Chapter 51 [VIP]
It's all Qin Chen's fault, saying all those weird things!
He was so energetic that he could kneel for another day and night without any problem, so Gu Zhizhuo couldn't be bothered with them.
That's right, the closer she got to the main house, the faster her heart beat. What should have been a dozen or so steps seemed to stretch to a hundred. Finally reaching the porch, she raised her hand, lowered it, and raised it again.
"Miss?" Qingmei tilted her head to look at her and noticed that her earlobes were a little red.
The door opened.
Gu Zhizhuo was startled. Chong Jiu came out from inside and said expressionlessly, "Miss Gu, please."
He saw it all from inside; Miss Gu went up and down the steps several times.
Chongjiu said, "Young Master has already woken up."
Gu Zhizhuo's eyes lit up: Wow, what great luck!
"I'll go check on them." The slight awkwardness vanished without her noticing, and Gu Zhizhuo asked as usual, "Chongjiu, what's wrong with those two?"
"Making a mistake".
The remarks were so concise they were almost boring. Gu Zhizhuo was already used to it, asking casually as he walked around the screen.
The door was ajar. Xie Yingchen was already awake, leaning against the pillows and flipping through a yellowed book.
Gu Zhizhu tiptoed in, raised his arm, snatched the book from his hand, and then snapped it shut, staring at him with a half-smile.
She knew none of these people were reliable. She had already told them not to overthink things, yet they still made the young master read a book!
A gentle smile crept onto Xie Yingchen's face, and he said with practiced ease, "I was wrong."
They admitted their mistakes quickly and well.
Gu Zhizhu chuckled softly, unable to keep a straight face any longer.
"No, no, let's start over."
It's always like this; I always feel like I'm too easy to coax.
Xie Yingchen nodded with a smile: "Okay."
He took the book back, opened it solemnly, and did so in the exact same posture as before.
Gu Zhizhuo straightened his face and lectured, "I've said it before, don't overthink it, don't..."
Xie Yingchen obediently closed the book and placed it in her hands.
"I was wrong."
She hadn't finished speaking yet!
"I accept the punishment."
Gu Zhizhuo sat down on the round stool beside the couch: "What punishment?"
His big, dark eyes stared at him without blinking, and Xie Yingchen's heart skipped a beat. He lowered his gaze slightly and said gently, "There's a box on the table for you."
On a coffee table not far away was an ebony box engraved with intertwined branches, which Gu Zhizhuo picked up.
The box felt slightly heavy in my hand. When I opened it, I found several pieces of white jade inside. Each piece was warm and lustrous like solidified fat, with delicate texture and a slightly cool touch. They were all of excellent quality.
"Are they all for me?"
"yes."
After his father's private treasury was completely delivered, he flipped through the book and had someone find a box of white jade.
My father loved seal carving and collected many seal stones and jade, which were his treasured possessions from back then.
Gu Zhizhuo picked through the pieces one by one. These pieces of white jade had only been polished to the size of jade pendants, with smooth surfaces at both ends, and had not yet been engraved.
She lowered her head, a strand of dark hair falling down and obscuring the corner of her eye. Xie Yingchen naturally raised his hand and tucked the stray hair behind her ear, his slightly rough fingertips touching her soft cheek.
Gu Zhizhuo felt as if he had been burned; his earlobes felt hot again.
She was somewhat lost in thought until she heard the words: "...our engagement."
"The engagement." Gu Zhizhuo closed the box, placed it on his lap, and obediently said, "I really forgot."
Chongjiu said that Huaijingzhi was punished by the young master because he concealed the marriage bestowed upon him at the Flower Festival.
Then... young master won't punish her too, will he?
Should she kneel down next to Huai Jingzhi first? For a moment, she really thought that, and her eyes drifted towards the window.
Xie Yingchen saw through her thoughts at a glance, feeling both annoyed and amused. He sat up straight, placed his hands on her shoulders, and turned her to face him.
He solemnly said, "If you are willing, I will come to your door to propose marriage, with all the formalities of marriage."
Originally, he didn't want to rush things. He wanted to wait until next year, and if he could turn things around, he would then formally propose marriage at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
Who would have thought that things would turn out this way, by such a twist of fate.
Now that things have come to this, letting go is impossible.
Gu Zhizhuo's lips parted slightly, but he remained silent for a long time. His thick eyelashes trembled gently, and there was a hint of helplessness and confusion in his clear eyes.
