Chapter 57 [VIP]
The fight was fierce and chaotic in front of the restaurant, with shouts echoing everywhere.
Gu Zhizhu tilted his head and recognized that the one who had been hit was Qin Luo.
It's pointless.
"Young master, let's go."
"Miss Gu, save me..."
"Help me, help me go call my older brother! My older brother has money, please stop hitting him."
As they passed the door, Qin Luo saw her, clutching his head and crying for help. Gu Zhizhuo pretended not to hear, grabbed Xie Yingchen's sleeve, and walked past as if nothing had happened.
Xie Yingchen obediently let her pull him along, and seeing her curiosity, he said, "Qin Luo stayed at the Cangxiang Pavilion without paying any money, and then secretly ran away."
"How does the young master know everything?" Gu Zhizhuo looked at him.
"Qin Chen said it."
No wonder! Qin Chen tells her everything. She asked with great interest, "And then?"
"The Jing'an Marquis's Mansion demanded money from the Zangxiang Pavilion, but the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion couldn't pay. So Qin Su detained Qin Luo in the mansion and wouldn't let him leave, trying to renege on the debt."
Gu Zhizhuo knew this! The Jing'an Marquis's mansion had emptied its coffers for the recent baby shower. In the previous life, the Jing'an Marquis's mansion was still prosperous thanks to the dowry from his aunt, but now, it was probably struggling to make ends meet.
Qin Su will have to support all of the Earl of Jing'an's illegitimate sons and daughters; just thinking about it makes me happy for him. Besides, he loves his half-brothers very much. They're all "sons," after all.
So, Qin Luo couldn't stay put and sneaked out, only to be caught by the people from Cangxiang Pavilion?
Serves them right.
"Young master, lanterns!"
Gu Zhizhuo pointed to a lantern shop not far away, completely forgetting everything else.
Five or six lanterns hung in front of the lantern shop. In the soft candlelight, even the most ordinary rabbit lantern looked like it was made of glass, sparkling brightly.
“My father promised me before he went to the western frontier that he would buy me a lantern when he came back.”
He also said that when he comes back, he will take me to release sky lanterns.
"Later, he never came back."
Her eyes darkened for a moment: "You rascal, Father never keeps his word!"
"I'll buy it for you."
Xie Yingchen pulled her hand behind his back through his sleeve and led her into the lantern shop. When they came out, Gu Zhizhuo was carrying a revolving lantern. A gust of wind blew, and the lantern spun around, making the fish and birds on it seem to come alive, incredibly lifelike.
The lantern swayed gently in her hand, its long tassels fluttering in the wind.
Gu Zhizhuo would occasionally tap the slideshow, raising it high for him to see.
They are so easily satisfied.
Xie Yingchen's eyes were gentle and tender, and a mysterious feeling in his heart told him that she had lost everything before, so now, even just a little bit more could make her overjoyed.
"elder sister."
A little girl called out to her happily.
Gu Zhizhuo turned around and looked at the wonton stall by the roadside.
"It's you!"
The little girl skipped over, beaming, and said, "Sister, you were right! We packed up half an hour early that day and didn't get wet at all. Here, have this."
The little girl held two peanuts in her palm and looked at her expectantly.
She had been holding the peanuts in her hand for a while, and the shells were slightly damp; she hadn't wanted to eat them. Gu Zhizhuo smiled and took them, then took out a few mints from his purse and gave them to her.
"I'll treat you to some too."
The little girl smiled sweetly.
"Young master, let's have wontons, it's on me!"
Gu Zhizhuo pulled him to the wonton stall and sat him down. He carefully placed the lantern on the wooden table and ordered four bowls of wontons, as well as some for Chongjiu and Qingmei.
"I want a large portion!"
Before they could even eat the wontons, Huai Jingzhi came looking for them.
He watched as his young master, dressed in fine clothes, sat on a wooden bench in the street with Miss Gu, waiting for the wontons to be cooked. He felt a little conflicted.
He stepped forward and whispered, "Young master, the Emperor summons you to the palace."
