"I don't know either." Juanbi shook her head in bewilderment. "I only heard that the Third Madam also went to Cihetang and advised the eldest girl with the Madam Tai not to be impulsive, saying that 'bringing good fortune' would be good for both families. But the eldest girl was determined and didn't say a word."

"The madam was very angry and even scolded the third wife for not educating her daughter well enough." Juanbi sighed.

Gu Yanfei played with the compass nonchalantly, without making any comment.

"Second Miss," at this time, the voice of the little maid came from outside the door curtain, "Madame Li is here, and she said she is here to 'deliver' a message to the Madam."

"No." Gu Yanfei said lightly, leaning lazily on the back of the chair, too lazy to move.

Juanbi immediately understood and went out obediently to tell his girl what she had said.

Less than half a cup of tea later, Juanbi came back again, looking somewhat angry and embarrassed, and said hesitantly, "Miss, Nanny Li is here to give a 'lecture' on behalf of the Madam."

At Gu Yanfei's signal, Juanbi continued, "Madam Tai said that the young lady went out a few days ago and did not return all night, which was not decent."

"She said that the girl encouraged her cousin to disobey the elders, intending to disturb the peace of the family."

"They also said...they also said that this small temple in the Marquis' Mansion cannot afford to support a big Buddha like this young lady, so they asked her to stay in Cijing Temple after the New Year and learn the rules and regulations from the nuns."

Juanbi looked at Gu Yanfei cautiously, unable to hide her indignation.

The Madam was clearly venting her anger on him! There was another thing that Juanbi had not dared to report. Three days ago, when her daughter was brought back from the manor in a coma, the Madam was very unhappy. She had asked Nanny Li to come to Yuheng Garden and not only reprimanded the daughter for not returning home at night, but also scolded the eldest young master.

Juanbi was very unconvinced at the time. She had clearly sent someone back to Beijing to pass on a message from the farm, and it was clear that the mansion did not send a carriage to pick up the girl!

"That's all?" Gu Yanfei raised his eyebrows calmly, with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes.

In her previous life, she did not understand, felt inferior and self-pitying, and complained about herself. She always felt that there was something wrong with her, so her grandmother would rather like Gu Yunmeng than herself.

This became a knot in her heart, and eventually turned into a demon in her heart, which she could not let go of for a long time.

Even though she had gotten used to the Dowager's partiality after being reborn in this life, the inner demon engraved deep in her soul was still hard to erase.

But now, when she discovered that there were other possibilities, she felt relieved, just like suddenly seeing a ray of light after an endless dark night.

If my father Gu Ce was not really born to the old lady, then I am not her biological granddaughter.

For the old lady, neither herself nor Gu Yunmeng had any blood relationship with her, so it seemed natural that she would prefer Gu Yunmeng, whom she raised since childhood.

Gu Yanfei subconsciously covered her chest, and the inner demon that had been entangled in her heart loosened a little.

"Yes..." Juanbi swallowed, her eyes wandered for a moment, and she finished her words in one breath, "Madame Li also said that the Madam asked you to kneel in the ancestral hall until tomorrow's ancestral worship. Madame Li is still waiting outside..."

Juanbi's voice became softer and softer.

"No." Gu Yanfei said without thinking, and evaded the question casually, "Go and tell Nanny Li that I have to perform a ritual tonight to pray for the Marquis's Mansion, so I won't go..."

Wait! Gu Yanfei closed his mouth as he spoke, and suddenly thought of the ancestral hall.

If the lady was not my father's biological mother, then her grandmother must be someone else... There is no way that there is no trace left in the Gu family's genealogy and ancestral hall.

Juanbi had already turned around and was about to go out to find Li Ma to reply, but she heard Gu Yanfei behind her change the subject and say, "Then I'll go."

Huh?! Juanbi was stunned when she heard this, her jaw almost dropped.

Before she could react, she saw Gu Yanfei walking past her and leaving the small study.

Not only Juanbi was stunned, but even Nanny Li who was waiting under the eaves was stunned, staring at Gu Yanfei blankly.

She thought the Second Young Lady would dismiss her casually as usual, but she didn't expect that the Second Young Lady would really go to the ancestral hall to kneel?! Nanny Li almost pinched herself to make sure it wasn't a dream, but she still managed to maintain a smile on her face and smiled and stretched out her hand to make a request: "Second Young Lady, please."

Gu Yanfei didn't stop and walked straight forward.

Along the way, Nanny Li felt that it was a little unreal. She walked in silence all the way to the Gu clan ancestral hall located on the west side of the marquis' mansion.

Compared with other seasons, the ancestral hall in winter is both solemn and cold.

Looking from afar, you can see rows of long or short icicles hanging from the eaves, sparkling in the evening sun, like ice swords hanging upside down on the eaves, loyally guarding the ancestors of the Gu family.

The old woman guarding the ancestral hall immediately opened the door for Gu Yanfei.

It was pitch black inside the door, with only the sunlight shining in the moment the door opened, providing a ray of light inside.

