Zhu Dashan joined the army at thirteen. He had barely been on one battlefield when Grand General Wen discovered him, dragged him back, and arranged for him to work as a servant in the Grand Princess's manor, refusing to let someone so young go back to the front lines and die.
So even though he was young, Zhu Dashan knew exactly what battle and slaughter looked like.
He had never personally seen Vice Minister Gu's heroic display when he slew the Left Virtuous King in battle, but he had heard the soldiers who returned talk about it, and thus he held Vice Minister Gu in the highest admiration.
When he heard Doctor Zhu asking about Vice Minister Gu, Zhu Dashan held his teacup, extremely excited, his face full of adoration:
"Vice Minister Gu kicks ass!"
Well, that was as good as approval.
Zhu Qingyu asked again:
"I want to marry Vice Minister Gu. What do you think?"
Zhu Dashan was only thirteen, not yet old enough for marriage. He didn't have a very clear sense of what marriage meant, but since Doctor Zhu said she wanted to marry, that naturally meant it was good. So Zhu Dashan nodded vigorously:
"Awesome!"
Zhu Qingyu nodded:
"You've been studying this long, so you must be thirsty. Drink your tea."
Zhu Dashan, looking a bit dazed, downed his cup in one go.
Since Zhu Dashan had approved of Gu Zhao and had drunk the tea Gu Zhao had offered, the process was complete, the procedure went smoothly—perfect!
So Zhu Qingyu decided: the elders of the Zhu family had given their consent to this match.
With this big matter settled and still feeling drowsy—so much so that her legs felt weak as she went downstairs—Zhu Qingyu took advantage of Gu Zhao's absence to sneak back into the room to catch up on sleep.
As she was drifting in and out of sleep, she heard Gu Zhao's footsteps in the room and the sound of water being poured.
Half-dreaming, half-awake, she thought:
"Oh, the Bath Fiend is bathing in broad daylight again."
Gu Zhao bathed, and Zhu Qingyu slept, and she paid him no mind.
But no sooner had she fallen asleep than Gu Zhao came over and reached out to undo her clothes again.
Someone was being relentless and mischievous again. Without even opening her eyes, Zhu Qingyu slapped his hand away.
Gu Zhao sounded a little aggrieved:
"Get up and bathe before you sleep, or you won't be comfortable. I already got the water ready."
So he'd prepared the water for her after all. Zhu Qingyu opened her eyes.
Gu Zhao was bare-chested, wearing only pants, half-kneeling on the bed, with drops of water still clinging to his body. He coaxed:
"Otherwise the water's going to get cold. Wash now, okay?"
The daylight was just right. With no clothes to hide anything, and because his hair was still in a crew cut, seen from this angle he looked practically like a modern person.
Judging by his age and build, he looked just like a hot college athlete.
The way he busied himself back and forth even made Zhu Qingyu briefly feel as though they had been transported to the modern world, where she was dating a college jock and they were living a cozy domestic life together.
That illusion relaxed her guard, even made her want to sink into it.
She sat up, leaned closer, and reached out to touch Gu Zhao's hair.
Why had he cut his hair like that again? She had wanted to ask last night, but Vice Minister Gu was simply too much of a beast; he had never given her the chance.
Gu Zhao lowered his head to let her touch it, all the while persistently untying her clothes again.
This time Zhu Qingyu didn't stop him. She asked:
"Did your family disagree again, so you went off to become a monk?"
Gu Zhao hummed in acknowledgment, pulled her up, undid her underclothes and skirt, and moved to carry her.
Although a brazier was lit inside, in this weather of early snow, it was still cold. Zhu Qingyu wrapped her arms around his neck and let him lift her.
With nothing between them, pressed together in one embrace, Zhu Qingyu suddenly felt a little melancholy. She asked, her voice muffled:
"When you came this time, when do you have to go back?"
Zhu Qingyu's assignment in this region wasn't done yet. She wouldn't be able to send the first batch of qualified doctors to the various charitable clinics until this time next year. In other words, she wouldn't return to the capital for at least another year.
And Gu Zhao was a vice minister of the Revenue Bureau, whose duties required him to be in the capital on a daily basis. He'd probably taken leave to come here. If he needed to get back before the New Year, he'd only be able to stay in Jiangning a few days before he'd have to leave.
