Chapter 498: The Gu Family's Schemes

Gu Mingyuan waved his hand, then sat back down on the chair, his fingers tapping the tabletop, and began to scheme.

What needs to be prepared for the marriage proposal, how much the betrothal gifts should be, and which matchmaker to find.

The Wu Wang Fu has a high threshold; ordinary matchmakers can't get in, so a famous one must be found, and the escort for the proposal must also be reputable...

Li, speaking from beside, said, "There's a matchmaker Wang in Yingtian Fu who specializes in arranging marriages for officials; I hear she's very reputable—shall we hire her?"

"Wang the matchmaker won't do; her class can't get into the Wu Wang Fu," Gu Mingyuan shook his head.

Gu Xian thought for a moment and said, "Father, how about… finding my teacher… My teacher at the Jinling Academy, Old Master Chen, who passed the imperial examination, served a few years in the court, then resigned to teach; he has prestige and speaks with dignity."

Gu Mingyuan's eyes lit up.

"Old Master Chen… will he go?"

"I'll ask him tomorrow; he should go, the teacher treats me very well."

Gu Mingyuan nodded and resumed calculating the betrothal gifts.

When the Wu Wang Fu marries off its daughter, a too‑small betrothal gift is disgraceful—people will look down on it; a too‑large one is beyond what our family can afford.

We must find a suitable amount, respectable yet not miserly.

Gu Mingyuan understood.

"Father, there's another matter," Gu Xian suddenly said.

"What matter?"

"His Majesty said I should continue taking the imperial exams; he said my studies are fine for the juren level, but becoming a jinshi will require a few more years of effort."

Gu Mingyuan was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

"His Majesty values you, Xian, you must make us proud..."

"Father, I understand."

At dusk, Gu Xian returned to his own room.

He sat by the window, staring absentmindedly at the courtyard outside.

The outline of Zijin Mountain was faintly visible in the twilight, and around the mid‑slope a few electric lights could be seen, indicating the direction of the power station.

The power lines drawn from Zijin Mountain, strung on wooden poles, ran all the way to the Imperial City and to the Wu Wang Fu.

Today, inside the mansion, he saw electric lights.

There were lights in the courtyard, encased in glass, but they hadn't been turned on yet.

He had only seen them on the street before, never entered a household that had electric lights.

He thought of Zhu Huanhuan.

The first time he saw her outside the city at a school, she came to deliver books, dressed in a goose‑yellow padded jacket, quiet and serene.

Sunlight fell on her, and she seemed to glow all over.

He had thought it was because of the sun, but now considered that perhaps she herself was emitting light.

Not that she was beautiful, though she was indeed beautiful.

It was a certain aura, indescribable, just different from other women.

Unpretentious, not timid; she stood there simply standing, needing no words or gestures—you just knew she was not ordinary.

At that time he didn't know she was a county princess; he just thought she was wonderful.

Now that he knows, he still thinks she's wonderful.

Not because she's a princess, but because she is herself.

Even if she weren't a princess, just the daughter of an ordinary merchant, he would still like her.

He suddenly remembered something, took a small wooden box from the drawer, opened it, and found a silver hairpin whose head was engraved with orchid grass.

It was bought last year at the best silver shop in Jinling, costing twenty taels of silver, which he had saved for over half a year.

He had never dared to give it.

Now he dares.

He intends to marry her, lawfully and openly, and personally place this hairpin in her hair.

He closed the wooden box and slipped it into his bosom.

Early the next morning, Gu Xian went to the Jinling Academy.

Old Master Chen was in his seventies, his hair completely white, yet spry in spirit.

He wore a half‑worn blue robe, sat behind a writing desk, holding a scroll, absorbed in reading.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up, saw Gu Xian standing at the doorway, and set the book down.

"Xian, this early?"

Gu Xian walked in, knelt before the teacher, and kowtowed.

"Teacher, I have a matter to request of you."

Old Master Chen looked at the kneeling disciple, was silent for a moment, then spoke.

"Rise and speak, what is it?"

Gu Xian stood up and recounted yesterday's events.

From who Huan Huan is, to going to the Wu Wang Fu, to meeting the Prince of the State, meeting His Majesty, meeting the Crown Prince, and then the Prince of the State saying, "Go back and let your father choose a good day for the proposal."

Old Master Chen listened, his expression shifting from calm to surprise, from surprise to solemnity, and then to a smile.

"Xian, you're saying you want to marry the Prince of the State's daughter?"

"Yes..."

"Has the Prince of the State nodded?"

"He has nodded."

"Has His Majesty and the Crown Prince also nodded?"

"Yes…"

Mr. Chen stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced around the room.

After two rounds, he stopped, turned, and looked at Gu Xian.

"Xian'er, do you know who the King is?"

"I know… His Majesty's legitimate second son, the Crown Prince's younger brother, the Marshal of the Longxiang Army, the conqueror of the European continent."

