lcionline Chapter 718 Yet another meticulously planned lie.
Chapter 718 Yet another meticulously planned lie.
It's late at night and everything is quiet.
Gu Qingchen, however, was wide awake. She sat by the window, the moonlight reflecting off the rattle drum in her hand. The little tiger painted in vermilion seemed particularly glaring in the hazy light.
She finally stood up and summoned her most trusted maid, Huanran.
“Take this,” Gu Qingchen handed over the rattle drum, “quietly go out the back door and find a man named Wang the carpenter at the entrance of East Street.”
"Just ask him if he made this thing."
Seeing the young lady's solemn expression, Huanran dared not ask any more questions. He took the rattle drum, put it in his pocket, nodded heavily, and quietly withdrew.
The next day, Gu Qingchen was restless all day and couldn't even muster any interest in his favorite long whip.
Huanran didn't return until the afternoon, looking hurried.
“Miss,” Huanran said as she entered the room, closing the door behind her and quickly walking up to Gu Qingchen. “I have found out.”
“Carpenter Wang recognized it at a glance and said that he made the rattle drum.”
"He said that just half a month ago, a wealthy young man specifically instructed him to make it look old, preferably like an old object that has been around for many years."
Half a month ago.
Make it look older.
These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Gu Qingchen's head, chilling her to the bone.
She slowly took the rattle drum that Huanran handed back, her knuckles turning white from gripping it so tightly.
A decade of searching.
It turned out to be such a meticulously planned lie.
She felt like a complete fool, manipulated by Lin Jiayou. Those heartfelt words, "I've searched for ten whole years," now sounded nothing but endless irony.
A surge of anger at being fooled made her tremble all over.
Just then, a servant announced from outside the courtyard: "Miss, Young Master Lin has come to see you again."
Lin Jiayou stepped into the courtyard, still with that gentle and refined demeanor, but Gu Qingchen felt that his face was incredibly hypocritical.
"Qingchen, you don't look too well today. Are you still upset?" he asked with concern.
Gu Qingchen sneered and slammed the rattle drum in his hand heavily on the stone table, making a muffled "bang".
She raised her eyes, her gaze piercing him like a knife: "Ten years, Lin Jiayou? Are you sure it wasn't half a month?"
Lin Jiayou's smile froze for a moment, then, without the slightest panic, he revealed a wounded yet affectionate expression, which turned into a bitter smile.
"I knew it, I couldn't hide it from you."
He sighed, stepped forward slowly, and said in a touchingly hoarse voice, "I've been searching for that rattle drum for a long time, but I can't find it anymore."
“I was afraid you would be disappointed, so I searched all over the capital for the best craftsmen and had them make one exactly like the one I remembered.”
"What I wanted for you was not just an old object, but the joy of finding something you had lost. I never imagined that my good intentions would become a misunderstanding between us."
This explanation transforms a complete deception into a heartfelt expression of deep affection.
Gu Qingchen was in a state of utter confusion.
Reason told her that Lin Jiayou was making excuses and using more convincing lies to cover up his previous ones.
But emotionally, she felt that these words also made sense.
She fell into deeper confusion, and his words made her waver in her burning anger.
Just when she was in a dilemma, unsure which version of herself to believe, Qian Zhenyun came again.
He brought nothing with him today; he simply stood at the gate of the courtyard, looking at the two people facing off in the courtyard, and asked a question in a muffled voice.
"What would you like for dinner? I'll have the kitchen make it for you."
Gu Qingchen was startled and looked up.
Seeing that she didn't answer, Qian Zhenyun scratched his head as if talking to himself: "How about crab roe buns? You loved them when you were little. I'll personally watch them make them, and I guarantee there will be plenty of crab roe and a thin skin."
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand to show the size of the bun.
Lin Chia-yu spoke of a romantic lie that lasts forever, something ethereal and unreal.
Qian Zhenyun was talking about the most simple and down-to-earth daily life of eating and drinking, which is readily available to everyone.
Looking at Qian Zhenyun's earnest yet somewhat naive appearance, Gu Qingchen felt the scales in his heart, which had been wavering, shift dramatically at that moment.
Seeing that the situation was beyond saving, Lin Jiayou's tenderness faded, and he could only cup his hands in farewell before turning to leave.
He had just stepped out of the courtyard when he "coincidentally" ran into Gu Lanxin, who was carrying a food box, on the fork in the road leading to the guest courtyard.
"Jiayou," Gu Lanxin's eyes lit up when she saw him, and she spoke softly, "I made you some snow pear soup to soothe your throat. You seem to be working hard lately, so drink some to moisturize your throat."
This scene was clearly seen by Gu Qingchen inside the window.
Lin Jiayou had just finished telling himself his "good intentions" when he received care from another woman.
The unspoken understanding and natural intimacy between them deeply penetrated Gu Qingchen's heart.
She calmed down completely.
She realized that no matter how convincing Lin Jiayou's lies were, the ambiguous relationship between him and Sister Lanxin was an undeniable fact.
She can no longer rely on her feelings to make judgments...
Inside the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Chu Ruohan sat upright in the main seat of the flower hall, her fingertips gently caressing the warm teacup.
Haitang was standing respectfully below the hall, reporting back the information she had gathered.
"Madam, everything has been investigated."
"That young master of the Wang family, whose given name is Wang Xiuwen, is twenty-one years old and still unmarried."
"Rumors circulate that this young master Wang is of upright character and exceptional talent, and is a well-known young talent in the capital."
“He lost his mother three years ago and observed a three-year mourning period. The mourning period only ended a few days ago, which delayed his wedding.”
Chu Ruohan slightly raised her eyelids; this news surprised her somewhat.
Haitang continued, "This servant even had someone paint his portrait, and also asked several scholars who had seen Young Master Wang in person. They all said that he truly has a face like jade and is gentle and refined."
"Aside from discussing scholarship with his classmates at the bookstore, he has no other vices. Several officials in the Hanlin Academy say that with his talent, he will surely pass the imperial examination next year."
After Haitang finished speaking, she took out a scroll from her sleeve and presented it with both hands.
Chu Ruohan didn't go to look immediately, but instead asked the most practical question: "Are there any concubines or maids in the household?"
"No, Madam," Haitang replied with certainty. "The Wang family has strict family rules, and Wang Shidu is even more strict in managing the household. During the period of mourning for the young master, there wasn't even a second-class maidservant in his room. He was completely innocent."
Chu Ruohan nodded.
Without a mother-in-law, the most difficult mother-in-law/daughter-in-law conflict is avoided. Observing three years of mourning demonstrates her filial piety and character. She comes from a family with strict traditions, is of impeccable character, and possesses both good looks and talent.