Three Wives and Four Concubines in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Page 36

Gu Yu was stunned for a moment, and then, looking at Jiang Ming's meaningful gaze, she suddenly realized what was going on.

This isn't asking if he's cured yet, but rather a rebuke for his boastful remarks at Yingkexuan a while back.

Although no one thought of this at the time, and no one brought it up afterward, it doesn't mean that the man in front of them, who was involved in almost the entire plan, was unaware of it.

Thinking of this, Gu Yu gave a dry laugh. Although Jiang Ming wasn't angry, Gu Yu was still, strictly speaking, just a scholar with official rank. Even if Jiang Ming only showed displeasure, he still had to make a response.

Seeing Gu Yu break out in a cold sweat, Jiang Ming couldn't help but chuckle. He stopped teasing him and gestured for Dai Da to pour three large glasses of wine, saying sarcastically:

"Today you will be punished with three cups of wine, and I will pardon your crime of great disrespect and give you a generous reward. Are you willing?"

Gu Yu glanced at Lin Hai subconsciously. Seeing that his expression was normal, she knew that there would be no problem. She breathed a sigh of relief, apologized, and then picked up her wine glass and drank it down without saying another word.

Although he had drunk Sun Lingxu's so-called medicinal wine once, Gu Yu's alcohol tolerance was still not very strong. After drinking three large cups of wine, he felt a little dizzy.

Gu Yu's alcohol tolerance was information revealed by Lin Hai, since if Gu Yu got drunk, there would be no main character in today's show.

Seeing that Gu Yu's eyes had lost their usual clarity, the old men chuckled and chased him out, then went off to enjoy themselves.

Just then, Empress Zhou led the ladies of various families to the inner palace for a banquet, leaving only the young ladies here to enjoy the flowers and have fun.

……

Gu Yu stepped out of the pavilion and shook his somewhat drowsy mind, but it had no effect.

Only a few palace maids and eunuchs remained around the pavilion in the entire Imperial Garden. Seeing a large group of girls chatting and laughing with Empress Zhou, Gu Yu hesitated for a moment, then turned around and casually chose a secluded spot to go for some fresh air.

During the century of peace and prosperity of the Qianlong Emperor, the Imperial Garden underwent several expansions and renovations. It is now quite large, filled with exotic flowers and rare plants, interspersed with artificial hills and pavilions, making it feel like a fairyland.

Gu Yu had just turned two corners when the faint sounds of women singing suddenly disappeared.

Feeling the cool breeze blowing through the artificial hills, Gu Yu took a few deep breaths of fresh air. This air quality is so good, it could be sold for money in later generations! Why not take a deep breath?

Although she felt a little dizzy, she didn't have a headache. Gu Yu quite enjoyed this light-headed, intoxicated state and strolled around aimlessly, not caring where she was going.

After turning several corners, Gu Yu suddenly emerged from a rockery forest, only to find himself in front of a large pond with several small rabbits roaming freely on a soft grassy bank.

Large patches of wildflowers were interspersed on the grass, clearly having been carefully tended by someone. Gu Yu was stunned by the breathtaking scene, but her eyes were not focused on it.

"…What a nice view!"

Gu Yu stared blankly at a small figure on a rock by the pond, a petite woman resting her chin on her hands and gazing at the fish swimming in the water.

Because of the angle, he could see most of the little girl's face. She looked to be about eleven or twelve years old. Her exquisitely beautiful face had a touch of pink that perfectly complemented her fair skin, and her smooth black hair was neatly braided behind her.

Dressed in a magnificent palace gown, the little girl seemed to have broken through the dimensional barrier of anime and come into reality, striking Gu Yu's heart hard.

Suddenly, Gu Yu rubbed her eyes in disbelief and realized that she was not mistaken; the little girl's right eye was indeed bright blue.

Gu Yu stood there dumbfounded, wondering if she was dreaming. Although Xi Chun, the little loli, was also very pretty and cute, she was completely different from this style that broke down the fourth wall.

