From now on, we're friends.

The sound of throwing dice startled the cicadas by the window.

It shook its body, flapped its wings and flew far away, searching and searching, flying over the head of the blue lotus, flying into the Wangning Pavilion, and landing in the shade under the wisteria to rest.

Inside the pavilion, a dozen maids were busy going in and out, fetching water and delivering clothes.

Soon, laughter filled the boudoir.

Having finished bathing, Gu Jinning stepped onto a stool, draped her arm over her thigh, and, while rolling up her sleeves, began to speak vividly:

"At that time, I threw a left hook and then a right hook, and beat that bastard to a pulp."

"Just then, Hua Erchong attacked me from behind. I couldn't stand it, so I retaliated by throwing a chair leg at him."

After saying that, Gu Jinning casually hooked the stool up with her foot.

The stool rolled several times in the air before landing steadily in her hands, and the pearl hairpin and butterfly ornament on her head trembled slightly with her movements.

The maids immediately clapped and cheered.

One of the younger maids, named Yu Liu, asked, "And then, who won?"

Gu Jinning said smugly, "Of course it's me. Looking around the capital, who can be a match for this princess?"

Green Lotus listened and laughed, occasionally straightening the hem of her skirt that Gu Jinning had messed up.

"Princess, this is a dress I just changed into. I have guests to receive soon, so please keep it safe."

Gu Jinning took a sip of tea nonchalantly, and was about to continue speaking when Liang Xiaoqiao sent someone to urge her, "Princess, the master and Prince Jin have already played two games of chess, you should go quickly."

Gu Jinning then stopped talking and was pushed out the door by Lühe, Yuliu and the others.

Yu Liu pressed on, asking, "Princess, are you going to hit us again today?"

Gu Jinning waved her hand, "Let's stop fighting. This princess is short of money lately, so everyone should rest."

Green Lotus pinched Jade Willow's ear and scolded, "Who would go out of their way to ask for a beating? I think it's because the princess spoils you too much."

Everyone laughed again.

Rumors circulated that Gu Jinning mistreated her servants, frequently beating and scolding them. In reality, it was all an act for show.

The beatings were real, and each slap was compensated with a silver ingot. The maids and servants were naturally happy to be hit, and they all vied to be hit. If they didn't get hit for a while, they would miss it.

Surrounded by a crowd, Gu Jinning entered the courtyard of Gu Weiju.

When the old butler Zhao Tian saw that people had arrived, he first went into the study to report, and then came out to welcome Gu Jinning into the room.

As soon as Gu Jinning stepped across the threshold, her feet seemed to freeze, and she slowly moved in, her eyes constantly looking around, searching for her target.

"Come in now, what are you dawdling for? Have you been out there for so long that you don't even recognize your own home anymore?"

Gu Weiju's voice boomed into Gu Jinning's ears from inside the pavilion, full of vigor.

Gu Jinning obediently turned into the inner chamber, not caring whether there were guests or not, and sat down next to Gu Weiju, hooking her arm around his and acting coquettishly, "Grandfather, I was just afraid you would scold me."

Gu Weiju snorted, "If you knew you were afraid, you wouldn't have caused trouble so soon after getting out of prison."

“It wasn’t me who caused the trouble, they insulted me first, how could I tolerate that?” Gu Jinning rested her head on Gu Weiju’s shoulder. “Grandfather, only you can scold me.”

Gu Weiju deliberately poked her head with a stern face, "Alright, be a little more reserved in front of guests."

Gu Jinning glanced at Xiao Heng'an, who had made his move opposite her, and then stood up to straighten her skirt.

"He's not a guest at all, he's an old acquaintance."

Gu Weiju glared at her with exasperation, "If that's how you see it, then stop making a fuss and just stay at home and wait to be married. It just so happens that Prince Jin is here, so let's settle everything today."

Xiao Heng'an paused slightly after placing the piece.

Seeing Xiao Heng'an's reaction, Gu Jinning knew it wasn't his intention, so she pouted and refused: "No, he's already been beaten and imprisoned, he can't have suffered for nothing."

Gu Weiju grabbed the cane beside him, ready to hit him, "Hey, you child, why are you so stubborn?"

Gu Jinning took off running and bumped right into Gu Xueshu who was coming in.

She quickly hid behind Gu Xueshu, peeking out and calling out, "You're making the decision so readily, without even asking if the other person is willing?"

Gu Xueshu, unaware of the reason, bowed to Gu Weiju and said, "Grandfather, lunch is ready."

Gu Weiju tried to get up, but Xiao Heng'an quickly came to help him.

