Chapter 181 [VIP]

Gu Zhizhuo turned her head and smiled at him, her beauty beyond description.

"I believe you, young master."

Xie Yingchen held her hand tightly, the warmth of her soft palm reaching deep into his heart.

He couldn't resist bending down and kissing her cheek.

From the first time they met, when she looked at him, all she saw was reliance and trust.

He didn't know what was so good about him that made her so devoted to him.

For Yao Yao.

He will also take that position.

"Young Master..."

Gu Zhizhuo wanted to find out more about Duo Leng, but when she lowered her head, she noticed a shadow following behind them. She paused and suddenly turned around.

The little beggar was startled, but looked at them stubbornly and said, "I'll keep an eye on him for you. I'll do whatever you want."

Gu Zhizhuo stared at him for a moment, then handed him a silver note: "Go and redeem your mother."

The little beggar's eyes lit up. He took the silver note and repeatedly promised, "I will pay it back. My name is Qiao Shan, and I take my mother's surname. I will definitely pay it back!"

"Oh, right, this is for you." After he finished speaking, he handed a flat money bag to Gu Zhizhuo.

Qiao Shan?!

Gu Zhizhu raised an eyebrow.

A few years after the events of the previous life, there was a eunuch in the Eastern Depot named Qiao Shan, who was Shen Xu's right-hand man and in charge of investigations. This little beggar's face was filthy, and it was impossible to tell what he looked like; it was unclear whether he was the same person.

However, he just seemed to say that Jiang Wu was going to sell him into the palace to become a eunuch?

"You can leave now."

Qiao Shan took off running towards the alleyway, stumbling and falling as he ran.

After leaving the alley, Chongjiu gagged Jiang Wu and tied him up as well.

Jiang Wu kept his head down and dared not struggle, which attracted many passersby to stop and point.

"Young master, I'm hungry."

"Master must be getting impatient."

"Let's go to Yongle Temple for a stroll later before heading back."

Xie Yingchen responded to whatever she said.

Gu Zhizhuo took his hand and ran back to Tianxi Tower with light steps. Suddenly, a figure as dazzling as a blue peacock appeared on the second floor.

"cousin."

Wang Xing leaned against the window and waved to her, his golden crown gleaming in the sunlight.

The tabby cat lay down beside him and wagged its tail: "Meow."

"Cousin Xing".

Gu Zhizhu ran up to him excitedly and asked, "Why are you here?"

"My cousin sent someone to catch a son-in-law, so I came here to lay low for a while." Xie Danling put her hands on her hips and said angrily, "They've come to catch a son-in-law right under my nose. They're not taking me seriously at all."

"Brother Xing, don't be afraid!"

Wang Xing: "..."

He wasn't actually afraid.

Who can force the marriage of a member of the Wang family?

But she still nodded repeatedly, agreeing with her: "Cousin, it's all thanks to you."

Hmm, that sounds familiar. Gu Zhizhuo glanced at Xie Yingchen, who pretended not to know and greeted Wang Xing before sitting down.

Gu Zhizhuo tossed the flat money bag in his hand to Qingping.

The cat stretched out its paw to hook the rope above.

"My money bag."

Qingping excitedly took it, opened it, and then her smile froze on her face.

Empty.

He was on the verge of tears, and said pleadingly, "Master, you said you would find it!"

"Found it."

"Empty."

Wuweizi stroked his beard and smiled, "I only said I could find it."

Qingping was heartbroken again, folding the empty money pouch neatly and putting it in her bosom: "Junior Sister is right, it's better to change my Daoist name..."

Wang Xing was fanning himself with a folding fan when he suddenly heard his little cousin ask, "Who wants to catch a son-in-law?"

"The one surnamed Sun."

"Cheng'en Duke's Mansion?"

Xie Danling nodded repeatedly: "It's that Sun Nian."

She had never liked Sun Nian, who was as close as Ji Nanke, like sisters. Last time in the palace, Sun Nian even helped the eldest princess bully her younger cousin.

snort.

Xie Danling said indignantly, "The Duke of Cheng'en wants to marry Sun Nian to that ugly freak, the Prince of Jin's heir, but Sun Nian is unwilling."

Gu Zhizhu poured himself a glass of water and asked the waiter to serve the dishes.

“Cousin Xing, have you ever met Sun Nian before?” Gu Zhizhuo found it extremely interesting. “Tell me quickly, tell me what happened.”

Wang Xing glared at her.

"Never seen it before!" Wang Xing tapped his palm with his folding fan, the jade pendant on it swaying back and forth, making the cat's eyes widen in surprise.

