Zeng Ya sighed softly, her eyes slightly fixed, deep as the night.

After she recognized Gu Yanfei, she originally considered sending her confidant back to her hometown in Huaibei to investigate. Unexpectedly, before she could convince her father and brother, she met Li Zhaodi outside Wancaotang.

Perhaps God was on her side. She had originally planned to go to Wancaotang to meet Gu Yun'er by chance, but instead she met Li Zhaodi. At that time, Li Zhaodi knocked down an old woman who was trying to scam her. The old woman asked her to pay for the medicine, so Li Zhaodi said that she was Gu Yun'er's sister.

Zeng Ya played the role of a good person, asking the housekeeper to give money to Li Zhaodi, and then tried to get some information from Li Zhaodi. It was just a little bait, and Li Zhaodi came to look for work on her own.

It would be easy for someone like Li Zhaodi to control and use her.

It was God who sent this opportunity to her! Thinking of this, Zeng Ya's heartbeat quickened, and she said softly, "It's all my fault."

Although some things today were beyond her expectations, fortunately, nothing went wrong overall.

Zeng Ya's heart beat faster and her eyes once again glanced towards the wooden bridge over the lake.

The spring breeze was blowing gently, and ripples were forming on the lake surface. The water was shimmering, and a few willow leaves occasionally fell from the willow trees by the lake, landing on the lush green grass or floating on the sparkling water.

Chu Yi, dressed in a moon-white Hu costume, walked down from the wooden bridge over the lake, elegant and leisurely, with a gentle smile.

On his right, Prince Kang Chuyou walked side by side with him. The uncle and nephew ignored each other, as if they were strangers.

There were also seven or eight young men of different looks following behind, talking and laughing, with joyful looks on their faces.

Just as the young men got off the bridge, a high-pitched and excited male voice suddenly came from the other side of the bridge: "A Shen, Brother Xian... wait for me!"

A young man in a light blue Hu costume came running after them, shouting and panting.

Several young masters turned around and looked at the newcomer in surprise and asked, "Chu Jia, why did you come just now?"

"I'm already riding as fast as I can." Chu Jia explained roughly, then he saluted Chu Yi and Chu You who were in the front with a smile on his face, and then he greeted the other princes of the royal family in a familiar manner.

"Ah Shen," Chu Jia said with a playful smile, pushing a round-faced young man in green, "Why didn't you pay attention to me when I just called you?"

Chu Shen staggered a step after being pushed by his cousin. A silly smile appeared on his round face. He touched his nose and said, "Cousin Jia."

"Haha! Chu Jia, you don't know yet, do you?" Another square-faced young man in a dark-colored robe said with a smile, grinning teasingly, "Chu Shen is thinking about his future wife."

Chu Jia asked in surprise: "A Shen, are you engaged?"

"No." The square-faced young man said happily, "This kid has set his eyes on the eldest daughter of the Du family, but his mother doesn't agree. So he boldly asked the emperor for permission..."

"I didn't expect this kid to be so bold now. In the past, he didn't dare to say anything against his mother's will. This is really a case of a grown-up son being no longer under the control of his mother." Another black-clothed young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes sighed, "I wonder what kind of girl would fall for a silly boy like you?"

"A Shen has always liked beautiful women, so he must be a beauty." Chu Jia said with a smile.

"That's right."

"This guy is very superficial. He doesn't like talented women, he only likes beautiful women."

"Ah Shen, tell me yourself, is she pretty?"

These young men were chatting and laughing while teasing Chu Shen, talking non-stop, until Chu Shen's face turned red.

Chu Shen blushed and said hesitantly, "I think she is pretty."

"Oh, this is what it means when a lover sees beauty!" Chu Jia shamelessly teased, winking frivolously, and smilingly chatting with Chu You to get close to him, "Uncle Kang Wang, don't you agree?"

Chu Jia was thinking that Prince Kang's wedding was approaching, and he thought that people would be in high spirits when they were happy, so he made a joke.

However, Chu You's face was as gloomy as water, and he glanced at Chu Jia with a gloomy look, which made Chu Jia's heart skip a beat.

Chu Shen, who was standing by, almost choked on his saliva and had a conflicted expression.

The Gu residence in Luwei Hutong was sealed by the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and the marriage between Prince Kang and Gu Yun'er was also delayed. Prince Kang was very angry at the time, and Chu Jia was really bringing up things that were out of the question.

Yes, Chu Jia just came back from his grandfather's house in Qingzhou yesterday, and he probably doesn't know about the turbulent situation in the capital these days.

