Destined

Liu Yu Ru stood frozen upon hearing these words.

Gu Jiusi, seeing her dazed expression, assumed she was recalling the past. He reached out, drew her into his embrace, and held her from behind, saying softly, "Yu Ru, don't be sad."

He continued, "We will return someday."

"Why would I be sad?"

Liu Yu Ru snapped out of her reverie and smiled bitterly. "My mother is already here. As for my father... fate will take its course. I have no lingering attachments left."

"Everything worth bringing, everything I could bring, I've brought with me," Liu Yu Ru lowered her gaze. "The rest was meant to be left behind. As long as you're here, it doesn't matter whether we're in Yangzhou, Wangdu, or the Eastern Capital. There's no particular need to return."

Listening quietly, Gu Jiusi held her tighter and murmured, "Regardless, I must go back."

Unconsciously tightening his embrace, he added, "Sooner or later, I will return and personally execute that scoundrel Wang Shanquan."

Liu Yu Ru detected the hatred in Gu Jiusi's tone.

She remained silent, simply turning around to embrace him in return, comforting him, "Jiusi, that day will come."

Gu Jiusi acknowledged with a sound, savoring the feeling of Liu Yu Ru initiating the embrace.

Without another word, he knelt down and leaned against her, relishing this moment of tranquility.

Liu Yu Ru raised her hand to smooth his hair and asked, "Now that you hold an official position in Wangdu, you surely won't handle these matters personally. Besides, you have no experience in commerce, so it wouldn't be suitable for you to go yourself. Have you found the right person for the merchant fleet?"

"I've only just begun considering the idea," Gu Jiusi sighed. "I'm still thinking about candidates. Let's focus on preparing for Brother Zhou's wedding first. There are still three months until year-end—we can take our time with this."

Liu Yu Ru acknowledged absently, her mind clearly elsewhere.

The next day at the shop, while working the abacus in her room, Liu Yu Ru pondered for a long while before summoning Yun Yun. She inquired, "Have you calculated recently which regions our out-of-town buyers mainly come from?"

"Mostly from various provincial capitals," Yun Yun replied. "The most frequent visitors are from Qingzhou, Cangzhou, Yangzhou, and Sizhou. Typically, representatives from these provincial governments purchase goods in bulk for redistribution."

Liu Yu Ru nodded. Their accounts recorded customer details, so she had a general impression already. After confirming the information, she nodded again. Yun Yun continued, "But it's strange—buyers from Yangzhou alone purchase more than those from Cangzhou and Qingzhou combined. Sizhou also has significant numbers, but still far less than Yangzhou."

"That's not surprising," Liu Yu Ru shook her head. "Cangzhou and Qingzhou are close to us, so news travels fast, naturally attracting buyers. However, these two provinces aren't particularly wealthy overall. The less affluent an area, the slower information spreads. What we sell are essentially luxury items—people buy them for prestige. If they perceive these goods as enhancing their status, they'll purchase; otherwise, they won't. Without that social atmosphere, sales won't flourish. So while we get buyers from Qingzhou and Cangzhou, the numbers remain limited."

"Then why do we get so many from distant Yangzhou?"Yun Yun was somewhat puzzled. Liu Yu Ru smiled and said, "Just look at the timing of these merchants' arrivals. Although Youzhou isn't close to Yangzhou, our Youzhou officials have close ties with the Eastern Capital, and Yangzhou's purchasing habits always follow the Eastern Capital's trends. Whatever becomes popular in the Eastern Capital becomes favored in Yangzhou. While Sizhou has many high-ranking officials, when it comes to the common people, Yangzhou is still wealthier. So the merchants from Sizhou come first to purchase goods, and then those from Yangzhou follow."

Hearing this, Yun Yun suddenly understood and quickly said, "Madam is absolutely right. Back when we were in Yangzhou, weren't the most respectable items always those that came from the Eastern Capital?"

Liu Yu Ru smiled without responding. Yun Yun sighed, "I wonder when we'll be able to return."

"We'll talk about that another day."

Liu Yu Ru shook her head and lowered her gaze to the account books, beginning to ponder.

Having merchants continuously purchase in Wangdu only to sell elsewhere meant not only that silver was simply handed over to them, but also that it made control difficult for her. The market couldn't distinguish genuine from fake products, which could easily ruin the reputation Floral Visage had worked so hard to build. Currently, the biggest customers were concentrated in Yangzhou and Sizhou, and such products initially circulated among slightly wealthier households before gradually trickling down. Therefore, as long as she could establish a branch in each provincial capital, she could retain most of her customers. Having people from each province come directly to the capital to purchase would serve two purposes: it would provide a place to verify authenticity, preventing others from damaging her reputation everywhere, and it would also be a way to increase revenue.