Gu Weiju stood up straight, waved his hand to stop Xiao Heng'an from helping him up, put his hands behind his back, and walked slowly towards Gu Jinning.

"Most of the rumors circulating outside are unfounded. You've been through it today, so you should know what it's like. As for your marriage, just do what needs to be done."

Gu Jinning was afraid that Gu Weiju would hit her, so she walked around Gu Xueshu, muttering under her breath, "The wedding date isn't here yet, what's the rush?"

Gu Xueshu grabbed her and complained, "Sister, stop going around in circles, I'm getting dizzy."

Xiao Heng'an stepped in to defuse the situation, saying, "Old Duke, this matter still needs His Majesty's decision; it is not advisable to act hastily."

Although Gu Weiju was the Emperor's father-in-law and Gu Jinning's grandfather, the marriage was ultimately arranged by the Emperor, and the Emperor's approval was required for how it was to be arranged.

Gu Weiju knew this perfectly well, but he only wanted to give Gu Jinning a little nudge to calm her down. Unfortunately, this girl was stubborn and inflexible, just like her father.

Gu Weiju both loved and hated her, and felt helpless about her.

"Alright, you young people can handle your own affairs. I'm old and useless now."

Hearing this, Gu Jinning pushed past Gu Xueshu, took Gu Weiju's arm, and walked close to him, coaxing him softly, "Grandfather, I see you scold me with great force, how can you be old? If you don't believe me, scold me a couple of times and let me hear it."

Gu Weiju glared at him and scolded, "Nonsense, you'll make a fool of yourself."

Gu Jinning said, "The Prince of Jin is no ordinary person. What haven't we experienced back when we were on the estate?"

Gu Weiju snorted, "That's right. Do you really think I don't know why you went to the estate in the first place?"

Xiao Heng'an looked in the direction of the voice.

Gu Jinning pretended not to see it, and her hand, which was holding Gu Weiju's arm, fumbled around aimlessly.

"It's just that I was young and ignorant and made a mistake." She lacked confidence.

"You're just being stubborn."

Gu Weiju slapped her hand away and turned to Xiao Heng'an, saying, "When she was little..."

"Oh dear, Grandfather, the food is getting cold, hurry up and let's go."

Without saying a word, Gu Jinning pulled Gu Weiju away, not letting him say another word.

"Hey, slow down, I'm an old man, I can't take this kind of pulling."

"No, you're perfectly healthy."

An old man and a young boy, supporting each other and playfully teasing each other, turned into the winding corridor.

Gu Xueshu raised the corners of his mouth, "Your Highness, please forgive my rudeness."

Xiao Heng'an's gaze followed the disappearing light and shadow at the corner of the corridor, lost in thought. "Why was she sent to the manor back then?"

According to Gu Jinning, she offended the Imperial Concubine when she was five years old.

Gu Xueshu raised his hand in a gesture of invitation, took a half-step aside to lead the way, and began to explain in detail.

“Back then, it’s true that Jin Ning offended the Imperial Concubine. The Emperor was angry and ordered her to return to the manor for reprimand. My grandfather asked her why she offended the Imperial Concubine. She said that if she made a mistake, she could go to the manor, and she wanted to go to the manor.”

“Her grandfather told her that only people who had committed serious crimes could go to the manor, and that she didn’t need to go. She got angry and made a scene in the manor.”

I secretly asked her why she wanted to go to the mountain resort.

"She said she wanted to see what kind of person the man was who locked up in the manor just because he glanced at her?"

Xiao Heng'an suddenly stopped in his tracks, his pupils trembling with shock. "How did she know?"

Gu Xueshu smiled and shook his head.

"She heard it from the palace maids, which planted a seed of curiosity in her, and she insisted on finding out for herself. Her grandfather, unable to bear her nagging any longer, finally sent her away as he wished. And that was ten years ago."

The blazing sun baked the earth, and the rising heat rushed into the corridor, tightly enveloping Xiao Heng'an's body, constantly squeezing his chest, making his breathing heavy and his ankles feel like they were weighed down by a thousand pounds.

That year, the family banquet in the palace was incredibly lively.

During an assassination attempt, the eldest son and wife of the Duke of Dingguo sacrificed themselves to save the emperor, and at the same time, Gu Jinning was born.

She stayed by the Empress's side to be raised, and was showered with the Empress's favor.

That day, as usual, he went to the Empress's palace to pay his respects, when he heard crying coming from a side hall.

The nanny who takes care of Gu Jinning is absent due to laziness.

He pushed open the door as if possessed, wanting to see what a baby girl, still fast asleep in her swaddling clothes but enjoying all the love in the world, was like.

