Chapter 163 [VIP]

Ji Nanke stared blankly at him, her beautiful eyes first filled with shock, then with sadness. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"Your Highness."

Her voice trembled slightly, but she forced it back down and asked, "You don't believe me?"

Xie Jing: "..."

His silence deeply hurt Ji Nanke.

"All the feelings I've had for you over the years have been a lie?"

"I'm the one controlling you with witchcraft?"

She laughed self-deprecatingly: "So this is how you see me."

Xie Jing was also feeling terrible. He wasn't really sure what kind of feelings he had for Ji Nanke.

He had previously defied his father and mother for her sake, given up the throne for her, and was even willing to die for her. But now, he was unwilling to make so many sacrifices for her again.

Just like right now, even though he knew Ji Nanke wanted him to coax her, or even just say a few soft words to say that he didn't mean it that way, he still felt incredibly annoyed.

He didn't respond to her question, but instead asked, "Why are you here?"

This attitude made Ji Nanke's heart sink. She pursed her lips and after a while, said coldly, "Very well, since that's the case, there's no need to force things between us, lest Your Highness always be suspicious."

After she finished speaking, she took out an oil paper package and tossed it to him.

The oil paper package was still warm when I picked it up, and inside was a baked bun.

Xie Jing blurted out, "Did you bring me food?"

"I won't need it anymore," Ji Nanke said with a smile, but tears still streamed down her face, wetting her beautiful cheeks.

Xie Jing felt somewhat guilty.

"Ke'er".

He reached out to pull her, wanting to soften his stance, but Ji Nanke silently pulled her hand away. She turned her face away from him, only saying, "I won't come looking for you again."

After saying that, she turned and left, her hair blowing in the wind and brushing against Xie Jing's cheek.

Xie Jing hesitated, wanting to call her, but ultimately gave up.

Perhaps, this is for the best.

Ji Nanke silently counted in her mind, and when she counted to three and Xie Jing still hadn't made a sound, she suddenly felt something was wrong and a little panicked.

She did notice that Xie Jing was becoming increasingly cold and impatient with her each day.

In the past, she could have lived a good life even without Xie Jing. But now, she felt guilty.

After leaving the Gu family, she realized she couldn't rely on the Ji family, and her aunt had died. She was isolated and helpless, with nowhere else to go. Even those who used to fawn over her had become indifferent.

After much deliberation, the best option she could hold onto was Xie Jing.

So she came, wanting to take the initiative to make peace.

Having suffered repeated setbacks and encountered numerous misfortunes, she had long lost her former confidence.

Ji Nanke's eyes flickered.

She stopped in her tracks, turned around, and avoided Xie Jing's gaze for a fleeting moment.

"stop."

Ji Nanke didn't look at Xie Jing, but brushed past him and chased after Gu Zhizhuo, who had already walked away.

"I've already been accommodating to you in every way, why do you still gossip behind my back?"

"Why do you have to go around spreading rumors that I used witchcraft!"

The word "witchcraft" is taboo in any dynasty, and Ji Nanke's shout immediately attracted the attention of nearby soldiers.

Gu Zhizhuo came to see the stars. The city wall is so long, if she couldn't see them from here, she could go somewhere else. She didn't care what the two were arguing about and left early.

Upon hearing this, she turned around and said impatiently, "Are you deaf? If you weren't deaf, you should have heard that it was your Third Prince asking me this."

"He's the one who's suspicious of you."

Gu Zhizhu handed the cat to Xie Yingchen: "Hold it tight."

"Meow... Haaah!"

Xie Yingchen pinched its little paw and pressed down the hand it was about to slap.

Empty-handed and feeling light, Gu Zhizhu walked straight toward her, looking relaxed, but only those face to face with her could feel how strong the pressure was.

"You should think about what you've done that even the Third Prince doesn't believe you, instead of coming here to question me, understand?"

Ji Nanke glanced at Xie Jing out of the corner of her eye: "Isn't it you who's sowing discord?"

