Chapter 200 [VIP]
Xie Jing looked at her elder sister, whose appearance had deteriorated, with complicated emotions. Gone was her arrogance; she was now hunched over like an old woman.
The carriage was completely covered up.
He sighed inwardly and lowered his voice, saying, "Eldest sister, you should have seen the note by now, right?"
After they were confined, someone would bring them food and essential supplies every three days. Three days ago, a note was slipped in with the supplies.
Zhao Yang nodded.
Xie Jing breathed a sigh of relief.
The guards outside the Gong residence were the Jinwu Guards, the Twenty-Six Upper Guards, the emperor's personal troops. They obeyed only the emperor's orders and were trustworthy. But just in case, they dared not write too much on that note.
fortunately.
Xie Jing took out a token from his wedding attire and handed it over.
"Eldest sister, please give this token to Lord Gong, and this letter, it is a letter from Father in his own handwriting."
Xie Jing received the letter from the emperor on the day of the palace banquet.
Zhaoyang extended her hand.
Her hands, hidden in her sleeves, were no longer as fair and tender as they once were; the backs of her hands were covered with tiny, dense wounds.
She took the token and asked in a hoarse voice, "If this succeeds, will Father allow me to divorce Gong Hai?"
"meeting."
Xie Jing held her hands and promised, "You are the most noble and incomparable princess. Your princess residence is still preserved."
"good."
A ruthless glint appeared in Zhao Yang's eyes.
"I will hand it over to Gong Hai, and I will also guarantee that Gong Hai will have no ulterior motives."
"Thank you for your hard work, Eldest Princess."
Xie Jing cupped his hands in greeting. It was only natural for him to see off his long-lost eldest sister, but if he stayed in the carriage for too long, he would inevitably attract attention.
Now that things have come to this, there can be absolutely no more mistakes.
Xie Jing lifted the carriage curtain and jumped down, calling out, "Farewell, Eldest Princess."
The setting sun cast long shadows on half of his face.
He turned to walk back when an angry and loud voice startled him.
"Miss Gu!"
"Gu Zhizhuo!"
Xie Jing instinctively flinched and quickly looked in the direction of the sound. He saw Gu Zhizhuo walking through the hanging flower gate from a distance, at least a hundred paces away from him.
"Stop right there."
A figure stood blocking Gu Zhizhuo's way as her lilac-colored dress fluttered in the wind.
"I called you, didn't you hear me?"
It's Sun Nian.
The last time I saw Sun Nian, she was a pampered noblewoman, arrogant yet spoiled. But now, her spoiled nature has turned into tyranny, and even her face looks somewhat harsh.
Gu Zhizhu clicked her tongue lightly. She wasn't familiar with Sun Nian, nor did she want to be.
"Miss Gu is studying medicine, don't you know that? Or are you deliberately trying to harm Young Master Wang?!"
Sun Nian took the initiative, waiting for Gu Zhizhuo to ask her, but Gu Zhizhuo simply raised her hand and said, "Get lost if you have nothing to do with me. We're not close." Then she turned and walked away.
Sun Nian stomped her foot and chased after her again, blocking her way.
Perhaps seeing that she really didn't want to talk to him, he had no choice but to finish his sentence in one breath: "Young Master Wang is Danling's direct cousin. The blood relationship is too close. If they get married, their children will be stupid. You are studying medicine, so you can't possibly not know this."
Sun Nian's gaze was intense.
Gu Zhizhu sneered: "Did Ji Nanke tell you that?"
“Ke’er saw it in an ancient medical book.” Sun Nian reached out to take her hand, but when she pulled away, she continued, “The Consort Shu is out of favor, so she wants to marry Danling to the Prince, hoping to tie herself to the Wang family and secure her favor. Their selfishness will ruin the Prince!”
“If I were you, I would tell the Wang family the truth and find another virtuous wife for Young Master Wang.”
Gu Zhizhuo raised an eyebrow and suddenly asked, "Are your parents cousins too?"
Sun Nian, confused, replied, "No."
"You're so stupid even though your parents aren't cousins. It seems that being stupid or not has little to do with whether you're cousins or not."
"you!"
“When my cousin ignored you, you went to the Empress to request a marriage decree, trying to force a sale. When that failed, you came to me and spouted all sorts of nonsense.”
Gu Zhizhu chuckled and grabbed her wrist: "You spend all day hiding in the shadows, plotting shady schemes. Just because the Empress is your aunt, you think no one dares to touch you, huh?"
