Chapter 200 Chapter 200 is the only genuine version...
Xie Jing looked at his elder sister with a complicated look. Her beauty had faded drastically. She had lost her pride and was now hunched over like an old woman.
The carriage was covered tightly.
He sighed inwardly and lowered his voice, "Big Sister, you should have seen the note, right?"
After being confined, someone would deliver them food and necessary daily necessities every three days. Three days ago, a note was slipped in among the items.
Zhaoyang nodded.
Xie Jing breathed a sigh of relief.
Guarding the Gong residence were the Jinwu Guards, the Twenty-Six Guards of the Imperial Guards, the emperor's personal troops. They obeyed only the emperor's orders and were trustworthy. But to be on the safe side, he didn't dare write too much on the note.
fortunately.
Xie Jing took out a token from his wedding dress and handed it over.
"Big Sister, please give this token to Lord Gong, as well as this letter. It's from our father."
Xie Jing received the letter from the emperor on the day of the palace banquet.
Zhaoyang stretched out his hand.
The hands she hid in her sleeves were no longer as white and tender as they once were, and the backs of her hands were covered with fine and dense wounds.
She took the token and asked in a hoarse voice, "If this succeeds, will the emperor allow me to divorce Gong Hai?"
"meeting."
Xie Jing took her hands and promised: "You are the most noble princess. Your princess mansion is still there.
"good."
There was a hint of cruelty in Zhaoyang's eyes.
"I will hand it over to Gong Hai, and I will also ensure that Gong Hai has no second thoughts."
"Thank you for your hard work, big sister."
Xie Jing bowed. It was only natural for him to escort his long-lost eldest sister out, but if he stayed in the carriage for too long, it would inevitably attract attention.
At this point, there can't be any more mistakes.
Xie Jing lifted the carriage curtain and jumped out of the carriage, saying loudly, "Goodbye, Big Sister."
The setting sun cast a hazy shadow on half of his face.
He turned around and was about to walk back when an angry and high-pitched voice startled him.
"Miss Gu!"
"Gu Zhizhuo!"
Xie Jing shuddered subconsciously and quickly looked in the direction of the sound. From a distance, he saw Gu Zhizhuo walking through the Chuihua Gate, at least a hundred steps away from him.
"Stop."
The hem of the lilac dress fluttered, and a figure stood in front of Gu Zhizhuo.
"I called you, didn't you hear me?"
It’s Sun Nian.
The last time I saw Sun Nian, she was still a pampered noble lady, arrogant but also spoiled. But now, her spoiled nature turned into arrogance, and even her expression seemed a little mean.
Gu Zhizhuo let out a light click of her tongue. She was not familiar with Sun Nian, nor did she want to be familiar with her.
"Miss Gu is studying medicine, don't you know? Or are you deliberately trying to harm Prince Wang?!"
Sun Nian took the initiative and waited for her to ask him, but Gu Zhizhuo just raised his hand and said, "If it's okay, just go away. We are not familiar with each other." Then he walked away.
Sun Nian stomped his feet and chased after her again to stand in front of her.
Perhaps because he saw that she really didn't want to pay attention to him, he had to finish his words in one breath: "Prince Wang is Dan Ling's cousin, and the blood relationship is too close. If they get married, the child born in the future will be stupid. You studied medicine, you must know this."
Sun Nian's eyes were burning.
Gu Zhizhuo sneered: "Did Ji Nanke tell you that?"
"Ke'er saw it in an ancient medical book." Sun Nian tried to pull her hand, but she avoided him. He continued, "Shufei wants to marry Danling to Prince Wang because she's out of favor. They want to tie up the Wang family to consolidate their favor. Their selfishness will ruin Prince Wang!"
"If I were you, I would tell the Wang family the truth and choose another virtuous wife for Young Master Wang."
Gu Zhizhuo raised his eyebrows and suddenly asked, "Are your parents also cousins?"
Sun Nian was confused: "No."
"Your parents aren't cousins, and yet you're still so stupid. It seems like being stupid doesn't have much to do with being cousins."
"you!"
"My cousin ignored you, so you went to the Queen to arrange a marriage, trying to force a deal. When the marriage didn't work out, you came to me again, spouting all sorts of nonsense."
Gu Zhizhuo sneered and grabbed her wrist. "You've been hiding in the dark all day, thinking up some shameful ideas. You're relying on the fact that the Empress is your aunt, so no one dares to touch you, right?"