Gu Yu, who had many anime/manga waifus in her previous life, was now having some existential doubts. It was as if she had just taken a casual stroll in the emperor's garden and suddenly spotted a stunningly beautiful little girl with heterochromatic eyes and dressed in palace attire.

This little loli is much prettier than those two-dimensional waifus from my previous life that only had character illustrations and animations! The two-dimensional waifus I carefully selected were just images created by artists based on their imaginations, but this little loli's aura alone can kill all the artists' imaginations.

Am I dreaming?...

Chapter Sixty-Five: Throat Broken—

As the effects of the alcohol began to take hold, Gu Yu uncontrollably took a step and walked towards that figure.

His confused mind could no longer distinguish between reality and fantasy, but in either case, he didn't want to miss out.

Noticing someone approaching from the side, the little girl frowned slightly. She had never been disturbed when she was taking a walk here.

Thinking it was some reckless palace maid, the little girl was about to tell her to leave when she looked up and saw Gu Yu's bright eyes, which startled her.

"Oh! Miss? Did you get lost on your way to the Empress Dowager's gathering? Would you like me to send someone to take you there?"

The little girl stood up, allowing Gu Yu to fully appreciate the whole view. Her soft, gentle voice sent a shiver down Gu Yu's spine.

"Ahem... Gu Yu greets the princess. I am indeed here to attend the banquet, but I am not a woman..."

Hearing Gu Yu's voice, as melodious as a forest breeze and as clear as the sound of metal and jade, coupled with his handsome face flushed slightly, the little princess blushed.

Then, she suddenly came to her senses, and her first reaction was to close her eyes tightly, cover her face with her hands, and say in a voice with a hint of crying:

"Don't look at me!...Don't look into my eyes..."

Fueled by the alcohol, Gu Yu became surprisingly bold. He chuckled, stepped forward, gently took the little princess's hands, and said with a smile:

"Your Highness is so beautiful, why are you so stingy with me alone, not even letting me look at you?"

While speaking, Gu Yu gently kneaded those small hands, making 'small' movements.

However, the little princess didn't notice this; instead, she was captivated by Gu Yu's words. She timidly opened her tightly closed eyes and, seeing that Gu Yu was indeed looking at her with admiration, she relaxed slightly, bit her lip, and asked:

"Don't you... think my eyes are ugly? Even those barbarians don't have eyes like mine..."

Heterochromia is indeed very rare, but Gu Yu previously thought that another important reason why the little princess seemed to have broken the dimensional barrier was that her pupils were larger than normal.

At first glance, her eyes look better than others, but staring at them for too long always gives people a strange feeling. This is the common opinion of the people around the little princess from childhood to adulthood.

If Gu Yu knew about these remarks, she would only scoff at them. At the same time, Westerners would even put belladonna juice in their eyes for this kind of beauty technique that enlarges pupils, often causing vision problems, but they did it anyway.

In the heavily edited society of the past, such slightly enlarged pupils were practically insignificant, and instead made the person look even cuter.

"How could that be? I think the princess's eyes are very beautiful, as clear and bright as jade."

Tilting her head, she carefully examined Gu Yu's expression. Seeing that he didn't seem to be faking it, the little princess finally revealed a smile, fragile and delicate.

"You are a good person."

Gu Yu raised an eyebrow, didn't respond to that, but didn't let go of the little girl's hand. Instead, she moved even closer, leading her to stroll and chat along the pond.

Why is the princess here all alone?

"..."

The little princess tried to struggle a little, but didn't dare to exert any force. Seeing that Gu Yu was holding her hand tightly, she gave up.

After all, apart from her father, mother, and brothers, she had hardly ever met anyone outside of her childhood. Her impression of Gu Yu was undoubtedly very good, because he did not hide her unusual condition like the servants did.

