The Grand Secretary’s Pampered Wife

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S T E L L A R C L O U D

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T H E S U N

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Master Lu had never judged people by their appearance, and neither did Gu Jiao, but as an elder, he was still glad that those unkind gazes would no longer fall upon her.

Gu Jiao then asked, “Master Lu, Lady Nan, where are you living now? Is it still the same courtyard as before?”

Lady Nan replied warmly, “We’ve moved to the inner city, to Liucui Alley.”

Gu Jiao smiled brightly. “That’s in the same direction as the Duke Estate. If you don’t mind, why don’t you come to the Duke Estate for dinner tonight? Jing Kong will be overjoyed to see you.”

Unable to refuse her sincere invitation, the couple went to a nearby carriage rental and rode with Gu Jiao to the Duke Estate.

The three of them first went to Duke An’s courtyard. Little Jing Kong was not there, but they ran into another familiar figure instead.

He wore white robes, his figure tall and graceful, his face handsome and noble beyond compare.

Who else could it be but Mu Qingchen, whom she had not seen for a long time?

When Mu Qingchen heard that Duke An had returned to Shengdu, he immediately set aside his official duties and came to visit.

He had just stepped out of Duke An’s courtyard when, quite unexpectedly, he found himself face-to-face with Gu Jiao at the gate.

Even Lady Nan had already heard that the young commander of the Black Wind Cavalry was actually a woman, so how could a man like Mu Qingchen, who belonged to one of the ten great noble families, not know?

Gu Jiao was dressed in a long, narrow-sleeved gown of pale blue that fit close at the waist, her figure slender and graceful. The fabric was made of the finest and soft, semi-translucent silk gauze, and when sunlight fell upon it, it reflected a faint, hazy radiance like water shimmering through a thin veil.

This kind of silk fabric was a specialty of the State of Jin, sent as tribute to Her Majesty. Shangguan Yan, however, had not kept even a single bolt for herself and had sent it all to Duke An Estate.

And the reason Mu Qingchen knew this was because he had been the one who inspected and escorted those very tributes from the State of Jin.

His gaze finally came to rest upon Gu Jiao’s face.

Then, all at once, he froze completely.

Sensing that the atmosphere between the two had suddenly turned unusual, Lady Nan looked at Gu Jiao and said, “JiaoJiao, your Master Lu and I will go first….”

“Lady Nan!”

Just then, a bright, cheerful voice sounded from the courtyard. It was Little Jing Kong, calling out in surprise and delight.

Lady Nan smiled, glanced between Gu Jiao and Mu Qingchen, and said, “We’ll go find Jing Kong first. You two talk.”

After saying this, she took along her slightly curious husband, who clearly wanted to eavesdrop, and led him away to meet Jing Kong.

Gu Jiao, far calmer than Mu Qingchen, tilted her head slightly and greeted him in her usual, composed manner. “Mu Qingchen.”

She spoke in her own natural voice.

Mu Qingchen stiffened again.

With her hands clasped behind her back, Gu Jiao thought for a moment before saying, “Hmm… it’s been a long time. I hope you’ve been well.”

Was that the proper way to exchange greetings after such a long separation?

It took Mu Qingchen a full minute to adjust, from realizing she was a woman, to recognizing her changed face, and then to hearing the sound of her voice.

In his eyes flickered countless emotions that Gu Jiao could not decipher, disbelief, astonishment, perhaps even something else. But whatever it was, it was complicated.

“Mu Qingchen, what’s wrong?” Gu Jiao asked.

His hand, hidden beneath the wide sleeve of his robe, slowly clenched into a fist. Step by step, he walked toward her, his voice low and rough as he said, “I came today not only to visit Duke An, but also because I have something to discuss with you.”

Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow. “With me? What is it?”

Mu Qingchen looked around cautiously. “There are too many people here, let’s talk somewhere else.”

The Duke Estate had long since been cleared of any hidden spies; those remaining were all people who could be trusted.

