Chu Zhenyue's words were so straightforward that Gu Ziyi couldn't possibly misunderstand them.
Gu Ziyi frowned deeply: "Are you sure?"
Gu Ziyi naturally knew about the disappearance of the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, but Baiyun preferred quiet and rarely attended banquets. Gu Ziyi was still young before, and had only seen her once or twice before, but had forgotten about it. Later, when she grew up, she came to Nanlin County.
He had no recollection of the wife of the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, nor had he ever seen the elusive young lady.
Therefore, he never connected the two.
No wonder, no wonder the young master's wife loves Lili so much, no wonder Gu Ziqi is so close to Lili.
It turns out that there is indeed a bloodline guiding us in the dark.
Chu Zhenyue's thick eyebrows furrowed: "Would an old man lie to you? I've seen all kinds of people with these eyes, and I'm not afraid of offending the Shen family. Lili, this child, doesn't seem like a child that the Shen family could have given birth to!"
He had never met the Shen family. While the Shen family members were honest and kind, the kind of spirit that Lili possessed could never have been cultivated in a farming family.
That fierce spirit, that savage energy hidden beneath a gentle exterior, was reminiscent of his old friend Fu Lang.
"A long time ago, Fu Lang wasn't yet the Duke of Zhenguo. Back then, he was just a deputy general who fought his way up from the battlefield, fearless and invincible. Dissatisfied with the machinations of treacherous officials, he sneaked in at night and beat them up!"
Gu Ziyi remained silent.
He, who was usually calm and collected, almost couldn't process what was happening.
Gu Ziyi also thought of the same question.
If Lili is indeed the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, then according to seniority, shouldn't he call her his cousin?
Although there are countless cases of cousins marrying into wealthy families in the capital, Lili is not one of them; this little dumpling has always been sensible.
If she calls him cousin, then he really can only be her cousin!
The Crown Prince, who was always so composed and resourceful, panicked. When he got nervous, he couldn't help but make eight hundred little movements. One moment he would drink tea with a blank expression, the next he would frown and ponder, and then he would rub his temples and sigh.
Chu Zhenyue: "..."
What is his grandson doing?
Gu Ziyi pondered for a moment, then summoned Zhuifeng and wearily instructed him: "Go and find out the truth. If you can't find out, go back to the capital and find Gu Zian. Make him talk, no matter what method you use."
Chasing the Wind: "Yes."
"Wait a minute." Gu Ziyi called out to him, "Once the secret letter about the Ma family matter arrives in the capital, Gu Zian should be close to passing away. Tell someone to hurry up."
"yes."
Zhui Feng turned around and walked away again.
"Wait a minute," Gu Ziyi called out to him again.
Zhui Feng: "...Does Your Highness have any further instructions?"
Gu Ziyi solemnly instructed, "Be discreet, and don't let a word get out. Especially about the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, the Shen family, and Miss..."
"...Is there anything else, Your Highness?"
"Go."
Chasing the wind quickly left.
Gu Ziyi regained his composure.
Chu Zhenyue asked, puzzled, "Why are you so nervous?"
"It's nothing," Gu Ziyi said calmly.
Chu Zhenyue nodded and sighed, "That old man Fu Lang only has one son, who has a son and a daughter. His grandson is excellent, but it's a pity that his granddaughter was kidnapped by villains when she was so young. If Lili is really that child, it would be a double blessing."
"Double happiness?"
"Hmm? I helped him find his granddaughter and even gave him a grandson-in-law. How can that not be considered double happiness?" Chu Zhenyue said righteously.
Butler Zhao smiled with satisfaction.
If Lili were here, she would think to herself that Butler Zhao's smile was as if he was about to say, "This is the first time the young master has been so nice to a girl."
Gu Ziyi: No, not at all.
Gu Ziyi felt no joy at all; his maternal grandfather's words only made him more anxious.
Ignoring the teasing in Chu Zhenyue's words, Gu Ziyi said seriously, "Grandfather, you must not say such things in front of Lili."
Chu Zhenyue's beard twitched with anger: "Why? I can see that Lili is quite dependent on you. I've been bored here for so many years, and finally my grandson has a girl he likes. What's wrong with you asking me to be a matchmaker? You don't understand. A wife needs to be treated well from a young age, subtly nurturing her so that she can't live without you, so that in the future..."
“Grandfather!” Gu Ziyi sighed.
How could he not know?
Hasn't he been working hard all along?
He had his own rhythm. Now that Chu Zhenyue knew that Li Li's identity was questionable, he was afraid that if Li Li noticed something was wrong and disrupted his rhythm, everything would be over.
Although he knew his maternal grandfather was reliable, he was still afraid of the possibility of something going wrong.
That girl, Lili, is too mysterious.
It's best to be cautious.
