Chapter 101 Chapter 101 is the only genuine version...
In her previous life, the young master always said that she was too impatient. No matter what she did, she wanted to see the results immediately and could not wait for more than three or two days.
The young master was completely different from her. He would spend months, even a year or two, slowly planning his strategy, but his first move was often lightning-fast. Therefore, Gu Zhizhuo never asked what he was planning; if she knew, she would lose her patience.
Now too!
As soon as he heard that there was something exciting to see in the capital, Gu Zhizhuo couldn't wait, but he was still forced to wait for two more days before they left the camp and returned to the capital.
Gu Zhizhuo sat in Xie Yingchen's carriage and let the jade lion follow behind the carriage, walking at a leisurely pace.
After entering the capital, Xie Yingchen did not send her back to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, but went straight to the Xiang Opera House.
"Watching a play?"
"Watching a show."
Xie Yingchen said gently, "We only saw half of the show last time."
That’s true!
The Xiang Opera House didn't start until after noon, so it was still early, but quite a few theatergoers were already seated in the first-floor lobby, excitedly discussing the upcoming new play. The waiter recognized Gu Zhizhuo immediately and greeted her with a smile, "Hello, young lady. Please come this way."
He led the guests in front and took them up to the second floor.
They walked along the corridor until they reached the box in the middle. This box was different from the one they sat in last time. It had a better view and they could see the entire stage from the front.
Moreover, Gu Zhizhuo had been here before.
Looking at Sheng Jiang standing in front of the box, Gu Zhizhuo greeted him happily.
The waiter retreated respectfully.
Sheng Jiang stood straight, knocked twice on the partition door, and said, "Master, the person has arrived."
Then he opened the partition door and said expressionlessly, "Please."
Behind the door was a pearl curtain. Each pearl was round and the size of a thumb. Hundreds of pearls of exactly the same size and color were strung together to form the curtain. The extravagance was so extravagant that she was dumbfounded.
They lifted the curtain and walked in, and the partition door closed behind them.
A huge glazed screen blocked the Eight Immortals Table behind it. The pattern on the screen was exceptionally gorgeous, as if it had been painted by a Western craftsman. She had seen similar ones in Minzhou, but they were only table-sized.
Meow!
The soft and sticky sound of a cat's meow was heard.
Chen Mao squatted on the Eight Immortals table and greeted her, then glared at Xie Yingchen with a fierce look and said "ha" twice. After the intimidation, he acted softly and coquettishly towards Gu Zhizhuo, rolling on the Eight Immortals table, exposing his belly. When he saw Xie Yingchen approaching, he quickly rolled over and climbed up, arching his back and his ears flying back.
Very busy.
Chen Xu leaned against the armrest of the armchair, his arm resting on a large pillow. He was wearing a red dress without a single wrinkle, and was as dazzling as fire.
In the corner of the box, the incense burner was curling, emitting a faint sweet scent.
Gu Zhizhuo walked over on the snow-white soft fur mat, stroked the cat's head, and bowed in greeting: "Master."
Shen Xu stared at the footprints she left behind with irritation and displeasure.
Gu Zhizhuo said skillfully, "I just came back from the military camp, so there's mud on my shoes. That's normal, right?"
Shen Xu didn't want to pay any attention to her.
Gu Zhizhuo sat down on the armchair with a smile, and stroked the cat that came over to act coquettishly. Its collar had been changed again. This time, the collar was inlaid with a huge ruby, which looked very expensive.
"I made you a new collar. Come play with me next time you come."
"Meow~"
Xie Yingchen nodded slightly to him as a greeting, and sat down next to her. The cat stood up suddenly, swung its unicorn tail in his face, and moved away from him.
Gu Zhizhuo chuckled softly, holding his chin with his hand and said, "Young Master, you are no longer unlucky now. It doesn't like you, how pitiful."
She smiled with her eyebrows curved and her eyes sparkling.
"This pearl exquisite bun is good, you should try it."
