Chapter 126 Leaving the Capital (Part 10) Entering the Capital (Second Update) ...
Jiuli looked in the mirror and saw Du Zhong with half his face downcast, looking dejected. She pursed her lips, thinking that it was quite good for him and Aunt Guo to end their relationship, to avoid future troubles. However, if she were to try to persuade him now, it was uncertain whether he would listen, and it would only make her seem gloating.
She remained silent, and seeing that he also didn't speak for a long time, nor did he leave, just sitting there, she could only sigh inwardly and sit on the edge of the bed. "You like her that much?"
Du Zhong nodded vigorously.
"Is she really that good?"
He nodded again.
She was genuinely exasperated, stealing a glance at him from the top of his head. "Actually, in my opinion, there are plenty of women more beautiful than Guo Sao, and younger than her too. Being someone's stepfather is easier said than done. I don't think you're even that old yet, and you think you can be someone's father? You think you can be like Uncle just because he raised us at such a young age? People are different. Uncle was mature beyond his years, and you, Mo, hmph, you'll be at least thirty before you grow up!"
Hearing this, he glared at me sharply, "You mean me? And what about you?!"
Jiuli chuckled, leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Is it because you didn't have a mother growing up that you've mistaken Aunt Guo for your mother?"
Du Zhong couldn't help but glare at her, furious, and retorted with a laugh, "Do you think I'm like you?"
She sensed he was implying something, so she straightened her face and glared at him fiercely. "Fine, I shouldn't have said anything! If I say one more thing, I'll stop being your sister and start being your little sister!" She climbed onto the bed, burrowed under the covers, and kicked him in the back. "Go back to your room! I'm going to sleep!"
Du Zhong turned to the side and turned her around, "Are you going to the capital with Qi Xubai?"
She abruptly pulled the blanket down, "What nonsense are you talking about?!"
"Stop pretending. I went to the dock with you this morning and saw it all. You and Qi Xubai were looking for a boat to go to Beijing. You made an appointment with the boatman to leave at the end of the month, didn't you?"
Jiuli quickly scrambled up and covered his mouth, 'Shh! Don't be so loud!' She glared at him, raising a fist against his face, 'If you dare tell Uncle, don't blame me for being ruthless. From now on, I won't say a word for you or Aunt Guo regarding your affairs!'
Du Zhong glanced at her fist and said, "If you want me to not tell Master, you have to agree to one condition."
"You dare threaten me?" She gritted her teeth, then turned and smiled. "Go ahead, I can consider it."
Du Zhong smiled and said, "Take me and Xiuzhi all the way to the capital."
"I'm going to the capital to investigate my background and find my biological father. What are you all doing following me?! Are you looking for trouble?!"
He stretched one leg across the bed. "Look, your biological father is either the former Prince Feng or the current Emperor. No matter who it is, as long as I help you find out the truth, you'll be a princess or a county princess. Anyway, with your status, you can plead for me in front of the Emperor and get the Emperor's approval for me and Xiuzhi to marry. Would Master dare to contradict the Emperor then?"
"You're dreaming! You want the Emperor to bestow a marriage upon you? If I were really Prince Feng's daughter, I might be the descendant of a traitor, and I might even be guilty in the end!"
"If that's the case, with me by your side to help you, you'll be able to escape the capital more easily. That's what it means to be prepared."
Jiuli then glanced at him sideways, her expression one of disdain.
Seeing that she didn't agree after a long time, he put away his smile and said, "If you don't agree, then I'll tell Master, and no one will be able to get in! Anyway, I can tell that Master will definitely not approve of my marriage with Xiuzhi. Your pleading won't work. I'm not afraid of whether you speak up for me or not."
Jiuli twisted his ear in anger, "You've really grown some guts!"
Du Zhong tilted his head and said, "I don't care! At worst, we'll all perish together!"
Left with no other choice, Jiuli began to consider the situation. Since he was unfamiliar with the capital, it would be good to have someone to look after him. Besides, his idea of eloping with Xiuzhi was just wishful thinking; she had elderly parents and young children to support and certainly wouldn't agree. If she wouldn't go, he naturally wouldn't bother either. For now, he would just agree to her vaguely.
So she nodded, and Du Zhong happily took his leave and went back to his room. She got up to close the door, and just as she was about to go back to bed, she heard Yu Qi knocking on the door from outside.
