Chapter 815: Chapter 651: No Way Back
At this moment, all four people present looked in the direction of the woman. Gu Chengyu frowned. His hearing was good, and he already knew who she was.
Liao Qian and his companion had their mouths wide open, somewhat dazed. Usually, where would they have the chance to see these aristocratic ladies? Naturally, they were dumbstruck at the moment.
Sun Xian was also quite surprised. Could it be that this woman was acquainted with Jinyu? But arenât aristocratic women all about following the rules?
How could she just come out like that? If he hadnât seen it wrong, the woman and that girl seemed to have come out from that orange grove?
It seems this woman isnât an aristocratic lady but is related to one. However, judging by her demeanor, itâs not hard to tell sheâs the former.
"Last time, Mr. Gu gifted a painting. My daughter hasnât thanked you yet!" Princess Rong Jia curtsied slightly, still retaining some composure, without revealing her identity.
Princess Rong Jia holds a Standard Second Rank title, so naturally, she doesnât need formalities with Gu Chengyu. On the contrary, itâs Gu Chengyu who must salute her.
"No need for formalities, young lady. Itâs just a trivial matter, not worth mentioning! I came with elders from my family. I must take my leave now to prevent them from worrying. Please forgive my absence."
Gu Chengyu didnât reveal the princessâs identity, as there were outsiders present.
To prevent bad rumors, saying that Princess Rong Jia is ignorant of etiquette and tarnishing her reputation.
"Brother Liao, Brother Chen, letâs meet another day!"
Gu Chengyu furrowed his brow, then left this remark, turned, and pulled Sun Xian away.
He was afraid that if Princess Rong Jia continued to chat with him, with Liao Qian and the others present, it would be inconvenient.
Besides, he had already decided to keep his distance from women to avoid unnecessary troubles.
Princess Rong Jia felt a bit angry seeing Gu Chengyu turn and leave. She hadnât finished speaking, and he left just like that.
She snorted coldly, glanced at Liao Qian and his companion, and her face sank.
These two were really lacking in tact, with their lecherous appearance, which made her extremely displeased.
She turned suddenly and left, causing Chonglou beside her to heave a heavy sigh of relief.
Chonglou was quite annoyed with the two fools, Liao Qian and his companion. She glared at them, "What are you looking at? Donât you know staring at a young lady is rude?"
How can the young lady of her house be looked upon by these cads? What noble son stares unblinkingly at a lady?
Judging by their attire, they seemed to be scholars, but who knows what theyâve learned from their studies.
By the time Liao Qian and his companion returned to their senses after being scolded, the other four people had already left.
Chen Yu felt somewhat lost. He glanced at the place where Princess Rong Jia and her servant disappeared, unable to help feeling regretful.
The leader of the guards watching over the grove was also disdainful of the two men who hadnât left yet and had been staring at the princess just now.
"Arenât you going to leave? Youâre not allowed to step here!"
Liao Qian hurriedly pulled Chen Yu away. He just remembered something, that young lady called him Mr. Gu?
Was the young master they met on the boat actually a court official? So young and already an official, he truly seemed to be from a noble family.
"That person just now was so young, yet he was a court official. Didnât you connect with him when you were on the boat?"
Chen Yu gave Liao Qian a look, feeling a bit regretful for missing the opportunity.
Liao Qian, being a bit upright, was never one to navigate social interactions.
Judging by their attire and manner, you could tell they were sons of noble families, not to mention one of them was a court official.
If they could befriend these two, there would certainly be endless benefits.
"What kind of status do they have? How could they take notice of me?" Although Liao Qian was straightforward, he wasnât foolish.
He had already noticed that the two didnât have any intention of getting close to them. He didnât want to warm a cold shoulder or ingratiate himself unnecessarily.
Chen Yu, however, didnât listen to what Liao Qian said, only pulling him along quickly.
"We announced our names earlier, but something unexpected happened. We donât really know them yet, do we? Letâs hurry, maybe we can catch up with them."
Chen Yu had no such reservations. As scholars from ordinary families, why not make use of good connections?
"Jinyu! Who was that young lady just now?"
Sun Xian finally expressed his doubt when he saw they had walked quite a distance and Gu Chengyu was only concerned with walking ahead.
"I was invited to a banquet at the Princessâs Mansion last time and painted a picture for the Eldest Princess. The young lady just now is her legitimate daughter, Princess Rong Jia!" Gu Chengyu said softly.
Ha! He had thought this girl had an extraordinary bearing, indicating a high status, but he didnât expect her to be from the royal family.
However, he noticed that the princess seemed to be interested in Jinyu...
"Jinyu! Youâre already fourteen this year. Mother mentioned in front of Wanâer that she plans to arrange a marriage for you soon."
Gu Chengyu sighed, "Donât you think itâs a bit early for me to be discussing marriage now? With my current position, I neither reach the high nor the low."
Gu Chengyu had a sudden idea, why not persuade his second sister and Sun Xian, so his second sister could also help convince his mother, saving him from constantly being pressured about marriage.
"That makes sense, but you also need to understand the good intentions of your parents."
Sun Xian knew it was better for Gu Chengyu to marry a bit later. If his career advanced smoothly, maybe he could even marry a princess.
Gu Chengyu gave a bitter smile, "If youâre willing, Brother Sun, why donât you help persuade my mother?"
...
"Are you the great aunt?" Mrs. Gao didnât let go, and Mrs. Yao couldnât break free. She sighed deeply.
Tears filled her eyes as she turned to look at Mrs. Gao.
"After fourteen years, I didnât expect Mrs. Gao to still recognize me at a glance."
Now that Mrs. Gao had recognized her and held her tight, she couldnât avoid it even if she wanted to.
"You really are the great aunt, you didnât die?" Mrs. Gao looked at the woman in front of her in disbelief, her heart suddenly flustered.
At this moment, Mrs. Yao calmed down, "You mentioned your young lady earlier, who is she?"
Mrs. Yao looked at Yao Mengxian, who wore a veil, and asked in confusion.
"This is the young lady of the First Madam. Naturally, you havenât met her." Mrs. Gao, thinking Mrs. Yao didnât intend to leave, finally released her grip on her sleeve.
Now Yao Mengxian guessed the identity of this woman. She stepped forward and asked, "Are you the great aunt? My name is Mengxian."
"So youâre the daughter of the eldest sister-in-law. When I left, she only had one son, Feng!"
Mrs. Yaoâs eyes were filled with nostalgia, and tears she could no longer hold back welled up.
"Youâve been gone for so many years, the First Madam has long passed away." Seeing the old friend, Mrs. Gao couldnât help but think of the elegant, gentle, and kind woman she once knew.
"What? The eldest sister-in-law has passed?" Mrs. Yao looked at Mrs. Gao in shock, not expecting to muster the courage to return to the capital only to find that her old friend was gone.
Yao Mengxian remembered her mother, who died young, and couldnât help but shed tears of sorrow.
She quickly stepped forward, choking as she said, "Mother passed eight years ago."
Mrs. Yao, tears flowing like rain, gripped Yao Mengxianâs hands tightly, "Did you lose your mother so early? How could the eldest sister-in-law leave so soon?"
Doctor Li released his grip sadly, knowing they probably couldnât return to Jingyuan Prefecture.
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