Chapter 3 His Rumors Now that the young master already knows Gu Xi's identity...
"The residence of Scholar Gu of the Hanlin Academy on Hua'an Street in the east of the city."
For some reason, Gu Xi was certain that he already knew.
In that case, it's better to just tell him frankly.
Besides, he had saved her life after all. Although she did not want to get too involved with people in the court, it would be undignified to hide her feelings after receiving such a great favor.
But what will my parents' reaction be if they find out?
Bai Xingzhi raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected her to be so direct. He didn't know if it was because she was eager to save him or if she knew she couldn't hide it anymore.
He had no reason to refuse either option.
"I will do my best," he said, picking up the teacup he had just drunk and taking a sip. "I will have Steward Bai personally deliver the medicine to Lord Gu, so please rest assured, young lady."
"Thank you so much, young master!" Gu Xi said gratefully. "If you ever need my help in the future, I will do my utmost to assist you!"
"You flatter me, young lady." After saying that, she got up and walked out of the room. Zhu Yin followed her, carrying the medicine box.
Before leaving, Bai Xingzhi gave Gu Xi a meaningful look.
After giving the steward some instructions, Bai Xingzhi returned to the west wing.
As he approached the door of the west wing, he unconsciously slowed his pace, as if afraid of disturbing the people inside.
As soon as he entered, he met the woman's smiling eyes. She was still in the same position as when he left, with a smiling face, as if she was certain that he would come back to find her.
She just smiled at him without saying anything, as if waiting for him to speak, or as if she had already guessed what he wanted to say.
interesting.
Bai Xingzhi avoided the woman's gaze and sat back down in the chair by the window.
"The medicine has already been sent out," he said, as he poured himself another cup of tea. He lightly touched the rim of the cup with his fingertips; the tea was slightly hot but not scalding, and had a delicate aroma. Everything was just right. "I have heard that Scholar Gu of the Hanlin Academy has a daughter. Rumor has it that she is not beautiful and her learning is also crude. I wonder if you know her?"
"Is the young master referring to me?" Gu Xi lowered her eyes, her lips slightly raised, and said with a smile, "My name is Xi, and my father is the scholar Gu that you just mentioned."
"Oh?" Bai Xingzhi feigned surprise. "I didn't know that you were Lord Gu's daughter."
Gu Xi maintained his faint smile, showing no intention of exposing him. He also wanted to see how this young master Bai would continue his act.
"I have a question. If you are indeed the young lady of the Gu family, why have you ruined your reputation like this?" Bai Xingzhi continued to ask, his tone seemingly tinged with regret.
"Notorious, more like nobody cares," Gu Xi said with a nonchalant smile.
"I see." Bai Xingzhi seemed to suddenly understand something, and his gaze towards Gu Xi began to become complicated.
Everyone hopes to have a beautiful appearance, so that others will envy or adore them. Little do they know that excessive beauty is sometimes not a good thing for women.
The fact that she could have such thoughts while in her boudoir shows her wisdom and insight.
Seeing his knowing look, Gu Xi suddenly became interested in playing along. "Since you already know my identity, why don't you let me guess yours?"
"Oh," Bai Xingzhi paused, his hand holding the teacup still. Since she said that, she must have already guessed. He quickly thought through when he had revealed his identity.
"Has Young Master Bai heard any rumors about himself?" Gu Xi's smile deepened after she finished speaking, and upon closer inspection, one could even detect a hint of mischief in it.
What are the rumors about him?
"No, not yet. Miss, why don't you tell me?" Bai Xingzhi raised an eyebrow, placed his hands on the armrests, and leaned back, looking like he was all ears.
"When the late emperor was alive, it was widely rumored that all the princes of Sheng Kingdom were exceptionally handsome. The once brilliant top scholar, who later became a Hanlin Academy scholar and is now the Left Prime Minister, was also very good-looking, no less so than the princes in the palace," Gu Xi paused, then continued, "Even the famous tofu seller on West Street felt inferior to him." Gu Xi finished speaking and lowered her head to cover her face with a smile.
The man before them was Bai Xingzhi, the newly appointed prime minister and the emperor's right-hand man.
This wasn't hard to guess. There weren't many families with the surname Bai in the capital, and even fewer who held positions above the Nine Ministers. But perhaps "Young Master Bai" was just an alias.
Gu Xi wasn't quite sure at first, but she was certain of her guess only after seeing him in person.
The man before me was tall and imposing, with striking eyebrows and phoenix eyes. A dark mole adorned the left side of his high, straight nose. His face was resolute yet gentle, exactly as described in the description of the top scholar who had once captivated the hearts of young girls in the capital.
Bai Xingzhi was stunned for a long time upon hearing this. As a man, he was being compared to a tofu beauty, and for a moment he didn't know whether to laugh or be angry.
Gu Xi watched his constantly changing expressions and found him quite interesting, not at all like the rumored ruthless Left Prime Minister.
In the twenty-seventh year of the Qingli reign, the late emperor was still on the throne. That year, an extremely rare locust plague struck the south. The emperor dispatched officials to provide disaster relief, but unfortunately, due to long-standing corruption within the court, very little of the disaster relief supplies reached the victims. By winter, a large number of refugees had flooded north into the capital, leaving countless people freezing and starving on the streets. Bai Xingzhi, who was originally in charge of compiling books and history at the Hanlin Academy, was temporarily transferred to the disaster relief post, a move intended to pin the blame on him. It was at that time that he displayed his iron-fisted methods, executing corrupt officials, confiscating their ill-gotten gains, and using the funds to aid the disaster victims, thus exposing the rotten flesh of the court.
It was from that time onward that he became famous and deeply loved by the people, but he also became a thorn in the side of many. Some said he was autocratic and harsh, some said he formed cliques for personal gain, and some said he appeared upright but actually lined his own pockets.