A faint smile appeared on Xie Yingchen's face. It wasn't that she was unwilling, but rather that she had never thought about it carefully. This was much better than he had expected.
He said, "No need to rush, and you don't need to tell me today."
Sure enough, his words immediately put her at ease, as if putting the troubling matter behind her mind was the same as never having happened.
She handed the box to Qingmei, then reached out to Xie Yingchen, her manner remarkably natural: "Give me your hand."
Xie Yingchen stared at her slightly red earlobes, chuckled softly, and placed the back of his hand in her palm.
Huh?
Gu Zhizhuo's eyes lit up, and she took his hand, touched it, and then squeezed it.
His palms were warm.
Xie Yingchen smiled and said, "This hand is warm too."
He extended his other hand to her as well.
Gu Zhizhuo clenched his palms and felt his pulse again. The pulse was getting better day by day, and the pulse was no longer intermittent. The yang energy was gradually rising, and the warmth of his palms was the best proof.
It's finally warm.
She squeezed her left hand, then her right, a pleased smile curving her lips.
Even in his previous life, the young master was always gradually growing cold, and later on, he was so cold that he had no body temperature like a living person.
very nice.
She happily took his hands, jumped up from the round stool, and bounced several more times. The pearl flowers in her hair swayed from side to side, and her joy was almost overflowing.
"Young master."
Chongjiu knocked on the door from the outside, brought in the medicine, and was followed by Huaijingzhi, who was limping.
Huai Jing looked at Xie Yingchen's smiling face and obediently stood aside.
Gu Zhizhuo took the medicine from Chongjiu and sat back down on the round stool.
She first touched the bowl with the back of her hand; it was still a little hot, so she gently stirred the herbal medicine with a spoon to cool it down.
Huai Jingzhi presented a piece of silk paper and reported, "Young Master, it has been confirmed."
Xie Yingchen unfolded the silk paper, glanced at it, and sighed inwardly.
He placed the silk paper on the couch and called out, "Miss Gu."
Gu Zhizhu looked up at him, her clear phoenix eyes revealing everything, but this time, Xie Yingchen avoided her gaze.
Gu Zhizhuo: ?
Xie Yingchen took the medicine bowl from her hand, drank it all in one gulp, handed it to Chongjiu, and then said, "Miss Gu, we have found the Duke's remains."
Gu Zhizhuo's pupils contracted, and his hands clenched together instinctively, his nails pressing tightly against his palms.
Gu Zhizhuo's face turned pale instantly, and her voice trembled: "Young master, you mean... my father..." She couldn't even finish a sentence.
She hadn't lost her composure like this in a long time; her mind was a complete mess.
"My father..."
It felt like a lump of stale air was stuck in her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
Father's body was never found in Xiliang. When my elder brother escorted his coffin back, he only brought back a suit of armor, which was then erected as a cenotaph. In the four generations of the Gu family, Father was not the only one whose body was never found; almost half of them had cenotaphs.
The Gu family had long been accustomed to this kind of pain, which was heart-wrenching and etched into their very bones.
"I am here."
Seeing the fierce look in her eyes, Xie Yingchen gently patted her cheek twice, as lightly as a feather.
Gu Zhizhuo habitually rested her face against his palm, finally catching her breath.
She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again and asked, "Young master, where is my father now?"
Her hoarse voice carried an uncontrollable sob.
Xie Yingchen handed her the silk paper and said, "Back then, the Liang Kingdom retreated thousands of miles after its defeat and submitted a petition for peace, which the Emperor granted. The Liang Kingdom then returned the remains of the Duke to the Great Qi Kingdom as a sign of sincerity."
"No, that's not right. My brother said... we couldn't find it."
My elder brother went to war with our father back then.
After the Western Liang suffered a major defeat, the emperor ordered the Western Liang to be driven out of the Lanjawa River.
In this very battle, when my father returned to camp after another great victory, a scout's mistake, coupled with an incomplete map, led to the deaths of my father and tens of thousands of soldiers in the quicksand, leaving no trace of their remains.
"The Liang Kingdom has indeed returned the remains of the Duke of Zhenguo to the Great Qi Kingdom."
Xie Yingchen hadn't been wasting his years in Liang Kingdom. He had to earn a living for himself and for the many lives of those in the Eastern Palace.
