Chapter 88 Locking the Phoenix Tree (Twenty-One) The Jade Old Man
The wind was gentle and the air was fresh; the sky was a clear blue.
The vermilion gates of the Prince's Mansion in the South City were bustling with carriages and horses, and people came in an endless stream to offer their birthday wishes, crowding half the street.
A richly decorated carriage slowly came to a stop, and the accompanying servants quickly stepped forward and respectfully lifted the curtain.
Gu Lianzhou walked down gracefully from the middle.
Today, he was dressed in a cloud-blue brocade robe, his hair was tied up with a jade crown, and the white jade pendant on his waist was warm and shiny, tinkling as he walked. His whole being exuded an air of refined nobility.
He tilted his head and gave a wink to the thin, ordinary-looking servant in a blue robe behind him. The servant immediately understood and walked forward with a large, gilded sandalwood gift box, his head bowed respectfully.
"Young Master." Song Qiling lowered her voice, following closely behind her junior brother.
Gu Lianzhou was quite unaccustomed to her new appearance and respectful attitude. His hands, which were behind his back, unconsciously clenched. Seeing that she was walking behind him and always keeping her distance, he couldn't help but frown slightly and whispered, "Senior brother, come closer."
Song Qiling ignored this and walked forward with the gift box in her hand. Seeing the noisy crowd around her, she whispered back, "I am your servant now, and I cannot break the rules."
Yesterday, she and her junior brother spent a lot of effort and money, renting carriages, hiring servants, and buying several treasures from the Treasure Pavilion to show off, all for the sake of today's grandeur!
She turned her head to look at the cloud and water pattern emblem on the carriage, which represented the Gu family, and thought to herself that today she could finally enter the South City Prince's Mansion through the main gate without having to climb over that towering wall.
The gatekeeper of the Prince's Mansion had sharp eyes and spotted the Gu family emblem from afar. His face immediately lit up with a smile as he hurried over to greet them: "Distinguished guests, we apologize for not welcoming you sooner."
Gu Lianzhou smiled and nodded, handing over the birthday invitation—which the two of them had also spent a lot of money to forge yesterday.
What he used to scoff at, he now found somewhat amusing after his senior brother held up the birthday invitation in astonishment.
My senior is right. Nothing in this world is difficult if you're willing to spend money.
What he had in abundance was money.
The steward took the birthday invitation, glanced at it briefly, and then eagerly led the people inside.
No sooner had Song Qiling stepped across the threshold than several armed guards suddenly appeared on both sides, and as usual, they stepped forward to search her.
"..."
She wondered why things had gone so smoothly today; it turned out this was what was waiting for her.
There was nowhere on her body to hide sharp swords, so she didn't need to worry about exposing her identity. However, judging from the way the guards searched her... tsk, they searched way too thoroughly.
Just as she was feeling melancholy, a flash of light blue appeared before her eyes. It was Gu Lianzhou, who had returned and stood between her and the guard.
"The one in charge," Gu Lianzhou said in a gentle voice, with the nonchalant air typical of a noble family, "my personal servants are all very clean-cut. Today is the old lady's joyous occasion, and it would be too much of a disturbance and make us seem distant. Perhaps we should just skip it?"
Upon hearing this, the steward of the Prince's mansion smiled even more broadly.
The Gu family of Tianshui is incredibly wealthy and has many business dealings with the Prince's Mansion. The fact that the eldest son of the Gu family came to congratulate them in person is already a huge honor. How could they refuse such a small request?
Therefore, he immediately pretended to scold the guards: "You blind fools! How dare you interrogate the Gu family members at will? Hurry up and invite Young Master Gu and the others inside!"
Upon hearing this, the guards quickly bowed and stepped back.
Song Qiling felt a slight sense of relief. Holding the gift box, she lowered her head and followed Gu Lianzhou and his entourage smoothly into the Prince's Mansion.
Upon entering, a bustling and lively atmosphere immediately greets you.
