My Sister Insisted on Swapping Marriages, and I Became a Marchioness Instead

Chapter 725: Chapter 725: Hatred in My Heart

Gu Jinghui said coldly, ”Why are you still not leaving?”

Finally stopping her cries, Hong Ye stood awkwardly to the side, lightly biting her lower lip, looking helpless, not daring to raise her eyes to see Marquis Gu’s ashen face.

Gu Shiba, like a drowning person clinging to a piece of wood, hurriedly said, ”Miss Hong Ye, Miss Hong Ye, please follow me quickly.”

The two oblivious ones finally left.

Gu Jinghui, feeling deeply disturbed, took a long breath and said gently to Qin Yuan, ”Let’s leave too.”

”What, still only taking me? What about Yang’er and Hehua?”

Gu Jinghui responded seriously, ”This matter is very confidential, and secrets shouldn’t be told to more than six ears. The three of us already make six ears. Adding them would make...ten ears? Rest assured, I’ll personally send you back. What use are they? They would just get in the way.”

Qin Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle, ”As you wish.”

She reached out her little hand, placing it on Gu Jinghui’s hand, then asked in surprise, ”What’s this?”

There was a blood mark on the little finger of Gu Jinghui’s left hand.

Marquis Gu retracted his finger slightly, unconcerned, ”Just a scratch, it will scab over in a moment. It’s nothing.”

Qin Yuan didn’t press further until she saw Mr. Songshan did she realize what the two of them had done.

Mr. Songshan’s left little finger was wrapped with white silk, with a slight trace of blood seeping through.

It was evident they had taken a blood oath while she was away.

Marquis Gu’s cut wasn’t too deep nor too shallow, whereas Mr. Songshan, being inexperienced, cut himself a bit more heavily, resulting in bleeding.

Qin Yuan pretended not to know.

In the prison, Wang Zichuan looked expectantly, and everyone advised, ”Big brother, why do you want to see that pedantic scholar?”

”Scholars speak eloquently and use their wits and mind to seek wealth and rank. We walk a different path, relying on killing and arson; we are not the same.”

Wang Zichuan leaned against the solid stone wall, staring intently at the path outside the bars.

”The last time, I didn’t finish hearing the poem and have been deeply troubled. If fate is to end here, to meet those I can know but not know them, to meet those I can freely talk to but not speak with, wouldn’t that be an eternal regret?”

Someone beside him wanted to persuade further.

Another stopped them, saying, ”Big brother, that’s just like when you said you didn’t properly bid farewell to Little Mei Xiang.”

That person lowered his head, wiping tears, ”I wonder if that heartless Little Mei Xiang will climb onto someone else.”

A fat man beside touched his stomach disdainfully, ”You all like to worry about useless things. I’m not afraid of hardship, just afraid of not having meat or wine to indulge in. Fortunately, the last meal will be bountiful and filling.”

Wang Zichuan laughed heartily.

The brothers looked at each other in surprise, ”Big brother, what’s going on?”

”Could it be that big brother has lost his mind?”

”What madness, can’t even speak properly, just muddled, give a few slaps and it’ll be okay.”

The fat man immediately jumped up, ”I’ll do the slapping; I’ve got the strength.”

Someone else said, ”It’s a good thing Yuan Da isn’t here, otherwise you’d get your head banged fighting over this. Only you two fools dare to slap big brother like that.”

Wang Zichuan stopped laughing, raising his voice, ”Look, brothers don’t like to live peacefully, they play with sticks and guns all day, competing with each other.

They love women, love eating, love thieving, yet they don’t value silver and gold.

Although they have skills and high aspirations... alas! We pride ourselves on being different from ordinary people, but we’re just common men after all.

Enough, enough, reaching this point is also fate’s doing. It’s just that in my heart there is unavoidable resentment...”

”Resent what?”

The frail Jiangnan scholar approached the bars, asking hoarsely, ”What does Brother Zichuan resent?”

Seeing the person he was thinking of appear before him, Wang Zichuan was stunned, woodenly saying, ”Having seen you, I no longer resent.”

