Chapter 114 Chapter 114 is the only genuine version...
"Grandma, Grandma, you hit it!"
Gu Zhiwei clapped his hands enthusiastically and cheered, "You're amazing!"
Her red face was full of excitement.
Really? The recoil of the crossbow sent the lady back half a step, her forearm aching. She looked over expectantly. Two of the ten iron arrows had hit the target, the others scattered around it.
“Only two hits.”
"The first time I touched a bow, I couldn't even hit the target." Gu Zhiwei was four years old at the time. She held onto the old lady's arm and smiled sweetly, "Grandma can hit two arrows at once."
Gu Yican raised his thumb and praised generously: "This is a target at 300 steps! Grandma, do you know General Lin? He is the old General Lin from the Yongning Marquis Mansion. He is only two years older than you, but now he can even miss the target at 100 steps." One out of ten arrows missed the target.
As for Old Lin, of course she remembered that Madam Lin Wan Ning was her best friend who grew up with her.
Wan Ning loved to compete with her since she was little, comparing pearls, head ornaments, jewelry, children, and grandchildren... Unexpectedly, when she was old, she won again. The lady was very happy and decided to invite Wan Ning tomorrow to show off to her.
With my archery skills, I might even be able to become a female general.
The lady was very easy to coax. She was immediately flattered and lost herself in the praise, with her eyes curved in joy.
"ah!!"
Gu Yan sat on the ground for a long time. Seeing that no one paid attention to him, he suddenly screamed and kicked the ground with his feet.
The piercing sound made my ears buzz.
The lady finally remembered him and said hurriedly, "Hey, help Yan'er up quickly."
She was old, and until things were fully confirmed, both Gu Baibai and Gu Liaoliao were determined to keep them from her. The boys in the mansion were all raised in the outer courtyard, so even though Gu Yan had rarely come to pay his respects to her recently, the Madam didn't take it too seriously. After all, when Gu Yican was young, he was often imprisoned in the military camp, and disappearing for a month or two was normal.
Gu Yan shook off the maid who came to help him, lay on the ground, and glared at everyone in frustration.
He bit his lower lip tightly, and the disgust revealed in his body made Gu Zhizhuo frown.
Gu Zhizhuo had no intention of deliberately taking revenge on a child. Even if he restricted Gu Yan's movements and did not allow him to go out, he only locked him up to attend classes. Gu Baibai even asked the teacher to include "The Book of Filial Piety" in the lectures in advance, and asked him to write big characters a hundred times every day to hone his character.
It seems that it is useless.
Gu Yan screamed, "My mother is sick. Did you hear that? My mother is sick."
Gu Zhizhuo took the crossbow from the Madam's hand, pointed it at him, and said with a vicious smile, "Shut up."
Gu Yan had always been afraid of her, and he was immediately frightened into silence, shrinking his neck.
Ji Nan Ke, who had chased into the training ground, happened to see this scene.
She rushed over and hugged him, glaring at Gu Zhizhuo: "He's still a child!"
"Oh. He's a child. What about you? You're not a child anymore, are you?" Gu Zhizhuo moved the crossbow towards her, the sharp arrow flashing dangerously in the sunlight. "If you have something to say, just say it. Don't be so long-winded."
This was a naked threat. Ji Nanke forced herself not to dodge, her voice trembling as she said, "My aunt is ill, very ill. Yan Ge'er is worried about his mother. It's not worth it for you, young lady, to resort to violence."
Gu Zhizhuo said casually: "If you are sick, go get a doctor."
"Brother," she turned around and said to Gu Yican, "Do you want to try 350 steps again?"
She only paid a little attention to Ji Nanke: "Is there anything else?"
Ji Nanke stared at her straight.
Perhaps because of the summer weather, her skin color was slightly darker, far from being as fair and tender as Ji Nan Ke's, and completely different from the noble ladies in the capital, but that kind of wild and vibrant beauty could still easily attract the attention of people around her.