The eight-immortals table was filled with snacks. Xie Yingchen picked up a small bun, placed it on a plate, and brought it to her. The bun was small and round like a pearl. Gu Zhizhuo took a bite and found it was filled with jujube paste. Delicious! Dim sum often used walnuts in jujube paste, but she didn't like the taste of walnuts and rarely ate jujube paste. This bun didn't have walnuts in it, but instead had some flower petals, which made it sweet and fragrant.
“This one’s not bad either.”
Xie Yingchen picked up another crystal clear steamed dumpling and said, "It's the way it's done in Minzhou."
"Young Master, eat too!"
"Sir, you can't drink wine or tea. Do you have any fruit juice?" she asked.
Veins popped up on Chen Xu's forehead. He said "No" impatiently and ignored them. He leaned against the window and looked out, thinking out of sight, out of mind.
"Master, your wine..."
Shen Xu’s tone was restrained and he said, “Drink if you want.”
Gu Zhizhuo suppressed his laughter, tugged at Xie Yingchen's sleeve, and raised his eyes to signal him to look.
Chen Mao used his claws to dig out the wine glass, and while doing so he secretly glanced at Chen Xu. Seeing that he was not paying attention to him, his whiskers stood up in excitement, and he put half of his claws into the wine glass, getting it covered with wine.
It raised its paw and sniffed it, then stuck out its little red tongue and licked it. Its golden cat eyes suddenly widened.
Bah! Bah! Bah!
It slapped the wine glass away.
The wine glass rolled on the eight-immortals table and fell to the ground. The amber wine spilled out, leaving a large stain on the snow-white carpet. The cold wine splashed on Shen Xu's ankle, causing him to look back. When he looked back, his eyebrows twitched and his beautiful face was full of forbearance.
Gu Zhizhuo skillfully distanced himself from the matter: "I was just about to remind you."
"Cat, come here!"
His voice was as cold as a knife.
Cats are animals that never think they are wrong. When they heard him calling them, they happily walked over, rubbed their soft heads against him happily, and patted his cheeks with their paws that were still wet with wine.
Chen Xu's fingers were curled tightly, as if he was restraining some impulse.
Even though he was so angry, he still hadn't thrown it away. The cat is still quite powerful. Gu Zhizhuo thought happily until Xie Yingchen reminded him, "Here it comes."
Coming? Who's coming?
Gu Zhizhuo turned his head to look out the window, and saw Gong Hai dismounting with a gloomy face.
The window was only half open, so he wouldn't be discovered unless he deliberately stuck his head out. Staring at Gong Hai, Gu Zhizhuo finally remembered the purpose of his trip.
The waiter came out and greeted loudly: "Master Gong, please come in."
His attitude was as enthusiastic as before, but the words "Mr. Gong" still made the lobby quiet.
Normally, the court's appointments and dismissals would not be announced to the public in a dignified manner. However, this time, after Gong Hai was suspended from his post, the news spread throughout the streets and alleys in a short period of time.
But Gong Hai's name has become very famous recently.
"Didn't you say you were suspended? Why are you still here to watch the show?"
"Even if he's suspended, he's still a big boss. He's been drawing salary for so many years, so how could he be short of money?"
"You're not here for Sese, are you? I heard that Sese has been accompanying the princess these past two days. Oh, I lost a tael of silver."
The odds have been open for quite a while, and the bet is "who will Sese be with today". Gong Hai has more wins, but the odds of the princess are higher. You can always bet on one or two out of ten times, and the principal can be increased by at least ten times.
Gong Hai ignored the constant chatter around him and went upstairs with a cold face. After sitting down in the reserved private room, he asked in a cold voice, "Where is Sese?"
"Master Gong, Sese still has to go on stage today."
The waiter was as enthusiastic as ever, but Gong Hai could clearly feel that he was not as attentive to him as before.
"Go call Sese."
Gong Hai said expressionlessly, "Even if I were down and out, it would be easy for me to demolish this shabby theater of yours."
"Look at what you said." The waiter lowered his head and served him tea, saying attentively, "I will ask the troupe owner to let Sese finish this play before she comes to accompany you."
Gong Hai sneered: "Did the eldest princess order it?"
The waiter smiled but said nothing.