Xie Yingchen coughed twice: "Tell him that I am sick, very sick, and cannot enter the palace."
Gu Zhizhuo chuckled: "Huai Jingzhi, would you like some wontons?"
Huai Jingzhi: "..."
"Sit down, it'll only be a little while. My Miss Gu is treating," Xie Yingchen said. "Grandma, another bowl, a large one!"
Huai Jingzhi's eye twitched: Even if you say it so openly as "your family's," Miss Gu still doesn't understand!
"The wontons are here!"
The old woman and her granddaughter brought over bowls of steaming hot wontons.
Huai Jingzhi sat down on the long bench, and as he turned his head, he saw Miss Gu skillfully hand the young master a spoon, while only putting some chopped green onions into her own bowl. Did she even know that the young master didn't like green onions?
In recent days, the emperor began to suspect that he had been tricked by the young master. He had been suppressed and tested repeatedly, and had clashed with the young master openly and secretly at least three times in just a few days. The young master took the opportunity to force him to agree to withdraw the Imperial Guards from the mansion, and finally he was able to come and go freely.
Huai Jingzhi secretly worried that the young master was moving too fast, which would arouse the king's suspicion and lead to a deadly attack.
Back then, the former crown prince was at the height of his power, yet he still died in a conspiracy! If it weren't for your decisive action, young master, in going to Liang as a hostage, you probably wouldn't have escaped death either.
Now, that person has been sitting on the dragon throne for six years.
The young master's wings are not yet fully grown.
If the young master pushes too hard, it might lead to another bloody framing incident, completely eliminating this threat.
Looking at the steaming wontons, Huai Jingzhi found it hard to eat.
"Huai Jingzhi," Gu Zhizhuo called out, "Have you noticed?"
What?
Gu Zhizhuo rested his chin on his hand and said, "You look at least ten years older with that worried look on your face."
"Eat wontons." Xie Yingchen tapped the rim of his bowl. "The sky won't fall. If it really does, you're still here, aren't you? Being a staff officer isn't that easy, is it?"
His eyes and brows now held a hint of unbridled arrogance, a trait that Huai Jingzhi could only recall before he turned fourteen.
Does the young master think he can withstand even if the sky falls?
Huai Jingzhi tensed his shoulders, a sense of mission welling up within him.
These past few days, with the huge weight lifted from his heart, he felt much clearer-headed. As a qualified advisor, his job was to ensure that the young master had no worries.
He couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he pushed that person too far and they framed him.
Simple.
A coup!
Once the thought entered his mind, he couldn't stop it. In a short moment, he even thought about what preparations he should make before forcing the emperor to abdicate.
He picked up the bowl and ate the whole bowl of wontons in one gulp, then hurriedly took his leave to deal with the eunuch who had come to summon him.
"He's really busy."
In his previous life, he was destined to be a hard-working man with a heavy heart. Less than three years after the young master's death, his temples turned white.
Give me your hand.
Xie Yingchen's voice is captivating.
He placed a purse in her palm, and when Gu Zhizhuo opened it, there was a piece of silk paper inside.
The silk paper contained detailed accounts of the resumes and temperaments of officials throughout Aur.
"It will take at least half a month to get back. You've never traveled far before, have you?"
No. At least not in this lifetime.
"Take Chongjiu with you."
Gu Zhizhuo agreed and smiled at Chongjiu: "Thank you for your hard work."
"Young master, have some peanuts."
She gave Xie Yingchen one peanut and then looked at the silk paper.
Click.
Xie Yingchen gently squeezed the peanut shell, and it broke open, revealing two peanut kernels inside. He picked one up and fed it to her lips.
Gu Zhizhuo was looking down at the silk paper, her brows furrowed tightly. Without thinking, she opened her mouth to take it, leaving a faint trace of her body heat on his fingertips.
The peanuts were fragrant and crunchy; after finishing one, he had also finished reading the silk scroll. Gu Zhizhuo was filled with incomprehension. Why would the emperor believe that a newly appointed scholar could understand military and political affairs without a teacher?
