Chapter 133 Chapter 133 is the only genuine version...
The carriage moved smoothly.
Shen Xu suddenly slapped the coffee table.
His force was quite strong and he overturned the coffee table. Gu Zhizhuo was prepared and grabbed the compass, causing the abacus to scatter to the ground.
Shen Mao jumped up, pressed one with one claw, and let out a proud "meow".
This set of abacus chips is made of polished peach wood, and feels very good to chew. Shen Mao chews them with a "crunching" sound.
Shen Xu filled the glass with wine and drank it all in one gulp.
Then, he flicked his sleeves, and his wide open sleeves covered the seat, his eyes were gloomy and terrifying.
Sheng Jiang shrank back and shuddered, and saw that Gu Zhizhuo was still calm and composed, which made him admire him deeply.
Gu Zhizhuo calmly leaned over to pick up a counting stick and said, "Kan represents water, and Feng represents mountain."
She spun the compass in her hand, gazing at the direction indicated by the Tianchi needle. She said, "This is the Kun hexagram. Using the compass to interpret it, it means she was severely constrained, trapped and dying in a desperate situation while seeking revenge."
"Eventually, his soul will be destroyed and he will die."
When talking about "the soul is completely destroyed", Gu Zhizhuo hesitated slightly.
Even if ordinary people die, they should be reincarnated again, and it is impossible for their souls to be completely destroyed. But the hexagram shows this.
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Shen Xu crushed the wine glass, and the broken porcelain pieces pierced his palm.
He seemed unaware and held the porcelain shard tightly. Blood dripped down from the cracks in his palm and spread on the bamboo mat.
"master."
Sheng Jiang was startled. His heart was pounding. He signaled the driver to drive more steadily, tiptoed into the carriage, knelt beside Shen Xu, and then carefully opened his palm and picked out the porcelain pieces stuck in his palm one by one.
Gu Zhizhuo sighed secretly.
She placed the compass on her knees and said comfortingly, "From the hexagram, it seems that even in difficult circumstances, she is struggling to survive. She is still alive."
Gu Zhizhuo emphasized again: "She is alive, and her death has not yet come."
Chen Xu said nothing, his eyelids drooped, his peach blossom eyes lost some of their brilliance, and were filled with a thick gloom.
Sheng Jiang bandaged his hands silently and sat in the corner of the carriage again.
The carriage was very large, and even though it accommodated three people and a cat, it didn't feel crowded at all.
After a long while, Chen Xu spoke: "Eastward, do you mean, eastward of Yongzhou?"
Gu Zhizhuo put the compass back into his sleeve pocket: "Yes."
"The capital is east of Yongzhou." Shen Xu laughed deeply, his gentle voice tinged with venom. "If my sister were still alive, she would definitely be in the capital now."
Because after he escaped from that sea of blood, he also came to the capital for revenge.
Gu Zhizhuo didn't know why he was so sure.
Maybe it’s the tacit understanding between siblings?
She did not refute. The hexagram only showed Edom. If the person was really in the capital, the scope would be narrowed down a lot.
Shen Xu picked up a counting chip and handed it back to her.
A faint smile appeared on his lips, but the smile did not reach his eyes: "A place of brothel, a brothel?"
Gu Zhizhuo pondered, "Singers, dancers, musicians, and opera troupes all belong to the world of prostitution."
Without even looking up, Shen Xu said, "Let's find someone who's good at painting."
This sentence was obviously directed at Sheng Jiang.
Sheng Jiang immediately agreed.
Gu Zhizhuo added, "Also, let's look for Taoist temples."
Chen Xu raised an eyebrow and looked at her. Gu Zhizhuo thought for a moment and said, "The hexagram indicates that her death will destroy both her soul and spirit. I suspect it may be related to Buddhism. Let me put it this way, if you and I die—no, if you die—you will be reborn into the cycle of reincarnation. This is called the Six Paths of Reincarnation in Buddhism, and in Taoism there's also the saying 'Three Realms, Five Paths, Six Bridges'—it all means the same thing."
Shen Xu snorted unhappily: "Why am I the one who died, and you?"
Shen Mao pounced on the abacus in the carriage, and the black abacus rolled to Shen Xu's feet.