Ji Nan Ke recalled the first time she came to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion with Ji. It was the family recognition banquet on the second day after Ji's wedding. The six-year-old Gu Zhizhuo wore a bright red kesi flower and bird skirt and a gold necklace with two phoenixes holding pearls inlaid with rubies. She was like the moon surrounded by stars. Everyone surrounded her, and even her aunt, the bride, had to please her.
He couldn't help but look at her twice more, and as a result, Gu Zhizhuo grabbed the gold collar.
"I won't give it to you!"
Gu Zhizhuo pouted as she uttered these three words, as if she was going to steal her gold collar. Suddenly, all eyes in the hall were on her, making her feel utterly ashamed.
This was the first time she felt like a dependent, as if she was inherently inferior just by standing there.
From that time on, Ji Nanke decided that she would definitely stand higher than Gu Zhizhuo.
Ji Nanke clenched his fists.
Over the past six years, the Lady Dowager has liked her, Xie Jing fell in love with her at first sight, and she has been as dazzling as a pearl in the capital.
When others mentioned the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, they thought of her, Ji Nan Ke, instead of Gu Zhizhuo.
She did it.
However, overnight, everything returned to normal.
This time, she finally persuaded Ji.
If this was a gamble, she had already placed all her chips on Ji and could not afford to lose.
Ji Nan Ke calmed down and said to the lady, "My aunt's body is covered with rashes and she has a high fever. Yan Ge'er is so worried that he came to you for help. You are Yan Ge'er's grandmother and the only person he can rely on."
"Rash?"
The lady blurted out in astonishment, "Isn't it an epidemic?"
Sure enough, when they mentioned rashes and high fevers, they all thought of epidemics. Ji Nanke suppressed the corners of her mouth and said worriedly, "The doctor also said it might be an epidemic."
It really is an epidemic! The lady gasped.
That would be a disaster, and if you're not careful you could get the whole house into trouble.
When the lady was at her parents' home, she had a little maid. Her whole village was infected with an epidemic and most of the people in the village died. The little maid said that when they died, all the flesh on their bodies had rotted away.
The lady had always been timid, and the more she thought about it, the more frightened she became.
He pulled his granddaughter beside him and took several steps back, fearing that Ji Nan Ke was also infected with the epidemic.
Their Xu Ge'er was still too young, so they couldn't take it lightly. She asked cautiously, "Did the doctor really say that?"
"yes."
Ji Nanke showed appropriate anxiety: "My aunt developed a rash three days ago. At first I thought it was caused by internal heat, so I didn't alert the family."
Ji Shi was allergic to peaches, and soon after she ate them, she developed a rash and unbearable itching. Ji Nan Ke deliberately waited three more days, allowing her to eat peaches three times in a row, before calling a doctor.
Doctor Fang had been treating Ji. When Ji was still the wife of the Duke, he would come to check Ji's pulse every ten days and was familiar with her.
So, after Ji Nan Ke gave a handful of golden melon seeds, Doctor Fang said that Ji had contracted an epidemic.
Ji's body was covered with dense red rashes and had a low fever. No matter who examined him, they could not find any clues.
Ji Nanke's eyes were filled with tears as she choked out her words, "Doctor Fang said that Auntie is very ill. She has a very severe rash. Aunt Wan has it too."
"Can you surpass others?" the lady said nervously, "That won't do."
Ji Nanke thought to himself: The Gu family is the most hypocritical. As long as they think that my aunt has contracted the plague, they will definitely not keep them in the house anymore.
Everything was just as she thought.
Gu Yan wiped his face with his sleeve and cried, "It's because you didn't let me see my mother that she became so seriously ill. Grandma, please send someone to call the imperial physician for my mother."
"Your aunt is a concubine, and I cannot be called an imperial physician." The lady shook her head and said, "There are many good doctors in the capital."
"I can ask the Emperor..."
"Yan'er, don't be willful." Ji Nanke raised her voice and hugged him to comfort him, "Let's listen to the Madam. Your newborn cousin is the most important person in the mansion, and the Madam must be thinking about him even more. Let's not make things difficult for her."
Gu Zhizhuo curled the corners of his mouth, understanding what she meant.
She wanted to take Ji to Zhuangzi.