Mr. Chen nodded.

"Then do you know what marrying his daughter means?"

Gu Xian was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"I know—it means responsibility, it means not bringing disgrace to Wu Wang Fu, it means being a person who lives up to the court and the people."

Mr. Chen looked at him, his eyes full of satisfaction, and patted his shoulder.

"Good, Xian'er, you not only have learning but also responsibility; for this marriage proposal, the teacher will handle it."

Gu Xian knelt and kowtowed again.

"Thank you, teacher."

The twenty‑fifth year of Hongwu, April 20th.

Jinling, the Gu family main residence.

The Gu family has lived in Jinling for several generations, rising from a small cloth shop to now dealing in silk, tea, pawnshops, and being a recognized name in Jiangnan's business circles.

The current head of the Gu family is Gu Mingcheng, Gu Xian's elder uncle, in his fifties, plump and fair, dressed in a dark‑brown silk robe, seated on the grand chair in the main hall, twirling two walnuts in his hands, making a smooth rattling sound.

In front of him stood a woman in her thirties, wearing a blue lamellar armor, her hair slick and glossy, head lowered, her expression unreadable.

"You mean Xian'er went to Wu Wang Fu?" Gu Mingcheng's walnuts paused for a moment.

"Yes, sir." The woman lifted her head; she was a maid in Gu Xian's household, surnamed Liu, in charge of the kitchen, and had been placed by Gu Mingcheng years ago as a spy within Gu Xian's home.

"What to do at Wu Wang Fu?"

"I… I'm not sure, I only saw the young master return with a pallid face, his clothes drenched." The maid's voice was very low.

Gu Mingcheng's walnuts began to spin again.

Wu Wang Fu, the King.

He naturally knew what those two words meant.

He was the most powerful prince of Great Ming, His Majesty's legitimate second son, the Crown Prince's younger brother.

Holding the Longxiang Army, his fief spanned ten thousand li, from Samarkand to Constantinople, half of Europe was his vassal territory.

What Gu Xian is doing at Wu Wang Fu…

He is a merchant's son; he cannot even reach the threshold of Wu Wang Fu.

Could it be that he caused trouble…

Unlikely; if he caused trouble, he couldn't return unscathed.

"You go down, keep watching, and report any movement immediately," Gu Mingcheng waved his hand.

The maid answered and stepped back.

Gu Mingcheng sat on the grand chair, the walnuts spinning faster and faster.

He thought for a long time without understanding, called the steward and told him to investigate.

The steward was gone for a while and returned with news.

Gu Xian will invite Mr. Chen tomorrow to Wu Wang Fu to propose a marriage.

A marriage proposal.

The walnut in Gu Mingcheng's hand clattered onto the floor.

Who is proposing…

Gu Xian…

Going to Wu Wang Fu to propose? Propose to whom?

The steward didn't know either, only that Mr. Chen had already agreed.

Gu Mingcheng picked up the walnut, sat on the grand chair, and remained motionless for a long while.

Gu Xian is to marry the King's daughter…

His honest, simple nephew, who even blushes when speaking to strangers, wants to marry the King's daughter?

He recalled his other son, Gu Rui, a year younger than Gu Xian, also twenty‑one, who resembled Gu Xian by eighty‑nine percent.

Gu Rui was clever, articulate, capable, far better than his taciturn cousin.

If Gu Xian can marry the King's daughter, then Gu Rui can too.

No, it's not "can also"; it's "should even more."

The son‑in‑law of Wu Wang Fu must be shrewd and capable, not an honest fool like Gu Xian, who can't even produce a puff with three sticks.

He stood up and paced in the main hall.

He must think of a way.

Push Gu Rui forward.

But how to push? Gu Xian has already gone, His Majesty has seen him, the Crown Prince has seen him, the King has nodded.

At this point, changing the person, Wu Wang Fu could agree…

Even if they refuse, they must agree.

Once the rice is cooked, you can't backtrack, can you?

He stopped, the corner of his mouth slightly curled.

Li replaces the withered peach.

Gu Rui looks like Gu Xian; outsiders can't tell them apart.

As long as nothing goes wrong on Gu Xian's side, who would know whether it was Gu Rui or Gu Xian who took the commandery princess...

As for Gu Xian, give him a sum of money, let him go hide for a while, and return once things settle, or simply make it so Gu Xian can never come back...

By then the boat is already built; what can he do?

Gu Mingcheng thought it over more and more and found it feasible.

He sat down, summoned the steward, and whispered a few instructions.

The steward listened, his complexion changed, but he dared not say anything, bowed his head and stepped back.

Gu Mingcheng leaned against the grandmaster chair, and the walnut in his hand began spinning again.

Wu Wang Fu.

Crown Princess.

Imperial Grandson...

These words kept turning in his mind, making his heart burst with joy.