Chapter 10 Gu Yu, the Little Deduction Master

Gu Yu nodded in agreement: "What you say makes sense, Miss."

If you don't like Zhang Zhiheng, then we won't arrange a marriage with him. We can always take him as our grand-disciple.

There's no need to jeopardize your entire life, Miss.

Xie Yunyu laughed and teased, "That's not necessarily true. I think he's quite pleasing to the eye right now."

Gu Yu listened, looked around, leaned closer and whispered:

"Miss, what about the person from the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival... um, I mean the Prince of Shou'an, what should we do about him?"

Xie Yunyu glanced at her in surprise and asked, "How did you know it was the Prince of Shou'an?"

Gu Yu shrugged innocently and replied:

"Didn't you say, Miss, that you met him in that pavilion?"

Judging from the situation that night, who else could it be but him?

"I never realized you were so smart, Gu Yu. You could be a judge at the Dali Temple," Xie Yunyu praised.

Gu Yu persisted, asking, "Miss, please don't change the subject."

"You and Prince Shou'an have already gone through that, what... what will you two do?"

Facing Gu Yu's piercing gaze, Xie Yunyu felt rather guilty and avoided looking at the book in her hand.

"What to do? Just deal with it."

He was a member of the royal family, and his mother, Princess Jinyang, was extremely arrogant.

I heard that Qin Yingying is the niece of the Empress Zhongyi, and Wei Ningyan is the second daughter of the Grand Commandant.

The reason why that happened between him and me last time was because Princess Jinyang was afraid that he would become a monk.

He sent his cousin from his aunt's side to deliver food to him, and secretly added aphrodisiac to the food.

He refused to submit and fled to that emerald pool, where he happened to meet me, and I became his antidote for free.

After hearing Xie Yunyu's explanation, Gu Yu frowned and said:

"Ah~ Miss, so that's why..."

"Yeah, what do you think it is?"

Xie Yunyu found Gu Yu's appearance amusing.

"I heard you talk for so long at the stone table, I thought you were in love."

Xie Yunyu laughed when she heard this: "I've only met him twice, how could we possibly be in love?"

Not at all.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yu lowered her head in dejection.

"In that case, Miss, would you consider the second young master of the Zhang family?"

Xie Yunyu shook her head.

"Even if I did like him, I wouldn't choose him."

"Why?"

"I've ended up in this situation with Xiao Ling without any clear explanation."

If Young Master Zhang is bothered by this, then this wouldn't be a marriage alliance, but rather a feud.

"So what does Miss want?" Gu Yu tilted her head and continued to ask.

"So I don't want to get married."

Or becoming a monk and living in a Taoist temple would also be good, but it would be hard for you to stay with me all the time.

To everyone's surprise, Gu Yu laughed and said, "Miss, living in the mountains is actually quite nice. It's free and easy, and there are far fewer rules than in the manor."

Xie Yunyu had always known that Gu Yu was carefree.

I didn't expect you to be so open-minded about this.

"Gu Yu, the fact that you can say these words shows that you are more insightful than more than 70% of the people in this world."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yu's eyes widened in surprise, and she exclaimed, "Really, Miss?"

Seeing Xie Yunyu's smiling expression, he scratched his head awkwardly and said:

"Miss, you're teasing me again. I'm not that capable..."

"Guyu, you are a wise man who appears foolish, which is why I only keep you by my side now."

Gu Yu felt a surge of joy upon hearing this and smiled.

Xie Yunyu originally had four maids: Guyu, Xiazhi, Mangzhong, and Shuangjiang, but she only brought Guyu with her when she went up the mountain.

The remaining three stayed in the mansion to serve Zheng.

The reason is that Gu Yu is not the smartest or most capable, but she is the most loyal.

Just before dinner time, Xie Yunyu was suddenly summoned to Songhe Hall.

It turns out that Grandpa Xie had been telling Grandpa Zhang how delicious Xie Yunyu's lion's head meatballs were.

Grandpa Zhang then had Xie Yunyu invited over to provide guidance to the cooks as they prepared a meal.

That evening, Xie Yunyu decided to stay for dinner at Songhetang.

Just as I was about to leave after finishing my meal, I suddenly saw Zhang Zhiheng come in.

"Third Sister, are you preparing to go back?"

Xie Yunyu smiled, nodded, and nodded.

