Destined

In her life, Liu Yu Ru had never truly hated many people.

Even with Zhang Yue'er, it was merely a conflict of interests—neither could be considered a good person.

But at this moment, she genuinely and deeply resented Gu Jiusi.

After hearing the servant's account of Gu Jiusi's attitude and considering the recent actions of the Gu Family, she could roughly guess what had happened. The Gu Family must have intended to find a suitable match for Gu Jiusi, but he himself was unwilling. Then, his careless remark about marrying her had reached the Gu Family's ears, and they had taken matters into their own hands to finalize the engagement. All the efforts she had painstakingly built over the years were completely ruined because of one sentence from Gu Jiusi!

An overwhelming sense of injustice surged within Liu Yu Ru, accompanied by a deep feeling of powerlessness. She keenly felt what it meant to have a life as insignificant as an ant.

In the eyes of Gu Jiusi and the Gu Family, her entire life was nothing more than a joke.

She didn't know if Gu Jiusi would help her. She even suspected that, in his mind, she might be seen as someone scheming to marry into a wealthy family by clinging to him.

And in fact, Gu Jiusi was indeed thinking along those lines.

He couldn't understand why Liu Yu Ru had suddenly become engaged to him. Even if his parents had proposed the marriage, she could have refused—so why had she agreed?

Wasn't she going to jump into the lake?

Such a calculating woman...

At this thought, Gu Jiusi seemed to have an epiphany. He couldn't help but wonder if Liu Yu Ru had set her sights on his family, and if all of this had been part of her plan.

If that were truly the case, Gu Jiusi wouldn't be the least bit surprised. He held no underestimation of Liu Yu Ru's cunning.

Fuming with anger, he stormed back home and charged straight to his parents' room, shouting furiously, "Father! Gu Lang Hua! You wretched old man! Come out here!"

Gu Lang Hua and Jiang Rou had just gotten out of bed when they heard their beloved son causing a commotion outside. Enraged, Gu Lang Hua immediately grabbed a stick from beside the bed and roared, "That little brat has gone completely lawless again!"

With that, he rushed out the door and bellowed, "How dare you come back!"

"What's going on with Liu Yu Ru!"

Faced with Gu Lang Hua's stick, Gu Jiusi showed no fear this time. Clutching Liu Yu Ru's letter, he stood his ground and demanded, "Did you go to the Liu Family to arrange the engagement? Why wasn't I told?!"

"Told? You're my son!" Gu Lang Hua was so angry that he spoke without thinking, completely forgetting his original intentions. He yelled, "Marriage is a matter of parental orders and matchmaker's words! I decide who you marry—are you trying to rebel?!"

"Didn't I tell you last time?" Gu Jiusi immediately shouted back. "No one can force me into a marriage I don't agree to! Unless I say I want to marry, even if you're my father, I will never yield!"

"But," Jiang Rou interjected hesitantly, seeing the father and son at odds, "wasn't it you who wanted to marry this girl?"

"When did I say that?" Gu Jiusi looked utterly baffled. The steward quickly stepped forward to remind him, "Young Master, it was at the rouge shop. Many people heard you."

"Yes, yes," a maid standing behind Jiang Rou added promptly, "The whole city knows about it."

Gu Jiusi was stunned. He remembered then, and after a moment, he said weakly, "I—I was just joking! How could anyone take that seriously?!""How can marriage be treated as a joke!" Gu Langhua struck a stern pose and scolded, "You must take responsibility for your words, or else you'll ruin someone's reputation! I can overlook your usual mischief, but if you truly tarnish a young lady's reputation, it's a matter that affects her entire life!"

"Then wouldn't marrying me also be a matter of her entire life?" Gu Jiusi immediately retorted, then waved his hand dismissively. "I don't care, go cancel the engagement immediately. She's about to marry Ye Shi'an—what nonsense are you all playing at?!"

"So that's what you're worried about," Jiang Rou suddenly understood, thinking her son was suppressing his feelings because Liu Yuru was going to marry Ye Shi'an and he didn't want to bully others with his influence. She quickly explained, "We inquired when we proposed—there's no such thing. The Liu family said Miss Liu has feelings for you."

Hearing this, Gu Jiusi felt as if thunder had struck his brain.

Liu Yuru liked him?

Liu Yuru didn't like that promising, upright gentleman Ye Shi'an, but instead favored him—a good-for-nothing, gambling troublemaker and a spoiled young master?

Had she lost her mind!

But soon, Gu Jiusi came to his senses.