Sun Nian's face turned pale: "What are you doing? Let me go."
"Miss Gu..."
Xie Jing rushed over from the direction of the ceremonial gate. Before he could speak, Gu Zhizhuo preemptively said, "Does Prince Rui want to support your cousin?"
She scoffed, "Otherwise, Prince Rui might as well just marry your cousin, who's so eager to get married, so she won't have to go around 'hunting a husband'!"
That's not what I meant.
"If not, then get lost."
"Cousin! Your Highness, please save me!"
Xie Jing: "Miss Gu..."
"roll."
Gu Zhizhu grabbed her wrist and threw her onto the carriage.
Just as the party was ending, countless gazes came from all directions. Sun Nian's cheeks burned with shame and indignation.
"Qingmei, you stay here and tell Cancan when you see him." After Gu Zhizhuo finished speaking, he ordered, "Go."
The coachman cracked his whip, and the carriage left Prince Rui's residence.
Xie Jing was both angry and anxious, but he couldn't leave, so he could only say, "Xiao Yunzi, go and take a look."
Where are you taking me?
"Put me down."
Sun Nian sat in the carriage shouting. She lifted the curtain, wanting to jump out, but the carriage was speeding along, so she didn't dare.
Gu Zhizhuo didn't stop her, but looked at her with a mocking smile.
In her desperation to avoid widowhood, she took any drastic measure and fell for her cousin Xing. She should have refused him.
But now that Xie Qiyun is dead and no one is forcing her to marry, and knowing that her cousin, Du Mingxing, and Danling have a verbal engagement, she still clings to him, so she doesn't deserve any pity.
It would be a lie to say that she was so in love with her cousin Mu Xing that she would marry no one but him; it's just that she couldn't find a better match than Xie Qiyun.
The three older princes were either engaged or married. Most of the heirs from the various noble families, those around her age, were also engaged. Her cousin, Xing, from a prominent family and handsome, became the best choice.
"If you're so capable, then jump. You deserve to die."
Gu Zhizhuo's cold words made her afraid to jump. The Prince Rui's mansion was located in the inner city, very close to the imperial city. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the carriage stopped in front of the palace gate.
Gu Zhizhu grabbed her wrist, dragged her off the carriage, and handed her the token to enter the palace.
Sun Nian was terrified. She never expected that just because she said a few fair words, the woman would act so recklessly without any regard for her reputation.
"I was just trying to be helpful!" she said, offering a well-intentioned reminder.
Gu Zhizhu strode forward, casually calling a eunuch along the way to summon the Fifth Princess to Fengluan Palace, before dragging Sun Nian there ahead of him.
After the announcement, she pushed Sun Nian in front of the Empress.
The Empress, feeling sorry for her niece, slammed her hand on the table and exclaimed, "How dare you!"
Gu Zhizhuo curtsied and said, “Your Majesty, the marriage between my cousin Wang and the Fifth Princess was personally approved by the Emperor. Your niece’s repeated entanglements are a sign of dissatisfaction with His Majesty’s will and constitute deceiving the Emperor. Your Majesty is always reasonable and should restrain her.”
"you……"
The Empress gripped the armrest tightly.
She gasped for breath a few times before trying to calm herself down.
Just one more day, just one more day is enough.
I'll only tolerate this bitch surnamed Gu being arrogant in front of me for one more day. After tomorrow... I'll smash her teeth, pull out her tongue, and crush her pride!
Turn her into a human pig and make her crawl on her stomach in front of him.
"Your Majesty, are you going to do anything about this?!"
"Aunt," Sun Nian said, both ashamed and angry, almost bursting into tears, "she's being unreasonable."
Even if she didn't agree to talk to the Wang family, so be it. Was it really necessary for her to embarrass herself like this?
The Empress was reluctant to part with her niece, but she was also disappointed in her. She told her to be patient. In the future, whether it was the Wang family, the Li family, or the Zhang family... she could choose whomever she wanted. Why did she have to provoke this troublesome star at this time?
The Empress said coldly, "Sun Nian, go outside and kneel down. You may get up when you realize your mistake."
"aunt!"
"go."
After the Empress finished speaking sternly, she sneered repeatedly, "Miss Gu, are you satisfied now?"
"Her Majesty the Empress is indeed fair and impartial, showing no favoritism whatsoever."
"The Fifth Princess".