Chen Xu picked it up with a frown, pinched one end of the counting stick with two fingers, brushed off the cat hair on it with disgust, and threw it to Gu Zhizhuo.
"As for me." Gu Zhizhuo pointed at himself and smiled nonchalantly, "Maybe my soul will be scattered and I won't be able to enter the reincarnation with you."
Chen Xu paused in picking up the counting chips and threw another one to her.
This one has two clear cat tooth marks on it. They are small and very cute, and are covered with saliva.
Chen Xu dragged out a sarcastic tone and said sarcastically: "Why, you have done so many evil things that you can't even enter reincarnation after death?"
Gu Zhizhuo held his chin with one hand. This man was not only suspicious, but also sarcastic.
"If you're talking about committing many evil things." Chen Xu smiled softly and spread out his hands to show her.
His fingers were long and slender, with distinct knuckles. There were no calluses or scratches on them, and they were as white and flawless as the finest white jade.
"These hands have killed, skinned, and ripped out bones from thousands of people. He chuckled sarcastically, the blood oozing from his palms staining the white silk red. "You think I can enter reincarnation?"
Sheng Jiang shrank back.
"I guess so." Gu Zhizhuo said frankly, "I'm different."
Shen Xu stared at her with cold eyes, wanting to see what she could say.
"I'm dissatisfied with my fate. I want to take a chance, to fight for something." She gathered up the abacus sticks and placed them in a cloth bag. Her voice was slightly tinged with alcohol. "Those who practice Taoism know their destiny, but they go against it. There's always a price to pay, right?"
The price… Chen Xu lowered his eyes: “Yes.”
"If you lose, it's only natural that your soul will be scattered and shattered, right?"
Gu Zhizhuo smiled naturally, as if he was asking what to eat for dinner.
"But I won't lose."
The first one to admit defeat will only be the law of nature.
"Ah, I'm here." Gu Zhizhuo shouted, reminding the driver outside, "Turn right into this alley."
Gu Zhizhuo put the compass in his arms and patted the cat's head again.
When the carriage stopped, she bowed and said goodbye, then jumped off.
"Stop."
Gu Zhizhuo: “…” Has this person never learned to speak properly?
Chen Xu moved his lips. He wanted to ask her what she meant by knowing her destiny. Why would defeat lead to a shattered soul? So many questions came to his mind, but in the end, they were reduced to two words: "Goodbye."
Gu Zhizhuo:?
She tilted her head, eyeing him suspiciously.
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The car curtain was heavily dropped, blocking her view, but she could still hear the sweet meowing sound from inside.
Gu Zhizhuo shrugged, full of sympathy for Sheng Jiang.
It must be hard for him to have such a moody master.
"Jade Lion, come here."
The white horse that had been following the carriage came back to her with a clatter, and Gu Zhizhuo went forward and knocked on the door.
Although the Wang family rarely lives in Beijing, their house is one of the best in the capital.
The Wang family of Langya is an aristocratic family that has been passed down for hundreds of years and has survived several dynasties. Even in the midst of war, it has always remained strong and unyielding. Emperors have changed their surnames several times, but the Wang family has always remained the Wang family of Langya.
At the end of the previous dynasty, the capital passed through the hands of several people, and no one touched the Wang family's house.
A five-courtyard complex is renovated every year. There are scenes everywhere and paintings at every step, which has some of the elegance of Jiangnan gardens.
As the Wang family's cousin, Gu Zhizhuo didn't need anyone to inform her of her comings and goings. Upon entering, the gatehouse servants respectfully called her "cousin." She handed her horse to a servant, asked where Xie Danling was, and then headed briskly for the waterside pavilion.
Along the gravel path, through the swaying flowering trees, is a gourd-shaped pond.
Xie Danling was standing in the pavilion beside the pond, concentrating on painting.
The night was getting dark, and the glass lamps in the waterside pavilion were lit, and the light reflected on her body.
Gu Zhizhuo tiptoed in and approached the table. A scroll painted on the table depicted a summer pond, with lotus flowers, lotus leaves, and rippling water. She dipped her finger in a little silver vermilion and gently touched it to the pond, leaving a beautiful scarlet stain.
"Hate."