Sun Nian's face turned pale: "What are you doing? Let me go."
"Miss Gu..."
Xie Jing ran over from the ceremonial gate. Before he could speak, Gu Zhizhuo preemptively asked, "Prince Rui, do you want to support your cousin?"
She sarcastically said, "Otherwise, Prince Rui should just marry your cousin who is so eager to get married, so that she won't have to go around looking for a husband!"
"That's not what I meant."
"If not, get out."
"Cousin! Your Highness, please save me."
Xie Jing: "Miss Gu..."
"roll."
Gu Zhizhuo grabbed her wrist and walked away, throwing her directly into the carriage.
Just as the banquet was about to end, countless eyes were cast at him from all directions. Sun Nian's cheeks were burning hot and he was filled with shame and anger.
"Qingmei, stay here and tell Cancan when you see him." Gu Zhizhuo said, then ordered, "Let's go."
The driver cracked his whip in the air, and the carriage drove out of Prince Rui's palace.
Xie Jing was angry and anxious, but he couldn't leave, so he could only say, "Xiao Yunzi, come over and take a look."
"Where are you taking me?"
"Let me down."
Sun Nian was sitting in the carriage, shouting. She lifted the curtain and wanted to jump out, but she didn't dare because the carriage was speeding.
Gu Zhizhuo didn't stop her and looked at her with a sneer.
She had previously tried all sorts of methods to avoid being a widow, and even fell in love with her cousin Xing. She should have refused.
But now, Xie Qiyun is dead and no one is forcing her to get married. She knows that her celebrity cousin and Dan Ling have a verbal engagement, but she still insists on keeping it. She doesn't deserve any sympathy.
If she said that she loved her cousin Xing so much and would not marry anyone else, it would definitely be a lie. She just couldn't find a better marriage than Xie Qiyun.
The three older princes were either engaged or married. Most of the princes of the noble palaces, who were around her age, were also engaged. Cousin Xing, with his distinguished family background and good looks, was the best choice.
"Jump down if you dare. You deserve to die."
Gu Zhizhuo's cold words made her afraid to jump. The Rui Palace was located in the inner city, very close to the imperial city. Within an incense stick's time, the carriage stopped in front of the palace gate.
Gu Zhizhuo grabbed her wrist, dragged her off the carriage, handed her a sign and went into the palace.
Sun Nian was almost scared to death. She never expected that she would act so recklessly without regard for her dignity just because he said a few fair words.
"I just mean well!" She reminded me kindly.
Gu Zhizhuo strode forward and called a eunuch on the way to ask him to call the fifth princess to Fengluan Palace, then dragged Sun Nian over first.
After the announcement, she pushed Sun Nian in front of the queen.
The queen felt sorry for her niece and slammed the table in anger: "How dare you!"
Gu Zhizhuo bowed and said, "Empress, the marriage between cousin Wang and the Fifth Princess was personally agreed upon by the Emperor. Your niece's repeated insistence is a sign of dissatisfaction with the Emperor's will and a deception of the Emperor. The Empress is always sensible and should exercise some restraint."
"you……"
The queen suddenly squeezed the armrest.
She gasped for breath a few times and calmed herself down.
Just one more day, just endure it for one more day.
I'll just let this bitch surnamed Gu be arrogant in front of me for one more day. After tomorrow... I'll smash her teeth, pull out her tongue, and crush her pride!
He made her into a human pig and made her crawl in front of him.
"Empress, do you care?!"
"Aunt." Sun Nian was embarrassed and annoyed, almost crying, "She is unreasonable."
Even if she didn't agree to tell the Wang family, it would be fine. But was there any need to embarrass herself like this?
The Queen was reluctant to part with her niece, but she also felt bad for her niece's failure to live up to her expectations. She had told her to just bear with it. In the future, whether it was the Wang family, the Li family, or the Zhang family... she could pick on anyone she wanted, but she had to choose this moment to provoke this evil star.
The Queen said coldly, "Sun Nian, go kneel outside and don't get up until you realize your mistake."
"aunt!"
"go."
The queen said this sternly, then sneered again and again, "Miss Gu, are you satisfied now?"
"The Queen is truly fair and impartial."
"Fifth Princess."
