Is it really that bad?

Gu Jinning pondered it over and over.

While in prison, she didn't say anything hurtful. How come, as soon as he returned home, Xiao Heng'an seemed to have suddenly become enlightened and accepted Ji Lin's overtures so quickly?

Could it be that he simply prefers Ji Lin's type? His decision not to annul the engagement is merely a result of weighing the pros and cons.

That makes things easier.

"Chu Lang."

Gu Jinning jumped up and called out into the courtyard.

Chu Lang arrived upon hearing the sound, chuckling through the gauze curtain, "Miss, you had a good day."

"So-so." Gu Jinning lifted the light veil and beckoned with her hand, "Go, spread the word that I had a secret rendezvous with him at the lotus pond tonight."

Chu Lang smiled knowingly, "Alright, I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

The news about the lotus pond didn't need Chu Lang to publicize it; it had already spread like wildfire. Coupled with the previous shooting range incident, it was the talk of the town.

Xiao Heng'an ignored the rumors and instead ordered Song Hui to invite "Ji Lin" to dig lotus roots in the pond together.

"Digging, digging lotus roots?"

When Gu Jinning heard the invitation, her expression was just as incredulous as Song Hui's.

She said the lotus roots were fresh, but she didn't say she'd dig them herself. Ji Lin is a delicate girl, unable to lift a finger, how could she possibly dig lotus roots?

Guifang said, "Miss, you must go. His Highness is trying to get close to you."

Gu Jinning feigned difficulty, "But I don't know how to dig."

Gui Fang said, "Digging lotus roots is just an excuse. You only need to prepare the necessary equipment and pretend to do it. I won't let you dig them yourself."

Gu Jinning tried to decline, but Guifang insisted on pulling her down to sit, tying her hair up, changing her into a neat dress, and personally leading her to the lotus pond.

In the lotus pond, several guards had already rolled up their sleeves and bent over, concentrating on digging lotus roots.

"Your Highness, Miss Biao has arrived."

Song Ming led Gu Jinning into the pavilion.

Gu Jinning curtsied, a gentle smile on her lips, "Cousin, you've kept me waiting."

Xiao Heng'an put down his teacup, stood up, looked her up and down with a hint of appreciation, then reached out and took her hand, leading her to the lotus-picking boat by the pond.

When Song Ming and Song Hui first saw Xiao Heng'an holding hands with the woman, their eyes widened and they stared at each other, making exaggerated gestures and winks.

Xiao Heng'an turned around and looked at them. The two of them immediately composed themselves, held their breath, and stood up straight.

"You, go row the boat."

Upon receiving the order, Song Ming and Song Hui quickly jumped onto the boat first, and then helped them into the boat.

Gu Jinning politely thanked Song Hui and sat side by side with Xiao Heng'an in the middle of the boat.

Today, a tea set and a pot of chilled tea have been prepared on board.

Gu Jinning was secretly pleased that Xiao Heng'an was interested in "Ji Lin", but she still felt uneasy.

"Cousin," she said tentatively, "I spoke carelessly yesterday, please don't hold it against me."

Xiao Heng'an handed over a cup of tea and said, "Deputy General Yang said that the Ji family's old house is in serious disrepair and difficult to renovate. You can stay here for now and we'll talk about it after the New Year."

Gu Jinning was delighted and probed further, "But your engagement with the princess is imminent. If I stay, what will happen to the princess...?"

Xiao Heng'an replied, "The princess is kind-hearted and will not mistreat you."

Gu Jinning feigned concern, "I've heard rumors about you and me flying around the streets. The princess is so straightforward, I'm afraid..."

She hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

Xiao Heng'an understood the implication in his words and smiled, "It's alright. Tomorrow I will petition my brother the Emperor to pardon the Princess ahead of schedule. When you meet her then, you will be able to explain things clearly."

Gu Jinning's heart skipped a beat, and she cursed Xiao Heng'an inwardly for being too cunning.

"This...isn't that unnecessary?" Gu Jinning said cautiously, her hands wrapped around a handkerchief. "Actually, the princess has a great reputation, and I'm a little afraid."

Tell me about it.

"ah?"

How has his reputation spread outside the company?

Xiao Heng'an wanted to hear it, so Gu Jinning naturally promoted it well.

"It is said that because the princess is favored by the emperor, she is used to being arrogant and domineering. She is unruly and dissolute, offending the emperor and scolding her servants. She does not obey the old duke's discipline and often runs away from home."

"Moreover, she had many conflicts with young masters from aristocratic families, and fights were common. As a result, everyone in the city avoided her like the plague."