"Is it like this in every city?"
“Every city is like this!” Xie Yingchen nodded. “Therefore, the Western Frontier is not peaceful right now.”
If Master Gu doesn't provide her with enough manpower, then he will.
For now, only Chongjiu was given the task, partly to avoid interfering too much and upsetting Master Gu.
Gu Zhizhuo carefully put the silk paper away and said solemnly, "I will be careful."
After finishing the wontons, she strolled around for a while. She had agreed to take Xie Yingchen home, but before she knew it, she had gone in circles and ended up being the one who took her home.
Qin Chen was already waiting in his carriage in front of the mansion gate.
Carrying a lantern and with Chongjiu by his side, Gu Zhizhuo waved goodbye to him, his entire demeanor completely devoid of the gloom and dejection he had shown at the Meridian Gate.
Upon entering the mansion, Gu Zhizhuo summoned the head steward, Chen Jin, and instructed him to arrange accommodations for Chongjiu. He then casually inquired, "Have Third Uncle and Aunt returned yet?"
The head steward glanced at Chongjiu, and Gu Zhizhuo said, "Speak, it's alright."
"Yes. Third Master and Eldest Aunt went to Qianji Camp outside the city. Third Master said they might not be back today."
The Thousand Machine Battalion was a personal guard battalion established by the Duke of Zhenguo with special permission from the Taizu Emperor. Gu Yican did not bring the Thousand Machine Battalion with him this time to suppress the bandits, and now these three thousand men are stationed in a camp on the outskirts of the capital.
It would take at least three hours to go back and forth, so I really can't come back today.
Chen Jin then asked, "Miss, would you like to bring the Ji family to the capital again?"
Ji Shi has been demoted to a concubine by imperial decree, and her embezzlement and misappropriation have all been exposed. Is it still necessary to bring the Ji family along?
"bring."
Compromise is merely a temporary measure; this grievance has been weighing on her for two lifetimes, and she won't swallow it without causing a huge uproar.
Chen Jin did not ask for the reason and bowed to accept the order.
Just as he was about to say that the people he had sent were already on their way, a familiar-looking old woman hurried over. Upon seeing Gu Zhizhuo, her eyes lit up with joy: "Young lady, you're back! That's wonderful!"
She wiped the sweat from her forehead, panting heavily from running.
Gu Zhizhuo frowned slightly: "What happened?"
"The fourth young master and the second young lady are fighting."
Upon hearing the name of the Fourth Young Master, Gu Zhizhuo felt an overwhelming sense of irritation. Fearing that Gu Zhiwei might suffer, she said to Chongjiu, "You should go and rest with Steward Chen first. We'll decide on the departure time tomorrow."
After saying that, he hurriedly followed the old woman away.
Gu Zhizhuo walked quickly, stepping through the inner gate, and said, "Go on."
"Yes." The old woman followed closely behind Gu Zhizhuo with small, quick steps and said, "When the Second Miss and Miss Xu passed by the garden, it just so happened that the husband and Concubine Ji were brought back. The Second Miss didn't know what had happened, so she asked a few questions. Granny Zhu told her, but the Fourth Young Master overheard it. The Fourth Young Master said that Concubine Ji was not a concubine and told them not to talk nonsense."
"The second young lady ignored him and left to have dinner with the Grand Madam. After dinner, when she was about to go back, the fourth young master was still waiting there and started arguing with the second young lady, almost pushing her into the pond."
Gu Zhizhuo's heart tightened: "And then?"
The Gu family was wiped out in the previous life, and all her sisters are still facing death. She worries about them whenever there is any danger.
"The young lady from the Xu family tried to block the fall, but she fell into the pond."
The old woman used a more euphemistic way of putting it, but in reality, she had Gu Yan push her down.
Gu Zhizhu quickened her pace, hurrying along the corridor until she reached the garden in no time.
A large number of maids and servants gathered around the pond in the garden, and even the Second Madam, Madam Xu, rushed over upon hearing the news.