Inside the mansion, lanterns and colorful decorations were everywhere, and the sounds of sheng, xiao, drums and music filled the air. Hundreds of tables were set up in the courtyard and under the corridors, with delicacies being served in a continuous stream, and the air was filled with the aroma of wine, meat and sweet fragrance of flowers and fruits.
On the stage, the play "The Eight Immortals Celebrate Longevity" was being performed. Below the stage, powerful and wealthy merchants from the capital gathered together, clinking glasses, laughing and talking, creating a lively atmosphere!
Gu Lianzhou was led to a seat near the host's table, while Song Qiling stood behind him with her hands at her sides, her eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought.
When the auspicious time arrives, the gift-giving ceremony begins.
The master of ceremonies, with a loud and clear voice, called out the names of the gift givers and presenters in a drawn-out tune, while a scribe beside him wrote down the gift list.
"The Yunzhi Workshop in the east of the city presents a Suzhou embroidery longevity screen!"
"The Li family of the Grand Canal Gang presents a pair of golden longevity peaches!"
...
"The Gu family of Tianshui presents a jadeite statue of the Antarctic Immortal, with a sandalwood base and eight pearls, to wish the old lady a long and healthy life!"
When the song reached the part about Gu Jiahe's gift, a low murmur of amazement rippled through the audience.
The jade immortal statue, over a foot tall, was exquisitely carved, its entire body a vibrant, lustrous green. In particular, the eight large, dragon-eye-sized pearls shone brilliantly, so dazzling that one dared not look directly at them.
Taking advantage of the fact that everyone's attention was drawn to the priceless jade immortal statue and the commotion, Song Qiling quietly retreated, disappearing from the scene without a sound, like a drop of water merging into the ocean.
She had already figured out the general layout of the Prince's mansion. Avoiding the patrols and guards, bypassing the noisy front courtyard, she quickly sneaked towards the back of the mansion, towards the bedroom of Prince Zhao Yu of the Southern City.
Amidst envious glances, Gu Lianzhou sensed something amiss. He glanced sideways to his back and saw that his senior brother, who should have been standing there, was nowhere to be seen. His heart leaped into his throat.
"What are you looking at, Young Master Gu?" A resentful voice suddenly rang in his ears. "So rich and powerful, gifting an old jade man?"
What jade old man...
Hearing this nonsense, Gu Lianzhou knew without turning around that it was Yu Qi, that rascal. He shook his head helplessly and suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.
Yu Qi was too lazy to socialize with those scions of noble families, so he simply lifted his robe and plopped down in the empty seat next to Gu Lianzhou. "Zhao Heng went to drink with his future brother-in-law, and Liu Dai didn't want to get involved in this ridiculous banquet. Right now, you're the only friend I have left. Young Master Gu, you shouldn't mind sharing a meal with me, right?"
Gu Lianzhou dared not complain, so he took chopsticks and handed them to Yu Qi, listening to him chatter on about his recent experiences.
Life in the manor was boring. He spent his days either fighting with Murong Zheng until his hair was disheveled or tripping up Murong Zheng, which often made his father and aunt furious. Confinement became as routine as eating and drinking.
Zhao Heng, once he got a wife, forgot about his brothers and spent all his time running around the Li residence. What a good-for-nothing!
Speaking of Zhao Heng, Yu Qi picked up the cup on the table, brought it to his lips, took a sip, then spat twice, frowning, "Why is it wine?"
He put down the cup, took another empty cup, and asked a nearby servant for tea, but his mouth was still busy, "I didn't expect Zhao Heng to be such a romantic, just like his single father."
Gu Lianzhou looked up at the Prince of Nancheng and the Old Madam on the stage, and couldn't help but cough lightly, "Brother Yu, be careful what you say."
"What's there to be afraid of?" Yu Qi looked around, a smirk playing on his lips, but lowered his voice. "Today's a good day. The Prince's mansion is as bustling as a market. How could Zhao Heng's father possibly pay attention to my nonsense? He's too busy to handle anything... Wait, he's standing up... What's he doing leaving his seat..."
Upon hearing this, Gu Lianzhou's eyelids twitched suddenly. He looked up in the direction Zhao Yu had left, and a vague sense of unease crept into his heart.