Xie Danling uttered a cry of reproach, and with a few simple strokes of the vermilion paint, a fish appeared on the paper.
Gu Zhizhuo took a closer look and said, "How can there be no fish in the pond?"
“It’s not finished yet.”
Xie Danling had an idea and picked up the pen to draw a swimming fish flower ornament on her forehead.
“It’s really beautiful.”
Satisfied, she put down her pen and asked excitedly, "How's it going?"
Huh?
“Something’s wrong!”
Xie Danling sniffed her body, walked around her, and lowered her head to sniff.
"I know!"
Xie Danling clenched his fist and hit his palm, then suddenly realized, "You, you, you've been drinking?"
"I drank it."
"How much did you drink?"
Gu Zhizhuo gestured: "One pot. Still a little drunk."
She shook her head. She felt a little dizzy when she was in the carriage, so she asked Chen Xu to take her back.
This wine tastes sweet and has a strong aftertaste.
"It's delicious." Gu Zhizhuo squinted his eyes with pleasure. Unfortunately, Chen Xu didn't tell her where he bought it.
"You didn't even take me with you when you went drinking." Xie Danling said angrily, "I thought we were the best in the world, but you've really made me sad."
She pouted, turned her head away, and glanced at Gu Zhizhuo secretly. Her whole body seemed to say: Come and coax me.
Gu Zhizhuo covered his mouth with a smile and changed the subject skillfully: "Ji is dead."
ah!
Xie Danling's shoulders trembled slightly.
Gu Zhizhuo: "I'm so thirsty now and really want to drink some water. Is there anyone kind enough to pour me a glass of water?"
"A kind person has arrived."
Xie Danling considerately poured her some water, shook her shoulders, and delicately asked, "Hurry up and tell me."
Gu Zhizhuo finished drinking the water, pointed at himself and said, "Fan yourself."
Xie Danling picked up the round fan beside her and fanned her happily.
Gu Zhizhuo started talking about the marriage talisman and told everything that happened in the palace, including the accusations that Nanny Wan made against Ji Nanke at the Meridian Gate.
After she finished speaking, she drank another glass of water, finally quenching her thirst. She then said, "So, it's all my fault. My calculations are really accurate, aren't they?"
"Yeah!" Xie Danling threw her fan and applauded her.
"I've lived in the palace since I was a child, and I've seen all kinds of competition for favor. You don't know, when the ladies compete for favor, they use all kinds of tricks. Singing and dancing are no longer uncommon. Sometimes they even deliberately make children sick. They don't often trouble the prince, but they are quite willing to spare the princess."
"My fourth sister has been sick since she was little. Three days of minor illness, ten days of serious illness. I only see her walking around outside every few days in a month. The fourth sister's biological mother was Lipin's maid. She died in childbirth. The fourth sister was raised by Lipin since she was a child. Lipin looks like she will fall down at the slightest provocation in public, and in private, she is fierce and mean."
"Fourth Princess?"
"Yes. The Fourth Princess is a softie, and anyone can bully her. It worries me to death."
If Gu Zhizhuo remembered correctly, in the previous life, the fourth princess married into the Kingdom of Liang. In order to appease or reward Concubine Li, the emperor promoted her to Concubine Li.
The Kingdom of Liang had a tradition of the son inheriting the throne after the father's death. After the fourth princess married the King of Liang, she remarried her stepson.
A year later, civil strife broke out in Liang State. The marshal killed the King of Liang and proclaimed himself king. The fourth princess married the new king.
It took less than three years from the marriage to her "death from illness". She was only eighteen years old when she died.
Gu Zhizhuo sighed secretly.
Xie Danling sighed exaggeratedly and said, "Ji is too stupid to listen to Ji Nanke's instigation."
"If she can behave herself in the Zhenguo Mansion, at least she won't have to worry about food and drink. Even if she enters the palace, as long as she doesn't listen to Ji Nanke, the most she will do is fall out of favor. The Empress is not a bad person to the concubines in the harem. She treats everyone according to their duties and doesn't deliberately mistreat anyone."
She spread her hands and said, "She didn't choose either of the two paths, but had to choose a dead end."
Gu Zhizhuo nodded vigorously, indicating that what she said was right.
