Be careful
Just then, Gu Jinghong parried a shadow guard's slash, his cold gaze sweeping over Lin Xiuyuan: "Grand Secretary Lin, a wise man knows when to yield. Your actions are perverse, your involvement in factional strife, and your harming of the people have led you to a dead end. Do you intend to sink with this wrecked ship?"
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Yan used her flute to repel one of the shadow guards, and added in a cold voice, "Lin Xiuyuan, think carefully, can you believe what he says?!"
Wen Linchuan also said in a deep voice, "Brother Lin, the situation is hopeless, don't make a mistake!"
The three men's words struck Lin Xiuyuan's heart like a heavy hammer.
He saw Xie Yan and Wen Linchuan working seamlessly together, displaying astonishing combat prowess, while Gu Jinghong remained calm and composed in the face of danger, giving decisive command. Meanwhile, Guo Da was already at his limit, and the shadow guards he had brought were rapidly dwindling in number... The balance of power tipped instantly.
"Enough!" Lin Xiuyuan stomped his foot and suddenly pointed his judge's pen, aiming straight for the back of a shadow guard who was about to sneak attack Wen Linchuan from behind!
"You! How dare you betray me!" Upon seeing this, Guo Da trembled with rage and spat out another mouthful of blood.
Lin Xiuyuan's defection became the final straw that broke the camel's back.
The Shadow Guards, already outnumbered, were quickly routed under the combined attack of the four Grand Secretaries, with some dying and others surrendering.
The battle quickly subsided.
Xie Yan returned to Gu Jinghong's side immediately, carefully checking her for injuries, his concern almost overflowing.
Wen Linchuan then directed the reinforcements who arrived later to clean up the scene and take control of the surrendered soldiers.
Gu Jinghong held a blood-dripping dagger in his hand and walked step by step toward Guo Da, who was being restrained by Xie Yan and lying limp on the ground. Looking down at him, he said, "Godfather, you have lost."
Guo Da would never know that Gu Jinghong also felt reluctant at this moment.
Although he did many bad things, Gu Jinghong lost that uncle when she was ten years old. Later, it was Guo Da who raised and taught her.
Regardless of his motives, Gu Jinghong did survive under his command and eventually became Grand Secretary Gu.
Right now, she's stepping on Guo Da's shoulders to seize the position of Pavilion Master...
Unable to struggle, Guoda suddenly let out a hoarse, strange laugh, his gaze shifting between Gu Jinghong and Xie Yan: "Good, very good! The brat I raised has now turned on me! Gu Jinghong, Xie Yan, do you think this is the end?"
He stared intently at Xie Yan: "Yan'er, these past years, the feeling of your limbs being ice-cold and the pain piercing to the bone every time the moon is full must have been unbearable, right?"
Xie Yan's expression was cold and stern, and he did not answer.
Guo Da then turned to Gu Jinghong, his eyes flashing with malice: "And you, my good daughter. You've been away from home for months, haven't you felt anything unusual about your body? For example... a nameless fire often rises in your heart, burning you up inside, especially in the dead of night?"
Gu Jinghong's heart skipped a beat—what he said was absolutely true; there was indeed an inexplicable burning anger, but she had always thought it was caused by her feelings for Xiao Chengyan…
Especially in the last few days, she thought it was because the dragon vein in the Prince's mansion was too strong, or because she had overdone the winter tonics.
But these thoughts only flashed across her face for a moment. To onlookers, her beautiful face remained calm and composed, and a faint sneer even appeared at the corner of her mouth: "Is Godfather perhaps at his wit's end and starting to talk nonsense? I am perfectly healthy."
Guo Da stared intently into her eyes, then suddenly chuckled, his voice like an owl's: "No? Heh... Good, very good, you're quite the actor! You'd better watch yourself. This poison has a long incubation period and no antidote. Once it takes effect, it's like being engulfed in flames. If I die, you'll all be buried with me!"
Gu Jinghong's hand clenched quietly in her sleeve, using the pain to maintain her outward composure.
Her voice was icy. "Have you finished spouting your nonsense?"
Guo Da stared intently at Gu Jinghong, his gaze like poisoned spider silk, coiling around her.
He slowly walked towards Gu Jinghong, his voice hoarse yet carrying a strange tenderness, like a lover's whisper, which sent chills down Gu Jinghong's spine.
“Jinghong, my good daughter… I will teach you one last lesson. The sharpest knife in this world is not the one held in your hand, but… the one stuck in your heart.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than a flash of cold light appeared, and with a "thud," Guo Da, holding Gu Jinghong's hand, thrust her short sword straight into his chest.
Gu Jinghong was horrified!
His smile suddenly turned eerie and satisfied. "I want you to remember this day forever, to remember that it was you who drove your adoptive father to his death! It was you who personally sent the person who raised you and made you who you are to a dead end! I want you to see my face every time you wake up in the middle of the night for the rest of your life!"
Before he finished speaking, he took another inch forward!
"puff--"
Guo Da's body trembled violently, and a stream of dark blood gushed from the corner of his mouth. But the smile on his face widened, and his eyes were fixed on Gu Jinghong, as if he wanted to imprint his image into the depths of her soul.
The hall was deathly silent.
The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the heavy smell of blood and an invisible, suffocating pressure.
Gu Jinghong felt as if he had been struck by lightning; his blood seemed to freeze instantly.
She had imagined countless possible endings: fighting to the death, committing suicide out of despair, or even being killed by Xie Yan or someone else... But she never imagined that Guo Da would choose to end his life in this way, so resolutely and twistedly in front of her!
