Gu Zhao had engaged in verbal sparring with many people in the imperial court, and he rarely lost.
But he never imagined that one day, in bed with a young woman with whom he shared physical intimacy, they would not be whispering sweet nothings, but rather debating court politics and discussing merits and faults.
Even less did he expect that he, a dignified noble and a powerful second-rank official, would one day be utterly eclipsed in a woman's heart by a mere commoner, and lose so tragically.
This commoner was currently imprisoned, hardly even treated as a human being anymore.
She practically elevated Zhang Jingyan to the heavens. In her heart, Zhang Jingyan was a good man, a gentleman, a true man, a great hero who rid the people of evil, and the husband she would sacrifice her own life to save.
Meanwhile, she practically trampled him into the dust. To her, he, Gu Zhao, was nothing but a bad person, a villain who had to rely on coercion and bribery to force her to stay.
What exactly had Zhang Jingyan done to make her turn a blind eye to his crimes, invert black and white, and be so dead set on him?
And what about all that he, Gu Zhao, had done for her? Why was she completely blind to it?
Her heart and eyes were filled only with Zhang Jingyan. Zhang Jingyan was her everything, while in her heart, he feared there was not even the slightest corner for him to reside.
From childhood, Gu Zhao had always been surrounded by admirers like the moon surrounded by stars, always looking down at the masses from the highest clouds. Even during the years when Noble Consort Gao was at the height of her power, no one dared to humiliate him to his face like this.
Yet this audacious young woman, relying on his love for her, dared to be so reckless, tormenting his heart.
His heart, which she had ruthlessly trampled, heaved violently with anger and pain. Gu Zhao laughed out of extreme fury and said:
Zhu Qingyu, he is the best man in the world, and I am the worst scoundrel, is that it? Hah, why do I even bother? I really should have just...
Halfway through his sentence, Gu Zhao suddenly stopped and gave a self-deprecating smile.
Forget it, what was the point of saying it? She did not care anyway. Why should he bring humiliation upon himself and lower his status to compete with a mere merchant?
After Gu Zhao finished speaking, he glanced at her again. The more he looked, the angrier and more resentful he became. He hated her for being ungrateful and unable to tell good from bad, but he also hated himself for the fact that, even at this point, he still could not bear to see her suffer, and could not even bring himself to speak harshly to her.
Deciding that out of sight was out of mind, Gu Zhao turned around, grabbed the box from the table, and left.
Zhu Qingyu sensed the hidden meaning in his words. She jumped out of bed and followed him:
What did you say? Should have what?
When Gu Zhao truly wanted to leave, how could Zhu Qingyu possibly stop him?
By the time she chased him to the door, Gu Zhao had long since strode away, disappearing from sight.
And this time, Gu Zhao must have been truly furious. After leaving, he did not appear for several days.
During the days he was absent, Zhu Qingyu's illness gradually improved. By the time they approached the capital, she was almost completely recovered.
The night before arriving at Tongzhou Port, Momo led the maids in packing her luggage.
She had clearly boarded the ship empty-handed, and Vice Minister Gu had also traveled lightly when he left the capital. But upon returning to the capital, the food, daily necessities, and amusements inside and outside the cabin filled dozens of large chests. Aside from a few chests of Gu Zhao's personal items, the vast majority of the rest were actually Zhu Qingyu's belongings.
It was all arranged by Gu Zhao, who had people buy things non-stop all the way from Yangzhou to the capital, piling them up.
Momo led the servants, busy from morning until night. When evening came and they finally took a breather, just as she was about to take her leave, she looked at Zhu Qingyu with hesitation, as if she wanted to say something but stopped.
Zhu Qingyu was not originally familiar with Momo, but having her take care of her daily life during this journey on the ship had fostered some affection between them.
Thinking Momo had encountered some difficulty, Zhu Qingyu asked her:
Momo, do you have something to say to me?