After much deliberation, Liu Yu Ru concluded that the most appropriate course of action was for her to travel outside Wangdu herself, gather information and assess the situation, and find a suitable person to finalize the matter of opening branch stores. However, she simply couldn't bring herself to broach the subject of traveling alone.

She knew Gu Jiusi was a good man, but she didn't know where his boundaries lay.

With this plan in mind, she began observing Gu Jiusi's efforts to assemble a merchant fleet closely.

Logically speaking, Zhou Ye was actually the most suitable candidate for managing the merchant fleet. But now Zhou Ye was about to get married, and Fan Xuan had already begun military operations at the front. After his wedding, Zhou Ye would only be able to stay for seven days at most before having to rush to the front to oversee logistical matters, making it absolutely impossible for him to take on this responsibility.

Without Zhou Ye, finding someone Gu Jiusi could trust, who was familiar with business and also knew Yangzhou well, became extremely difficult.

The people originally brought by the Gu Family met these criteria, but most of them were servants. Entrusting them with the heavy responsibility of purchasing three hundred thousand dan of grain always felt somewhat inappropriate to Gu Jiusi.

Liu Yu Ru watched Gu Jiusi's frustration until Zhou Ye's wedding day, when Gu Jiusi finally showed some cheer.

That day, Gu Jiusi got up early and meticulously groomed himself. He was quite excited, which Liu Yu Ru found somewhat amusing. "It's not your wedding," she remarked. "Why are you so happy?"

"It's my first time accompanying someone to fetch the bride," Gu Jiusi said happily. "Shouldn't I be excited?"

Then he sighed with some emotion, "If only Chen Xun and Wen Chang were still here."

At these words, Gu Jiusi seemed somewhat saddened. Liu Yu Ru gently squeezed his hand. Gu Jiusi looked up and smiled at her, saying cheerfully, "I'm fine. I just miss them a little.""I know," Liu Yuru said gently. "We'll keep looking for Chen Xun and Wen Chang's mother. We'll meet again someday."

Gu Jiusi nodded, then someone came from outside calling for him. Gu Jiusi said cheerfully, "I'm off now. You go join the women's party. Wait for me properly."

"What nonsense are you talking," Liu Yuru chuckled softly, "it's not like we're the ones getting married."

Gu Jiusi kissed Liu Yuru and ran off.

Liu Yuru fanned herself, smiled while lowering her head, then went to find Yin Hong before heading to the Zhou residence.

Liu Yuru was fairly familiar with Zhou Madam. After arriving, she exchanged a few words with Zhou Madam, who then took her to see the bride.

The bride's surname was Qin, named Qin Wanzhi. Her family originally came from Sizhou and was moderately wealthy. When Prince Liang's troops attacked the Eastern Capital, their home happened to be in the war zone. The Qin family abandoned their property and fled to Youzhou, but encountered trouble along the way in Cangzhou, leaving only this young woman who endured countless hardships to reach Youzhou.

By coincidence, she arrived in Youzhou just when Zhou Ye was waiting daily for Gu Jiusi. Having seen Zhou Ye's portrait before, when she spotted him riding past, she threw herself in front of his horse. Fortunately, Zhou Ye was an excellent rider, otherwise she wouldn't be sitting here safely but would have met her end.

"She grabbed Zhou Ye and asked if he knew Zhou Ye, the adopted son of Lord Zhou Gaolang. When Zhou Ye responded, she handed him a token, stated her name, and fainted."

Zhou Madam sighed with emotion: "These two are truly destined by heaven."

"Madam speaks rightly," Liu Yuru responded, peeking through the bead curtain where she could see maids helping Qin Wanzhi put on the Phoenix Crown.

She was indeed a delicate and graceful beauty, though having grown up in the northern regions, she possessed an unspoken resilience that Liu Yuru lacked.

If Liu Yuru resembled gentle southern willow catkins, then Qin Wanzhi appeared like northern poplars weathered by wind and sand - her posture exceptionally upright and sturdy.

After watching for a while longer, Zhou Madam said smilingly: "If you like her, and since there's nothing else to do now, why not keep her company and chat for a while."

Liu Yuru agreed, understanding that Zhou Madam wanted her to accompany Qin Wanzhi, so she stood up and entered the inner chamber.

By this time Qin Wanzhi was already fully prepared, waiting only for Zhou Ye to come fetch his bride. Liu Yuru sat down and studied Qin Wanzhi, who looked up at her and nodded: "You must be Young Madam Gu?"

"You know me?"

Liu Yuru spoke with a smile. Qin Wanzhi nodded: "Zhou Madam mentioned you, praising you highly. She also said Lord Gu is good friends with Zhou Ye, and suggested we interact more."