The other young man also thought it was not good, and quickly turned the topic back to Chu Shen with a joke: "Where is Ah Shen's sweetheart?"

"Miss Du doesn't seem to be very tall."

"Is it over there..."

As they were talking, several young men looked towards the crowd by the lake, gazing eagerly.

"Is the purple-dressed girl standing by the willow tree Du..." Chu Jia pointed at the petite purple-dressed girl under the willow tree by the lake and said uncertainly, "Huh? What are they doing with so many people gathered together?"

"Will there be a competition?"

"I don't think so."

They soon noticed that the atmosphere among the group of people by the lake was not right. It seemed a little stiff, as if two groups of girls were confronting each other.

Even though they couldn't hear any sound from the lake from where they were standing, they could still feel the unfriendly atmosphere between the two opposing parties.

"Those girls are not quarreling." Someone whispered.

"This is Jiao Niang, right?" Chu Jia narrowed his eyes and looked at Wei Jiao Niang who was sitting on a bench about 25 feet away, and said with a smile, "That's right, she must have quarreled with those girls from aristocratic families again."

Chu Shen, Chu Jia and other sons of the royal family were also very familiar with Wei Jiaoniang, Lu Qin and others. They had known each other since childhood and often played polo and hunting together.

They also knew that Wei Jiaoniang and her friends had always been at odds with the girls from aristocratic families, and whenever they met them, they would always start arguing after just a few words.

"Jiao Niang's hot temper is just like her grandmother's. She has a clear distinction between likes and dislikes." Chu Shen laughed, "Why don't we just not play pot tossing and ask her to go horse racing with us. After running two laps, all her temper will be gone."

"Let's go and take a look." Chu Jia called everyone at the top of his voice, and walked towards Wei Jiaoniang by the lake in two steps, looking as if he was eager to create chaos in the world.

Rather than saying he was going to stop the fight, it would be more accurate to say he was inviting everyone to come over and watch the fun.

When the young masters approached, they found the atmosphere here to be quite strange.

The young men and women gathered around the place and were talking among themselves. One girl could be heard saying in disbelief, "Did Miss Gu Er really get engaged?"

"I don't know. I haven't heard of it." Another girl whispered uncertainly, "Could it be that Zhaodi is talking nonsense?"

"They don't look like sisters. They don't look alike at all."

"But I think Zhaodi speaks very seriously, she doesn't seem to be suffering from hysteria."

“…”

Various speculations and discussions about Gu Yanfei arose one after another, faintly carried by the wind into the ears of Chu Jia, Chu Shen and others.

They all subconsciously looked at Chu Yi.

Chu Yi remained calm and continued walking forward at a leisurely pace.

He looked at Gu Yanfei in the center of the crowd from afar, his eyes fell on the gorgeous and exquisite hairpin in her hair, his eyebrows and eyes were smiling, and Anle's boastful voice rang in his ears: "Big brother, Sister Yanfei looks so beautiful in that phoenix hairpin... This is called complementing each other!"

"I picked that hairpin. I knew it suited Sister Yan Fei. I really have good taste!"

Anle is a girl with good taste. Chu Yi raised the corners of his lips, and his eyes gradually moved down from the hairpin, from the girl's full forehead, to her sparkling eyes, to her small and delicate nose, and then to her full and beautiful cherry lips.

Very beautiful! Chu Shen pulled Chu Jia's sleeve and asked him with his eyes, did the eldest prince hear it just now? How did he know! Chu Jia shrugged and hurriedly chased after him.

At this time, the people by the lake also noticed Chu Yi, Chu You and their group coming, and they all turned around to greet them:

"Meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and meet Prince Kang."

He's coming. Gu Yanfei heard the sound and immediately looked in the direction of Chu Yi. The long pearl tassels on her temples swayed and reflected her pupils, which were shining and soft and charming.

The two looked at each other intently and couldn't help but smile, their smiles were bright and affectionate.

Even the air around them seemed to have a hint of indescribable sweetness as the two looked at each other.

Even if Gu Yanfei didn't ask, he could tell from Chu Yi's burning eyes at that moment that he liked the way she was now, and it was not in vain that she walked around for such a long time wearing this heavy hairpin.

The dimples on Gu Yanfei's lips deepened, and her smile became more delicate and bright.

Zeng Ya stared at the smile on Gu Yanfei's lips, her eyes unusually dark and deep.

