Gu Jiu did not return to Xiaozhu directly.
She took Yu Ge'er to the new house.
The new house has been built and is being decorated.
The steward was delighted to see Gu Jiu. "Madam, you've arrived just in time. There are a few courtyards that haven't been named yet. Please give us your names."
Gu Jiu turned around and handed the task to Yu Ge'er.
Yu Ge'er was eager to try, "Are you really going to let me write the name? If I don't write it well, will mother regret it?"
Gu Jiu shook his head, "I promise I won't regret it."
After getting the guarantee, Yu Ge'er asked the steward to take him to visit various courtyards.
Gu Jiu waved her hand and Xu Yousi came to her side.
"What do you want, madam?"
Gu Jiu asked him, "What happened to Princess Pingyang?"
Xu was hesitant all around, as if he knew something but didn't know where to start.
Gu Jiu said with a straight face, "You can say whatever you want."
Xu Yousi said implicitly: "The reason may be in the palace."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows.
Princess Pingyang Liu Huan was raised by Empress Pei since she was a child, and was considered a half-legitimate daughter.
Her biological mother died of complications during childbirth. Because her biological mother had some affection for Empress Pei, Empress Pei took Liu Huan in and raised her under her own name, giving her the status of a legitimate daughter.
Princess Pingyang Liu Huan often went to the palace to pay her respects to Empress Pei.
Gu Jiu asked: "What happened?"
Xu Yousi bowed and said, "I don't know when rumors about the lady started to appear in the palace."
"What's that rumor?"
Xu Yousi was speechless and he didn't dare to say anything.
Gu Jiu slowed down her tone and said, "Speak now, this lady will forgive you."
Xu Yousi then ventured to speak, "Some say in the palace that the Crown Prince doesn't take concubines, not even maids, because Madam is so good at controlling her husband. They also say that any man who marries Madam will end up with the same outcome. Some concubines in the palace are very envious and want to emulate Madam."
absurd!
Gu Jiu asked, "Who spread this rumor?"
Xu Yousi apologized, "I didn't know, please punish me, Madam."
Gu Jiu frowned slightly. "What she meant was that Princess Pingyang had heard all these rumors in the palace and had begun to have opinions about me. Plus, Princess Fuya's words this time caused misunderstandings, so she directly suspected how I felt about Huang Qubing."
Xu Yousi lowered his head and dared not say a word.
It feels so scary, what's going on.
Gu Jiu sneered, "Go contact Zhou Miao and ask him to investigate how this rumor got around. Where did it come from? There's no way these rumors about me would appear in the palace for no reason."
"As you command. I will contact Eunuch Zhou as soon as possible."
…
Where is Zhou Miao now?
At a villa somewhere in the west of the city, Zhou Miao went straight to the door and blocked Jiang Yan inside the house.
The moment Jiang Yan saw Zhou Miao, her pupils dilated and she was obviously extremely frightened.
But she quickly calmed down and didn't reveal anything. Instead, she looked like she was crying with joy, "It's you! I thought I would never see you again in this life."
Zhou Miao sneered, his eyes full of contempt.
He searched everywhere, turning the house upside down.
Jiang Yan was surprised. "What are you looking for? What do you think I'm hiding here? Zhou Miao, I haven't seen you for many years, is this your attitude?"
Zhou Miao didn't find anyone, so he asked directly, "Where is the person?"
"Who is it?" Jiang Yan was confused.
Zhou Miao sneered again, "Don't think I don't know how you've been through these years. What on earth do you want to do by sneaking back to the capital from Jiangnan? Who's helping you?"
"Zhou Miao, what are you talking about? I don't understand."
Zhou Miao rushed to Jiang Yan and shouted angrily, "Don't act stupid in front of us. No one is helping you. How can you live in a big house in the capital and order servants around on your own?"
Jiang Yan's face darkened. "It's obvious you're not here to reminisce about the past, but to accuse me. Tell me, how did you find me? How did you know I was in the capital?"
Zhou Miao smiled contemptuously, "The capital is so small. Finding someone is difficult for others, but it's easy for our family."
As the leader of the Beggars' Sect in Beijing, it was indeed easy for Zhou Miao to find people. Of course, the leader of the Beggars' Sect was a self-proclaimed title.
He kept a group of little beggars who were specifically responsible for gathering information for him.
Jiang Yan asked angrily, "Who told you I was in the capital? What exactly do you want to do by coming here today?"
Zhou Miao sneered, "Do you think you came to the capital without anyone noticing? How naive! The noble who rescued you from the palace already knows you're in the capital, and he's furious."
Jiang Yan frowned, "Who knows if the noble person you mentioned is real or not? Maybe he is just a character you made up."
Zhou Miao chuckled, "If I had the guts to sneak you out of the underground palace, why would I bother talking to you here? I'd order someone to knock you unconscious right now, lock you up in the underground palace, and suffocate or starve you to death."
"You dare!" Jiang Yan stepped back suddenly, fear flashing in her eyes.
Zhou Miao looked at Jiang Yan with a half-smile. "Tell me, who escorted you to the capital? What exactly do you want to do hiding in the capital? Is that pirate leader also in the capital?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. Also, Eunuch Zhou's news should have been updated long ago. I have nothing to do with the pirate leader anymore."
"Really?" Zhou Miao laughed sarcastically. "I heard someone saw a little girl on the pirate side who looked exactly like your daughter."
Jiang Yan's expression froze.
Zhou Miao laughed heartily. "Surprised, aren't you? You thought no one in the capital knew about the news from Jiangnan, right? You thought no one would know if you sent your daughter to the pirates, right? You're so naive. Tell me, is that pirate leader in the capital? What exactly does he want to do?"
After the initial panic, Jiang Yan calmed down.
She sat down in the chair. "I don't know what you're talking about. As for my daughter, huh? Do you think I care about this child? She is my shame. I lost her along the way. I didn't expect her to return to the pirates. What a disappointment."
Her expression showed disgust, pain, and determination.
It seemed that things were just as she said, she lost the child, and the child unexpectedly returned to Zhou Jin.
Zhou Miao also sat down and said, "You think we will believe you? We know exactly what kind of person you are."
Jiang Yan raised her eyebrows and smiled, "I know exactly what kind of person you are. Do you want to know why I'm in the capital? Then first tell me, who is the noble person you mentioned? Could it be Gu Jiu?"
Zhou Miao smiled and shook his head, "Madam Zhao doesn't have time to take care of you."
Jiang Yan's expression twisted for a moment, then she started laughing again. "That's true. I'm not a very important person, so why should I be worthy of Madam Zhao's concern?"
Zhou Miao tapped the table lightly. "Tell me why you came to the capital. Is Zhou Jin in the capital? Where is he? As long as you are willing to tell me, my family will protect your life and let you continue to live a luxurious life in the capital."
Jiang Yan shook her head. "If you don't tell me who the noble man is, I won't say a word."
Zhou Miao raised an eyebrow, "So Zhou Jin is really in the capital?"
Jiang Yan smiled and said, "Guess!"
Guess what!
Zhou Miao was unsure of Jiang Yan's attitude for a moment.
"Except for the identity of the noble, we can tell you everything else."
Jiang Yan shook her head. "I just want to know the identity of this noble person. Don't you always ask me why I secretly ran to the capital? I tell you, I came here just for the noble person you mentioned. If you can't get the answer I want, then please go back. You are not welcome here."
Zhou Miao smiled and shook his head, "If we don't get the answer we want, we won't leave today."
"It's up to you." Jiang Yan said indifferently, and then took out the needlework from the sewing basket and started doing it.
Zhou Miao looked like he had seen a ghost.
Jiang Yan said casually, "Jiangnan is a wealthy place, but for someone like me who couldn't leave the house easily, life there was particularly depressing. On weekdays, I could only pass the time doing needlework. Later, having a child helped alleviate some of the loneliness.
It's just that Jiangnan is rainy and humid, and I'm really not used to the climate and food there. I just want to go back to Beijing. I like Beijing, and I love everything here."
Zhou Miao said "oh" and did not comment.
Jiang Yan continued, "Do you know what I often do when I'm in Jiangnan? I recall every little detail of the palace, and the days when I was favored by the late emperor. Of course, I think of you occasionally. After all, it was you who helped me during the most difficult days in the palace. It was also you who helped me when the late emperor ordered my death. I have always been grateful to you in my heart."
After saying that, Jiang Yan looked up at Zhou Miao and said, "I'm grateful to you from the bottom of my heart, and I don't want to be your enemy. But why did you come to me? Why are you pressing me so hard? I just want to live a rich and luxurious life for a few days, and you don't want that? Why are you so cruel?"
Zhou Miao frowned. "Don't talk nonsense. It's obvious that you're possessed by evil spirits, colluding with a pirate leader. How foolish!"
Jiang Yan laughed suddenly. "Am I stupid? Now that I think about it carefully, when I first arrived in Jiangnan, I unexpectedly met Zhou Jin. In fact, it wasn't an accident. You sent me to Jiangnan just to let me get closer to him.
I am just a chess piece in your hand, but chess pieces have their own ideas and will make their own decisions. If you expect a chess piece to be obedient, shouldn't you think about what you have given it and why it should listen to you?
Zhou Miao narrowed his eyes, "What exactly do you want to say?"
Jiang Yan smiled faintly, "Today we might as well settle the accounts of the past. In the end, do you owe me, or do I owe you?"
"you……"
Zhou Miao tried to stand up, but suddenly found himself unable to move.
"What have you done to our family?"
Jiang Yan stood up, walked forward, pinched Zhou Miao's jaw, and smiled contemptuously, "I said, chess pieces also have their own ideas and want to make their own decisions for once."
“You, you, you…”
Zhou Miao was horrified when he found his tongue gradually becoming numb and unable to utter complete sentences.
Jiang Yan smiled triumphantly and gave Zhou Miao a light push, causing him to fall uncontrollably to the ground with a loud noise.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
My mother was suddenly hospitalized. I ran around the hospital yesterday and stayed by her bedside. I was exhausted.
After his hands were crippled, his feet were no longer his own.
I'll rest at home today and write all day.
I'm updating now, so today's update is late.
I have to go to the hospital tomorrow to take over the bedside shift.
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