FBC – Chapter 40 Cousin

Concubine Pei raised her brows. “You still remember that penniless brat?”

Gu Hua clutched her handkerchief tightly and replied calmly, “I just want to know if he’s alive or dead.”

“He dared to persuade you to elope, dared to covet the daughter of a marquis’ household—of course he had to die.”

“He’s dead?” Gu Hua blurted out in shock.

“We were going to capture him and beat him to death on the spot. Who knew, he ended up falling off a cliff and dying on his own,” Concubine Pei said lightly.

A searing pain tore through Gu Hua’s chest.

She had caused the death of the only person who had been kind to her—Brother Ji.

Concubine Pei shot her a sideways glance. “Marrying your cousin or the young lord—aren’t either of them far better than that poor childhood sweetheart of yours? No ambition whatsoever.”

Though the sun was blazing outside, Gu Hua felt a bone-deep chill.

From the moment she was born, she had been trapped in the web of schemes woven by the Pei family. Bound tightly, until she was suffocated.

Even the smallest ray of light or shred of hope—Pei would crush it without hesitation.

Gu Hua forcefully suppressed her sorrow and said evenly, “There was no childhood sweetheart. Just a classmate. You’re right—someone like him isn’t worthy of a marquis’ daughter.”

Concubine Pei smiled smugly.

A featherless sparrow dreaming of becoming a phoenix? Ridiculous.

The carriage stopped in front of Xuanhua Tower.

This was one of the Pei family’s major businesses in the capital.

Concubine Pei got off the carriage. When the attendant at the entrance recognized her, he rushed forward enthusiastically.

“Madam is here. The young master is already waiting for you in the private room on the second floor.”

Gu Hua followed Concubine Pei off the carriage and into the building, one behind the other.

Dong Hua, drenched in sweat from chasing after them, was about to follow them in when the attendant stopped her.

“I’m Second Young Miss Gu’s maid,” Dong Hua declared, glaring.

The attendant, used to seeing noble patrons, noticed that her attire was even finer than that of the Marquis Gu’s other maids and didn’t dare be rude.

“Please wait here on the first floor, young lady. I’ll bring you some tea.”

Dong Hua still wanted to barge in, but Granny Lu arrived just in time and yanked her back.

Panting heavily, she said, “The… the masters are talking. You… you shouldn’t go in.”

Dong Hua looked anxiously at Gu Hua on the stairs. Gu Hua turned and gave her a reassuring look.

“If anything happens, shout!” Dong Hua called out loudly, not caring about the crowd watching.

Under the shocked stares of the attendant, she rolled up her sleeves, dragged a chair over, and straddled it at the stairway like a soldier guarding a pass.

Her posture was defiant, unyielding—like a lone warrior holding off an army.

The attendant looked wide-eyed at Granny Lu. Even she didn’t dare intervene.

That maid was fierce, and you couldn’t touch people from a Duke’s household anyway.

Xuanhua Tower was located in the most bustling commercial district of Bianjing. Inside, patrons chatted over tea and snacks, the atmosphere lively and crowded.

This was precisely why Gu Hua had dared to come.

Her target today was the current head of the Pei family—Young Master Pei Yi.

He was Concubine Pei’s greatest backer and source of confidence.

Inside the private room, Gu Hua saw a tall, lean figure standing by the window, gazing outside.

Upon hearing the door open, the man turned. The moment he saw Gu Hua, his eyes lit up with amazement.

Gu Hua was the first to curtsey sweetly and call out, “Cousin.”

Pei Yi quickly masked his expression, his ears tinged red. He cupped his hands in a polite salute to hide his awkwardness.

“Aunt, Cousin Hua—you’ve arrived.”

Concubine Pei noticed Pei Yi’s flicker of emotion and smiled. “You’ve waited long. Since Hua’er was free today, I brought her along.”

Pei Yi composed himself and smiled. “It’s been a long time since I saw Cousin Hua. She’s grown so much.”

“Indeed, it’s been several years,” Concubine Pei replied.

Gu Hua smiled radiantly, making Pei Yi’s heart pound uncontrollably and his face flush red.

The first time Pei Yi saw Gu Hua was when he personally delivered a banknote to the Marquis’ residence. She had just turned ten.