The old woman thought that Gu Yanfei was here to be punished, and said in a tone that was a bit bullying: "Second Miss, go kneel inside and reflect on your mistakes in front of the ancestors. The Madam is kind-hearted, and as long as the Second Miss sincerely repents, she will definitely forgive her."

"The eldest girl is already kneeling inside."

Big sister is here too?! Gu Yanfei was slightly stunned and walked into the ancestral hall.

The door of the ancestral hall was closed from the back again, and the room was dark and silent.

The darkness did not affect Gu Yanfei's movement at all. Gu Yanfei walked slowly through the front hall and came to the sacrificial hall at the back.

There was only one candle lit in the empty and silent sacrificial hall. The small flame could only illuminate an area of ​​six or seven feet, and the light was very dim.

The layers of dark red tablets directly in front looked a bit eerie in the flickering candlelight.

That slender figure is so dignified and upright, revealing a delicate and elegant temperament like an orchid in a valley.

Gu Yunzhen heard the noise behind him, turned around, and met Gu Yanfei's smiling almond eyes.

"Yan Fei!"

Gu Yunzhen was shocked when he saw Gu Yanfei.

Then, she frowned her delicate brows again, with a deep sense of self-blame emerging between her brows.

It was she who implicated her second sister.

Even though she didn't mention her second sister at all, her grandmother still believed that it was her second sister who instigated her.

"Big sister, you're not wrong, stop kneeling." Gu Yanfei pulled up the kneeling Gu Yunzhen and motioned her to sit on the mat.

Gu Yanfei also had no intention of kneeling. He walked forward a few steps and looked up at the densely packed dark red tablets in front of him.

Soon, she found the tablet of her grandfather Gu Xuan in the second row from the bottom.

There is an empty space next to Gu Xuan's tablet. In the future, this space will be used to place Madam Gu's tablet.

Below, the two tablets of Gu Ce and Xie were placed side by side. The dim candlelight gently caressed the two tablets, as gentle as Gu Yanfei's gaze.

Gu Yanfei stared at the tablets of his parents for a while, and then stared at the tablet of his grandfather Gu Xuan for a while.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see any tricks.

It was quiet all around, with only the occasional crackling sound of burning candle oil.

Gu Yunzhen watched Gu Yanfei looking around and searching here and there. She didn't ask any questions but just looked at her tenderly.

Gu Yanfei casually looked around at the other tablets, but didn't gain much.

After a cup of tea, she took another futon and dragged it to Gu Yunzhen's side.

Gu Yunzhen sat with her knees hugged, looking graceful; Gu Yanfei sat cross-legged, looking relaxed and at ease.

Gu Yanfei was just about to open his mouth to ask Gu Yunzhen how he figured it out, but before the words reached his lips, he heard a low cat's meow coming from the direction of the front hall.

"Meow~"

The cat's meow was vague and had a pleasant ending.

"Qingguang!" Gu Yunzhen blurted out in surprise.

The next moment, a long-haired calico cat came in majestically, holding a snow-white pigeon in its mouth, with its long-haired tail sticking up straight as if it was about to fly into the sky.

A pair of green eyes seemed to glow in the darkness.

Gu Yunzhen was instantly bewitched by the cat's charming eyes and stared at it infatuatedly... When she came to her senses, Gu Yanfei had already untied a small bamboo tube tied to the pigeon's feet and took out two pieces of silk paper folded into long strips from it.

A pair of upright, elegant, and powerful regular script came into her sight. The handwriting was so beautiful that it made people feel refreshed and healthy.

Gu Yanfei raised his eyebrows, fixed his eyes on the word "Liu" in the first line, and said to himself in surprise: "So fast."

After she came back from Murong's house at noon, she wrote a letter to Chu Yi. It had only been less than two hours.

According to the letter, Miss Liu's maiden name was Muyu and her father was Liu Wencheng. Liu Wencheng was beheaded during the reign of the previous emperor for failing to provide disaster relief. The male members of his family were exiled three thousand miles away, and all the female members were confiscated by the Music Bureau.

At Gu Yanfei's request, the letter also included Liu Muyu's birth date.

The women of the Liu family were all in the Jiaofangsi, their names were recorded in the Ministry of Rites, and their birth dates were also available in the files.

Gu Yanfei stared at Liu Muyu's birth date for a long while, and whispered, "Sure enough!"

Gu Yunzhen, who had just come to his senses, happened to hear it and asked casually, "What's that?"

"Guiwei, Yimao, Jiazi, Jisi." Gu Yanfei looked at the silk paper and read every word clearly, with an interested light flashing in his clear eyes.

Gu Yunzhen blinked and blurted out in surprise: "My horoscope?"

Gu Yanfei smiled mysteriously and said, "It is also Miss Liu's horoscope."

"Miss Liu's horoscope is exactly the same as that of elder sister."

What?! Gu Yunzhen's eyes widened slightly, with a look of doubt on his face.

Two people with the same horoscope are one in a million, and she doesn't believe it's a coincidence.

Since it is not a coincidence, it is inevitable to some extent!

(End of this chapter)