When Du Chenzhi heard these words, his fat body trembled, and the summer shirt woven with brocade on his body swayed along. He nervously rubbed his hands, pondering that they had indeed brought up yesterday's matter, which was truly unsavory for him. He quickly clasped his hands in a salute, smiling all over his face, and said, "Lady Changsheng, please don't be offended. It was indeed my rudeness yesterday. Chenzhi offers you my apologies here."
"I'm not blaming you." Without a fight, what was there to blame? Gu Changsheng waved his hand, indicating he didn't mind. Then he looked at him with great interest, "Young Master Du, your image today is quite different from yesterday!"
It was too disillusioning! Yesterday, he looked like a street bully, a prodigal son bulling men and women alike, but today he had turned into a gentleman, courteous and polite. The contrast was so great that Gu Changsheng felt the person in front of him now seemed somewhat unfamiliar.
"Young Master Du, an honest person does not speak in veiled words. Yesterday, you created such a stir to seize my maid Han Qiu, yet today you appear so considerate towards your esteemed Madam. I'm a bit puzzled. I must trouble you to clarify." Gu Changsheng put down the teacup and straightened his sleeves.
"This... about this..." Du Chenzhi glanced at the silent Han Qiu and her brother standing beside him, stammering, unsure how to explain.
They were the saviors of his wife and son, their great benefactors, and he absolutely could not offend them.
Han Qiu stood aside, her gaze wandering, lost in her thoughts.
"To be honest with Lady Changsheng, I have no ill intentions towards Miss Han," Du Chenzhi finally mustered the courage to speak and, fearing Gu Changsheng wouldn't believe him, quickly added, "Lady Changsheng, you are just passing through here and might not know, I genuinely had no ill intentions. At that time, I put the word out not to let others buy Miss Han and her brother, really... really because Wanniang, she cannot tolerate such things..."
At this, Du Chenzhi unconsciously lowered his head. His wife at home was fiercely jealous, and if word got out, it would indeed not look respectable.
Gu Changsheng nodded knowingly with an "Oh..." dragging out the sound.
Simply put, having a Mother Tigress at home makes it difficult for the monkey to act arrogantly. Even with a thieving heart, he could not succeed.
"Lady Changsheng, you misunderstood!" Du Chenzhi, seeing her reaction, realized that what she thought was different from what he meant and tried to explain but didn't know how to begin.
Han Qiu, unable to watch any longer, stepped forward and, with her head down, said, "Madam, Young Master Du indeed bears no ill will."
"Uh-huh!" No ill will perhaps, but an illicit affair, well, that was hard to say. Gu Changsheng wholeheartedly agreed, her Red Phoenix Eyes wide open. After all, who once said, we must be vigilant enough to notice treachery with our piercing eyes?
Xiao Cui, who was busy peeling lychee skin for the hard-working Young Master and Han Mo, washed their hands before putting down the brocade handkerchief. At a glance, she saw her Madam sporting a sinister smile, with shining eyes. From what she understood of her Mistress, she was surely not thinking good thoughts!
Han Qiu and Xiao Cui exchanged a glance, instantly comprehending each other. They hurried to continue, looking serious, "Madam, it is not what you think! I have known Young Master Du since we were children."
"Yes, yes!" Du Chenzhi quickly echoed.
Gu Changsheng's eyes sparkled even more, and the tail of her Red Phoenix Eyes raised high. Well, childhood sweethearts, innocent playmates, a young couple in love—turns out she and Madam Du were just the big sticks beating apart a pair of lovebirds, so indiscreet.
"Ah! I'm sorry! Really, I'm sorry, I didn't know about you two..." Gu Changsheng, brave enough to admit her mistake, quickly acknowledged her error, realizing that it was wrong of her to judge Young Master Du merely from a first impression.
In fact, it wasn't entirely his fault; Young Master Du's appearance was indeed not like a reliable person!
"Lady Changsheng, it truly isn't what you think. I have known Miss Han since we were children, and I indeed had plans to marry her. However, my father was a member of the Imperial Cabinet, and Miss Han's late father was a High-ranking Official, so it couldn't happen. Nonetheless, the years of acquaintance remained, and I couldn't just watch her be sold to another family to suffer, so I tried every means to buy her and her brother back without any other intention. But alas, Wanniang..." Du Chenzhi smartened up this time. If he didn't clarify now, it might get worse. Moreover, if this misunderstanding reached Wanniang's ears, then...
If I were your wife, I would certainly drive Han Qiu out; childhood sweethearts are definitely a great threat to the peace of the Inner House!
But Gu Changsheng understood. She really had misunderstood. How could the ancients have such roundabout thinking? It seemed that being meticulous was not always a good thing.