Liu Yuru hadn't lost her mind.

After all, compared to Ye Shi'an, their Gu family was wealthier, had fewer rules, he was the only son, and he constantly worried his parents. After marrying him, his mother would surely hand over the family business and household management to her.

From a financial perspective, Liu Yuru wouldn't suffer at all by marrying him. And although he loved to have fun, besides that, he had no other major flaws. If she was after money, marrying him was far better than marrying Ye Shi'an.

In an instant, Gu Jiusi suddenly felt that this woman Liu Yuru disgusted him to the core. He immediately thought that perhaps the news of her marrying Ye Shi'an was deliberately spread by her to confuse him, just to get close to him, make him notice her, and set a trap for him!

The thought enraged him, and he immediately said, "No matter what, I don't want this marriage! I won't marry her!"

"Nonsense!" This time, Gu Langhua displayed unprecedented authority and roared, "The engagement is already set! If you break it off, what will happen to Miss Liu? You'll ruin her entire life!"

"She's the one ruining my life!" Gu Jiusi shouted angrily. "If I marry, I'll marry someone I love. Why should I be tricked by her and forced by you to marry her?"

"I'm forcing you?" Gu Langhua sneered. "Weren't you the one who said you'd marry no one but her?"

This left Gu Jiusi speechless. After a moment, he recovered: "How can you believe those words?!"

"A real man should stand by his words. If you can't do it, don't say it. You said you'd marry no one but her, and now we've arranged the marriage for you. If you want to break the engagement, think carefully—what will become of this girl's life?"

"What do you mean, what will become of her?" Gu Jiusi completely failed to understand. "She should find someone she loves and do what she enjoys. If the engagement is broken, then it's broken. Would she hang herself with a white silk or slit her throat with a dagger? Is marriage the only thing in her life?! You're all being utterly ridiculous!""Jiusi!" This time, even Jiang Rou, who had always doted on him, couldn't hold back. She frowned and admonished him, "Women and men are fundamentally different. If you break off the engagement, how will others view her? What will they say about her? Who would marry her then? Jiusi, would you marry a woman who had been previously engaged?"

"If I love her, why wouldn't I?!" Gu Jiusi immediately retorted. Both Gu Langhua and Jiang Rou were stunned. In that moment, they fully realized that their son, raised with their habitual indulgence and pampering, had always held views that clashed with the norms of their society.

He was unorthodox and rebellious, naturally considering everyone who differed from him as weak and incompetent.

Jiang Rou found herself unable to argue with him. After a long silence, she could only say helplessly, "Jiusi, Yu Ru is not like you. She is a proper young lady from a respectable family. She doesn't have your courage. If you break off the engagement today, she might die of shame tomorrow."

"Then why are you in such a hurry to arrange the engagement?" Gu Jiusi stared coldly at Jiang Rou. She sighed, stepped down from the platform, and said gently, "Your uncle wrote earlier, saying he would take you to the Eastern Capital to secure a position for you, hoping you might catch the princess's eye. But marrying a princess would ruin half your future. Being a consort may sound prestigious, but you'd have no real power for life, living at the mercy of the princess—a stifling existence. You don't understand your uncle's temperament. Once he makes a request, when he actually comes, we won't be able to stop him from taking you. So before he arrives, we must settle your marriage. You've never shown interest in any girl before, and now that you finally have, we just want to secure it quickly."

"Nonsense! If I refuse to go, can Uncle force me?"

Gu Jiusi's expression was defiant. Jiang Rou smiled bitterly.

"Jiusi, in life, there are always things we are forced to do. Even families like ours have no choice when faced with power."

Gu Jiusi sneered, "Excuses!"

Gu Langhua saw that Gu Jiusi was beyond reasoning. Without further discussion, he said sternly, "If you can't understand, then get back to your room and reflect on your mistakes! Don't even think about it—just wait obediently for the wedding!"

"I won't marry!" Gu Jiusi shot back immediately. "I want to break off the engagement. I'm going to—"

"Guards, restrain him!" Gu Langhua shouted. The guards in the courtyard rushed toward Gu Jiusi. He dodged left and right through the crowd as all the guards of the Gu residence swarmed in. After a long commotion, they finally subdued him and tied him up securely.

"Lock him in his room! Keep him confined until the wedding! No one is to let him out!"

Everyone could see that Gu Langhua was furious. They watched as Gu Jiusi, being dragged away, kicked and struggled every step of the way back to his room.

In his room, Gu Jiusi cursed all morning until his voice grew hoarse and he finally quieted down. With nothing else to do, he took out Liu Yu Ru's letter and read its contents.