Fearing he might have overheard something and come asking questions, she paused for a moment behind the door, then opened it and greeted him with a smile, "Oh, you're still up so late?"
Yu Qi glanced at the neighbor's room, stepped inside, turned around and casually wedged the door shut. "When did Zhong'er get back?"
"You've been back for almost half an hour, what happened?"
Yu Qi secretly calculated the time, and realized that he should have returned around 5 PM. Even when he was at the Cao family home, Old Madam Cao was still awake. In front of her, even if Du Zhong and Xiu Zhi couldn't control their feelings, they were unlikely to have the opportunity to do something illicit.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Jiu Li glanced at his face with her sideways eyes and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
He snapped out of his reverie and glanced down at Zhong'er. "You need to keep a close eye on him in the future. I'm afraid he might do something immoral and end up getting entangled with Guo Xiuzhi."
Jiuli grinned, showing off her white teeth, and clicked her tongue repeatedly. "Tsk tsk tsk—you really thought of everything. You even thought of something like this. What kind of person do you take Aunt Guo for? She didn't even let Du Zhong in! She even told Du Zhong not to go to her again!"
"Is that so?" Yu Qi asked, still somewhat skeptical.
Jiuli nodded with narrowed eyes, then turned and walked into the screen. "Du Zhong just told me that he's heartbroken over this. Don't be so suspicious. If Sister Guo wanted to harm us, she would have clung to us relentlessly. Why would she quit her job and cut ties with Du Zhong completely?"
He sat on the couch, pondering, "I'm afraid she's using a feigned retreat as a tactic to advance."
"A strategic retreat?" She scoffed, turned and sat on the bed, hugging her knees. "You think too badly of people."
"It's always good to plan for the worst. Given the situation at Guo's house, she must be trying to earn more money. I find it a bit strange that she suddenly quit her job. Did you ask her something?"
Jiuli shook her head hurriedly, "I didn't say anything!"
He smiled at her and sat down on the edge of the bed. "It's good that she didn't say anything. Well, now that she's left our house, whatever strange things she did is none of our business."
She chuckled, took his arm, and leaned closer to him. "Don't worry about Du Zhong. He's more like a child than me. Sister Guo must want to find a stable and reliable husband. Why would she really choose such a greenhorn? Does she need a son to take care of? Don't worry, if she says she'll break up with Du Zhong, she definitely will."
Yu Qi glanced down at his shoulder and sighed, "I'm afraid Zhong'er won't give up and will keep pestering me. Even the best women have to fend for themselves when pursued."
He kept rambling on and on, but Jiu Li didn't pay attention. She looked up at him so closely and saw that there were fine red blood vessels in his eyes and a faint bruise under his eyes, probably because he hadn't slept well lately because of worrying about Du Zhong.
She felt a pang of heartache and gently touched the skin under his eyelids. "Oh dear, don't worry so much. Look, your eyes are all dark. Du Zhong and I aren't children anymore. If you still micromanage us like you did when we were little, how are we supposed to grow up?"
Yu Qi had no idea that her words had a hidden meaning. He felt a surge of comfort, reached out and pulled her close, smiling as he leaned down to kiss her. Jiu Li nestled against his shoulder, clutching his collar with one hand, and looked up at him with a smile, "Did you come to ask about Du Zhong on purpose, but actually you missed me?"
He took her hand and smiled gently, "What do you think?"
She bit her lip and smiled furtively, "No wonder you bolted the door."
Yu Qi felt a little embarrassed and coughed lightly, "I locked the door because it was windy and cold outside."
Jiuli smiled with a pout, pushed him away, and fell back onto the bed. "Say what you want, I'm going to sleep now, please go ahead."
Yan Qi deliberately turned to the side and listened intently. Sure enough, she didn't hear any footsteps for a long time. When she turned around, she saw that he was still sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at her greedily.
Her bones went weak under his gaze, and she couldn't help but roll over and giggle. She pulled the blanket over her face, rolling around inside like an eel, laughing and waiting for him to pounce on her and pin her down.
Before she knew it, the appointed day arrived. Jiuli had prepared a bundle a day in advance and hidden it in the closet. But before dawn, she saw a light on in the east wing across the street. Yu Qi had gotten up even earlier than her! It wasn't difficult to sneak out, but the real challenge was if Yu Qi found out that she had left with luggage. Just like last time, he could catch up with her and drag her home before she even left Nanjing.
