Chapter 40 [VIP]
Gu Zhizhuo went to Fengluan Palace first, where the Empress praised her with a smile.
She listened for a long time but still couldn't figure out the Empress's purpose in summoning her to the palace.
Soon, the Empress dismissed her and sent a young palace maid to lead her to Chonghua Palace.
Gu Zhizhuo obediently took his leave and walked away with light steps.
Chonghua Palace is located to the east of Fengluan Palace. The young palace maid first walked towards the Imperial Garden, and after arriving at the Imperial Garden, she was led to turn onto the left path.
The young palace maid took a few steps and, noticing that Gu Zhizhuo hadn't followed, asked, "Miss Gu, this way..."
"Do you think I don't know where Chonghua Palace is?"
Gu Zhizhuo lived in the palace for a few years when she was a child. Even though it was a lifetime ago and her memory was a little blurry, she couldn't possibly forget the location of Chonghua Palace.
The young palace maid was taken aback. She had only entered the palace two years ago and had just been transferred to the Phoenix Palace as a lowly maid this year. She was not familiar with Gu Zhizhuo.
Fearing she might have messed things up, she quickly said, "No, Miss Gu, it's not that, it's that His Highness the Third Prince is there and wants to see you. He asked me to lead you there."
Xie Jing?
Where is His Highness the Third Prince?
"It's just ahead, near the Lan Pavilion."
Gu Zhizhu smiled slightly, took a step forward and said, "Let's go, you can just tell me properly."
"yes."
The young palace maid breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Miss Gu had a good temper and her words differed from what her aunts had said.
Walking along a covered walkway over a stream, Gu Zhizhuo immediately spotted Xie Jing standing in the center of the pavilion. He seemed very agitated, pacing back and forth, with one arm hanging down somewhat unnaturally.
"Your Highness."
Gu Zhizhuo stepped forward and curtsied.
Without waiting for him to say "no need for formalities," she stood up straight again, her face beaming with smiles beneath her veil.
Once upon a time, Xie Jing never took her seriously, and he loathed the marriage contract that bound him to her.
But at some point, this aversion turned into unease, as if something terrible was about to happen whenever he saw her.
Upon reflection, Xie Jing realized that he shouldn't have invited Gu Zhizhuo to the pavilion.
And then those even more unpleasant memories surfaced.
Xie Jing's handsome face was gloomy, and the wound on his forehead was shallower, covered with thick makeup.
"Your Highness," Gu Zhizhuo said with a smile, "I heard you fell from your horse. How are your injuries?"
It would have been better if he hadn't asked. But once he did, Xie Jing gritted his teeth and said, "You're not disappointed that you didn't die from the fall?"
"yes."
The young palace maid looked around anxiously. Xie Jing waved her away. Only when there were only Xiao Yunzi and her two maids around, besides the two of them, did he say irritably, "I do all the work. Are you just going to stand by and watch?"
The area is extremely open, with no artificial hills or trees nearby. Anyone who appears within a hundred paces can be seen immediately.
"The capable should do more work," Gu Zhizhuo said casually.
Xie Jing: "..."
He felt an urge to strangle her again, and it grew stronger.
"Actually, Your Highness has already done very well." To get the horse to run obediently, Gu Zhizhuo still remembered to feed it a piece of maltose. "We've already walked ninety-nine steps and are only one step away from finishing."
Gu Zhizhuo slowly walked to the railing, plucked a willow twig, turned back to him and smiled: "Your Highness, has the Emperor's attitude been moved?"
Xie Jing paused for a moment, then nodded.
After that incident where he fell into the lake, his father's attitude towards him returned to what it was before, showing him even more affection than towards his other brothers.
After the fall from the horse, the Emperor rushed over immediately, his eyes filled with unconcealed heartache and worry. He even met with the Imperial Observatory that same day and summoned Master Qingping from the Taiqing Temple to the palace overnight.
However, despite being moved, the Emperor still did not budge.
Gu Zhizhuo clapped lightly: "Then please continue your efforts, Your Highness."
When she tilted her head, the pearl hairpin at her temple swayed gently, like a butterfly alighting on her hair, radiant with beauty.
"Gu Zhizhuo!!"
"I'm here."
