Chapter 10

Gu Zhizhuo's heart was pounding wildly.

Shen Xu is a ruthless man who never leaves anyone alive. He already has the estate in his hands; she can't possibly abandon it. They're only alive for now because Shen Xu doesn't want to alert him.

That divination was incredibly accurate! She's still got it down.

Gu Zhizhuo rubbed his temples, pondering, "Regarding matters, I'll go to the West Courtyard."

"It's still raining outside." The senior manager hesitated for a moment. "Miss, just tell me what you need."

"There is indeed something I need you to do," Gu Zhizhuo said solemnly, "and only you can do it."

Upon hearing this, the senior executives immediately stopped talking and solemnly agreed.

Gu Zhizhuo gave very detailed instructions, and the senior executives didn't ask why at all, but simply remembered every word.

After speaking, Gu Zhizhuo put on her veil, got up, and went out.

Qiongfang followed beside her, carrying a lantern and holding an umbrella.

Gu Zhizhu walked at a leisurely pace. The rain was fine and dense, and a thin layer of water had already accumulated on the ground.

They went out through the hanging flower gate, walked along the stone path for a while, and stopped in front of the west courtyard.

Two brand-new glass lanterns hung in front of the west courtyard gate, their tassels swaying in the wind.

Two men in blue cloth robes stood under the lamp. They were dressed as ordinary servants and had plain appearances, but they were calm and reserved, exuding a chilling murderous aura.

Gu Zhizhuo stepped forward and said, "I am the owner of this estate, and I have come to see your master." His attitude was neither humble nor arrogant.

One of them said calmly, "My master has already retired for the night. Please return, young lady."

Gu Zhizhu smiled faintly and simply stated his position: "With the Governor Shen himself here, how could I dare to be negligent? Please inform him that my master requests an audience."

The two men's expressions suddenly changed. They exchanged a glance, and one of them went inside to report. He then came out and said, "Miss, please."

Gu Zhizhuo stepped into the courtyard, and Qiongfang raised her hand to cover her mouth, almost exclaiming in surprise.

Along both sides of the pebble path, a glass lamp is placed every two steps, illuminating the courtyard in the rain with a dazzling light. The lampshades are painted with landscapes, and each lampshade is different. The fan-shaped panels are also decorated with gemstones.

They also have this style of glass lamp in their mansion, but even the entire mansion doesn't have that many. Moreover, these lamps look more exquisite and luxurious than the ones in their mansion at first glance, so they definitely aren't from the estate.

Qiongfang couldn't help but look at Gu Zhizhuo, but seeing that her young lady was looking straight ahead, she quickly lowered her head as well.

Upon arriving at the main house, Gu Zhizhuo instructed, "You don't need to follow. Just wait for me here." She spoke casually, her demeanor showing no sign of tension.

Qiongfang obediently agreed, put away her umbrella, and stood under the eaves.

Gu Zhizhuo lifted the curtain and went inside. Even though the courtyard full of glass lamps had somewhat prepared her, she still couldn't help but want to facepalm.

The west courtyard has always been used for distributing and giving away medicine, and its layout is simple with no special decorations. But now, as soon as she stepped in, she smelled a faint fragrance.

It is still the exquisite and intoxicating charm of Yuhua.

Wisps of smoke rose from the incense, making it seem as if gold was being burned.

A snow-white fox fur was spread on the slightly worn kang (a heated brick bed), and a valuable chessboard was casually placed on the golden nanmu wood kang table.

The dignified Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Sheng Jiang, acted like the most loyal servant, tending a small red clay stove with a silver kettle boiling water. The tea set laid out on the table was made of Ru ware thin-walled porcelain with gold and silver wire inlay, and a small teacup alone was worth at least a hundred taels of silver.

Several more exquisite glass lamps, with white jade bases, were placed on both sides of the screen.

The ground was spotless, but Gu Zhizhuo's shoes were covered in mud and water from the journey, so she was embarrassed to step on it.

If she hadn't been certain that this was her own estate, she would have almost thought she had taken the wrong road.

Shen Xu leaned back on a large cushion, holding a string of sandalwood prayer beads in his hand, his gaze fixed on the chessboard in front of him.

He was only in his early twenties, dressed in a bright red robe embroidered with gold thread and featuring a qilin pattern, which accentuated his handsome features with an androgynous and exquisite beauty that was unparalleled.

Hmm.

This guy is still the same; he always brings so much stuff when he goes out. Taking care of him is really tiring.

Gu Zhizhu silently complained in his heart.

"Lord Shen."

Gu Zhizhuo smiled and curtsied.

She walked straight in, her muddy embroidered shoes leaving several clear footprints on the ground.

Shen Xu finally deigned to look up at her, his expression radiating undisguised disgust.

Sheng Jiang's eyebrows twitched.

"Miss Gu," Sheng Jiang said, observing her expression, "please change your shoes."

Stop stepping on it.

If she gets trampled like this, she might just die, but I'll be in real trouble!

Gu Zhizhuo raised an eyebrow.

Changing shoes? Do they bring several new pairs of shoes just for going out? And embroidered shoes too?!

Don't go too far, okay!

"not good."

After she finished speaking, she moved a round stool for herself and sat down at the other end of the kang table.

The chessboard is in the endgame, with black and white pieces fighting fiercely on the board. White has already captured most of the pieces, while black is struggling to survive in the corner.

Gu Zhizhuo glanced over and said with a smile, "This game of chess by the Grand Eunuch is quite interesting."

She brushed her right hand across the chess box and picked up a white piece with her fingertips.