As long as she could hold out for an hour or two, and the boat sailed a bit further, she wouldn't be afraid. Thinking this, she clutched her bundle tightly and retreated back inside, not daring to light a lamp. By the moonlight, she groped her way back to her desk, staring intently at the candlelight in the opposite window. Yuqing had also gotten up early and was carrying water from the porch into the room for Yuqi to wash up. Was he in a hurry to leave?
Just as she was filled with apprehension, she suddenly heard Du Zhong knocking softly at the door. She quickly opened the door and pulled him in. Seeing that he was also carrying a bundle, she whispered reproachfully, "Are you really going to come with me?"
"What, are you going to back out now? Then I'll tell Master right away, and nobody will be allowed to leave!"
"No, no!" Jiuli grabbed him, waving her arms and legs. "I'm asking about Aunt Guo. Have you discussed it with her?"
He nodded repeatedly, "It's settled, she'll meet us at the dock."
"She actually agreed? She can leave her family behind?"
Du Zhong was overjoyed. "What's the importance of family matters compared to the two of us? Besides, she's not incapable of making plans. As long as our relationship is successful, I'll naturally take care of the family in the future."
Jiuli didn't have time to ponder the oddities involved. She tugged at him and said, "Put your bundle here and go hire a car to wait for me from a distance. I'll keep an eye on Uncle here. He's up so early, he's probably going out to see patients. I'll come out to find you as soon as he leaves."
He shoved the bundle into her hands, pointed towards the door, and said, "I'm going now. Be careful not to let them notice anything amiss, or we might not even be able to get out of this street."
"Do I need you to tell me? Hurry up and go, don't delay!"
Not long after Du Zhong slipped out, Yu Qi came out of the east wing and walked with A Xiang to the ceremonial gate. He noticed that the bolt of the ceremonial gate was hanging loosely on one side of the door and wondered, "Who went out so early in the morning?"
Ah Xiang said, "It's Du Zhong. I just saw him. He said he wanted to buy some fried pastries from that stall at the street corner."
Yu Qi was in a hurry to leave, so he didn't think much of it and casually opened the door and went out. Jiu Li was hiding under the cave entrance watching, and even Yu Qing had gone back to her room to take a nap. If they didn't leave now, when would they? So he hurriedly grabbed his two bundles and slipped out of the ceremonial gate in the dark.
When the two arrived at the dock, it was just getting light. Sure enough, they saw Xiuzhi waiting on the pier. Xu Bai got off the boat and walked towards Jiuli, while Du Zhong ran towards Xiuzhi with a smile.
Xu Bai turned to look at him, "Brother Du Zhong, are you really going to come along?"
Jiuli pouted and glared at Du Zhong's back from afar. "If I don't ask him to come with me, he'll complain to my uncle. I have no choice but to let him have his way. Don't think it's a burden. Just think of it as him coming along for fun. He can help out if anything happens."
Xu Bai smiled casually, "I'm fine, but why does he bring a servant with him? I heard he and Aunt Guo have some issues—causing chaos in your household lately, is that true?"
Jiuli nodded absentmindedly, "Look at his stupid face, he's so spineless. He wants to elope with someone, I think he's just dreaming!"
“Brother Du Zhong is also a man of strong emotions, and besides, he is still young, so it’s inevitable that he acts impulsively.” Xu Bai and she slowly walked towards the boat, with Du Zhong Xiu Zhi’s back in front of them. He looked at the woman’s graceful figure and frowned. “But Sister Guo is not young, and she has a son and a mother-in-law. Why is she so impulsive?”
Jiuli finally had time to think about this matter. Sure enough, just a few days ago, Sister Guo was about to break up with Du Zhong. How come she agreed to go to the capital with him in the blink of an eye? Even if she is fickle, is her heart so easily swayed for her son?
Once the four of them boarded the boat, Jiu Li didn't dare linger and hurriedly told the boatman to set sail. After sailing for half an hour without Yu Qi catching up, she felt relieved and went into the cabin to have some tea. She then asked Xiu Zhi, "Sister Guo, what did you say to the old lady at home?"
Xiuzhi was sitting on a small stool, fanning herself and boiling water. She stared intently at the stove, her eyes red from the burning charcoal. She smiled faintly and said, "I said I'm going back to my parents' home."
"Oh—" Jiuli nodded slowly, "Where is your family home?"
She paused for a moment, then raised her face. "The capital."
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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