Offer advice
During the Qingming Festival, it rained heavily. Gu Youan went to Xiangji Temple to pray for blessings. The Buddhist hall was quiet and peaceful. She inquired around and found out that Li Lingyue was also at Xiangji Temple today. Rumor had it that Li Lingyue had a lover monk at Xiangji Temple, but Gu Youan did not believe it. Rather than saying that Li Lingyue's lover was a monk, it was more accurate to say that she had a scheme at Xiangji Temple.
She stood up, lifted her pomegranate-colored skirt, stepped over the gate, opened an oil-paper umbrella embroidered with plum blossoms, and looked up. The whole courtyard was lush and green, with a tall and thick tree growing in the middle of the courtyard, blocking out the sun.
Her skirt was soaked with rainwater, making her a splash of red, hidden in the mountains and forests.
Raindrops dripped from the green tiles onto the bluestone slabs, splashing ripples all over her body. She stepped into the backyard, where Li Lingyue, dressed in a yellowish gauze dress, was sitting inside.
Gu Youan put down her umbrella and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."
Li Lingyue looked up at her and smiled slightly, "Miss Gu is still as elegant as ever."
“The princess is not at all surprised that I came here.”
Li Lingyue shook her head. "Miss Gu wants to inquire about Xie Daoqing and also wants to use my help to get rid of Xie Daoqing's control."
She parted her red lips and said, "But I won't help you, Gu Youan."
Gu Youan knelt down and bowed gracefully, "I am willing to be the princess's vanguard and help the princess achieve great things. The princess and the emperor are born of the same mother. If the emperor can ascend the throne, the princess can also ascend the throne."
Li Lingyue scolded, "Do you know what you're saying, Gu Youan? Don't say such treasonous things."
Gu Youan knelt and took two steps forward. "Your Highness, I am willing to assist you in achieving great things."
Li Lingyue slowly stood up, hooked her chin with her hand, and said, "Why should I believe you, a young lady who has lost seven years of memories?"
Gu Youan looked at her with her big, blinking eyes. "I am the biological daughter of the Gu family and Xie Daoqing's future wife. As long as the princess accepts me, I can make the Gu and Xie families' power work for me in the future."
Li Lingyue smiled disdainfully, "Gu Youan, you overestimate yourself. I have been friends with Xie Daoqing since childhood, and I will not agree to your request."
Gu Youan knelt down and kowtowed, "Your Highness, if you were a man, you should be sitting on the dragon throne, not His Majesty. Princess, you are outstanding in your youth, are you willing to assist His Majesty?"
Those who have tasted power will never relinquish it. In their early years, Li Lingyue and Li Yi depended on each other for survival, and Li Yi would consult with Li Lingyue before issuing any decrees. At the beginning of his reign, the court and the harem were fraught with danger, and the two of them dodged countless hidden attacks.
"Has Your Highness forgotten Xie Wanqing?" Gu Youan earnestly advised.
Li Lingyue lowered her head and stroked the hem of her clothes. "Gu Youan, the truth you want can only be investigated by yourself. The past is full of secrets, and only you know them. I will send you a secret guard. The others can't help you. Dao Qing is not an ordinary person. You have to be careful."
Gu Youan turned around and saw a strikingly handsome man standing at the door, dressed in black with his hair tied up, backlit.
“He looks like a woman, so being around you won’t arouse Daoqing’s suspicion.”
Gu Youan stared intently at him. She felt that he was very familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen him before.
Li Lingyue walked lightly to the door. "Gu Youan, he is the descendant of a disgraced official. He is Ye Qingchen, the youngest son of General Ye. He will protect your safety from now on."
Li Lingyue gently helped Gu Youan up. "After you come of age, I hope you will participate in the imperial concubine selection and enter the palace as a concubine."
Gu Youan took two steps back in shock, "The princess means..."
Li Lingyue touched Gu Youan's hand and said, "After Xie Wanqing's death, Xie Daoqing still remained loyal to His Majesty. You are Xie Daoqing's fiancée. Only when you enter the palace as a concubine can their relationship be broken down, and only then can I establish my own power in the court."
The Xie family was prepared for Li Yi by their mother. Even Xie Wanqing's death couldn't make Xie Daoqing turn back. As for now, Gu Youan is the best pawn.
Gu Youan felt a snake crawling onto her wrist, and a chill rose from the soles of her feet. She tried to remain calm, but panic was already raging inside her.
When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. When she made a deal with Li Lingyue, she could not remain unscathed.
"Miss Gu is unwilling?" Li Lingyue asked through gritted teeth, her hand gripping Gu Youan's wrist tightly.
"Princess, I am willing to serve you." Gu Youan's eyelashes fluttered. The arrow was already on the bowstring, and she had no choice but to give it. No matter what happened afterward, she had to agree to Li Lingyue's request for now.
Li Lingyue leaned down and whispered in Gu Youan's ear, "Now that you have this face, don't waste it."
Gu Youan was horrified. She lowered her head and knelt down in worship.
Li Lingyue opened her oil-paper umbrella and went out. Gu Youan's legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground. Ye Qingchen stepped forward and supported her arm. With Ye Qingchen's help, she stood up.
"How many years have you served the Princess?"