Her face was filled with sorrow, her voice helpless and pained: "Gu Zhizhuo, I've repaid you everything I owed you. Why won't you let me go even now? Why do you still want to compete with me when you're already engaged? Why do you insist on pinning the stigma of witchcraft on me!"

Xie Jing looked reluctant, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

Ji Nanke: "If you're so capable, then explain yourself clearly."

Gu Zhizhuo chuckled lightly, "Witchcraft? I'd forgotten about it if you hadn't mentioned it. Right."

The last word was spoken to Xie Jing.

"She used witchcraft. Not only against Your Highness, but also against her aunt, her parents, her closest elders, and our Gu family. Your Highness, do you remember what I told you? No one close to her or those around her has ever had a good ending. Last time it was the Ji family, who will be next?"

"Could it be you?"

Ji Nanke, enraged and embarrassed, shouted: "Shut up, Gu Zhizhuo!"

“You made me say it.” Gu Zhizhuo took another half step forward, firmly suppressing her. “Don’t dare to listen? I haven’t finished yet.”

“When you were eight years old, you went to see a variety show. While you were in the crowd, a lantern fell from above. You were unharmed, but the little girl standing next to you was burned alive, and the people around you were also burned.”

"When you were ten years old, you took a fancy to a treasured painting in a painting shop, but the owner was unwilling to sell it. As a result, the owner was robbed and suffered heavy losses. In order to pay off his debts, the owner sold the painting."

"When you were thirteen, your wet nurse, who came from Jiangnan with you, fell into a pond and drowned while you were attending a banquet at the Duke of Anguo's mansion. You went to find someone to save her, and that's when you met the Third Prince."

"Your Highness doesn't know any of this, does he?"

There are just too many similar cases.

Every gain that Ji Nanke made was a disaster for others.

In the past, Gu Zhizhuo always considered the will of Heaven. Although she was not afraid to go against Heaven, she was afraid that if she went too far, Heaven would be enraged and strike her down.

But now, fate has changed, and Ji Nanke, the chosen one, is outdated.

As Gu Zhizhuo spoke, he continued forward: "Want to hear more?"

Ji Nanke retreated step by step, her breathing rapid.

Unbeknownst to her, she had retreated to the edge of the city wall, her back pressed tightly against the battlements.

Gu Zhizhuo was very close to her, tilting his head slightly as if close to her ear, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "You want to use me as an excuse to get a scolding and ease the tension between you and the Third Prince? Do you think I'm easy to talk to, or do you think I'm easy to bully?"

Ji Nanke braced herself against the wall behind her, her previous pitiful expression gone.

"Do you really have to break off all ties with me?"

Ji Nanke spoke in a low voice, her face and tone terrifyingly grim: "Prince Chen is watching you!"

“Miss Gu. I am still living in the palace. Prince Chen is regent and oversees the country. He may be promoted further in the future. Even the Empress has taken a fancy to him and wants the Duke of Cheng'en to give one of his concubines' daughters to Prince Chen as a secondary consort. What about others? Even if you have a marriage decree, so what? He can still take secondary consorts and concubines. Do you have to make yourself into a shrew with a bad reputation and give the Empress an excuse to bestow a secondary consort?”

She said, "We are both women, why can't we help each other? Why do you have to fight me to the death? What good does that do you?"

Gu Zhizhuo calmly interrupted: "It's either you die, or I live."

Ji Nanke's expression twisted slightly.

“And,” Gu Zhizhuo reached out and pressed her shoulder, “we’ve already broken off all ties, have you forgotten?”

"Notorious?" Gu Zhizhuo chuckled, using his arm to push her back.

Her hands could draw a bow with a stone, making it difficult for Ji Nanke to even struggle.

Gu Zhizhuo smirked and said arrogantly, "Only the weak are afraid of everything and worry about ruining their reputation. As for me, even if I push you off here, people will only praise me for my decisiveness, accuse you of a bunch of crimes to curry favor with me, and say that you are not worth dying for."

Do you believe it?

"The victor is king. As long as I am always above others, whatever I do is right."