Old Master Zhang smiled and said from inside, "Heng'er, you've come at the right time. Go and see Yu'er off."

It was too dark that day, and she wasn't familiar with the mansion.

Zhang Zhiheng smiled and said, "Yes, sir."

The servant boy and maidservant walked slowly ahead, carrying lanterns.

Zhang Zhiheng and Xie Yunyu walked side by side, following behind, as they exited Songhe Hall.

"I heard from Grand Tutor Xie that Third Sister enjoys reading. I wonder what books she reads at home?"

Xie Yunyu laughed when she heard this: "I've been enjoying reading storybooks lately."

Zhang Zhiheng laughed and said, "What a coincidence, I also like to read some supernatural tales."

"I'm just too busy with schoolwork to have time to watch it."

"I just use it for amusement when I'm bored," Xie Yunyu said tactfully.

Looking at the countless stars hanging low in the night sky, Xie Yunyu suddenly exclaimed in surprise:

"I've been traveling south for some time now, and this is the first time I've seen such a beautiful night sky."

Zhang Zhiheng looked up at the sky after hearing this. The Milky Way was vast and the stars were shining brightly. It was indeed beautiful.

The two stopped and looked up at the starry sky.

They were completely unaware that three young ladies were standing under the eaves not far away, looking in their direction.

These three young ladies are the legitimate daughters of the first, second, and third branches of the Zhang family.

Second Sister, Zhang Qinxue.

Fifth Sister, Zhang Qinrui.

Sixth Sister, Zhang Qinmin.

Zhang Qinmin was quite young, with a round, innocent face. Dressed in a yellow dress, she tilted her head back and asked with a charming smile:

"Is that the third daughter of the Xie family? She seems quite well-matched with my second brother."

Zhang Qinxue is Zhang Zhiheng's second older sister. She has a cool and aloof appearance, fair skin and delicate bones, and is very talented.

He came here on his mother's orders to see how Zhang Zhiheng and Xie Yunyu were getting along.

Hearing his mother say that this third daughter of the Xie family was a woman whose talent was no less than that of men, he felt a desire to compete with her.

Hearing his sister's words, he nodded in agreement.

The two are a perfect match in terms of height, demeanor, and appearance.

Zhang Qinrui, gentle and quiet, spoke softly:

"Is the family trying to set them up?"

Zhang Qinxue nodded.

"Grand Tutor Xie has students all over the world, and he even has a grandson who might pass the imperial examinations in three consecutive years."

"This marriage with the Xie family is excellent."

After hearing this, Zhang Qinmin asked again, "Sister, I heard that the Third Miss Xie is extremely talented. Is that true?"

Zhang Qinxue sighed: "Grandfather's words do indeed seem to confirm this."

Her grandfather said that she was just as good as her second brother, and that if she were a man, she would have become an official in the court as well.

Her second brother, Xie Yunman, was always described by their grandfather as a prodigy, who said that Heng'er was still somewhat inferior to him.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qinmin was displeased and pouted, saying:

"Sister, why do you boost others' morale while diminishing your own?"

I don't believe she has that kind of ability.

Zhang Qinrui said calmly, "I heard that she played chess with my second brother today, and the two drew."

“It’s not as amazing as Grandfather said,” Zhang Qinmin said proudly.

"How do you know she didn't give way on purpose?" Zhang Qinxue smiled.

Zhang Qinmin listened without saying a word, her eyes darting around, and then she continued:

"Sister, isn't the poetry competition at Wangshan Tower about to start?"

"Perfect opportunity for you to take her to see her and assess her skill level."

As the three were talking, they suddenly heard Zhang Zhiheng in the courtyard say to the sky:

"The Milky Way turns in the sky, and night falls on earth."

Xie Yunyu didn't reply, but simply stared fixedly at the sky and said:

"The sky over Jiangnan Road is very different from the sky over the capital."

"What's different?"

Xie Yunyu said calmly, "In the capital, the moon is often bright and clear."

There are many times like this, when the sky is full of stars.

However, the sky over Jiangnan seemed veiled, with clouds frequently obscuring the moon and stars.

After listening, Zhang Zhiheng looked up at the sky carefully:

“After I was born, I lived with my grandfather in Beijing until I was five years old.”

It's been so long that I've forgotten what the night scene in the capital city really looks like.

Xie Yunyu smiled and turned to him, saying, "Aren't you going to participate in the imperial examination the year after next? We'll definitely see you then."