be constrained by superiors at every turn—how could that let you achieve what you wish, Lady Zhu? You have merit for saving the emperor and merit for quelling the epidemic. Look across the realm—which physician can match even a fraction of your skill? Don't sell yourself short, my lady. In my view, the third-rank post of Director of the Huiyi Bureau is what befits you.”
