Chapter 166 My dear, please stop writing. I can’t let it go!

After more than half a month of long and bumpy journey, Zheng Yunxi finally returned to Kyoto.

The cries of street vendors and the laughter of passers-by rang in her ears, and a hint of fatigue and joy flashed in her eyes.

When passing by the Marquis' Mansion, Zheng Yunxi raised his hand and knocked on the carriage wall, and said to the driver in a slightly hoarse voice: "Stop the carriage."

Zheng Yunxi got off the carriage and was about to step forward to explain her purpose when she saw the carriage from the Marquis' Mansion coming up the street from the other side.

The Marquis's wife lifted the curtain of her carriage and saw Zheng Yunxi standing at the door. For a moment, she felt as if she were in another world.

Ever since Gu Jiayue resolutely left the Marquis' Mansion, Zheng Yunxi has never set foot in the Mansion again.

Zheng Yunxi walked lightly to the front of the Marquis' wife and bowed slightly, "Greetings, Madam Marquis." She lowered her eyes, with just the right smile on her lips, showing the courtesy of a junior.

The Marquis's wife came back to her senses from her trance, quickly got out of the carriage, held Zheng Yunxi's arm, and said affectionately, "Child, why are you still so distant? You used to call me aunt. Last time I met your mother at the princess's banquet, she said you went to your aunt's house?"

Zheng Yunxi nodded gently, "Yes, my aunt's home is in Juzhou. What a coincidence, I also met Sister Jiayue by chance." Her voice was soft, and when she mentioned Gu Jiayue, a hint of nostalgia unconsciously flashed in her eyes.

"What?" The Marquis's eyes widened instantly when she heard this. Her previously calm hands began to tremble slightly. She asked anxiously, "Is Jiayue okay? She's unfamiliar with the place. Has she been bullied?"

Just as Zheng Yunxi was about to answer, a girl gracefully walked out of the carriage.

The girl had a graceful figure. She walked quickly to the Marquis's wife, gently took her arm, and said in a clear and pleasant voice: "Mother, Miss Zheng has come a long way and must be very tired. Shall we invite Miss Zheng into the house to talk?"

She raised her head, her eyes met Zheng Yunxi's, a faint smile hanging on the corner of her mouth.

Zheng Yunxi was also looking at this girl. This must be the real daughter Gu Wangshu who had reported the mistake to Sister Jiayue, right?

A closer look at her features revealed a certain resemblance to the Marquis' wife. However, I wondered if her personality was as cheerful and easy to get along with as Sister Jiayue's.

Zheng Yunxi still had a polite smile on her face, but there was a hint of inquiry in her eyes.

"Hey, look at me, I lose my mind when I get excited. Yunxi, let's go inside the mansion and talk. Guyu, go and tell the kitchen to make some snacks. Make the Poria cocos cake first, I remember it's Yunxi's favorite." The marquis's wife slapped her forehead, a look of annoyance on her face, then she put on a warm smile, took Zheng Yunxi's hand affectionately and walked into the mansion, her steps a little lighter.

Zheng Yunxi raised the corners of her mouth, and with a smile in her eyes, she said, "Aunt, please go slowly. Let someone take the things off the carriage first. These are all gifts prepared for you by Sister Jiayue and the Gu family."

The Marquis's wife paused, a look of surprise on her face, "Oh, there are gifts? Oh, Yunxi, you have worked so hard to bring these things back from such a long distance. It's really troublesome for you." The Marquis's wife gently squeezed Zheng Yunxi's hand, her eyes full of gratitude.

Zheng Yunxi shook her head slightly. "It's not a big deal. They're just small items from the southwest. Sister Jiayue said that although they're not expensive, they're a token of her love. I hope you don't mind."

The Marquis's eyes were slightly red, and her voice was slightly choked. "How could I dislike this child? The fact that she still cares about me as her mother is already very comforting to me."

Several people walked into the flower hall together, and the servants quickly moved all the things from the carriage into the flower hall and piled them into a small mountain.

Zheng Yunxi walked lightly, pointing at each package in turn, and introduced them carefully, "This is from the Gu family for Sister Wangshu. Inside are handkerchiefs and purses embroidered by the Gu sisters, as well as an inner garment hand-sewn for you by Uncle Li's mother. She said she didn't know if you were used to wearing them, so if you're not, just keep them."

Gu Wangshu stood aside and listened quietly to Zheng Yunxi's introduction, his eyes full of anticipation.

She slowly squatted down, stretched out her hands and opened the package. When she saw the familiar handkerchiefs and toys inside, her eyes instantly turned red and tears welled up in her eyes.

