I've Got This Cannon Fodder Trope Covered!

Chapter 45

"......" Wei Hanzhang was so startled by his tearful tone that she didn't know what to do.

The two of them had grown up together, and ever since they were seven, she had never seen Gu Yunran cry. No matter how much she teased him, he would only glare at her in anger, never showing any sign of weakness.

When she found out he had secretly taken two concubines and remained indifferent to Xinrou's death, she was so furious that she seriously considered ending their relationship. But even if they set aside romantic feelings, the bond they had shared since childhood still remained. She couldn't bear to see him like this.

It took Gu Yunran a while to regain his usual composure. He forced a smile and said, "I came to tell you that my father will return tomorrow. Once he's back, I'll come to propose."

"Ranran," he said, his eyes lighting up at the mention of the proposal, his smile bright and handsome, "You love to bully me, don't you? So hurry up and marry me. Once you marry me, you can bully me for a lifetime."

A lifetime...

Wei Hanzhang couldn't help but smile at his words, though she quickly reined it in. She didn't feel confident at all. Their marriage had already faced so many obstacles; would this proposal really go smoothly?

Or rather, now that a princess had taken a liking to their son, would the Gu family still see her, a girl from the secondary branch of a marquis household, as worthy of being their daughter-in-law?

And... what about Xiao Boqian? Would he tolerate her marriage being settled so easily?

As soon as she thought of Xiao Boqian, a strange panic rose in her chest. She clenched her hand tightly to suppress the feelings that surged up inside her and turned her head. "You should go back."

"I don't want to go back. Can I take a look at your courtyard?" Gu Yunran, who had been waiting for so many days just to see her, wasn't willing to leave so easily. He asked cautiously, "I want to see the place you live in now."

"It's not convenient," Wei Hanzhang took a step back, avoiding his pitiful face. "We're not children anymore."

"But we're engaged..."

"That's only after the engagement is official!" Wei Hanzhang interrupted him, her voice low. "Right now, it's just a verbal agreement. I can't let you into my courtyard."

Gu Yunran stood stiffly in place, his hands tightly clenched in his sleeves, unable to understand why everything had changed.

First, Ranran found out about the two concubines he had taken. Then Ranran returned to the capital, and when they met again, everything was different.

Things had been so good between them in Xuzhou. How had it come to the point where he wasn't even allowed into her courtyard?

He knew he had made a mistake. He never should have taken those two concubines...

The seventeen-year-old boy stood helplessly on the stone bricks, looking at the girl in front of him with pitiful eyes, a sight that would make anyone's heart soften.

But Wei Hanzhang still didn't let him into her courtyard. She wasn't sure why, but perhaps it was some sort of instinct, like the sharp awareness of a small animal, warning her that if she let Gu Yunran into her courtyard today...

... In any case, her sixth sense told her not to do it.

After sending off the reluctant Gu Yunran, Wei Hanzhang didn't return next door. She glanced at the sun and decided to spend time with her Sixth Sister, who was set to be married in a month.

Wei Hanshuang, the legitimate daughter of the heir to the marquis household, was marrying into the Shen family, another marquis household. Naturally, the wedding preparations couldn't be rushed. The family had been busy for months, and her dowry had already been carefully prepared.

With the wedding approaching, Wei Hanshuang rarely went out, and since Wei Hanzhang hadn't left the house recently either, no one found it odd. Everyone just assumed that since she had only recently returned to the capital and didn't have her sister to accompany her, she wasn't keen on socializing with unfamiliar noblewomen.

When she arrived, Wei Hanshuang was embroidering her wedding dress. For families like theirs, it wasn't necessary to do all the work by hand; just adding a few stitches was enough for good luck.

Seeing her cousin had come, Wei Hanshuang set aside her needlework, instructed the maid to serve tea, and quickly got up to greet her.

"Ranran, why aren't you cooped up in your Tingfeng Pavilion today?"

Just as she was about to tease her, her gaze fell on the even more noticeable red marks on her sister's face compared to yesterday, and she frowned.

"You should have accepted the medicine bottle from the heir of the Chen family yesterday. It's a secret formula passed down through his family and isn't sold publicly. Even if you're not hurt, it's good for maintaining your complexion. The noblewomen of the capital would pay a fortune for just one bottle, and yet you refused it repeatedly."

Blaming herself, she added, "It's partly my fault too. You were shy, and I should've accepted it for you."

"..." Wei Hanzhang was silent for a moment. After pulling her cousin to sit down, she said, "You're a young lady too. You haven't even married yet, and you're already acting like a matron?"

"We're not the same. My marriage is already set, and the heir of the Chen family is my future mother-in-law's nephew, so it's fine for me to accept his ointment."

Despite being teased, Wei Hanshuang wasn't embarrassed. Instead, she spoke seriously, "But it's different for you, Ranran. I think that heir seems to have feelings for you... It wouldn't be proper for you to accept his things."

At this point in the conversation, Wei Hanshuang paused and smiled, "You've only just returned to the capital and aren't too familiar with things yet. That heir of the Chen family is truly exceptional among the noble young men in the capital. He's handsome and has high standards. Even though he's already twenty, he hasn't even discussed marriage yet. He's the dream of many noble young ladies."

"Sixth Sister, please don't tell me these things," Wei Hanzhang said helplessly, "What does his excellence have to do with me?"

"How can it have nothing to do with you?" The two sisters were close, and with no one else around, Wei Hanshuang didn't hold back. She spoke plainly, "From what I see, your engagement to that young lord of the Gu family might not go through smoothly, especially with that girl from the Qi family interfering."

Wei Hanshuang had heard about Qi Yuxiao being stripped of her title as a princess. She chuckled, "Everyone says you're quite lucky, and I have to agree. Yesterday Qi Yuxiao offended you, and today her title as a princess has been revoked. I even heard she got slapped. With her vanity, she probably won't show her face for at least ten days."

Wei Hanzhang also found the timing of it all rather coincidental. She couldn't help but feel a bit curious about the Crown Prince she had never met. After all, she truly wondered how someone who had just sent her a coming-of-age gift yesterday could suddenly punish his own niece today.

As for the marriage...

Wei Hanzhang was also quite unsure. According to Gu Yunran's thoughts, the marriage would definitely not change, but it was not his turn to make the decision in the Gu family now.

Even though Qi Yuxiao no longer holds the title of princess, she is still the only daughter of Princess Changle and the granddaughter of the current emperor.

Besides, the Crown Prince and Princess Changle are brothers from the same mother and are Qi Yuxiao's uncle. No matter how severe the punishment is today, the blood relationship is there, and who knows when the Crown Prince will restore his niece's status as a princess.

Not to mention her maternal family, even Qi Yuxiao's paternal family is from a top-ranking duchy, far more prestigious than her own status as a second branch daughter from a marquis household.

Would Gu Yunran's parents not be tempted when a young lady of such a background has taken a liking to their son?