The Noble Lady's Rebirth: She just wants to Rest in Peace!-Chapter 68: Longing

Gu Yifeng slightly closed his eyes. Even without speaking, just sitting there quietly, Xu Kuan felt the aura emanating from the authority, mixed with a chill.

Xu Kuan’s eyes almost bulged out, a look of shock on his face. This Dingyuan Marquis, who never showed emotions, actually broke the norm because of a mere sentence.

No, no, no, it should be said it was because of a woman.

Even more so, a mere child bride.

"Zichang, you’ve said too much." Gu Yifeng glanced at him icily.

"Taichang, you... you actually revealed your emotions for a little girl." Xu Kuan still hadn’t snapped out of his shock.

Gu Yifeng furrowed his brows.

Xu Kuan nearly jumped up. The casual teasing demeanor from when he first came in was gone, and suddenly, he started seriously examining him, "Back then on the battlefield, your eldest cousin shielded you from a poisoned arrow and saved your life, sacrificing his own. It turns out you never really walked out of that shadow. To care so much for their household’s child bride, Gu Yifeng, who can match your deep affection and loyalty?"

There was an indescribable sigh in his tone.

Back then, he was also on the battlefield and witnessed it all with his own eyes.

The brutality of the past still vividly lingers in his memory, no wonder Gu Yifeng hasn’t been able to move on these years.

Originally a handsome young man, turned into this current face of the King Yan.

Gu Yifeng’s expression grew even colder hearing him bring up the past at the border, "Mrs. Gu Sr. is getting on in age and misses things here and there, and you too should consider marrying someone into the mansion again."

Xu Kuan gave a bitter smile.

Still just as petty.

A few words revealed the chilliness in his tone.

Enough, enough, he’s never been his opponent.

Bringing up past matters again now, no wonder it upset him.

Xu Kuan quickly begged for pardon, "Enough, enough, it’s always my loose tongue, just said something in passing at the mansion, that dainty little girl, if really married back, I’d find it troublesome, it was just a slip of the tongue."

This time it was changed to ’marry.’

And turned into ’said in passing.’

Gu Yifeng raised his brow, acknowledging his tact.

Seeing Gu Yifeng’s disdainful look, Xu Kuan complained, "I just don’t want to argue with you, just a word, and you make such a fuss."

Clearly afraid himself, yet still finding excuses.

Xu Kuan couldn’t help but blush, internally both bitter and amused.

To think, what a thing, walking in his own house, bumped into an outsider bathing in the mansion, and still had to bow his head.

Returning to the mansion, Xu Kuan originally thought the matter was over, but upon being summoned by Mrs. Xu Sr. and hearing what happened at the mansion today, his face darkened, "Sister An’s actions aren’t appropriate, in a few years, she’ll need to find a match, a girl’s virtue is important, better find a nanny for her upbringing."

"I was thinking too simply, she only associates with noble family girls usually, who would have thought a girl from the Imperial Tutor Mansion would be so lacking in manners? It was my oversight; let’s indeed find a nanny," Mrs. Xu Sr. sighed at the Imperial Physician rejected by Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, "The girl has ties with our mansion after all, if it wasn’t for her words back then, I might not be in this world now. Such a good match, already linked with our Xu Mansion, otherwise..."

Mrs. Xu Sr. glanced at her son, matching him well.

Xu Kuan understood his mother’s implication, thought of that little face he caught a glimpse of unintentionally, yet Gu Yifeng’s icy presence immediately dispelled those thoughts.

The incident in the Xu Mansion was tightly covered up, yet the next few flower banquets saw no participants from Dingyuan Marquis Mansion or Xu Mansion, drawing notice within the circle.

Feng Yufu sat in the pavilion, watching the girls gathered not far away, furrowing her brows. Wu Xueqin smiled, "You don’t like such clamor, yet you still come, aren’t you making things hard for yourself."

"What else can I do? I’d rather not come out, yet mother wouldn’t agree," Feng Yufu’s eyes revealed a trace of sorrow.

"You are the legitimate daughter of the Imperial Tutor Mansion, if even your affairs are not your own, then what about me, a mere concubine’s daughter?" Wu Xueqin couldn’t shake the handsome figure from her mind since that day, but marrying as a concubine is not something her family would approve of.

Unless as a legitimate wife, but that would mean marrying Gu Er.

No way around it, Wu Xueqin stayed troubled.

Feng Yufu gave a faint elegant smile, seen by Wu Xueqin with increasing envy.

As a modern university student, she always envied the grace and poise of these noble family girls. Reborn into the body of a Minister Mansion’s concubine’s daughter, she learned these manners from the nanny since young, yet something seemed always missing to fully embody that essence.

The two sat there when voices came from behind the rockery, "I heard Dingyuan Marquis Mansion believes noble family girls lack proper etiquette, hence won’t let their girls come out."

"Is it because of the embarrassment at Xu Mansion towards Dingyuan Marquis Mansion’s child bride that time? The flower banquet at Xu Mansion had only nobles, no one from lesser backgrounds." The other expressed curiosity.

"Indeed, that’s why Dingyuan Marquis Mansion won’t let their girls out freely, afraid of bad influence."

"Why haven’t the girls from Xu Mansion come out?"

"Heard they got implicated, grounded."

"Who’s there?" Suddenly a voice cut in, the chatter instantly ceased.

Sitting in the pavilion, Feng Yufu’s face turned crimson then pale, clenching her handkerchief. With rumors spreading like this, what stories might circulate behind her back since she was present that day too?

That Lin Youning, the root of it all.

Similarly aware, Wu Xueqin paid it no mind, not being a native of the ancient era, and having modern thoughts, finding it insignificant.

But since that day, the Imperial Tutor Mansion refused invitations sent to their residence.

The noble circle was like this, seeing the Imperial Tutor Mansion’s approach, they gradually followed suit; thus, the final autumn chrysanthemum banquet quietly faded away.

As for inside Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, after Mrs. Dong was disgracefully treated by Mrs. Gu Sr., she lost half her authority in the mansion, leaving the kitchen matters to Mrs. Kong.

Mrs. Dong showed nothing outwardly, but privately shed tears twice, feeling these years of dedication were for naught as the elder lady showed no mercy for an outsider.

This time, although the second branch profited, Sister Yue fell out of favor with Mrs. Gu Sr.; she tearfully admitted her mistakes several times before Mrs. Gu Sr.’s attitude finally softened in November.