Her delicate little face wasn’t fully grown yet, like a fragile porcelain doll, as if a touch might shatter her.

She peeked at him shyly, like a timid little kitten.

Pei Yi was seventeen then—his first time in Bianjing—and to everyone’s delight, he ranked fifty-eighth in the imperial exam, becoming the first official in the Pei family.

That same year, thanks to Lord Gu Yuan’s recommendation, the Pei family secured a prime location in Bianjing and opened their first restaurant.

The second time they met was five years later, when Concubine Pei brought Gu Hua to a new Pei-owned dress shop to choose clothes.

Pei Yi, then a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue, happened to be there.

He had delayed marriage until twenty-two because the Pei family had high standards for his bride.

After five years in the capital, Pei Yi had seen many daughters of officials. Some tried to arrange a match, but the Pei family rejected most officials and never considered merchant families. And Pei Yi himself had quietly harbored feelings for someone.

That day, he saw Gu Hua again—fifteen years old and already elegant and graceful, a budding beauty.

In that moment, he knew he had fallen for her. He immediately wrote home and asked his mother to discuss a proposal with his aunt.

Unexpectedly, a few days later, his aunt came in person.

She said that as the legitimate daughter of Jiangling’s richest man, she had sacrificed everything to marry into the capital as a concubine—just to gain a foothold for the Pei family and secure their royal merchant status.

As the legitimate eldest son, Pei Yi had climbed the ranks and entered officialdom with the family’s full support. Only by marrying the legitimate daughter of a prestigious official family in the capital could he truly become part of the bureaucratic elite—and help the Pei family soar.

Pei Yi also bore the responsibility of helping other Pei family sons enter officialdom.

From that day on, he didn’t see Cousin Hua again for three years.

He hadn’t expected his aunt to suddenly bring her today.

Thinking of their two meetings and the deep impression she left, Pei Yi felt a strange ache in his heart.

Now he was married, and this cousin—like a celestial fairy—was a world away from him. It was fated to be impossible.

Pei Yi took out a silver-filled box and respectfully handed it to Concubine Pei. “Aunt, this month’s dividend is 800 taels, plus 1,000 as a gift.”

Concubine Pei smiled as she accepted it. “That’s more than last month.”

Pei Yi avoided looking at Gu Hua and said, “Yes, business is getting better and better. It’s rare to see Cousin Hua today—I must give a proper greeting. Please sit while I go fetch it.”

As he turned to leave, he stumbled slightly and nearly tripped at the door. Gu Hua’s lips curled into a faint smile.

Thanks to Concubine Pei for raising her into such an alluring beauty.

She hadn’t done a thing—just stood there and smiled politely.

Concubine Pei was so furious her teeth itched.

That seductive vixen!

But for now, handing Gu Hua over to Pei Yi was the only way to keep control of her.

If Pei Yi refused, then she’d ship Gu Hua off to her hometown and marry her to some local official. She’d become a stepping stone for the Pei family!

No matter what—Gu Hua must never become a stumbling block to her son.

This was Gu Hua’s first visit to Xuanhua Tower.

She knew it was the Pei family’s most profitable business in Bianjing.

Thanks to Gu Yuan’s help, the restaurant had opened without the Marquis’ household spending a single coin—yet they took 30% of the profits.

She walked to the window and looked around curiously.

Below was the busiest marketplace in Bianjing, surrounded by shops and vendors—Linlang Pavilion and Auspicious Workshop were just nearby.

In her past life, Gu Hua had never had the chance to see this wider world—nor did she dare to imagine resisting the Pei family.

But in this life, she wanted to try.

No matter how far she got, it was better than being slaughtered like a lamb.

She saw the bustling crowd below—vendors moving from street to street, customers coming and going.

All of it was about earning silver.

If she wanted to completely crush Concubine Pei, she had to first cut off the Pei family’s financial support to her.

As she idly looked up, she spotted a small, elegant building across the street. The second floor had large windows covered by bamboo blinds. From her angle, she couldn’t see inside.

The door below was shut tight. It didn’t look like a shop—it looked more like a private residence.

Gu Hua was surprised. Why would someone place a private home in the middle of a bustling commercial district?

She made a mental note to go down later and check the sign.

Her curiosity was definitely piqued.