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

Zhang Shen raised his hand, lifted the carriage curtain, and called out again:

"Qingyu, I'm coming in."

Just as he lifted a corner of the curtain, Zhu Qingyu emerged from the carriage, grasped his hand that had parted to reveal the curtain, and said:

"Jingyan, it's so cold, and you're so sick. Why aren't you resting at home? Instead, you're running around, making me worry for no reason."

The carriage curtain fell behind Zhu Qingyu. In that brief moment, compared to the dark room outside the carriage, the interior of the carriage might have seen nothing, or it might have seen everything.

But Zhang Shen didn't ask anything. Upon seeing Zhu Qingyu, he smiled, helped her out of the car, and replied:

"The snow is falling too heavily, and Huangjue Temple is so far away. I was worried you'd be delayed on your way back, so I came to pick you up. Have you finished fulfilling your vow to the Bodhisattva?"

Zhu Qingyu has never been a big believer in ghosts and gods, so in the past, when she went to temples, she mainly visited them and rarely made wishes or asked for anything from Buddha.

But since she had already told Zhang Ruohua that she was going to fulfill a vow, and Zhang Shen had asked how her vow-fulfilling was going, she jumped out of the car, took Zhang Shen's hand, and answered in the same manner:

"Okay, we've fulfilled our vow. Let's go back. Your hands are so cold. It's cold outside, don't let them get frostbite. Hold my hand, don't fall."

Zhu Qingyu led the way, with Zhang Shen following behind, as they walked back step by step through the snow.

As she passed Xiong Kun, Zhu Qingyu nodded to him in greeting.

"Master Xiong, thank you for seeing me off today. Farewell."

Zhu Qingyu bowed, and Zhang Shen followed suit, nodding to Xiong Kun as well.

"Lord Xiong, thank you for taking care of my wife today. Please come to my residence for tea another day."

Xiong Kun felt extremely uncomfortable after hearing the thank you. It's true that every pot has its lid. If it were a couple, it would be unbelievable that he could still get a thank you in this situation.

Saying "thank you" seemed a bit undeserved, and not knowing what else to say, Xiong Kun simply scratched his head and smiled.

The two carriages were coming face to face, only a few steps apart. Zhu Qingyu led Zhang Shen a few steps to her own carriage, jumped on herself first, and then reached out to help Zhang Shen.

The snow kept falling, and Zhang Shen coughed even more violently. Seeing Zhu Qingyu's outstretched hand, he smiled and said:

"It can't be that bad. You're not that weak that you can't even get on a carriage."

Seeing him coughing so badly, his face flushed as if he still had a fever, and his thin frame looking like he was about to collapse, Zhu Qingyu frowned, but still held out her hand to Zhang Shen:

"Yes, yes, yes, your Master Zhang is very capable. He can run ten miles in one breath, he's a true steed among men, he could kill eight oxen with one punch, he's a modern-day Wu Song. He's so sick, and instead of staying home in this snowy weather, he's out here braving the wind and snow, showing off his strength. Should I praise you?"

After being berated by Zhu Qingyu, Zhang Shen didn't dare to say a word or show any resistance. He took Zhu Qingyu's hand and got into the car.

Having finally found Madam, Uncle Lü, fearing further complications, quickly jumped into the carriage after the master and Madam had boarded. He whipped the horse, turned it around in a swift motion, and with another flick of the whip, propelled the carriage at its usual speed, speeding along the route until it disappeared into the snowstorm.

After the Zhang family's carriage had disappeared from sight, and the young master inside still hadn't spoken, Xiong Kun cautiously asked through the curtain:

"Young Master, are we returning to the Duke's mansion?"

Inside the carriage, Gu Zhao leaned back against the carriage wall, covered his eyes with the back of his hand, and let out a long breath.

Yesterday, in the same carriage, someone sat on his lap, hugged him, and called him "husband."

But today, she just left him like that, leaving decisively and cleanly, to her rightful husband.

He couldn't even appear openly; to her, he was just a man who couldn't be seen in the light of day.

Gu Zhao's tone was weary:

"Let's go back."

When Gu Zhao returned to the study in the front courtyard of the Duke's mansion, even the normal lunch time had already passed.

If a servant or an unfavored master misses lunch, they simply miss it and have to wait until dinner to eat.

But as the heir of the Duke's mansion, even when Gu Zhao was not at home, the kitchen would keep the stove open for him every day, just in case the young master wanted something to eat at any time, so that it could be served at any time. They couldn't just tell the master that there was nothing.

So even though lunchtime had passed, the servant quickly prepared and served Gu Zhao's meal.

Gu Zhao sat alone at the dining table. Although he hadn't eaten or drunk anything since morning, he had no appetite at all when he looked at the steaming, carefully prepared dishes. He just stood there in a daze, holding his chopsticks, and didn't touch them for a long time.

At this moment, the Duchess of Dingguo burst in in a flurry of activity:

"Zhao'er, where did you go last night? You didn't come back overnight, and you didn't come back this morning either! I clearly told you that the Grand Princess and Miss Wen were coming to visit today. If you had any objections to this marriage, you should have said so beforehand, and we would have refused. How could you arrange a meeting and then leave the young lady standing there like that? Is this how I taught you to treat guests? Now you've offended the Grand Princess, and Miss Wen has gone home."

While being scolded by the Duchess of Dingguo, Gu Zhao was still holding his chopsticks and staring blankly, not even noticing that the Duchess of Dingguo had entered.

After a while, Gu Zhao seemed to return to his senses, raised his eyelids, looked at his mother who was furious, and replied:

"This matter was my fault. Tomorrow, I will go to the Grand Princess's residence to apologize in person."

Lady Dingguo was even angrier at his indifferent attitude:

"What's the use of coming to apologize? The Grand Princess is of noble birth; how could she tolerate such an attitude from you? I think this marriage is hopeless. Tell me, what are you going to do?"

As they were talking, the Duchess of Dingguo suddenly sensed something was wrong and moved closer. When she saw the obvious bite mark on Gu Zhao's neck, she gasped in shock:

"Zhao'er, is that you?"

No wonder he doesn't want to look at her; he already has another woman outside!

Just a few days ago, I was saying that the young master of the Xie family was absurd. Now, how could my own son, who has always acted with integrity, do such an absurd thing!

This girl, who had no betrothal or marriage arrangements, was able to have physical intimacy with him. It's obvious that she was not a suitable match for the Duke's mansion.

Seeing her mother's shocked and angry expression, Gu Zhao smiled helplessly at her:

"Mother, don't worry, I have no other women outside, and no one wants to enter the Duke's mansion. I'm a little tired, let me rest for a while."

After the Duchess of Dingguo left, Gu Zhao hastily ate lunch and lay down on the bed, feeling utterly exhausted.

She lingered briefly in his arms before leaving him again.

He had just gained it, and then he lost it.

He once thought she deeply loved another man and was even willing to give everything for him, which plunged him into despair and pain.

But now he knows that the other man is not his husband, so she didn't reject him because of Zhang Jingyan. So what was her reason?

The images of their passionate encounter last night kept replaying in Gu Zhao's mind, keeping him awake at all.

Why is it that she seemed happy last night, so why is she unwilling to marry him?

Gu Zhao took out the light blue handkerchief from his bosom, covered his face with it, closed his eyes, as if she were still beside him, and thought with pain and confusion:

"Qingyu, teach me, what should I do to win your heart?"