After Shedding My Ar Chapter 31

The moon shone brightly among the sparse stars, and the cool night breeze lifted Fu Yan's long hair, which draped over his shoulders.

Gu Fu stared blankly at him, and he looked at Gu Fu with equal surprise.

After a few monts, Gu Fu ca to his senses and quickly raised his head, his voice particularly wavering: "I can explain."

Fu Yan stood still: "…Go ahead."

Gu Fu began from the start: "My family has a pigeon, the one that your Secret Cabinet didn’t want. It's usually quite clingy with , but several tis when I returned from your place, it seed afraid of . I thought it might be because of you, so…"

‘So to test it, I borrowed your clothes to get your scent on them and went back to try again.’

Saying it like this sounds strange too.

Although Gu Fu didn’t finish his sentence, Fu Yan understood. He took a step toward Gu Fu and said, "You can take my writing brush back with you."

Gu Fu looked hesitant: "Isn't that inappropriate? Your brush looks expensive. What if I break it?"

Fu Yan: "…" Hugging my clothes and sniffing them is okay?

Fu Yan sat down in the spot where Gu Fu often sat and told Gu Fu: "That pigeon is just afraid of ."

Gu Fu was puzzled: "Why?"

The plump pigeon wasn't even afraid of soone like her, who had survived countless battlefields. Why would it fear an immortal who dwells high in the tower, far from the mundane world?

Fu Yan said calmly, "I ntioned it yesterday, right? I am the disciple of the Immortal Master Penglai. Although he's a fraud, he does know how to refine dicinal elixirs. I have followed him since childhood and have absorbed the scent of the elixirs. So not only that pigeon, but ordinary small animals also do not dare to approach ."

Gu Fu rembered that Fu Yan indeed had a dicinal scent on him. She had even once remarked that he slled nice.

Gu Fu sniffed the fox fur coat she was still holding in her arms in front of Fu Yan and said, "There's no sll on the clothes though."

Fu Yan: "…I haven’t worn that coat many tis."

"Oh, I see." Gu Fu put down the coat and asked Fu Yan, "Can I hug you?"

Fu Yan almost thought he misheard.

He watched Gu Fu hang the fox fur back on the coat rack, then walked to his side, sat cross-legged, and asked again, "Can I hug you?"

When Gu Fu said this, her face was exceptionally serious, as if this request was purely to verify if there was a scent on Fu Yan that scared small animals.

Fu Yan lowered his gaze, his tone equally indifferent, as if he was rely helping Gu Fu resolve her doubts: "As you wish."

Gu Fu reached out and hugged Fu Yan. Although he usually had a cold deanor, his embrace was particularly warm perhaps because he had just woken up.

Gu Fu didn’t dare to hug him too tightly. She paused for a mont before letting go, sowhat reluctantly. Seeing that Fu Yan's expression remained indifferent, she couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed—

Today's Imperial Preceptor was still so coldly elegant and untouched by the mundane world.

After Gu Fu left, the Imperial Preceptor, untouched by the mundane world, sat dazed in place for most of the night before returning to his room.

...

The next morning, another decree ca from the Empress, summoning Gu Fu to the palace.

Gu Fu only learned upon arrival that, despite the heated argunts in court, the Ministry of Revenue had already transcribed the roster of eligible unmarried n as per the Emperor’s request and delivered it to the palace. This ti, Gu Fu was not only to help the Empress organize the roster but also to answer a few questions.

"The initial selection criteria set by His Majesty included 'family background,' but the commander of the Chiyao Army and so officials of humble origins hope to have this criterion removed. Since this is to choose a husband for you, His Majesty has asked

to seek your opinion."

The Chiyao Army was a new imperial city guard unit established by the Emperor to divert court attention and protect Li Yu after the incident involving Wu Huaijin in the Imperial Guard. Although it appeared to divide the duties of the Imperial Guard, the commander of the Chiyao Army was not from the capital, not even a military general, and did not co from a noble family. Hence, this new army had always been subordinate to the Imperial Guard and frequently subjected to its provocations and suppression.