Amid the greetings of the palace maids, Xie Danling walked in. Not knowing what had happened, she immediately defended her younger cousin, saying, "Empress, please don't bully my cousin."
Stand in front of her.
The queen was so angry that she laughed. She bullied her? She was lucky that she didn't bully others.
Gu Zhizhuo held her hand.
Xie Danling raised her eyebrows and looked over. Her little cousin's palms were very hot, as if they were covered in sweat. Her fingers were clenched tightly, and she was holding her hands tightly as well.
Like... nervous?
Gu Zhizhuo said unhappily, "You need to come back and live with me, or the Queen will force you to give up your marriage. Didn't you see that Sun Nian actually came to find me? How stupid!"
The tacit understanding between the two cousins didn't need to be expressed in words. Xie Dan rushed to Sun Nian with a surging spirit, grabbed her shoulders and pushed her hard. The palace maid beside her quickly supported her.
"Your Highness, I will be coming of age tomorrow. I would like to ask the Fifth Princess to stay out of the palace for a few days to be my patron." Gu Zhizhuo said to the Queen, muttering in a voice she could hear, "Be careful not to let your niece bully her again because she's here."
The Queen stared at Gu Zhizhuo with gnashing teeth, wishing she could tear her apart alive: "Go if you want!"
Just endure it for one more day.
However, without Xie Danling, only Concubine Shu is still there... She's just a maid, and it doesn't matter whether she's there or not.
"Thank you, Queen."
"Cousin Danling, please express your gratitude."
Xie Danling followed her cousin's instructions and thanked her. She didn't know what she was thanking, so she mumbled something, snorted at Sun Nian twice, and then swaggered off with her cousin.
As the two walked away, the Queen slapped the armrest angrily and said coldly, "Watch Concubine Shu. Don't let her set foot outside Chonghua Palace... Wait, don't go yet."
"Aunt?" Sun Nian called out cautiously, almost crying. "Look at them, they don't even take you seriously."
"Go out and kneel!" The Queen was furious. She turned to the head maid, "Go tell Concubine Shu that I have already punished Sun Nian. Send him some rewards."
Gu Zhizhuo listened to the voice behind him and walked with Xie Danling like a gust of wind.
After coming out of Fengluan Palace, Gu Zhizhuo felt a little calmer, but he didn't explain much. He deliberately kept scolding Xie Danling loudly, saying that she had too good a temper and that was why she was stepped on by others.
Xie Danling: ???
Is she really that good-tempered? Well, my little cousin said yes, definitely.
After leaving the palace, he took Xie Danling to sit in the carriage. As soon as the curtain was lowered, Gu Zhizhuo leaned on Xie Danling's shoulder, feeling relieved.
The carriage started moving, and the sound of wheels rolling could be heard.
"Luckily Sun Nian came to pick a fight, otherwise I wouldn't have found an excuse."
Gu Zhizhuo sighed.
At the last palace banquet, Gu Zhizhuo had wanted to take advantage of the falling out with the empress to take Xie Danling away, ideally to get his aunt and Danling to leave the capital and live in a temporary palace. Unfortunately, it didn't work out.
Her aunt had told her not to worry about them in her letter, as they knew how to protect themselves. But how could Gu Zhizhuo not worry? If anything went wrong tomorrow, her aunt and Dan Ling would be in danger in the hands of the Queen.
She even wanted to go over and make trouble, but fortunately Sun Nian showed up on his own.
Gu Zhizhuo gave Concubine Shu's letter to Xie Danling.
"Come back and live with me first. You haven't even had your coming-of-age ceremony yet, right?"
"The palace forgot." Xie Danling was somewhat disappointed. "Mother also said not to attract attention."
"I'll do it together with mine tomorrow. We'll both have the coming-of-age ceremony together! We'll have hairpins and clothes."
Xie Danling held her arm and said "hmm" softly, without much smile on her face: "My mother is alone..."
"When you are here, your aunt will protect you. When you are not here, with your aunt's agility, she only needs to protect herself."
That’s what I said, but it would be a lie to say that I’m not worried.
Even if she thinks her arrangements are well-made, who can guarantee that she will get what she wants before it is accomplished?
There are still two imperial stars now. The young master has good luck, but his destiny is still under dispute and has not yet been determined.
It is still uncertain who God will favor.
"I'll make arrangements for my aunt. Don't be afraid, I'm here."