Gu Jiao cast him a curious look. “All right, wait for a moment.”

She went back into the courtyard, arranged for Lady Nan and Master Lu to meet Duke An, and only then did she accompany Mu Qingchen to a quiet pavilion in a secluded corner of the estate.

Standing inside the pavilion, Gu Jiao said, “You can speak now.”

Mu Qingchen hesitated for a brief moment before taking out a cloth doll from within his wide sleeve.

It was a grotesque little doll, with a gaping mouth full of sharp teeth, one blind eye, and a patch of missing hair.

A surge of long-suppressed memories came flooding back to Gu Jiao’s mind. She remembered that in her last life, she had once made such a doll.

“Yinyin gave this to me.” Mu Qingchen said, his eyes locked upon hers.

Gu Jiao froze for a moment before understanding dawned on her. She reached out and took the doll. “So, you already know.”

“The Imperial Advisor told me.” Mu Qingchen said quietly, his hand tightening into a fist as a wave of bitterness rose in his chest. “So you didn’t lie to me after all. You said you would come back… and you really did.”

Gu Jiao’s memories of Jing Yinyin were incomplete. Everything Mu Qingchen mentioned, she remembered none of it. The only thing she could be certain of was that for Jing Yinyin to have said such words, she must have already understood the secret of traversing through worlds.

She had known that she would be able to return here again.

“Yinyin’s health was never good.” Mu Qingchen said. “The purple herb poison in her body could never fully merge with her. Back then, the former Emperor even sent assassins after her, but in truth, the real cause of her death was the purple herb poison.”

So even that, the Imperial Advisor had revealed to him.

Gu Jiao asked, “What else do you know about Jing Yinyin? For instance, any other identity she might have had?”

“Your identity?” Mu Qingchen asked, his expression turning complex as he looked at her.

It seemed he knew nothing about her being the Lord of the Shadows.

Gu Jiao handed the small cloth doll back to him.

“You’re not taking it with you?” Mu Qingchen asked.

“It was a gift for you.” Gu Jiao replied.

Holding the doll that had stayed by his side for over ten years, Mu Qingchen felt a storm of emotions surge within his chest, be it grief, longing, regret, and something that refused to settle. “If… I mean, if only…”

Before he could finish his words, Gu Jiao took a step forward and gently raised her arms to embrace him.

Mu Qingchen froze completely, his entire body going rigid as his eyes widened in disbelief.

Gu Jiao said softly, “This… is from Yinyin to you.”

His body remained stiff, but his arms began to tremble ever so slightly. His eyes reddened of their own accord, and he tilted his head back, forcing the tears that threatened to fall to retreat to the corners of his eyes.

He slowly lifted his arms, wanting so very much to hold his Yinyin in return.

But his hands stopped just short of her, barely an inch away, and he forced himself to halt there.

In the end, he had come too late.

Gu Jiao withdrew from the embrace and lifted her gaze to meet his, saying earnestly, “Mu Qingchen, thank you.”

Thank you for protecting Yinyin, and thank you for taking care of Duke An.

Mu Qingchen quickly steadied his emotions and replied in an even, untroubled tone, “I’ve said what I came to say. You should go see Duke An now; don’t keep him waiting. I should be heading back as well.”

Gu Jiao said, “I’ll walk you out.”

Mu Qingchen shook his head. “No need. You go first.”

“All right then.” Gu Jiao said after a pause.

She bade him farewell and turned to leave the pavilion, her figure slowly fading into the soft light of dusk.

Watching her silhouette disappear into the twilight, Mu Qingchen could no longer restrain himself. He turned away, closed his eyes, and a single hot tear slipped down his cheek.

Raz P.ʼs Thoughts

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Description:

In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.

When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.

The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.

From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.

***

Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.

After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, ”Scared?”

Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!”

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, ”The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?”

Shi Dai replied, ”Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!”

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, ”Donʼt abandon me, alri—”

Shi Dai responded, ”Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah.”

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

He hasnʼt finished his lines yet though…