Not only that, Gu Yu actually liked her eyes very much, which made her a little shy. Coupled with Gu Yu's deceptively beautiful appearance, she didn't care about the small matter of having her hand held.

Anyway, nobody saw it...

The little princess, who was meeting a 'friend' for the first time, secretly defended her behavior and started talking to Gu Yu.

Soon, melodious laughter gradually rose from the pond. Under Gu Yu's special show of goodwill, the little princess felt that she hadn't had as much happiness in a whole year as she had in this short moment, and thus she became even closer to Gu Yu.

Since she had nothing to fear, regardless of gender, anyone who could enter the Imperial Garden was safe, she was quite guarded and soon became very close to Gu Yu.

It turns out that she is Jiang Ming and the Empress's biological daughter, the eldest princess of the Great Qian Dynasty, Jiang Mengzhi. She will be thirteen years old in a few months, but she looks even more petite than Daiyu.

Jiang Mengzhi pestered Gu Yu to tell her a few more jokes, making her giggle and fall into Gu Yu's arms.

When she realized she had been somewhat impolite, she quickly blushed and left Gu Yu's embrace, a pang of reluctance creeping into her heart without her even realizing it. Although she hadn't interacted with many people since childhood, she still understood some basic common sense, and knew that one should behave politely even when no one was watching.

Gu Yu had just smelled the fragrance in her hair, which was somewhat like the natural scent of a young girl mixed with a faint jasmine fragrance, and it seemed to be the same fragrance produced in her shop.

The fragrance wasn't strong, but Gu Yu took a few deep breaths, feeling a slight stirring in his heart. His mind, even more confused, was filled with thoughts of how to approach this little princess, but he couldn't come up with any good ideas.

Seeing Jiang Mengzhi blushing shyly after accidentally snuggling into his arms, Gu Yu finally couldn't help but ask:

"Princess, you've heard so many jokes, could you perhaps give me a reward?"

Jiang Mengzhi blinked, agreeing with Gu Yu's point.

"What do you want? It seems I can only reward you with some money."

"Princess, just close your eyes and I'll take the reward myself."

Gu Yu twitched the corners of her mouth, a mischievous smile playing on her lips, and urged her to close her eyes.

Jiang Mengzhi obediently closed her eyes, wondering how Gu Yu was going to claim the reward, when she felt a warm breath on her face, which blushed.

Jiang Mengzhi's toes were taut, and she subconsciously clenched her small fists, unaware of what was about to happen; it was purely a physical instinct.

Seeing that Jiang Mengzhi's fair face was flushed, Gu Yu did not hesitate and kissed her eyes.

Feeling a kiss on the spot where her heterochromatic eyes were, Jiang Mengzhi hurriedly took two steps back, opened her eyes in confusion and anger, and stared at Gu Yu.

"What...what are you doing?!"

As Gu Yu felt the touch on the little princess's face, her last shred of clarity was completely suppressed, and she was utterly dominated by her drunken state.

He chuckled softly, then reached out and pulled her back into his arms. Gu Yu pressed his forehead against the princess's, his dreamy eyes meeting hers.

"I have suddenly realized that I am very fond of the princess, and I would like to ask His Majesty to grant me the hand of marriage with her. I wonder if the princess would be willing?"

"!!!"

Jiang Mengzhi was shocked by Gu Yu's words. She was filled with shame and anger and tried to push Gu Yu away, but she couldn't budge him.

"You! Let me go right now! Or I'll call the police to arrest you!"

Gu Yu laughed when he heard this, and hugged her even tighter, teasing her with a smile.

"Go ahead and scream! Even if you scream your lungs out, no one will come to save you!"

Jiang Mengzhi was taken aback. She hadn't expected that Gu Yu would even know that she didn't allow outsiders to disturb her here. It seemed that she was doomed today!

Chapter Sixty-Six: The Scene of the Social Death

She thought Gu Yu was a good person, but it turns out he was a womanizer!

