I've Got This Cannon Fodder Trope Covered!

Chapter 27

Wei Hanzhang replied, "I'm busy today. I have to go with my cousin to the Temple of Marriage to burn incense."

"Temple of Marriage?" Gu Yunran's eyes lit up. "What a perfect place! I'll go with you, and we can ask the Bodhisattva to bless us with eternal love."

Wei Hanzhang was momentarily silent, and Gu Yunran added, "Ranran, when my father returns, I'll come to propose."

He had repeated this sentence so many times in the past few days that Wei Hanzhang felt like her ears were going numb from hearing it. Since Gu Yunran insisted on coming along, Wei Hanzhang had no choice. After all, they were going to be engaged, and it was only natural for them to visit the Temple of Marriage together.

...

The Temple of Marriage was located at the foot of Fengxia Mountain outside the capital. The mountain scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. From high-ranking officials to common folk, everyone came to pray for marriage, and the temple was bustling year-round with incense offerings.

Having not left the house for quite some time, after properly burning incense, Gu Yunran bought a "heart-linking knot" from the vendors outside the temple and insisted on attaching it to the pouch hanging from Wei Hanzhang's waist.

Standing nearby, Wei Hanshuang covered her mouth, laughing quietly. Over the past few days, the young master of the Gu family had been visiting daily, and the entire household was well aware. Now, seeing him acting so deeply in love, no one teased him.

However, the nearby Shen Yu, seeing this, also bought two heart-linking knots and, following Gu Yunran's example, pinned one onto Wei Hanshuang. Wei Hanshuang's smile faded slightly, and she softly thanked him.

The atmosphere between this engaged couple, whose wedding date had already been set, felt somewhat awkward. Just as Wei Hanzhang was about to say something, she suddenly felt a tug on her sleeve and turned her head to see Gu Yunran giving her a look.

Puzzled, she asked, "What is it?"

"I have something I want to tell you," Gu Yunran said with a smile. "The scenery in the mountains looks pretty nice. Let's go take a look."

Being a fellow man, Shen Yu understood Gu Yunran's intention and smiled gratefully. Seeing them about to leave, he reminded, "I've heard that Prince Yan has a villa built on Fengxia Mountain. Be careful not to intrude."

Gu Yunran thanked him with a smile and led his fiancée down another mountain path.

They walked quite a distance, and when there were no more pilgrims passing by, the cool shade of the forest and the faint fragrance of wildflowers filled the air. Only then did Wei Hanzhang stop and ask, "Why did you give them space to be alone? That second son of the Shen family..."

She paused slightly, realizing it wasn't proper to speak ill of her future brother-in-law behind his back.

The events of the Yongle Marquis's birthday feast had long since spread throughout the capital. Having been in the city for some time, Gu Yunran naturally had heard the rumors as well.

He said, "Their wedding date is set, it can't be changed. Do you want them to always be in this awkward situation, only to end up as a resentful couple?"

"A resentful couple?" Wei Hanzhang was momentarily stunned. She continued, "The wedding hasn't even happened yet, and Shen Yu already has a cousin waiting to become his concubine. Do you really think they can still become a loving couple?"

Wei Hanzhang was aware, through her mother's hints, of the outcome decided when the Yongle Marquis and his two sons visited to negotiate the marriage. Though she didn't know what compensation the Yongle Marquis's household had offered regarding Wei Hanyu's situation, she was clear about the 'cousin's' fate.

The child in her womb had already been aborted, and six months after Wei Hanshuang's marriage, this 'cousin' would be taken in as a legitimate concubine. Shen Yu would not be allowed to have any illegitimate children in his household until Wei Hanshuang bore a legitimate son.

This arrangement was acceptable to the Zhongyong Marquis's family. In everyone's eyes, these 'cousins' were just concubines, as long as they didn't give birth to the first illegitimate son, they were insignificant.

But this cousin wasn't just any concubine who could be easily dismissed. She was Shen Yu's close childhood companion and legitimate cousin. With her presence, did Gu Yunran really think this wouldn't affect their marital happiness?

Wei Hanzhang's feelings were complicated. Was this a difference in the way men and women think, or did Gu Yunran see the presence of concubines as completely normal, something that didn't need to be minded at all?

Seeing her look at him like that, Gu Yunran panicked, unsure of what he had done wrong. He quickly grabbed her hand and said, "I just want your cousin to have a more comfortable life after marriage. If they're going to be a couple, it's better for them to develop some affection rather than despise each other."

That made sense. Wei Hanzhang nodded slightly, then abruptly changed the subject, saying coolly, "Did you pass the handkerchief I gave you the other day to Gu Yundan?"

Gu Yunran's expression froze. "I did."

Wei Hanzhang asked, "And what about Xinrou's words? Did you tell him?"

"...I told him that as well."

"Then did you ask him what he did that day to force her to jump off the building and take her own life?"

Gu Yunran hesitated for a few moments and then said in a low voice, "Ranran, you haven't seen his current state. It's like he's living a fate worse than death."

Wei Hanzhang looked up at him, her eyes cold as she pulled her hand away. "So, you didn't ask, did you?"

Gu Yunran smiled bitterly. "Seeing him like that, how could I bring myself to ask?"

"...How can you say that?" Wei Hanzhang scoffed coldly. "You feel sorry for your cousin, thinking his life is worse than death, but Xinrou is already dead. She's dead! Driven to death by Gu Yundan!"

"If you don't dare ask Gu Yundan, then why don't you guess what exactly he did to Xinrou in the pleasure house that pushed her to such an end?"

The early summer breeze carried a slight chill, and the forest around them was eerily silent. Gu Yunran pressed his lips together and stayed quiet for a long time, his face darkening.

Wei Hanzhang pressed further. "To escape scandal, he's remarried another woman, but he still went to humiliate his former fiancée, who had already fallen into ruin..."

"Ranran, that was her own choice," Gu Yunran interrupted, his tone hardening. "If she truly had such a strong will to end her life, she should've done so cleanly before entering the pleasure house. Why wait until she had already been trampled into the mud?"

These words struck Wei Hanzhang like a sudden clap of thunder, making her feel as if her ears were about to burst. As she recovered, her heart grew colder, bit by bit. She looked at the young man in front of her, somewhat stunned: "So this is how you really think?"

"Alright, let's not argue over someone else's affairs, okay?" Gu Yunran tried to hold her hand, but when she avoided his touch, he frowned, calling, "Ranran!"

Wei Hanzhang didn't hide her feelings, taking two steps back. In a soft voice, she said, "If Xinrou were me, would you make the same choice as Gu Yundan? Maybe you'd even blame me for not dying sooner, so you wouldn't have to carry a bad reputation."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Gu Yunran's brows furrowed with anger. "Why are you cursing yourself like this out of nowhere?"

Wei Hanzhang knew long ago that her little childhood companion had a temper, only baring his fangs when truly provoked. Seeing him genuinely angry now, she wasn't afraid. Instead, she feigned confusion and asked, "Why is it nonsense? Didn't something happen to the Jiang family too? I grew up in the Jiang household. If I were a Jiang family daughter today, what would you do?"