Xiao Heng'an frowned slightly upon hearing this, looking at her with an ambiguous expression, and asked, "Is it really that bad?"

Gu Jinning finished speaking and said, "That's what everyone's saying. How much of it is true or false is a matter of opinion. When I was in prison, I heard that she was on good terms with the prison guards, so I don't think she's as bad as the rumors say."

Xiao Heng'an nodded as if he understood, and stopped mentioning the princess. He simply took her boating, admiring the lotus flowers, picking lotus roots, and digging lotus roots, fulfilling her every request.

With Song Ming and Song Hui present, and it being broad daylight, Gu Jinning couldn't make a sudden move, so she maintained her composure throughout the conversation.

She secretly pondered that, taking advantage of Xiao Heng'an's good mood today, she should deepen her relationship with him, make him unable to forget Ji Lin, and then coax him to break off the engagement, perhaps there would be a glimmer of hope.

"Cousin," Gu Jinning said, her eyes darting around, as she hooked her arm around Xiao Heng'an's and said sweetly, "I want to practice archery. Are you free to teach me today?"

It was already noon, and the sun was high in the sky.

Xiao Heng'an suggested, "The shooting range is too hot, why don't we practice here?"

"here?"

Gu Jinning was wondering how one could practice archery in a pond when Song Ming and Song Hui leaped up and waded away, splashing water and lotus leaves.

"Such fast lightness skill." Gu Jinning sighed inwardly, staring intently at their departing figures, guessing that it would be very exciting to fight them.

Xiao Heng'an said from the side, "Their lightness skills are good, but their martial arts are not as good as Yang Yu's."

Xiao Heng'an was startled by his cryptic answer and quickly laughed, "You're both amazing."

A moment later, a small boat slowly approached, and Song Ming rowed from the bow. The boat stopped three zhang away, and an archery target was placed in the middle of the boat.

Song Hui flew over, carrying a quiver of arrows on his back, and presented a bow with both hands.

Xiao Heng'an took the bow and drew the arrow. Before Gu Jinning could ask, he held her hand and drew the bow with her. He whispered in her ear how to shoot through the lotus leaves and pods and hit the moving bullseye.

Gu Jinning was skilled in archery but had never tried water shooting before, so she found it novel.

She asked, "What if I encounter a lotus leaf?"

Xiao Heng'an stood solemnly, "Life has ended."

Gu Jinning suddenly realized that Xiao Heng'an used the pond as a battlefield, lotus leaves, lotus flowers, and even lotus pods as his life, and the target as his enemy.

The true mark of a skilled archer is to hit the enemy without harming the innocent.

He was teaching her real archery.

Gu Jinning gazed at his serious face, suddenly finding herself unable to see through him.

Xiao Heng'an looked at the target and reminded them, "The enemy is ahead."

Gu Jinning turned her gaze back, and following his force, released her grip. The arrow grazed the lotus leaf and struck the enemy's ship deck, missing the target.

Gu Jinning suddenly felt a pang of fear, like a child who had made a mistake, hanging her head and waiting to be scolded.

Xiao Heng'an said, "Your mind is unsettled."

Gu Jinning replied, "I'm afraid of accidentally hurting someone."

"I'm already injured."

Gu Jinning was taken aback and opened his hand to take a look. Sure enough, there was a cut on the web of his right hand, and blood was gushing out.

"Sorry, I was just spacing out."

Gu Jinning hurriedly wrapped his wound with a handkerchief, her hands trembling with anxiety. "Let's stop playing and go back to treat the wound first."

It was a tiny, minor injury, far less severe than a battle wound, and it would heal in a few hours, but she still felt anxious.

Perhaps it was her fault, hence the guilt.

Gu Jinning comforted herself in this way.

The playful banter ended there. Xiao Heng'an repeatedly assured everyone that the minor injury was nothing serious. Gu Jinning insisted on taking him back to Yunshu Courtyard to apply medicine and personally fed him lunch.

In the evening, Gu Jinning stewed lotus root and pork rib soup and made lotus seed and lotus flower cakes to express her apologies to Xiao Heng'an.

Song Ming and Song Hui secretly glanced at the intimate moment inside the room and whispered gossip.

Song Hui asked, "What will happen to the princess if His Highness is getting together with Miss Biao?"

Song Ming replied, "Miss is an orphan. At most, she can become a concubine if she enters the manor. It will not affect His Highness's marriage."

"Can the princess allow it?" Song Hui leaned closer and whispered, "What Miss said is not an exaggeration at all. The princess has a temper that explodes at the slightest provocation. Not only have all the servants in the Gu family been beaten by her, but the young masters of several prominent families have also been disciplined by her. They all hate her."

