Chapter 114 [VIP]

"Grandma, Grandma, you hit the target!"

Gu Zhiwei clapped excitedly and cheered, "You're amazing!"

Her rosy cheeks were filled with excitement.

Really? The recoil from the crossbow made the old lady stagger back half a step, and her forearm felt a little sore. She looked over expectantly when she heard this. Two of the ten iron arrows hit the target, and the rest were scattered around the target.

"Only two were hit."

"The first time I touched a bow, I couldn't even touch the target." Gu Zhiwei was four years old then. She held onto her grandmother's arm and smiled sweetly, "Grandmother could hit two arrows in one shot."

Gu Yican gave a thumbs up and praised without reservation: "This is a target at three hundred paces! Grandmother, do you know General Lin? He's the old General Lin from the Yongning Marquis's mansion. He's only two years older than you, and now he can even miss a target at one hundred paces." One out of ten arrows missed the target.

Old Lin, of course he remembers. Madam Lin Wan Ning was his close friend and confidante who grew up with him.

Wan Ning had always loved to compete with her since she was a child, comparing her hair ornaments, jewelry, children, and grandchildren... Unexpectedly, in her old age, she had won again. The old lady was overjoyed and decided to invite Wan Ning over tomorrow to show off to her.

With my archery skills, I might even become a female general.

The old lady was very easy to please; she was immediately flattered and became completely absorbed in the praise, her eyes crinkling with delight.

"ah!!"

Gu Yan sat on the ground for a while, and seeing that no one paid attention to him, he suddenly screamed and kicked his feet wildly on the ground.

The piercing sound made my ears ring.

The old lady finally remembered him and hurriedly said, "Oh dear, quickly help Yan-ge up."

She was getting old, and before things were fully confirmed, both Gu Baibai and Gu Liaoliao were determined to keep them from her. The boys in the manor were all being raised in the outer courtyard, and even though Gu Yan rarely came to pay his respects to her lately, the Grand Madam didn't pay much attention. After all, when Gu Yican was young, he would often be locked up in the military camp, and it was perfectly normal for him to disappear for a month or two.

Gu Yan shook off the maid who came to help him, lay on the ground, and glared angrily at everyone.

He bit his lower lip tightly, and the disgust emanating from him made Gu Zhizhuo frown.

Gu Zhizhuo did not have any intention of retaliating against a child. Even though he restricted Gu Yan's movements and forbade him to go out, he only kept him in class. Gu Baibai even asked the teacher to add the "Classic of Filial Piety" to the lessons in advance and made him write large characters a hundred times a day to temper his character.

It seems that it didn't work.

Gu Yan cried out shrilly, "My mother is sick. Did you hear me? My mother is sick."

Gu Zhizhuo took the crossbow from the old lady's hand, aimed it at him, and said with a vicious laugh, "Shut up."

Gu Yan, who was always afraid of her, immediately fell silent and shrank his neck.

Ji Nanke, who had just entered the training ground, witnessed this scene.

She rushed over and hugged him, glaring angrily at Gu Zhizhuo: "He's still a child!"

“Oh. He’s a child. And you? You’re not a child, are you?” Gu Zhizhuo moved the crossbow toward her, the sharp arrowhead gleaming dangerously in the sunlight. “Speak your mind, stop rambling.”

This was a blatant threat. Ji Nanke forced herself not to dodge, her voice trembling slightly as she said, "My aunt is ill, very ill. Yan-ge is worried about his mother. It's not worth you, young lady, resorting to violence."

Gu Zhizhuo casually said, "If you're sick, go and call a doctor."

“Brother,” she turned to Gu Yican and said, “why don’t we try 350 steps again?”

She only spared a sliver of her attention for Ji Nanke: "Is there anything else?"

Ji Nanke stared intently at her.

Perhaps due to the summer heat, her complexion was slightly darker, unlike Ji Nanke's fair and delicate skin, and quite different from the noble ladies of the capital. However, her wild and vibrant beauty still easily attracted the attention of those around her.

Ji Nanke recalled the first time she came to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion with Madam Ji. It was the family recognition banquet the day after Madam Ji's wedding. Six-year-old Gu Zhizhuo wore a bright red silk flower and bird dress and a gold necklace with two phoenixes holding pearls and inlaid with rubies. She was surrounded by everyone, and even her aunt, who was the bride, had to please her.