Qin Yuan laughed, ”But I do have resentment.”

”What resentment?” Wang Zichuan was greatly puzzled, ”If I had your talent and wisdom, your reputation and fortune, I can’t even imagine what would still be resentful in this world.”

Qin Yuan replied, ”Then listen carefully.”

Wang Zichuan said, ”I’m all ears.”

Qin Yuan clasped her hands behind her back, paced a few steps, and slowly said, ”First, I resent that book bags easily get moth-eaten, second, I resent summer nights having mosquitoes, third, I resent that moonlit stages easily leak, fourth, I resent chrysanthemum leaves often wither, fifth, I resent that pine trees have many large ants, sixth, I resent that bamboos shed leaves a lot, seventh, I resent that laurels and lotuses wither easily, eighth, I resent that brambles hide vipers, ninth, I resent that flower stands grow thorns, and tenth, I resent that pufferfish are very poisonous.”

Wang Zichuan listened, face full of fascination.

The fat man beside grew more and more annoyed as he listened, suddenly jumping up, ”You scholars with your endless senseless worries! I say it’s because you’re too idle. Let you dig sand for two days, carry large bags for three days, and if that’s not enough, follow an old farmer hoeing the fields for five or six days, let’s see if you still resent.”

Wang Zichuan turned and shouted, ”What do you know? Stand aside, this is my esteemed guest.”

Someone immediately came up to hold the fat man aside, ”The big brother is speaking; don’t randomly interrupt.”

The fat man muttered, ”But did you even listen? Does he ever speak anything serious?”

Wang Zichuan approached the bars, paying a salute, ”I really admire you. Earlier, I was discontent, thinking that Heaven was playing tricks on me, but seeing your demeanor, that elegance is born only from reaching the extremity of scholarship. If I had such a temperament too...”

Qin Yuan interrupted, ”No need to belittle yourself. If Brother Zichuan changed his temperament, then you wouldn’t be Brother Zichuan anymore. You must know that if Heaven gives you talent, it must be useful; it only depends on how you use it.”

Mr. Songshan also voiced, ”Since you were also once a scholar, you should know the story of southern oranges turning into trifoliate oranges in the north.

According to my observation, it’s not your temperament that misled you, but your circumstances.

I observe that your fate was meant for high positions, yet you fell into a prison at others’ mercy, perhaps because you chose the wrong person.”

Wang Zichuan then noticed Mr. Songshan was also present, immediately gave a salute and said, ”Last time I benefited greatly from your discourse, sir. You don’t need to say this to excuse me. It’s not that I chose the wrong people, but rather the brothers chose the wrong person in me, or else they wouldn’t be implicated this way.”

Everyone hurriedly said, ”Big brother, it’s our own stupidity that’s fallen into the hands of corrupt officials, it’s not your fault. If not for you, we wouldn’t know where we’d have died by now.”

Mr. Songshan nodded in approval, ”It seems I’m right. If not for your exceptional character, how could these little brothers be so loyal? I said you chose the wrong person, it meant you bet on the wrong thing, mistaking the python in the well for a true dragon.”

Sweat began to bead on Wang Zichuan’s forehead, as he asked, ”What do you mean by this?”

Mr. Songshan maintained an inscrutable expression.

”When the Yellow Emperor became an immortal, even the chickens and dogs in his household ascended to heaven with him. Thus, there is a saying, ’One person attains enlightenment, and even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.’ You have such abilities, yet you’re trapped in prison; isn’t this blatantly obvious?”

Wang Zichuan pondered in silence.

Seeing this, Qin Yuan said, ”Mr. Songshan makes sense; Even Mencius, the sub-saint, when living by a grave, learned to cry and mourn, when living in a busy market, learned to trade. Without Meng Mu’s three moves, would there be the later title of sub-saint? If choosing a residence is this significant, how much more so is choosing people?”

Wang Zichuan seemed somewhat swayed.

”What counsel does Young Master Nantang have for me?”