How could Gong Hai not see through this perfunctory attitude? His face was so gloomy as if a violent storm was about to hit him.
He held the wine cup, his arm muscles tensed.
"Master Gong, I'll go down first..."
Bang!
A silver ingot was thrown onto the Eight Immortals Table.
"Thank you, Mr. Gong, for the reward." The waiter shouted, and after taking the silver, his smile became a little warmer.
He looked around cautiously and whispered, "The eldest princess has ordered the squad leader not to allow Sese to serve you anymore."
"When did it happen?"
"The day before yesterday."
The day before yesterday, when he had just been suspended from his job.
"The news of your suspension was also spread by the eldest princess..."
Click!
The wine cup was crushed in his hand and the broken porcelain pierced his fingers.
"Will the eldest princess come today?"
"I don't know about this little one..."
The waiter's words traveled along a thin brass pipe to the next room, so clear that they seemed to be right next to him.
Gu Zhizhuo could hear not only the voices, but also the sound of Gong Hai crushing the wine cup clearly.
Gu Zhizhuo had come here to watch a few plays before. She always thought that the sound insulation of the box was very good. As long as the partition door was closed tightly, even the sound of the gong on the stage could be blocked out. She didn't expect that there would be such a mechanism.
Shen Xu simply turned a copper pipe on the wall, and everything that happened next door was transmitted over, and it was a one-way process.
She asked, "Whose is Sese?"
Sese is the Qingyi that Gong Hai and Princess Zhaoyang are fighting over.
"King of Jin." It was Xie Yingchen who answered.
"Ah?" Gu Zhizhuo said in surprise, "I thought..."
Xiang Opera House belongs to the East Factory, and she thought that even the people in the opera troupe were all from the East Factory.
Chen Xu, looking unhappy, picked up the meat from the fish's belly and put it on a small golden plate and pushed it to the cat.
"Meow~"
The cat was very cute, burying its little head in the small plate and eating happily.
Chen Xu raised his eyelids and said coldly: "The East Factory does not need to serve people with beauty."
Xie Yingchen smiled faintly and said, "Prince Jin is a man who is used to speculation."
From a small member of the royal family to his current position, Prince Jin took every step steadily and steadily without making any mistakes.
"Many people in the court have people buried by the King of Jin, especially concubines and dancers. Every year, the King of Jin sends a few skinny horses to each mansion."
"Send a horse?"
Gu Zhizhuo tilted his head, his eyes were extremely clear.
Xie Yingchen cleared his throat and said, "Beauty."
Oh! I see.
Those who casually take in beauties deserve to be labeled as spies.
"Prince Jin originally just wanted to send Sese to Princess Zhaoyang, but who would have thought Gong Hai would also take a fancy to her."
Xie Yingchen tried to keep it simple, as he really didn't want to pollute her ears with these dirty things.
In the eyes of King Jin, it was a pleasant surprise that one chess piece could hold two people captive. The actor was just a slave that he had raised at a great price, so it didn't matter who got him.
The gong sounded and the show began.
Gu Zhizhuo took out the compass and started playing with it.
"Lucun enters the Palace of Life. Gong Hai is destined to be a successful official, wealthy, and prosperous, even now!"
Gu Zhizhuo had calculated Gong Hai's fortune several times and always came to the same conclusion. Even after he was suspended, there was no change in his fate palace.
If it were like in his previous life, Gong Hai would indeed continue to be prosperous. He would surrender to Xie Jing and hand over the three major camps in the capital to Xie Jing.
Shen Xu suddenly asked, "Do you believe in fate?"
"I don't believe it."
Shen Xu sneered, as if to say: Lie.
Gu Zhizhuo: "I'd be lying to you if I were a puppy."
Xie Yingchen pushed the peeled pine nuts to her: "Eat slowly, I'll peel them for you."
Chen Xu: “…”
He's crazy to cooperate with them!
Gu Zhizhuo ate pine nuts, leaned against the lattice window, and listened to the singing below.
Qingyi had an excellent figure and swung her sleeves gracefully. Her head was slightly tilted, revealing half of her beautiful face. She looked around with alluring charm.
