Inside the Jiaoniang Pavilion, when there were few customers in the afternoon, Lü Siniang took Huang Qingqing to purchase cloth and jade.
Now that Jiaoniang Pavilion's business is gradually getting on track, the accessories for some high-ranking officials and nobles cannot be replaced by stones. Therefore, they want to select some high-quality jade to be polished into hairpins, accessories, buttons, etc.
Gu Nanjiao gave a few instructions to the female workers and then prepared to leave.
At this moment, a fair-skinned, beardless man entered. Upon seeing Gu Nanjiao, he went straight to the point: "Our lady would like to have a dress made. I wonder if the shopkeeper could help with the design?"
Gu Nanjiao was stunned: "Who are you?"
“I’m from out of town. My wife was passing through the capital and saw that the clothes at Jiao Niang Pavilion were quite nice, so she thought of having a few made.” The pale-faced man paused and said, “My wife has had a long journey and is resting at the inn next door. I wonder if the innkeeper could come over…”
Gu Nanjiao frowned. Because of that old nanny, she didn't dare to follow anyone carelessly. Although Minister Zhou wouldn't dare to act rashly for the time being, there was always a chance someone might resort to desperate measures.
“This…” Gu Nanjiao hesitated for a moment, then said somewhat apologetically, “Unfortunately, I have something to attend to today, I’m truly sorry. If you would like, Madam, you can come into the shop; we have private rooms specifically for receiving distinguished guests.”
The pale-faced man lowered his lips, his voice becoming somewhat shrill: "Manager Gu, you have quite the airs, refusing to do business that's already in the works. Do you expect our lady to come and invite you personally?"
At first, the man didn't understand why his master was insisting he find Manager Gu of Jiaoniang Pavilion. But when he saw this face, he finally understood why his master had given the order to bring the person here at all costs.
This woman's constant refusals and excuses are the first time he's ever encountered something so humiliating.
Gu Nanjiao narrowed her eyes, increasingly finding this man unusual. What man had such a high-pitched voice? He was over forty years old, with a pale face and no beard; he looked exactly like a palace eunuch.
If she really is a eunuch, why would you look for her?
Gu Nanjiao was very curious, but curiosity killed the cat. She pursed her lips and said, "It's not that I'm being pretentious, it's just that I have something to do today and can't get away. Please excuse me." After saying that, Gu Nanjiao turned and left without paying attention to the pale-faced man's gloomy face.
"That's not up to you!" The pale-faced man grabbed Gu Nanjiao's arm and whispered in her ear, "You'd better come with me obediently, or Jiaoniang Pavilion will be razed to the ground today!"
Jiaoniang Pavilion was the culmination of Fourth Sister's efforts, and she couldn't bear to destroy it.
It seems I have no choice but to go with him today. In broad daylight, could he possibly kill someone?
"Okay!" Gu Nanjiao hesitated for a moment before agreeing: "I can go with you, but I need to take something."
The pale-faced man didn't let go and followed Gu Nanjiao into the Jiaoniang Pavilion.
"Let go of my hand, I'll take some candy to eat on the way."
Hearing that Gu Nanjiao had taken some food, the pale-faced man released his grip, keeping a close eye on her as if afraid she might be carrying something dangerous.
Gu Nanjiao picked up the small bag, inside which were the exploding balls she had been researching for the past two days. They were round and spherical, and would make a loud bang if gently dropped on the ground. They were wrapped in red and green paper, colorful and looked a lot like candy.
The pale-faced man relaxed and pulled Gu Nanjiao away.
Gu Nanjiao did not resist and followed the man to the inn next door.
Upon entering room number one, one sees a woman dressed in fine clothes sitting inside, wearing a light veil and a bamboo hat, obscuring her face, but judging from her figure, she is a middle-aged woman.
“I wonder what kind of clothes Madam would like to have made, that you have not forced me to come here.”
The pale-faced, beardless man looked at the woman sitting not far away. The woman nodded. The pale-faced man was suspicious. When did their master become so careless?
However, she did not dare to disobey her master's wishes and truthfully told Gu Nanjiao, "To be honest, I invited Manager Gu here today to inquire about something. I would like to ask Manager Gu how old you are, where you live, and if you have any relatives or friends."
Looking at the elegant and poised woman before her, Gu Nanjiao recalled a nanny she had recently met who said she resembled someone—her mistress. Chu Luoxun had also once said that she resembled someone.
I just don't know who she looks like.
The lady in front of her came to inquire again, and Gu Nanjiao couldn't help but wonder if the original owner looked like her and had come to her door on purpose.
Thinking of the people who had chased her before, Gu Nanjiao sneered: "Twenty-nine years old, from the north, with father and mother."
She probably already knows everything, so why ask again?
Before he could finish speaking, the pale-faced man raised his pinky finger and said, "Manager Gu, how can you talk such nonsense?"
Gu Nanjiao glanced at him indifferently: "You're the one who told me to say it, but you didn't believe me. Is it my fault?"
"What a sharp-tongued girl!" The woman at the head of the table slammed her hand on the table. "Xiao Fuzi, slash her face."
The pale-faced man obeyed the order and acted swiftly, grabbing Gu Nanjiao by the neck and slowly bringing a knife to her face with his right hand.
Damn, who is this vicious woman? She tried to slash her face right off the bat. Did she desecrate her family's ancestral graves?
Gu Nanjiao tried to pry open the large hand that was holding her neck, but the pale-faced man kicked her in the knee, causing her to kneel on the ground with a thud, unable to move.
A woman of extraordinary bearing moved gracefully to Gu Nanjiao's side, tenderly stroking her face. Her voice was filled with sorrow and longing: "Child, don't blame me. I risked everything to see you today, which is to fulfill my wish. It's just that you have such a..." face that resembles hers.
To her, her own daughter was an illegitimate child, a powder keg that could explode at any moment, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she would be blown to pieces.
If it weren't for the blood relation she was born with, she probably would have killed her long ago. Now, she's just had her face slashed and left to fend for herself on the estate. Sparing her life is already an act of mercy on her part.
Most importantly, and this is a secret no one knows, this girl's existence will only put her in danger.
Gu Nanjiao's mind raced. While the woman was still in a daze, she suddenly headbutted her, knocking the woman's hat off.
Her face is very well-maintained, and you can't tell her real age; she looks to be in her early 30s at most.
She wore no gold or silver jewelry, but her overall demeanor commanded respect from all who saw her.
What surprised Gu Nanjiao even more was that the woman's face was seven or eight parts similar to hers; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were made from the same mold.
No wonder they wanted to kill her. Considering Chu Luoxun's words and the woman's overall demeanor and her pale, beardless, delicate fingers, could they be from the palace?
In the palace, only Consort Yue was a member of the Zhou family, and she was a concubine who wished the worst of her family…
Could she be Consort Yue?
Why...why did she come in person?
He'll come and kill her himself?
A murderous glint appeared in Consort Yue's eyes as she looked at Gu Nanjiao, who was kneeling on the ground with her neck being choked, and laughed, "I originally wanted to spare your life, but you didn't cherish it. Then don't blame me for being ruthless."
Gu Nanjiao seemed to have guessed something. She exclaimed in shock, "Could it be that there's more to the story of Qingyun Peak? I'm not that illegitimate daughter's daughter, but yours..."
Consort Yue's face darkened, and the pale-faced man beside her angrily said, "This is not your business. Since you want to die, then so be it." He tightened his grip, and Gu Nanjiao's face turned bright red.
"Even tigers...don't eat their cubs, how cruel you are."
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