It wasn’t even time for school to be dismissed yet.
Xu Fu’s prohibition order had already been issued, along with several disciplinary notices.
Those who had spread rumors today were all punished. Naturally, Liu Yuan and his group bore the brunt of it. They were even called over by Xu Fu for a scolding. Don’t be fooled by Xu Fu’s usual gentle demeanor—he appeared refined and amiable.
But when it came to handling matters, he was ruthless and decisive.
Once he gave his orders, the people in the academy naturally did not dare to speak recklessly anymore. It wasn’t that they were truly afraid of receiving demerits, but rather because, although Xu Fu held no official position, more than half of the civil officials in the court had good relations with him.
They were either his old friends or his students.
If Xu Fu happened to mention their names while having tea or wine with someone, their future prospects in officialdom would inevitably become difficult.
As for the matter of the Duke of Ding’s residence, they only dared to gossip in private. If they openly spread rumors and the overly protective Duke of Ding found out, they would certainly suffer the consequences.
Once the disciplinary actions and prohibitions were settled, Xu Fu sent someone to summon Gu Wuyou.
At that time, it was exactly the fifth quarter of the Shen hour (around 4:15 PM).
Gu Wuyou was led by a maid all the way to Xu Fu’s study. The maid announced her arrival, and a warm voice came from inside.
“Come in.”
The maid lifted the curtain, and Gu Wuyou bent slightly to enter.
Xu Fu’s study was arranged with great elegance. The first thing that caught the eye was a four-sided bookshelf filled with numerous books. Beside the bookshelf stood a tall table with a mottled bamboo pattern. On the table were a censer and a vase, with several plum blossoms inserted, their petals swaying gently in the breeze.
Through the bookshelf, a long, ancient-style desk could be seen. The furnishings there were much simpler—a suspended brush stand, a celadon brush-washing basin painted with landscapes, and a stack of books.
Xu Fu sat behind the desk.
Dressed in plain blue robes, he held a teapot in his hand. When he heard the sound of footsteps, he didn’t even lift his head and simply smiled as he said to Gu Wuyou, “You’re here. Come, have a seat.”
Gu Wuyou responded softly and took her seat. Her gaze, however, was drawn to the two calligraphy scrolls hanging on the wall behind Xu Fu. One read: “Establish a heart for Heaven and Earth.” The other read: “Establish a purpose for the people’s livelihood.”
These two phrases—
She had seen them before in the Great General’s study. However, the one in his study had an additional line: “Open peace for all generations.”
Since childhood, she had never liked reading and naturally didn’t understand these ancient sage’s teachings. But everything that belonged to the Great General, she wanted to understand.
During winter, when the two of them sat in the study reading, she would pester him to explain it to her.
It had been a long time since then.
She could no longer clearly remember what he had said that day.
She only remembered that as the Great General stroked her long hair and looked at the calligraphy, his eyes carried a trace of melancholy.
“Back then, I didn’t understand him.”
She had persistently asked who “he” was.
But the Great General had only lowered his head, kissed her forehead, and smiled without answering.
—
“What’s wrong?”
Xu Fu looked up and saw her staring blankly at the calligraphy behind him. Smiling, he asked, “Do you also like these two lines?”
Gu Wuyou let out a soft “Ah,” snapping out of her daze. Her small face flushed as she hurriedly denied, “No… I don’t really understand these things.” After a moment, she added in a whisper, “I just think the calligraphy looks nice.”
Xu Fu chuckled and pushed the tea in his hand toward her.
“This calligraphy scroll was given to me by the Duke of Wei. His calligraphy has always been excellent…”
After a pause, he added, “The Duke of Wei is Qilang’s father.”
Huh?
Her father-in-law’s?
Gu Wuyou was slightly surprised. Her clear, bright apricot eyes widened as she glanced at the calligraphy on the wall behind him… Her father-in-law’s calligraphy was indeed beautiful, but she still felt that the Great General’s handwriting was even better!
