Prime Minister Gu has stood there for a long time, desperately trying to figure out why the Third Prince insisted on marrying Gu Qiang, but he couldn’t find the answer.

He could only attribute it to the Third Prince’s love for Gu Qiang.

He was once young, so he knew once you loved a person, you would take it seriously.

In his eyes, Gu Qiang was mature and quick-witted. She had changed.

He didn’t know whether he should be pleased or sad. He was pleased about Gu Qiang’s change. He was satisfied with it.

To his sadness, the stronger Gu Qiang was, the weaker he seemed to be.

Because he failed to give warmth and a sense of security to Gu Qiang as her father, she became so strong. It was inglorious.

Who was willing to admit that he was weak?

After returning to the yard, Gusu Liang couldn’t help asking, “My Lady, Gu Zhihua loves Shen Zhongbai deeply. Why do you help her realize her dream?”

Gu Qiang and Gu Zhihua were like water and fire, but the former wanted to help the latter marry Shen Zhongbai. It was too strange.

It was cool in the yard. Rows of ropes were tied around the trees to dry clothes. Gu Qiang flattened the clothes and turned around with a big smile.

It had been a long time since Gusu Liang saw her smile last time. Gu Qiang was troubled by various things recently. Gusu Liang smiled, too.

“Do you think Shen Zhongbai is a good man? If he doesn’t love a woman, he won’t treat her nicely even if she marries him. The marriage with him is nothing but hell.” Then she patted her hands, which were wet with drops of water.

Standing in the yard for a long time, Gusu Liang kept pondering on why Gu Qiang seemed to have lived with Shen Zhongbai. The girl was young but unusually mature.

On the 8th day of the lunar 11th month, Gu Zhihua was sitting in her bedroom. Her eyelids were as swollen as peaches. No matter how heavy the makeup was, her sadness couldn’t be hidden.

Ye sat on a nearby chair and looked indifferently at Gu Zhihua. Finally, she couldn’t help yelling, “Stop. Why do you keep crying? Don’t you dream to marry Shen Zhongbai? But now you feel sad. What can I do for you?”

Shen Zhongbai came to see Gu Zhihua the other day, but it turned out that he came here only for Gu Qiang.

Gu Zhihua once stood in the way of Shen Zhongbai in public to express her love for him. But without sparing her blushes, he told her blankly that he loved Gu Qiang rather than her.

Gu Zhihua was so irritated that she rushed to the nearby lotus pond and jumped down without thinking twice. Shen Zhongbai seemed to have predicted that she would play such a trick, so he didn’t care at all and just looked on smilingly with folded arms. At last, Gu Huaihuai jumped into the water and rescued his sister when walking past.

Each time Ye thought of it, she would feel uncomfortable. She was most proud of Gu Zhihua and always wanted to give her good education and let her marry a relative of the imperial family.

Now her wish was fulfilled, but she was not excited. Shen Zhongbai loved Gu Qiang. Even if Gu Zhihua married him, she was just Gu Qiang’s shadow.

At the thought of it, Ye felt more agitated. When she found Gu Zhihua was still crying, she flew into a rage at once.

Caring about nothing, Gu Zhihua said, “Mother, do you think this is all my fault? Who gave me the advice before? Why did you help me with your heart and soul at that time?”

Ye was furious. Was Gu Zhihua supposed to say that as her daughter? Didn’t she know how much her mother had done for her? Ye had used up all her wisdom. Though the result was not satisfying, there was no more she could do!

“Do as you like!” Ye stood up hurriedly and planned to walk out. Gu Zhihua would marry Shen Zhongbai today, but a wedding feast wasn’t given. And Shen Zhongbai sent someone to inform that the sedan chair must enter the house through the side door. As a dignified daughter of the Gu Family, Gu Zhihua was treated like someone totally unimportant. It was so ironic. Ye regarded her daughter as a failure in her life.

Gu Zhihua reached out her hand to stop Ye, but the latter left firmly. When reaching the door, Ye turned around coldly, “Now that the ending can’t be changed, be a good concubine of the prince. No matter what happens, don’t turn to me for help. Understand?”

Gu Zhihua gritted her teeth. Finally, she couldn’t stand it. She pushed away the middle-aged servant combing hair for her. The servant lost her footing and fell to the ground. As a result, the wedding gown and jewelry on the table were scattered on the ground.

Ye was astonished by the noise. They were valuable. She appeared indifferent to Gu Zhihua but cared about her in the heart. After all, Gu Zhihua was her only daughter. She hoped everything was fine with her daughter.