The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was one of his initial choices.
"But after I returned to the capital, I learned that the Duke had erected a cenotaph."
Xie Yingchen immediately ordered an investigation, originally intending it as a way of thanking Gu Zhizhuo for his help at the manor. Some clues had only recently emerged.
He omitted some details and simply said, "The one who negotiated peace with the emperor was Prince Jin. He received a secret order and, after returning the remains to Liang, sent them to the nearby Shangxu Temple. The whole thing was done quietly. The remains should still be in that Taoist temple now."
Why? !
Gu Zhizhuo didn't understand.
But no matter how much they couldn't understand, they couldn't deny the fact that their father had died fighting for the Great Qi, yet the emperor wouldn't even give them his remains.
In her previous life, she knew nothing about this until the very end.
Young Master wouldn't keep quiet, unless, in her previous life, when she met Young Master, her father had already been reduced to ashes.
Gu Zhizhuo felt a burning pain in her chest. She suddenly stood up, circling several times, still unable to suppress her overwhelming anger: "Young Master, where is Shangxu Temple? I need to go there. I..."
"Sit down." Xie Yingchen patted the stool she had been sitting on. "Be good. I haven't finished speaking yet."
Gu Zhizhuo bit her lower lip tightly and sat back down quietly, placing her hands on her knees without moving.
"You cannot leave the capital without an imperial edict," Xie Yingchen said incisively. "Where can you go?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Zhizhuo suddenly deflated, and his tense shoulders slumped.
Anger overwhelmed her reason, so she calmed herself down and thought things through carefully.
The families of border generals are not allowed to leave the capital at will, and the same applies to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. She cannot leave the capital! At least not publicly.
Otherwise, this would be a huge weakness.
For the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion now, any weakness is fatal.
Even if she could sneak over there in secret, what good would it do? Shangxu Temple was acting on the Emperor's orders; they wouldn't return the remains to her. Unless she stole them, were they really going to expect her to steal the remains, hide them, and not even be allowed a proper burial?!
Her father, Gu Taotao, was a hero who died on the battlefield for the country and the people. How could he be so shameful!
Her father had lived an upright and honest life; how could she allow him to live a life of secrecy and cowardice after his death!
Absolutely not!
Seeing that she had figured it out, Xie Yingchen stroked her furrowed brow with his fingertip and said, "So, you need the imperial decree."
"It needs to be done openly and honestly."
This is frustrating, but also crucial.
"His Majesty..." Gu Zhizhuo stated a fact in a cold voice, "His Majesty will not agree."
Xie Yingchen nodded slightly: "Unless, we make a deal with the Emperor."
trade.
Xie Yingchen's ability to leave the palace was ultimately a transaction involving mutual interests.
Gu Zhizhuo silently pondered these two words, and the more he thought about them, the more hatred welled up inside him.
The Gu family has always upheld the oath they made to the founding emperor, protecting the territory of Daqi generation after generation and preventing the Northern Di people from setting foot in Daqi.
Gu Jia bled to death.
Gu Yican was not yet fifteen years old, and Gu Yique had just turned twelve.
Only the two of them remain as men of the Gu family in this generation.
But what was the result?
Daqi has let down the Gu family.
The emperor has betrayed the Gu family!
Gu Zhizhuo let her tears slide down her cheeks, soaking them.
This was the first time she had shed tears since her rebirth.
Xie Yingchen didn't say a word.
His surname is Xie. He is not worthy of saying a single word of comfort, nor does he have any reason for her not to hate him.
"trade?"
Gu Zhizhu murmured to herself, the Gu family paid with blood and lives, and in the end, she even needed to "trade" to bring her father's remains back.
She chuckled self-deprecatingly, desperately trying to think of what bargaining chips the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion still had to win over the emperor.
Is it the Northern Frontier Tiger Tally, or a noble title?!
Seeing her eyes twitch slightly, Xie Yingchen let out a soft sigh. Handing over the tiger tally and the title was only a last resort. It was better to remain still than to act so rashly.
He said, "Besides interests, what can be used for transactions is leverage."
"If there is no...", a handle can be "created".
handle?
Gu Zhizhuo's eyes suddenly lit up.
If we're talking about leverage, I do have something to hold against me!
"Young Master, Young Master." Gu Zhizhu leaned forward, her eyes red-rimmed, and said impatiently, "The Duchess... something's wrong!"