"you……"

Ji Nanke's lower back was pressed tightly against the wall, but Gu Zhizhuo was still pressing her back.

Ji Nanke turned pale with fright.

She knew Gu Zhizhuo had a bad temper, but seeing that Prince Chen was also present, Ji Nanke thought that Gu Zhizhuo should have some reservations. What she said was true; sacrificing a concubine's daughter to gain merit for the family in supporting the emperor was a worthwhile thing. Living in the palace, she had heard many similar stories; they were all waiting for Gu Zhizhuo to make a mistake so they could use the opportunity to place someone else in her place.

She truly hadn't expected Gu Zhizhuo to be so reckless when he went crazy.

“The loser is a bandit. Without our Gu family as your scapegoat, among all the nobles in the capital, you, an orphan, are not even worth a blade of grass.”

"Stop...stop!"

Her past experiences told her that Gu Zhizhuo was truly capable of taking action. Half of her body was already suspended in mid-air on the city wall, and she could clearly see the ground below when she looked down.

Ji Nanke was terrified.

Falling from here would be certain death.

She shouted, "Prince Chen is watching you!"

Her black hair fell down, and the intense feeling of weightlessness made her tremble all over.

"I warned you not to mess with me. Why didn't you listen? Hmm?"

"I...I..." Ji Nanke's face was ashen, and she was panting heavily. "I was wrong...let me go!"

"OK. "

Gu Zhizhuo readily agreed and let go of her hand.

With this release, Ji Nanke suddenly lost her support. She desperately tried to grab the wall, but couldn't maintain her balance.

"Ke'er!"

Xie Jing couldn't stand idly by any longer. Seeing her about to fall, he rushed over, grabbed her arm, and pulled her into his arms. The panic of having her back made Xie Jing afraid he would never want to let go again.

Oh.

Gu Zhizhu chuckled coldly and walked back towards Xie Yingchen.

The return of destiny does not immediately overturn everything and start anew; it merely allows those who have been suppressed by the will of heaven to unleash their full potential and fight for what they want.

Master said that the key to resetting destiny lies in the chair the young master sits on in the Golden Palace.

Just like the Mandate of Heaven, which was altered by Changfeng, was only finalized and became the rule of Heaven after Prince Rong ascended the throne.

She looked up at the night sky, where the imperial star representing Xie Jing had dimmed even further.

Even though Gu Zhizhuo's five senses were not as sharp as his master's and senior brother Qingping's, and he could not see the mysterious flow of some auras, he could still guess that Ji Nanke's remaining "good fortune" was purely nourished by Xie Jing's dragon luck.

However, Gu Zhizhuo showed no sympathy whatsoever.

He should bear the consequences of his own choices.

"Meow~"

The cat was overjoyed. It pounced on her sweetly, nuzzling her chin with its soft forehead and pressing its little head affectionately against her neck, meowing softly.

"Your hands must hurt." Xie Yingchen took a handkerchief and wiped the dust off her palms.

Gu Zhizhuo looked up, smiling sweetly, her eyes sparkling like stars.

Looking back, her expression turned cold and mocking as she deliberately tried to scare her, saying, "By the way, Miss Ji, you vomited blood at the Meridian Gate that day, didn't you? Your good luck comes at a price."

"Remember to visit Changfeng more often when you have time~"

May you live a long and healthy life.

Xie Jing: !

He subconsciously loosened his arms from holding Ji Nanke.

But soon, upon seeing Ji Nanke's still-shaken expression, he sighed helplessly.

From an angle Ji Nanke couldn't see, his gaze followed Gu Zhizhuo's back until she and Xie Yingchen walked down the city wall, chatting and laughing.

Gu Zhizhuo was a little unhappy that her stargazing had been interrupted, but her mood immediately improved after Xie Yingchen took her to the temple fair, where they bought lanterns and ate lots of delicious food.

After visiting the temple fair, it was almost 9 PM by the time we got back to our residence.

Gu Baibai waited at the entrance of the ceremony. When she saw the two of them return, she immediately gave them a scolding.