She sighed quietly and pursed her lips, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. After hesitating for a while, she continued, "I hope you will listen to my advice. Facts are facts after all. Even if you can hide them for a while, you can't hide them forever."

"Water flows to the lowest place, people go to the highest place... It is natural for you to want to find a good marriage, but once it involves the royal family, it is a crime of deceiving the emperor."

Zeng Ya showed an expression of reluctance. She spoke in a tactful and implicit way, not making her words too explicit, yet obvious.

Here they come again! These self-important girls from aristocratic families are beating around the bush again! ! Wei Jiaoniang's mouth twitched, and she did not try to hide her displeasure.

Wei Jiaoniang could hear the hidden meaning in Zeng Ya's words, and so could everyone else. Zeng Ya was clearly saying that Gu Yanfei had concealed her past engagement in order to marry the eldest prince, and was directly accusing Gu Yanfei of deceiving the emperor! If there was no evidence, Zeng Ya would not dare to accuse Gu Yanfei without proof, right? !

For a moment, there were sounds of people gasping for air, but no one spoke.

Everyone's expressions became strange, and they all glanced towards Chu Yi who was not far away, thinking: I wonder if the eldest prince heard it.

If Gu Yanfei had really been engaged, how would the eldest prince react? Now that this matter had become known to everyone, whether it was true or not, there had to be an explanation, and it was not something that could be easily revealed by the eldest prince's words.

Otherwise, where is the royal dignity!

In this tense atmosphere, Gu Yanfei laughed.

"Heh." Gu Yanfei smiled, as if he had just watched a wonderful show and his smile was still lingering.

That clear and wise gaze stared directly at Zeng Ya's forehead, as if it could see through people's thoughts and as if it could understand the cause and effect of the world.

She said calmly: "Miss Zeng must be crazy."

Gu Yanfei had a smile on his lips and spoke calmly, yet in a serious manner.

"..." Zeng Ya's heart trembled inexplicably.

A cool breeze suddenly blew from the lake.

The sun shone through the branches of the willow tree onto Zeng Ya's face and body, casting mottled and messy shadows. When the wind blew, the light and shadows floated and flickered, as if a shadow was floating across her face, and as if something was about to break out from under her skin...

The atmosphere suddenly became gloomy, as if it had gone back from spring to winter. Even the wind seemed to have a hint of chill, and it was so eerie that even the sunlight around didn't seem so bright.

Those who were whispering were all startled and fell silent at once. There was dead silence all around.

Everyone felt their hairs standing up little by little.

As we all know, Miss Gu is a Taoist master with boundless magical powers. Since she claimed that Zeng Ya was crazy, could it be that she saw something from Zeng Ya? Something that they could not see, but only Miss Gu could see?

It is said that Tiangang Zhenren, who assisted Emperor Taizu, had a pair of "divine eyes" that could see through yin and yang and spy on the secrets of heaven. Not only did he recognize a hero and serve Emperor Taizu, he also saw through and resolved many vicious spells against Taizu.

Could it be that Miss Gu also has a pair of "divine eyes"? Lu Qin couldn't help but pull Gu Yanfei's sleeves and asked, "Yanfei, what happened to Zeng Ya?"

Ever since the Hua family incident, Lu Qin began to feel awe for these Taoist matters.

At this moment, after hearing what Gu Yanfei said, the more she looked at Zeng Ya, the more she felt that something was wrong with her.

The Zeng family is a noble family, and these high-ranking families have always been most particular about rules and etiquette.

Zeng Ya's behavior was strange today. She inexplicably brought a servant who had not even been taught the rules to the royal palace, and allowed the servant to talk nonsense and cry and make a fuss. Looking back now, it was really abnormal.

Either Zeng Ya was deliberately looking for trouble, or she was crazy?

Most of the others thought the same as Lu Qin and swallowed hard.

so--

"Is he really crazy?" Tang Jinyun asked the question in everyone's mind hesitantly.

Her voice was actually very soft, but it was very clear in the silent atmosphere.

After the words fell, the surroundings became even quieter, and many people held their breath.

Now, everyone forgot about what happened with Li Zhaodi, and their attention turned to the issue of "madness".

All eyes were focused on Zeng Ya, with a bit of fear, a bit of astonishment, and a bit of disgust.

Tang Jinyun came to his senses and took a few steps back, fearing that he would be contaminated by something dirty.

Zeng Ya felt that everyone's gazes were like countless needles piercing her. She looked at Gu Yanfei angrily, barely maintaining her elegant demeanor, but her voice had turned cold. She said, "Second Miss Gu, I was wrong, but you are going too far by throwing dirty water on me like this!"

