After listening quietly to Yuanyuan's report, Xie Zhaozhao wrote a note and whispered to Yuanyuan, "Find a way to drop this on the road that Master Yu will definitely pass by, and make sure no one suspects you."
December 1st.
There is a teahouse about ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) inside the city from the south gate.
Early in the morning, Censor-in-Chief Yu, with his goatee twitching, came to this place where only peddlers and laborers usually drank tea.
He sat by the window with his back to the second-floor staircase.
From this vantage point, one can clearly see within a hundred feet of the south gate entrance, but it's not easy for others to see him clearly.
He found a letter at home saying that Prince Gu was having an affair and asked him to catch him in the act.
The censors have this duty: to monitor the words and deeds of all officials.
Amidst the swirling snow, a carriage approached the south gate of Kyoto.
The city gate guard said, "Stop the car and get it checked."
The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a face etched with exhaustion.
“Madam Tu,” Ping An, who had been guarding the city gate, said excitedly as soon as he saw her, “the young master has been waiting for you.”
After he finished speaking, he ran to the teahouse not far away and waved towards the second floor.
Gu Chengyan saw Ping An waving from upstairs and immediately went downstairs.
She hurriedly ran down to the city gate and greeted the gatekeeper, saying, "This is my cousin."
The city gate guards were all seasoned veterans. Their superiors had trained them in the mannerisms of powerful figures, so that they wouldn't be foolish enough to offend someone important and end up suffering the consequences themselves.
Although Gu Chengyan wasn't a high-ranking official, he had a powerful third uncle, so the gatekeepers recognized his face.
They waved and let them pass.
Guan Yingying looked at Gu Chengyan. He was wearing a blue fox fur coat, his hair was tied up with a white jade crown, his face was rosy, his eyes were affectionate, and he was gentle and refined.
Although the Grand Canal project was arduous, the difficulties were posed by the imperial court, not him. The southern climate and soil had made him handsome and delicate.
Guan Yingying's eyes immediately blurred with tears.
Her skin was no longer as fair and tender as before; it had become much rougher. The sun of Nanzhao Kingdom had tanned her to a great extent. If it weren't for the fact that her demeanor was no different from before, Gu Chengyan would have wondered if he had picked up the wrong person.
Even though they kept their distance on the street, Gu Chengyan couldn't help but hold her hand. Both of them had tears in their eyes. If they said they weren't in that kind of relationship, no one would believe them.
The carriage curtains were lowered again, and the two carriages, one in front and one behind, returned to Tianhou Lane in the southern part of the city.
Lord Yu saw this and sneered. Although Gu Chengyan was only a minor seventh-rank official, he was still a very important court official. The key point was that he was Gu Shaoyu's nephew!
Such behavior is truly shameful!
Guan Yingying left around the Mid-Autumn Festival. Now, everywhere is covered in snow, and four months have flown by in the blink of an eye.
Returning to the southern part of the city felt like stepping into another world.
Guan Yingying brought back two maids this time. They were two sisters she picked up on the way out of the famine. They were originally called Daya and Erya, but she thought they were too rustic, so she renamed them Nianke and Yanke.
The two sisters were diligent and immediately swept the yard. Pointing to a box of toys in the corner, which was neither new nor old, they asked, "Madam, are these things still useful?"
"Don't touch them!" Guan Yingying said, choking back tears, upon seeing the toys. "Bai Bai, do you miss your mother?"
"Don't cry, I'll bring him over later, and the three of us will be reunited!" Upon entering the courtyard, Gu Chengyan immediately embraced her from behind, his affection and tenderness overflowing. "Qianyue!"
Guan Yingying quickly turned over, let out a "whoosh" and jumped up, hugging Gu Chengyan's neck and sobbing.
"I missed you all so much..."
"Me too. As soon as I received your letter, I came back ahead of time. I didn't even go back to the Marquis's residence. I stayed here waiting for you."
Although she was wearing thick clothes for winter, Gu Chengyan could tell that she had lost a lot of weight and was very light.
"How did you lose so much weight?" Gu Chengyan said with heartache. "Don't go out anymore, just stay at home. I can support you."
The two embraced and kissed passionately, oblivious to everything else. Nian Ke and Yan Ke had never seen anything like this before and were completely dumbfounded.
Good heavens, do city people know how to have fun?
Nianke, being the older sister, was the first to react, quickly pulling her silly younger sister to hide in the west room.
"Sister... um..."
The courtyard in the south of the city had no underfloor heating, and they hadn't even had a brazier lit yet. The two of them were freezing, with goosebumps all over their bodies, but nothing could stop them from exploring happiness.
Swallows fly south and wild geese return north, the bed curtains sway, spring is different. In the alleys of the southern city, hidden gems, cats and dogs joyfully reunite.
There was just someone eavesdropping.
As soon as Guan Yingying returned to Nancheng, Xiao Xin immediately found out.
Open the Listening Pavilion immediately.
Shin-chan, who was already used to the two's long-standing and vigorous fighting ability, listened and said with a puzzled look, "Why was it so short today? It was over in less than 15 minutes!"
After they finished, the two lay in bed and talked about their experiences over the past four months.
When Gu Chengyan heard that all the 70,000 shi of grain, 800 jin of candles, and 500 jin of panacea that she had managed to obtain by going back and forth between Da Gan and Nan Zhao had been stolen, his heart ached terribly.
The 20,000 taels of silver he earned from the first batch of grain was all given to Guan Yingying to take to the Nanzhao Kingdom, and now it's all gone down the drain.
"It's better that you're back safe and sound than anything else." Sigh, if I had known a quarter of an hour earlier, my second brother would definitely have been affected in his charge into battle.
"Thank you, Chengyan, I didn't misjudge you after all!" Guan Yingying heard his still affectionate words, put on her clothes, and got out of bed.
"Chengyan, come and see—this is the formula for the Panacea Ointment."
After being robbed twice, she learned her lesson and changed her route, carrying only the panacea pills and no food. She finally succeeded in bringing back several boxes of panacea pill formulas.
Guan Yingying said proudly, "Even the Nanzhao Kingdom doesn't know that there's a very simple way to make cooked food. Look at what I've made."
She showed him a package of fermented, sliced panacea.
It has a golden-yellow, amber-like color and a strong, sweet fruity aroma.
"If you use the best ** box and tell the Crown Prince that this is a recipe for an immortal cultivation pill that can nourish the kidneys and strengthen bones, he will definitely use it. He will like it after just one use, and he will be addicted after two uses."
Gu Chengyan couldn't comprehend its miraculous effects, but he trusted Guan Yingying.
With so much to say, Gu Chengyan said, "You should rest first. Tomorrow I'll bring Yuebai, and we'll go shopping as a family. It's almost New Year's, so I'll take you to Boyige to buy some fine jewelry."
Are the three of us going shopping tomorrow morning?
Shin-chan immediately ran back to his residence and released a robin.
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