It wasn't to preserve her dignity, nor to escape torment, but simply to—etch an indelible shadow in her heart!
Gu Jinghong suddenly felt a churning in her stomach and her face turned pale.
But she couldn't back down.
She bit her lower lip hard until her mouth was filled with a metallic, metallic taste, barely managing to suppress the throbbing that threatened to burst her throat. She couldn't collapse, she couldn't show weakness, especially not in front of her subordinates who had just submitted.
Xie Yan was the first to react. He glanced worriedly at Gu Jinghong, whose face was pale, then composed himself, bowed first, and broke the silence with a steady voice: "This subordinate greets Pavilion Master Gu!"
Wen Linchuan and Lin Xiuyuan also recovered from their shock and quickly followed, saying, "Your subordinates greet Pavilion Master Gu!"
Gu Jinghong took a deep breath, forcing herself to look away from the corpse with the eerie smile.
"From this day forward, I, Gu Jinghong, shall assume the position of Pavilion Master of Qianyuan Pavilion."
"Clean up the scene, comfort the injured and deceased, and reorganize the cabinet affairs—each should perform their duties without error."
She should be happy, but why isn't she...?
Thump, thump, thump—she could even feel her heart beating strangely, seemingly steady, yet as if it were about to leap out of her throat.
...
In a private room on the second floor, by the window, Gu Jinghong and Xie Yan sat facing each other, with several exquisite pastries laid out in front of them, almost untouched.
Gu Jinghong popped a pill into his mouth and then took a sip from the wine pot.
Xie Yan was taken aback, and belatedly asked, "Ah Hong, what did you just eat?"
Gu Jinghong glanced at him, her expression cold: "Aphrodisiac."
Xie Yan: "..."
Gu Jinghong: "Would you like to try it? It tastes pretty good."
One sentence silenced all of Xie Yan's doubts.
Gu Jinghong took another sip of wine, her beautiful eyes blinking as she looked at Xie Yan, her tone very natural: "...How is the progress of the newly established workshops in the southwest?"
"Is the supply of materials still going smoothly? I received a message saying that we've encountered resistance from local craftsmen?"
Xie Yan seemed to finally snap out of Gu Jinghong's sharp reply, frowned slightly, and asked, "Ah Hong, are you... really alright?"
—It's kind of him to care about her health.
Gu Jinghong's eyelashes trembled slightly, but she quickly regained her composure: "What, you actually believed what he said?"
Xie Yan gave Gu Jinghong a deep look.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Gu Jinghong had become more and more like Xiao Chengyan ever since she got involved with him.
For example, at this moment, he clearly wanted to find some flaws in Gu Jinghong's expression, but he couldn't grasp them. Even her tone was unhurried and calm, with an icy chill that made it impossible for him to discern anything.
In the end, Xie Yan just pursed his lips and leaned back in his chair: "Of course, it's because I know him too well. He's used this method on me, so he might use it on you too. Besides, given how perverted this person is, using drugs to control him is just a very common method for him."
Gu Jinghong took a sip of wine, barely suppressing his discomfort, and said, "...Do you think I'm such a person who doesn't value my life?"
Xie Yan rolled her eyes, fiddling with the pastries on her plate, and then picked up the wine pot and took a sip of wine: "I used to cherish my life, but now it's hard to say."
Gu Jinghong sighed softly through her nose, and after a moment of silence, she said, "Tell me, how is the workshop in the southwest doing?"
Xie Yan put the pastry in his mouth and chewed it, then lowered his eyes as if considering how to say it before slowly replying.
"The workshop has been initially built, and the core craftsmen have all discussed it with you, so the technology is not a problem. The main issue is that a few local veteran craftsmen believe that our new mechanism is taking away their livelihood, and they are making some underhanded moves."
Gu Jinghong nodded: "How is the old craftsmen doing? They are sticking to the old-fashioned mechanisms and are unable to innovate, so they will eventually perish... Why don't we talk to them and let them work in our workshops, and we will pay them the same wages as regular workers?"
Xie Yan: "It's not a big problem. I've sent someone to coordinate and promised to let their children become apprentices. It should be resolved soon."
Gu Jinghong's face was starting to turn red, and what was worse, the heat wave inside her body seemed to be slowly forming.
"Yes, this matter needs to be handled carefully. We must avoid using force. The people of the Southwest are known for their fierce nature. Maintaining peace is the most important thing right now. We must not provoke any greater conflict."
Xie Yan's eyes darkened slightly, and he nodded in agreement.
Gu Jinghong picked up the wine pot and took another sip, his eyes seeming somewhat unfocused.
Xie Yan thought for a moment, then leaned forward again: "What, now that you've obtained the position of Pavilion Master, you can go to the Zhiji Pavilion to find out about your origins, and you're not happy about it?"
Gu Jinghong glanced at him and said coldly, "No."
Xie Yan raised an eyebrow: "No? Then it's because that old man went too far and left you with a trauma?"
The mere mention of the answer made Gu Jinghong instinctively feel nauseous again, her brows furrowing as if she were about to vomit, but she still forced herself to say, "No..."
Xie Yan subconsciously walked over and patted her on the back.
“I’m telling you, Ah Hong, you’re great in every way, but you’re too stubborn. If you’re going to throw up, just throw up. What’s the big deal? Right now, it’s just me. Why are you being so formal with me?”
There seemed to be a natural, long-standing tacit understanding between them, both natural and familiar.
Just then, footsteps came from the stairwell.
"What's there to be so formal about? I think it's only when we encounter Young Master Xie that we really need to be careful."
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