Chapter 3182: Cousin
Chapter 3182: Cousin
Ning Shu also bowed slightly to return the greeting. “Cousin.”
She couldn’t help but think that the way cousins addressed each other in ancient times carried an odd hint of intimacy.
“Your cousin has come to the capital to take up a new post. He’ll be staying at the marquis’ residence for two days before moving into his new home,” the old madame explained.
Ning Shu had no objections to this, but as she looked at him—seemingly a pure white rabbit—she couldn’t help but think he was more likely a black-hearted one.
After all, how could someone navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom truly be harmless and innocent?
He was undoubtedly a scheming black-hearted rabbit.
Ning Shu seated herself in her usual spot as the old madame began introducing the other daughters of the Su family to Gu Fanlu.
He responded to everyone with impeccable politeness. He appeared utterly harmless and non-threatening the whole time.
However, a rabbit, no matter how harmless it seemed, could still bite and even kick an eagle.
The old madame clearly liked this grandson of her sister and chatted away with him about all sorts of things. Gu Fanlu listened attentively without ever interrupting, and he only spoke when appropriate. He didn’t steal the spotlight and let the old madame maintain her place as the host.Building interpersonal relationships was an art. For this Gu rabbit to thrive so well in social circles meant that he was clearly no ordinary figure.
Ning Shu studied this ‘Rabbit Gu’ intently. This cousin actually didn’t leave much of an impression on the original host, Su Zhuru.
After all, he was a mere stranger to her, and she was already engaged. As such, she hadn’t paid him any mind. She only remembered a little about him.
The old madame had actually once remarked that if not for her betrothal to Prince Xin’s household, Gu Fanlu would have made an excellent match for her.
However, with the marquis’ household on the brink of collapse, Ning Shu felt the need to be on guard against everyone, and that included him.
She delicately used the lid of her teacup to brush away the floating tea leaves as a suspicious thought surfaced. Could Gu Fanlu’s arrival be linked to the impending destruction of the marquis’ household?
Of all times, why had he come now?
Though the old madame and Gu Fanlu’s grandmother were full-blooded sisters, personal interests often trumped familial affection.
The old madame, who was in high spirits, invited Gu Fanlu to stay for breakfast. She even had all the concubine-born granddaughters join, as if she were orchestrating some sort of matchmaking session.
Ning Shu felt like the old madame might as well directly ask Gu Fanlu, ‘Which granddaughter of mine catches your eye? Marry her.’
During the meal, the men and women dined on opposite sides of a screen. Ning Shu shared a table with her mother and her concubine-born half-sisters.
Her father’s concubines were not qualified to attend.
Ning Shu ate slowly and gracefully. She maintained her composure as she ate. Fortunately, she had past experiences as an empress, a princess, and a noble miss, which allowed her to just barely pull this off.
Ning Shu had only eaten half her fill when the meal ended. Madame Rongguo, her mother, said, “That’s enough.”
The old madame, with her head of silver hair adorned by a dark green jade headband, exuded the air of an affluent matriarch. She had only eaten a little before setting down her chopsticks. Following Madame Rongguo’s cue, Ning Shu and the concubine-born granddaughters also set theirs down.
When Gu Fanlu noticed that everyone else had put down their chopsticks, he subtly placed his chopsticks down as well.
All in all, this meal was far from comfortable.
After breakfast, Ning Shu returned to her courtyard to strategize. What should her next step be?
Did Rabbit Gu have anything to do with the marquis’ household’s destruction?
Ning Shu found him highly suspicious.
She needed to hurry back and cultivate. At the moment, she was as weak as a kitten. While she did possess a firearm, so did the enemy—except that her enemy had an entire group of armed individuals.
If she went up against that armed group, she could already imagine what the results would be.
Perhaps assassinating Zhuo Cheran would solve everything. If she killed him, this would all be over.
However, according to the timeline, Zhuo Cheran and Yin Qing should already have crossed paths by now. Their mutual feelings were likely to blossom soon. When Yin Qing finally said that fateful line—that the man she sought in this life must be loyal to her, and that she desired to share one lifetime together with him as one pair, the countdown to the marquis’ household’s doom would start.
Ning Shu counted the days and realized that she was running out of time.
With hurried yet deliberate steps, Ning Shu quickly made her way to the marquis’ study.
She found it necessary to speak with Marquis Xuanping, the head of this household, about this matter.
MTL Editor: Ran