Xu Fu himself wasn’t sure why he had added that last sentence. Perhaps it was because Li Qinyuan’s behavior today had seemed somewhat unusual. However… he simply smiled, “Drink some tea.”
“Thank you, Headmaster.”
Gu Wuyou withdrew her gaze and politely thanked him. She was indeed a little thirsty, so she lifted the tea cup and took a sip. But the moment the tea entered her mouth, she frowned…
This tea was way too bitter!
She quickly placed the tea cup back down.
If it weren’t for Xu Fu’s presence, she would probably have found a spittoon to spit it out completely. Barely managing to swallow it, her delicate, well-shaped brows furrowed tightly.
Xu Fu was about to take a sip of his own tea when he saw her reaction and was momentarily stunned. Then, he chuckled.
“You’re quite similar to Qilang in this regard. He doesn’t like tea either—he always finds it too bitter.”
“Ah?”
Gu Wuyou was taken aback.
The Great General didn’t like drinking tea?
But she clearly remembered that later on, he seemed to enjoy drinking tea quite a bit. No matter how bitter the tea was, he could drink it without changing his expression. On the other hand, he rarely drank alcohol…
She used to find tea too bitter as well and disliked the lingering taste when they were intimate. Every time, she would make him rinse his mouth thoroughly before she was willing to get close.
Xu Fu noticed the young girl zoning out in front of him again and found it amusing.
But he didn’t dwell on the topic. Instead, he got to the main matter.
“The rumors spreading in the academy today—I’ve already given instructions to forbid further discussions. The servants and maids who started it have all been punished.”
“If you’re still not satisfied—”
Before Xu Fu could finish his sentence, Gu Wuyou shook her head.
“This is enough. There’s no need to investigate further.”
She had already more or less figured out who was behind it. But she also knew that Xiao Yi was always meticulous in handling things. Finding evidence to prove it was her doing would be very difficult.
Hmm?
Xu Fu was slightly surprised as he looked at Gu Wuyou, seemingly not expecting this young lady—who had been infamous for being “willful and unreasonable” since childhood—to let the matter go so easily.
Gu Wuyou, however, remained composed and continued, “Besides, it’s not as if the rumors were entirely false. In a while, the people in the capital will find out anyway… And besides, didn’t you already deal with them?”
She smiled, her expression both charming and lively.
“So let’s just leave it at that.”
Seeing her like this, Xu Fu couldn’t help but smile as well.
He never let any rumors affect his judgment of the academy’s students. But looking at Gu Wuyou now, he couldn’t help but think—
Isn’t she quite adorable?
Where is she willful and unreasonable?
Sure enough, the rumors in this world were the least reliable things.
Once they had finished discussing the matter, Xu Fu didn’t keep her any longer. However, just as Gu Wuyou was about to step out, he suddenly asked,
“You and Qilang… are you very familiar with each other?”
Gu Wuyou was already at the doorway, her small hand gripping the green curtain. Hearing this, she turned back with a surprised expression, as if puzzled by his question.
However, she still tilted her head and gave it some serious thought.
She was indeed quite familiar with the Great General.
But the Great General wasn’t familiar with her at all.
Although the past few days of having breakfast together had brought them a little closer, they still hadn’t spoken much…
Hmm… After a moment of contemplation, she responded seriously, “Probably not very familiar.”
She looked at Xu Fu and answered earnestly.
But she would work hard to become more and more familiar with the Great General!
Xu Fu had waited, expecting some kind of explanation. But instead, he got such a straightforward and sincere response.
Especially with the way the young girl’s expression was so serious—it was almost too much.
If he weren’t trying to maintain the dignity of a headmaster, he would have laughed out loud.
Barely keeping a straight face, he waved his hand at her, “Alright, you may go back.”
Gu Wuyou nodded, then obediently said, “Goodbye,” before lifting the curtain and stepping outside.
Once she was out of sight, Xu Fu finally let out a chuckle. Staring at the still-swaying curtain, he smiled and poured himself another cup of tea.
So that brat was caught in unrequited love now.
—
By the time Gu Wuyou returned to Pingshuo Hall, class had already ended.
