Chapter Four
Chuntao realized that this might be her only chance to change her fate.
She instinctively reached out and grabbed the hem of the handsome young man's robe.
"Young master, please buy me. I'll do anything for you, even be your slave."
Chun Tao also had her own selfish motives. She knew that this young master seemed like such a clean person that he would never make her work like a slave.
If she, a girl from the countryside, were to do anything, she would probably tarnish the person in front of her.
Gu Leyao helped Chun Tao up and said to her with a smile, "Don't worry, I won't make you work like a slave."
Gu Leyao told Chuntao to hide behind her while she faced Meng's mother and Chuntao's vampire parents.
"How much did you spend when you bought Chuntao?" Gu Leyao turned to ask Meng's mother.
Mother Meng's eyes flickered. She wanted to ask for a high price, but seeing Gu Leyao's extraordinary temperament, as if she had something to rely on, she dared not make a move rashly.
There are countless influential people in the capital, and who knows who might be related to whom by some twist of fate? She's just a madam who raises daughters, and she can't afford to offend any of these influential people.
Madam Meng took out Chun Tao's indenture and handed it to Gu Leyao, but noticed that this handsome young man's figure was not like that of a man. She secretly glanced at him, wondering what she was planning.
Gu Leyao didn't notice her unnatural expression. She took Chun Tao's indenture, and the pent-up frustration in her heart dissipated a bit. "Chun Tao, let's go?"
Chun Tao's parents tried to follow, shouting, "Who are you? My daughter is just going to leave with you like this? I don't agree!"
They weren't satisfied with just buying Chuntao; they wanted to continue extracting her bone marrow and drinking her blood.
Gu Leyao shook the indenture. "What? You're planning to use money to redeem Chun Tao?"
Chun Tao's parents fell silent, staring at her with their eyes as if she were a piece of unfinished fat.
Chun Tao, stared at by that resentful gaze, couldn't help but shrink back behind Gu Leyao.
Gu Leyao glared at Chun Tao's parents. "Now that Chun Tao has entered my household, she's mine. She eats my food, drinks my drinks, and lives in my house. I won't give her a single penny. If you have any objections, feel free to come to my house and cause trouble. I'll send you to the authorities and ask the Prefect of the Capital to judge the matter."
After she finished speaking, she noticed that Chun Tao's parents shrank their shoulders and lowered their heads. Gu Leyao was secretly pleased, but on the surface she looked relaxed and swaggered away with Chun Tao.
Gu Leyao led Chun Tao to a deserted alley. She took out a set of women's clothing and smiled at Chun Tao, who had wide eyes, saying, "Did I scare you? I'm actually a girl."
She asked Chun Tao to cover her up, and quickly put on a light pink outer garment, completely changing her previous appearance as a handsome young man. At least now she looked like a pretty and lovely girl.
Chun Tao didn't know what to say. She opened her mouth slightly and asked, "Why did you save me?"
Chun Tao knew herself well; she was just a country girl.
Some gentlemen in the city like young girls, which is why they come to Mother Meng's shop and pay a high price to buy them. But what use is this girl to them?
Gu Leyao didn't know how to explain it to Chuntao, so she said vaguely, "Chuntao, do you believe in fate? Maybe you and I had a deep connection in our past lives, which is why I appeared there to save you in this life."
Chuntao seemed to understand this sentence but didn't ask any more questions.
Seeing that Chun Tao wasn't pressing for answers, Gu Leyao introduced herself instead, "Chun Tao, my surname is Gu, and my name is Gu Leyao. My family situation is very complicated, and I can't explain it all in a short time. Come home with me first, and I'll tell you everything when we get there."
Chun Tao and Gu Leyao walked side by side on the way back to the Marquis's mansion. When they reached a rather deserted path, Gu Leyao suddenly stopped talking and turned around abruptly.
She turned around, but saw nothing.
Gu Leyao thought she was just being paranoid, but she really felt like she had a thorn in her side.
After walking for a while, she quietly grabbed Chun Tao's hand and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, signaled to Chun Tao that they were going to run.
Chun Tao didn't understand, but subconsciously chose to listen to Gu Leyao.
The two immediately ran towards a crowded downtown area a few hundred meters away.
Sure enough, several strong men followed behind them. When they saw them move, they also ran at top speed.
The two girls were terrified, running and screaming, "Help! Help!"
Chun Tao wanted Gu Leyao to leave, but Gu Leyao pulled Chun Tao and kept running.
In such a situation, the consequences of who is left behind are unpredictable.