Growing increasingly worried, he couldn't help but send out a wisp of dodder, which swam close to the ground towards Zhao Yu.
After practicing for several days, he has become adept at concealing the traces and scent of dodder, but he never expected it to come in handy so soon.
The dodder moved swiftly, quickly climbing up Zhao Yu's heel, spiraling upwards, and finally settling among the embroidered patterns on his chest.
At such a height, Gu Lianzhou only needs to concentrate to share the same viewpoint as the dodder.
Zhao Yu stopped in front of the room where the congratulatory gifts were displayed, waved to the guards inside, and they understood and withdrew to the door, leaving the family head to do as he pleased.
Yu Qi continued chatting idly in his ear, not noticing Gu Lianzhou's serious expression. Once the hot meal was served, he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat with his head covered.
Gu Lianzhou frowned as he watched Zhao Yu take a finely crafted brocade box, hide it in his sleeve, and head towards the inner courtyard of the Prince's mansion along a quiet path.
As a prince, no one dared to stop him, and he traveled smoothly all the way. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he stopped in front of a vermilion gate.
He took the key from his waist, inserted it into the brass lock on the door, opened the door, and stepped inside.
However, the senior brother was not seen during this time.
Could it be that my senior brother wasn't here?
Gu Lianzhou gripped the wine cup in front of him uneasily, his thoughts drifting inward with his shifting gaze.
The room was filled with an impenetrable darkness.
Not a single lamp was lit, and the sunlight was blocked out by the heavy window frames, not a single ray of light managed to penetrate.
As far as the eye could see, there were only blurry outlines and deep shadows. The furniture and furnishings had all turned into silent monsters in the darkness. In the silence, only Zhao Yu's heartbeat like a drum and his suppressed breathing could be heard.
He walked around the screen in the center of the room and toward the canopy bed with its heavy curtains.
By lifting the curtain, one could vaguely see a figure lying on the couch.
Gu Lianzhou narrowed his eyes and looked through Zhao Yu's eyes at the person on the bed.
Her jet-black hair, as dark as brocade, was spread out on the jade pillow, making her face appear almost transparently pale. Her long, thick eyelashes hung down quietly like butterfly wings, casting a soft shadow under her eyes. Her nose was slender and straight, and her lips were very pale and quietly closed.
Upon seeing the person's face clearly, Gu Lianzhou's heart skipped a beat, and he almost thought he was hallucinating.
This person's appearance... how come it looks so much like my senior brother's?
His memory was good; his senior brother's features were almost imprinted in his mind. The person in front of him looked exactly like his senior brother, with a gentler face... It was just a pity that the person in front of him had his eyes closed, so he couldn't see any other difference.
Zhao Yu sat down on the edge of the couch, his gaze lingering greedily on the lifeless face. His fingertips trembled slightly as he raised his hand and gently touched the woman's cold cheek.
"Luan'er," he called softly, his voice hoarse, as if coaxing a child, "I have found you some medicine."
He leaned down, his voice as soft as a whisper, “After today, my Luan’er will be able to wake up and will no longer have to suffer this deep sleep. Your brother will watch over you and protect you. From now on, my brother and I can truly live a carefree life.”
After saying that, he carefully took out the brocade box from his sleeve, opened the lid, and on the velvet lining inside, lay a pill the size of a longan.
That pill was extraordinary; it spontaneously emitted a layer of strange purple light patterns.
Gu Lianzhou suddenly gripped the wine cup in his hand tightly.
What's that... demonic markings?
Zhao Yu took a deep breath and gently helped the sleeping woman up, letting her lean against him.
He picked up the pill, his fingertips trembling more violently, and slowly and carefully brought it to those pale, delicate lips.
Just as the dense, almost tangible demonic energy overflowed from the pill and entered the woman's mouth, a sudden gust of wind swept in, and a gleaming copper coin flew through the air, striking the pill straight out of Zhao Yu's hand.
At the same time, Gu Lianzhou heard his senior brother's angry shout: "Zhao Yu, let her go!"
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