"Old Madam, why do you listen to her in everything? I am the legitimate daughter of Marquis Gu!" Gu Yanran shouted.
The reason why she dared to come to Shen Qingqiu's courtyard so blatantly was that she was sure that Shen Qingqiu had no blood relationship with the Gu family. How could the old lady give up herself for her! But now this confused old lady actually refused to let her enter the palace, "Old lady, she is just a foreign bastard, you——"
Before she could finish her words, she was slapped on the face, and then she saw Shen Qingqiu looking at her with a sneer, "If you can't control your mouth, I don't mind helping you control it."
The old lady's heart skipped a beat. She knew Shen Qingqiu's character. On the one hand, she felt that Gu Yanran was too stubborn and had to be punished. On the other hand, if she punished Gu Yanran herself, she would not let the girl do anything... Now she just didn't let her go to the palace. If the girl did do something, she would inevitably suffer physical injuries.
But now seeing Gu Yanran's stupidity, she couldn't even see his feelings clearly. He immediately shook his head and said, "Keep a good eye on the Fourth Miss and never allow her to run away!" With such a pig-brain, entering the palace to be the princess's companion would be digging her grave in advance.
Gu Yanran was stunned by Shen Qingqiu's slap, and now she howled when she saw the old lady actually wanting someone to lock her up. However, the maids from the palace around Old Lady Xu were not ordinary people, so it was easy to control a little girl.
"Qiu'er, she is sorry for what happened today..." the old lady just opened her mouth.
"I know." Shen Qingqiu looked at his palm and curled his lips, "Since the old lady has already punished her, let's forget about it."
Old Lady Xu heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Good boy, go to bed early. You will have to go to the palace in a few days, so you have to keep a good look."
After sending the old lady away, Jin Cai came out of the house and angrily put on her own girl's coat, "You just let that bitch off so easily?" That bitch wanted to destroy the girl's face! How much more important is a woman's appearance than her chastity? Just shut her up and that's it? "The old lady is too biased!"
Shen Qingqiu said, “After all, my last name is not Gu…” He curled his lips again, “Actually, it’s OK for the old lady to do this. Gu Yanran’s ambition is higher than the sky, and not letting her enter the palace is much more painful than punishing her.” Besides, she had to give her father face. Gu Yanran was the orphan of her father’s brothers, the only child, and was different from the second wife Gu Shaoqing. Could she really take her life?
Jin Cai snorted: "She got it for free."
——
"Go and get my court robes and crown." said Old Lady Xu.
The confidant followed her instructions and rummaged through the things, saying, "Old Madam, you just slept well last night, and you have to go to the palace early this morning. There's no need to be so anxious, right? I don't think Miss Qiu is such an unreasonable person..."
Old Madam Xu shook her head. "Yesterday, Yanran wanted to destroy Qiu's face. For a young woman, nothing is more important than her appearance. Yesterday, I blocked Yanran's way to the palace and banned her from walking. It seems like a heavy punishment, but it's actually not painful. Besides being so stubborn, Qingqiu can't tolerate any grain of sand in her eyes. She let Yanran off lightly yesterday because she took me, an old madam, seriously and valued the father-daughter relationship with Yong'er. No matter how partial I am, I can't let her feel cold."
The confidant sighed, "The old lady has good intentions, I hope Miss Qingqiu and Miss Yanran can understand."
The old lady shook her head, "Not all of them..." She frowned. The princes were all grown up now, and it was not easy for them to go to the palace. If they stood on the wrong side by accident, they would lose their heads.
Qiu'er is a smart girl, so there is no need to worry about her being bribed by others when she goes to the palace. But Gu Yanran, thinking of this, the old lady sighed, "Okay, ask the doorman to get a carriage, it's time for my son and his wife to get up."
"yes."
"What? That old immortal actually went to the palace!" Gu Yanran staggered to her feet.
The maid knelt on the ground and said, "It is absolutely true. The old lady is wearing court clothes today. Judging from the direction of the carriage, she is going to the palace."
She tore off the embroidered handkerchief in her hand and said angrily: "Is she really senile and confused? I have the blood of the Gu family, but she is siding with an outsider!" After all, she was still a little girl who had just turned fourteen. Putting aside those vicious thoughts, she could not go out now and could only lie on the table and cry.
The maid advised: "Young lady, think more positively. After all, Miss Qiu is just a girl from another family. You are the only legitimate child of this generation. You just can't enter the palace now. The old lady didn't tell you about what happened yesterday, so it won't affect you."
In the final analysis, considering the current wealth of the Gu family, whether the eldest daughter of the Gu family serves as the princess's tutor or not, and whether it is an honor to do so, will not have much impact on her marriage.
Gu Yanran knew it, but she thought so at the beginning. Now there was that person in the palace, the person she wanted to see... But now she couldn't enter the palace, so wouldn't her fate with that person be cut off? Thinking of this, she cried softly, "Good Shen Qingqiu, he is really my nemesis."
——
Old Madam Xu had just entered the palace and told Empress Pei that she was ill and that Gu Yanran could not enter the palace. Then Princess Changping arrived.