Sheng Jiang's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Is this a sign of her boldness, or...?

Ignorance is bliss?!

The master hates it when people touch his things, so this hand is definitely going to be gone.

It's a pity, her hands are actually quite beautiful.

Gu Zhizhuo gently tossed the white piece, caught it steadily, and fiddled with it between her fingers. Before Shen Xu could throw it away, she spoke first, "The people the Chief Supervisor is waiting for should have arrived by now, right?"

She used a question, but her tone was incredibly certain.

Shen Xu raised his eyelids, his whole being exuding an ominous aura, as if he were a bloodstained blade.

Gu Zhizhuo looked away from the chessboard and stared directly at him.

Shen Xu spoke, his voice soft and feminine: "You know quite a lot, young lady."

Gu Zhizhu shook his finger and said with a smile, "Not much, not much."

"All I know is that the Grand Eunuch wants to use my estate to ambush Prince Chen."

Sheng Jiang remained expressionless, his mind filled with shock and astonishment, not even noticing that the water in the small silver kettle was about to boil.

Gu Zhizhuo said unhurriedly, "My estate is in a good location, surrounded by four villages, and it's also closest to the main road. This main road is the only way for Young Master Chen to return to the capital."

Her fingers lightly tapped the chessboard, as if what lay before her was not a chessboard, but a map of the capital region.

Xie Yingchen concealed his whereabouts, and while everyone thought he was still in Yizhou, he had actually already arrived in the capital.

Unfortunately, they made a fatal mistake and the Eastern Depot still managed to discover their plan.

Shen Xu was lurking on his route back to the capital, plotting a deadly attack!

Gu Zhizhuo said confidently, "As long as Young Master Chen passes through this official road, the Chief Supervisor has a hundred ways to make him stay."

"Perhaps a dead tree blocks the way, or a poisonous snake in the mountains, or a falling rock injures a horse..."

Gu Zhizhuo paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Especially today, with the torrential rain and thunder. Even the heavens seem to be on the side of the Grand Eunuch."

She tossed the white piece back into the box, then picked up a black piece.

A thin veil covered half of her face, revealing only a pair of bright, phoenix-shaped eyes.

She spoke casually, as if she had a complete understanding of everything, but her fingers, hidden in her sleeve, were taut like strings due to her fluctuating emotions.

"If anything unexpected happens along the way, the only place where we can rest temporarily is my manor."

"Once Young Master Chen enters the manor, his life or death will be entirely in your hands, Chief Supervisor."

"As for my estate," Gu Zhizhuo said, still smiling, but his tone turned cold.

She was stating a fact, a fact that had already happened in her previous life.

"...Afterwards, all we need to do is burn it down and then pin the blame on the bandits."

"It was because Prince Chen was unlucky that he encountered bandits on his way back to the capital, not because the Emperor could not tolerate his survival."

"Even if we were to hold someone accountable, it would be that Gu Yican and his son, who were ordered to suppress the bandits, failed in their duties, allowing the bandits to escape to the capital!"

In the previous life, everyone in the village died.

Even in this life, I am almost following the same old path of fate.

Sheng Jiang's pupils contracted, and he reached for the dagger hidden at his waist.

Xie Yingchen is a cunning and treacherous man.

The saying goes that a cunning rabbit has three burrows, but he had far more than three. Ever since he entered the territory of the Great Qi Kingdom, Xie Yingchen's whereabouts have become a mystery.

Several times, after expending a great deal of manpower, they finally found his whereabouts, only to discover that he was deliberately creating a diversion when they caught up with him.

Only he could manipulate the Eastern Depot so effectively.

If Xie Yingchen hadn't stepped into the capital region...

If it weren't for the fact that the capital region had become like a spider web under the governor's control over the past year, with no fly able to escape, Xie Yingchen might have been able to step into the Golden Palace unnoticed.

The person has been found, but now that he's in the capital region, it means there are even more eyes watching.

They acted more secretly, leaving no trace.

With the Grand Eunuch personally in charge, this trip should have been foolproof. How did this girl know about it?!

Sheng Jiang was filled with doubt and uncertainty.

He tried desperately to recall where things had gone wrong, and even began to suspect that someone in the Eastern Depot had leaked the information.

As the candlelight flickered, he had already considered countless possibilities when he heard the girl lightly ask in return, "Master, don't you think so?"

Shen Xu's thin lips curved slightly, his naturally almond-shaped eyes upturned at the corners, his eyes seemed to hold a pool of water, shimmering with light.

He rested his chin on his hand and said with interest, "Young lady, have you come here to beg me for a way out?"

Gu Zhizhuo's brows revealed a sense of pleasure and enthusiasm.

She glanced at the water clock in the corner of the room, leaned forward, and asked instead of answering, "Master Shen, do you like fireworks?"

His tone was gentle and tender.

Gu Zhizhuo didn't expect him to respond to her.

She raised her index finger to make a shushing gesture, then pointed out the window.

The sky was dark and gloomy as the night wore on, with a fine drizzle falling. It was a night without even a single star.

"look."

Gu Zhizhuo parted her red lips slightly.

Almost as soon as she finished speaking, a firework suddenly shot into the sky, bursting open in the dark night and emitting a bright red halo.

Bang bang bang!

Ten shots in a row.

Fireworks lit up the night sky in an instant, and the dark night was illuminated by clusters of bright red flames.

Shen Xu's fingers tightened around the prayer beads, and a look of astonishment finally appeared on his usually nonchalant face, his eyes reflecting the red glow of the fireworks.

A note from the author: