GTB Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Magpie Bridge, The Night After Tomorrow

Chapter 52: Magpie Bridge, The Night After Tomorrow

The sounds of gongs and drums filled the air, joyous cheers resonated, and the bustling streets were lined with citizens. Today was the day the top three graduates of the imperial examination would parade through the streets.

Gu Changxuan sat high on his horse at the very front, followed by the *tan hua* and other successful candidates. The men basked in the envy of the crowd and the adoring gazes of young women in their chambers.

From time to time, young women would throw the flowers they held at the three men, and bolder girls would toss the purses they had embroidered themselves.

This was a tradition of Dong Yue Kingdom’s top three graduates parade, a more direct way to show the nation’s people that, “In books, one finds a beauty like jade, in books, one finds a house of gold,” to encourage students to study diligently and strive for success.

Gu Changxuan was the target of the most throws, yet he did not seem as radiant as the two behind him.

Beneath his faint smile, he suppressed a trace of bitterness, because not a single flower, not a single purse… was from her, and he would never receive one from her.

The procession moved slowly, and by midday, they had passed East Magpie Street and were proceeding onto Magpie Bridge.

On the second floor of the Jade Shop, Ji Shutíng pointed to the Magpie Bridge in the distance, her face full of joy. “Jiuchu, Jiuchu, look quickly, the parade is here.”

“Mm.” Jiang Jiuchu nodded, but the excitement of the parade could not reflect into her eyes.

Since five days ago, when Brother Fu accidentally bumped into her brother while rummaging through her courtyard, she had not had a chance to see him again.

If Shutíng hadn’t come to find her to watch the new top three graduates parade today, she wouldn’t have had the chance to come out.

Remembering the harsh words her brother had said to Brother Fu, she felt uneasy, and remembering Brother Fu telling her that she was useless and the deal was off, her heart ached even more.

Seeing the procession getting closer and closer, Jiang Jiuchu decided to take advantage of the crowd to go to Mo Feng Pavilion.

“Shutíng, I’m going downstairs for a bit.”

“Oh! Okay, come back soon.” Ji Shutíng guessed Jiang Jiuchu’s intention and didn’t expose it, but gave a reminder, after all, she was the one who vouched for her to come out, and she had to be responsible.

“Okay, I’ll be back soon.”

After seeing Jiang Jiuchu leave, Ji Shutíng took out a purse from her sleeve. This was one she had embroidered herself, filled with the dried flower petals she had dried, and stuffed with a concentric knot that she had personally braided.

She tightly gripped the purse, leaned against the windowsill, and peeked out to the left. She nervously watched the approaching procession, and when they arrived downstairs, she mustered up the courage to throw the purse towards Gu Changxuan.

However, her purse did not land in Gu Changxuan’s arms, but struck him squarely on the forehead.

Gu Changxuan, who had been smiling at the crowd on both sides, was caught off guard and was hit directly by a purse from above.

He was shocked, and the purse had already fallen into his arms along his forehead, he quickly looked up.

He saw a girl leaning out of the second floor of the pastry shop, waving her hands at him in a panic.

“I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” Ji Shutíng was embarrassed and shy, how could she have thrown it at his face, but her apology was drowned out by the noise.

Mo Feng Pavilion.

“Is Brother Fu here?” Jiang Jiuchu asked Leng Da, who was guarding the door of Song Fuge’s private room.

“Master is inside.” Leng Da looked at Jiang Jiuchu with a hesitant expression, but in the end, he swallowed his words and helped her open the door.

As soon as Jiang Jiuchu stepped in, she smelled a faint scent of alcohol, but she did not see Song Fuge.

Her brow furrowed slightly, and she quickly walked to the hidden door on the inside. The moment she pushed open the partition, the strong smell of alcohol hit her nostrils.

She saw several overturned empty jars on the floor and Song Fuge lying unconscious on the chaise longue.

Her heart tightened, and she immediately walked over.

Song Fuge, lying on the chaise longue, probably hadn’t slept for a long time, and there was a faint dark circle under his eyes, as well as stubble on his chin.

Jiang Jiuchu looked at the sleeping Song Fuge with heartache, reached out to pull the thin blanket that was squeezed to his side, and wanted to cover him.