"Why did you come to the palace again?" Empress Pei frowned. Now that the rumors about Changping's affairs among the people had spread, she didn't want to see her these days. Princess Changping lowered her head, but she couldn't understand the look in her aunt's eyes. After paying her respects, she looked behind Empress Pei with expectation, "Why didn't the prince cousin greet me today?"
Empress Pei was getting more and more annoyed, and she just said, "At the court meeting this morning, the prince received the imperial edict and went to handle court affairs."
Changping then withdrew her gaze in disappointment, and thought about Old Lady Xu who had just left the Queen's Palace, "This old lady usually doesn't go out, why did she come to pay a visit to my aunt today?" Ladies of noble birth could pay homage to the Queen, and Old Lady Xu often went to the palace when she was young, but when she was older she would only pay homage during the New Year and other festivals.
Queen Pei said, "Didn't we choose Gu Yanran to be the Eleventh Princess's study companion a few days ago? This time, the old lady said that she is ill and may not be able to enter the palace as scheduled." After all, it was not a big deal. The princess's study companion is not the prince's study companion. To put it bluntly, she is just a playmate.
Changping sneered, "Gu Yanran is not sick at all, I'm afraid she is being held captive in the mansion and cannot come out, right?"
Empress Pei frowned, and Princess Changping continued, "Aunt, Gu Yanran is your eleventh princess's study companion, and Shen Qingqiu is your ninth princess's... But now she has used a trick to prevent Gu Yanran from coming in. I know that you don't take this little girl's struggle seriously, but if Shen Qingqiu was a simple person, I wouldn't have been defeated so many times?"
Empress Pei then became serious. She was intelligent, so she naturally understood what Changping said.
The Ninth Princess is the daughter of Concubine Rou... Concubine Rou also has a son. If the Gu family gives a daughter to Concubine Rou, what if they favor Concubine Rou's son in the future? Although they are half-grown babies, Empress Pei never takes risks in the fight for the throne.
After a moment, she raised her eyebrows, smiled, and said to Changping: "Auntie heard that you collected some high-quality ginseng and donkey-hide gelatin a few days ago?"
Princess Changping bowed and said, "They are all nourishing foods. It's a festival soon. According to the custom, I will send them to Aunt first. After Aunt has finished selecting, I will send them to the concubines in the palace." Empress Pei waved her hand and said, "Forget about the concubines in the palace. The Gu family is full of loyal people, and Gu Yanran is a loyal and brave daughter. Since she is sick, it is reasonable to give her some gifts."
Changping was such a smart person that he immediately understood what Empress Pei meant. "Don't worry, aunt. I will definitely send the supplements to Marquis Gu's mansion. I think they are of the best quality and she is not too ill to get up. Then Miss Gu should be well on the day she enters the palace."
Queen Pei waved her slender fingers and said, "Then go ahead."
——
"Thank you, Her Majesty, for your grace!" After receiving the reward from Queen Pei, Gu Yanran naturally accepted the tonic with a smile as her namesake.
Then he looked at the imperial physician behind the eunuch, and then at Shen Qingqiu who was also kneeling beside him to receive the imperial decree, and said loudly: "I believe that with the imperial physician's treatment, my illness should be cured soon. Sister Qingqiu, now we can enter the palace together again."
Seeing her smug look, Shen Qingqiu was too lazy to say anything more to this stupid pig.
The old lady asked her confidant to give a reward of silver to the eunuch who announced the decree. She wanted to keep the two sisters to talk, but Gu Yanran could not wait to call the imperial physician to diagnose her illness.
"Idiot, what an idiot!" The old lady couldn't help but hit her legs.
Shen Qingqiu suddenly said, "If I had known she had such ability, when the old lady said she was sick, I should have broken her legs directly."
If it were in the past, the old lady would definitely feel sorry for her great-granddaughter, but now she is filled with regret. Compared to a great-granddaughter, the foundation of the Gu family is naturally more important. "Now that the Queen has sent the imperial physician, it is no use even if I claim to be sick. I am really stupid..." Now she is filled with regret. She originally thought that it was just an internal fight among the girls. If she went to the Queen to claim that she was sick and could not go, it would probably be nothing.
But it was nothing before, but now Empress Pei has lost her temper and insisted on asking Gu Yanran to enter the palace, which is very different.
Why does Empress Pei think so highly of Gu Yanran... Does she think highly of her or the Gu family behind her? Shen Qingqiu has already been given to the Ninth Princess as a companion, and now the Empress is determined to give Gu Yanran to the Eleventh Princess. What if something goes wrong in the future? "Don't worry, old lady, it's just a companion for the princess. Gu Yanran is already fourteen years old, and at most she can find an excuse to get married at fifteen." Shen Qingqiu said, "It's just that Empress Pei is eyeing Gu Yanran, I'm afraid she wants to win her over..." What if she wants to make her the prince's concubine. The prince's wife has been decided, and the legitimate daughter of the Gu family obviously cannot be a concubine, but what if her reputation in the palace is ruined...
This is what the old lady feared. She looked at Shen Qingqiu, "Qiu'er, I know you are a good child, and I also know Yanran has let you down. But you must not watch her fall into someone else's trap—" Shen Qingqiu held her hand before she could finish, "I know, old lady, I am also a member of the Gu family. Not for her, but for myself."
Old Madam Xu looked at her steadily for a long while, then clapped her hands and said a few good words.
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