Yanzhi blankly raised her tear-stained little face and looked down at her own slender, jade-like fingers again, feeling a warmth in her heart. "Miss, you're so kind to this servant."
Gu Ying finished wiping her hands and thought to herself that this little bit of kindness was nothing. Yanzhi had nearly died for her sake.
She took the handkerchief that Yin Lan handed over and wiped her face clean. Her snow-white little face shone brightly in the faint morning light.
"The young miss is right. Now that old Madam is not managing affairs, the inner residence only listens to Mrs. Liu. If Mrs. Liu marries the young miss off to some awful family, the Marquis will naturally not intervene either, and Second Young Master is at the border, unable to rush back in a short period of time. People all say marriage is a woman's second rebirth, so the young miss must still be careful."
Gu Ying smirked and stroked Yanzhi's fuzzy little head, saying to Yin Lan, "You're right, but I have my own plans in mind. We'll deal with Mrs. Liu's matters slowly later. Today I still need to go see Old Marquis Hou, after all I didn't intend to marry into the Su family either, so I should return that betrothal jade pendant."
Yin Lan smiled and nodded. "I'll follow whatever the young miss decides."
After grooming and dressing herself, Gu Ying was satisfied looking in the bronze mirror at her own pale complexion and listless expression, seeming heartbroken and dejected. She got up and supported the still red-eyed Yanzhi out of Muyue Study to Yongshou Hall.
Old Marquis Hou had already been sitting in Yongshou Hall for a while.
Beside him sat a young man, around twenty years old, wearing a green-toned robe with grey fur draped over it, handsome and refined with a bright moon-like appearance.
The atmosphere in the inner hall was somewhat awkward and tense amidst the curling incense smoke.
As soon as Gu Ying walked in, Old Marquis Hou Su Ning's deep gaze looked over, sizing her up.
The newcomer was young and frail, with a little snow-white face the size of a palm. There were two circles of fatigue and darkness under her eyes, and her body trembled weakly, as if anxious and flustered after hearing of the canceled engagement, rushing over without even a cloak. Large flakes of snow were scattered over her body, and a blast of cold air swept in when she entered the hall. Yet she was still timidly well-behaved, standing by the door to shake off some of the chill before daring to come over.
She bowed to the few people in the hall, her frostbitten purple lips unable to speak clearly. "Ying pays respects on behalf of Grandmother."
Gu's Mother-in-law glared at her. "Stand up. Go pay your respects to the Old Marquis, and this is Fifth Young Master Su from the Su family, your little uncle. Address him as Uncle from now on like the young marquis."
"Ying pays respects to the Old Marquis."
"Pays respects to Uncle."
Gu Ying lowered her eyes, concealing their shrewdness. She walked carefully to stand in front of Old Marquis Hou and bowed, her actions lacking any respectable family's demeanor and even a bit clumsy. In her flustered state, her embroidered shoe got caught in her skirt hem, almost causing her to fall over in embarrassment.
Luckily Su He timely reached out to steady her, allowing her to bashfully stand upright again. "Thank you, Uncle."
Su He looked up, just happening to meet the young girl's bright eyes. Was this girl deliberately acting like this?
He was briefly stunned before swiftly regaining his composure, smiling amiably back at her.
"Ying heard that the marquis came to annul the engagement, and I was so anxious..." She tugged at her fingers and spoke aggrievedly. "So I rushed over looking like this, Grandmother, does the marquis really want to annul my engagement?"
Su Ning disappointedly glanced at her.
After so many years, this was still his first time seeing Gu Ying at such a close distance.
When she was little, she had a timid personality, always clutching Ye Shi's skirt and hiding behind her, frightened and pitiful. He didn't like her much back then.
But looking closely now, the little girl had matured into a graceful beauty, her appearance increasingly resembling Bianjing's number one beauty, Ye Shi.
It was a pity though, her appearance was outstanding, but her personality compared to her mother's fell far short.
Ye Shi was peerlessly elegant and talented, astonishingly beautiful, making people forget worldly cares upon seeing her. Back then countless men had fallen for her elegance and charm.
Yet her daughter was so mediocre, illiterate and crude, without knowledge of proper etiquette or morals. Along with the previous rumors with Jiang Yin, and unclear entanglement with Fu Xuan at the winter hunt, she was completely unlikable.
"Forget it, sit down for now." Su Ning spoke domineeringly with an icy arrogance. As a military man, he had always been tough, speaking forcefully.
Not just Gu Ying, even Gu's Mother-in-law frowned slightly at the commanding tone.
Upon hearing this, Gu Ying's eyes instantly reddened as tears rolled down her cheeks.
She didn't dare sit, only standing solitary there, heartbroken and on the verge of collapse.
Seeing the tears on her face, Su Ning became even more impatient, without any pity at all. "Lady Gu, I've already personally brought over the annulment letter. Hurry up and give me an answer on whether the engagement will be canceled."
Gu's Mother-in-law pulled at the corner of her mouth in a smile. "Old Marquis, this marriage was agreed on by my daughter-in-law and your wife in person back then, and our families also exchanged tokens. For the Old Marquis to now personally come demanding an annulment, you are simply not giving any face to my household."
Her words were clearly rejecting it.
Su Ning coldly snorted. "Back then my wife and Ye Shi also agreed that if the two children grew up and did not develop affection or the desire to marry each other, the engagement could be cancelled based on the circumstances, and did not set this in stone."
Gu's Mother-in-law was stunned, her brows knitted as she responded coldly. "Could it be Yong'an Marquis Manor wants to go back on their word like a spineless coward?"
Sparks exploded in the air.
Su Ning's piercing gaze landed on Gu Ying as he mocked. "It's not my manor going back on its word, but that your Gu family's girl is not worthy of my manor!"
Gu's Mother-in-law sneered and retorted. "Back then, wasn't the marquis also fickle and unfaithful like this, breaking off the engagement with the Lin family, then promptly marrying the eldest young miss of the Xie family instead? What now, the marquis has personally come to annul the young marquis' engagement, the son following the father's example, also leading the young marquis down the old path the former marquis took? Don't regret it later!"
Su Ning was furious with shame. He fiercely stood up and slammed the table. "Lady Gu, nonsense!"
Back then, for some unknown reason, Old Marquis Hou had inexplicably broken off the engagement with the Lin family.
This led to Lin Shi later marrying into Prince Jing's manor, giving birth to the current Heir Apparent Zhao Changdu. Within a few years, Lin Shi committed suicide by jumping off Jixue Cliff during the winter hunt.
Old Marquis Hou's past affair with Lin Shi was still an unmentionable secret to this day.
Gu's Mother-in-law also realized she had gone too far, her old face stiff as she had no words in response.
The atmosphere turned awkward again.
Gu Ying pressed her lips together, listening to the two elders bickering back and forth. Hearing this, she tearfully bowed to Gu's Mother-in-law and Old Marquis Su again, seeming to steel her resolve. "Grandmother, Ying is willing to annul the engagement."
Gu's Mother-in-law angrily shouted, "Ying!"
