"I heard that my cousin will be engaged to my second sister soon. When that happens, I'll have to call you my second brother-in-law."
Gu Yue's attitude was very cold, but if you listened carefully, you could also detect a hint of sourness and dissatisfaction.
Xie Xian pretended to be sad, "Cousin, don't you know what I'm thinking? Marrying Gu Jiu is not what I want.
If it were possible, I would immediately cancel this marriage."
Gu Yue snorted coldly, "What nonsense! If you reject this marriage, who will my second sister marry?"
"But I can't bear to leave my cousin. These days, I can't eat or drink. All I think about is my cousin."
Xie Xian was affectionate and his expression was sincere.
Gu Yue's cheeks flushed slightly, and she said coquettishly, "What nonsense are you talking about, cousin? What will happen if someone hears it?"
"Yuer, do you miss me? I miss you so much! You don't know how much it hurts me that I can't marry you."
Gu Jiu's mouth twitched, and he smiled silently. Xie Xian's love words were really well-written, worthy of being a veteran in the flower world.
A little girl like Gu Yue is no match for Xie Xian. She'll fall into the trap in no time.
"Oh, cousin, why are you saying all this? You're about to marry my second sister, what do you want me to do now?"
Gu Yue stamped her feet, feeling a little shy, a little ashamed, a little angry, and her expression was extremely complicated.
Xie Xian simply hugged her.
Gu Yue was frightened, but at the same time, she was delighted. She pretended to push him and said angrily, "Cousin, please let go."
Xie Xian was trapped by love and was so persistent, "No, I won't let go. I will never let go in this life. Marrying Gu Jiu is just a temporary solution.
Cousin, you will wait for me, right? In two years, when Gu Jiu arrives... I will come and marry you, okay?"
Gu Yue leaned reluctantly into Xie Xian's arms.
She bit her lip, her cheeks flushed, "Will my cousin really marry me?"
"I swear, I will marry Yue'er. If I break my oath, I will be struck by lightning and die a miserable death."
"Don't..." Gu Yue stretched out her hand and covered Xie Xian's lips, "I believe my cousin."
Xie Xian was filled with surprise, as if he had obtained a priceless treasure worth cherishing for a lifetime.
He held Gu Yue's hand and kissed it wildly.
Gu Yue looked flustered, "Cousin, don't be like this."
But in my heart, I hope my cousin can be tougher.
Going against her upbringing and doing something inappropriate for her status made Gu Yue feel a strange sense of excitement and shame. Her whole body felt hot and soft, and she was overwhelmed with shyness.
Xie Xian's eyes widened, "Cousin, you are so beautiful!"
Gu Yue rolled her eyes at him, but at the critical moment, she finally managed to control herself and pushed him away. "I should go back. Cousin, remember what we said today."
"Cousin, don't go."
Gu Yue ran away as if escaping. She was panicked and afraid that she would not be able to control herself and make a big mistake.
Xie Xian was chasing after him.
The two figures quickly disappeared outside the bamboo forest.
call!
Qingmei took a breath, she was almost suffocating.
After hearing about the secret meeting between the Third Miss and Mr. Xie, she didn't even dare to breathe, for fear of being discovered.
"Girl, what should we do?"
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "This matter should not be made public."
It was really unexpected that Gu Yue had an affair with Xie Xian.
Gu Yue might have fallen in love, but it was hard to say how deep the feelings were.
As for Xie Xian, he clearly has evil intentions.
On the one hand, he wanted to marry Gu Jiu and get a dowry for free, while on the other hand, he was flirting with Gu Yue.
What exactly are the Xie family father and son planning?
Could it be that Xie Xian really wants to marry Gu Yue?
How could Mrs. Xie agree to this, and it is even more impossible for Lord Gu to agree to this marriage.
There was no way Mrs. Xie would marry her precious daughter to Xie Xian.
However, if Xie Xian could find a way to make Gu Yue's marriage a fait accompli, then even if Xie Shi disagreed with the marriage, she would have no choice but to accept it.
Xie Xian marrying Gu Yue was a lucrative business. Promotion, wealth, glory, and prosperity—all it took was for him to marry Gu Yue.
Think about it, Gu Yue is Xie's precious daughter.
Gu Yue married Xie Xian. Even though Xie looked down on Xie Xian, for Gu Yue's sake, Xie would try her best to invest the Gu family's resources in Xie Xian.
Xie Xian was not well educated and could not pass the imperial examination to become an official. So he relied on recommendations to enter the officialdom.
