What Bad Intentions can the Yandere Crown Prince have?-Chapter 443 - 439: Master Tao’s Innate Goodness—Tao Gu Side Story (Part 5)
The interior of the carriage was dim, making it nearly impossible to discern the faces.
Yet Gu Qinglan couldn’t help but glance at Zhong Chuchu.
Zhong Chuchu truly appeared fragile, unlike Gu Yulan’s feigned frailness.
She was very thin, her complexion pale, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.
But there was nothing in the way she leaned against the carriage door that resembled a sickly person; it even carried a hint of defiance.
Gu Qinglan’s back stiffened involuntarily, and she refrained from speaking.
Even though Zhong Chuchu spoke thus, she still found it hard to believe.
Her uncle, Gu Ling, was an exceptionally elegant and charming figure, unmatched in the Capital City.
Moreover, she had caught Zhong Chuchu looking at her uncle more than once, and she understood that kind of gaze.
"Why are you so tense?" Zhong Chuchu glanced at her and smiled, "I’m not going to do anything to you."
Gu Qinglan lowered her eyes and softly said, "My uncle is already betrothed."
Zhong Chuchu across from her seemed to freeze momentarily, then lightly replied with an "Oh," and smiled: "I’ve never heard of that before."
Gu Qinglan huffed internally.
Claiming no interest, how could she be concerned about whether her uncle was engaged if she wasn’t interested?
"It’s a girl who grew up with him, but since she’s not in the Capital City, she’s not mentioned much."
Zhong Chuchu’s gaze drifted away from her, and she appeared uninterested: "I see..."
Gu Qinglan couldn’t grasp her intentions, so she simply ceased to speak.
After some time, Zhong Chuchu suddenly spoke: "What do you think of Master Tao?"
Gu Qinglan didn’t understand the reason but replied truthfully: "Master Tao has a chivalrous heart and is a rare good person."
Zhong Chuchu tilted her head and smiled at her: "Indeed! He’s a great person who wanted me to check on you a few days ago!"
Gu Qinglan tensed all over, and looked at her warily: "What do you mean?"
Zhong Chuchu chuckled: "Nothing much, just thinking our Young Master Tao really is a good man—" She paused and gazed outside the carriage.
It was just at that moment the carriage stopped.
"Get off, you’ve arrived home." Zhong Chuchu closed her eyes.
...
Even after getting off the carriage, Gu Qinglan was pondering the meaning behind Zhong Chuchu’s words. Once she entered the house, she had no time to think about them.
According to etiquette, she first went to the main house to see her eldest uncle’s wife, Lu Family.
Before reaching the main house, she saw Lu Family hurrying out.
Upon seeing her, Lu Family appeared somewhat reproachful: "How could you leave without a word and without a maid? Did you really have to be so secretive to meet Miss Zhong?"
Gu Qinglan hung her head in shame and honestly recounted everything.
Upon hearing about the "embroidery bag," Lu Family was momentarily stunned, then asked: "Is it the one your mother gave you on your tenth birthday?"
"Yes." Gu Qinglan hadn’t expected Lu Family to know, and was quite moved.
But Lu Family only sighed: "How could you not tell me? I could have sent someone to look for it for you. Why did you, a young girl, go looking by yourself?" She asked where the embroidery bag was lost.
Gu Qinglan hesitated for a moment, then shook her head: "Forget it, no need to look for it."
It was just an old keepsake, not worth making a fuss about.
As for Tao Fen, she didn’t hold much hope.
Lu Family looked at her with pity for a moment, holding her hand and gently said: "It’s alright, I’ll make you another one tomorrow..."
...
After leaving the main house, Gu Qinglan slowly headed towards the third house.
Upon entering, there was a chill of solitude.
No one was in the front yard or the main room.
Familiar with the way, she headed to the small Buddhist hall in the northeast corner, where her mother, Han Family, was reading in front of the statue.
"You’re back." She said coldly, without even glancing up.
After respectfully bowing, Gu Qinglan hesitated for a moment and said: "Mother, the embroidery bag you gave me is lost."