Gu Zhizhuo looked completely innocent.
"Your Highness, would you like me to tell your fortune?"
Seeing that he did not answer, Gu Zhizhuo continued, "I have calculated that Your Highness will suffer a bloody disaster today."
Here we go again!
Xie Jing stared intently at her hands as she played with the willow branches.
She casually wrapped the willow twigs around her slender fingers, no longer bothering to pretend.
He chuckled coldly, his entire being exuding an aura as cold as ice and snow.
Gu Zhizhuo was not intimidated at all and said, "Whether you fell into the water or fell off your horse, the Emperor saw you afterward. You couldn't bring yourself to hurt yourself, so the injury was neither serious nor minor. To the Emperor, it was probably not a big deal."
She even thought she wasn't badly injured enough! Xie Jing was so angry she ground her teeth.
"As you said, the Emperor is already somewhat moved." She smiled and urged, "Why don't you let him see for himself that if this marriage continues, it will put you in grave danger, with the possibility of death or injury?"
"His Majesty cares about you the most. This self-inflicted injury scheme will only work if you use it."
What do you think?
Xie Jing's gaze was deep and somber.
He couldn't help but suspect that the reasons she gave were only half the truth; at least half of it was simply because she wanted to see him suffer!
Thinking about it, Xie Jing's temples began to throb again.
Gu Zhizhu crossed his arms and leaned against the railing behind him, making no attempt to hide the gloating in his eyes.
Xie Jing glared angrily, and after a while, he said sharply, "Once this matter is settled, we will be even."
Gu Zhizhu smiled but remained silent.
"Your Highness, I shall take my leave now. Whether you do it or not is up to you to consider."
Gu Zhizhu curtsied and left without looking back. Her skirt fluttered, her steps were light, and the butterflies on it seemed to be dancing in the air.
This time, without any delay or needing anyone to lead the way, Gu Zhizhuo went directly to Chonghua Palace.
She received the same treatment as Xie Danling at Chonghua Palace, and there was no need for any announcements. A young palace maid immediately and happily welcomed her inside.
Xie Danling waited listlessly, but her eyes lit up as soon as she saw her.
"You've finally arrived!"
Xie Danling ran towards her, tapping her forehead repeatedly with her delicate white fingers, and said with a stern face, "How long has it been since you came to the palace to play with me!"
"Would you not come if the Empress didn't summon you?"
"I've been waiting for you every day, but you've long forgotten about me!"
Xie Danling pouted, put one hand on her hip, and her face clearly said: I'm very angry.
Gu Zhizhuo hugged her tightly and said sweetly, "Cousin Danling, I missed you so much! So much!"
Liar! Xie Danling remained unmoved.
"Really, really. Don't be angry anymore."
Xie Danling turned her face away and snorted, "I don't believe you. You've been in the palace for almost an hour before you came to find me!"
Gu Zhizhu hugged her and said in a coquettish tone, "I brought you something nice."
Xie Danling's humming paused for a moment, and Gu Zhizhuo quickly had Qiongfang bring it over: "Look!"
Xie Danling glanced over and saw that Qiongfang was holding a kite. She and Qingmei slowly unfurled the kite together.
Wow!
Her phoenix eyes lit up.
A cat!
The kite depicts an incredibly beautiful tabby cat.
"nice!"
Xie Danling clicked her tongue in admiration, and immediately broke into a bright and cheerful smile: "This is the first time I've ever seen a cat's kite."
“Right, right,” Gu Zhizhuo said proudly, “I drew it myself, I guarantee no one will fly in the sky.”
Qingmei nodded silently. Not to mention the Fifth Princess, even the kite maker was stunned for a long time when he heard about their young lady's idea. He repeatedly confirmed whether she really wanted to turn a raccoon into a kite. If it weren't for the young lady's luxurious appearance and the fact that she paid a silver coin, she would have been kicked out as a troublemaker.
Xie Danling nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking at rice, and said happily, "The kites in the palace are either phoenixes, eagles, or butterflies and dragonflies, which are all so boring. This one is beautiful."
She took the kite and said happily, "Mom, my cousin and I are going to fly kites."