No one expected that the Chiyao Army, which had been swallowing its grievances, would take a stand now, resonating with the officials of humble origins in the court, who ca forward in support.

Naturally, Gu Fu did not oppose this.

The fewer the selection criteria, the smaller the differences, and the longer the whole selection process would take, which was beneficial to her. So she told the Empress, "Heroes are not judged by their origins. I certainly won’t mind soone’s background."

The Empress and Gu Fu understood each other well. Then the Empress asked a second question, "In the hostage mansion in the south of the city, foreign envoys have also submitted a petition wanting to participate in the selection."

Gu Fu found it amusing, "What are they joining the fun for?”

The Empress also smiled, "It's likely the hostage from the Yin Kingdom stirring things up."

Although the Yin Kingdom was small, it was rich in resources, and its people were very proud. Since arriving in the capital, the hostage from the Yin Kingdom had shown no sign of being dependent on others. Instead, he often t with sons of prominent families in the capital, drinking and visiting brothels, frequently causing trouble. With such excitent, he wouldn't want to miss out on this.

The question was whether Gu Fu would allow it.

Gu Fu said, "Of course, let them! Why not? No matter what, we can take advantage of it first. If by chance a foreign hostage is selected, His Majesty would certainly not let

marry him. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"

The Empress conveyed Gu Fu's wishes, and the Emperor was relieved, not having to reject each petition individually.

As various disputes settled down, the news of selecting the best-unmarried n in the capital gradually spread throughout the city. The na of the selection process was initially undecided, but it was later nad "Xuanlin," aning the selection of the best and brightest, akin to choosing a qilin among n.

The term "qilin" was often used to describe a person of both talent and virtue, and the saying "where it appears, good ons follow" made it more appropriate and auspicious than other nas.

The Empress, busy with managing the affairs of the harem and short of hands, allocated a royal villa in the capital, Wanxiu Zhai, to store the roster and information of the candidates. She also gave Gu Fu a token allowing her unrestricted access to Wanxiu Zhai, encouraging her to help more, as this was also her own matter.

Gu Fu did not refuse, but the tasks were too many and too complicated for her to handle alone. So, she made another trip to the palace to ask the Empress if she could bring so assistants to Wanxiu Zhai.

The Empress agreed, and the first person Gu Fu dragged into this was Mu Qingyao.

Mu Qingyao was also overwheld and asked Gu Fu if she could bring her friends from her poetry club.

There weren't many mbers in Mu Qingyao's poetry club, but one thing was certain: they could be trusted to keep secrets.

Mu Qingyao proved this point with two incidents. The first was about Tang Mumu. Mu Qingyao knew all about Tang Mumu’s actions because several mbers of the poetry club, along with Tang Mumu’s sister, Tang Wu, investigated it together. But for Tang Wu’s sake, none of them said anything publicly, rely warning others to be careful of Tang Mumu. Only Mu Qingyao told Gu Fu about it.

The second incident involved Miss Wei, whom they had t at Linshui Pavilion. Miss Wei was attracted to won, which all the club mbers knew about, but again, no one had spread this information. Even when Gu Fu was pestered by Miss Wei, Mu Qingyao rely advised her not to accept anything from Miss Wei to avoid any misunderstandings.

Gu Fu trusted Mu Qingyao and, after obtaining the Empress’s approval, took the young ladies from Mu Qingyao’s poetry club to Wanxiu Zhai.

Upon learning they could participate in organizing the materials for the Xuanlin selection and handle future statistics, several of the girls almost lost their dignified composure. Only Miss Wei remained calm, as she had no interest in n and was simply happy to have more opportunities to be under the sa roof as Gu Fu.

The young ladies quickly adapted, managing various tasks efficiently, greatly lightening Gu Fu’s load.

One day, while reviewing the latest transcribed preliminary list, Gu Fu unexpectedly found a familiar na—Gu Zhu.

Her eyelid twitched as she confird it was not a nasake but her own younger cousin brother, Gu Zhu.

Gu Fu rubbed her forehead: Why is my brother’s na on this list?