He couldn't help but glance at her a few more times, and then Gu Zhizhuo grabbed the gold necklace.

"I won't give it to you!"

Gu Zhizhu pouted as she uttered those three words, as if she were about to steal her gold necklace. Instantly, all eyes in the hall fell on her, making her feel utterly ashamed.

This was the first time she had ever felt like she was living under someone else's roof, as if she was inherently inferior just because she was standing there.

From that moment on, Ji Nanke decided that she would definitely stand higher than Gu Zhizhuo.

Ji Nanke clenched her fists.

For the past six years, the Dowager Lady has favored her, and Xie Jing has fallen deeply in love with her at first sight. She shines like a jewel in the capital.

When others mention the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, they think of Ji Nanke, not Gu Zhizhuo.

She did it.

However, overnight, everything returned to normal.

This time, she finally managed to persuade Ji Shi.

If this were a gamble, she had placed all her bets on the Ji family and could not afford to lose.

Ji Nanke composed herself and said to the Grand Madam, "My aunt's body is covered in red rashes, and she has a persistent high fever. Yan'er is really worried, which is why he came to ask you for help. You are Yan'er's grandmother, and the only person he can rely on."

"Rash?"

The old lady exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be an epidemic?"

Sure enough, when it came to rashes and high fever, they all thought of an epidemic. Ji Nanke suppressed the corners of her mouth that were curving upwards and said worriedly, "The doctor also said it could be an epidemic."

It really was an epidemic! The old lady gasped.

They're skilled at overpowering people; one wrong move and they could overpower the entire household.

When the old lady was still at her maternal home, she had a maidservant. Her entire village was struck by a plague, and most of the village died. The maidservant said that when they died, their flesh had rotted away.

The old lady was always timid, and the more she thought about it, the more frightened she became.

She pulled her granddaughter back several steps, fearing that Ji Nanke might also have the plague.

Their son, Xu'er, is still too young; they can't be careless. She asked cautiously, "Does the doctor really say that?"

"yes."

Ji Nanke showed appropriate anxiety: "My aunt developed a rash three days ago. At first, we thought it was just a fever, so we didn't bother the household."

Ji was allergic to peaches. Shortly after eating one, she developed a rash all over her body, which was unbearably itchy. Ji Nanke deliberately waited three more days, allowing her to eat peaches three times in a row, before going to call a doctor.

Doctor Fang had been treating Lady Ji for a long time. Back when Lady Ji was still the Duchess of the State, he would come to check on her health every ten days, and they were quite familiar with each other.

Therefore, after Ji Nanke gave him a handful of golden melon seeds, Doctor Fang said that Ji had contracted an epidemic.

Ji's rash was dense and covered with red bumps, and she also had a low-grade fever. No matter who looked at her, they couldn't see anything wrong with her.

With tears welling in her eyes, Ji Nanke choked out, "Doctor Fang said that my aunt is quite ill, and her rash is very serious. Granny Wan has also developed it."

"You can dribble past people?" the old lady said nervously. "That won't do."

Ji Nanke thought to herself: The Gu family is the most hypocritical. As long as they believe that my aunt has contracted the plague, they will definitely not keep them in the mansion anymore.

Everything was just as she had imagined.

Gu Yan wiped his face with his sleeve and said in a sobbing voice, "It's all because you won't let me see my mother that she's become so ill. Grandmother, please send someone to fetch the imperial physician for my mother."

“Your aunt is a concubine, and concubines cannot be called imperial physicians,” the Grand Madam said, shaking her head. “There are still many good doctors in the capital.”

"I can ask my uncle the emperor..."

“Yan-ge’er, don’t be willful.” Ji Nanke raised her voice and hugged him to comfort him. “Let’s listen to the Grand Madam. There’s your newborn cousin in the manor, who is the most important person. The Grand Madam must be worried about him even more. Let’s not make things difficult for the Grand Madam.”

Gu Zhizhuo smiled slightly, understanding what she meant.

She wanted to take Ji Shi to the estate.

