Suspicion

But then the last two lines burst forth from the paper: "Who can understand how flying blossoms become frosty blades? They only pickle withered bones and drown in weeds!"

Every word was like a knife, subtly criticizing the harshness of the salt administration! It almost tore the new paper apart.

"Flying blossoms are like frosty blades! Salt taxes are like knives, the people suffer greatly. What a beautiful poem!"

Upon seeing how well Wei Cong's poem was written, Dongfang Hongyao stood up, clasped his hands in agreement, and said, "Brother Wei is indeed extraordinary. I think no one in Zuixinlou can write a better poem than this."

"Young Master Wei is indeed remarkable. If you win first place, I will give you another hundred taels of silver as a prize." Gu Yu had read his poem; how could she not understand him?

Although she didn't want to be a good person, she could still help him.

The Dasheng government paid very little to its officials, especially those below the fourth rank. If an official wanted to establish himself in Shengjing, a hundred taels of silver was not much, but it would prevent him from falling into poverty in the short term and allow him to maintain his original aspirations.

"I cannot accept a hundred taels of silver," Wei Cong said, rising and bowing to decline Gu Yu's offer.

“Young Master Wei is a smart man. You helped me, so naturally I will help you. Without this money, even if you are on the list, you will have a hard time in Shengjing City.” Gu Yu said with a smile, “You can pay me back later.”

"Besides, I said you won first place. Are you so sure that you're the champion, Young Master Wei?"

"That's not what I meant..."

Having seen so many hypocritical and cunning people in officialdom, Gu Yu found it quite amusing to encounter such a naive and straightforward young man. "Qiuju, please send the poems of the two young masters down."

"Okay." Qiuju put away the poem and turned to leave the private room.

Gu Yu picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote on the newly laid-out white paper:

"The snow should have melted away by the end of spring, but who sent these cold blossoms to bloom so profusely in June?"

Since she's anonymous and Guan Yiyun is here, how could she not cause trouble?

She wanted to see if Guan Yiyun would dare to let this poem be known to others, given that the imperial examinations were approaching.

Wei Cong lowered his eyes to examine the two lines of poetry, but Dongfang Hongyao blurted out first, "June catkins? No, it's June snow. Does Miss Gu have a grievance to redress?"

No one in the world will help her seek justice except herself. She will not seek justice from anyone else. She will take back her justice in her own way.

"No, it wasn't me, it was someone I knew." Gu Yu's sorrow was barely visible in her eyes. "It just so happened that I was reciting poems today, and for some reason, I thought of her."

She wrote the following two sentences:

"The imperial examination results suddenly flipped, turning ink into hail, freezing the throats of countless carp at the Dragon Gate!"

"The imperial examination? The imperial examination cheating case? Is it the case of false accusation and wrongful conviction three years ago?" Dongfang Hongyao suddenly realized, recalling the news his uncle brought back from the capital three years ago when he went to take the imperial examination.

“It is indeed that case, but I can’t help her.” Gu Yu said sadly.

"Miss Gu, if that case is truly a miscarriage of justice, as you say, then..."

"Rest assured, if Brother Wei and I ever have the ability, we will do everything we can to investigate this case."

"Wei will do his utmost."

The evidence must have been destroyed, and overturning the case would be extremely difficult. Gu Yu had long since given up on the idea of ​​overturning the case.

"Thank you both, gentlemen." Gu Yu folded the paper after the ink in her poems had dried. Just then, Qiu Ju squeezed her way back from the crowd on the first floor.

“Miss, I saw many familiar faces when I went downstairs. There were also many young ladies from noble families who came to participate in the poetry gathering.”

"Qiuju, I'll have to trouble you to make another trip."

Qiuju explained, "The line below is too long. The manager of Zuixinlou said that they will send someone to collect poems from each private room later."

“Okay.” Gu Yu looked down at the crowd of people downstairs and actually saw Su Bicheng among them. However, the private rooms in Zuixinlou were not something that could be reserved just because you had money. Those who could only sit on the first floor still had to wait in line.

Dongfang Hongyao also saw acquaintances in the crowd, greeted Gu Yu, and then pulled Wei Cong along to socialize.

Not long after, the person collecting the poems arrived, and Qiuju handed the poems to her servant.

Gu Yu propped her head up and stared intently at Guan Yiyun, who was grading the poems. The more she hated him, the more her smile grew.

She was really looking forward to seeing the man's reaction to the poem. Would he fly into a rage and search for it in a big way, or would he turn pale and secretly hide the poem away?

However, even after Guan Yiyun had read through all the poems, he found nothing strange.

Something's not right. Guan Yiyun isn't the kind of person who doesn't show his emotions. So there's only one possibility: he hasn't seen the poem.