Ye Qingchen lowered his head and said, "This subordinate is now Miss's bodyguard."
She remembered that Ye Qingchen and Xie Daoqing met at a banquet a few years later in the original book. Was it her appearance that caused the butterfly effect, or was Ye Qingchen originally there at that moment?
She began to have doubts. In the original book, her ending was that she became a nun. Could it be that the author was referencing historical records? She closed her eyes and dismissed those unrealistic thoughts. Perhaps she had been kneeling for too long and was already seeing hallucinations.
“You are androgynous, so dress up as a woman and come with me to the Xie family.” Gu Youan lowered his head and pondered for a moment.
"Miss, don't you remember your previous memories?" Ye Qingchen asked hesitantly.
Gu Youan lowered his head and thought, "You need to stay with me to protect my safety, and don't ask any other questions."
Ye Qingchen's eyes dimmed. "Miss Gu, if I said I was an old acquaintance of yours, would you believe me?"
Gu Youan nodded. "When I first met you, I felt that you were very familiar, but I don't know anyone from the Princess's Mansion. I have forgotten my own past, so how could others remember it?"
Her memories and the system disappeared together. Perhaps it was a plot hole, or perhaps it was self-protection. She strolled out of the room. The rain had stopped, and there was only puddles on the ground. Xiangji Temple a thousand years later, Xiangji Temple a thousand years ago, the same land, different puddles. She lifted one foot and stepped into the water, just like when she was a child. But she could never go back. With the system gone, she felt like she had been thrown into the sea, never to return to shore.
She stepped through the water, gazing at her reflection in the water—that different face. Why had she lost seven years of memories?
Ye Qingchen pulled her arm back, saying, "Miss, I won't let you enter the palace."
Gu Youan smiled and looked at him, "If you had met Xie Daoqing, you would never have said such a thing."
Ye Qingchen knelt down and lifted Gu Youan's skirt, "Miss, I will always stay by your side."
"The pomegranate blossoms are very beautiful when they are in full bloom. Miss should be a person untouched by the world, not someone who is in such filth."
Gu Youan shook off her hand, "Pretty clothes look better when they're dirty."
The emotions that had been suppressed for many days burst forth at this moment, and tears fell one by one. What did it matter if she was a woman from a noble family or agile? When she made a deal with someone in a high position, she could only exchange her body for it.
She gently took Ye Qingchen's hand and asked, "What kind of deal did you make to survive in a pile of dead bodies?"
Everyone says that the eldest princess likes male concubines, but Gu Youan looks at him and sees that he is strong and healthy, so he is definitely not a male concubine.
Her emotions affected Ye Qingchen, and his outstretched hand froze in mid-air. "If I said you saved me, would you believe me?"
Gu Youan's eyes were filled with tears as she touched his face. "I just want to know what happened in the past and find my memories."
Xie Daoqing loved her, but he never mentioned the past. How could other people's words piece together the complete story? Gu Youan sighed.
"No one knows what happened to me in the past. A person without memories is like a bird that has lost its feet and can never land."
Gu Youan choked up as she raised her head, a tear slowly sliding down her cheek, her eyes filled with a hint of loneliness.
Ye Qingchen took out a mechanical umbrella and placed it in her palm. "Miss Gu, please believe me, and please believe in yourself. This umbrella was given to me by you that day, and I am returning it to you today, hoping that you can find your previous memories."
She held the mechanical umbrella in her hand, feeling its cool touch, but she could never remember what had happened. Gu Youan looked at him, "Would you betray me?"
In the original book, Ye Qingchen, burdened by hatred, uses Gu Youan to get close to Xie Daoqing.
Gu Youan handed him a pill, "As long as you take this, I will believe you."
Without hesitation, Ye Qingchen took the pill from Gu Youan's hand and swallowed it. Gu Youan tilted her head and looked at him, "Aren't you afraid the pill is poisoned?"
Ye Qingchen looked up at her and said, "If it were poisonous, you wouldn't have saved me that day. Please believe me, I will definitely protect you."
Gu Youan lowered her eyes. Anyone can say nice things, "I won't believe you unless you have something to make me believe you."
"I want to see your pledge of loyalty!"
Ye Qingchen knelt on one knee. "What do you want me to do?"
Gu Youan picked up the beans from the ground, "Kill Gu Changming!"
Ye Qingchen looked up in surprise. Gu Youan looked at him and asked, "You don't want to come?"
A smile played on his lips. "I'll do anything you want, Miss. Please believe me, I will protect you."
Gu Youan looked at him and said, "I don't need protection. I hope you kill Gu Changming."
Gu Changming is not her biological brother, but he and Xie Daoqing reached an agreement to keep her past a secret. Since the Gu family wants to support Gu Changming, she wants to let the Gu family know who their biological child is.
Even though Gu Youan is the only child in the Gu family, the Gu family doesn't tell her the truth. When faced with interests, the Gu family still chooses Gu Changming.
"good!"
Gu Youan suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. She would deal with the future later. She wanted to seek help from a more powerful force, but she ended up getting herself involved. "My skirt is wet. Carry me down the mountain."
Ye Qingchen squatted down, and Gu Youan took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his neck. The damp warmth soaked through her clothes, and she leaned drowsily on his shoulder.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