When the new emperor ascended the throne, he was granted a title and appointed prime minister, becoming the Left Prime Minister, second only to the emperor. From then on, no one dared to speak ill of him in front of him.
Although opinions about Bai Xingzhi were mixed, Gu Xi always remembered what her father had said: Bai Xingzhi was a good official who served the people. He and her father had served in the Hanlin Academy together, and she trusted her father's judgment.
Bai Xingzhi looked at the smiling woman in front of him for a long time before he came back to his senses. "How can we believe all the rumors?" After saying that, he couldn't help but cough lightly. "It is said that rumors are three parts true and seven parts false. In my opinion, the rumors about Miss Gu are not even half true."
Gu Xi followed his words, speaking earnestly and seriously: "The rumors are true. Among the daughters of officials in the capital, Gu Xi is just an ordinary one, not worth mentioning to outsiders. What do you think, Young Master Bai?" After speaking, she looked at him steadily, her eyes clear, as if waiting for an answer, a definite answer.
Bai Xingzhi was instantly captivated by the woman's gaze and said almost without thinking, "Of course."
"Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Bai!" Gu Xi breathed a sigh of relief.
He certainly didn't disappoint him.
Looking at the charming appearance of the woman in front of him, Bai Xingzhi felt a strange feeling in his heart.
Even though she had long guessed who he was, she called him Young Master Bai from beginning to end, instead of Prime Minister Bai, as if she wanted to tell him that their meeting was just an ordinary one between ordinary people, and that it was no different because of their respective statuses.
"Young Master!" Bai Xingzhi was lost in thought when Lu Feng suddenly appeared outside the room and called out to the inside.
Bai Xingzhi understood and stood up, saying to Gu Xi, "Miss Gu, I have guests in the front courtyard. Please rest here without worry. The steward will personally report on the matter of delivering the medicine when he returns." After saying that, he quickly left.
Gu Xi looked at the half-cup of tea left on the table and wondered what kind of distinguished guest could make him so hurried.
After Bai Xingzhi left, Gu Xi put on her veil and waited for news from Butler Bai.
An hour passed, and Steward Bai still hadn't returned. Gu Xi felt much better and was eager to go back. Zhu Yin was worried about her health and repeatedly dissuaded her. In addition, there were guests at the Bai residence, so she didn't dare to go out rashly, lest she cause any trouble or attract gossip to Bai Xingzhi. So she could only continue to wait in the side room.
Just as Gu Xi was extremely anxious, hurried footsteps came from outside the door. With Zhu Yin's help, Gu Xi walked to the door of the side room.
"Sixth Prince, this way please." Steward Bai led the way, and a man in white was walking towards the side room.
The man in white moved with great speed, his white clothes stained, a few strands of hair fluttering in the wind, looking travel-worn and anxious. Despite this, his refined and otherworldly air was undeniable, just as the poem describes, "A gentleman like jade on the road, unparalleled in the world."
"Brother Che, what brings you here?" Gu Xi was very surprised to see who it was.
"Xiao Xi!" Xiao Che strode up to Gu Xi and hugged her tightly in his arms, his voice filled with barely concealed panic and the joy of regaining what he had lost.
Caught off guard by the hug, Gu Xi froze on the spot. He and Xiao Che had grown up together since childhood and had never seen him so out of control. Knowing that he was probably remembering the time he was sick when he was a child and was frightened, his eyes softened.
I wonder what Butler Bai said to the family, and whether my mother's worry about me might have affected her condition.
"Brother Che, Xiao Xi is alright, please let go of me first." Gu Xi came back to her senses and gently pushed Xiao Che away. Even though the two had grown up together since childhood, she knew that he was just worried and confused, but it was still inappropriate for him to do this in front of outsiders.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Che slowly released Gu Xi, grabbed her shoulders, and looked her up and down.
"Look, I'm perfectly fine. The doctor said I'm just a little tired and caught a cold, so don't worry, Brother Che," Gu Xi said, downplaying the seriousness of the matter and not mentioning at all that she had been burning up for a day and a night and almost had a relapse of her old illness.
After saying that, he took Xiao Che's hands off his shoulders, gave him a reassuring look, and turned to look at Butler Bai.
Before she could speak, Butler Bai said, "Miss Gu, Yao Lingtang has taken the medicine. The doctor said her pulse has improved. That's why I came back to report. Please forgive me for keeping you waiting."
Gu Xi breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.
"Butler Bai, please don't say that. Gu Xi is grateful to you!"
Bai Guan looked at the veiled woman before him, her words earnest. Though his face was obscured, her eyes seemed to gleam with a soft light, drawing one to lower their guard and feel a desire to do something for her. For some reason, he felt a vague unease, a sense that this woman who had suddenly appeared might one day become a figure who would stir up the winds of change in the Sheng Kingdom.
"Miss, this is what I should do." Butler Bai was startled by his own thoughts and couldn't help but worry about his young master.
He wondered what the young master's relationship with this young lady was. Although he also hoped that the young master would find a good match, the young master's marriage was still unfulfilled, and there was also the Sixth Prince, who seemed to have a very close relationship with him...
He is the prince most trusted by the current emperor.
Butler Bai snapped out of his thoughts and said, "Your Highness, Miss Gu, I have already sent someone to the East Garden to inform my young master. Please wait a moment." With that, he withdrew.
None of them could have imagined that from the moment Xiao Che stepped into the room, their every move had been observed by another man. The man stared at them intently, his aura terrifying, as if something he couldn't suppress was about to burst forth, causing the servants beside him to lower their heads and not dare to breathe.
A note from the author:
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Mr. Bai really loves to act, haha~
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