He clarified, "When I first came to the capital, I saw the Duke of Cheng'en at Sanliting. It was the time when he fought with the Prince of Jin."

At the time, Wang Xing was engrossed in watching the fight, and he didn't pay attention to anything else.

"Not two days later, Cheng En Gong sent a visiting card to my door, asking if I was engaged, saying that he wanted to take me as his son-in-law."

"How unreliable." Gu Zhizhuo stroked his chin.

The Wang family is related to the Gu family by marriage. Regardless of whether Cousin Xing is engaged or not, the Duke of Chengen should not have chosen the Wang family as his son-in-law.

"And then what?"

Wang Xing cleared his throat and pointed to the empty teacup in front of him.

Gu Zhizhu pretended not to understand and leaned against Xie Yingchen like a willow swaying in the wind. Her weak appearance was obviously an act. But everyone fell for her act. Xie Danling picked up the teapot and slammed it down in front of him.

"drink!

Wang Xing: "..."

He obediently poured himself some tea and drank most of it in one gulp.

Xie Danling: "Speak!"

“Tell me,” Wang Xing said with a serious face. “I told Cheng En Gong that my family was already engaged, and then he left.”

Since his cousin Danling was still unmarried, Wang Xing naturally wouldn't go around telling people about the agreement between his family and his aunt. He could only vaguely say that she was engaged, without mentioning who she was engaged to.

It's normal for someone his age to be engaged.

Wang Xing snapped open his folding fan: "Grandfather and Aunt have agreed that unless Cousin Danling looks down on me."

Xie Danling looked at his brightly colored clothes with some disdain.

After the Duke of Chengen left, Wang Xing didn't take it to heart. Only later did he hear that the Duke of Chengen wanted to break off the engagement with the Prince of Jin's family. He was asking around the capital for any eligible young men who were not yet engaged, and he even almost wanted to send the Sun family's daughter to the Third Prince as his principal wife.

Then it seems like nothing happened again.

Then I heard that the two families had renegotiated the marriage arrangement.

"A few days ago, I ran into Miss Sun when I went out."

Wang Xing himself didn't understand what was going on.

With the imperial examinations approaching, Wang Xing, though not participating in the examinations, would go to places frequented by students to listen to their political discussions, usually just listening without interrupting.

As usual, he went to a teahouse, sat in a private room on the second floor, and listened while drinking tea.

After Wang Xing finished speaking, he added, "I didn't expect that Madam Chengen and Miss Sun would also be here. Madam Chengen said that since she captured me, I have to become her son-in-law."

"I've only ever heard of people catching their sons-in-law after the imperial examinations, I've never seen someone being caught while just having a nice cup of tea in a teahouse."

Wang Xing felt somewhat aggrieved.

The capital city is truly unique.

Gu Zhizhu laughed so hard he almost fell over. He figured that the Duchess of Cheng'en must be desperate and had come to the teahouse hoping to find a promising scholar to marry off her daughter to without the Duke's knowledge. She hadn't expected to see her cousin there.

Compared to students with uncertain futures, my cousin, the eldest son of the Wang family, is clearly a better choice.

"The Lady of Cheng'en said she would be willing to be his concubine, but I refused. The Wang family does not take concubines."

"Who knew that Miss Sun would come again early this morning, blocking the gate with her carriage and refusing to leave, so I slipped out through the side door."

Wang Xing would never believe that Sun Nian had fallen in love with him at first sight, but was merely trying to use the Wang family's name. In the entire capital, besides himself, there were very few who dared to compete with the Prince of Jin's heir for a marriage alliance.

But would I really want to wade into these muddy waters?

Since he had no intention of having any contact with the other party, Wang Xing was unwilling to have any contact with them.

After he came out, he walked around and happened to see Xie Danling there.

Xie Danling raised her long neck: "I will go find Duke Cheng'en to stand up for you!"

"etc."

Gu Zhizhuo pressed her hand down.

She instructed, "Qingmei, go back and call my brother here."

Huh?

"No need for my cousin to intervene." Xie Danling rolled up her sleeves and said sullenly, "Does the Duke of Cheng'en dare to lay a hand on me?"

"Go."

Gu Zhizhuo pulled Xie Danling aside and whispered to her for a while.

After sending Jiang Wu over, Gu Zhizhuo was just looking for an excuse to provoke Cheng En Gong and provoke him.

The waiter knocked on the door and brought out the food.

"Senior brother, could you draw a Five Thunder Exorcism Talisman for my cousin? He seems to be having some bad luck lately."

