Chapter Forty-Five: Devotion unto Death
After Maoyuan Tang arrived, the three of them immediately had a big meal to fill their stomachs.
Gu Yu and Chengfeng Shan didn’t eat much, but Maoyuan Tang looked like he wanted to eat the plates too, wolfing down his food in a manner that Gu Yu found a bit strange.
Maoyuan Tang’s father was quite formidable; it wasn’t as if he would let Maoyuan Tang go hungry!
Looking at him now, one could believe he hadn’t eaten a full meal in days.
“Brother Gu, don’t be surprised. Brother Tang probably hasn’t eaten his fill in days, so it’s good that he can eat now. Before, I wanted to give him some silver, but Uncle Tang stopped me, saying he wanted to teach him a lesson.”
“Teach him a lesson? Did he and his son have a conflict?”
Seeing the puzzled expression on Gu Yu’s face, Chengfeng Shan knew he was curious about why Maoyuan Tang was like this. He then proceeded to explain, indicating that there was more to the story.
Maoyuan Tang’s father held the position of Vice Minister of Dali Temple; how could even having enough to eat be a problem!
It must be for some other reason.
This immediately piqued Gu Yu’s interest. While Maoyuan Tang was busy stuffing himself, the two of them began discussing the reason for his current state.
It turned out that three months ago, Maoyuan Tang accompanied his father to solve a case. During the investigation, he met a charming widow.
Afterwards, they took a liking to each other, and Maoyuan Tang told his father he wanted to marry her.
However, Yaowen Tang had previously stated that if Maoyuan Tang did not solve a major case on his own, he would absolutely not be allowed to marry or have children.
This was the case even if it meant the Tang family line would end.
This put Maoyuan Tang in a difficult position. The widow he fancied, seeing his prolonged silence, felt a chill in her heart. Disappointed in Maoyuan Tang, she no longer saw him.
This made Maoyuan Tang feel miserable. He had even considered a suicide pact with his father to prove his resolve, but he couldn’t bear to part with the widow, and so the matter was left unresolved.
The only thing he was thankful for was that it was much more troublesome for a widow to remarry than for a maiden to marry. Moreover, the widow he fancied had only recently emerged from a case, so no one dared to arrange a match for her.
This gave Maoyuan Tang some time…
As for what kind of time, it was naturally enough for his father to look at him with admiration, which would then allow him to start a family!
However, just as Maoyuan Tang was rubbing his fists and wiping his palms, eager to solve the case, an earthquake occurred… and then, with all the post-earthquake arrangements, he was unable to participate in the case. He could only do odd jobs every day, which made Maoyuan Tang very depressed.
Under these circumstances, time passed quickly, and the prices in the capital followed suit.
With the soaring prices, ordinary civilians, except for the wealthy, could not afford them.
Then, Maoyuan Tang took this opportunity to reconnect with the widow and offered her his salary…
“Brother Shan, what’s the background of this woman? Don’t let Brother Tang be deceived.”
“Don’t worry! When I first heard about this, I went to take a look and investigated this woman privately. I found that she had no criminal record; she was just an unfortunate woman whose husband had passed away. Brother Tang is also very fond of her. After I tried to persuade him a few times, he still insisted that she was the only one for him, so I didn’t try to dissuade him any further.”
After hearing the entire story from Chengfeng Shan, Gu Yu couldn’t help but frown. He didn’t think that Maoyuan Tang’s romance would end well.
In the current situation, when he couldn’t even take care of himself, it was difficult for Maoyuan Tang to take care of someone else.
Furthermore, the Tang family was strongly opposed to welcoming this woman into the family, which made matters even more difficult.
If this continued, before Maoyuan Tang could even marry her, his body wouldn’t be able to hold up.
“Phew! I haven’t eaten this full in a long time. Brother Gu, if you come a few more times, this kid Chengfeng can treat me to a few more meals, that would be absolutely great!”
“You say that! You didn’t come when I invited you to my house for a meal before, and you wouldn’t even accept money… Why are you so stubborn!”
“It’s not to the point of being completely broke, so I won’t accept your money! Let’s wait and see how things develop. I recently heard from well-informed people… that the Emperor is taking this matter very seriously and will likely take action soon.”
Upon hearing Chengfeng Shan’s words, Maoyuan Tang smiled sheepishly. Although he knew Chengfeng Shan wanted to help him, he didn’t want to become accustomed to relying on others.
Especially given their close relationship, he didn’t want to borrow money.
Hearing Maoyuan Tang’s refusal, Chengfeng Shan wasn’t too surprised. Instead, he looked at Gu Yu with a dejected expression, clearly conveying his helplessness.
If they waited any longer, Chengfeng Shan worried if Maoyuan Tang could even survive.
“Brother Tang, I can lend you some silver. If you don’t mind, please accept it!”
“No, no, how could I accept your money! If my father knew, he would surely beat me to death. However, I will not give up Shujuan. If all else fails… I will die in devotion, to show my father and the others my resolve!”
When he uttered the words “devotion unto death,” Maoyuan Tang took a deep breath, his expression unusually serious. This caused Chengfeng Shan and Gu Yu’s eyebrows to furrow involuntarily, thinking that Maoyuan Tang’s idea was very bad!
At such a young age, to even think about dying!
Regardless of anything, only by living is there hope.
If he died directly, he would only remain in the memories of his family and friends, gradually fading away.
“Brother Tang, there’s something I must tell you… Your life is your own. If you always follow your father’s arrangements, it will continue to be so, and there will be no new developments! If you truly love that woman, then pursue her boldly… Besides, in the worst-case scenario, can it be more painful than death?”
At this moment, Gu Yu spoke earnestly. Although he was younger than Chengfeng Shan and Maoyuan Tang, his insights were profound, and even Chengfeng Shan nodded repeatedly after hearing them.
Maoyuan Tang smiled helplessly, knowing that he had spoken too excitedly and had worried Chengfeng Shan and Gu Yu.
“Don’t worry! I wouldn’t die before marrying Shujuan home! Brother Gu, then I’ll accept your kindness! When Shujuan and I get married, you must come for the wedding banquet.”
“Definitely.”
Seeing that Maoyuan Tang had accepted the help, Chengfeng Shan was even more excited than Gu Yu. This showed… that he also cared deeply for this friend he had grown up with.
However, as Chengfeng Shan raised his wine glass, trying to clink it with Maoyuan Tang’s, Maoyuan Tang rather disdainfully moved his glass aside, avoiding Chengfeng Shan’s and clinking his with Gu Yu’s.
Maoyuan Tang seemed to have made up his mind, his furrowed brow relaxing, and his face no longer showing any signs of entanglement.
Gu Yu smiled and raised his hand, drinking the wine in his cup in one go.
