matchmaking
Rumors in the city came one after another, constantly changing and emerging.
Gu Jinning came to the tea garden to deliver medicine and chatted with Hua Lingchen about some interesting things that had happened recently to cheer him up.
"Brother Hua, Wild Wolf said that your hands should not be overworked. Let Zhao take care of the flowers and plants, and you should focus on recovering from your injury."
"Also, drawing is not good either; delicate work is the most damaging to the hands."
Over the past few years, Wild Wolves have tried many methods to barely reconstruct Hua Lingchen's tendons, but it's hard to say when they will be fully restored.
Every time Hua Lingchen uses his hand, it causes him immense strain. If it breaks again, he will be completely useless.
Gu Jinning searched far and wide for many strange and unusual cultivation methods, allowing Hua Lingchen to choose which ones to practice, focusing on self-cultivation and strengthening one's foundation.
At worst, I'll never wield a sword again in my life. If I cultivate a good temperament, longevity won't be a problem.
But Hua Lingchen's temperament is too good, so good that Gu Jinning once suspected that he had become an immortal.
"Speaking of which, what are your thoughts on Cousin Li's matter? She's your own cousin."
Hua Lingchen slowly arranged the chess pieces in his hand, "Ranyi is open-minded and has her own opinions, so there is no need for others to worry about her."
Gu Jinning sighed deeply, "I'm not worried about her. But when will I ever be free?"
She picked up a white chess piece, her face contorted with anguish. "Now, I'm a piece on this chessboard too."
Hua Lingchen smiled and grabbed a handful of white pieces, placing them onto the chessboard.
"The situation is now settled. Although the Crown Prince does not engage in political diplomacy, he has many followers. Among them, the Gu family is the leader and the Quan family is the second-in-command, with a group of old ministers as the main force, plus some scattered military generals and disciples of Master Zuo. The number is large enough, but the power is scattered and not concentrated, and there is no real power."
Hua Lingchen took the white piece from Gu Jinning's hand, placed it in the center of the board, and then placed another piece next to it.
"Now that the Prince of Jin has joined, and General Li has also been brought in, the Crown Prince's power will be incomparable to what it was before."
Hua Lingchen then took some black stones and placed them on the other side.
"The King of Qin holds military power, and many military generals are loyal to him. In the court, the family of his maternal uncle, the Sun family, and the family of Princess Anning's husband, the Xu family, are the leaders, with the King of Wei assisting them. In addition, the Hua family provides weapons, making their power immense and unshakeable."
Hua Lingchen paused for a moment, then placed two white pieces on the plate.
"General Li has never participated in internal power struggles. If we want him to side with one side, there must be a necessary reason. Dyeing clothes is the best opening."
It's obvious to everyone that Xiao Liao spread rumors about Li Ranyi for three reasons: first, to vent his anger; second, to disrupt the marriage between Xiao Heng'an and Gu Jinning; and third, to create discord between the hot-tempered Li Jinghe and Xiao Heng'an.
However, he miscalculated one thing: Li Ranyi was not someone who cared about gossip.
Gu Jinning had met Li Ranyi before coming to the tea garden and knew Li Ranyi's thoughts, so she tacitly agreed: "That's right, Cousin Li is the key to breaking the deadlock."
She cleared away the black pieces blocking her path on the chessboard, and brought two white pieces, placing them in the very center of the board, facing the black pieces from afar.
"The marriage between my cousin the Crown Prince and my cousin Li not only won over General Li, but also thwarted my aunt the Empress's obsession. Everyone is happy."
"However, there's one thing: this isn't just about profit. True feelings are hard to find in this world, you know what I mean."
Gu Jinning made sure to confirm with Li Ranyi that it wasn't just a momentary impulse before she dared to support her.
Hua Lingchen nodded and smiled, "They are indeed a good match."
Gu Jinning asked suspiciously, "Have you met your cousin, the Crown Prince?"
Hua Lingchen admitted, "We met the night before last."
"Hmm?" Gu Jinning was surprised. The night before last was when Xiao Liao was most relaxed after being punished.
"My cousin, the Crown Prince, is here?"
Gu Jinning was incredulous. Xiao Yi and Hua Lingchen had never interacted before, so why would he think of the tea garden?
Gu Jinning guessed, "Did Cousin Li bring this?"
Hua Lingchen nodded again.
Gu Jinning clapped her hands. "Well, I knew she was going to come looking for me all of a sudden. Turns out she'd already finished and was just letting me know. Xiao Heng'an was involved too, wasn't he? Cousin Li is his strategist."
“No, that’s not all.” Gu Jinning guessed again, “Your cousin, the Crown Prince, is looking for you to ask you to come out of seclusion, right?”
Once Hua Lingchen returns to the Hua family and reclaims his position as the family head, the Hua family's sword-making workshop will change hands.
Hua Lingchen picked up the chess pieces one by one and said, "No, we only played a few games."
"When masters clash, the difference often lies in the unseen. Brother Hua, don't you know this perfectly well?"
Gu Jinning raised an eyebrow at him, stood up and stretched, "Alright, I'm leaving. Take good care of yourself and see you somewhere else next time."
She believed that Hua Lingchen would one day step out of the tea garden.
That day won't be too far away.
The tea gardens are evergreen, and the aroma of tea lingers.
Gu Jinning inhaled the aroma of tea, feeling refreshed and humming a little tune as she returned to her residence, skipping and hopping along the long, winding flower-lined corridor.
Gu Xueshu arrived in a hurry, grabbed her, and led her to a secluded corner of the corridor, asking mysteriously, "Have you heard?"
Gu Jinning looked completely bewildered. "What?"
Gu Xueshu whispered, "The Sun family is preparing to invite Princess Anning to the Li family to propose marriage, intending to betroth Ranyi to Sun Xianzhu."
Gu Jinning exclaimed, "What the hell? Sun Erlengzi wants to eat swan meat like a toad."
Gu Xueshu raised his hand and shushed, "Keep your voice down."
Gu Jinning asked, "When did this happen?"
Gu Xueshu said, "Sun Xianzhu was showing off in the camp today, spouting nonsense. I reckon it'll only last for the next day or two."
As the saying goes, you can't fight city hall. Even with his impressive military achievements, Li Jing, a mere warrior with no background, had to bow to the powerful. With the princess personally coming to propose marriage, he couldn't possibly refuse.
Gu Jinning couldn't stand it anymore and said, "No, I'm going to mess this mess up."
Gu Xueshu hurriedly pulled her back, "Hey, this is baseless, why are you causing trouble? Don't go looking for trouble."
Gu Jinning winked at Gu Xueshu and said with a mischievous smile, "Me too, I'm going to get married."
"Hey, take it easy."
Gu Jinning jumped out of the corridor and ran away, unable to hear Gu Xueshu's instructions.
An hour later, Gu Jinning appeared in Zhenghe Hall.
She crouched at the entrance of the hall, peering inside. Seeing that no one else was there, she called out, "Uncle, I've come to see you."
Gu Jinning's clear and crisp voice shattered the solemnity and heaviness of the main hall.
Xiao Juebai was bent over his desk reviewing documents when he heard the voice. He looked up as if he had seen a plague god, frowned, and said helplessly, "Come in. What trouble have you caused today?"
Gu Jinning skipped into the hall, gave Xiao Juebai a slight bow, and went straight to his side to complain, "Uncle, I don't cause trouble every day, please don't think of me like that."
Xiao Juebai threw down the memorial and snorted, "I don't want to think about it. When will you stop? Speak, what is it? If you bring up annulment again, I won't just punish you with a beating."
Gu Jinning sat down on the steps and said with a grin, "I'm not here to break off the engagement, I'm here to be the matchmaker."
"Oh." Xiao Juebai smiled broadly upon hearing this and asked, "Tell me, should we learn from Shu or from Wen?"
Gu Jinning shook her head, "No, it's my cousin, the Crown Prince."
Xiao Juebai immediately stopped smiling and asked suspiciously, "Your cousin, the Crown Prince?"
“That’s right.” Gu Jinning held up two index fingers and said, “What do you think of my cousin and General Li’s daughter, Li Ranyi? I’ve been observing them for a long time. They are both talented and beautiful, and of first-class character. There is no one in the world more suitable for them.”
Xiao Juebai had heard of Li Ranyi before; she was a resourceful and clever girl. However, she seemed to be getting quite close to Xiao Heng'an.
Xiao Juebai became more suspicious.
"You would be so kind? I have heard that Li Ranyi and Prince Jin have a close relationship."
Gu Jinning chuckled and said, "You saw right through me. You truly are the ruler of a nation; nothing escapes your discerning eyes."
Gu Jinning tossed her head back, displaying a rather willful air.
She said frankly, "Yes, I have my own reasons. I can't stand those filthy rumors outside, all of which are related to Prince Jin. I also don't want to be constantly urged by my aunt, it's too annoying."
"It just so happens that my cousin and Cousin Li are a perfect match. Wouldn't it be wonderful if they got together?"
Xiao Juebai said meaningfully, "Your aunt is urging you a lot."
Gu Jinning pouted, "It's alright. She had a falling out with Prince Jin last time, and she's been ignoring me ever since. I was quite worried, what if she did something rash and went to find me..."
Gu Jinning deliberately dragged out the last syllable, secretly observing Xiao Juebai's expression.
Upon hearing "Grandma," Xiao Juebai's expression indeed turned solemn, and he retorted unhappily, "Nonsense! The Empress Dowager is in a Buddhist temple for quiet meditation; how can she be disturbed?"
Gu Jinning chimed in, "I think so too. Auntie is very considerate of you and Grandma, she would never do such a thing."
What was said without malice was taken to heart by the listener. Xiao Juebai's already suspicious nature gradually took root. Gu Shuhe was stubborn; if she really went to the Empress Dowager for help, the Empress Dowager would definitely break up the engagement between Gu Jinning and Xiao Heng'an.
No, the Gu family must never again form a marriage alliance with the Crown Prince, absolutely not!
Xiao Juebai's eyes gradually hardened; he wanted to completely extinguish Gu Shuhe's hopes and the Empress Dowager's ambitions.
Upon realizing this, Xiao Juebai immediately summoned Xiao Yi and Li Ranyi to the palace to inquire about their intentions.
"Li Ranyi, do you know that the Crown Prince has only one month left? If he fails to solve the case and loses his position as Crown Prince, would you still be willing to marry him?"
Li Ranyi replied, "What I admire is Your Highness, not the title of Crown Prince. Whether the Crown Prince is the Crown Prince or not makes no difference to me."
Xiao Juebai praised, "Well done, as expected of Li Jinghe's daughter, she is straightforward and understanding."
His shrewd gaze swept over the two of them, then he joked, "If the Crown Prince doesn't become the Crown Prince, he can accompany you on your military campaigns. Yi'er, what do you think?"
Xiao Yi replied, "Capturing thieves and defending the city, as well as fighting on the battlefield, are both for the country and the people, and I am naturally more than willing to do so."
Xiao Juebai laughed and said, "It's good that you have this intention. I'm counting on you to catch the audacious thief."
Gu Jinning was sitting on a low place eating pastries when she heard about the thief being caught, so she looked up and smiled at Xiao Juebai.
"Uncle, please don't make veiled accusations. I'm incredibly audacious, but it's all thanks to your protection. Besides, I only ate a few of your snacks, how does that make me a thief?"
Xiao Juebai glanced at her and said helplessly, "I didn't say anything to you. Being greedy is one thing, but you're also deaf. You should really learn more from your cousin."
Gu Jinning jumped up and asked with a grin, "Does that mean Uncle has agreed?"
"Since they are a perfect match, why not bestow another one upon them?"
With a flourish of his pen, Xiao Juebai wrote an imperial edict, bestowing marriage upon Xiao Yi and Li Ranyi, setting the wedding date for the eighth day of the following month.
Gu Jinning exclaimed "Long live!" and showered Xiao Juebai with compliments, making him overjoyed.
On the way out of the palace, Gu Jinning asked Xiao Yi, "Cousin, how do you plan to catch the thief?"
Xiao Yi replied, "We still have no clue."
Gu Jinning asked again, "If we can't bring back Elder Zuo, will your uncle really take your position as crown prince?"
Xiao Yi smiled indifferently, "It's just a title. What difference does it make whether I have it or not?"
If someone else had said that, it might have been just polite talk, but Xiao Yi genuinely didn't care.
He had been the crown prince for so long that he had become numb to it.
He was born with everything that others would give anything for, yet he was not happy at all. This title confined him too much, and at one point made him feel very depressed.
Therefore, he understands Gu Jinning and envies her for living a carefree and authentic life.
Tall, dark-tiled, red-walled structures stand majestically, and the vermilion palace gates are imposing and grand, emitting a deep, resonant sound as they close, separating two worlds.
At this moment, standing beneath the palace gates, they appeared exceptionally small.
Xiao Yi sighed, "This palace wall is too high and too heavy. It's no easy feat to climb over it."
Gu Jinning jumped onto the carriage, pointed to the cage made of gold and jade, and declared, "No matter how high it is, it's not as high as the sky, and no matter how heavy it is, it's not as heavy as a mountain. Whether I fly or climb, I can get over it!"
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