When she said the last sentence, her tone was as cold as ice, and she felt that Gu Yanfei was making many stupid moves.

Ridiculous, really ridiculous! Did Gu Yanfei think that she could cover up her past by blaming him? ! "How can a mad person admit that he is crazy!" Wei Jiaoniang crossed her arms and looked at Zeng Ya with a livid face, sighing, "I once heard my mother talk about Zeng Yue. Zeng Yue must be crazy..."

Zeng Yue is also a legendary figure, who died fifteen years ago. He was originally mediocre, and had not even read the Four Books and Five Classics at the age of twenty. However, when he was rescued from the water at the age of twenty-one, he suddenly became enlightened and became able to compose poems. Within a few months, he wrote several masterpieces, such as "Quiet Night Thoughts", "Xia Ke Xing", "Spring Night Joyful Rain", etc., which were praised by literati and scholars.

Later, he kept saying that he could make gunpowder and cannons, but he ended up blowing up the house instead. A servant in the house was injured and his leg was cut off by the flying iron pieces. However, Zeng Yue claimed that the broken leg could be reattached.

All kinds of crazy words are unbelievable.

Zeng Yue's family tried to persuade and punish him, but to no avail. They had no choice but to invite a Taoist priest to their home. The Taoist priest said that Zeng Yue was possessed by an evil spirit when he fell into the water and was no longer Zeng Yue, so his behavior was very different from before.

Zeng Yue refused to admit it and said that the Taoist priest was a swindler. In the end, he was burned to death by the Taoist priest. His death was quite tragic.

He was only twenty-five when he died.

Many people present had read Zeng Yue's poems, or heard their family members or teachers talk about Zeng Yue's deeds. Now when they looked at Zeng Ya again, they felt horrified.

"Zeng Yue?" Fan Mushuang blinked and said thoughtfully, "I remember, is he the ancestor of the Zeng family?"

"Could it be that..." Will the madness be passed on to future generations? Even though Fan Mushuang didn't say the rest, most of the people around him thought in this direction, and looked at Zeng Ya with eyes that were almost terrified.

They originally only believed it 40% to 50%, but now they believe it 70% to 80%.

Could it be that the evil spirit that possessed Zeng Yue back then has not left yet, and now...

Zeng Ya's face turned pale, and even the fingertips that were holding the handle of the round fan began to turn white.

A crack appeared in her gentle and calm exterior.

She gritted her teeth and said seriously, "I'm not crazy!"

She only felt the soles of her feet go cold, and fear quickly spread in her heart, interweaving into a dense net that trapped her.

She used to firmly believe that no one would believe Gu Yanfei's nonsense. It was not until now that she realized that she had underestimated Gu Yanfei. Gu Yanfei was not only the second daughter of the Gu family and the sweetheart of the eldest prince, but she was also proficient in Taoist magic. Even Shangqing Zhenren was not her opponent.

Gu Yanfei's words themselves have authority.

At this moment, Zeng Ya suddenly felt what it meant to be pushed down by everyone when the wall falls.

She was afraid that others would not believe her, afraid that others would believe Gu Yanfei! Then, she would become "crazy".

Zeng Ya became more and more uneasy and wanted Tang Jinyun to speak for her. But when she turned around, she found that Tang Jinyun had disappeared without a trace.

Not only Tang Jinyun, but several other close friends around her also stepped back at the same time, with wariness and disgust evident in their eyes.

A space suddenly appeared around her, as if there was an invisible wall separating her from the people around her.

Wei Jiaoniang's mind moved, her eyes rolled around, her pupils sparkled, and she sighed, "Oh, she is so pitiful at such a young age. Yan Fei, is she the same as her ancestor Zeng Yue?"

"It must be." Lu Qin said quickly.

"That's not what she wanted." Gu Yanfei looked at Zeng Ya with a sigh, "She's crazy and her mind is disordered. That's why she brought the future Princess Kang's biological sister to me!"

"No, I didn't!" Zeng Ya became even more excited, her high-pitched and sharp voice slightly cracked.

Under the excitement, she looked a little disheveled, no longer as gentle and graceful as usual.

However, Gu Yanfei ignored her and turned his face slightly to the right, glancing at Chu You who was approaching not far away, and asked with a smile: "My Lord, am I right?"

It's not that the pace is slow, it's that I update less (covering my face) 　　 　 (End of this chapter)