It's unusual that even the cat didn't hit him.

Cat: "Meow?"

She glanced at Wang Xing, but showed no interest in him.

"Senior brother."

Gu Zhizhuo beckoned to Qingping with his finger, leaned closer and said in a serious tone, "My cousin has money. You can sell him a talisman for a hundred taels, draw a hundred for him, and I guarantee you'll earn back all the money you've lost in this lifetime. That way you won't need to change your Taoist name, since we're already familiar with each other."

Qingping touched his mustache with his pinky finger and felt that it made perfect sense.

Wang Xing: "Could you two whisper a little quieter?"

Qingping took out a talisman and gave it to him.

"Take it."

“Wang Shanxin is very lucky; he doesn’t need a hundred; this one will suffice.”

Okay.

Wang Xing took it with both hands and happily put it into his purse.

"Thank you, Senior Brother!"

He went to pet the cat again, and the cat arched its back and slapped him.

Wang Xing laughed: "It works!"

He gave the cat a piece of fish belly as a reward.

By the time Gu Yican arrived, the meal was almost finished. Gu Zhizhuo specially had someone cook him a bowl of sweet fermented rice soup with glutinous rice balls. Gu Yican ate while listening to the whole story. After he finished, he threw the bowl on the table, rubbed his hands together, and said, "Leave it to me!"

"We'll take Master to Yongle Temple first, then we'll come find you later."

Gu Yican raised his hand, quickly walked to the window, braced himself on the windowsill with one hand, and before anyone could react, he had already flipped over, using the first-floor awning for leverage, and landed steadily on the ground.

"Chan Chan!"

Gu Zhizhuo gave him a thumbs up, then turned to Xie Yingchen and said, "See, it's okay if you jump down."

Xie Yingchen: "Then I'll jump too?"

Gu Zhizhuo: "...Don't even think about it!"

Gu Yican ran away in the blink of an eye.

After sending Wuweizi and Qingping to Yongleguan, Xie Yingchen secretly sent some people to protect them, lest the Prince of Jin, unwilling to give up, go and harass them.

After leaving Yongleguan, Chongjiu returned.

"Young master, the matter has been settled. After seeing Jiang Wu, Duke Cheng'en hurriedly went to the Honglu Temple. The Prince also went there just now."

The prince refers to Gu Yican.

"Let's go, let's go."

So the carriage turned and went to the Court of State Ceremonial.

They stopped to the side and just then saw Gu Yican dragging Chengen Gong out of the yamen.

A large crowd had gathered inside and outside, creating a lively atmosphere.

A simple sedan chair was parked opposite the yamen. It was borrowed by Gu Yican from the Ice Man Bureau. Simple as it was, at least the sedan chair was bright red, and there were about a dozen musicians accompanying it.

Cheng En Gong also had guards and attendants around him, but these people were no match for Gu Yican. They were knocked to the ground with just a few punches and kicks, screaming in pain.

Upon seeing his sister's carriage, Gu Yican waved ostentatiously and then excitedly shoved Chengen Gong into the bridal sedan chair.

"Raise the sedan chair."

All the people from the Honglu Temple came out to chase after them. They wanted to pull them back but dared not, wanted to stop them but dared not. Apart from the people from the Chengen Duke's Mansion who obediently followed behind, they could only try their best to make it look like they had done their best—they ran ten steps in a proper manner, and then sat down by the roadside, panting.

Wang Xing looked around and casually asked, "Where is Can Can taking this person?"

"Wedding ceremony."

Xie Yingchen raised an eyebrow at her.

Gu Zhizhu chuckled and counted on his fingers as he said, "As long as Xie Qiyun isn't married, Sun Nian is living in fear. When she's afraid, she'll look for a sucker, and that's how she got entangled with you. If Xie Qiyun gets married, Sun Nian won't need to get married, and the problem will be solved."

"Is this your reason for marrying her father to her fiancé?"

Gu Zhizhuo, holding the cat, said matter-of-factly, "Yes."

The cat: "Meow!" was even more self-righteous than her.

Wang Xing patted Xie Yingchen on the shoulder, about to say "You've worked hard," but seeing Xie Yingchen's gentle smile and the only person in his eyes, he immediately decided to save his breath.

"Follow them."

Gu Zhizhu waved his hand, and the carriage followed at a leisurely pace.

Two people and a cat were peering out the window.

The bridal sedan chair carrying the Duke of Chengen paraded through the streets and alleys, with the guards of the Duke of Chengen's mansion shouting and making a ruckus behind him. The noise attracted the attention of the patrolling Five City Garrison.

