Leaving a Suicide Note

Gu Chengyin was respectfully led to the Qingshan Courtyard by the butler of the Cui estate.

The place was quiet and elegant. Pushing open the window, one could see a pool of clear jade water and clusters of tall bamboo. When the wind blew, the faint sound of rustling pines could be heard. It was an excellent place to calm the mind and nourish the character.

Just as he stood before the window, watching a few red carp leisurely swishing their tails in the pool, he heard a burst of cheerful footsteps coming from outside the courtyard gate.

"Marquis Gu, the Young Miss is here," the butler of the Cui estate announced from outside.

"Please come in." Gu Chengyin cast his gaze toward the carved wooden door.

The door was pushed open gently, and a small head peeked in first. Her hair was styled in delicate twin buns, adorned with two lustrous pearl hairpins, and a stray wisp of hair curled playfully at her temple.

Immediately after, Cui Zilu slipped lightly into the room.

She had indeed listened to the advice to be demure and obedient, wearing a pale lotus-pink chest-high dress embroidered with sparse magnolia flowers.

Over it, she wore a light apricot half-sleeve jacket, her waist cinched with a bean-green silk ribbon. As she moved, the hem of her skirt rippled slightly, truly giving her the appearance of a proper young lady.

However, the moment she entered, her eyes accurately locked onto Gu Chengyin by the window, shining astonishingly bright.

That hard-maintained demureness instantly cracked with joyous lines, like thin ice under the sun.

"Brother Chengyin!"

Cui Zilu blurted out almost instinctively. Then, remembering her father's instructions and the proper etiquette, she quickly curtsied, deliberately softening her voice:

"Zilu greets Marquis Gu. My father ordered me to come and accompany you. If the Marquis needs anything in the estate, please do not hesitate to instruct Zilu."

Her words were spoken properly, but her slightly flushed cheeks and those large eyes that secretly peeked up, glanced rapidly, and then dropped down again, completely gave away her true thoughts.

Gu Chengyin's smile deepened. He stepped forward and offered a polite gesture to help her up. "Sister Zilu, there is no need for such formality. I already feel apologetic for intruding upon your estate, how could I dare trouble Sister Zilu to monitor... ahem, accompany me."

He deliberately paused subtly on the word "monitor," and sure enough, he saw the tips of Cui Zilu's ears turn red at a visible speed.

"No, no! It's not monitoring!"

She waved her hands in a panic, hastily defending herself. "It's accompanying! Truly accompanying! Father said we must do our best as hosts, fearing the servants might not attend to you properly."

"I... I am the most familiar with the estate!"

Her voice grew smaller as she spoke, eventually turning into a mumble. Her head lowered, staring at the magnolia flowers on her skirt as if they had suddenly grown fascinating patterns.

Looking at this adorable, flustered appearance of trying to cover up but making it more obvious, Gu Chengyin stopped teasing her and said gently, "Then I will have to trouble Sister Zilu."

"As it happens, I am a newcomer here and am not yet familiar with the scenery of the Qingshan Courtyard. I wonder if Sister Zilu could show me around the area?"

"Of course I can!"

Cui Zilu immediately raised her head, her eyes radiant. That bit of shyness was instantly replaced by excitement. "Outside the Qingshan Courtyard connects to the Qinfang Pool. There is a zigzag bridge over the pool that leads to the lake pavilion."

"In the summer, when the lotus flowers bloom, it's so beautiful! Although there are no lotuses now, the water is very clear, and you can see a lot of fish! And over there, there's a small bamboo grove that rustles when the wind blows..."

She suddenly opened up her chatterbox, listing things off like family treasures. As she spoke, she unconsciously shuffled two steps toward the door, looking back at Gu Chengyin eagerly, just short of reaching out to pull him along.

Gu Chengyin followed her. The two walked shoulder to shoulder out of the Qingshan Courtyard, strolling slowly along the bluestone path.

At first, Cui Zilu was still a bit reserved, deliberately keeping a half-step distance. But as she got caught up in her excitement, she gradually forgot herself.

Her footsteps were light, her tone soaring. From time to time, she turned her face to look at Gu Chengyin, her eyes curving into crescents as she pointed out and introduced various sights.