Amid the greetings of the palace maids, Xie Danling entered. Still unaware of what had happened, she immediately defended her younger cousin, saying, "Your Majesty, please don't bully my cousin."
He stood in front of her.
The Empress was so angry she laughed. She was bullying her? It was a miracle that she didn't bully others.
Gu Zhizhuo took her hand.
Xie Danling raised an eyebrow and looked over. Her little cousin's palms were very hot, as if they were covered in sweat, and her fingers were clenched tightly, gripping her hand tightly as well.
Like... nervousness?
Gu Zhizhuo said unhappily, "You're coming back to live with me, otherwise what if the Empress forces you to give up your marriage? Didn't you see? Sun Nian even came to find me. How stupid is that!"
The cousins' unspoken understanding was so strong that they didn't need to say anything. Xie Danling stormed up to Sun Nian, grabbed her shoulder, and shoved her hard. A nearby palace maid quickly helped her up.
"Your Majesty, I will be turning 18 tomorrow, and I would like to ask the Fifth Princess to stay outside the palace for a few days to be my attendant," Gu Zhizhuo said to the Empress, muttering in a voice she could hear, "so that your niece won't bully her again because of your presence."
The Empress glared at Gu Zhizhuo through gritted teeth, wishing she could tear her apart: "Go if you want!"
Just one more day is enough.
However, with Xie Danling gone, only Consort Shu remains... Oh well, she's just a maid; whether she's here or not doesn't really matter.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Cousin Danling, quickly thank her!"
Xie Danling thanked her little cousin as instructed. She didn't really know what she was thanking, so she just mumbled something vague, then snorted at Sun Nian twice before swaggering off with her little cousin.
Once the two had walked away, the Empress slammed her hand on the armrest in anger and said coldly, "Keep an eye on Consort Shu. Don't let her step out of Chonghua Palace... Wait, don't go yet."
"Aunt?" Sun Nian called out cautiously, almost crying, "Look at them, they don't respect you at all."
"Get out and kneel down!" The Empress was furious. She then said to the head palace maid, "Go and tell Consort Shu that I have already punished Sun Nian. Send her some gifts as well."
Gu Zhizhuo listened to the sounds behind him and led Xie Danling away like a gust of wind.
After leaving the Phoenix Palace, Gu Zhizhuo was a little more composed, but he didn't explain much. Instead, he deliberately started to scold Xie Danling loudly, saying that she was too good-tempered and that's why she was being taken advantage of.
Xie Danling: ? ? ?
Is she really that good-tempered? Hmm, my little cousin says she is, so she definitely is.
Once outside the palace gates, Gu Zhizhuo pulled Xie Danling into the carriage. As soon as the curtain was drawn, Gu Zhizhuo leaned on Xie Danling's shoulder, relieved.
The carriage started moving, and the sound of its wheels clattering filled the air.
"Luckily, Sun Nian came to cause trouble, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to find an excuse."
Gu Zhizhuo sighed.
At the last palace banquet, Gu Zhizhuo wanted to take advantage of the argument with the Empress to take Xie Danling away, ideally so that his aunt and Danling could leave the capital and live in the imperial palace. Unfortunately, he failed to do so.
Her aunt told her in the letter not to worry about them, that they had a way to protect themselves. But how could Gu Zhizhu not worry? If anything went wrong tomorrow, her aunt and Danling would be in serious trouble in the Empress's hands.
She even considered going over to cause trouble, but luckily Sun Nian stepped in on her own.
Gu Zhizhuo gave Consort Shu's letter to Xie Danling.
"Come back and live with me first. You haven't even had your coming-of-age ceremony yet, have you?"
"The palace forgot," Xie Danling said, somewhat disappointed. "Mother also said not to attract attention."
"We'll have our coming-of-age ceremonies together tomorrow! We'll both have hairpins and clothes."
Xie Danling took her arm and gave a soft "Mmm," her face devoid of much of a smile: "My mother is all alone..."
“When you’re here, your aunt will have to protect you. When you’re not here, with your aunt’s quick wit, she only needs to protect herself.”
That's what they say, but it would be a lie to say they're not worried.
No matter how well she thought she had arranged things, who can guarantee that things will go as planned before it's actually done?
There are still two imperial stars. The young master has good fortune, but the destiny is still being contested and has not yet been determined.
It's still uncertain who Heaven will side with.
"I'll take care of things with your aunt. Don't worry, I'm here for you."
The carriage quickly took them back to the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion.
