A Match from a Past Life

As for the cheap coarse cloth, it was left for my father and brothers to make everyday clothes.

Gu Wanning actually disagreed with Gu Yuanshi's ideas.

You can refuse luxury, but you shouldn't believe in the old adage of living frugally like you would a creed.

Is life just about suffering?

You hold a high position and bring prosperity to the region, yet you cannot provide a relatively decent life for your wife and children. You are noble, but is that fair to your family?

It's one thing to live in the countryside, eating meager rations; but what about the lives of those around us in the city? What kind of lives do they lead?

Gu Yuanshi was seriously ill. He declined the emperor's bestowal of honors and refused any subsidies from the court other than his salary, truly living a life of integrity.

But is this really the right thing to do?

While the men are out socializing and indulging in lavish meals, what about the women at home?

After Gu Wanning finished selecting her fabrics, her First Concubine began choosing her colored threads.

The colors were so varied that Gu Wanning's eyes were dazzled, but her First Concubine carefully selected each one, comparing them in her palm.

Gu Wanning was a little bored, so she drank tea on the side and observed the people coming and going.

"Give me two bolts of dark blue fine cotton cloth," a woman's voice rang out.

Gu Wanning was drawn to her accent; it was clearly not the Capital accent.

She spoke slowly and softly, but her voice carried a certain decisiveness.

Gu Wanning looked over and saw a girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old. Her hair was casually braided into a long braid that hung down her back. Her face was slightly dark and her appearance was plain. She was very inconspicuous in the crowd.

But for some reason, when Gu Wanning looked at her profile, she saw a kind of determination and felt an inexplicable sense of closeness.

The girl seemed to sense something, turning to look at her with bright, moist dark eyes. She nodded slightly to Gu Wanning in a friendly manner, then turned back to continue looking at the fabrics.

The First Concubine came from behind the counter and left empty-handed.

"Why aren't you buying anything?" Gu Wanning, surprised to see her hands empty.

"I haven't found anything suitable yet, let's try again next time."

"Okay, let's go out to eat then."

"Yes, Madam." The First Concubine followed Gu Wanning with her head bowed, while the guards carried the cloth out.

As Gu Wanning boarded the carriage and lifted the side curtain, she saw the girl from before carrying a cloth coming out.

Their eyes met, and she smiled at Gu Wanning again, a smile that was sincere and open.

Then she untied the reins from the hitching post next to her, grabbed the cloth, and mounted the horse with clean, swift, and graceful movements.

Gu Wanning was stunned, her lips slightly parted. What a straightforward and cheerful young lady!

"Madam," Er Ya asked, "Which restaurant would you like to eat at?"

Gu Wanning snapped out of her reverie, "Let's go to Four Seas Tower. I want to eat roast pigeon."

She lowered the carriage curtain, only to see her First Concubine biting her lip tightly, tears staining her long eyelashes.

Chapter 63 Predestined Marriage

"What's wrong? Did you see Qin Lie just now?" Gu Wanning asked hurriedly.

Apart from Qin Lie, she had never seen anyone else who could make her First Concubine lose her composure like this.

"No," the First Concubine's voice trembled slightly, "This servant saw Miss Lü."

Who is Miss Lü?

"That's the young lady Madam was looking at earlier."

"Is she related to Qin Lie?" Gu Wanning boldly guessed.

The First Concubine nodded.

Gu Wanning: "Then why are you crying? Did you retreat without a fight when you saw your love rival?"

"She's not a rival," the First Concubine quickly said. "I just couldn't help but think of what happened in my dream when I saw her."

It turned out that the girl Gu Wanning felt a desire to befriend was Lü Qian's granddaughter, Lü Fuyi. She was born and raised in the southwest and had recently come to the capital with her grandfather Lü Qian, who was on official business there.

Lü Qian intended to marry Lü Fuyi to Qin Lie.

Qin Lie refused to agree. Later, Miss Lü married a civil official, and when her husband, the censor, was in danger, she stepped forward and, with a few maids by her side, protected him from the assassination attempt by dozens of men. She was praised by the emperor and became a legend.

"After Qin Lie's death, I've thought countless times, if he had agreed to General Lü and married Miss Lü, would he have been able to fight alongside her and not die on the battlefield...?"

It turned out that the First Concubine was saddened by the memory of Qin Lie's tragic death in her dream.

"What ifs?" Gu Wanning said, "Qin Lie may not like Miss Lü, and Miss Lü may not like him either. Relationships between people depend on compatibility."

Lü Fuyi might actually prefer civil officials. If you had chosen a military general, she might have been indifferent to you and wouldn't have risked her life for you.

"But this girl really makes me feel very comfortable," Gu Wanning said.

"She is indeed a very, very good person."

In her dream, after Qin Lie died, Lü Fuyi came to see her and asked her what difficulties she was facing.

She told Lü Fuyi that she wanted to visit Qin Lie's burial place, so Lü Fuyi sent someone to escort her there, and afterwards she often had people send her things.

It was precisely because Lü Fuyi was good that she felt she was a good match for Qin Lie.

"Don't be silly, Qin Lie is a good person, but the one he likes is you..."

Her stunning figure.

Men are all very shallow.

It all starts with looks; that's the same for everyone.

What a man is loyal to is what distinguishes a good man from a bad one.

Not to mention men, she's lustful too!

"But this Miss Lü is really very pleasant to be around. Who will she marry in the future? Who is so lucky?"

There's a type of woman who doesn't need to be particularly beautiful, but just looking at her makes you feel grounded and secure when you're with her. No matter what storms you encounter, she can stand firmly there and tell you everything is alright. It's a sense of security without any worries.

"This servant doesn't know, only that he's a gentleman surnamed Wen. Qin Lie doesn't like him much, thinks he's a weakling, and even complains that General Lü picked and chose, only to end up with such a nobody..."