Gu Zhizhuo only had time to give a curtsy to Consort Shu. She originally wanted to ask the Emperor why he had suddenly summoned her to the palace, but she didn't get a chance to ask before being dragged out.
However, my aunt probably didn't know either, otherwise she would have stopped them.
Consort Shu was indeed unaware of the Emperor and Empress's intentions. She looked at her cousins running towards the gate of Chonghua Palace and laughed, "Look at them, they're almost of marriageable age, and they're still so noisy all the time. Now that they're all grown up, they're going to start arguing right away."
A complaint made with a smile is not convincing at all.
Xie Danling grabbed her and they disappeared in no time. They didn't go to the Imperial Garden because Xie Danling thought there were too many trees and people, and they couldn't find a good place to fly kites.
"I'll take you to a great place!"
Xie Danling led her familiarly towards the former dynasty. After several turns and around artificial hills and palaces and pavilions, they arrived near a waterside pavilion. This place was very close to the former dynasty, separated only by a small artificial lake.
“Let’s play here.” Xie Danling took her hand, then added with a complaint, “It’s all your fault.”
"Why?"
"If you hadn't come to visit me today, there wouldn't be so many people, and we would have had so many more places to go."
Gu Zhizhuo wouldn't let her blame him, saying, "You didn't come to visit me either. The Zhenguo Duke's garden is huge! And there aren't enough trees!"
Hmm, that seems to make sense. Xie Danling pouted, "Tell me, why do I, a princess, have to know how to play the zither? It's unreasonable to prevent me from leaving the palace if I don't learn the zither properly!"
She grumbled and complained, but didn't forget to remind Gu Zhizhuo to hold the kite safe.
"I told you to let go, then you let go!"
"good!"
Xie Danling picked up the spool and started running. She felt like she had run a very, very long way, but in reality, she had only run less than twenty steps. She stood there and waved to Gu Zhizhuo, signaling that she could put it down.
"Not enough, not enough, we need to run more."
Is that not enough? Xie Danling estimated the distance and ran forward again.
"Not enough!"
Xie Danling continued running, and suddenly, she tripped and fell flat on her face.
Gu Zhizhuo: "..."
Her personal maid stood to the side, covering her mouth and laughing.
Gu Zhizhuo ran over and offered her her hand. Xie Danling grabbed her hand and got up, casually brushing the dust off her skirt. The two exchanged a glance, their expressions perfectly synchronized—
Change!
Xie Danling pouted, handed the spool of thread to her, and obediently took the kite herself.
Gu Zhizhuo grabbed the spool and ran quite a distance, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Let go!"
Xie Danling immediately let go of his hand, and Gu Zhizhuo pulled him along as they continued running. A moment later, a huge tabby cat slowly and leisurely took to the air.
Wow!
"It's flying!"
Xie Danling clapped her hands excitedly, her little face flushed.
She plays with kites by herself, but they never actually fly!
Gu Zhizhuo ran around in a circle with the spool of thread, then ran back, shoved the spool into her hand, pointed at the tabby cat, and gestured, "Lower it a little higher!"
Xie Danling turned the spool while looking up at the kite in the sky, thoroughly enjoying it.
As the kite flew higher and higher, she continued to complain to her younger cousin, "I don't want to learn the zither. My mother says that it gives her a headache when she hears me play. The Empress insists that I learn it, and I can't be without any of the four arts: zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. If I don't pass the exam, she won't let me leave the palace."
Xie Danling is good at chess, calligraphy, and painting, especially painting. She has a good sense of color and excellent skills. However, she is only good at playing the zither. Not only does she have little musicality, but she is also not very coordinated with her left and right hands.
Even Gu Zhizhuo knew this.
When they were young, Consort Shu and their mother had personally taught them, but they almost went astray because of their cousin Danling.
Later, Consort Shu gave up.
"Tell me, I'm a princess, if I don't know how, I don't know how, why do I have to learn it!"
“Exactly!” Gu Zhizhuo didn’t understand either, but she said confidently, “If the prince consort dislikes that you can’t play the zither, he can just divorce you and find someone else who can play it.”
Xie Danling nodded vigorously; her little cousin truly understood her heart.
Especially...
Xie Danling looked left and right, then leaned close to her and whispered, "In the past, Her Majesty the Empress never cared about me. I don't know what's wrong this time."