Hearing this, Liu Yuru couldn't help but laugh, thinking Qin Wanzhi was quite straightforward. She said softly: "Indeed, Lord Zhou is close with my husband. You can visit me often in the future. I run my own shop specializing in rouge and fragrances. Since you're busy with the wedding today, I've already had some delivered to your residence."

Liu Yuru seemed somewhat embarrassed as she added: "They're just items from my own shop. I hope you don't mind."

Hearing this, Qin Wanzhi smiled. She naturally knew what Floral Visage was, and understood that whatever Liu Yuru sent would be of good quality. She appeared slightly embarrassed as she said: "You really shouldn't have gone to such expense."Liu Yu Ru shook her head, and once a topic was broached, she opened up like a chatterbox. When young women gathered together, their conversations inevitably turned to their husbands. Qin Wan Zhi seemed somewhat shy as she cautiously asked, "What kind of person is... Young Master Zhou?"

"Haven't you met him before?"

Liu Yu Ru fanned herself, slightly puzzled. Qin Wan Zhi shook her head and whispered, "He's very proper. We've only exchanged a word or two."

Then she added with a hint of envy, "Unlike you, who got to meet Lord Gu twice before marriage."

Liu Yu Ru was taken aback. She had casually mentioned her experiences with Gu Jiusi to Qin Wan Zhi but never imagined someone would envy her for it.

She remembered how she had felt like dying when she first learned she was to marry Gu Jiusi. Now, after all these twists and turns, someone actually admired her situation. She couldn't help finding it somewhat amusing.

Unconsciously softening her voice, she gently said, "Young Master Zhou is an excellent man. You'll understand soon enough."

As they spoke, noisy commotion arose outside. The wedding matron hurried into the room, exclaiming, "They're here! Quick, get everything ready! All the ladies come with me - we must block the door and not let them enter easily!"

Before Liu Yu Ru could react, she was dragged along by the crowd like conscripted labor and pulled to the main entrance. Mingling among the young women, she heard Gu Jiusi's voice outside shouting, "Just give us whatever challenges you have, or we'll force our way in!"

Hearing Gu Jiusi's voice made Liu Yu Ru smile. The girls beside her began flipping through books, first posing poetry questions - when they recited the first line, Gu Jiusi would immediately complete the couplet outside.

Then they tried riddles - before they could even finish presenting them, Gu Jiusi had already guessed the answers.

Seeing how none of them could stump Gu Jiusi, Liu Yu Ru felt somewhat helpless.

Gu Jiusi had always had an excellent memory - challenging him with recitation was indeed difficult. As for riddles, these were popular pastimes in Yangzhou. The ones from Wangdu were already outdated in Yangzhou, making them even less effective against him.

After several rounds of questions that Gu Jiusi answered effortlessly, the young women looked at each other in dismay. Opening the door now would seem too easy, yet they had no justification for keeping it closed.

Meanwhile, Gu Jiusi grew even more triumphant, calling out cheerfully, "Run out of ideas? Then hurry up and open the door! Don't waste time!"

At this point, Liu Yu Ru couldn't help but laugh. She stepped forward from the crowd and said softly, "Let me try."

Standing outside the door, Gu Jiusi immediately felt his heart sink at the sound of that gentle, laughing voice. His companions noticed his reaction and asked curiously, "Lord Gu, is something wrong?"

Shen Ming, standing nearby, snorted with laughter and said bluntly, "His wife has arrived."

Hearing this, everyone laughed. Gu Jiusi looked somewhat embarrassed and quickly explained, "She's quite formidable."

Liu Yu Ru positioned herself by the door and announced, "Husband, listen carefully to this challenge."

Gu Jiusi immediately straightened up, mentally preparing himself. Since Liu Yu Ru was particularly sharp with numbers, this was bound to be a mathematics problem.Sure enough, Liu Yu Ru began, "Today, two carriages set out simultaneously from the east of the city, each carrying three hens, heading westward. They travel ten li to the first village, five li to the second village, another ten li to the third village, and five li to the fourth village, and so on. At each village, they purchase poultry. The first village yields three chickens, three ducks, and three geese; the second village yields three geese, five chickens, and two ducks; the third village yields two geese, ten chickens, and two pigeons; the fourth village yields two chickens, two geese, and five ducks; the fifth village yields five ducks, three geese, and ten chickens; the sixth village yields five chickens, five ducks, and ten geese..."

Gu Jiusi listened to the problem, quickly memorizing and calculating how many chickens, ducks, and geese there were. When he finished the calculations, Liu Yu Ru paused and suddenly asked, "May I ask, sir, how far had the carriage traveled when it obtained twenty chickens?"