She picked up a rattle, gently stroked the patterns on it with her fingers, and murmured to herself: "This rattle obviously belongs to Gu Yuhe. I used this rattle to coax him to sleep when he was a child." Her voice was soft and full of longing.

Then she picked up a few more handkerchiefs, carefully examined the exquisite embroidery on them, and exclaimed: "These sisters have embroidered the handkerchiefs very well."

Finally, her hand slowly fell on the three sets of underwear and stroked them gently.

The material wasn't the finest silk, just ordinary cotton. But in Gu Wangshu's eyes, it was something inestimably precious. Mother Li had given her such fine cotton to make her own lining, which meant she must have recognized her as a daughter.

Thinking of this, she could no longer hold back her tears.

Zheng Yunxi looked at Gu Wangshu's reaction, and a bitter feeling welled up in her heart. She sighed softly and continued, "This package contains food and snacks from the southwest. Sister Jiayue said Wangshu knows how to eat them."

She paused, then pointed to another one or two packages, "These contain things for the masters of the Marquis' Mansion. I don't know exactly what they are, so I'll divide them up when the time comes, Auntie."

After saying this, Zheng Yunxi turned around and pointed at the firewood held by a servant beside her, and said seriously, "This is what Sister Jiayue asked me to give to the Marquis. She said that the Marquis said she couldn't chop firewood at first, and this was the first firewood she chopped, and she has kept it ever since."

The Marquis' wife was still immersed in her thoughts of Gu Jiayue. When she heard this, she was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. She shook her head gently and said, "This child is quite vindictive." Although the Marquis' wife spoke words of blame, tears flashed in her eyes.

Zheng Yunxi also laughed, with a hint of playfulness in her smile, "Sister, I'm not holding a grudge. I'm just missing the Marquis and his wife." As she spoke, she took out an exquisite box from her sleeve and handed it to the Marquis' wife, "These are all paintings drawn by Sister Jiayue. The paintings depict her daily life in the southwest."

The Marquis's wife couldn't wait to take the box and opened it with trembling hands.

Although Gu Jiayue didn't use charcoal when she painted these paintings, she applied every stroke with great care, striving for realism. Madam Hou could tell at a glance what the figures in the paintings were doing. It was as if through these paintings, she could glimpse Gu Jiayue's life in the southwest.

Her eyes moved across the paintings, sometimes she smiled with relief, sometimes she frowned slightly, full of heartache.

Gu Wangshu also came over to take a look, pointing at one of the paintings, and said excitedly: "Mom, look, this is Taohua Village." There was a hint of yearning in her voice, and her eyes were fixed on the painting, as if she wanted to deeply imprint the appearance of Taohua Village in her mind.

The two of them couldn't let go of the paintings, looking at them over and over again, as if they wanted to engrave every detail of the paintings into their hearts.

It was not until Zheng Yunxi quietly said goodbye that they suddenly came to their senses.

The Marquis's wife quickly raised her hand and wiped her tears with a handkerchief, and said with an apologetic look on her face: "Oh, look at me, I was immersed in sadness and joy for a while, and forgot to treat you well. My good child, thank you for taking the trouble to bring these things back. I will definitely visit you with gifts another day." As the Marquis's wife spoke, she held Zheng Yunxi's hand tightly, her eyes full of gratitude.

"Aunt, don't say that. Sister Jiayue and I are good friends, and it's my duty to bring her a gift." Zheng Yunxi said with a smile, her eyes sincere.

After seeing Zheng Yunxi off, Madam Hou slowly returned to the flower hall. She looked at the boxes placed in the flower hall, filled with a dazzling array of things, all of which were gifts sent by Gu Jiayue from afar.

She could no longer control her emotions, tears welled up in her eyes and she burst into tears.

Gu Wangshu stood aside, looking at the appearance of Mrs. Hou, and his heart was filled with longing for his family in Taohua Village, and tears flowed down involuntarily.

When the Marquis and the Crown Prince returned from court, they saw the Marquis's wife and Gu Wangshu hugging each other and crying as soon as they stepped into the flower hall.

The Marquis was startled and could not help but walk over quickly, saying anxiously, "What's going on? Is the Marquis' Mansion bankrupt?"

When the Marquis's wife heard what the Marquis said, she quickly wiped away her tears, glared at the unreliable Marquis, and said unhappily, "Your daughter has sent a letter."

The Marquis was stunned for a moment, then reacted. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he asked anxiously, "Is it Jiayue's letter?"