After the first act, amidst a burst of applause, a voice came from the next box: "Sese! Come here."
Qingyi lowered his sleeves, his eyelids drooping, a sense of desolation on his body as he slowly walked down from the stage. His steps were extremely slow, as if he was very unwilling to do so, and he slowly walked up the stairs.
Anyone watching could sense that he was forced to do so, but had to obey.
Many people followed him to the second floor and stopped in front of a private room. Then, a pair of hands dragged him in.
"ah--"
The partition door blocked the exclamations that overflowed.
No matter how popular an actor is, he is still just an actor, and actors are just lowly people.
The hall was silent for a moment, then some rustling sounds were heard again: "I heard that the eldest princess has been coming here every day these past two days."
"The eldest princess said yesterday that Sese is hers."
"Perhaps the princess and her husband have agreed to give each of them one day, so we ordinary people should not interfere."
“…”
The whispers became intermittent, and soon the gong sounded again. Amid the melodious sounds of stringed instruments, the second act of the play began.
This play consists of four acts. The soft and graceful voice of the Huadan quickly makes the audience indulge in it and forget everything else.
"Is Gong Hai here?!"
A sharp female voice suddenly rang out, and the second act was barely halfway through.
The audience was startled and all looked outside subconsciously. The eldest princess Zhaoyang stepped over the threshold with a menacing look, her voice so arrogant and overbearing that it was annoying.
Zhaoyang's black hair was tied up in a bun, her delicate red lips were arrogant and domineering, and a dozen guards were guarding her behind her.
We were just talking about the eldest princess when she arrived. Everyone looked at each other in surprise, and some people subconsciously looked at the second floor.
"Princess."
The shopkeeper went to greet him personally.
Zhaoyang was a frequent visitor and never concealed her identity as a princess, so she naturally did not shy away from addressing him.
"How many scenes did Sese perform today?" Zhaoyang raised his chin slightly and asked in a cold voice.
"One percent off." The shopkeeper rubbed his hands.
"Where are the people?"
"Master Gong called him away."
Zhaoyang gritted his teeth.
Sese asked the little girl who did odd jobs in the troupe to come to her for help, and only then did she realize that Gong Hai still hadn't given up.
In the past, she had no choice but to give up Sese to Gong Hai because he held military power and was a close confidant and favorite of her father. But now, Gong Hai had been suspended from his post. How could an old man without an official position and disdained by her father actually want to compete with her for her position?!
Her voice became even colder: "It seems that you didn't take what I said to heart."
"Princess, how could that be possible? We can't afford to offend Master Gong..."
“Smashed it!”
She gave the order coldly, and the guards immediately rushed forward, flipping the table.
"Ouch, stop smashing it, stop smashing it!"
The shopkeeper and the waiters wanted to stop them but didn't dare to, and were very anxious.
The music stopped and the actors stood on the stage at a loss.
"Don't let them leave. Everyone, open your eyes and see this for yourself. Gong Hai is useless. He can't turn things around! If anyone dares to go against me for this awful master in the future, don't blame me for being rude!"
Bang!
The partition door of a private room on the second floor was kicked open from the inside, and Gong Hai walked out with a gloomy face. Sese, who was still wearing heavy makeup and a costume, stood beside him.
Princess Zhaoyang looked up, and from her perspective she could only see Sese with her eyes lowered. The makeup at the corners of her eyes was smudged, as if soaked with tears.
Gong Haiyin smiled sideways and said, "The eldest princess is in a good mood."
"Princess, please don't forget that I am your future consort. I have only been suspended from my duties. The Emperor has not said anything about canceling the engagement."
Gong Hai looked at Zhao Yang below with a sinister gaze, sneering repeatedly: "You are a retired, despised 'old man', and yet the Emperor still appointed you as his consort. Tell me, who do you think you are?"
Zhaoyang: “You!”
"The horoscope has changed."
Gu Zhizhuo stared at the corridor outside with interest, and the corner of his eye fell on her compass.
Gong Hai's fate has changed.
"The Li hexagram enters the northwest, which means death."
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