The men chased after them relentlessly, and at the entrance of a busy street, they pinned the two girls to the ground and quickly covered their mouths with wads of cloth.
The one who was in the lead among these men looked surprisingly honest and simple, without any hint of cunning.
A crowd gathered to watch the commotion, and one curious person asked, "What's going on?"
The honest-looking man smiled and said, "These are our family's runaway slaves. They were sold into our family but tried to escape. Madam sent us to catch them and bring them back to be properly disciplined."
The man was clearly lying, but he didn't even blink.
Hearing his words and looking at the two girls' pretty faces, the onlookers all let out an ambiguous "oh".
The group seemed to find it boring and walked away in twos and threes.
Several strong, burly men exchanged knowing smiles as the crowd dispersed, then hoisted the two girls onto their shoulders and prepared to leave.
Suddenly, a light cavalryman blocked their path.
"Put these two girls down."
A deep, husky voice came from the tall carriage behind the light cavalry.
The men were all idle men who looked after houses and property at the bottom of society. They usually ate and drank well in Meng Mama's yard, and only scared the disobedient girls in the yard and acted tough with the neighbors.
When they meet someone important, they immediately break out in a cold sweat and don't know what to say.
"Li Qi, take these men to the Ministry of Justice and hand them over to the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review for interrogation. Also, investigate the madam behind them thoroughly. To abduct women in the street without batting an eye, she's probably done this many times before."
The guard named Li Qi immediately obeyed and left.
Several servants ran to Gu Leyao and Chun Tao to untie them and remove the gags from their mouths.
Gu Leyao couldn't help but gag twice, exhaling a deep breath. Feeling a little better, she turned her head to help Chuntao catch her breath as well.
Are you alright?
Chuntao shook her head.
Gu Leyao stood up, walked to the curtain in front of the carriage, and bowed solemnly, saying, "Thank you for your help. I am a girl from the Zhongqin Marquis's Mansion, named Gu Leyao. I do not know your noble family. After I return home, I will ask my parents to prepare a congratulatory gift to send to your esteemed family."
Li Heng thought for a moment, "The daughter of the Earl of Zhongqin? She's from the Gu family."
He seemed to have heard from his subordinates that Uncle Zhongqin's family had found their biological daughter, and the one they had been raising before was someone else's daughter.
The children from the two families were switched.
Is this girl in front of me Gu Jiaxin's biological daughter?
However, as a prince, Li Heng did not care about the family's congratulatory gifts; it was merely a small favor.
He said nonchalantly, "No need to send gifts. I'll have someone take you home later."
With that, Li Heng closed the carriage curtain, and the servants restarted the carriage.
The wind stirred the carriage curtain, and Gu Leyao saw the person inside through the light silk curtain. The person had long, thick eyelashes and deep, strong features. At this moment, the person was resting with their eyes closed. The golden sunlight inadvertently shone on the person's face, as if it were coated with a halo of gods and Buddhas.
This person is so beautiful, even more beautiful than the people she's seen on TV before.
As Gu Leyao watched the carriage drive further and further away, she couldn't help but reach out to stop it, but she had no right to do so.
Gu Leyao felt a little confused, so she reluctantly withdrew her hand.
When she came to her senses, Gu Leyao realized that the man had left two servants to escort her back to the Marquis's residence.
Gu Leyao helped Chun Tao up. Chun Tao was terrified by the series of twists and turns that had happened today. First, she was sold by her parents and was about to commit suicide. She was finally rescued by a young master, only to find that he was actually a handsome young man.
Not only were they pretty girls, but they were also surrounded and chased by several burly men. After a series of escapes, the two were captured. Just when Chun Tao thought her life was over, they were rescued by a nobleman. Then Chun Tao learned that the person who saved her was a girl from the Earl's Mansion.
The Earl's Mansion was a noble family. Chun Tao had never even been to the county magistrate's residence before, and now she was going straight to the Earl's Mansion. She felt dizzy and lightheaded, as if she were walking on clouds. She felt weak and couldn't even walk properly.
The servants rented a sedan chair from somewhere and let Gu Leyao and Chun Tao get in together.
Gu Leyao was very interested in the person who saved them. While Chun Tao was asleep with her head resting on her shoulder, she quietly inquired with the servant, "Brother, who exactly is your master? He saved me, and I am very grateful. I really want to repay him in some way."
The servant was very polite. "Miss Gu, my master has not asked you for anything in return, so you don't need to worry about it. In the future, when you go out, please bring more attendants and avoid taking desolate paths."
"Okay, okay, I just arrived in the capital. I thought it was safe here, being the capital city. I never expected to encounter something like this."
Gu Leyao's heart pounded as she thought of the person she had seen today. He was such a handsome man, and so kind-hearted, saving people without asking for anything in return.
She wasn't giving up and still wanted to know who that person was.
The servant was cornered by Gu Leyao. He figured that since the prince wasn't exactly a secret figure in the capital, and this young lady from the Gu family had only just arrived in the capital, she didn't know the prince's carriage. But as she stayed in the capital longer, she would be able to recognize the different carriages and horses.
"My master is the Prince of Dingbei, the Emperor's younger brother, and the former God of War of the Northern Frontier."
The servant said with no small amount of pride.
Prince Dingbei?
Li Heng, the Prince of Dingbei?
Gu Leyao seemed to have seen this name in the original owner's memories; it seemed that this person had died at a young age.
This man was the God of War of the Northern Frontier of the Great Zhou Dynasty. He once led his soldiers to a great victory over the royal court of the Northern Liang Dynasty, ensuring peace and prosperity for the Great Zhou Dynasty for twenty years.
Unfortunately, this man was too skilled in battle and was injured in both legs, so he could no longer fight. He returned to the capital to recuperate and lived a secluded life until news of his death a few years later spread, causing unrest in the northern frontier.
It was because of Li Heng's death that the Great Zhou Dynasty had no more generals with extraordinary talents. The Great Zhou was defeated by the Northern Barbarians who had made a comeback. Later, Huo Pingyuan emerged and became the Great General of the Great Zhou, which enabled the Great Zhou to stand on equal footing with the Northern Barbarians and preserve half of the Great Zhou's territory.
In other words, Li Heng will die in a few more years?
Gu Leyao felt a little regretful. This person was so good. When he was in the northern frontier, he guarded the border, protected the country from losing an inch of land, and ensured that the people lived in peace and prosperity without being displaced.
After returning to Beijing, he was also able to help girls he didn't know.
Li Heng was already suffering so much, yet he was still willing to help others.
Gu Leyao suddenly thought of a saying: "Having seen the vastness of the universe, one still cherishes the green of grass and trees."
If only we could find a way to keep him alive.
Gu Leyao calmed down and went through the original owner's memories several times, but she still couldn't find out how Li Heng died.
At that time, the original owner was preoccupied with the affairs of the inner quarters and Huo Pingyuan. The fact that she could remember the death of a prince she didn't know was already because Li Heng was too famous.
When Li Heng died, the emperor suspended court for a month, and the whole country observed mourning.
This was already an unparalleled honor, because when the late emperor died, the current emperor suspended court for a month.
According to the etiquette and laws of the dynasty, a son could not surpass his father, otherwise he would be regarded as unfilial.
The servants, however, assumed that Gu Leyao had heard of their prince's name and knew that the prince was disabled in both legs, so she refused to pay any attention to him.
The attendant was really angry. After the prince injured his leg, the women in the capital no longer pursued him as relentlessly as before. He still remembered when the prince won his first battle against Beiliang.
At that time, the capital was deserted as everyone flocked to see the prince, and many noble ladies said they liked him. But later, the prince's leg broke, and he suddenly became ignored.
The prince also became much more taciturn, often staying alone in the palace for months at a time without going out.
Their prince was such a good person! Now he's turned out like this.
The servant, who had been all smiles and friendly to Gu Leyao, suddenly turned stern.
Gu Leyao was also a little confused; she hadn't provoked him.
Immediately afterwards, Gu Leyao and Chun Tao were left at the Gu family's gate, watching as the servants of the Prince of Dingbei sped away.
Chun Tao woke up, her eyes still glazed over, and looked at Gu Leyao, puzzled. "Miss, what's wrong?"
Gu Leyao shook her head. She didn't know what was wrong either. Maybe men also have periods?
Gu Leyao led Chuntao towards the Earl's mansion, intending to take Chuntao directly to her own courtyard to stay, since the maids and servants in her room were never home anyway.
Gu Leyao took two sets of old clothes from her wardrobe and handed them to Chuntao. She also chose a room for Chuntao and told her to settle in herself.
From then on, Chun Tao became a maid in the courtyard, sharing meals and sleeping quarters with Gu Leyao, becoming inseparable.
After finishing with Chun Tao's matter, Gu Leyao returned to her room. She had just sat down and poured herself a bowl of water when she heard a voice that was both irritable and somewhat familiar, "Gu Leyao, why didn't you attend the banquet?"
Gu Leyao had a mouthful of tea in her throat and coughed for a while. She looked up at the person who came in and said, "It's you... Huo Pingyuan."
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