“Something unusual must be going on,” Gu Zhizhuo said.
"That's what I thought too... Ah!"
As she was speaking, Xie Danling suddenly let out a soft cry, and the kite string broke.
The chubby tabby cat flew and flew with the wind.
"Quickly, chase after them!"
Gu Zhizhuo tossed the spool of thread to Qiongfang, and the two of them chased after the kite in the direction it had flown.
The wind was strong and favorable today, making it easy to fly kites very high. If a kite broke its string, it would be blown far away immediately. The two chased it all the way to the lakeside, and then watched helplessly as the kite flew over the lake and wobbled, getting caught on the eaves of a hexagonal pavilion.
The black tabby cat swayed in the sunlight.
The two cousins looked at each other.
what to do.
Xie Danling clenched her right fist and slammed it against her left palm. "Let's go to Xiyunwu to get it."
Gu Zhizhuo had a sudden thought. He pinched the pill in the hidden pocket in his sleeve and smiled, "Okay."
The two hit it off immediately and headed to Xiyunwu.
Xie Yingchen was not the emperor's biological son. To avoid suspicion, his residence, Xiyunwu, was a secluded house. Xiyunwu was located on the other side of the lake, with half of it on the lake, making it inaccessible from the inner palace.
So they took a huge detour, going around from the direction of Shuntianmen.
The Golden Guards stand guard in front of Xiyunwu.
As far as Gu Zhizhuo knew, there were 150 Golden Guards on duty in shifts throughout Xiyunwu.
"The gate is here..."
Before Gu Zhizhuo could speak, Xie Danling stopped him: "We're not going in from here."
Um?
Gu Zhizhuo paused for a moment, then asked, "Are we not allowed to go in? We can't even take a kite?" She frowned; if that was the case, the young master's situation was probably worse than she had imagined.
Xie Danling replied matter-of-factly, "No." She then changed the subject, asking, "Yaoyao, have you seen Brother Chen?"
"I've met you!"
"I've never seen it."
Xie Danling said disappointedly, "After my cousin Chen came back, Father Emperor held a welcome banquet for him. As a result, I played 'Springtime Ballad' very poorly, which led to my teacher complaining. The Empress then punished me by making me practice it a hundred times and forbidding me from going out."
"How awful!"
"I've seen everyone in the palace, except for me!"
She got angrier and angrier as she talked, and pouted.
"If you won't let me see you, I will insist on seeing you."
Xie Danling beckoned to Gu Zhizhuo and whispered, "So, let's climb over the wall. If we're discovered, we'll say we're here to pick up kites. If no one notices, we'll just take a look at Brother Chen and leave."
Hmm.
Gu Zhizhuo met a pair of phoenix eyes that were remarkably similar to hers, moist and bright.
She tugged at Gu Zhizhuo and shook him coquettishly, "Please?"
The Imperial Guards looked at each other, and they couldn't help but want to go up and remind the Fifth Princess that they were still here, still breathing, still able to hear and see, and that it wouldn't hurt to be a little more respectful.
It's not good to talk about climbing walls in front of them, is it?
"good!"
Gu Zhizhuo readily agreed.
They openly and secretly made their way to the courtyard wall of Xiyunwu, which, like the high walls of every palace, was simple and unadorned.
Qingmei looked at the two people with a complicated expression.
The Fifth Princess dared to speak, and Miss Gu actually dared to agree. She climbed over the wall without hesitation, leaving the Fifth Princess speechless.
She didn't say everyone in the world knew, but at least she knew that the Fifth Princess's physical coordination was ridiculously poor.
"You guys keep watch!"
After Xie Danling finished speaking, she was about to climb the wall.
Keep watch? The Imperial Guards are standing right there, do we still need to keep watch? Qingmei thought to herself, but she still obediently "keep watch," and then watched as the Fifth Princess laboriously carried a large rock over, even carrying it herself!
She struggled to grip the wall with both hands, climbed up the stones, and then "whoosh," slid down.
This, this, this is simply too embarrassing to look at! Qingmei couldn't help but turn her face to the side, and as she did so, she saw that all the Imperial Guards were looking this way, secretly chuckling.