The team leader was Zheng Si. He was about to question what was going on when he saw Gu Yican walking lazily to the side. His expression changed, and he said with a smile, "Brother Can, what are you doing?"

"Sending off the bride."

Zheng Si peeked into the bridal sedan chair and saw that it was the Duke of Cheng'en. He was delighted.

"Whom shall I marry?"

"Xie Qiyun".

“That works.” Zheng Si waved his arm. “Men, let’s go too.”

Whether he's on duty or not, it doesn't stop him from joining in the fun.

Others might be wary of the Duke of Cheng'en, but he wasn't afraid. His mother was the late emperor's own daughter; unless she was plotting a rebellion, she would at most receive a few words of scolding. Besides, he also had his brother Can!

Zheng Si had his men borrow a gong and struck it hard.

Thump!

No matter how dissolute Zheng Si may be, being born into the Princess's household, he wouldn't be completely ignorant of court affairs. Nowadays, the court no longer has the division of the court into three factions; there are only the Crown Prince's side and the Emperor's side, which have reached the point where they are outwardly at odds but inwardly at odds.

Knock knock knock.

The gongs were banged loudly, and someone under their command specially bought two strings of firecrackers, which were set off with a crackling sound. They also exchanged a lot of copper coins, saying that they would throw lucky money into the fire.

"That kid's clever," Gu Yican praised. "Aren't you being transferred? Let him take your place."

Zheng Si: "Hurry up and thank Brother Can."

"Thank you, Brother Can."

"Brother Can, this is the sixth son of Minister Liu's family."

Along the way, there was music and shouts of "Let me down," "Gu Yican, don't do anything reckless," "I beg you," and "Your Majesty's brother-in-law, Your Majesty's brother-in-law."

Amidst the watchful eyes of those around him, Gu Yican escorted the person to the Prince of Jin's residence.

"Cancan".

Gu Zhizhuo quietly beckoned to Gu Yican, and when he came over, she gave him a talisman folded into a triangle.

"Burn it into ashes and smear it on the back of Xie Qiyun's hand when he's not looking."

Gu Yican raised an eyebrow, didn't ask any further questions, and happily agreed.

The common people picked up the lucky money and followed one after another, standing in front of the Prince of Jin's mansion, pointing and commenting.

Liu Liu was indeed clever; he even summoned a storyteller, who struck his gavel and recounted in a loud voice the rare story of the emperor's brother-in-law marrying the heir of the Prince of Jin. The people gasped in amazement, their faces filled with excitement.

Gu Yican dragged Xie Qiyun out from inside.

Zheng Si and the others laughed and shouted "Wedding Ceremony!" The villagers who had received the lucky money also joined in the fun and shouted along.

"stop."

Prince Jin rushed back from the government office, shouting angrily, "Prince Zhenbei, don't push your luck!"

"Gu Yican, you've already inherited the title, how can you still be so irresponsible?"

"Believe it or not, I'll impeach you right now."

Gu Yican patted off the talisman ash that had accidentally gotten on him and said casually with a smile, "I personally escorted the bride to your two families and you're still not satisfied? Sigh, it's hard to be a good person."

"Let's go."

Gu Yican waved his arm, and Zheng Si shouted as he followed.

The Prince of Jin supported his son, his eyes filled with hatred that seemed to want to tear his flesh apart.

"It was intentional."

The Duke of Cheng'en climbed out of the bridal sedan chair and said in a trembling voice.

Everyone knows he did it on purpose.

The Gu family is lawless and now, relying on Xie Yingchen's presence, they probably don't respect anyone in the entire capital.

"Yun'er, let's go back." Prince Jin helped his son up and was about to leave.

"Father, wait..."

Forehead?

Xie Qiyun said weakly, "Hand."

The Prince of Jin followed his gaze and looked at his hand.

One of his hands was severed, and the skin on the back of his hand and forearm had all peeled off, leaving only a bloody mess.

The Prince of Jin sought out renowned doctors and Taoist priests, but to no avail.

But now, a thin scab has formed on the back of his hand.

"alright?"

The Prince of Jin stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

He suddenly remembered what Gu Zhizhuo had said when he went to Taiqing Temple for the marriage: "If the Duke of Chengen marries into the family himself, the couple will live in harmony and everything will be auspicious. I guarantee the heir will live for another six months."

The Prince of Jin couldn't help but look at the Duke of Cheng'en.

The burning intensity in his gaze made Cheng'en Gong shiver for some reason.

A note from the author: