lcionline Chapter 4 Marriage Exchange
Chapter 4 Marriage Exchange
Standing to the side, Gu's mother gritted her teeth, "Miss Chu, don't be ungrateful. Do you think you can just manipulate the Gu family like that?"
Chu Ruohan glanced at her contemptuously. "Madam Gu, who is really so ungrateful? Don't forget, it was your son who did such an absurd thing today, not me, Chu Ruohan."
Seeing the situation becoming increasingly tense, Gu Cheng'an hurriedly said, "Father, Mother, this is my fault. Please don't make things difficult for Miss Chu. We should break off the engagement with the Chu family as soon as possible and tell everyone that I am not good enough for Miss Chu. I will take full responsibility."
Marquis Anyang glared at Gu Cheng'an, "Shut up!"
“Miss Chu, there is absolutely no possibility of annulment. My Anyang Marquis’s mansion cannot afford to lose face like that.” The Marquis of Anyang’s expression was dignified, and his tone left no room for doubt.
Chu Ruohan had long anticipated that this marriage wouldn't be so easily called off. After all, a family of Anyang Marquis's caliber valued its reputation above all else.
She never intended to leave the Marquis of Anyang's mansion; how could she easily let go of the deep-seated hatred from her past life?
“My lord, since you feel that breaking off the engagement would bring shame to the Marquis’s mansion, I have a way that might be able to resolve this predicament.”
Marquis Anyang frowned slightly. "What method? Tell me about it."
“The second young master has someone he loves, and I don’t want to be the one to break them up. So let’s arrange a marriage between them. This will both fulfill the second young master’s wishes and save face for the Marquis’s mansion.”
All eyes turned to Gu Chengyan. If Miss Chu was unwilling to marry the second young master, then she would have to be married off to the third young master instead.
Gu Chengyan was afraid that his second brother's faked death would implicate him, so he stayed in a corner to minimize his presence.
But unexpectedly, the eldest daughter of the Chu family wanted to marry him?
Gu Chengyan was startled and subconsciously looked at his second brother, Gu Chengan, his eyes filled with panic and pleading.
Gu Cheng'an was also somewhat taken aback, but at this moment he was filled with the joy of being with Du Ruoling. As long as Chu Ruohan didn't marry him, she could marry anyone else.
“You’ve already married my second brother, how can you remarry me?”
Chu Ruohan's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of mockery flashed in her eyes. "Who said I was going to marry you? The Marquis of Anyang's mansion has three young masters. If I remember correctly, the eldest young master is still unmarried."
Everyone present was stunned.
Everyone knows that the eldest son is physically disabled, a condition he was born with, and even the imperial physicians in the palace have predicted that he will not live for more than a few years.
Why would the eldest daughter of the Chu family refuse a handsome and dignified third young master and instead marry a sickly man?
Marquis Anyang's gaze fell on the wheelchair by the door. Gu Junze remained calm and indifferent, as if he had not heard Chu Ruohan's words.
"I just came to see my second brother." His voice was low and cold, carrying a sense of aloofness that kept people at arm's length.
"It's good that you're alright." After saying that, he had Yingqing push him away.
Chu Ruohan quickly caught up and blocked Gu Junze's wheelchair in a few steps. "Young Master, can we talk?"
Gu Junze's deep eyes were like an ancient well, so calm that they were unfathomable.
"Miss Chu, please speak frankly."
Chu Ruohan frowned slightly. "This is not a place to talk. With so many people around, it's hard to guarantee that no one is overhearing. Young Master, if you trust me, could we find a secluded place?"
Gu Junze remained silent, gazing at her intently with unfathomable eyes.
Chu Ruohan felt as if she had nowhere to hide, as if all her secret plans had been exposed to him in that instant.
A moment later, Gu Junze nodded slightly and gave Ying Qing a wink. Ying Qing understood and pushed the wheelchair forward.
Seeing this, Chu Ruohan quickly followed.
Yingqing pushed Gu Junze into a room and thoughtfully closed the door, standing guard outside.
Gu Junze sat in his wheelchair, his expression still calm. "Miss Chu, it's quiet enough here. Please speak if you have something to say."
Chu Ruohan bit her lip, looking at him with a firm gaze, "Young Master, I know that the marriage exchange may seem absurd to you, but I am serious."
A self-deprecating smile appeared on Gu Junze's lips. "This crippled body of mine can't give you anything you want."
Chu Ruohan shook her head slightly, "Young Master, there's no need to belittle yourself like this. The Second Young Master already has someone he loves. If I were to force myself to marry him, we would only end up as a resentful couple."
"Now that the Marquis is determined not to break off the engagement, I believe that you, the eldest son, are the best choice in this predicament."
"Why not the third brother?"
Gu Junze's eyes held a subtle, probing look, as if he wanted to find the answer in her expression.
Chu Ruohan lowered her eyes slightly, and after a moment she looked up and stared directly at him, "The young master's leg ailment is not a congenital weakness, but rather he was secretly poisoned."
Gu Junze's hands clenched involuntarily, his knuckles turning white, and his originally calm eyes were now filled with turbulent emotions.
"Although the eldest young master was very careful about his diet, he did not expect that the seemingly ordinary ink, when mixed with the incense burned in the room every day, would produce a weak toxin in his body."
"This toxin is like a maggot clinging to the bone, eroding the body day after day, gradually exhausting one's energy and making the body weaker and weaker. Even the most experienced imperial physicians in the palace only thought it was a worsening of an old illness, and could not find anything else to it."
In her previous life, Chu Ruohan overheard this from Gu Chengyan by chance.
"How did Miss Chu learn of such a secret method?" Gu Junze stared intently at her, not missing a single subtle change in her expression.
Chu Ruohan met his gaze calmly. "If you don't believe me, Young Master, you can send someone to investigate secretly. I only want to use this secret to find a place to settle down."
Chu Ruohan was filled with anxiety. If he was unwilling, then she would have no choice but to marry Gu Cheng'an.
In short, she would never submit to Gu Chengyan.
"I agree to this marriage exchange." With that, Gu Junze brought Ying Qing over and pushed her out.
Chu Ruohan felt a huge weight lifted from her heart, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. "Thank you."
Since Gu Junze had already agreed, Marquis Anyang had no need to object anymore. Instead, he ordered people to carry the dowry of the eldest daughter of the Chu family to Hongmeng Courtyard.
They publicly claimed that the eldest daughter of the Chu family was already engaged to Gu Junze.
On the day of the wedding, Gu Cheng'an accidentally fell and fainted. It was all because of those muddle-headed servants who reported the situation in a mess without understanding what was going on, which ruined the wedding.
And that doctor was truly a quack; he couldn't even figure out the reason, and only made things worse.
Red candles burned brightly, filling the bridal chamber with a festive atmosphere. Although the wedding preparations were rather hasty, dragon and phoenix candles, nuptial wine... nothing was missing.
Chu Ruohan, who had lived two lifetimes, was inevitably nervous about her first wedding night. She picked up the nuptial wine and offered it to him, saying, "Husband, my husband..."
"I'm not feeling well and shouldn't drink alcohol. You should rest." After saying that, he winked at Yingqing.
Yingqing quickly stepped forward and pushed the wheelchair. The sound of the wheelchair rolling was particularly clear in the quiet room.