"Whether it works or not, I don't care about you guys." Chu Zhenyue entered the house disappointed. "Getting old, even my grandson is disgusted."
Gu Ziyi had no choice but to say to Steward Zhao, "Uncle Zhao, please take care of my maternal grandfather."
Steward Zhao smiled and said, "It is my duty, Your Highness. But Your Highness, I think Miss Shen is an extremely clever and intelligent girl, both beautiful and intelligent. She will surely have many men admiring her in the future. Your Highness should hurry up and make your move."
Gu Ziyi chuckled: "Uncle Zhao, don't worry."
Zhao Bo took his leave and went to attend to the old general as he retired for the night.
Gu Ziyi walked back to her room, bathed in the soft, white moonlight.
He couldn't help but think of what had just happened.
At least until the matter is clarified, Lili must not know about this under any circumstances.
He didn't want to just be her brother and sister.
Fortunately, Lili doesn't know anything yet, and he needs to change things before Lili finds out.
Tsk, but upon closer reflection, the Duke of Zhenguo has no relation to the royal family. He was born into humble circumstances and climbed his way up step by step.
He had absolutely no connection with the heir and his wife of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
It was because of Gu Ziqi that they had that relationship.
Well, we're not really cousins, it's just that we call each other that based on our generation.
Thinking of this, Gu Ziyi shook off his gloom and happily returned to the courtyard to practice his sword.
*
After staying in Andingcheng for almost half a month, Lili would stroll through the vegetable garden during the day and "inspect" the various night market stalls at night.
Gu Ziqi usually clung to Lili, but when Lili went out, he could only obediently follow Gu Ziyi. Gu Ziyi mostly practiced swordsmanship in the courtyard and occasionally went back to the army.
Gu Ziqi was really bored today, so he went to the army camp with Gu Ziyi. He was frightened by the grim atmosphere in the camp, but at the same time, he admired the soldiers who were so capable.
As soon as Gu Ziqi returned, he couldn't wait to share what he had seen that day with Lili.
"Sister, you don't know, the momentum of General Chu training troops is just as powerful as the stories you told me. So this is what the stories meant by 'a torrent of water' looks like!"
Lili smiled and peeled a few small oranges for him: "Really?"
"Mmm! After the morning training, my brother Crown Prince had Zhuifeng take me for a stroll around the military camp. I saw so many things: archery, horseback riding, swords, spears... they practiced all sorts of things, it was so impressive."
Gu Ziqi excitedly counted them one by one on his fingers, and even waved his fist to demonstrate how the soldiers moved.
Lili was amused by his appearance, and as she laughed, she thought of Shen Jiahao.
My older brother has been away from home for nearly four months, and apart from the letter he sent on the day he left, he hasn't sent back a single letter.
Where did my older brother go to join the army?
The closest army to Nanlin County is General Chu's Red Eagle Army, but Lili had already asked Gu Ziyi to check, and the Red Eagle Army had not recruited any new soldiers recently, let alone a new soldier named Shen Jiahao.
Shen Jiahao did not go to the Red Eagle Army.
"well."
Lili could somewhat guess Shen Jiahao's thoughts. In the south, there was the Red Eagle Army, an elite force under General Chu, whose reputation was far-reaching.
Moreover, war is unlikely to break out in the south, so if Shen Jiahao wants to make a name for himself quickly, he must achieve something on the battlefield.
After thinking it over, Lili felt that the most likely place was the north.
The northern region directly faces Mongolia, a people known for their ferocity and ambition, who frequently raid the border, leading to frequent battles.
Shen Jiahao was eager to make a name for himself, and the battlefield in the north held a great attraction for him.
"Sister, what's wrong?"
Gu Ziqi noticed that Lili was lost in thought and tugged at her sleeve.
Lili snapped out of her daze and forced a smile: "It's nothing."
"Oh." Gu Ziqi took the orange with some skepticism. "But sister doesn't seem happy. Is she tired today?"
"A little. I went to the northern suburbs today. It rained a few days ago, and the terrain there is low-lying and difficult to walk on. My feet hurt from walking."
"Then Ziqi, give your sister a leg massage!"
Gu Ziqi quickly jumped off the stool and massaged Lili's legs.
Lili's heart melted: "Ziqi is really amazing."
Praised, Gu Ziqi hammered even harder.
A few days later, Gu Ziyi's spies in the Jin Dynasty brought news that the Jin emperor had died.
At that moment, everyone was having a barbecue in the courtyard. Shen Ye paused while brushing on the sauce, his back to the others, making it impossible for Li Li to see the emotion on his face.
Being a teenager after all, Shen Ye's sluggish and somewhat absent-minded movements betrayed him.
Lili was a little worried; after all, he was her father, how could she not be sad at all?