Feeling a little scared, Jiang Mengzhi quickly closed her eyes, anxiously awaiting the miserable ordeal to come, tears streaming down her face.

She had secretly read several storybooks, in which wealthy young ladies could only commit suicide after being defiled by lecherous thieves. As a princess herself, she could not afford to leave any stain on her reputation.

Jiang Mengzhi, who was hesitating about whether to bite her tongue and commit suicide, waited for a long time but did not feel Gu Yu's lewdness. She couldn't help but open her tearful eyes with some doubt, only to see that the bad man was still looking at her and smiling gently.

Gu Yu reached out her slender fingers to wipe away the tears from the little princess's eyes, looking a little embarrassed.

He hadn't thought it through in time and startled her. Seeing tears streaming down her porcelain-white, doll-like face, he couldn't help but feel a little apologetic.

Seeing that the handsome flower thief in front of her hadn't violated her, Jiang Mengzhi felt a little relieved. She quickly tried to play the victim and threaten him, hoping to make him back down.

"Let me go! I am a princess of the Great Qian Dynasty! If you dare touch me, my father will not let you get away with it!"

"Besides, I have health problems, you might as well..."

Thinking of the other young ladies in the Imperial Garden, Jiang Mengzhi hesitated for a moment, but couldn't bear to shift the blame, so she shut her mouth again with tears in her eyes.

Seeing the emotions written all over Jiang Mengzhi's delicate face, Gu Yu felt a surge of amusement and deliberately threatened her fiercely.

“What the princess said makes sense… In that case, if you are willing to take the initiative to hold me and talk to me, I will leave now, retire from this life, and change my ways.”

"..."

Jiang Mengzhi opened her eyes wide, weighed the pros and cons, gritted her teeth and threw herself into Gu Yu's arms, her delicate body trembling slightly.

Now that he is at her mercy, Jiang Mengzhi can only try her best to go along with his wishes. Even if he breaks his promise later, she can still buy time.

Burying herself in Gu Yu's arms, Jiang Mengzhi took a deep breath because she was so nervous. She smelled a faint aroma of wine mixed with a strange fragrance that made her feel at ease.

"I never imagined someone so handsome would be a bad guy. He'd be incredibly successful as a womanizer..."

Gu Yu, feeling smitten by the little princess's advances, couldn't resist giving her a gentle head pat and then hugging Jiang Mengzhi as they sat down on the same small rock.

"The princess mentioned earlier that she was unwell. Is there anything wrong with her?"

Provoked by Gu Yu's series of actions, Jiang Mengzhi thought he was about to unleash his beastly nature, and her body tensed up in fright.

Unexpectedly, he was able to communicate normally after sitting down, and he quickly poured out his thoughts like beans from a bamboo tube, secretly praying that the palace maid in the distance would have a flash of inspiration and come to see her.

But why did that wine aroma earlier seem a bit like the imperial wine treasured by her father...? Somewhat belatedly realizing this, Jiang Mengzhi began to ponder while feigning misery.

"My mother was poisoned before giving birth to me and also had a miscarriage, so I was born weak and had these abnormalities. I am very grateful to the imperial physician for his treatment."

"I heard I probably won't grow much taller in the future, and it'll be difficult... Bad guy, your weapon is poking me."

Gu Yu shrank back without changing her expression, concealing her fervent desire to realize her past life's dream.

A real-life version of a pure, flawless, and beautiful Chinese princess loli in anime style, with all the elements fully present, is simply the ultimate collection of Gu Yu's late-stage otaku fantasies from his previous life!

...

The two chattered away by the pond, unaware that a group of people were quietly creeping over from a distance, led by an old acquaintance.

Dai Da's face was full of murderous intent. He heard the palace maid beside the princess run over in a panic and say that the princess had been hugged and could not break free. He was so frightened that he was going crazy.

Even if the flower thief only took advantage of today to sneak into the Imperial Garden and only encountered the princess, it would still be a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of his family, and countless people in the palace would lose their heads.