Ji Nanke spent a fortune to buy the last marriage talisman from Blind Chen, so she must know its power. With the Ji family currently confined to the mansion, using the talisman is indeed inconvenient.

They have to leave the mansion.

Gu Zhizhuo naturally had to satisfy her.

However, she was always like this; she never spoke up for what she wanted, but instead encouraged others to speak first. She was always the one who was extraordinary and unconventional.

Gu Zhizhuo, however, was not one to indulge her. Before the Grand Madam could speak, he said, "Since it's an epidemic, let's move to the small courtyard in the north and invite a few doctors specializing in epidemics to come and keep watch. What do you say, Fourth Brother?"

Her gentle demeanor flattered Gu Yan, who subconsciously replied, "Okay."

"no."

Ji Nanke spoke at the same time as him.

Gu Yan's eyes widened. It was clearly his cousin Ke who said that his eldest sister was going to kick their mother out of the manor, and that's why he had come to cause trouble. Now that his eldest sister had already agreed to let their mother stay in the manor to recuperate, why couldn't they?

Ji Nanke pulled Gu Yan back to stop him from talking nonsense.

“My aunt has contracted the plague. If she stays in the manor, she will infect others. The Third Madam has just finished her postpartum period and is at her weakest. So is Xu’er.”

Ji Nanke wanted the Grand Madam to offer to send them to the estate, so she could take the opportunity to pressure them into agreeing to some conditions.

Seeing that Gu Zhizhuo did not respond for a long time, she could only grit her teeth and say, "I want to take my aunt to stay at the estate. We will come back after my aunt's epidemic is cured."

"You want to go to the village?"

"right."

"Beg me then." Gu Zhizhuo cupped her cheeks in her hands, smiling like a flower.

"you!"

Ji Nanke stared intently at her, biting her lower lip tightly with her pearly teeth, a faint taste of blood lingering between them.

She subconsciously looked at the old lady and saw that the old lady's eyes were blank and she didn't know what the old lady was struggling with.

Gu Zhizhuo changed his attitude in an instant: "Someone, clean up their little courtyard."

"Wait." Ji Nanke stepped forward and took a deep breath. "Please, I beg you. Please let my aunt and I stay at the estate for a while."

These words almost brought her to tears.

“That’s more like it.” Gu Zhizhu patted her cheek with his palm. “Granny Zhu, take her to sign and make it clear that she is the one who wants to leave the mansion with Ji Shi, not that we are the ones who kick Ji Shi out because she is sick.”

Gu Zhizhu stared at him meaningfully: "To avoid future misunderstandings. Gu Yan, what about you, do you want to go?"

Gu Yan was about to say she wanted to go when Gu Zhizhuo suddenly changed the subject, saying, "If you get infected with the plague, you'll die."

"I……"

Gu Yan remembered the dense rashes on Ji Shi's body and was still afraid: "I...I won't go, I still have homework."

Gu Zhizhuo took the lead and decided everything in just a few words.

Gu Zhizhuo: "After signing and sealing, arrange a carriage for Aunt Ji and the others, assign four old women to accompany them, and give Doctor Fang some silver so that he can go along as well."

Granny Zhu looked at the Grand Madam, and seeing that the Grand Madam did not object, she bowed and agreed, then said to Ji Nanke expressionlessly, "Miss Ji, please."

As Ji Nanke had hoped, this feeling of being in control made her chest feel tight with discomfort.

She followed Granny Zhu downstairs, while Gu Yan sat there blankly. Gu Zhizhuo teased with interest, "Did Ji Nanke send you?"

Gu Yan nodded.

"Have you ever thought about why she sent you here?" Gu Zhizhuo sighed softly. "When you go back, think about it carefully. You're such a grown-up, how could you be so stupid?"

"Qiongfang, escort the Fourth Young Master back."

Qiongfang responded, pulled Gu Yan up, and led him away by the hand.

Gu Yan looked bewildered but followed Qiong Fang without making a fuss.

The old lady was very unhappy. As soon as he left, she said unreasonably, "Why did she have to get sick on the very day you proposed marriage? She really doesn't know how to read the room."

Ji Shi developed a rash three days ago, which disrupted the joyous occasion of Zhuo Yatou's marriage proposal. The Grand Madam was extremely uneasy about it.

