Gongshu Jiruo, however, understood Yuwen Sheng's character to some extent. He calmly asked, "Do you think there is anyone in this world who can force Yuwen Sheng to submit?"
Even if there was an element of external coercion, as long as he was unwilling, even if a princess of a country wanted to marry him, he still wouldn't marry her.
Gongshu Lan's face turned deathly pale.
It's as if a fact that you've always been unwilling to admit has been suddenly torn apart.
With a thud, Gongshu Lan knelt heavily on the ground.
"Brother, I beg you this once, please help me get rid of her. You know I've waited so many years, and this is the first time I've been able to get so close to Yuwen Sheng. I don't want to, and I can't let another woman ruin all of this. Please, just give me a little more time, and I'll make him treat me differently."
"Are you asking me to harm an innocent person?" Gongshu Jiruo retorted.
Gongshu Lan kowtowed forcefully to the ground, his determination was strong, and soon blood seeped from his forehead, turning it bright red.
"Please, please, for the sake of my parents' dying wish, help Lan this one time, okay?"
Gongshu Jiruo was not a soft-hearted person; he just thought what she did was a very foolish thing.
What good is getting rid of that woman? As long as Gongshu Lan can't win Yuwen Sheng's heart, there will naturally be a second and a third woman. Does she intend to spend the rest of her life using such underhanded methods to get rid of one woman after another who gets close to Yuwen Sheng?
"So what do you want to do?"
Gongshu Lan paused: "I need to plan this matter carefully. I can't let Yuwen Sheng find out that I did it. I only hope that when I ask my brother for help, he will do his best to help me."
Gongshu Jiruo looked at her intently for a long time before saying, "If this is what you wish for."
Knowing that Gongshu Jiruo would not refuse once his parents were mentioned, before Gongshu Lan could fully show a smile, Gongshu Jiruo said, "Gongshu Lan, do you know that you are wasting the kindness and merits your parents have accumulated over a lifetime?"
Gongshu Lan's expression froze on her face; her eyelashes trembled as she lowered her eyes.
"Lan is wrong, she knows she is wrong, but... Lan does not regret it."
Gongshu Jiruo replied, "Whether I regret it or not, let's talk about that later."
However, even if one regrets it, it will be too late.
——
Zheng Quchi and Yuwen Sheng returned home together. Brother Sang had already heard that the laborers and stonemasons of Guixu Ridge would be on leave and returning home today, so he hurriedly came out to greet them as soon as he heard the door open.
He leaned on a cane, and when he saw Zheng Quchi had changed back into women's clothing and was all smiles and seemingly alright, he both rebuked her with a mixture of joy and anger.
"You, all you've done for so long is send messages through others, and you haven't even thought to come home and check on things?"
When Zheng Quchi saw her brother's energetic expression, she knew that apart from worrying about her, everything else must have been going well for him these days.
"Brother, I've been busy, look what I bought for you and your little sister? By the way, where's your little sister?"
"She went out to play with other children. What did she buy this time? She's just wasting money."
"Hey? When we go out to play, isn't little sister afraid of people anymore?"
“She used to be afraid of people because other kids always bullied her. But now that your second brother is doing well, I hear from others that he's doing manual labor. So everyone is coaxing her, and the children are kind to her. Naturally, she's happy to go out and play.”
Second brother?
Oh, isn't "Second Brother" her?
"I see. It's good to go out and play with people your own age, so you won't get bored staying at home."
Although the youngest sister isn't very bright, she's young, and the other children are probably only a tiny bit smarter than her, so it shouldn't be a big problem.
Yuwen Sheng heard them mention "Second Brother," which must be "Sang Xuanqing." It seems that Zheng Quchi really is "Sang Xuanqing's" sister.
He asked intentionally, "Qu Chi, tomorrow is New Year's Eve, why hasn't your second brother come back yet?"
Zheng Quchi and Brother Sang were immediately stumped by the question.
They exchanged a glance, and Zheng Quchi laughed it off, saying, "He... he probably went to take care of something. I reckon he'll be back soon. Speaking of my second brother, he's rarely home, and sometimes we can't even pinpoint his whereabouts."
This statement does fit the characteristics of "Sang Xuanqing" as a spy. One moment he has to pass on intelligence to "Julu Kingdom", and the next he has to act as an inside agent for "Mohist School". He must be elusive and rarely at home in order to get things done.
"I see."
Yuwen Sheng nodded, seemingly accepting the answer well.
Zheng Quchi quickly changed the subject: "Brother, have you bought anything for the holiday? I didn't buy much. If you need anything, I'll go back tomorrow. I'm telling you, the county has raised my monthly salary. We can have a good and prosperous New Year this year."
“What else is missing? Go to the kitchen and see. I know you want to eat cured meat, so I specially asked Heiming to buy a whole pig to smoke. I also bought ten laying hens and ten chicks to raise in a bamboo pen. You can eat more meat to make up for it, so you won’t keep complaining that you’re short because you haven’t eaten good food.”
"A pig?! Bro, you're so extravagant. But... thank you anyway, bro. It must have been hard preparing so much for you with your mobility issues."
"Let's not talk like family. This is all thanks to you... Second brother made money this year. Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. You're all soaked. I've boiled some water for you. Go and wash up quickly. I've also found you some clean clothes to hang in the bathhouse."
Although this bathhouse sounds quite upscale, it's actually just a small bathing area of about three square meters.
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