"Now that he's dead, he's left behind a son..." Xie Danling thought of something, "Oh, what about Gu Yan? What should we do with him?"
Speaking of Gu Yan, Gu Zhizhuo was annoyed. If he had known that Ji would die so soon, he would have sold them all to the emperor last time.
Gu Zhizhuo held his chin with both hands and said hesitantly, "I'm wondering whether to give it to Prince Li or to the Ji family. What do you think?"
Xie Danling thought seriously with her: "My great uncle should be willing to spend money."
"Then I'll wait two more days?"
You can’t get a good price even if you actively approach the store.
“Sure, sure!”
The alcohol was taking effect again. Gu Zhizhuo yawned and leaned on Xie Danling's shoulder in a daze: "Cousin Danling, are you going back to the palace?"
Xie Danling paused fanning herself with the round fan, her tone a little low as she asked, "Is Father okay?"
"The Emperor is fine," Gu Zhizhuo assured. "Now that Ji is dead, the marriage talisman cannot be broken. The Emperor is obsessed with Ji and is clamoring for a posthumous title of Empress and a Crown Prince, with the entire nation in mourning. Prince Li can only temporarily use the excuse of 'illness' to keep him away from the court. Everything else is fine. The imperial physician will check his pulse daily."
"Then I won't go back." Xie Danling said sullenly, "Actually, I know that my father has always been wary of my mother... Mother has the title of concubine and the support of the Wang family, but life is really not easy. Sigh."
Of course, Gu Zhizhuo curled the corners of his mouth. If the emperor had been sincere to his aunt and cousin, they would not have died early in the previous life.
"Would you please stay with me for a few more days?" Xie Danling said, holding her arm. "I'll go back to the palace after Cousin Xing comes."
Gu Zhizhuo nodded and closed his eyes in a daze.
"Cousin Zhuo..."
Xie Danling turned around and saw that she was already fast asleep. She made a gesture to silence Awu and said, "Call a maid. I will live with my cousin."
They both have their own yards in the Wang family, which are cleaned every day and repaired every year.
Xie Danling asked the maid to move her back, and the two of them slept in the same room just like when they were children.
The two of them stayed at Wang's house. For several days, Gu Zhizhuo slept until noon and then accompanied Xie Danling in setting up the swing and hanging the beaded curtain.
There was a rain-shedding pavilion in their yard. Xie Danling had the ceiling around the pavilion surrounded by thin gauze, and also found two white jade mats from the warehouse and spread them in the thin gauze.
"Enjoy the cool!"
Xie Danling was very patient and spent five or six days to make the yard comfortable.
As expected, no one from the palace came to look for her, but someone from Zhengmu Pavilion came and said that the Taihu stone ordered by Gu Zhizhuo had arrived.
The two of them went to Zhengmu Pavilion with great interest.
These two pieces of Taihu stone were indeed top-grade, with caves within caves and the appearance of mountains stacked one upon another. Gu Zhizhuo fell in love with them at first sight, and bought them all with a wave of his hand and had someone send them to Prince Chen's Palace.
After spending a large sum of money, Gu Zhizhuo suddenly felt refreshed.
She said generously: "Let's go eat, it's my treat!"
Xie Danling looked around and pointed casually: "Go here."
She was referring to Huayufang across the street.
This is probably newly opened, decorated with clusters of flowers and faint sound of stringed instruments.
The waiter attentively led them to the private room on the second floor and said, "Ladies, would you like to listen to some music?"
"Every musician in our Huayufang is outstanding."
Gu Zhizhuo casually glanced down and suddenly saw a familiar figure holding a pipa.
"Hey, is it Madam Gui?" Her eyes lit up and she said to the waiter, "It's her."
Xie Danling also leaned over to look: "Who is it?"
"Her pipa storytelling is beautiful. My second sister and I listened to it last time. I guarantee you'll like it!"
As they were talking, they walked into the private room, sat down and ordered some dishes. Just as the waiter poured the tea, Lady Gui, wearing a veil, walked in.
"Girl." She also recognized Gu Zhizhuo, her pair of affectionate peach blossom eyes sparkling.
She smiled softly and charmingly: "What song would you like to listen to today?"
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