The old women had already pulled Xu Ying'er out of the pond. She was leaning against one of the old women, her whole body soaking wet, coughing and panting. Her clothes were pulled up, revealing half of her shoulder, and a pink birthmark was faintly visible.
"Ying'er!"
Madam Xu hurried over with a cloak in her hands, about to wrap Xu Ying'er up, when she suddenly stopped.
She stared intently at Xu Ying'er's exposed shoulders, momentarily stunned.
"Mother, give it to me!"
Gu Zhiwei snatched the cloak and draped it over Xu Ying'er, then asked repeatedly, "Where is the doctor? Has the doctor arrived yet?"
"Go and urge them again."
"Go and boil a pot of ginger soup. And..."
The well-organized instructions stopped the moment she saw Gu Zhizhuo. All the fear she had forcibly suppressed came rushing back. She pouted and called out, "Big sister." When her cousin fell into the water, she was terrified and almost wanted to jump in after her.
"Do as the Second Miss says." Gu Zhizhu handed the lantern to Qingmei and went to check on Xu Ying'er.
After checking her pulse, she had Xu Ying'er lean against her and, with practiced ease, gently pressed her fingers on her lower abdomen, chest, and several acupoints from her throat. Xu Ying'er vomited up the water and immediately felt better.
"It's alright now."
"Let's take Miss Biao back first and change her clothes."
Gu Zhizhuo asked a maid to carry Xu Ying'er on her back; she was now living with Gu Zhiwei.
"Who said you could leave!"
The boy screamed and rushed over, yelling at Gu Zhizhuo, "Gu Zhizhuo, they were the ones who spoke ill of my mother first!"
Not yet six years old, Gu Yan stood in front of Gu Zhizhuo with her hands on her hips, angrily accusing, "They said my mother was a concubine!"
He was extremely handsome, with red lips and white teeth, but when he became hysterical, his face appeared somewhat distorted.
He stared at Gu Zhizhuo, wanting her to stand up for him. He wanted her to say that he was right and that they deserved it for talking nonsense.
“We didn’t.” Any well-mannered girl wouldn’t gossip about someone behind their back, let alone an elder. Gu Zhiwei pouted and said, “I just asked Granny Zhu.”
"You do!" Gu Yan said fiercely, "My mother wasn't a concubine, she was the Duchess of the State..."
Gu Zhizhuo interrupted him clearly: "She is a concubine."
"no!"
Gu Yan screamed in a high-pitched voice that was so piercing it hurt people's ears.
Gu Zhizhu grabbed his collar and asked, "Did you push Ying'er down?"
"I pushed it."
Gu Yan was filled with grievances.
They all say that his mother has been demoted from wife to concubine and that he is not allowed to see her.
If his mother became a concubine, wouldn't he become an illegitimate son? Waves of panic surged in his heart. He just wanted someone to tell him that this was a lie, a way of coaxing him.
He was terrified.
"Gu Zhizhuo, you're all ganging up on me!" Gu Yan kicked her, her face turning red. "Gu Zhizhuo, you're my sister, why are you helping outsiders bully me?!"
Unrepentant.
Gu Zhizhuo's expression grew cold, and she grabbed him by the collar and dragged him toward the pond.
"Young lady!" Ruihuang and Gu Yan's wet nurse rushed over anxiously, "Please don't do anything rash..."
"Gu Zhizhuo, let me go..."
Gu Zhizhuo let go of Gu Yan's hand and kicked him before Gu Yan could shout any more.
thump!
Gu Yan's face revealed an undisguised terror.
Until a moment ago, he thought Gu Zhizhuo was deliberately scaring him. Then, fear came along with the pond water and overwhelmed him.
Everyone was stunned; no one expected that the young woman would actually kick him.
After a moment of stunned silence, Madam Xu immediately ordered, "Bring the Fourth Young Master up here. What are you all standing there for?"
One after another, the women who knew how to swim jumped into the pond, causing a commotion.
Gu Zhizhuo glanced at it and realized that the pond was not deep and with so many women who knew how to swim, no one would drown.
