In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

"We are the real husband and wife."

Gu Zhao hugged Zhu Qingyu, emphasized it again, grasped her smooth shoulders, and said with excitement and earnestness:

"Qingyu, marry me, okay? We'll be a proper husband and wife."

Indeed, one should not indulge oneself, for even a moment of indulgence can lead to trouble one should not.

Before her stood a man of power, ability, social standing, and dominance, not a younger brother with whom she could have a flirtatious flirtation and then cut ties.

Lust can cloud judgment, indeed! The ancients were right.

Zhu Qingyu felt that last night, because her hopes had been dashed and she had been in this dangerous world for too long, suppressed for too long, and under too much pressure, she had lost her mind and become careless.

So they didn't even think to prepare for the possible situation in advance, which led to a blunder.

Since things have come to this, there is no other way but to run away.

Anyway, she had fulfilled her promise, and she and he were even.

Zhu Qingyu pushed Gu Zhao away:

"Lord Gu, I should go back now."

Then Zhu Qingyu got out of bed without responding to his words, ignoring them, and calmly took the clothes from the rack to put on.

Gu Zhao was struck dumb by her push, frozen in place, unable to believe that she would be so cold.

Just moments before, they had been intimately close; the warmth, fragrance, and touch of her lingering in his arms had not yet faded. Yet, she turned on him, dressed herself, and began calling him Lord Gu.

It's Lord Gu again!

Why is it still Lord Gu?!

He doesn't want to be her Lord Gu!

They were in a marital relationship, and he wanted to be her husband!

Zhu Qingyu was halfway through putting on her clothes when someone hugged her from behind.

Gu Zhao hugged her, pressed down on her hands as she dressed, rested his head on her shoulder, and kissed her cheek while whispering seductively:

"Marry me, Qingyu. Weren't you happy last night? You were clearly very happy too. Don't try to fool me. We're already husband and wife, and you clearly like me, so why won't you marry me? Am I not good enough? What's wrong with me?"

Her back was pressed against his chest, his breath mingling with hers in her ear. At first glance, they really looked like a young couple who had just gotten up early and were still reluctant to part, lingering and affectionate.

like?

Having slept with such a younger brother, one must indeed feel some fondness for him.

Since she came into this world, she hadn't had such a cathartic release in a very, very long time.

Because of this physical entanglement, even the pent-up frustration that had been suppressed within her for so long was completely dissipated like dust in the wind, following the violent outburst between the two last night.

If this were modern times, she would be willing to spend money on a younger brother like him to express her appreciation and sincerity for his efforts the night before.

But this isn't the case here.

He's now just indulging in the pleasure and doesn't want to keep his promise to end things abruptly after that one time, so he's pretending to be harmless and aggrieved in an attempt to seduce her.

But he could change his mind at any time, turning from seduction to coercion, and she had no way to fight back.

What is a married couple?

Article 2 of the Marriage Law stipulates that marriage is free, monogamous, and that men and women are equal.

Article 5 of the Marriage Law stipulates that marriage must be entirely voluntary and cannot be forced.

What aspect between him and her meets the most basic standards of marriage law, enough to qualify them to be husband and wife?

Zhu Qingyu gently but firmly pushed away his hands that were wrapped around her waist again, and said:

"Lord Gu, I cannot marry you. I already have a husband, Jingyan."

The phrase "married woman" can no longer be a shackle binding Gu Zhao.

This time, Gu Zhao didn't let go at all; instead, she hugged him even tighter and said righteously:

"I don't know what's going on between you two, but your relationship is just a facade. He's not real at all! Divorce him today! I can compensate him with high-ranking positions, wealth, and all sorts of riches. You're not allowed to leave. Write down your father's address for me, and I'll have my parents come to your house to propose marriage. Don't tell me you wrote it down last time; you were lying to me then, and I haven't settled the score with you yet."

There is no chance of winning against Gu Zhao in terms of physical strength.

If he is determined to control her, she will have no way to break free.

Unable to break free, Zhu Qingyu gave up and asked:

"So, Lord Gu, what if I insist on leaving? Will you lock me up? Imprison me here? Only come to favor me when you want to? Or will you lock me up somewhere no one can find me when you're busy? If that's what you're going to do, I really have no choice but to stay here as you wish. I can only let me out when you lose interest. Is that what you want to do?"

Gu Zhao couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal and had no choice but to let her go.

The relationship between the two began with coercion. Because of this wrong start, he has gone down such a long and winding road, until he reached a dead end, until he was in despair and gave up, and still could not get what he wanted.

Having finally seen a glimmer of hope, an opportunity, how could he possibly resort to coercion again, thus ruining any possible future he might have with her?

After Zhu Qingyu finished dressing, Cha Guzhao bowed and said:

"Lord Gu, take care."

Gu Zhao stared at her with eyes full of despair:

"Qingyu, what's wrong with me? Can you teach me?"

Zhu Qingyu smiled at him, and said again:

"Lord Gu, take care."

After saying goodbye, Zhu Qingyu pushed open the door and went out. A nanny was guarding under the eaves. When she saw her come out, she asked:

"Madam Zhu, would you like to have a meal?"

The world was a vast expanse of white, with snow falling incessantly.

Zhu Qingyu shook her head, adjusted her hat, and walked into the swirling snow.

It takes an hour to walk down the mountain from here, so she needs to go to the gatekeeper and ask if she can borrow a carriage to take her down the mountain.

Just as she reached the courtyard gate, someone strode up behind her, tried to take her hand, and said:

"I'll take you down the mountain."

Zhu Qingyu dodged his hand and smiled at him:

"Thank you, Lord Gu. I was just about to borrow your carriage."

Looking at his empty palms, Gu Zhao felt a dull ache in his heart that made it hard to breathe.

Why, why, why?

He couldn't find the answer and didn't understand at all how she had completely changed after waking up.

Does she really only see last night as a transaction?

On the way down the mountain, the two sat on opposite sides of the carriage, one on the left and the other on the right, with the space between them completely empty and clearly separated. Yet, just yesterday afternoon, they had been so intimate in the same carriage.

Just as I was thinking this, the carriage suddenly stopped.

A weak voice, accompanied by coughing, asked from the other end:

"Lord Xiong, excuse me, I see you're coming from Huangjue Temple. Have you seen my wife?"