"The Duchess?" Xie Yingchen thought for a moment and realized who she was talking about.
As far as he knew, this Duchess was a sweet-faced but ruthless person, two-faced and hypocritical.
"She may have ties with the emperor."
"What?!" Huai Jingzhi was shocked, and even Xie Yingchen couldn't help but show a hint of surprise.
Collusion?
Uh-huh!
Gu Zhizhuo told Xie Yingchen everything that had happened in the mansion these past few days without any hesitation, and became angrier and angrier as she spoke.
Xie Yingchen pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you know where the iron ore mine is?"
"Know."
Xie Yingchen gave Huai Jingzhi a wink, signaling him to send someone to check. Huai Jingzhi nodded in agreement, thinking: Now that I've given him the task, the young master should be less angry, right?
Xie Yingchen curled his fingers and gently tapped the bed, rhythmically tapping it again and again.
Gu Zhizhu grumbled in dissatisfaction, "Back then, the late emperor assured me that Lady Ji was gentle, virtuous, and of excellent character, but that was all untrue."
Even if the young master were here, she would still speak!
"The late emperor had terrible judgment!"
Because of the late emperor's guarantee, Ji Shi was never made difficult after entering the family.
Xie Yingchen had a sudden thought: "Have you ever thought about... taking someone else's place in a marriage?"
These two words came out of his lips.
"ah?!"
At this moment, it was as if a sudden enlightenment had struck him, and all the things he hadn't figured out before suddenly began to connect wildly in Gu Zhizhuo's mind.
Everything makes sense now!
It was her preconceived notion; in her previous life, she had personally heard Ji say that her deceased twin sister's spirit was haunting her, so she hadn't considered that possibility.
Xie Yingchen said calmly, "This is indeed a weakness..."
"Young master."
Chongjiu reported from outside, "The Imperial Physician has arrived, along with Prince Jin. They have just entered the residence."
Gu Zhizhuo wiped away the tears on her cheeks and quickly said, "Young Master, should we change the pulse? The Imperial Physician's medical skills are quite good."
Judging from the young master's pulse, the imperial physician will definitely be able to tell that he won't die this time.
"Need not."
Xie Yichen shook his head with a smile.
So, before Prince Jin and his entourage entered, Gu Zhizhuo quietly slipped away.
“Young Master,” Huai Jingzhi thought for a while, but still couldn’t help but speak up, “The timing is not right now. Miss Gu is too hasty.”
He was referring to the remains of the Duke of Zhenguo.
The young master did not advise Miss Gu to be more patient. If this matter were to be exposed at the right time, it would be enough to cause the emperor to lose everything and the morale of the army to be shaken.
Now, this will only cause the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to break ties with the emperor prematurely, and the young master will face even more pressure.
Xie Yingchen smiled faintly and said, "So, I need to get better as soon as possible."
He didn't want her to put up with it; she could do whatever she wanted.
He had to step into the imperial court to become her source of strength.
"Once you've finished your errand, go outside and kneel down."
Huai Jingzhi wanted to slap himself, and limped out.
The imperial physician came with Prince Jin.
This was the first time Prince Jin had visited Xie Yingchen since he moved out of the palace. He was surprised to find Xie Yingchen awake. After exchanging pleasantries, Prince Jin gestured to the imperial physician to take Xie Yingchen's pulse.
The imperial physician bowed in agreement, stepped forward to take Xie Yingchen's pulse, and his face revealed undisguised shock. His gaze lingered on Xie Yingchen's brows for a long time before he finally confirmed a fact.
The eldest son probably, likely, or should not die.
The imperial physician suddenly felt his breathing stop; he didn't even know how to explain it to the emperor.
"Doctor Zhou."
Xie Yingchen had gentle features, and his innate noble demeanor made people afraid to look him in the eye.
"How is my illness?"
The imperial physician subconsciously said, "Your pulse is normal; there's nothing seriously wrong."
Upon hearing this, even the Prince of Jin looked over, his expression filled with inquiry and contemplation, his meaning unclear.
"Thank you for your hard work, Physician Zhou."
"I wonder when Physician Zhou thinks I will recover?"
The imperial physician was feeling uneasy, wondering if it was just his imagination, but the current Prince Chen seemed subtly different from the one he had seen in Xiyunwu.
Full of vigor and ambition.
