Chapter 463

Gu Kang walked ahead, and Li Ruoxi followed carefully behind him.

The two of them had once enjoyed a sweet, happy life like honey and oil in the Honglou Pavilion, but now things have turned out like this.

Li's legs were not very convenient, her wounds had just healed, her body felt weak, and after walking a while she could no longer move.

Gu Kang had to stop several times to wait for her; the two went one after the other out of the rear courtyard and even out of the mansion.

Outside, someone had already prepared an ordinary blue‑canopied carriage; Gu Kang stopped in front of the carriage and looked back at Li, who had followed him.

Li was truly bewildered; she did not know where Gu intended to take her.

"Sir Gu?" Li stood before the carriage, lifted her eyes and gazed at Gu in bewildered astonishment.

"Get on the carriage!" Gu furrowed his brows, his voice cold and hard.

Afraid of him, Li hurriedly tried to climb into the carriage, but her legs were not very nimble; after several attempts she still could not get in.

Suddenly her body felt light, and she fell into Gu's arms; he directly lifted her onto the carriage.

The woman in his arms was extremely light, and Gu felt a bit vexed.

The carriage headed south of the city; this road Li had walked before, the scenery on either side still familiar, but she was no longer the top courtesan of the Honglou Pavilion who often wandered the southern lanes buying rouge and powder.

The space inside the carriage was very cramped; Li shrank as much as she could, not daring to meet the gaze of the man sitting opposite.

Gu's clear, cold voice came from above her head, making her shiver.

"Ha! You're so afraid of me—you must have done something guilty, your heart is haunted!"

Li stared, then gave a bitter smile and whispered: "Deceiving Sir Gu's feelings was my fault, but I only did so after listening to your sister's words. In the end, I have let Sir Gu down!"

Gu's expression gradually grew irritated; he waved his hand: "The past is past, no need to speak of it."

"But that day, the rain poured down so hard, yet you held up your oil-paper umbrella and deliberately stood in my way."

Gu stared fixedly at Li; after these days, it was the first time the two faced the past, and he had some things he wanted to say.

He is no longer an ordinary person; he is a blade in Mr. Wen's hand. Although he bears the title of a Southern Qi minister, his heart is with the state, and he harbors no personal motives.

Yet he does have a trace of personal feeling—namely, the woman before him.

"Back then I was framed by the Gu family and ended up like that; by then I had already let go, and I realized I had been deceived by you, but I don't blame you! I only ask: why must you still cruelly stand before me, giving my heart its final blow?"

"Speak! Why?" Gu raised his hand and clenched Li's shoulders tightly.

Li was completely dazed; she moved her lips but could not utter a word.

She had only thought of Gu Jiu Ling's words, intending to drive Gu into utter despair before finally provoking him with speech.

She did not intend to wound him to this extent.

Gu's fingers tightened slightly; Li felt a sharp pain, yet she endured it, whispering over and over, "Sorry."

Gu looked at her bowed, obedient demeanor, suddenly found it meaningless, released her, and shoved her away hard.

Li's thin shoulders struck the carriage wall; she kept her head down, not daring to cry out.

Gu's eyes also reddened; he lifted his head and inhaled: "You are truly ruthless—even now you refuse to stay by my side?"

Li lowered her head further: "Sir Gu, I am not worthy!"

Gu laughed, lifted his hand to wipe the tears from his eyes: "Fine! In a moment I'll let you watch a show!"

The carriage finally stopped before an inconspicuous courtyard; Li secretly smiled bitterly, the Gu siblings both liked to purchase property in the southern lanes.

She followed Gu into the courtyard, not expecting to enter a house but instead arriving beneath a pagoda tree in the yard.

Two subordinates moved the stone table for playing chess placed under the pagoda tree, revealing a secret passage.

Gu led her down; the passage was neither long nor short, and after walking a while they reached a secret chamber.

One side of the secret chamber had a special wall through which outside voices could be faintly heard.

When that speaking voice reached Li's ears, she widened her eyes and tried to speak, but Gu clapped a hand over her mouth.

Gu signaled her to be quiet and have a seat.

Beyond the partition was a main hall; seated in the place of honor was Zhang Liang, who was now completely bewildered.

No wonder Sir Gu had earlier forcibly taken him and lodged him here.

They also did not allow him to leave; later he learned that his wife was actually the daughter of an official from Yunzhou City seven years ago, and what made him tremble with fear was that this time he had come to Shang Jing to beat the peace drum.

Gu also warned him that although the Duan family had collapsed, some forces still remained here.

He had best return to Yunzhou quickly, but Zhang Liang would not agree.

He had finally obtained such a chance to rise in the world; without gaining some benefit, he would not leave.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Liang clung to staying, demanding that Gu give him an explanation.

Gu likes his wife; anyone with eyes can see it.

He asks for little, only wanting Gu to grant him a minor official post.

Who would have thought that Gu not only failed to give him a minor post, but actually brought his elderly mother and another woman and child he had hidden for so long to Shang Jing, leaving him dumbfounded.

Zhang Liang could not fail to see that Gu was threatening him, yet having gotten himself into this predicament, he was unwilling to simply turn back.

He glowered angrily at the frail woman sitting on a chair, weeping with tears like pear blossoms, feeling vexed, and couldn't help but lowly roar: "Stop crying! What are you crying for?"

The woman hastily stopped her tears, clutched the three- or four-year-old boy in her arms tighter, and became so choked up she could not speak.

"Husband! Have I had it easy these past year or more?"

"We two are the truly married couple; you went to Shang Jing to take the imperial exams, wasn't it I who stayed home serving your mother and your son?"

"Now you have brought back from Shang Jing a person despised by thousands, and I haven't said anything—after all, who would quarrel over money? But now you have dragged our whole family here; what are we to do?"

"Just shut up!" the old woman on the side spat at the woman's face: "When we asked you earlier, you agreed—wasn't it just our whole family conspiring to deceive Li and swindle her money?"

"She's a hen that doesn't lay eggs—how could she compare to you, who have raised a son?"

"All we're doing is letting her take your wife's seat for a while; when she grows old and loses her looks and money, we'll bring you back—after all, you have a son in hand, what's there to fear?"

"Hmph! If it weren't for my son's talent to bewitch that woman, making her head over heels and swindling her, how could you ever enjoy a life of fine clothes and food? Dream on!"

In the secret chamber, Li's face was ashen.