"Yes, Miss!" Lan Xiang felt relieved as if a burden had been lifted.
Since the matter involved Shi Yui, it would be much easier to handle. Instead of having Lan Xiang snoop around in Ningyuan, it would be better to start by probing for information from Shi Yui first, to see if anything could be gleaned!
Recalling Mrs. Wang’s words, Gu Fangzi couldn’t help grinding her teeth in private. Sang Wan, oh Sang Wan, she had underestimated her indeed! In just half a year, she had stolen away her dear cousin, and even her aunt had stopped taking her side! As for the third cousin’s mother, she was heartless as well; having forgotten the help Gu Fangzi provided her during her tis of need, she intentionally distanced herself, making excuses to avoid her visits! Indeed, being an official’s wife, she proved to be slipperier than oil.
The next day, Gu Fangzi ordered Lan Xiang to send so pastries she made to Shi Yui. Upon rembering that several days had passed since she last saw Gu Fangzi, Shi Yui decided to visit her at the peony garden.
Gu Fangzi was eagerly awaiting her arrival, and upon seeing her, the two cousins shared an exceptionally warm greeting, with endless intimate conversations flowing between them.
"I’ll soon be out of mourning, and then, without so many concerns, I’ll have more ti to spend with my dear cousin! How about, when the weather turns fair in March or April, we go out together to enjoy the spring and take in the scenery?" Gu Fangzi proposed with a beaming smile.
"Oh, that sounds wonderful! Co to think of it, it’s been a while since we went out together! We should also take the chance to go shopping!" Shi Yui agreed.
"Yes," Gu Fangzi nodded shyly, a gentle and bashful smile on her face, "And, my dear cousin, the three of us together!"
Seeing her act this way, Shi Yui couldn’t help but let out a laugh, teasing her, "Still calling him ’dear cousin,’ huh? When the ti cos, you should be calling Fengju ’husband’!"
"My dear cousin!" Gu Fangzi playfully pouted, yet her eyes shone with joy as she said: "Now, my dear cousin is already my husband!"
"Yes, the two of you have been close since childhood! To think that your wishes are about to be fulfilled, I truly envy you!" Shi Yui sighed, reflecting on her situation, "Fangzi, you must be good to Fengju!"
Gu Fangzi nodded firmly, "My heart for my dear cousin has never changed, but, but I don’t know how sister-in-law —" She trailed off, her eyes dimming as she gently sighed and looked down.
Shi Yui beca stiff, at a loss for comforting words, and after a mont joined in with a sigh, "Fangzi, I don’t an to sound unpleasant, but I really think Fengju has taken Sang Wan to heart! Ah, I don’t know what tricks Sang Wan has used to make Fengju so—"
Upon hearing this, a sourness welled up in Gu Fangzi’s heart. She was tempted to go along with Shi Yui’s words and lash out at Sang Wan to vent her frustration, but she rembered the purpose of inviting Shi Yui over today and instead forced a wry smile: "Can’t bla my dear cousin; with sister-in-law’s temperant and character, how could my dear cousin not be fond of her? I’m afraid there aren’t many n in the world who wouldn’t like her. I heard that the other day, aunt scolded sister-in-law and my dear cousin. I wonder if that’s true!"
"Indeed!" Shi Yui huffed, "Mother told about it too. That night, wasn’t Fengju accompanying Sang Wan to a social gathering with so friends? When they returned, it started snowing a little, and that boy Fengju, he actually got off the carriage at the secondary gate and carried Sang Wan all the way back to Ningyuan. It just so happened that I wasn’t feeling well that night, and while mother was returning from my place after a visit, she walked right into the scene!" Shi Yui said, covering her mouth, laughing, "You should’ve seen mother’s face when she spoke of it the next day—it was as dark as anything! I really wanted to laugh but dared not; I wanted to console her but didn’t know how! Fengju has always been this way. He used to do things for you too, right? He does as he pleases; who cares! Mother is perhaps too concerned for her own good!"
Gu Fangzi was shocked and angered, clenching her fists tightly without realizing it. What did her dear cousin just say? That her dear cousin actually carried that wretched Sang Wan publicly and brought her back to Ningyuan through the secondary gate!
He had never carried her like that! But he had carried Sang Wan!
When she was with him, they only ever shared tender glances; actual touching was extrely rare. He barely even held her hand, let alone kissed her. Because she had her reservations, she didn’t want him to think she was an immodest woman. She wanted to maintain the most beautiful image in his heart! Thus, even if she bore a great injustice, she would only gently cry on his shoulder, and he would only softly pat her back, never daring to touch her improperly!
But to think, he was so affectionate with Sang Wan!
Shi Yui continued with a sigh, "I think mother has a thorn in her heart that she can’t get rid of, and she won’t feel better until it’s gone! I tried to ease her mind by ntioning your old stories with Fengju, and that helped her to worry less about it. Fengju, how can he still be so frivolous at his age! It’s fortunate that it happened at night; if this was in broad daylight for all to see, it would be utterly shaless! Sang Wan too, much too brazen!"
Had it not been for Sang Wan’s efforts on the New Year’s Eve regarding her affair, and her subsequent careful handling of the situation ensuring not a word of gossip was spread, Shi Yui would indeed owe her a favor, and her comnt now might have extended beyond just "brazen." Shi Yui knew all too well the intricacies of the back courtyard politics. After all, the incident that night had occurred within the courtyard. Without Sang Wan’s cautious handling afterwards, taking the opportunity to intentionally leak the story, it’s likely the whole household would have known the tale of her grandaunt being barred outside the courtyard by her husband the very next day! By then, even if she wanted to conduct a thorough investigation, it would be impossible to trace back to Sang Wan. Given Sang Wan’s influence in the family, how could she not have her own channels for spreading rumors?
Since that night, Shi Yui had indeed changed her opinion of Sang Wan. She even secretly questioned herself: if she had been in Sang Wan’s place that evening, could she have done the sa? The answer was no. Not to kick soone when they were down would be lucky enough, let alone to provide much-needed support—impossible!
Gu Fangzi felt dumbfounded, vaguely sensing she was onto sothing.
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