Gu Yican had already returned and was waiting for her at the ceremonial gate. The three of them went to Ronghe Hall together.
When the Dowager Lady heard that Xie Danling was going to move in and celebrate her coming-of-age ceremony with Gu Zhizhuo, she was overjoyed. She hadn't held a coming-of-age banquet in over a decade, and now she was having two at once; she was practically floating on air with happiness.
With a wave of her hand, the old lady had various hairpins and jewelry brought out for Xie Danling to choose from.
The two cousins were about the same size. The old lady prepared more than a dozen outfits for Gu Zhizhuo's coming-of-age banquet, all of which had never been worn before, and brought them out as well.
If there hadn't been such a shortage of time, the Dowager Madam would have wanted to prepare another copy exactly as Gu Zhizhuo had made.
The younger sisters helped Xie Danling choose her headdress.
“Let’s choose this one,” Gu Zhizhuo decided. “Grandma had Qianyun Embroidery make two of these, and they’re even the exact same color. She said it’s a new style from Jiangnan. We can both wear the same one.”
They were both red, but the old lady insisted they were different.
Gu Zhizhuo couldn't see the difference. The Grand Madam pointed it out to her with great disappointment for a long time, but she still couldn't figure it out.
Xie Danling's eyes lit up.
She looked at the two skirts with delight and said, "Grandmother, where did you buy this fabric? These two colors are so beautiful. One is as bright as fire, and you had it embroidered with phoenix feather patterns. The other is as red as the sunset, and it's embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns. One is vibrant, and the other is elegant. This is the first time I've ever seen such a beautiful red."
"Oh, my little princess, you have such good taste!"
The old lady was delighted.
None of her granddaughters noticed her clever idea, especially this little girl, Zhuo, who insisted that the two dresses were exactly the same color.
Why would she make two identical ones?!
"I still have two bolts of fabric left, you can have them all." The old lady glared at Gu Zhizhuo, "Not your cousin!"
Gu Zhizhuo touched his nose, leaned back, and asked, "Can you tell?"
Gu Yican shook his head.
"Exactly, it's not that she has bad taste at all," Gu Zhizhu muttered.
"Madam, you may now serve the meal."
After choosing clothes and accessories for Xie Danling for tomorrow, the Grand Madam invited a few children to dine with her. Before they had finished eating, someone came in to report, "Your Highness, Young Master Zheng and the others have arrived. They said they have invited you to go horseback riding at night."
Okay.
Gu Yican quickly finished his meal, bowed to the Grand Madam, and then handed his hand to his younger sister.
The old lady glared at her: "You are not allowed to go."
Gu Yican squeezed her palm, and after exchanging glances, the siblings took Gu Yique away.
The playboys rode through the streets on horseback. Gu Yican remarked that there weren't enough people to enjoy the ride. Zheng Silang immediately became excited and knocked on every door, calling out all the boys he usually played with.
A large group of people rode horses through the streets of the capital, carefree and unrestrained.
They went to the racecourse in the east of the city. As soon as dozens of young men of similar age arrived, the racecourse became lively at night.
The eastern part of the city is wealthy and full of merchants. Soon, some young merchants' sons, having received the news, rushed over, not to join in the fun, but to establish connections with these noble young men.
Zheng Silang even specially called people over to set up betting odds, betting on whose horse would win.
Well-informed vendors also came over with their carts, and there were flower sellers and singers. One by one, red lanterns were lit and swayed, making it as bright and noisy as a bustling market during the day.
The night grew darker and darker.
First update, second update.
As the third watch of the night approached, the gong rang out, and Qingmei gently knocked on the door of Gu Zhizhuo's room.
Gu Zhizhuo was still awake: "Come in."
Qingmei: "Miss, the Prince has returned and wants you to go to the martial arts training ground."
The nights in mid-October were already quite cold, so Qiongfang brought her a cloak and helped her put it on.
Qingmei continued from the side, "There were four groups of people watching the prince's movements. They followed him from the moment he left until he returned to his residence. Three of these groups entered the Prince Rui's residence, the Duke Cheng'en's residence, and the Marquis Ning'an's residence. The other group went to the Rouge Pavilion."
Rouge Tower was one of the largest brothels in the capital.
"Where is the Huitong Hall?"
"There has been no unusual activity at the Huitong Hall."
Gu Zhizhuo tied her hair into a ponytail.
"Walk."
A note from the author:
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