This is so unlucky; I need to buy some mugwort leaves to ward off the bad luck.

Slap! Slap!

Gu Zhizhu clapped his hands twice: "Continue, continue. Three hundred and fifty steps."

The old lady's attention was drawn back.

The entire training ground is 400 paces long, and the target is 350 paces away at the edge of the training ground.

In the past, when testing bows and crossbows, we would never use a target this far away.

Not to mention the old lady, even Gu Zhizhuo himself was so nervous that his palms were sweating.

Once the target was in place, Gu Zhizhuo raised it above his shoulder and pulled the trigger. Ten iron arrows were fired simultaneously, and this time, they all fell to the ground before even hitting the target.

"The range should be between three hundred and three hundred and thirty paces." Gu Yican stroked his chin. "Most handheld crossbows nowadays only have a range of two hundred paces, so reaching three hundred paces would be quite good."

He was extremely satisfied.

For weapons, even an extra ten paces of range can determine victory or defeat at crucial moments.

Gu Yican rubbed his hands together and said, "My turn! I'll try firing in bursts."

Fearing that the flying arrows after the explosion might hurt her sisters, Gu Yican personally tested the firing of each crossbow.

He gestured to adjust the target to 300 paces, so that Gu Zhizhuo and the others could move further away.

"Grandma, be careful, the crossbow might explode."

Gu Zhiwei shielded the Grand Madam behind her, and her serious demeanor made the Grand Madam even more nervous.

"It'll explode?"

"Yes, yes! It exploded when my older sisters tried it last time," Gu Zhiwei exclaimed, gesturing dramatically. "The iron arrows flew really far!"

Bang!

Gu Yican pulled the trigger.

The old lady stared intently, repeatedly muttering, "Don't blow it up, don't blow it up!"

Her voice was quickly swallowed up by the sound of an arrow being released from its bow.

Bang bang bang!

Up until the hundredth strike, everyone's hearts were in their throats.

When Granny Zhu returned with the signed and sealed document, she didn't dare to utter a sound.

One hundred and twenty strikes.

The crossbow bolt didn't explode.

Gu Yican used up all the iron arrows in one go, leaving the target riddled with holes, but his crossbow remained intact.

Gu Yican smiled, then raised his crossbow and waved it joyfully at his sister under the awning. Gu Zhizhuo excitedly rushed over and hugged him tightly, their similar phoenix eyes shining brightly like stars.

"Come here quickly!"

Gu Zhizhu jumped and hopped onto his shoulders, waving to his two younger sisters. Gu Zhiwei giggled and pulled Gu Zhijiao along as they rushed over, throwing themselves into their older brothers' and sisters' arms.

"Grandmother, you come too."

"No, no, no!" The old lady stepped back. "I'm not going to go crazy with you!"

Come on, come on.

"Ouch, stop!"

Cheers and laughter filled the training ground, and even Ji Nanke, who had just finished signing the document and was walking out, could hear it clearly.

She closed her eyes, ignored everything, and hurried toward the Ji family's courtyard.

Lady Ji was lying on the couch, her body covered in itchy and uncomfortable rashes. When she saw her return, she quickly asked through the bed curtains, "How are you?"

Not wanting Ji Shi to know her predicament, Ji Nanke confidently said, "We'll leave the manor in a little while."

Lady Ji breathed a sigh of relief: "That Yan-ge'er..."

"Yan-ge'er won't come with us." Ji Nanke, not wanting her to ask any more questions, said directly, "As long as you can enter the palace, taking Yan-ge'er away won't be difficult. If things don't work out, what good will it do for Yan-ge'er to come with us? He's still just an illegitimate son."

"Aunt, your and Yan'er's lives, wealth, and glory are all at stake on this one gamble. Do you understand?"

Ji threw back the bed curtains, revealing a face that was too painful to look at.

Her face was covered in red rashes, some of which had even started to ulcerate and ooze pus.

Without the cover of makeup, even the burn marks from before looked more grotesque due to the redness of her skin, and Ji Nanke forced herself not to show disgust on her face.

It's alright, it's alright! With the marriage charm, Liu Ling can even take a liking to that old blind man, so the Emperor probably won't care about the rash on my aunt's face, right?

A note from the author: