Chapter 363 Leaving the Capital
Seeing that he remained silent, Qi Yunwen thought he had guessed correctly and said irritably, "Gu Yaoling, if you don't speak, I'll take it as a yes. I knew something was wrong with you. So tell me, what is it that you've left for us to do?"
Gu Jingxi glanced at him, both amused and annoyed, and said, "Qi Mobai, don't judge me by my own standards. What could possibly be wrong with me?"
Qi Yunwen rolled her eyes at him, clearly not believing his claim that nothing was wrong, and pressed on, "If nothing's wrong, why did you need to make the trip yourself? Either I or Zheng Shaoqing could have gone."
Gu Jingxi said calmly, "I have always been considerate of my subordinates. I have never assigned you such mentally and physically demanding tasks. You should be grateful to have such an understanding boss as me."
After listening, Qi Yunwen stared at him for a long time. Seeing that he really didn't seem to have left a big pit for himself, he reluctantly believed him. He felt like the sun had risen in the west today.
Gu Jingxi was about to leave when he thought for a moment and added, "Mo Bai, my trip out of the capital is only to return to my hometown to pay respects to my ancestors. As for anything else, don't let it get out of your mouth, not even to Zheng Shaoqing."
"Why?" Qi Yunwen frowned slightly, looking at him with great puzzlement. "Don't you think there's something wrong with Zheng Shaoqing? He's always been fair and impartial in his work, and there's nothing wrong with him as a person."
Gu Jingxi shook his head slightly: "He seems to be fine for now, but there are some connections with the family, so the fewer people who know about this, the better, to avoid alerting them."
Qi Yunwen nodded: "Those people will probably still guess that your trip to Huzhou Prefecture is not so simple."
Gu Jingxi nodded and said, "The case is closed, their vigilance will decrease, and we can let them think whatever they want about the rest."
Qi Yunwen said, "I wish you a safe journey and a speedy return."
Gu Jingxi hummed in agreement and said nothing more before leaving Dali Temple to go home.
Qi Yunwen sighed softly. He had thought this trip would fall to him, but he didn't expect Yao Ling to volunteer and even confront that person. The storm Yao Ling would stir up would be no small matter. Those people had better not have done anything bad, or they would not have a good ending.
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The Changxing Marquis's Residence.
When Ningdong learned that Chan'er was able to go to Huzhou Prefecture with her master, but she, as his personal maid, could not, she immediately went to her master to discuss the matter.
Meng Jinyao said gently, "Ningdong, you are my confidante. I feel at ease with you guarding Weirui Pavilion. You should keep an eye on the people in the courtyard for me, so that they don't rebel while we're away. Besides, the Marquis and I are going back to our hometown to pay respects to our ancestors. It's not like we'll never come back. We'll return after we finish paying respects to our ancestors."
Upon hearing this, Ningdong realized her importance and immediately became happy again: "Don't worry, Madam, this servant will definitely take good care of the courtyard for you and the Marquis."
Meng Jinyao instructed, "First, help me pack some commonly used clothes and jewelry. Don't pack too much; keep it simple."
Ningdong nodded in agreement and said she would do it right away.
Seeing how easily Ningdong was coaxed, Qingqiu smiled gently, feeling that this girl was like a child.
Meng Jinyao asked with a smile, "Qingqiu, what are you laughing at?"
Qingqiu replied, "Madam, Ningdong was just feeling down, saying that you don't love her anymore and don't even take her with you on your long trips."
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "The journey is long and it's not easy to go back and forth. Why would we not care about her if she stayed at home? Either you or she has to stay at home. It's either you or her."
Qingqiu's smile remained unchanged. In fact, she understood her master's thoughts. She was more composed than Ningdong, so her master took her along. However, this did not mean that she was more favored than Ningdong. In her master's heart, she was just as important as Ningdong. The reason for taking Chan'er along was because Chan'er was skilled in martial arts and could protect her master even if something happened.
A moment later, Qingqiu said, "Madam, I'll go help tidy up too."
Meng Jinyao nodded: "Go ahead, pack some clothes for the Marquis to change into on the road, and pack some of his usual items."
Qingqiu replied, "Yes, Madam."
Meanwhile, the people from the eldest and second branches of the Gu family all knew that Gu Jingxi had taken leave to return to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors. At first, they were a little confused, but when they heard that he had dreamed of his ancestors and realized that he had not returned to his hometown to visit their graves for many years, he took the opportunity to take leave to return to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors and remember them, and they felt it was normal.
Of all virtues, filial piety is the most important. Even deceased ancestors should be respected, honored, and remembered.
Their ancestor was a founding hero. Before the anniversary of his death, the ancestor appeared in a dream to his descendants, asking them to come and pay respects at his grave. The emperor would definitely approve, otherwise it would seem inhumane.
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On the eve of leaving Beijing, Meng Jinyao was so excited that she couldn't sleep and tossed and turned in bed.
Gu Jingxi couldn't fall asleep because she was rolling around in bed, so he simply pulled her into his arms. Meeting her smiling eyes, he asked with a smile, "Are you that happy?"
Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "I've never left the capital before. I'm sure I'll be happy to be able to go out and see the world now."
Gu Jingxi tucked a strand of hair that had fallen onto her cheek behind her ear and said gently, "It's okay to take two or three days by boat, but it takes half a month to get there, which is quite tiring. I bet you'll be exhausted before we even get to Huzhou. Now that I think about it, I don't know if taking you to Huzhou was to let you see the world outside the capital or to put you through the wringer."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao paused for a moment, then said, "It must be the former. How can looking at the outside world be considered troublesome? For example, if I want to see the scenery on the mountaintop, do I have to go through all the trouble of climbing to the top to see it? If you want to see different scenery, you definitely need to make some sacrifices."
Gu Jingxi chuckled softly: "You certainly know how to comfort yourself."
Meng Jinyao disagreed: "I'm not just trying to comfort myself, I'm just stating the facts."
Gu Jingxi lowered his head and kissed her cheek, his voice tinged with laughter: "Okay, okay, it's all true. It's getting late, go to sleep early, otherwise I'll have to drag you out of bed tomorrow if you can't get up."
Meng Jinyao was wide awake and not sleepy at all. She pleaded, "Husband, I can't sleep. Why don't you tell me a story?"
Gu Jingxi agreed to his wife's request. To prevent her from getting too excited while listening to the story, he thought for a while and then told her an extremely boring story.
His gentle voice, speaking in a slow and deliberate tone, told a boring story like a monk chanting sutras, more soothing than a lullaby.
Not long after, Meng Jinyao fell asleep in his arms.
Gu Jingxi heard steady breathing beside him, looked down and saw that she had fallen asleep, so he stopped talking and placed a kiss on her fair cheek. With her soft and fragrant body in his arms, Gu Jingxi soon fell asleep as well.
The next morning.
Gu Jingxi and Meng Jinyao set off early in the morning, and their families saw them off.
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