It was Miss Zhuang's voice!
Why was Gu Zhao here today as well?
And how did Miss Zhuang end up seeing them together?
Zhu Qingyu felt completely numb, a dense barrage of panicked thoughts flashing across her mind.
Help! Help! Help!
I'm doomed! I'm doomed! I'm doomed!
What did it mean to die before achieving victory, to leave heroes weeping into their robes!
This was exactly it!
At this very moment, Zhu Qingyu's empathy for the great poet Du Fu reached its peak; she wanted to cry right then and there.
Zhu Qingyu wanted to push Gu Zhao away and say something to make an excuse, to somehow bluff her way out of the current situation.
But Gu Zhao didn't let go at all. He continued to hold her hand tightly and asked:
"Is she looking for you? Did you leave something behind?"
Zhu Qingyu glared at him:
Let go! If you keep pulling at me, your future wife is going to run away! When such a good wife runs away, you'll be crying your eyes out!
Holding the box containing the beautiful jade, Miss Zhuang asked somewhat hesitantly:
"First Madam Zhang, is this your husband?"
Gu Zhao looked over with a cold expression:
"And you are?"
Miss Zhuang looked at the way they were pulling at each other and felt something was off. She replied:
"I am from the Zhuang family of the Office of Transmission."
The Zhuang family?
Gu Zhao smiled at this. His face was smiling, and his eyes were smiling too. He replied:
"Oh? The Zhuang family of the Office of Transmission. I see."
Glancing at Zhu Qingyu in his arms, who had a look of utter defeat on her face, Gu Zhao even laughed aloud in his heart. He looked at Miss Zhuang and replied:
"Miss Zhuang, I am Gu Zhao of the Duke Dingguo's Estate."
Miss Zhuang's expression changed instantly. She walked in and first placed the box on the desk in front of the window in the monk's quarters.
Perhaps worrying that the beautiful jade might fall if not placed properly, Miss Zhuang held her breath and deliberately pushed the box further in so it rested against the wall. She also shook the desk a little to ensure it was stable.
The room wasn't spacious to begin with, and the three of them were squeezed together at the doorway with almost no gap between them.
Seeing her expression and her actions, Zhu Qingyu wondered if Miss Zhuang was going to start hitting people right there and then.
But after placing the box down, Miss Zhuang not only didn't strike anyone, she instead reached out to grab Zhu Qingyu's other hand. With her head held high and glaring at Gu Zhao, she said:
"You lecherous scoundrel, let go!"
Because Miss Zhuang squeezed over, Gu Zhao, afraid of bumping into her, raised his hands and took a few steps back, actually letting go.
Miss Zhuang pulled Zhu Qingyu behind her protectively and said to Gu Zhao:
"Heir Gu, regarding our matchmaking meeting today, I will tell my parents that you are too old and I don't like you. Do you agree?"
Although it felt good to be protected by the valiant Miss Zhuang, as soon as the words "matchmaking meeting" came out, Zhu Qingyu lost all will to live.
A miscalculation!
So the Zhuang family coming to offer incense today was a fake excuse; having a matchmaking meeting with the Gu family was the real purpose.
How could she have anticipated this!
If she had known they were having a matchmaking meeting today, Zhu Qingyu wouldn't have stepped out of her door at all!
She had ruined Miss Zhuang's marriage prospects today. How could Lord Zhuang possibly still help her? If she dared to visit the Zhuang residence again, it would be a blessing if Lord Zhuang didn't chase her out with a big stick.
While desperately winking at Gu Zhao, Zhu Qingyu tried to salvage the situation and said to Miss Zhuang:
"Miss Zhuang, you misunderstand."
But Gu Zhao completely failed to understand Zhu Qingyu's good intentions. He actually looked completely agreeable to Miss Zhuang's proposal:
"Not bad, that is a very good reason. I agree. I originally intended to clarify to Miss Zhuang today that I already have someone in my heart, and it would not be right to delay your future."
Hearing the words "someone in my heart," Miss Zhuang was truly confused. She looked at Gu Zhao, then looked at Zhu Qingyu behind her, and finally asked:
"The person in your heart? But, she is First Madam Zhang?"
Gu Zhao looked perfectly calm:
"Exactly. That is not a conflict."
Miss Zhuang was even more bewildered. She wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say. Ultimately, she just let go of Zhu Qingyu's hand and said:
"It seems I've meddled in other people's business. In that case, goodbye."
As soon as the valiant Miss Zhuang left, Zhu Qingyu could no longer hold it together. Weakly, she dragged over the only chair in the room, sat down, and dropped her head onto the desk with a thud, closing her eyes and playing dead.
Having resolved a major issue, Gu Zhao was full of joy. He leisurely opened the box on the desk, saw the beautiful jade inside, and couldn't help but praise:
"White as the snow on the mountains, bright as the moon among the clouds. This is indeed a rare piece of mutton-fat jade. Have you set your sights on Lord Zhuang and plan to give this to Miss Zhuang for her dowry?"
Zhu Qingyu replied with a muffled voice:
"Mhm."
Gu Zhao closed the box and finally couldn't hold back his laughter:
"You chose a pretty good candidate. Lord Zhuang accompanies His Majesty every day, and his understanding of the Emperor is no less than mine. He is also in charge of unjust grievances, so if he were to take charge of Zhang Jingyan's case, it would be reasonable and not abrupt. If he really took it on, he would be better than Xie Ze, with perhaps a thirty percent chance of success. However, Qingyu, your intelligence gathering was a bit lacking, wasn't it? How could you pick today of all days? What will you do now? Lord Zhuang probably won't be able to help you anymore."
Seeing his gloating, Zhu Qingyu, with her head resting on the desk, felt her chest ache with anger. She didn't even have the energy to humor him and didn't want to say a single nice word to him. She glared at him:
"Miss Zhuang doesn't even want you anymore. Your marriage arrangement has fallen through, and you're still laughing. Don't worry about what I'll do, think about what you'll do about your own marriage!"
Despite being scolded, Gu Zhao didn't get angry. He leaned down, rested his head against hers, and whispered:
"Qingyu, what does it matter if she doesn't want me? But what about you? When I said I wanted to marry you, did you never believe me?"
Believe you, my foot!
Zhu Qingyu really wanted to curse. She didn't want to stay with him for another second. She stood up abruptly, grabbed the box, and headed out.
An unfavorable start to the campaign. She would go home, regroup, and start over!
She refused to believe that in the vast capital, she couldn't find a single person willing to save Zhang Shen for silver.
Her front foot had just stepped out of the room's door when Gu Zhao's cool voice floated over from behind:
"Leaving already? I was just about to tell you who in the capital can save Zhang Jingyan, but it seems you don't need it."
As soon as the bait was dropped, Zhu Qingyu's back foot stepped right back in, a smile appearing on her face:
"Shouming, who is it? Please, instruct me."