Lili walked to his side and whispered, "Brother Chenye..."
Shen Ye smiled and placed the grilled meat on a plate for her: "It's nothing."
Lili took the barbecue, wanting to say something, but didn't, deciding to let Zhuifeng finish speaking first.
She felt that Shen Ye was probably more concerned about his mother and elder brother than about the emperor.
Gu Ziyi helped Lili put the plate away and gestured for Zhuifeng to continue.
"After the late emperor passed away, the crown prince should have ascended the throne. However, the eldest prince suddenly produced the late emperor's edict, which stated that... the crown prince is young and inexperienced, so the Marquis of Nanbo, Wufan, was appointed as regent to temporarily manage the government and teach the crown prince and the eldest prince, assisting them in governing the country. One year later, the regent would choose one of them to succeed to the throne."
The chopsticks in Chen Ye's hand suddenly fell to the ground.
"Hmm." Gu Ziyi seemed to have expected this outcome, and her calmness was surprising.
Suddenly, Lili understood.
Gu Ziyi had told her long ago that the Great Jin Emperor wouldn't survive this winter.
She also asked him whether the eldest prince or the crown prince would win.
Gu Ziyi said that no one would win.
So that's why they can't win.
But she was confused again. Where did this regent come from?
The Crown Prince is still young; he's already a teenager, yet he's still considered young.
It's obvious there's something wrong with it.
Lili was completely baffled and looked at Gu Ziyi with eyes full of curiosity: "Your Highness, Your Highness, please explain."
Gu Ziyi chuckled twice and raised an eyebrow: "What do you want to ask?"
"Who is Wufan? I don't think I've ever heard of him. Why would the Emperor of Jin choose him to be the regent? Isn't he afraid that the regent will wield too much power and seize the country for himself?"
“Ufan’er is the younger brother of General Ufanman, who shares the same father and mother,” Shen Ye suddenly said.
"younger brother?"
Lili was surprised. She remembered that Wufanman was on the Crown Prince's side. If that was the case, wouldn't Wufaner definitely be on the Crown Prince's side?
Shen Ye saw through her thoughts and shook his head: "The two are more than twenty years apart in age, one is a scholar and the other a warrior, and their views are completely opposite. Their relationship is not very harmonious."
In fact, it's not just that they don't get along; they're completely incompatible.
When news of Ufanman's secret incursion into the border town and subsequent massacre reached the Great Jin Dynasty, Ufaner, the Marquis of the South, was the first to stand up and condemn him.
Killing innocent civilians to achieve a deterrent effect is absolutely unacceptable and goes against one's conscience.
Ufan was a civil official who had no other opinion on the war between the two countries, but he would never condone such a despicable method.
More importantly, when Wu Fan'er was young, he traveled to Southern Jin and encountered bandits. He was rescued by one of the families that Wu Fan'er had slaughtered. Wu Fan'er recuperated in that family for nearly a year and developed a deep affection for them.
Ufan was even more furious when his savior was killed by his own brother. However, Ufanman didn't care. It was just a few lives. He could kill them and that was that.
From that point on, the two brothers completely fell out.
Therefore, no one in the court understood the Emperor of Jin's actions.
There are now only two factions in the imperial court: the eldest son and the legitimate son.
Some people believe that Ufaner was Ufanman's younger brother. Even if the two brothers had a deep misunderstanding and Ufanman died of injury a few years ago, Ufanman was a princeling, and blood is thicker than water. Ufaner would definitely agree with his brother.
Others believe that once a relationship is broken, it is broken. Ufaner did not attend Ufanman's funeral, so Ufaner might turn against him.
In short, once this imperial edict was issued, opinions in the court were divided, and for a time no one could analyze whether the eldest son or the legitimate son had a greater chance of winning.
Lili listened with amazement, while Chen Ye could no longer hide his worry after hearing the story.
“This Ufan is quite talented in literature. My elder brother once received guidance from Ufan in his writing when he was young. However, I caused trouble at a palace banquet and was reprimanded by him. My elder brother was also severely scolded by him in order to apologize, and he was also accused of spoiling his younger brother.”
Shen Ye settled in Bengbu. He hadn't cried during his long stay in a foreign land, nor had he cried when he couldn't see his family. But now he was crying like a child, just like that spoiled prince from the Great Jin Dynasty.
"Now look what's happened. I don't even know how Ufaner feels about my older brother anymore. It's all my fault. If I hadn't caused this trouble..."
Lili couldn't bear to see people cry, and just as she was about to say a few words of comfort, Gu Ziyi pressed her hand down.
"Fifth Prince, there's no need to panic." Gu Ziyi said calmly, "Your brother has been able to negotiate with the other side for several years; he is no ordinary person."
Chen Ye paused, pondering these words carefully.
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