The marquis's wife nodded and pointed at the things placed in the flower hall, "These are all brought back by your precious daughter through the Zheng family girl. And that piece of firewood was specially given to you. Let you see, not only can she chop firewood, but she can also chop such thick firewood." As the marquis's wife spoke, she looked at the marquis with both anger and amusement.

The Marquis heard this, walked over, picked up the firewood, and laughed heartily. "Hahaha, you're worthy of being my daughter. So capable!"

The prince quickly stepped forward, his eyes filled with concern and anticipation as he asked, "Mother, is there anything for me?"

Although he arranged for several capable people to accompany Gu Jiayue back, he was still worried.

It has been so long, and apart from a letter Kangzi wrote back when he first arrived in Taohua Village, there has been no news since then.

He worried day and night, wondering whether they were doing well over there and whether they were in trouble.

"Yes, the whole family has it."

The Marquis' Mansion became lively because of the gifts sent by Gu Jiayue.

When Gu Jiayue wrote in her letter that she was teaching her younger brother at home, the youngest, Gu Wangyu, pouted angrily, his face filled with dissatisfaction. "Humph, why? My sister never taught me when she was home. Why does this Gu Shihe deserve to be taught by my sister?"

As he spoke, he stamped his feet, looking aggrieved.

The Marquis's wife looked at her youngest son with a mixture of anger and amusement. She reached out and gently touched his head, saying, "Are you still angry? It's not the same environment. There's no one else in Taohua Village who can read except your sister. If she doesn't teach, who will?"

"In a few years, if he can study well and pass the imperial examination, it will be a good thing for your sister." The Marquis's wife tried to enlighten her youngest son.

Seeing that her youngest son was still unhappy, the Marquis' wife felt somewhat helpless. She couldn't just send him thousands of miles to the countryside to make him happy, could she?

"By the way, Mom and Dad, since my sister wants to open a school in the countryside, shouldn't we support her?" Seeing that his parents were only concerned with sighing that their child had grown up and could not get to the point after talking for a long time, the prince could only give a reminder.

"Yes, yes, yes. I will ask people to go to major book markets tomorrow and buy all the books that can be bought and send them to Jiayue." The Marquis's wife slapped her forehead and said hurriedly.

"Then I will visit the principals of various academies to see if they have any good experience in running schools. I will summarize them and send them to the girl." Although the Marquis usually looks careless, he is very clear about caring for his daughter.

"Also, the girl from the Zheng family brought these things from so far away, we have to pay her a visit to express our gratitude." The Marquis's wife reminded.

The Marquis was stunned for a moment, with an embarrassed look on his face, and said, "Let my daughter-in-law and Wangshu go to express gratitude? They are of the same age and can communicate well." The Marquis lowered his head slightly, not daring to look directly into the eyes of the Marquis' wife.

The Marquis's wife rolled her eyes at the Marquis and said unhappily, "How can this be the same? The younger generation is the younger generation, and we, as the elders, must also show some respect." There was a hint of blame in the Marquis's wife's tone.

The Marquis had no choice but to nod and said, "Okay, okay, then you go by yourself. I won't go."

"Why not go?" the Marquis's wife asked, her eyes full of confusion.

The Marquis just didn't say anything, and his face turned red and white.

The Crown Prince Gu Wangye could only helplessly say, "Dad just reported Grand Tutor Zheng in the court this morning."

How could Gu Lingyuan feel comfortable with this? He had just reported the incident and someone came to his house. Where would his dignity be?

When the Marquis heard this, she asked in confusion, "No, you are not from the same system, why are you reporting on others?"

"I feel annoyed when I look at his hypocritical face." The expression on the Marquis's face was very ugly.

As soon as they heard that Jiayue was not the daughter of the Marquis, the Zheng family came to cancel the engagement without hesitation, and even said shamelessly that it was okay not to cancel the engagement, and they could change her, because their family wanted to marry the daughter of the Marquis anyway.

This is simply a humiliation to the Marquis's Mansion, and the Marquis becomes furious whenever he thinks about it.

So the Marquis was so angry that he not only broke off the engagement, but also opposed Master Zheng in the court every day.

He opposed what Taifu Zheng supported, and supported what Taifu Zheng opposed.

As soon as he saw that Master Zheng had made the slightest mistake, he would immediately report him.

It has only been half a year, and he has already accumulated a whole box of memorials to the Grand Tutor.

For this reason, the emperor even had a special talk with him. Pointing to the large box of memorials in the corner, he earnestly advised him: "My dear, please write less. There is no place to put them."