Song Yihuan strode alone through the Duke Jiang's Mansion. Seeing a secluded bamboo grove ahead, she plunged right in.
The hubbub in her ears instantly vanished without a trace. The coolness brought by the bamboo shadows also dispelled the summer heat and vexation from her body.
Song Yihuan stood in the tranquil bamboo grove and let out a long breath.
Amid the layers of bamboo shadows, Ji Lingchuan watched the slender figure in front that seemed as if it would be blown away by a gust of wind. His heart felt as if a boulder was pressing on it. Just as he hesitated whether to step forward, the sound of footsteps came from all around. He dodged to the side and concealed his figure.
Hearing the footsteps behind her, Song Yihuan's complexion changed. She turned around and looked behind. To her surprise, Gu Yunzheng had actually chased after her.
Seeing that Song Yihuan was safe and sound, Gu Yunzheng let out a sigh of relief.
However, he stopped five steps away from her and didn't move forward any further.
Frowning, he looked at Song Yihuan with concern and asked, "Yihuan, are you okay?"
Song Yihuan didn't expect Gu Yunzheng to chase after her. She looked at the distance between them. Her emotions churned violently in her heart for a while, and finally returned to complete calm.
Meeting Gu Yunzheng's gaze, Song Yihuan smiled and said, "Lord Gu, I don't understand what you're talking about."
Gu Yunzheng took a deep breath, as if making some decision, and said,
"Don't take to heart what they were discussing during the banquet just now. In any case, one's birth shouldn't be used as a topic of conversation. This is not the behavior of a gentleman. I know that having such a concubine is not your fault. You shouldn't have to bear all this."
"If the reason you said those things to me in the Lanfang Garden and rejected my proposal of marriage was because of this, then I can tell you that I won't change my mind. I still want to marry you as my wife. It's just..."
He paused, "I need to discuss this matter with my family again, but I guarantee that I will strive for the position of the principal wife for you."
Gu Yunzheng thought that Song Yihuan would be touched by his words, but the next moment, Song Yihuan burst out laughing.
"Lord Gu, you're really so great."
Gu Yunzheng was stunned. He looked at his beloved who had a charming smile and amorous eyes: "What did you say?"
"After all, you still believed what those people said, didn't you?" Song Yihuan's smile faded. Her tone was even colder than when she had spoken in the Lanfang Garden before.
"What, you don't mind about my stepmother's matter. Should I still kneel down and kowtow to you to thank you for your great kindness, and then swear that I'll never marry anyone but you?"
She sneered, "You keep saying that you don't mind, but in fact, you still place yourself in a favorable position. The so - called position of the principal wife is just a form of charity."
Gu Yunzheng didn't expect her to think this way and said, "Yihuan, I don't mean it like that."
Taking a deep breath and holding back the tears in her eyes, Song Yihuan's voice trembled a little.
"Of course I know that having such a concubine is not my fault, but what fault does my stepmother have? You all don't know. You all don't know what she has sacrificed. If it weren't for that person, she would have long ago gained her freedom and lived the life she wanted."
Just like her now.
Gu Yunzheng was taken aback for a moment and asked eagerly, "Do you mean that there's a hidden story behind this? Yihuan, tell me properly. I believe you. I'll help you find out the truth and clear your stepmother's name!"
"Clear her name?" Song Yihuan sneered, "It's useless. My stepmother wasn't without trying to prove her innocence back then. She even thought about committing suicide, but no one would listen, and no one would believe her. Because she was just a maid. In their eyes, her testimony was just a pretext, just an attempt to stay in the Marquis's Mansion and become the marquis's concubine."
"After all, in this world, which maid doesn't covet wealth and power? You used to think so too, didn't you?"
Gu Yunzheng moved his lips: "I..."
Ji Lingchuan, hiding in the dark, also closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath when he heard these words.
She was right. Even he had subconsciously had such a thought when he heard that rumor. He never thought that Concubine Rou was actually forced. The disparity in strength between men and women was so great. If Marquis Ding'an wanted to use force, how could she resist?
Gu Yunzheng asked, "And you?"
"Since you know that your stepmother was wronged, then why - why did you say those words to me in the Lanfang Garden? Were those really what you thought in your heart? Have you also encountered some unspeakable difficulties? Is that why you want to draw a clear line from me?"
Ji Lingchuan's heart tightened. He subconsciously looked at the slender figure with its back turned to him.
Song Yihuan lowered her eyelashes and looked at the fallen bamboo leaves on the ground, saying,
"Every word I said in the Lanfang Garden that day came from the bottom of my heart."
"Even though you've been promoted from a seventh - rank compiler to a sixth - rank magistrate, it's still not enough for me."
"You saw it today. The rumors about me in the capital are so fierce. Without power and influence, how much impact these rumors and slurs will have. You're just a small magistrate. How can you suppress everyone's mouths?"
"But Ji Lingchuan is different. He's the heir of the Prince Ning. If I were his woman, who would dare to talk about me behind my back? Didn't you see? Just now at the banquet, with just one look, he could make those people shut up and give me some peace."
She said coldly, "So, don't pester me anymore. Don't block my way."
Gu Yunzheng's heart was wrenched with pain.
He knew that his words just now had finally pushed her further and further away from him.
He stood still for a moment before raising his head and saying, "I'll take up my post at the prefectural yamen tomorrow. Even if we can't be husband and wife, I'm willing to be your support in the capital. If you're wronged in the future, you can come to the prefectural yamen to find me. I'll surely uphold justice for you."
"Miss Song Si, take care."
He solemnly bowed to Song Yihuan with his fists clasped, then turned around and left the bamboo grove.
To some extent, he had indeed behaved like a gentleman towards Song Yihuan. That sentence "I'm willing to be your support in the capital" completely shattered Song Yihuan's false strength.
After Gu Yunzheng left, she turned her back. Unable to hold back anymore, she sobbed and cried out.
For the curse of being a seductress that her stepmother had to bear, for the similar fates of their mother and daughter, and for the many injustices that the world imposed on women.
The wind blew through the bamboo grove. The bamboo leaves rustled against each other. Listening to the suppressed sobs and watching the trembling shoulders of that figure, Ji Lingchuan felt as if those tears were all falling on his heart, burning his whole chest.
So that was it. So this was the reason why she was so determined to cling to him.
It was because by his side, she could get protection and would no longer be harassed by rumors and slurs.
She was his wife's younger sister. With their current relationship, although he couldn't give her what she wanted, it wouldn't be difficult to help her within his power so that she wouldn't have such a hard time.