Momo was not quite close enough with Zhu Qingyu yet, at least not to the level of a trusted confidante, and there were some things inappropriate for someone of her status to say. But as servants, their futures were tied to their masters. If the master fared poorly, they would not fare well either. Feeling compelled to speak, she advised:
Doctor Zhu, please do not think I am speaking out of turn. I used to serve in large noble households. In the inner chambers, there is no flower that blooms for a hundred days, nor is there affection that lasts a thousand. Vice Minister Gu has been sleeping in the study these past few days. While his passion is still warm and the Lord still cares, you should use the excuse of borrowing a book to bow your head, and this matter will pass. With Vice Minister Gu's status, if you annoy him and he loses his patience, and truly washes his hands of you, how will you manage in the future?
Zhu Qingyu knew that Momo meant well and was teaching her the ways of survival in the inner chambers.
But she had spoken so harshly that day specifically to infuriate Gu Zhao and make sure the matter did not pass. How could she waste effort on bowing her head?
Moreover, she did not want to spend the rest of her life trapped in these inner chamber politics just to survive.
So Zhu Qingyu merely smiled:
Thank you, Momo. I understand.
She said she understood, but made no move. Momo was out of options and could only sigh, bow, and take her leave.
They would arrive at Tongzhou Port early the next morning. In the middle of the night, lying alone in bed, Zhu Qingyu's mind was racing, constantly plotting her plans for after arriving in the capital.
Gu Zhao had not tampered with Zhang Shen's case, and Zhang Shen's life did not depend on him, so there was no need for her to remain entangled with him.
And although Gu Zhao had the Emperor's ear, he lusted after her. He would not be willing to clear Zhang Shen's name and allow her to rightfully return to being a married woman. Therefore, Zhu Qingyu had to sever her ties with him and find another suitable person who could save Zhang Shen.
She wondered what Gu Zhao had been thinking these past few days by not coming to see her.
He must be angry. A man of his status and position could not endure such humiliation.
Once a superior was driven to anger out of humiliation, could he really pretend nothing had happened and come back to whisper sweet nothings and play the romantic lover with her?
Vice Minister Gu must have realized by now that she was not the gentle haven or understanding flower he had imagined. She could repeat those soul-crushing words from that day eighteen times a day without repeating herself, guaranteeing that Vice Minister Gu would lose his temper.
He would either kill her or let her go, giving her a quick end.
Just as she was thinking this, the door to the inner cabin was suddenly thrust open. A tall figure, wrapped in the cold night wind, charged in.
Zhu Qingyu was just about to get up when the intruder rushed to the bed in a few strides, pressing a hand on her shoulder to pin her back against the mattress before pressing his entire body over hers.
She did not know where he had been exposed to the cold river wind, but even though it was only early autumn, his entire body was freezing cold; even his cheeks were icy.
Gu Zhao's chaotic kisses rained down on her brow, cheeks, lips, and neck.
The kisses carried the scent of alcohol and gradually grew fierce, increasingly fierce, until Gu Zhao bit her shoulder through her clothes.
Zhu Qingyu remained motionless, enduring his venting anger.
Just when she thought he would bite until she bled to release the fury in his heart, the heavy force of Gu Zhao's bite softened. Through the plain brocade clothing, even the pain in her flesh dissipated as soon as it arose.
They were pressed tightly against each other, cheek to cheek, appearing so intimately close. Yet, the words he whispered into her ear were laced with venom:
"Zhu Qingyu, you cold, heartless woman. Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you? That I wouldn't dare kill him?!"
It had come to this, the final juncture. It was either success or death.
Zhu Qingyu replied coldly,
"Then kill me, and kill him too. We are husband and wife; we can look out for each other on the path to the underworld, and we will still be husband and wife in the next life."
She would rather die than stay by his side. Gu Zhao had already realized this a few days ago, but hearing it directly from her lips still plunged him back into an abyss of agonizing pain.
If she could be so heartless, why should he even bother? Why should he torture himself over her to this extent!
Gu Zhao let her go, withdrawing from her lingering warmth. He stood up, looking utterly desolate, and walked toward the door.
From the depths of the pitch-black night, his voice drifted back:
"Zhu Qingyu, don't ever let me see you again."