He's the kind of person who'd push someone into the water over the slightest disagreement; he deserves a lesson.
"Second Aunt, you go with Weiwei and the others first, I'll be there in a bit."
Gu Zhizhuo summoned the head maid: "Pass on my message, the Emperor has decreed that Lady Ji's title of Duchess of the State be revoked. From now on, Lady Ji will be a concubine."
As soon as Lady Ji was sent back, rumors circulated in the mansion that she had been demoted to a concubine. Now that Gu Zhizhuo had personally confirmed it, everyone was shocked. Even Lady Xu, whose dignified face showed a hint of surprise.
Without asking any further questions, Xu left first.
Gu Zhizhuo continued, "Go and prepare the main courtyard. No family or household has a concubine living in the main courtyard. Arrange a small courtyard for Ji Shi, and don't allow her to leave unless necessary. As for Gu Yan..."
Gu Yan didn't choke on much water, but he was quite frightened and huddled in his wet nurse's arms.
"Send it to the front yard."
"yes."
The maids and servants readily agreed.
After giving her instructions, she left without looking back.
Gu Yan suddenly screamed from behind, crying and yelling.
Gu Zhiwei's residence, Chaoyun Courtyard, was not far away. When Gu Zhizhu arrived, the doctor had just arrived, and the room was noisy. She called Gu Zhiwei out and said, "I'm going on a long trip in a couple of days. After lunch tomorrow, come to my place, and I'll introduce you to the head maids. While I'm away, you and Nannan can lend a hand. I'll leave the entire household to you."
"ah!"
Gu Zhiwei waved her hands repeatedly: "Big sister, I don't know how."
"If you don't know, just ask your grandmother." Gu Zhizhuo patted the top of her head. "It's okay if you make a mistake. Anyway, we're in our own mansion, so it's not a big deal."
"I have to go to the border. You can't let me leave in peace, can you?"
My third uncle is right.
The Gu family cannot rely on her alone.
Her sisters are also very capable!
Eleven-year-old Gu Zhiwei suddenly felt that she had been given a great responsibility, and her little face immediately became serious: "Yes, big sister!"
"Go in and see your cousin first."
Gu Zhizhuo had just had her pulse checked, so she wasn't worried. The doctor's diagnosis was pretty much the same; she had simply been frightened and he prescribed a calming decoction. Gu Zhizhuo didn't linger and returned to her own courtyard.
As soon as I sat down on the chaise lounge and leaned against the large bolster, a wave of drowsiness washed over me.
I woke up in the middle of the night.
Qiongfang was the most considerate during the night shift, having prepared all sorts of late-night snacks. After eating and quickly washing up, Gu Zhizhuo fell asleep again.
I slept until almost noon and was completely awake.
After Gu Zhizhuo, along with Gu Zhiwei and Gu Zhinan, met with the stewards and explained some important matters, Gu Baibai and Gu Liaoliao returned from the military camp. Without stopping, she rushed to the front yard.
Just as she stepped into the courtyard, Zheng Qi arrived, only a step behind her.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing that it was him who personally ran the errand, Gu Zhizhuo stopped and asked.
"Young lady," Zheng Qi hesitated for a moment before reporting, "His Highness the Third Prince has arrived and specifically requests to see the Third Master."
"The Third Prince?"
Qiongfang whispered, "Miss Ji returned around midnight last night."
So that's why he came, he was afraid the Gu family would mistreat his sweetheart.
Gu Zhizhu sneered repeatedly: "I'll go. You go and tell your third uncle that he doesn't need to come."
After she finished speaking, she turned a corner and went straight to the main hall.
The Third Prince, Xie Jing, dressed in his princely robes, stood with his back to the door, hands clasped behind his back, radiating anger. As if he had heard the noise, he turned around and said authoritatively, "Third Master Gu..."
The moment they saw Gu Zhizhuo, all the sounds vanished.
His arrogance crumbled instantly, his voice weakened, and he stammered, pointing at her, "You, you, you... how could it be you!?"
A note from the author:
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
