When Wei Qinglou heard that Zhu Jiayu had arrived so quickly, he felt a pang of jealousy and said, "I've never seen her this proactive before."
But he ultimately suppressed his bitterness. The jailer had already come to deliver a message that Rong Heng had committed suicide.
Rong Heng truly deserves to die. Wei Qinglou closed his eyes.
If he hadn't sent a servant from the Dali Temple to inform Chang Beiqiu's residence, how could Chang Beiqiu have suspected something was amiss before it happened and sent someone to invite the Crown Prince? Without his arrangement, the Crown Prince would never have harbored the idea of assassinating the emperor and seizing power.
On the surface, the late emperor's death was the result of Chang Beiqiu's scheming, but in reality, Rong Heng was the mastermind behind it all.
"Young Master, Miss Zhu has arrived." Shu Jian's words interrupted his thoughts.
His expression softened slightly, and he nodded, saying, "Please let her in."
Zhu Jiayu entered the hall with a smile, carrying a dark-colored long robe with mixed jewel patterns. She said to Wei Qinglou, "I've finished mending the clothes you asked me to. Let me make this clear: if you don't wear it, I won't touch a single thread for you in the future."
Wei Qinglou subconsciously felt a sense of foreboding.
He raised an eyebrow: "Why don't I take a look first?"
Zhu Jiayu took a step back: "You don't trust my skills? If you don't want it, fine, I can just throw it away or cut it up. Why do you have to inspect the goods before accepting my kindness? Who are you trying to insult?"
She was always so quick-witted. When it came to reasoning, Wei Qinglou could out-argue her, but afterwards, he was always the one who didn't fare well. So he simply stopped trying to reason with Zhu Jiayu, but when it came to twisting the truth, Zhu Jiayu still had the upper hand.
He frowned and had no choice but to honestly say, "That's not what I meant."
“If you want to inspect the goods, then I won’t give you this garment. If you accept it, you have to promise me that you will wear it often from now on. How about it?” Zhu Jiayu raised her head and gave her choice in a serious manner.
After thinking it over, Wei Qinglou nodded and said, "Alright, I'll wear it often from now on."
Zhu Jiayu then cheered up, placed the neatly folded long robe on his desk, and said, "You still have official business to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."
Wei Qinglou nodded: "When I have time, I will come to the Zhu family to pick you up and take you to Yuntan Mountain."
Many plum blossoms were planted on Yun Tan Mountain. Zhu Jiayu had mentioned casually that she wanted to go and see them before, but things got complicated and she almost forgot about it. However, she didn't expect Wei Qinglou to remember.
She smiled and said okay, then left the Ministry of Justice and turned onto Yong'an Street, where she saw Gu Jinshu.
She had arranged to go to Cuihuanzhai with Gu Jinshu today.
Last time she went there, Gu Jinshu spent a long time looking but couldn't find anything she liked. Just then, the shopkeeper said that a new batch of goods would be arriving today, so Gu Jinshu made an appointment with her to go again today.
The two arrived at Cuihuanzhai by carriage. Gu Jinshu took Zhu Jiayu's hand and started talking to her. She said that there was a young lady from a prominent family in the capital who had always looked down on her. Now that she was engaged, the man was not a remarkable person. He was just an ordinary person. Although he would not ruin the family business, he was not a person with a silver tongue either. As she was talking, she walked into the shop, but unexpectedly bumped into a man who came out of the shop.
She winced in pain, clutching her shoulder and taking a step back, only to see the person walk right past her. She stomped her foot and said, "You bumped into someone and you don't even apologize?!"
The man turned around, his indifferent eyes devoid of any emotion, and solemnly cupped his hands towards her: "In that case, it is this young lady who should apologize to me."
Gu Jinshu: ?
She turned to Zhu Jiayu and asked, "Did you hear what he said?"
Zhu Jiayu said, "He asked you to apologize."
Gu Jinshu found it utterly incomprehensible: "Didn't I see the road? Didn't you see the road either? You bumped into me, and instead of apologizing, you expect me to apologize to you? What kind of logic is that? It's unheard of!"
The man said, “Whether I saw the road or not, since you bumped into me, you should bear half the responsibility. Moreover, it is even more inappropriate for you to talk about others behind their backs. Have you not heard that benevolence is the most important virtue in life? If one desires benevolence, then benevolence will come.”
Gu Jinshu: ?
What is it?
Seeing her puzzled look, the young scholar bowed to her and said, "Since you are so ignorant of etiquette, it would be my fault to argue with you."
After saying this, he nodded and turned to leave.
Gu Jinshu stared at his figure in disbelief. Was she being mocked? Was she?
Zhu Jiayu tugged at her sleeve: "Forget it, you should be the one not arguing with him. Let's go."
Gu Jinshu nodded angrily and entered Cuihuanzhai with Zhu Jiayu.
The two went straight up to the third floor where the treasures were displayed. Gu Jinshu immediately took a liking to a new jewelry set made of gold filigree, inlaid with jade and rubies. She pulled Zhu Jiayu over, took out a hairpin from the jewelry set, and inserted it into Zhu Jiayu's temple. She nodded in satisfaction and said, "Not bad. A green leaf branch is slanted into the hair. It is always suitable for a beautiful woman to wear it."
Just as Zhu Jiayu was about to speak, another cool female voice rang out from the side: "I suppose this must be Miss Zhu? I had never met her before and thought that this legendary Miss Zhu must be some kind of celestial beauty. Now I know what it means to be unworthy of one's reputation. I have learned something new."
Zhu Jiayu looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the woman speaking was wearing a red dress, which made her eyes look like spring water and her face radiant. In such a weather, it was a rare sight to see such a vibrant color.
She smiled, but Gu Jinshu's face darkened: "She can't be considered a beauty, but you are? Besides, it's a time of great mourning, so who gave you permission to wear red?"
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