Chapter 60 Be Short-lived

The Empress Dowager just joked. She told Shen Qianshan, “You are old enough to get married. General Li’s daughter came into the palace to visit me yesterday. She is taking a rest in the side chamber. Go to meet her. You will be friends.”

Shen Qianshan looked at the Empress Dowager curiously. She was in poor health but still concerned about his marriage. However, he didn’t intend to take advantage of this chance to look for a wife.

“Mother, you are not well. How can I look for a wife at this time?” says Shen Qianshan.

Leaning against the chair and looking calm, the Empress Dowager said casually, “Don’t worry. Qiang’s medicine has made me feel better. I have been thinking about your marriage for a long time. General Li’s daughter is gorgeous. You might as well go and have a look.”

Gu Qiang thought carefully. She had heard about General Li, whose wife Ru had an affair with Liu Shichu. Ordinary people couldn’t gain an insight into what happened in the capital.

With no chance to argue, Shen Qianshan had to stand up. It seemed that something occurred to the Empress Dowager, so she pushed Gu Qiang and said, “Qiang, go with him. As peers, you must have common topics.”

However, Gu Qiang stood there, shaking her head firmly, and responded, “I want to look after you here.”

The Empress Dowager smiled as if Gu Qiang was interesting, but she finally said, “Many servants are looking after me here. As my guest, you don’t need to stay here to look after me. Go out to look around. It will make your visit worthwhile.”

With the help of a woman servant, the Empress Dowager rose and returned to her resting place.

Gu Qiang stayed there, not knowing where to go. She came here to look after the Empress Dowager, but now she seemed to be superfluous.

Shen Qianshan walked to her and said calmly, “Why not drop by General Li’s daughter with me?”

Gu Qiang shook her head firmly and said, “Your Highness, you must be joking. It’s your blind date. How can I go with you? If the girl knows, she will be unhappy.”

But Shen Qianshan took Gu Qiang’s hand without giving her another chance to refuse and went towards the yard mentioned by the Empress Dowager.

The yard was far from the resting place of the Empress Dowager. Gu Qiang wanted to free herself from Shen Qianshan’s grip on the way, but he didn’t loosen his grip, which made her feel terrible.

When they walked past the back garden of the palace, a lot of imperial concubines and servants stared at them curiously and commented as if they saw something interesting.

Gu Qiang lowered her head, hoping she couldn’t be seen, while Shen Qianshan looked calm and didn’t care about their eyes.

The yard where Miss Li inhabited was in the northwest corner of the palace. Many things have happened in the palace recently, so Shen Qianshan had no time to greet a guest. Moreover, as Miss Li wasn’t a relative of the Emperor, he didn’t think it necessary to care about her.

When approaching the yard, they heard a melodious tune played by a stringed instrument. Born in a noble family, Gu Qiang knew something about the musical instrument, chess, calligraphy, and painting, so she turned around to tell Shen Qianshan, “Miss Li is typical of a lady from a noble family. The Faint Fragrance she is playing sounds like someone is wailing.”

Shen Qianshan turned around in surprise and said with a faint smile, “I didn’t expect you would have known about tunes.”

Gu Qiang had no idea if Shen Qianshan was mocking her. In fact, she was a clever girl with several laudable skills.

When they walked into the yard, the tune suddenly stopped, which was followed by hasty footsteps. Then Miss Li knelt on the ground and said in a voice as sweet as the tune, not daring to look up at Shen Qianshan, “Your Highness, I am Li Zixi.”

It seemed that Shen Qianshan didn’t care about what Li Zixi said at all. Walking past her, he settled himself on a chair, fiddling with something on the table and then said, “Thanks for coming to visit the Empress Dowager. Now she feels better, so you can go back.”

Li Zixi couldn’t believe what she heard. Was the Ninth Duke showing her the door? But that was not what the Empress Dowager planned. She sent him here to see if he had his eye on Li Zixi.

Knowing the plan of the Empress Dowager, Li Zixi thought it promised her prospective marriage with Shen Qianshan. However, to her surprise, he didn’t take her seriously.

Li Zixi’s nose twitched. She said with a wry smile, “Excuse me, Your Highness, why do you treat me in this way? Did I offend you?”