"You've only been in Beijing for a short time, and you've already learned to gossip behind people's backs."

Yang Yu strode over and said solemnly, "How can you comment on other people's affairs without knowing the whole story?"

Song Hui pouted, her voice muffled in her throat, "We didn't say anything."

Yang Yu stepped forward and knocked on the door, reporting from afar, "Your Highness, the Emperor urgently summons you."

Inside the room, Gu Jinning was grinding ink for Xiao Heng'an until her hand ached, and she was thinking of an excuse to leave. When Yang Yu called out to her, she immediately felt relieved, put down the ink stick, and obediently followed Xiao Heng'an out of the room.

"What brings you here?" Xiao Heng asked Yang Yu.

Yang Yu deliberately avoided Gu Jinning and whispered in her ear, "The Crown Prince's tutor is in trouble."

Xiao Heng'an was surprised to hear the sound and immediately strode away, with Song Ming and Song Hui quickly following behind.

Gu Jinning sensibly stayed where she was, but in her heart she thought, "What could possibly happen to the Crown Prince's tutor, an old man who is nearly a hundred years old?"

On a summer night, the moon is bright and the stars are few, with cicadas chirping and frogs croaking incessantly.

Gu Jinning was in a great mood because of her daytime outing, so she didn't feel annoyed at all and walked back to the courtyard with light steps.

Today, she suggested to Xiao Heng'an that the courtyard be named "Lotus Root Courtyard".

That night, Gu Jinning slept soundly and had a deep sleep.

"Master, Master."

Chu Lang's noisy shouting woke Gu Jinning up.

Gu Jinning, still half-asleep, asked, "What's your name?"

Chu Lang said urgently, "Miss Biao has run away."

Gu Jinning opened her eyes, saw that it was still early, then closed them again and said, "Isn't I here?"

Chu Lang lifted the gauze curtain and raised his voice: "It's Ji Lin, she ran away."

Gu Jinning heard clearly this time, her eyes snapped open, and she sat up abruptly. "Who? Ji Lin ran away? How could she run away while she was unconscious?"

Chu Lang glanced outside to confirm that Gui Fang hadn't returned yet, and said, "The medicine has lost its effectiveness ahead of schedule. This morning, Aunt Hong came into the house and found that she was missing, so she came to inform you immediately."

Gu Jinning was fully awake and cursed the quack doctor for the serious adulteration of his medicine.

Chu Lang asked anxiously, "Master, what if Ji Lin secretly returns to the Prince's Mansion? Then you..."

Gu Jinning flicked him on the head. "Are you stupid? I was hired by her. Do you think she would just barge in like that?"

"Then why did she run away?" Chu Lang asked, puzzled.

Gu Jinning guessed that Ji Lin was worried that the people in the mansion had been hoarding her identity for too long and were unwilling to return it, so she broke the agreement and came to ask for her identity back ahead of schedule.

"Let's wait and see. If she wants to come back, she will come looking for me."

Chu Lang became even more anxious, "You've switched back, what am I supposed to do?"

"Of course I'll stay and gather information for you."

Chu Lang pouted and accused, "Master, you are so heartless."

Gu Jinning jumped off the bed, stretched, and said coaxingly, "Successful disguise is the foundation of the art of face-changing. You can't give up halfway. Once things are done, I'll arrange for you to leave the manor."

"Hmph, you're just lying to me." Chu Lang glanced at him and stormed out.

Gu Jinning glanced at him and pouted, then laughed through the window, "Hey, there's no need to be angry. You were the one who begged me to take you as my disciple."

Chu Lang turned his head and snorted, "Go keep watch for me."

Gu Jinning said, "I need Xiao Heng'an's schedule for today."

Chu Lang rolled his eyes and muttered as he walked out, "What's the point of you trying if Ji Lin comes back?"

Gu Jinning chuckled. Of course it would be useful. Her deal with Ji Lin wasn't over yet.

After breakfast, Chu Lang returned and said that Xiao Heng'an had gone out, and from his tone, it seemed he was going to the prison.

The gatekeeper of the Prince's mansion came to report that a woman was requesting an audience outside the mansion.

Knowing that Ji Lin had arrived, Gu Jinning sent Gui Fang away, privately gave Chu Lang a few words of advice, and then left the mansion alone with her package.

Outside the mansion, a slender woman stood behind a large tree across the street, her face veiled in white, pacing back and forth nervously.

Gu Jinning went over and pulled her to a corner.

Ji Lin screamed in fright, but Gu Jinning covered her mouth and scolded, "You broke the contract."