The teacher had left, and the students were chatting as they packed their things. Most of their discussions revolved around Xu Fu’s punishment earlier that day.
One student, still feeling lingering fear, muttered, “Good thing we didn’t gossip too much earlier, or we would’ve ended up like the students from Buzhi Hall.”
A woman’s reputation was far more important than a man’s.
When they married in the future, aside from family background, the most crucial factor was their character. If word got out that they were involved in gossip and slander, how could they possibly marry into a good household?
“But I heard that Li Qinyuan actually defended Gu Wuyou earlier. The injuries on Liu Yuan and the others were all because of him. The two of them…”
Just as the speaker was about to continue, someone tugged at her sleeve and whispered urgently, “Do you have a death wish? Of all people, you choose to gossip about them?”
Forget Gu Wuyou’s temper—even Li Qinyuan’s personality was enough to make them regret it. If he found out they were talking about him behind his back, they’d suffer for sure!
“But I thought she and Gu Yu weren’t here…” The girl who had been speaking murmured in protest.
However, before she could finish, a soft knocking sound landed on the table beside them.
Both girls turned their heads, only to see the very person they thought wasn’t there—Gu Wuyou—standing right beside them. She tilted her head slightly, her face full of curiosity as she asked,
“What were you saying just now?”
“L-Leping County Princess!”
The entire room fell silent. The two who had been talking immediately stood up straight, their faces pale, speaking cautiously, “W-We didn’t say anything!”
They hadn’t expected to be this unlucky. Others had been gossiping the whole time without getting caught, but the moment they started, they got caught by the person involved! One of the girls, who was timid by nature, even had tears welling up in her eyes.
“We… we really didn’t say anything… Please don’t tell the Headmaster.”
They didn’t want to be scolded by the Headmaster, and even more so, they didn’t want their families to find out.
Gu Wuyou looked at them, speechless.
Just how fierce had she been in the past? Was this kind of reaction really necessary?
She simply wanted to know what they had been saying. Furrowing her brows, she sighed helplessly and said, “I’m not trying to make trouble for you. I just want to know what you were talking about. What about Li Qinyuan? What happened to him?”
When she had entered the hall just now, she had vaguely heard the Great General’s name but hadn’t caught the details.
Seeing the two girls exchange glances as if silently agreeing on what to say, she added, “If you tell me the truth, I won’t make things difficult for you. But if you lie…”
She had barely finished speaking when the two of them blurted out at the same time—
“We—we just heard that earlier, Li Qinyuan defended you in Buzhi Hall. The injuries on Liu Yuan and the others were all his doing.”
“A-And…”
“We didn’t say anything else.”
“Really!”
After they finished speaking, they noticed that Gu Wuyou had suddenly frozen in place, her delicate face blank with shock. She seemed completely lost in thought.
The two girls cautiously picked up their belongings and whispered, “C-County Princess… Can we leave now?”
No response.
Gu Wuyou remained in a daze.
The two looked at each other again, then decided it was best to leave while they still could—before she snapped out of it and came after them.
Keeping close to the wall, they tiptoed toward the exit.
When they reached the doorway and saw that Gu Wuyou was still unresponsive, they didn’t waste another second, immediately turning and running outside.
After they left, the other students also packed their things and quietly exited the room.
Meanwhile, Gu Wuyou remained where she was, completely frozen in place.
As if she still hadn’t processed what she had just heard.
There was only one thought in her mind—
The Great General defended her!
The Great General actually defended her!
No wonder Headmaster Xu had asked that question earlier.
She couldn’t quite describe what she was feeling inside. It was as if her entire being—her heart and soul—had suddenly become light and buoyant, as though she were stepping on clouds. Her heartbeat quickened all of a sudden, thumping loudly in her chest.
The room was so quiet that she felt as if she could hear the rapid beats of her own heart.
Finally snapping out of her daze, the once-confused light in Gu Wuyou’s apricot eyes sharpened into clarity.
Then, without thinking, she lifted her skirt and dashed outside.