Even though Gu Zhihua was Shen Zhongbai’s concubine, Ye hoped she could have a grand wedding ceremony and everything else that was necessary. Even though she was unhappy, she had to endure it. After all, Gu Zhihua was her daughter.

Gu Zhihua rushed to grab Ye’s hand and said with tears, “Mother, I will be bullied to death without your help.”

Ye turned around. Not caring so much, Gu Zhihua wiped her tears with her hands. She didn’t find her makeup had become messy. The middle-aged servant collected herself from the ground. Looking at Gu Zhihua’s face, she gulped. She had to help Gu Zhihua put on her makeup again.

Ye didn’t have the heart to leave. Finally, she sat back and held Gu Zhihua’s hands. Her hands were icy, and she continued crying.

“Zhihua, go there today. Let’s solve other things later. We have enough time. Don’t worry. I’m here to help.” Ye patted Gu Zhihua’s back to comfort her.

That night, the street before Shen Zhongbai’s mansion was lined with several exquisite sedan chairs, which were fancier than common ones.

A servant glanced at the side door. A daughter of the Prime Minister Mansion got married, but the main entrance was decorated with nothing. Only a piece of paper with a Chinese character “Xi” meaning happiness was stuck on the side door. The servant sympathized with the bride.

When walking past, common people craned to look inside, only to see a long corridor. The guards on both sides of it were poker-faced.

“It is said that the Third Prince will marry a daughter of Prime Minister Gu today, isn’t it? Why there is no decoration in the Prince’s Mansion?” Two persons chatted casually at the corner with fresh vegetables in their hands while eating sunflower seeds.

“That’s because the Third Prince doesn’t like this bride. It’s said that he loves her sister, the first daughter of the Gu Family with the title of Infanta Luoping.” The other one answered. They wanted to continue chatting, but the gatekeeper glanced at them, so they left hurriedly with their belongings and winked at each other, signaling that the concubine of the Third Prince would lead a miserable life.

In the back garden of the Prince’s Mansion, several tables were placed in order and people were seated around them. Members of the Gu Family had been there early. Prime Minister Gu lowered his head and moved the cup in his hand again and again. His face was expressionless, but he kept breathing heavily as if he was out of his breath.

Ye and the Old Lady were seated on both sides of Prime Minister Gu. The Old Lady coughed terribly with her face turning red. Her servant stroked her back lightly in time and didn’t feel relieved until she spat out yellow sputum.

Gu Qiang was sitting nearby. After a glance, Gu Qiang was clear that the Old Lady who used to be arrogant would die soon.

“Don’t be angry anymore. Zhihua was not born of your first wife. It is lucky enough for her to marry the prince.” The Old Lady wiped the sputum off her mouth corners with a handkerchief and turned around to look at Prime Minister Gu calmly.

Before Prime Minister Gu opened his mouth, Ye couldn’t help retorting. Why did the Old Lady always label the two girls as the first daughter or not? Anyway, they were both their granddaughters, weren’t they?

“Grandma, I don’t think so. My sister is taken good care of in our family and good at lyre-playing, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Without…” Gu Huaihuai said coldly. In the middle of his remarks, he turned around to look at Gu Qiang. Without her, Gu Zhihua would be Shen Zhongbai’s wife. This awful woman was to blame.

Everyone else kept silent and turned around to look at Gu Qiang.

However, Gu Qiang seemed to have heard nothing. She stared into the distance quietly. On the path from the main hall to the back garden, Princess Changning and Shen Qianshan were walking over slowly. They seemed to be talking about something, and they were smiling.

Shen Qianshan was in white, and Gu Qiang was familiar with the cloth. At the glance of his clothes, she seemed to be greeted by his fragrance. The smell was familiar to her and once attracted her deeply.

It seemed that Shen Qianshan didn’t see Gu Qiang. She smiled at the thought of the affectionate kiss that day. She thought the memory was sweet.

The Old Lady wanted to laugh at Gu Huaihuai, but the two celebrities came. Therefore, she swallowed back the words on the tip of her tongue and led the Gu Family to greet Princess Changning and Shen Qianshan.

Princess Changning was wearing a light yellow robe, on which a pattern of phoenix flowers was embroidered. With gorgeous headwear, she looked brilliant and made others unable to look away.

She waved and said clearly and naturally, “Today is my brother’s wedding day. Please feel at home. Don’t stand on ceremony.”

Though she said that, she was so awe-inspiring that no one dared to talk after she was seated.