Although her movements were very light, they still disturbed the sleeping Song Fuge.

His eyebrows furrowed, and he slowly lifted his eyelids. When he saw the person in front of him clearly, his eyes widened immediately. “Jiuchu, am I not dreaming!”

Song Fuge immediately got up and hugged her tightly in his arms.

“Brother Fu, how did you become like this? Why don’t you take good care of yourself?”

Jiang Jiuchu’s choked voice made Song Fuge pause, he immediately released her, raised his hand to touch her cheek, and looked at her red eyes.

“Don’t cry, Brother Fu is fine, it’s just that I was busy with things yesterday and didn’t get much rest, so I didn’t have time to tidy myself up.”

Jiang Jiuchu looked up at him. “But you drank alcohol.” She knew that Song Fuge must be like this because of her.

Song Fuge glanced at the empty jars at his feet and explained, “I drank some wine to help me sleep.”

After he finished speaking, he hugged her in his arms again, buried his nose in the hollow of her neck, and greedily breathed in her scent.

Being hugged like this again, Jiang Jiuchu’s tears fell instantly. Crying, she said, “You’re lying.”

Song Fuge hugged her, closed his eyes slightly, tugged at the corners of his mouth, and the raised smile carried a hint of bitterness.

“It’s not a lie. If I don’t drink, as long as I think about you marrying someone else, I will be anxious and helpless, and I will toss and turn and can’t sleep.”

Jiang Jiuchu hugged Song Fuge back, the faint thoughts that had occasionally popped up before suddenly surged into heartache. She pursed her lips, and a trace of firmness floated in her eyes. She stepped back from Song Fuge’s embrace.

“Brother Fu, do you have a way to take me away from Kyoto without affecting my Jiang family? If you do, I am willing to travel the mountains and rivers with Brother Fu.”

Song Fuge looked at Jiang Jiuchu in disbelief, shocked that a little girl would have such great courage for him. Although he had thought about it a long time ago, he couldn’t bring himself to ask her to leave her family and follow him.

But now, she actually took the initiative to say this to him.

“There is a way, but… you may not see your parents, older brother and sister-in-law for several years. You can only be with Brother Fu. I’m afraid you will regret it then.”

“I won’t regret it.” Jiang Jiuchu shook her head. Brother Fu was her savior, how could she not repay his kindness and instead let Brother Fu be so sad because of her.

As for her parents, she was going to get married anyway. As long as she often sent letters back to her parents to reassure them, her parents wouldn’t be too sad.

“Are you sure?” Song Fuge was worried that the little girl was just impulsive. On the long road ahead, he was afraid that she would regret it one day.

“No, as long as Brother Fu always treats me well, I will never regret it.”

Song Fuge looked at the little girl’s firm eyes, and a light floated in his silent heart. He couldn’t help but hug her tightly and murmured:

“Brother Fu won’t let you regret it, I will always treat you well, better and better every day, I will never let you down.”

“Okay,” Jiang Jiuchu nodded, and happiness spread in her heart.

“Brother Fu, what is the way to not involve my family? Can you tell Jiuchu?” Jiang Jiuchu wanted to hear Song Fuge’s plan so that she could be completely at ease on this point.

“Of course.” After Song Fuge pondered for a while, he said to Jiang Jiuchu: “The weather is dry and flammable, fire candles are difficult to prevent, we can have a golden cicada shedding its shell…”

After a while, Jiang Jiuchu nodded with bright eyes after listening to Song Fuge’s detailed plan. “Okay, this method is very good, let’s do it this way.”

She thought for a while and continued: “Then the day after tomorrow, the day after tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, I will find a way to come out, let’s meet at Magpie Bridge.”

“Okay, see you at Magpie Bridge.” Song Fuge hugged her back into his arms again. What virtues and abilities did he have to be treated like this by Jiuchu.

“Jiuchu, don’t worry, even if we leave Kyoto, Brother Fu will let you live a life like a thousand gold lady, and I will never let you suffer a bit. If Brother Fu can’t do it, let me be struck by lightning.”

Unable to dig out his heart and show it to her, Song Fuge had to say the most serious promise to the person in his arms.