With the Gu family supporting him behind the scenes and the Gu family's connections, even if he is a fool, he can still get a position.
What's more, Xie Xian is not a fool, but is very good at research.
With the help and resources of the Gu family, it is only a matter of time before Xie Xian gets promoted and makes a fortune.
The Xie family father and son are indeed very calculating.
Gu Jiu raised her eyebrows and smiled. If Xie knew that the Xie father and son were plotting against her precious daughter, would the brother and sister turn against each other?
It was probably a dog-eat-dog situation, with both ends up with a mouth full of fur.
Gu Jiu walked out of the bamboo forest and came to the place where Gu Yue and Xie Xian had a secret meeting.
Sure enough, I saw a handkerchief dropped into the flowers.
"Miss, this is the third lady's handkerchief."
Qingmei picked up a yellow handkerchief with a "Yue" embroidered on it.
Gu Jiu took the handkerchief and said, "Don't tell anyone about finding the handkerchief. Let's leave here quickly. When the third sister finds out that the handkerchief is missing, she might come back to look for it."
"I will listen to you, young lady."
The master and servant passed through a secluded path, avoiding the eyes and ears, and successfully returned to Zhilan Courtyard.
"Miss, you are finally back. I was scared to death."
Qingzhu sat up from the bed, her face covered in sweat. You could imagine how nervous she was.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "I'm back safely."
"Girl, don't sneak out next time. If you get caught, it will be terrible."
"I know."
Gu Jiu changed his clothes and sat at the desk.
The handkerchief that Gu Yue dropped can be put to good use.
…
Capital city, Pingnan Marquis Mansion.
The eldest master of the Marquis' Mansion, Gu Zhiwen, came to the study in the front yard.
"Father wants to see me, but he has something to tell me."
Marquis Pingnan said "hmm".
Pingnan Hou was in his sixties, slightly plump, with half his hair already white, but he was in good spirits.
In terms of relationship, Gu Jiu called Pingnan Hou his great-uncle.
Lord Gu called Marquis Pingnan "uncle" and treated him as his uncle.
Although the two families have separated, their mansions are only separated by a wall, so the two families are very close.
Lord Gu often wrote letters to Gu Zhiwen, the eldest master of the Marquis' Mansion.
The two cousins have a very good relationship.
Pingnan Hou looked at his eldest son Gu Zhiwen and asked casually, "Zhili wrote to you. Does he want to be transferred from Jinzhou and return to the capital?"
Gu Zhiwen nodded, "Exactly."
Pingnan Hou tapped the table lightly. "Write him a reply and tell him that the Empress is seriously ill and that he should postpone his return to the capital. Also, tell him to be careful of the Xie family."
Gu Zhiwen could understand why he had postponed his return to Beijing, but how could he be wary of the Xie family?
"Father is worried that the Xie family is unreliable?"
Pingnan Hou snorted coldly, "Xie Mao has been very active recently!"
Xie Mao is Xie's eldest brother, the Prince's Junior Secretary, and is deeply trusted by the Prince.
"Do you understand the current situation?"
Gu Zhiwen shook his head.
The Marquis of Pingnan said, "Your Majesty, while still minding the long-standing friendship between you and the Empress, at the same time issued an edict reprimanding the Crown Prince, thereby exacerbating the Empress's condition. Tell me, why is this so?"
"This...Your Majesty's doing this may have some deeper meaning." Gu Zhiwen said cautiously.
Marquis Pingnan snorted, "It seems to me that His Majesty is clearly warning everyone in the Eastern Palace not to take advantage of this opportunity to cause trouble. Unfortunately, Xie Mao has been unusually active recently. I heard that the second son of the Xie family went to Jinzhou."
Gu Zhiwen nodded, "Exactly."
Pingnan Hou frowned, "When Zhili married Xie as his concubine, I just thought she was a womanizer.
Unexpectedly, Xie Mao took advantage of this opportunity to use the Gu family's name to get in touch with the Eastern Palace and thus rise to prominence.
Now that I think about it carefully, it's very likely that Xie Mao planned all this for Xie Shi to marry Zhili. I really underestimated Xie Mao.
Xie Mao seems honest, but he is actually treacherous. You must remind him to be polite and be careful with the Xie family.
Zhili is in the northwest, a military stronghold. Xie Mao is determined to get the crown prince to the throne, and with the way he's acting, he won't let the northwest go."
Gu Zhiwen suddenly thought of something and his expression became serious. "Father, are you worried about the Marquis of Lu?"
Marquis Pingnan nodded slightly.
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