Gu Jiusi: "..."

"Why didn't you ask how many chickens, ducks, and geese there were!"

Zhou Ye was stunned for a moment before exclaiming abruptly. The women inside burst into laughter, and Liu Yu Ru, fanning herself with a round fan, said, "I never said I was going to ask that."

Gu Jiusi fell silent. He turned to Zhou Ye and said, "Brother Zhou, step aside."

Zhou Ye was a bit confused but took a step back. Everyone watched as Gu Jiusi, with a calm and steady expression, declared, "I have a solution."

Liu Yu Ru stood not far from the door, glanced up at the sun, and hearing no sound from outside, called out clearly, "Sir, have you figured it out? If not, we'll move on to the next question."

No sooner had she finished speaking than everyone saw the main door kicked open with a violent force. Liu Yu Ru stood frozen in place, unable to react, as the person who charged in lifted her by the waist, threw her over his shoulder, and without a word, dashed inside!

"Brother Zhou, hurry!"

Gu Jiusi shouted loudly, urging everyone to rush in.

Liu Yu Ru was furious, tugging at Gu Jiusi and yelling, "Gu Jiusi!"

Gu Jiusi turned his head and saw Liu Yu Ru's face flushed with anger. He found her utterly adorable. He set her down in a corner, glanced around, and saw chaos everywhere. Zhou Ye, imitating Gu Jiusi's approach, had also gone in to snatch someone.

"Gu Jiusi, you..."

Before Liu Yu Ru could finish, Gu Jiusi raised his sleeve, letting the wide sleeve fall to shield the two of them, pressed her against the wall, and kissed her.

"Don't cause trouble."

As soon as he said this, Gu Jiusi saw Zhou Ye carrying someone out of the room, shouting, "Jiusi, let's go!"

Gu Jiusi acknowledged and instructed Liu Yu Ru, "Wait for me at home."

Then he dashed off after Zhou Ye.

Amid the chaos, with chickens flying and dogs jumping, everyone chased after Zhou Ye and Gu Jiusi. Only Liu Yu Ru remained standing still, using her round fan to cover her face.

That scoundrel...

Liu Yu Ru gritted her teeth, her face flushed and heart racing, utterly unable to face anyone at that moment.

Yin Hong searched for a long time before finally finding Liu Yu Ru. She asked, puzzled, "Madam, why are you standing here covering your face with a fan?"

Liu Yu Ru closed her eyes and said nothing. After a long while, she slowly lowered the round fan, let out a long sigh, and said, "To calm my mind and focus my spirit."

With that, she led Yin Hong away, saying, "Let's go to the banquet."

Yin Hong followed behind her, still confused. To her, Liu Yu Ru did not seem to be in a state of calm focus at all.

But as a maid, she couldn't say anything and simply followed Liu Yu Ru to the banquet.Liu Yu Ru first went to observe the wedding ceremony. At this point, Gu Jiusi was no longer busy, so he came to stand beside her. The entire hall was quiet, with only the ceremonial official's announcements echoing. Liu Yu Ru secretly pinched him, but Gu Jiusi, watching Zhou Ye perform the wedding rites, instead grasped her hand and softly said, "Be good."

Hearing this, Liu Yu Ru blushed and quieted down. She herself didn't understand why she reacted this way.

After they finished observing the ceremony together, Gu Jiusi was pulled away. He had agreed with Zhou Ye beforehand that he would help block the drinks for him that day.

So Liu Yu Ru ended up dining with the group of married women, watching Gu Jiusi get completely drunk amidst the noisy festivities. She felt somewhat displeased, but just as her discontent was growing, Yin Hong brought over a plate of honeydew melon and whispered to her, "Madam, the young master instructed me to bring you this plate of melon, so you wouldn't think he's neglecting you and get angry."

Hearing this, Liu Yu Ru couldn't help but smile.

In an instant, her irritation vanished. She picked up a piece of melon and found it tasted wonderfully sweet.

After the banquet concluded and Liu Yu Ru had watched all the festivities, the servants finally brought Gu Jiusi over.

He was utterly drunk, supported by others as he approached. Seeing this, Liu Yu Ru couldn't help but feel helpless. She helped him into the carriage and said softly, "Drinking is one thing, but why so much?"

"I'm happy," Gu Jiusi mumbled drunkenly. He looked up and saw Liu Yu Ru bowing her head to wipe his hands with a handkerchief. Suddenly, he smiled.

He reached out and hugged her, nuzzling her shoulder, and said joyfully, "Yu Ru."

"Hmm?" Liu Yu Ru responded absentmindedly, knowing he was drunk. Then she heard him say, "We're married. I'm so happy."