"Lost is just lost." Han Family said indifferently.
Gu Qinglan waited for a while, hoping for a different response, and then nervously asked: "Could mother give me another one?"
"Make an embroidery bag for the Fifth Miss."
"Yes." The maid responded softly.
"You may leave." Han Family said.
Gu Qinglan bowed her head and gave a graceful salute: "Your daughter takes her leave."
As she was leaving the small Buddhist hall, she looked back once more, thinking that losing it was losing it, she had done her best...
...
Three days later, a still grass-stained embroidery bag was delivered to Gu Qinglan.
She looked at the embroidery bag, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.
When Tao Fen claimed he’d help her find it, she never thought he was earnest, assuming it was just a way to coax her home.
Unexpectedly, he truly found it.
Gu Qinglan held the embroidery bag, hesitating whether to write a thank-you letter.
With pen and ink ready, she picked up the pen, but then remembered Zhong Chuchu’s ambiguous gaze from that day and slowly put it down.
Men and women should not interact closely.
She couldn’t bear to see Zhong Chuchu associating with her uncle behind the engagement, so how could she engage excessively with another’s fiancé?
...
Once Gu Qinglan made up her mind, she resolutely decided not to say even a word of thanks.
It seems fate had other plans, as not many days passed before she encountered the very person she tried to avoid with a guilty conscience.
"Fifth Miss Gu?" Tao Fen was also surprised.
Why did he keep bumping into this little girl from the Gu family recently?
"Is the Fifth Miss here too?"
The Gu family’s literary roots meant they had their own library, yet she came to the bookstore to hunt for books?
Gu Qinglan took a step back subtly to add some distance between them, her eyes fixed calmly on the ochre trim of his garment, and smiled gracefully: "Wenren Bookstore often has rare single copies of books, so I occasionally visit to take a look." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Tao Fen sensed her detached attitude, thoughtfully observing her for a moment, and smiled: "Then I’ll let the Fifth Miss take her time; Tao will take his leave."
Gu Qinglan lowered her eyes and bowed in farewell, her heart pained, feeling like the most ungrateful person in the world.
Seeing Tao Fen leave, she lost the mood to browse for books.
After circling around a couple of times, she felt uninterested: "Let’s go back."
As she boarded the carriage to leave the West Market, it was at a lively time.
Outside the carriage, there was a cacophony of voices, with vendors calling out one after another.
Gu Qinglan stared at the moving carriage curtains.
When the curtains swayed, a glimpse of the view was visible.
The sky was bright, and people moved like weaving shuttles.
Gu Qinglan just kept her eyes on that view, countless clothing hems flashed before her, red, green, blue, and blue.
There was also ochre.
But none matched the color or pattern she had seen just now.
She wanted badly to pull the curtain open and search more carefully.
Yet her hand stayed clenched in a fist inside her sleeve, unmoving.
It’s no big deal.
Exiting the South Gate of the West Market and heading east would lead her straight home.
At worst, she could go out less for a while, then she wouldn’t feel guilty if she didn’t encounter him.
As she thought this, she unconsciously reached for the embroidery bag in her bosom, clenching it tightly bit by bit.
Suddenly, the carriage stopped.
"Fifth Miss, up ahead the Imperial Guard is conducting official business. Shall we take a detour?"
"Exit through the East Gate." Gu Qinglan said.
Exiting the East Gate of the West Market, heading straight east to Chongyi Village, then turning south would also lead back to the Gu family.
However, as they neared Chongyi Village, there was suddenly a commotion outside the carriage.
Amidst the commotion, a familiar voice sternly called out: "What offense has Tao committed?"
A fierce jump surged in Gu Qinglan’s heart, and she rushed to the carriage door, pulling back the curtain—
In the crowd ahead, a tall and handsome man seemed to sense something and looked up towards her.
In his astonishment, the Imperial Guard swarmed and apprehended him.
Gu Qinglan lowered the curtain, took a deep breath: "Go to Duke Yan Mansion and report—"