It had to be said, Liu Yu Ru's letter was quite well-written—sincere in tone, expressing the grievances of a young woman at home in a delicate manner, and then asking for his help with the land deed matter.He stared at the letter, so furious he laughed, feeling that Liu Yuru's calculations were clacking away loudly. But after fuming for a while, reason allowed him to discern that about eighty percent of what Liu Yuru wrote in the letter was indeed true.

Everyone knew about the chaotic mess of the Liu family, and he wasn't foolish either. If his family went to propose marriage and offered so much money, the Liu family would surely fight over it like mad.

He might look down on Liu Yuru, but he despised the Liu family even more. The thought of his shiny silver coins ending up in the hands of that wife-dismissing Liu Xuan and his unrefined concubine made him deeply unhappy. After pondering for a moment, he had someone summon Jiang Rou.

When Jiang Rou arrived, she saw Gu Jiusi sitting cross-legged on the bed. The moment he spoke, his hoarse voice made her heart ache with pity, and she hurriedly said, "My son, I'll have someone stew pear soup for you."

"Um, Mother," Gu Jiusi sat on the bed, his expression somewhat awkward, "There's something I need to ask of you."

"Go ahead."

"Well," Gu Jiusi didn't know why, but something that should have been straightforward suddenly carried an indescribably strange tone. He didn't dare look at Jiang Rou and pretended nonchalance as he said, "Since this marriage can't be changed, and Liu Yuru is practically half a member of the Gu Family now... You know how her family is. All the betrothal gifts will probably end up in the hands of that concubine or whoever. I find that disgusting. I was thinking..."

"I understand," Jiang Rou immediately smiled upon hearing this, feeling quite comforted that Gu Jiusi had finally learned to care for others. Though he claimed reluctance, he was still looking out for Liu Yuru in his own way. She quickly added, "I've already thought about this. The most valuable items in the betrothal gifts are those few acres of farmland and the shop on East Street. I've registered them under her name. Once the land deeds are stamped with the red seal, I'll deliver them personally. I'll also emphasize the matter of the dowry, insisting that Miss Liu's birth mother handle it."

Hearing this, Gu Jiusi felt considerably more at ease.

Still feeling somewhat awkward, he pursed his lips and said, "Just looking out for her a little. That concubine in her family is too disgusting. I don't mean anything else by it."

"Of course, of course," Jiang Rou replied, suppressing a smile. "I understand."

Liu Yuru knew nothing of Gu Jiusi and Jiang Rou's plans.

After figuring out the whole story, she stopped pinning her hopes on Gu Jiusi. She had her mother arrange for Yun Yun to serve in her room, and that very night, Liu Xuan ended up staying at Su Wan's place.

Su Wan personally managed Yun Yun, following Liu Yuru's advice by not immediately elevating Yun Yun's status. Instead, she had Liu Xuan come to Su Wan's quarters daily to see Yun Yun. Liu Xuan, feeling guilty, didn't dare tell Zhang Yue'er about it and used visiting Su Wan as an excuse to see Yun Yun every day.

Yun Yun, with her sweet tongue, charmed Liu Xuan utterly, while Su Wan set aside her past airs and appeared exceptionally dignified and magnanimous. Liu Xuan couldn't help but feel a wave of pity for Su Wan, thinking he had treated her too harshly in the past.

Half a month passed this way, with both the Liu and Gu families busy preparing for the wedding. Gu Jiusi was confined by his father, while Liu Yuru spent her days practicing calligraphy to calm her mind.

Fifteen days later, Jiang Rou visited in person to hand over the land deeds.When someone came to deliver money, Liu Xuan naturally received them with great hospitality. After Jiang Rou, Zhang Yue'er, and Liu Xuan had spoken for a while, Jiang Rou suddenly said, "It's been so long, and I still haven't seen Madam Liu or the eldest young lady."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yue'er stiffened. In the past, Liu Xuan would have dismissed the matter by claiming Su Wan was unwell. However, lately, he had been feeling a sense of guilt and affection toward Su Wan. He knew she would want to personally handle Liu Yu Ru's marriage arrangements. Clearing his throat, he ignored Zhang Yue'er's surprised expression and instructed the servant, "Please invite Madam and the young lady over."

Zhang Yue'er felt a pang of panic. Before long, Liu Yu Ru entered, supporting Su Wan.

This was the first time Jiang Rou had seen Liu Yu Ru.