Parting in spring; meeting in winter.
The next time they'd see each other would be another year later.
She'd traveled all this way and still ended up in a long-distance relationship where they only saw each other once a year. What a nightmare.
Gu Zhao lowered her into the warm bath barrel, and he didn't seem eager to face that question head-on either. He answered vaguely:
"I'll see how it goes."
Knowing he was about to leave soon, Zhu Qingyu became much more agreeable with him.
She didn't know how other people did relationships, but Vice Minister Gu seemed to want to seize every second to be pressed against each other.
Actually, so did she.
Gu Zhao also squeezed into the bath. They sat together in the warm water, intertwined, holding each other.
She leaned against his chest, and he lowered his head to kiss her. She lifted her face to meet him.
Lovers lost in the throes of passion are always like this—spellbound, time and space blurring into a haze of pleasure.
Zhu Qingyu couldn't even register when they finished bathing, how they finished, or when they ended up back in bed.
When she next regained clear consciousness, it was past midnight again. They had missed breakfast and lunch, and now dinner too.
Gu Zhao held her. The moment she stirred, he woke as well.
Zhu Qingyu was both exhausted and famished, even more worn out than in the daytime. She warned fiercely:
"Great, we're done for. At this hour, restaurants have closed, and the cooks have gone to bed. Vice Minister Gu, we'll have to go hungry until tomorrow morning. If you don't learn your lesson tonight, and if tomorrow we miss breakfast too, I'll kick you out the door. Go to sleep, no more making trouble."
Making trouble, huh?
As if he was the only one wallowing in pleasure, blissfully unaware of heaven and earth!
At this moment, having gotten a slight taste of contentment and wanting to keep going, Gu Zhao wisely knew better than to argue with Lord Zhu. Instead, he eagerly scrambled up, pulling on clothes as he replied:
"My bad. I'll go find you something to eat."
In the dead of night, Zhu Qingyu genuinely didn't believe that Gu Zhao, unfamiliar as he was with the place, could find any food.
But in less than half a quarter of an hour, Gu Zhao came back first carrying a brass basin of warm water and got a towel to clean her with.
The temperature was just right, as if someone had prepared it in advance, waiting for them to wake up.
Then Gu Zhao brought in a food box. The portion and temperature of the midnight snack were exactly right, too.
Zhu Qingyu sat down at the table, a little stunned at such a thoughtful midnight meal. Something occurred to her. She asked:
"Nanny Qin came?"
Gu Zhao handed her chopsticks, smiling:
"Yeah."
Zhu Qingyu found it strange:
"Why didn't I see her yesterday? Where's she staying?"
Gu Zhao had spent the past couple of days so utterly content and comfortable that his mind had loosened along with his guard. Without thinking, he blurted out:
"At the Viceroy's mansion of the Two Jiangs."
Zhu Qingyu was even more puzzled:
"Why isn't Nanny Qin staying here instead of the viceroy's mansion? Are you very close with the Viceroy of the Two Jiangs? Wait, wasn't the Two Jiangs viceroy position left vacant and unfilled?"
Gu Zhao's chopsticks froze. Regret struck him, but it was too late to cover it up.
Zhu Qingyu had already pieced it together:
"You've been appointed as the new Two Jiangs Viceroy?"
Since he was being transferred to the post of Governor-General of the Two Rivers, why didn’t he say so earlier? She had thought he was about to return to the capital at once!
Gu Zhao put on his warmest, most gentle smile, trying to slip by with charm:
“Right, there wasn’t time to tell you.”
Wasn’t time to tell her? Or did he simply choose not to say?
Heh. Heh.
Zhu Qingyu smiled without a word, suppressing her irritation for the moment.
When Gu Zhao had delivered the food box and went to come back in, he found that Lord Zhu had already shut the bedroom door, closed to visitors.
Gu Zhao pleaded pitifully:
“Qingyu, let me in.”
Zhu Qingyu, who had long been satisfied to the point of excess and now discarded him the moment she was done, remained unmoved and said with a heart of stone:
“Go back to your Governor-General’s mansion. I have to see patients tomorrow—don’t you dare disturb my sleep!”
