Who would put a green hat on themselves? - Chapter 8

Gu Cheng’s gaze remained intense, fixed on Yun Yue. Yun Yue pretended not to notice, avoiding his eyes as she walked unhurriedly, with a calm and measured pace.

The two walked along the pebbled path into the garden, where small groups of young men and women strolled casually. Despite their engaging conversations, they all maintained proper etiquette, keeping a respectful distance of three steps, with servants and maids accompanying them.

“On the twentieth of March, my elder sister will host a polo event at the Scholar’s Residence. She invites Third Miss Yun to attend,” Gu Cheng said nervously, pulling out an invitation card and handing it to Yun Yue’s maid, Yu Miao. His voice trembled slightly at the end, revealing his anxiety.

Gu Cheng’s elder sister had married exceptionally well, to a Grand Scholar in the Cabinet. Receiving an invitation from such a household was indeed an honor.

“My older brother has also returned from the northern desert and brought back three tribute horses. One of them has been sent to the Scholar’s Residence. I’m sure Third Miss Yun would like it,” Gu Cheng added, his eyes gleaming with eagerness to persuade Yun Yue.

Gu Cheng’s second brother was not inclined toward scholarly pursuits and had been sent to the military for training. He served as a subordinate under Yun Qing, and these three tribute horses were allocated based on military merit.

Gu Cheng himself had been studying literature since childhood, with little knowledge of horses. But he was simply trying to cater to Yun Yue’s interests.

Yun Yue’s riding skills were taught to her by Yun Qing himself, and she excelled at it. Gu Cheng had noticed her during last year’s autumn banquet and had admired her ever since.

Perhaps because he had been reserved since childhood, he was naturally drawn to lively and spirited girls.

Many young men had been embarrassed by Yun Yue on horseback. Although they maintained a gentlemanly demeanor in public, they revealed another side of themselves in private.

“Girls who excel at horseback riding and are so competitive—where’s the grace of a proper lady?”

“A woman’s virtue is to be unaccomplished. What use is all this when she marries?”

“With that kind of background, it’s inevitable…”

These remarks reached Gu Cheng’s ears, infuriating him. He confronted those young men, saying, “Gossiping and speaking ill of a lady behind her back—how is that the behavior of a gentleman?”

Rumors like these spread quickly, and even Yun Yue herself had heard bits of it. Perhaps it was because of this that she started to take a bit more notice of Gu Cheng.

“If they’re tribute horses, then they must be splendid!” Yun Yue replied, following his lead.

In fact, the best of this batch of tribute horses had been sent to the palace, with the next best distributed to the deserving soldiers, making it inevitable that Yun Qing received one.

What Gu Cheng didn’t know was that Yun Qing had secretly sent Yun Yue a young mare from this batch, a horse that had originally been sent to the palace but was later returned to the residence in secret.

Yu Miao handed the invitation to Yun Yue, who opened it and read it over.

The invitation was written on pink, ten-colored paper, with upright and forceful handwriting that seemed to leap off the page. It was clearly not the work of a woman.

This invitation had been written by Gu Cheng himself, and it still carried a faint scent of bamboo.

He had put a lot of thought into it.

In this capital, everyone treated her and her mother with outward respect, addressing Yun Yue as “County Lady” and her mother as “Princess Consort.” Yet, behind the scenes, they were rarely invited to any grand banquets unless the Grand Princess was present to take Yun Yue along.

Gu Cheng’s heartfelt gesture pricked at Yun Yue’s conscience. In the end, she would have to disappoint this sincere and passionate young man.

“I’ll inform my mother. If she agrees, I’ll attend as scheduled.” Yun Yue neither accepted nor refused the invitation. In her heart, she wanted to agree, but by the twentieth of March, she would likely no longer be in the capital.

“That’s fine. It’s only proper to seek the Princess Consort’s approval,” Gu Cheng replied, though he knew Yun Yue was right. He couldn’t hide the trace of disappointment in his eyes—he was still too young and inexperienced to conceal his emotions.

The two of them reached the edge of the artificial lake, where several boats were moored. These boats could travel along the man-made river through the Bibi Pavilion to the southern canal of the capital and even connect to the eastern market.

Gu Cheng noticed Yun Yue’s gaze drifting toward the boats on the shore and quickly understood. “Third Miss, would you like to take a boat ride?”

Boat rides on the capital’s rivers were famous throughout the land, as the city was the most prosperous along the Grand Canal, offering a chance to admire the splendor of the entire capital.

Hearing this, Yun Yue smiled and nodded eagerly.

“Sure!” This was exactly what she wanted. She needed to get away from the Grand Princess and Yun Qing’s people.

She tried hard to remain calm, but her hands secretly clenched inside her sleeves, her knuckles turning white.

At the dock, several groups of people were already waiting for boats. The boats were small, only accommodating four people. Yun Yue turned to Shimia, who was quietly standing by.

“Shimia, go tell my godmother that I’m going on a boat ride with Gu Liu Lang.”

Shimia’s face showed some reluctance. She had been tasked with watching over Yun Yue, and she glanced at Yu Miao, trying to signal her to go instead. But Yu Miao turned her head away, pretending not to see. Shimia was frustrated but couldn’t embarrass Yun Yue in front of others. After all, Yun Yue was her mistress, and displeasing her would result in punishment from the heir as well.

But…

If the Third Miss left her sight, she would definitely be punished too.

“Yes, this servant will go right away.” Shimia bowed and returned to the pavilion to deliver the message to the Grand Princess.