"Look over there, that old locust tree is said to be hundreds of years old. When I was little, I loved climbing up and sitting in the branches to look at the scenery."

"Once, I couldn't get down, and my second brother had to carry a ladder over to save me. Mother scolded me so much..." Speaking of childhood anecdotes, she giggled, completely losing the burden of a noble lady.

Gu Chengyin listened quietly, his gaze following her pointing. He chimed in occasionally, but his eyes fell more often on her vivid, bright profile.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, dancing on Cui Zilu's hair and shoulders. Her whole person seemed enveloped in a soft halo, full of life and vitality.

"Sister Zilu," Gu Chengyin suddenly spoke up. "About your question last night..."

Cui Zilu was talking happily. Hearing this, she was like someone whose pause button had been pressed. Her footsteps halted, and her face instantly flushed red again, the pink hue spreading all the way down her neck.

She abruptly lowered her head, staring at the tips of her shoes. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the silk ribbon at her waist, her voice as quiet as a mosquito: "Th-that... I was just speaking nonsense, not knowing my limits. Brother Chengyin, please don't take it to heart! I... I will never ask such random things again!"

Looking at her acting as if she wished she could bury herself, Gu Chengyin chuckled softly.

"I didn't mean to blame you."

He stopped walking, his voice softening. "I'm just a little curious, why would you ask that?"

Cui Zilu quietly raised her eyes. Seeing that there was no anger on Gu Chengyin's face, only curiosity, she grew a little bolder.

She blinked and whispered, "Because... because I think Brother Chengyin is amazing. You are already a Marquis at such a young age, you are handsome, and you are so capable."

Cui Zilu paused, her voice growing even softer but carrying a stubborn honesty. "I... I don't want to leave home. Even though my father and brothers can be annoying when they discipline me sometimes, I know they love me dearly."

"Mother also cannot bear the thought of me marrying far away, so... so I thought, if only there was someone as amazing as Brother Chengyin who would be willing to stay with our family, how wonderful that would be."

After saying this, she felt her words were even more straightforward than her question from the previous night. Her face flushed an even deeper shade of red as she hastily added, "I was just letting my imagination run wild! Brother Chengyin, please don't take it seriously! I know it goes against the rules, and it's impossible..."

"Nothing in this world is absolute."

Gu Chengyin suddenly interrupted her. His tone was calm, but his gaze was profound as he looked toward the shimmering water of the nearby pond. "Rules are dead, but people are alive. The love your elders have for their daughter is truly moving."

"Your attachment to your family and reluctance to travel far away, Sister Zilu, is a display of pure filial piety and sincerity."

Although he didn't directly address the hypothetical scenario of him marrying into her family, the understanding conveyed in his words left Cui Zilu stunned.

She stared blankly at Gu Chengyin's profile. Her heart felt like a lake into which a small pebble had been tossed, rippling with warm and wondrous waves.

He didn't laugh at her for having wild fantasies, nor did he scold her for lacking propriety. Instead, he called it pure filial piety and sincerity...

An indescribable sense of joy and reassurance quietly crept into her heart.

"Brother Chengyin..." she murmured, momentarily at a loss for words.

Gu Chengyin withdrew his gaze, a gentle smile gracing his lips. "Let's go. Didn't you say you were going to show me the Nine-Bend Bridge and the Mid-Lake Pavilion? I really want to see just how beautiful this place is to make Sister Zilu like it so much."

"Mhm!"

Cui Zilu nodded vigorously, a brilliant, cloudless smile blooming on her face. The awkwardness and shyness from moments ago were completely swept away, leaving only pure delight.

She led the way with light steps, her voice once again crisp and cheerful. "This way! Let me tell you, Brother Chengyin, the Mid-Lake Pavilion is so cool on summer nights. Sometimes our whole family has dinner there, and we can even see a lot of fireflies..."

Right at that moment, a slight vibration came from within Gu Chengyin's robes. It was the Heir Token; someone was sending him a message.

Taking it out to look, words were appearing on the token one by one. Judging by the handwriting, it was from Luo Zhao.

(The Left Vice Minister of Revenue was found dead in his study at the Si hour, leaving behind a suicide note.)

(He confessed to crimes such as embezzling from the state treasury and destroying accounting records, and has identified accomplices within the Ministry of Rites.)