Later, Gu Fu thought it over and found it understandable. Gu Zhu indeed t the requirents, and no one knew this selection was for her future husband, so naturally, they wouldn't consider the blood relationship between Gu Zhu and her.

Gu Fu suddenly thought: If Gu Zhu excelled and won the top spot, His Majesty would certainly not let her marry her own cousin. So the question was, how to increase Gu Zhu's chances of being selected?

That night, Gu Fu went to Qitian Tower and asked Fu Yan, "What do you think of my brother?"

Fu Yan countered with a question, "Have I t him?"

Gu Fu had to remind Fu Yan, "During the Lantern Festival, when you ca to find , he was there too."

Only then did Fu Yan recall the sullen, taciturn young man and gave a one-word assessnt: "Reclusive."

"He's just timid," Gu Fu couldn't help but speak well of her brother, "But he has a good heart. He was obedient and well-behaved when he was young. I used to take him climbing trees, and the maids and nannies wouldn’t allow it, but he always listened to . He beca shy and quiet after being bullied by his classmates. And he's very skilled. The sword I use at ho was forged by him himself. I even asked him to make

two Miao swords, and he imdiately went to find the right iron…"

Fu Yan watched as Gu Fu went on and on praising her brother. His eyes lowered, showing a hint of disinterest. His expression nearly spelled out the words "not interested.”

"…If he wins the Xuanlin top spot, I won't have to marry, since he's my cousin."

After Gu Fu said this, Fu Yan finally lifted his gaze, as if a light bulb had turned on in his mind. He asked, "Did you borrow the Sunset Bow from

for him last ti?"

Gu Fu replied, "Yes, he even crafted a replica based on the 'Records of Ingenious Work.' Though the materials were different, it looked almost identical to yours."

Fu Yan imdiately said, "I can recomnd him to the Military Manufacturing Departnt. Given his age and the reputation of the Military Manufacturing Departnt, it could draw a lot of attention to him."

Gu Fu's eyes widened, "But that's the Military Manufacturing Departnt! Can you really just enter it like that?"

Fu Yan explained, "'Records of Ingenious Work' itself is a tool used by the Military Manufacturing Departnt to recruit skilled craftsn from all over the world. His ability to create the Sunset Bow proves he has the qualifications to join the Military Manufacturing Departnt."

Gu Fu understood, "So, 'Records of Ingenious Work' is essentially a recruitnt tool for the Military Manufacturing Departnt."

Fu Yan: "..."

That's not entirely wrong. Nearly a fifth of the craftsn in the Military Manufacturing Departnt were recruited because they had created items listed in 'Records of Ingenious Work.' They ca from various parts of Dayong, with diverse backgrounds, but they all shared a unique passion for crafting innovative items.

...

Before the Xuanlin selection officially began, Gu Fu took the initiative to create so buzz for her brother.

But she didn't expect that "Gu Zhu" wouldn’t be the most surprising na she found on the list—"Fu Yan" was.

The young ladies responsible for sorting the list explained, "The Imperial Preceptor is unmarried, within the specified age range, and of clear, respectable background. Why shouldn't he be eligible?"

Gu Fu was left speechless. "You all are truly sothing."

When the final list was sent to the palace, the Empress had it checked multiple tis to avoid any errors and naturally noticed Fu Yan's na on it.

The Empress was troubled, "This..."

However, the Emperor found it amusing and said to the Empress, "Keep it. I've arranged for Secret Pavilion mbers to be in Wanxiu Zhai. If he didn't want to be involved, he would have found a way to have his na removed long before it reached you.”

Translator's notes:

Qilin - a legendary animal from Chinese mythology, frequently called the Chinese unicorn. Qilin is known as a humane and benevolent animal. Its appearance is an auspicious sign, signaling that the ruling monarch is kind and wise, and his rule pleases the gods. See here for pictures and more info.

In Ancient China, marrying paternal cousins was a no-no, but marrying maternal cousins was okay. Gu Fu and Gu Zhu are paternal cousins and can't get married, hence why she wants him to get selected.

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