Everyone said Liu Yu Ru was plain-looking, but Jiang Rou could see that her facial bone structure was actually excellent. It was just that her features hadn't fully developed yet, giving her a somewhat childish appearance, and her facial contours weren't distinct, which made her seem ordinary. If her features matured in the future, she would undoubtedly become an elegant beauty.

As Liu Yu Ru helped Su Wan into the room, her every movement was impeccably proper. Though born into a modest family like the Lius, she was in no way inferior to the noble young ladies Jiang Rou had seen in the capital.

This was all because Liu Yu Ru had deliberately learned from the Ye Family. The Ye Family was a distinguished and refined household, known for their excellent upbringing of children.

Liu Yu Ru sensed Jiang Rou observing her but did not lift her gaze, standing obediently behind Su Wan.

Jiang Rou exchanged pleasantries with Su Wan for a while before saying, "I nearly forgot—today, I came to deliver the land deeds and property titles from the betrothal gifts. Normally, betrothal gifts are given to the bride's family and reserved for her brothers, but Yu Ru doesn't have any full brothers. Moreover, considering the substantial amount of betrothal gifts we're offering, it might be difficult for you to match them with a dowry. So, we decided to register these shops and fertile fields under Yu Ru's name. You can simply provide some gold and silver as a dowry, and that will suffice."

"What?!" Zhang Yue'er exclaimed, jerking her head up in shock. "You registered the land and property under Yu Ru's name?!"

Not only Zhang Yue'er, but Liu Xuan's expression also darkened.

Jiang Rou remained unperturbed, while Su Wan and Liu Yu Ru were both stunned.

After a long pause, Zhang Yue'er was the first to react, forcing a strained smile. "Madam Jiang, you must be joking. Yu Ru has two younger brothers—how can you say she has no brothers?"

"Younger brothers?" Jiang Rou feigned surprise, showing a look of remorse. "Then I must have misunderstood. I had heard that Madam only had one daughter and hadn't adopted any other children. So, Madam has other children after all..."

"No, she doesn't." This time, Su Wan spoke up. She was not one to beat around the bush. Though the lack of a son was a sore point for her, she felt Jiang Rou was absolutely right at this moment. Her expression unchanged, she calmly stated, "I have no other children under my name."

Jiang Rou looked puzzled and turned to Zhang Yue'er. Liu Xuan cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, my two sons were both born to Concubine Yue."

Hearing this, Jiang Rou lowered her head and lightly covered her mouth with a handkerchief, as if stifling a laugh. Her demeanor made everyone present feel somewhat uneasy, especially Zhang Yue'er, who inexplicably felt that Jiang Rou was mocking her.

Liu Xuan, too, felt a burning shame. Though Jiang Rou had said nothing explicit, he felt as though he had made a complete fool of himself."Ahem... Master Liu," Jiang Rou pursed her lips, smiling as she lifted her head, "there's a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate heirs. Which prominent family would use a son born of a concubine to inherit the family position? Any respectable household, even if the principal wife has no sons, would select a child from among the concubines' offspring, adopt him under her name, and raise him as the legitimate heir. As for Yu Ru... she is a legitimate daughter, her status is different."

After Jiang Rou finished speaking, everyone's expressions changed.

Their family situation was known to outsiders, but people never spoke of it openly—after all, who had nothing better to do than meddle in other families' affairs? At most, they might gossip privately.

But to openly slap them in the face like this was a first. And even if they were slapped, what could they do? This was Lady Gu, from the Gu Family, the foremost household in Yangzhou—what could they possibly do about it?

Liu Yu Ru lowered her head, suppressing a laugh. For the first time, she felt that marrying into the Gu Family might not be such a bad choice.

It was the first time she had encountered a woman who could sip tea so calmly while slapping her father and his concubine's faces with such resounding force.

Su Wan's hands trembled slightly; she felt a sense of satisfaction she had never experienced before.

At that moment, Zhang Yue'er snapped back to reality and hurriedly said, "Even if it's not under Yu Ru's brother's name, it should be under our master's name! If you give the betrothal gifts under Yu Ru's name, won't they just be taken back with her?!"

"Lady Yue," Jiang Rou replied with a smile after hearing Zhang Yue'er's words, "that brings me to my second consideration. If our Gu Family were to place the land deeds under Master Liu's name, I wonder how much dowry the Liu Family plans to provide?"

Author's Note: Jiang Rou, a master-level player in the game of household politics.

Jiang Rou: "Daughter-in-law, do you think I'm gentle?"

Liu Yu Ru: "..."