The carriage quickly took them back to the Zhenbei Palace.
Gu Yican had already returned and was waiting for her at the ceremonial gate. The three of them went to Ronghe Hall together.
When the old lady heard that Xie Danling was coming to live with her and celebrate her coming of age with Gu Zhizhuo, she was overjoyed. She hadn't held a coming of age banquet in over a decade, and to have two at once was a feast for her.
The lady of the house waved her hand and had various hairpins and head ornaments brought in for Xie Danling to choose from.
The two cousins had similar figures, and the lady had prepared more than a dozen pieces of clothing for Gu Zhizhuo's coming-of-age banquet, none of which had ever been worn, so she took them all out.
If time was sufficient, the lady would have prepared another one exactly like Gu Zhizhuo's.
Several younger sisters helped Xie Danling choose her headgear.
"Let's choose this one." Gu Zhizhuo made the final decision. "Grandmother asked Qianyun Embroidery to make two of these. Even the colors are exactly the same. They say it's a new style from Jiangnan. We can both wear the same one."
They are all red, but the lady still insists they are different.
Gu Zhizhuo couldn't tell the difference. The lady pointed out the difference to her for a long time, but she still couldn't see it.
Xie Danling's eyes lit up.
She looked at the two skirts with great delight and said, "Grandma, where did you buy this material? These two dyes are so beautiful. One is as bright as fire, and you had it embroidered with phoenix feathers. The other is as red as the clouds, and it's embroidered with auspicious clouds. One is gorgeous, the other elegant. This is the first time I've seen such a beautiful red."
"Oh, my little princess, you have good taste."
The lady was happy.
None of her granddaughters noticed her ingenuity, especially this little girl Zhuo, who insisted that the colors of the two skirts were exactly the same.
Why would she make two identical ones?!
"I still have two pieces of fabric left, I'll give them all to you." The lady glared at Gu Zhizhuo, "I won't give them to your cousin!"
Gu Zhizhuo touched his nose, leaned back, and asked, "Can you tell?"
Gu Yican shook his head.
That’s right, it’s not that she has bad taste at all, Gu Zhizhuo muttered.
"Madam, the meal is ready."
After choosing Xie Danling's clothes and headgear for tomorrow, the Madam invited the children to have dinner together. Before they had finished, someone came in and announced, "Your Highness, the Fourth Young Master Zheng and his men have arrived. They said they've invited you to a night horse race."
Okay.
Gu Yican finished his meal in no time, bowed to the lady, and then handed his hand to his sister.
The lady glared at her: "You are not allowed to go."
Gu Yican pinched her palm, and after the brother and sister exchanged glances, Gu Yican took Gu Yiqun away.
The dandies were riding horses in a parade through the streets. Gu Yican mentioned that there were too few people and the horse racing was not fun enough. Zheng Silang immediately knocked on every door excitedly and called out all the boys he played with.
A group of people rode their horses in a mighty procession on the streets of the capital, acting freely and ostentatiously.
They went to the racecourse in the east of the city. With the arrival of dozens of young men of similar age, the racecourse suddenly became lively at night.
The east side of the city is rich and has many merchants. Immediately, the sons of merchants who got the news rushed over. They pretended to join in the fun, but their real intention was to establish relationships with these noble sons.
Zheng Silang even specially called people over to open a betting platform to bet on whose horse would win.
The well-informed vendors also came over with their carts, and there were people selling flowers and singing songs. The red lanterns were lit and swaying, making it as bright and noisy as a busy market during the day.
The night grew darker.
One update, two updates.
Until the gong sounded at three o'clock in the morning, Qingmei gently knocked on the door of Gu Zhizhuo's room.
Gu Zhizhuo hadn't fallen asleep yet: "Come in."
Qingmei: "Miss, the prince is back and asked you to go to the martial arts arena."
The night in mid-October was already quite cold, and Qiongfang brought a cloak for her to put on.
Qingmei continued, "There were four groups of people watching the prince's movements, following him from the moment he left the house until he returned. Three of them went to the Ruiwang Palace, the Chengengong Palace, and the Ning'an Marquis Palace. Another group went to the Yanzhi Tower."
Yanzhilou is one of the largest brothels in the capital.
"Where is Huitong Hall?"
"There has been no unusual movement at Huitong Hall."
Gu Zhizhuo tied her hair into a ponytail.
"Walk."
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