Fortunately, the Dowager Lady was there. She accepted her sudden change from the Dowager Lady of the Duke to the Dowager Consort quite well, and was thinking of showing off to her former close friends. Upon hearing that Gu Zhizhuo was being scolded, she immediately stood up and defended him:

"The Prince's mansion is so ostentatious. This is a good thing, why are you scolding them?"

"What if she gets scared? A girl can only stay at her parents' home for a few years; who knows how much suffering she'll have to endure after she gets married!"

"It would be fine if you didn't care about her, but you even scolded her."

Gu Baibai: ? ? ?

The way she says that makes it sound like her mother suffered a lot after marrying into the family. Does her father know she's saying this?

"No," Xie Yingchen assured him. "Grandmother will scold me from now on."

Gu Zhizhuo turned around and smiled at him.

The old lady was extremely satisfied; her grandson-in-law truly had good judgment.

When the Dowager Madam liked someone, the best way to show it was by giving them gifts: "Chen'er, I have a few pieces of Tianhuang stone seal here. I'll have Zhuo'er bring them to you to play with later."

"I'll carve a seal for my grandmother that reads 'The Princess Dowager of Zhenbei,' so she can use it when hosting banquets in the future."

"Alright, alright." The old lady's mouth was even fuller. "I also have Shoushan stone and chicken-blood stone, you can have them all..."

Gu Baibai tried hard to steer the conversation back on track: "And the Eastern Depot..."

"Come, come, Zhuo girl, I'm going to the Marquis of Ping'an's mansion to watch a play tomorrow. Can you help me pick out which set of headdress looks better? The jade one is nice, and the agate one is also very bright."

"Pick another outfit for me."

"Now that I'm a royal concubine, I have to dress differently than before."

The old lady winked at her, and Gu Zhizhuo happily took her arm and led her into the inner room.

Gu Baibai: "..."

He shook his head, but couldn't hide the smile in his eyes.

With her and Cancan, the Gu family was finally able to rebuild itself.

"Chen'er, if you're not in a hurry to leave, come to my study."

Xie Yingchen agreed and got up to push the wheelchair.

Gu Zhizhuo helped the Grand Madam choose jewelry and clothes. For several days in a row, the Grand Madam made many appointments, and her granddaughters took turns accompanying her to show off.

The noble ladies and old wives lived peacefully, watching plays and drinking tea, talking about whose son was disobedient and whose daughter-in-law was the most filial.

The court was engulfed in a bloody and chaotic struggle over the conflict between Prince Jin and Shen Xu, with memorials impeaching Shen Xu piling up in the Wenyuan Pavilion.

Shen Xu seemed to be deliberately going against the grain, ordering his men to raid two more prefectures.

This further fueled public outrage.

Amidst the wind and rain, the plaque for the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion was completed and hung up.

The heated argument in the imperial court instantly fell silent.

The Prince's Mansion!

The only royal family of a different surname in the Great Qi Dynasty!

The four characters "Zhenbei Prince's Mansion" immediately attracted the attention of everyone present.

Rumors had been circulating in the capital for the past few days that the Gu family was to be promoted to the rank of prince, and many people were still skeptical until this plaque was hung up, finally putting an end to the matter.

The Gu family has always been low-key and had no plans to host a banquet.

Even when people came to congratulate him, Gu Baibai declined them all with various excuses.

However, the congratulatory gifts still flew into the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion like snowflakes.

Even Xie Jing sent a congratulatory gift.

In addition to the congratulatory gift, there was also an invitation, which was for the concubine to be taken on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month.

Since Xie Jing did not establish his own residence and could not host a banquet in the palace, he chose a small imperial estate on the outskirts of the capital.

Tsk.

Gu Zhizhuo glanced at it and then casually tossed it away.

"girl."

Qingmei hurried in, curtsied, and announced, "His Majesty has awakened."

"Awake?" Gu Zhizhuo raised an eyebrow. "You mean, the Emperor is awake?!"

interesting!

A note from the author:

Happy New Year, ladies! May 2025 bring you happiness every day.