The poems on the second floor must have been reviewed by someone after they were collected, and that person then selected that particular poem.

Who was it? Why did they do it? Did they even know that the poem was written by her?

Although Gu Yu was worried, she remained calm as the results were announced on the first floor.

"Distinguished gentlemen and ladies, after an afternoon of judging by several esteemed officials, four poems have coincidentally been awarded the highest rank. What's even more coincidental is that none of these four poems are signed."

The manager looked around, glanced at a private room on the second floor, and continued, "However, only one person can be chosen as the champion, so we can only ask all the talented men and women to evaluate these four poems together."

"Everyone will receive a ticket with a lotus pattern. If you like a particular poem, you can put the ticket into the box in front of the poem."

The steward transcribed the four poems, enlarged them, and hung them in four different directions.

Gu Yu's private room faces the poem on the east side:

The smoke in the heavy lake breaks into snow, and the old jade floats in the sky.

Suddenly, a faint fragrance wafts from her temples, but when I turn around, I see no one in the pavilion.

Gu Yu knew at a glance that it was a poem written by Shen Changqing. It was about the time when he invited her to enjoy the snow at the lakeside pavilion, describing the beautiful scenery and the beautiful woman, especially his lingering feelings for the woman from that time.

It's quite amusing that Shen Changqing, such a proud person, was still willing to wear the green hat and write this tender and affectionate poem for her after knowing that she had met with Su Bicheng again.

Gu Yu lowered her head slightly, suppressing her laughter. After a while, she strolled out of the private room, wanting to see the other three poems.

The poem on the north side is by Dongfang Hongyao, which has a majestic and awe-inspiring style, and it was liked by many candidates.

The poem on the west side is by Wei Cong, which uses the imagery of willow catkins to describe the salt tax and lament the hardships of the people's lives. There are clearly more people on the west side than on the east and north sides.

Then came the fourth poem that piqued her curiosity. This person was also unsigned. Did he stumble upon Guan Yiyun, who wanted to hand over the top prize to Shen Changqing, by chance, or was he truly talented enough to stand out among those poems, just like Wei Cong and others?

The poem on the south side is not in the quatrain form as the previous three poems, but is a ci poem.

"The painted beams are secretly locked, the warbling of orioles is heard; the beaded curtain is slowly rolled up, the catkins drift away in the wind. The jade censer burns with lingering incense; the round fan feels the chill of the new season. The silk robe is draped with snow-white threads; the nine-ringed golden lock is tied with a love knot. How can I bear to see the deep lines of painted eyebrows? I count the catkins through the window."

Qiuju followed behind Gu Yu. She had loved poetry and literature since she was a child, and she especially resonated with poems and literature about young women.

She was deeply moved when she saw the poem. "Miss, this poem is so well written. She uses the image of willow catkins to express her feelings. She wants to be free but is trapped in her boudoir. The more the willow catkins fly, the more sad the reader feels."

"This poem is indeed quite good, but it was probably not written by a woman."

"Huh? Miss, how did you know it wasn't written by a woman?" Qiuju asked, puzzled.

“Look at the last line, ‘I can’t bear to look at the painted eyebrows.’ This tone is not one a woman would use; it’s more like a question from a man’s perspective. Moreover, this person probably doesn’t have a family, and even the painted eyebrows are just an imagination.”

Moreover, Gu Yu pursed her lips, saying that drawing eyebrows meant the pleasures of the boudoir, but no woman liked to use this allusion.

She had no interest in music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, but she had to work hard at them at Yunxian Pavilion in order to entertain the literati and scholars and to gain access to the officials closer to the core of the organization...

"...Perhaps what this person wants is not freedom, but rather to break free from the cage of gratitude and simply to catch their breath."

"Miss, I'd like to vote for this poem." Qiuju still thought the poem was well-written.

"Okay." Gu Yu naturally wouldn't interfere with Qiu Ju's thoughts. She also handed Qiu Ju the receipts that had been distributed. "Go down and give me my receipts too, just give me the one for Young Master Wei's poem."

"Okay." Qiuju hurriedly went downstairs.

Gu Yu idly stared at the spot for a while, and was about to leave when she heard the door to the private room behind her open.

"Miss Gu, my young master would like to invite you for tea." A man dressed in shorts came out of the private room and gestured for her to enter.

She glanced up and saw the sign for Room 2 hanging outside the private room, and frowned slightly. "What is your young master's name?"

"His surname is Xu, and his given name is Qiu."

A smiling young man in white robes quickly flashed through Gu Yu's mind.

Xu Shanhai's adopted son, Xu Qiu.

If the Sun faction is a towering tree with roots stretching for thousands of miles, then Xu Shanhai, the eunuch who represents the emperor's will and is also the "inner minister" in charge of the Eastern Depot, is like the leader of an ant colony that lives on this towering tree.