Xie Danling persevered, climbing until she was breathless, and in the end, she only left a few faint fingernail marks on the wall that were barely visible.
Gu Zhizhuo: "..."
Having lived a second life, she almost forgot that her little cousin was someone who would trip and fall flat on her face while running, never managed to throw the arrow into the hole in pitch-pot, and could never kick the shuttlecock correctly...
"I'll do it!"
Gu Zhizhu patted his chest, feeling proud and courageous.
Xie Danling wiped the sweat from her brow, stepped aside, and earnestly instructed, "This wall is no ordinary wall; it's incredibly high. It's a good thing you didn't step on it..."
Before she could finish speaking, she saw her little cousin kick the wall with her foot and somehow leap up high into the air. Then, with one hand gripping the edge of the wall, she used her arm to push off and jumped up to sit on the top of the wall.
Gu Zhizhuo looked down at her: "Cousin Danling, what did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly."
"That's not important!" Xie Danling waved her hand and asked cheerfully, "Come and see, have you seen Brother Chen?"
Gu Zhizhuo looked around.
They had been climbing for quite some time, and almost all the Imperial Guards knew about it, fearing they might accidentally fall and get injured. Seeing her now sitting on the wall, the patrolling Imperial Guards all had indescribable expressions on their faces.
“I didn’t see it.” Gu Zhizhuo turned to Xie Danling and said, “But I saw the kite, it was right there.”
Xie Danling looked disappointed.
Gu Zhizhuo said, "How about I call out?"
"Okay, okay."
Qingmei had a headache.
However, the young lady chose a very good time.
The young lady never treated her like an outsider, and didn't even hide the medicine for Gongzi Chen from her when she put it in a secret bag.
Therefore, Qingmei knew that the young lady's trip to the palace was to find an opportunity to give the medicine to Young Master Chen. However, given her status as a young lady, it would be inappropriate for her to meet Young Master Chen alone anywhere; it would definitely attract attention, especially since Young Master Chen had many spies around him. Now, it seemed like a game; if she could give him the medicine without anyone noticing, that would be perfect.
"Thank you, young master!"
Gu Zhizhuo actually shouted it out.
She only called out once, and there was no need for a second time. She was talking to Xie Danling about the scenery on the wall when she turned around and met Xie Yingchen's smiling eyes.
Xie Yingchen stood under the corridor not far away, his hair tied up with a jade crown, his eyebrows and eyes gentle, exuding extraordinary nobility.
He was even thinner than when I last saw him at Taiqing Temple, as if he would fall over with a gust of wind.
Xie Yingchen had noticed the commotion outside, and a member of the Imperial Guard came to report that the Fifth Princess was climbing the wall with Miss Gu, so he came out. However, Xie Yingchen never expected that this was a real climb!
He couldn't help but cover his mouth and chuckle softly, his eyebrows and eyes relaxed and clear.
Qin Chen stood beside Xie Yingchen, completely dumbfounded: "You, you, you..."
What brings you here?!
"Return, return, return..."
They even climb walls!
Are the girls from the Gu family really this good at climbing walls?
"Thank you, young master."
Gu Zhizhuo waved to him with a smile, her face beaming with joy as bright and dazzling as the rising sun.
Xie Yingchen walked out towards her.
Qin Chen parted his lips slightly, about to say that someone was watching, but before he could finish speaking, Huai Jingzhi tugged at his sleeve. When he turned around, Huai Jingzhi was looking at him like he was an idiot.
The timing of this meeting is perfect. No one would suspect that Miss Gu has ulterior motives!
Xie Yingchen walked to the wall, only about ten steps away from her.
Gu Zhizhu smiled at him.
"Young master, um... well, it's like this and that."
She sat casually on the wall, her legs dangling over the edge, her embroidered shoes adorned with butterflies peeking out. Her hair was a little messy, and her dress was dusty, but her bright phoenix eyes were breathtakingly beautiful in the sunlight.
Every time Xie Yingchen saw her, his gaze would unconsciously fall on her.
Did you see that?
Xie Danling's voice came from the other side of the wall.
Gu Zhizhuo lowered her right hand, and a small pill silently fell into the grass from her fingertip.
A note from the author:
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
