Chapter 345: What Is This Thing

After sharing a laugh, Young Master Zhou returned and called for the Chao Feng. Gu Fei had Yan’er stand watch as the Chao Feng inventoried the contents in her presence before taking the two chests away.

There was still one chest of pearls and jade that Gu Fei hadn’t touched. She planned to take those to her own silver building to sell.

That evening, within the Guardian Lady’s residence, Shen Qingluan sat upright in her room and said coolly, “Has Wang’er gotten all the information? Tell him to come in and report.”

A short while later, a maidservant lifted the door curtain. Wang’er knelt in the outer room and recounted in great detail how Xiao Yu had acted on Gu Fei’s behalf, beating a Government Official and forcing Housekeeper Wu to slap his own face.

He added, “The Young Master Heir also ate at that Miss Gu’s inn just a few days ago. And I heard that Housekeeper Wu was beaten to death by men sent by the Young Master Heir. His home was ransacked, too. The specifics aren’t clear, but it was supposedly also for Miss Gu.”

“That’s all I managed to find out.”

After hearing this, Shen Qingluan snatched a Ru Kiln teacup beside her and hurled it viciously at the floor. The teacup smashed against the ground, shattering into pieces instantly.

Shen Qingluan gritted her teeth. “Just as I thought! The moment I saw her seductive appearance, I knew she was a vixen!”

The maidservant beside her didn’t dare to make a sound.

Shen Qingluan’s chest heaved. She waved her hand, and Wang’er quickly retreated.

Only then did the maidservant lower the curtain. She turned to soothe Shen Qingluan, “Miss, please don’t ruin your health over some lowly woman.”

“Didn’t they say the Young Master Heir can’t be near women before he’s twenty? So that Miss Gu probably hasn’t managed to seduce him yet.”

Shen Qingluan spat viciously. “Pah! As if she’s worthy! What kind of creature is she, to dare have designs on the Young Master Heir!”

The maidservant carefully watched Shen Qingluan’s expression. “Isn’t the Guardian Lady inviting the Princess Consort over the day after tomorrow? The marriage between our two families has long been a tacit understanding. When the Princess Consort visits this time, it should be made official.”

“You can simply rest easy and wait, Miss.”

Shen Qingluan’s face was dark. She was about to turn eighteen. As the Guardian Lady’s only daughter, her mother had been considering her marriage for years.

Given her noble status, the Guardian Lady naturally wanted to choose the best possible husband for her daughter.

In this world, the Emperor’s women were naturally the most precious. But the Emperor already had an Empress, and the Guardian Lady couldn’t bear to let her only daughter enter the palace. After much thought, she set her sights on the Heir of Prince Qi.

Jiangnan was wealthy, and East Sea County was Prince Qi’s fiefdom, which would one day belong to the Princely Heir. Marrying the Young Master Heir would secure a life of glory and wealth. Wouldn’t that be far better than fighting with countless other women over the Emperor in the palace?

A few years ago, the Guardian Lady had tried to sound out the Princess Consort’s intentions. Unexpectedly, the Princess Consort said that the Young Master Heir could not be near women before he turned twenty and that there was no rush to discuss marriage. After that, the Guardian Lady did not feel it was appropriate to press the matter.

Afterward, the Guardian Lady considered other families. However, the ones with matching family backgrounds were all in the Capital City, and the Guardian Lady did not want her daughter to marry so far away. Besides, in terms of power and talent, none of them could compare to the Heir of Prince Qi. Because of this, Shen Qingluan’s marriage was delayed, and her age crept higher by the day.

At the Spring Banquet some time ago, the Princess Consort finally relented, saying she was about to start arranging a marriage for the Young Master Heir.

The entire process, from the marriage proposal to the betrothal and the Six Rites, would take about half a year. By the time it was all done, the Young Master Heir would have passed his birthday and be ready for the wedding.

The Guardian Lady immediately sounded her out again. The Princess Consort was also interested, and the two of them went back and forth for a long time, stopping just short of making things explicit.

When she returned, the Guardian Lady told Shen Qingluan to put her mind at ease, saying all they had to do now was wait for the Prince Mansion to come with a marriage proposal.