These eunuchs may seem insignificant and harmless, but they hold the lifeline of this towering tree in their hands at all times.

Gu Yu had never dealt with the Eastern Depot before. After all, even the most powerful eunuchs didn't like to frequent brothels.

Xu Qiu was not a eunuch, but he was Xu Shanhai's adopted son from the common people. Although he did not hold any position in the Eastern Depot, his status was second only to Xu Shanhai.

Gu Yu thought that Xu Shanhai probably wanted Xu Qiu to take the imperial examination route to enter officialdom. Moreover, since he had to participate in the imperial examination, ordinary rankings were not acceptable; only the top scholar would be eligible.

Those who cannot be used by her are not worth her time. She should go in and have a cup of tea and go back to her residence as soon as possible. She originally wanted to see what kind of trouble Su Bicheng could cause.

The layout of private room number two is slightly different from her private room. There is a screen right at the entrance, and behind the screen, the steam of tea aroma is rising, making people feel relaxed and refreshed.

"What brings you here, Young Master Xu?" Gu Yu asked directly after the door behind her was closed.

“Miss Gu, please don’t be so formal. Please take a seat.”

Xu Qiu's hands didn't stop as he poured a fresh cup of tea for the seat reserved for Gu Yu. "This Silver Needle Spring tea is priceless, why not give it a try?"

Gu Yu had just sat down when she heard his words but didn't respond. She dared not drink his tea. "Young Master Xu, please speak plainly. I'm feeling a bit tired and want to go back to my residence."

"This poem was written by Miss Gu, wasn't it?" Xu Qiu reached out and took out the poem that had disappeared, her eyes smiling.

"Snow in June? The mass grave is collecting Tang Qingning's remains..."

"Such a brief meeting at the coming-of-age banquet three years ago probably couldn't have forged such a deep friendship, could it?"

"Heh." Gu Yu showed no sign of panic. "What does Young Master Xu want to say? What I want to do is probably none of your business, is it? Does the Eastern Depot just love to pry into the affairs of young women's boudoirs?"

"Even if you suspect me, you have to provide some evidence. No one will believe you if you just make wild guesses."

Gu Yu disliked his keenness, but she also knew that her actions were not well planned. If Gu Jin had been closer to the original owner, he would have discovered her oversights.

It's just a pity that the original owner wasn't close to anyone around her, and her beloved grandmother had passed away at the beginning of the year, which is why this lonely ghost was able to take advantage of the situation.

So they all believed her, because the idea of ​​someone being resurrected through another's body was unbelievable and unthinkable.

"Why is Young Master Xu investigating me?" Gu Yu looked at her with a smile. "You don't happen to like me, do you?"

Even the most meticulous and composed Xu Qiu was interrupted by such bold and straightforward words. "Miss Gu is joking. It's just a habit of mine. If I find something amiss, I like to investigate."

"When did you start investigating me?"

"Miss Gu, why don't you take a guess?" He lifted his dark eyelashes, looking at the extremely vivid expression on Gu Yu's face, and a hint of amusement arose in his heart.

Gu Yu was not afraid of him and never showed the slightest contempt. She was indeed very different from the timid and cowardly Miss Gu before. If she was just pretending before, then this person's mind was too deep.

If they really are two people, is there really such a thing as reincarnation?

Gu Yu pondered, "To be able to detect something amiss so quickly, this person must have been having someone watching the original owner of this body for a long time, right?"

Moreover, he must be very familiar with all of the original owner's movements.

Does this person truly like the original owner of this body, and thus send people to secretly monitor and protect her?

No, that's not right. He noticed the difference between her and the original owner of this body, but he wasn't worried or angry. He was too calm. There's absolutely no way he could like Gu Yu.

Was that chance encounter at the mass grave something they sensed was amiss and deliberately staged? Who would have thought that the one who knew the original owner best was actually the venomous snake who secretly coveted her?

Since he doesn't like the original owner of this body, it must be for the sake of the Gu family. "Ha, your godfather wouldn't want you to marry me, would he?"

Gu Yu had only made a casual guess, but unexpectedly, Xu Qiu stopped laughing and saying anything, and she had actually guessed correctly.

Tsk, her identity is really something to behold. She's the only daughter of the Marquis of Wu'an, and her father and brothers are away fighting wars all year round.

No matter how much favor the Emperor showed to the Marquis of Wu'an's family, he couldn't help but be wary of his military power. Therefore, she was merely a hostage left to the Emperor by the Gu family.

"So, you took my poem, what do you want from me?"

"If Guan Yiyun had seen this poem at the poetry gathering, he would have gone to great lengths to find you and framed you for disrespecting the emperor."