Gu Qiang stood aside and looked at Li Zixi discreetly. Though the girl seemed calm, the disappointment in her eyes was obvious. But luckily, she was straightforward and held nothing back.

Shen Qianshan turned around to look at Li Zixi and said, “No, you didn’t. Now that it’s a plan of the Empress Dowager, I believe you and I are both clear about how to deal with it. Don’t you think so?”

Li Zixi had heard a lot about his sharp tongue before meeting him. She had thought he would be gentler to a girl. Unexpectedly, she was wrong and he was still the same.

Such a kind of man was surely unacceptable, but if he was nice to every woman, he would be unacceptable either.

Gu Qiang suddenly wondered why she would care if Shen Qianshan was acceptable. Anyway, she didn’t want to have a relationship with him.

Made speechless by what Shen Qianshan said, Li Zixi looked pitiful and was close to tears.

Gu Qiang had no choice but to walk forward and said, “Miss Li, don’t mind. He is just such a person. I’d like to talk with you.”

It was so embarrassing that someone is needed to relieve the embarrassment. Though Gu Qiang didn’t like to do that, she had no alternative. She didn’t have the heart to look at Miss Li embarrassed.

Realizing Gu Qiang was helping her, Li Zixi smiled and nodded, “OK.” She took Gu Qiang’s hand and walked into a room with Gu Qiang.

Sitting on a chair in the yard, Shen Qianshan breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at the sky leisurely.

In the main hall, Li Zixi severed tea to Gu Qiang, sat by her, and smiled, “I didn’t expect you would be in the palace too. The madam of my family told me you saved her life. Is that true?”

The madam Li Zixi mentioned should be Ru.

Gu Qiang took a sip of tea and responded, “Yes, I saved Madam Ru, but I did it with a motive. I risked my life to save her, but I didn’t get what I wanted.”

Gu Qiang couldn’t talk much about it. She was clear about the affair between Madam Ru and Liu Shichu. Even if she didn’t keep a secret, it was unreasonable for her to gossip.

Li Zixi gave a sweet smile and said calmly, “You saved the madam in Liu Family, didn’t you? You must be clear about what a kind of person Liu Shichu is.”

Gu Qiang was surprised, but she didn’t show it on her face. Was Li Family clear about the affair between Ru and Liu Shichu?

Nevertheless, Gu Qiang decided to keep her mouth shut about it.

Finding Gu Qiang was not good at controlling her expression, Li Zixi smiled, “It is not a secret in Li Family. Madam Ru and Liu Shichu were childhood sweethearts. But in others’ eyes, Liu Shichu was unaccomplished and nothing but a businessman dreaming of fortune all day. Attracted by Ru’s beauty, my father separated them. Then he married her. Unexpectedly, Liu Shichu made a fortune later. But Madam Ru was already married.”

Gu Qiang didn’t expect they had such a story. Li Zixi didn’t mind talking about it and continued, “There are many children in Li Family. My mother died early, and the madam position of this family had been vacant for many years before my father made Ru the madam out of deep love for her.”

Gu Qiang nodded. General Li was an unyielding man, spending years on battlefields, but he could bear the disloyalty of his wife for many years. It proved he really loved Madam Ru. So long as she lived with him, he was satisfied, even if she didn’t like him.

Li Zixi was talkative and told Gu Qiang everything about her family.

“Madam Ru is a kind person. Different from other madams of the official families in the capital, she treats others sincerely. Besides, Li Family needs a madam. Therefore, we get on well with each other.” Li Zixi refilled Gu Qiang’s cup and then asked, looking at Shen Qianshan, “Miss Gu, you seem to have a special relationship with the Ninth Duke. Do you love each other?”

The girl was so straightforward and dared to say anything. Gu Qiang used to think her open, but now her openness made Gu Qiang uncomfortable.

Gu Qiang shook her head firmly and told Li Zixi, “Miss Li, it’s not as you imagine. I am here to cure the Empress Dowager. When hearing about your coming, she thought we might have common topics as peers, so she asked me to see you.”

Gu Qiang admitted that she was close to Shen Qianshan recently, but she was also clear that there seemed to be an invisible wall between them. So long as they approached it, their relationship would be stagnant.