Ji Nanke spent a lot of money to buy the last marriage talisman from Chen Xiazi, so he must have known the function of the marriage talisman. Ji Shi is now trapped in the mansion, so it is indeed not very convenient to use this talisman.
I have to leave the house.
Of course Gu Zhizhuo had to satisfy her.
However, she is always like this. She never takes the initiative to say what she wants, but instead instigates others to speak first. She is always the extraordinary one.
Gu Zhizhuo refused to indulge her. Before the Madam could speak, he said, "Since this is an epidemic, we should move it to the small courtyard in the north and invite a few doctors who are experts in epidemics to come and guard it. Fourth brother, what do you say?"
Gu Yan was flattered by her amiable expression and responded subconsciously, "Okay."
"no."
Ji Nanke spoke at the same time as him.
Gu Yan's eyes widened. It was clearly Cousin Ke who said that the eldest sister was going to kick Mother out of the house, and asked him to come here to make trouble. Now the eldest sister has already agreed to let Mother recuperate in the house, why not?
Ji Nanke pulled Gu Yan to stop him from talking nonsense.
"My aunt is sick with an epidemic. If she stays in the mansion, she will infect others. The Third Madam has just come out of confinement and is at her weakest, as is Xu'er."
Ji Nan Ke wanted the lady to take the initiative to send them to the farm, so that she could also force them to agree to some conditions.
Seeing that Gu Zhizhuo was hesitant to respond, she could only grit her teeth and take the initiative to say, "I want to take my aunt to live on the farm. I'll come back after my aunt recovers from the epidemic."
"You want to go to Zhuangzi?"
"right."
"Please beg me." Gu Zhizhuo held his cheeks with his palms and smiled like a flower.
"you!"
Ji Nan Ke stared at her intently, biting her lower lip tightly with her pearly teeth, and a faint smell of blood lingered between her teeth.
She subconsciously looked at the old lady, and saw that her eyes were blank and she didn't know what she was struggling with.
Gu Zhizhuo turned hostile immediately: "Come here, clean up the small courtyard for them."
"Wait." Ji Nanke took a step forward and took a deep breath. "Please, I beg you. Please let my aunt and I stay at the manor for a while."
These few words made her almost cry.
"That's right." Gu Zhizhuo patted her cheek with his palm. "Madam Zhu, take her to sign and seal the agreement. Make it clear that it is she who wants to take Ji Shi away from the mansion, not us who will kick her out just because she is sick."
Gu Zhizhuo stared at him meaningfully: "In order to avoid confusion later. Gu Yan, what about you? Do you want to go?"
Gu Yan was about to say he wanted to go, but Gu Zhizhuo suddenly changed the subject, "If you get the plague, you'll die."
"I……"
Gu Yan thought of the dense rash 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 with just a few words.
Gu Zhizhuo: "After signing the agreement, arrange a carriage for Concubine Ji and the others, and send four maids to accompany the carriage. Also, give Doctor Fang some silver and let him go as well."
Nanny Zhu looked at the Madam Dowager. Seeing that she had no objection, she bowed and agreed. She said to Ji Nanke expressionlessly, "Miss Ji, please."
The result was exactly as Ji Nanke wished. This feeling of being dominated made Ji Nanke feel uncomfortable and stuffy in his chest.
She followed Nanny Zhu downstairs. Gu Yan sat there at a loss. Gu Zhizhuo instigated him with interest, "Did Ji Nanke ask you to come?
Gu Yan nodded.
"Have you ever thought about why she asked you to come?" Gu Zhizhuo sighed softly, "When you go back, think about it carefully. How could you be so stupid when you're already such a grown-up?"
"Qiong Fang, send the Fourth Young Master back."
Qiongfang responded, pulled Gu Yan up, and walked away holding his hand.
Gu Yan looked confused and followed Qiong Fang without making any noise.
The lady was very unhappy. As soon as the man left, she said unreasonably, "Why did you get sick on the day you proposed marriage? You really don't know how to read people's expressions."
Ji had developed a rash three days earlier, and even Zhuo's proposal had been disrupted. The Madam felt uneasy no matter how she thought about it.