When Gu Jinning saw him, she stopped crying and waved her little hands incessantly.

He reached out his hand, and she grabbed his fingers, grinning at him.

At this moment, the palace doors swung open, and the nanny who was taking care of her rushed in, angrily demanding to know what he was doing.

Gu Jinning was so frightened that she burst into tears. Her cries were urgent and loud, which alerted the Empress.

The old woman turned around and accused him of having improper intentions towards the young princess, which frightened the princess.

The empress reprimanded him.

That evening, the emperor sent someone to take him to his estate outside the capital.

He was only three years old at the time.

After that, the mountain villa, filled with the coldness and indifference of human nature, became his home.

He endured ridicule and neglect, becoming increasingly withdrawn. He felt that his life would be just like this forever, either black or gray, devoid of any color.

Then one day, she arrived.

She ran all over the mountain village, appeared in front of him, tilted her little head to look at him, her bright eyes curved into crescents, smiling.

"Hey, you must be Xiao Heng'an, my uncle's younger brother? Hello, my name is Gu Jinning. From now on, we're friends."

She's noisy, annoying, and always causing trouble.

She disturbed his peace and quiet.

She was always the first to stand up for him when he was bullied, angering the bullies, but she could never beat them. This forced him to run away with her throughout the entire village.

Gradually, he got used to her antics and learned to clean up after her.

"Hey, we promised to be best friends for life."

"Xiao Heng'an is not a nice name. How about I give you a name like Wang Shu, which means moon? As for me, I'll call myself Qian Ning. I want to be a cloud next to the moon, always clinging to you."

When she said this, the weather was as hot as it is now, and the cicadas were chirping incessantly.

Turning the corner of the corridor, Gu Xueshu said, "Your Highness, Jin Ning has always been like this since childhood, so this annulment of the engagement is really a headache. Please be more understanding and don't hold it against her."

Xiao Heng'an replied, "I know why she wanted to annul the engagement, and I understand her."

Gu Xueshu was about to say something, but seeing Gu Jinning waving from ahead, he closed his mouth again.

During the meal, everyone tacitly avoided mentioning the wedding and instead chatted about Gu Jinning's embarrassing moments over the years.

Gu Xueshu's younger sister, Gu Xuewen, was not yet fifteen. She was innocent and naive, and often burst into laughter at Gu Jinning's words. Liang Xiaoqiao had to stop her several times before she calmed down.

After Qinglian paid the money and returned to her residence, she saw that Gu Jinning was getting along well at the banquet, so she waited outside the hall with Song Hui and the others.

Gu Jinning caught a glimpse of Qinglian, left her seat and exited the banquet hall, and asked in a low voice, "Has the money been delivered?"

Qinglian curtsied and replied, "Yes."

Gu Jinning asked, "What did Hua Lingteng say?"

Qinglian nodded. "Patriarch Hua accepted the silver without saying anything."

"Did he really not say? Or..." Gu Jinning noticed Qinglian's odd behavior, "Where did he go?"

The old Duke's deep voice echoed in the banquet hall from time to time. Qinglian shook her head and remained silent.

"Girl, why aren't you coming in? Isn't the sun shining brightly outside?" Gu Weiju urged.

Gu Jinning had no choice but to return to her seat. "Coming. I'll have someone make you some hangover soup. You drank quite a lot today."

Hearing the sound, Qinglian quietly left to prepare the soup. Gu Jinning's eyes followed Qinglian, wishing she could go out with her.

Gu Weiju scolded, "What kind of behavior is this, a young lady with her head tilted to one side? Sit up straight."

"Oh." Gu Jinning pulled her head back, looking dejected.

Xiao Heng'an, who was on the other side of Gu Weiju, noticed that she was restless. He shook the water cup in his hand, and tea splashed onto his sleeve.

"Old Duke, I need to take care of something." Xiao Heng'an excused himself and asked Gu Jinning, "Princess, could you please show me the way?"

Gu Jinning was slightly surprised, but quickly realized Xiao Heng'an's good intentions. She hurriedly got up and enthusiastically led the way for him.

After the two left the corner of the corridor, Xiao Heng'an asked, "Is there something you need?"

Gu Jinning counted on her fingers, "There's a tiny bit of trouble."

"Need my help?"

"No need, I can handle it. But..."

Gu Jinning hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped. Xiao Heng'an was a guest, and it would indeed be somewhat unethical for her to leave halfway through the meal before the guest had left.

Xiao Heng'an said, "Go ahead, I'll cover for you with the old Duke for a while."