He said hesitantly and vaguely, "Young Master, take good care of yourself and you will recover soon."
"Three days should be enough."
"……enough."
"May your words bring you good fortune."
Xie Yingchen smiled and then asked the Prince of Jin, "Does the Prince of Jin think I can recover in three days?"
The Prince of Jin stared at him, and without waiting for his reply, Xie Yingchen raised his hand in a gesture of seeing him off. Chongjiu, who was waiting at the door, then stepped in.
"please."
As soon as he left the Xie residence, the imperial physician hurriedly took his leave of Prince Jin and rushed into the palace.
The lights in the Imperial Study remained on all night, and several imperial physicians entered the Xie residence one after another. Countless people in the capital were watching closely, and everyone was secretly speculating whether Prince Chen was about to die. The Ministry of Rites even began to discuss how long the coffin should be kept in state.
All eyes in the capital were fixed on the Xie residence, waiting for the moment when white banners would be hung up.
Not a day.
Not for two days.
We waited until the third day.
Accompanied by the sound of whipping, Xie Yingchen walked into the Golden Palace bathed in light.
He looked sickly, his skin was unnaturally pale, and the loose court robes made him look even thinner.
The emperor sat on the dragon throne.
Xie Yingchen stood below the high platform.
As their eyes met, Xie Yingchen smiled slightly. The elegant young man was as gentle as jade, and with a calm and collected demeanor, he was plotting for the world.
The emperor gripped the armrest of the dragon throne tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
Before the court session even ended, the entire capital knew that the Crown Prince had come back to life.
Let Miss Gu's marriage be auspicious!
Gu Zhizhuo: "..."
What kind of nonsense is this?
The whole family finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the person was alive, at least their eldest daughter would have something warm to eat when she got married.
The old lady had been on tenterhooks for several days, especially when she heard that the person was about to die a few days ago. She went to Taiqing Temple every day and donated tens of thousands of taels of silver for incense oil. Now that the person has come back to life, she is pulling Gu Liaoliao to go to Taiqing Temple again tomorrow and bring ten thousand taels of silver notes.
"Is ten thousand taels enough? Will the patriarch think we're not sincere enough? Forget it, let's bring more."
Having grown up in luxury and wealth, Madam Gu had absolutely no concept of gold and silver. Gu Zhizhuo joked, "Grandmother, don't accidentally spend all your savings."
"Go away, you heartless bastard."
Gu Zhizhuo smiled and curtsied as he came out from inside.
Passing through the hanging flower gate, Gu Zhizhuo wandered into the small garden, sat on the balustrade by the pond, asked a maid for a bag of fish food, and casually tossed it in. Golden sunlight danced on the water's surface and among the treetops.
She sat for a while before asking, "How is Madam doing lately?" Her voice was icy cold.
After the arson, Gu Zhizhuo asked about Ji Shi's situation for the first time.
Qiongfang, who had been watching the main courtyard, reported, "Madam had a persistent fever. After we called the doctor, the fever subsided, but the blisters on her face also broke, leaving her red and swollen. The doctor has been administering medication for the past few days. I asked the doctor, and he said that Madam's face will most likely be scarred. He also said that if she doesn't take good care of herself, the scars will grow very densely and be difficult to cover up."
The pond water rippled, and all the fish swung their tails and crowded around, vying for food. A few that didn't get any left, wagging their tails and refusing to leave, waiting for more food to be thrown in.
bait.
It would be foolish to just run off to the emperor and propose a deal.
The fact that the fish didn't gather around simply means that not enough bait was used.
Gu Zhizhuo said to Qiongfang, "Have someone leak some information to the main courtyard. Just say..." She stared at the koi carp wagging their tails in the pond without looking up, "Just say that a few days ago, when Eunuch Li came to announce the imperial decree, he asked the Grand Madam to send someone to the Women's Temple to fetch Ji Nanke. The Emperor is preparing to bestow a marriage upon her and the Third Prince."
"The old lady said that the lady has gone mad. Before going to pick up Ji Nanke, we must first send her to the estate to settle down, so that Ji Nanke will not cause any more trouble when she returns."
"Speak more eloquently."
Qiongfang didn't understand her intentions, but she never questioned any of her decisions.
Gu Zhizhu threw all the fish food in his hand into the pond and casually brushed the crumbs off his fingertips.
With enough bait, the fish will naturally come.
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