It’s too unlucky. I need to buy some mugwort leaves to drive away the bad luck.
Bang!
Gu Zhizhuo clapped his hands twice. "Keep going. Keep going. Three hundred and fifty steps."
The lady's attention was drawn back.
The entire training ground is four hundred steps in total, and the target is three hundred and fifty steps away at the edge of the training ground.
In the past, when testing bows and crossbows, we never used targets so far away.
Not to mention the Madam, even Gu Zhizhuo himself was so nervous that his palms were sweating.
Once the target was set, Gu Zhizhuo raised his gun above his shoulder and pulled the trigger. Ten iron arrows were fired simultaneously, but this time, they all fell to the ground before they even touched the target.
"The range should be between 300 and 330 steps." Gu Yican touched his chin. "Most handheld crossbows nowadays only have a range of 200 steps. 300 steps is pretty good."
He was very satisfied.
For weapons, even an extra ten steps in range can determine victory or defeat at a critical moment.
Gu Yican rubbed his hands together and said, "It's my turn! I'll try the burst shot."
For fear that the flying iron arrows would injure his sisters after the explosion, Gu Yican personally tested the continuous firing of each crossbow.
He signaled to adjust the target to three hundred steps and asked Gu Zhizhuo and the others to move further away.
"Grandma, be careful! The crossbow might explode."
Gu Zhiwei blocked the old lady behind him, and his serious attitude made the old lady even more nervous.
"Will it explode?"
"Yes, yes! It exploded when my elder sister and second sister tried it last time." Gu Zhiwei gestured exaggeratedly, "The iron arrow flew quite far."
Bang!
Gu Yican pulled the trigger.
The lady stared intently, muttering over and over again: "Don't blow it up, don't blow it up!"
Her voice was soon completely drowned out by the sound of the iron arrow breaking through the air.
Bang bang bang!
Until the hundredth strike, everyone's heart was in high tension.
When Nanny Zhu came back with the signed document, she didn't even dare to breathe.
One hundred and twenty strikes.
The crossbow did not explode.
Gu Yican used up all the iron arrows in one breath. The target opposite him was riddled with holes, but the crossbow in his hand was still intact.
Gu Yican smiled, raising his crossbow and joyfully waving it vigorously towards his sister under the canopy. Gu Zhizhuo excitedly rushed over and hugged him, their two similar phoenix eyes shining brightly, like stars.
“Come here quickly!”
Gu Zhizhuo jumped and danced, hugged his shoulders, and waved to his two sisters. Gu Zhiwei giggled and pulled Gu Zhijiao over, throwing themselves into the arms of their brothers and sisters.
"Grandma, you come too."
"No, no, no." The lady stepped back. "I'm not going crazy with you!"
"Come on, come on."
"Ouch, stop it."
The cheers and loud laughter filled the training grounds, and even Ji Nan Ke, who had signed the document and walked out, could hear them clearly.
She closed her eyes, turned a deaf ear, and walked quickly towards Ji's yard.
Ji was lying on the couch, the rash on his body itchy and uncomfortable. Seeing her come back, he hurriedly asked through the bed curtain: "How is it?"
Ji Nanke didn't want to let Ji know about her embarrassment, so she said confidently, "We'll leave the house soon."
Ji heaved a sigh of relief: "Then Yan'er..."
"Yang'er won't go with us." Ji Nan Ke didn't want her to ask any more questions, so she said directly, "As long as you can enter the palace, it won't be difficult to take Yan'er away. If that doesn't work out, what good will it do if Yan'er follows us? He's still a bastard after all."
"Aunt. You and Yan'er's life, wealth, and glory are at stake here. Do you understand?"
Ji pulled back the bed curtain, revealing a face that was too painful to look at.
Her face was covered in rashes, some of which had even begun to ulcerate and ooze pus.
Without makeup to cover it up, even the burn marks looked even more hideous due to the redness of her skin. Ji Nan Ke tried hard not to show any disgust on her face.
It's okay, it's okay! With the marriage talisman, Liu Ling can even look down on that old blind man. The emperor shouldn't care about the rash on my aunt's face, right?
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