Chapter 82 [VIP]
Lu Jinyi opened the wooden box herself, and inside lay a rather thick scroll.
Gu Zhizhuo's eyebrows twitched slightly.
Looking at Lu Jinyi, the thin calluses on his hands were all on the sides of his fingertips, which were formed from frequent use of the pen.
My third uncle once said that my maternal uncle in the Lu family was skilled at painting.
Is this a painting?
"Ah Bai, open it and take a look."
Gu Zhizhuo and Gu Yican exchanged a glance, and the two stepped forward at the same time to take the scroll out of the wooden box. The scroll was very heavy, so they each pulled one end, and Gu Yican slowly backed away, unrolling the scroll step by step.
"This is……"
Once the scroll was unrolled, it was as long as the entire hall. The brother and sister each stood on one side of the hall.
This is a map.
Gu Zhizhuo's eyes widened in amazement. The map was too precious. The more exquisite the map, the rarer it was. And this map, at first glance, showed mountains and rivers that were much more detailed than the one hanging in Gu Baibai's study.
There are mountains and rivers, towns and villages, all labeled with their names. Unlike ordinary maps that are only drawn with a few strokes, this one even shows the approximate shape of each village and town, as well as the surrounding streams and paths.
Gu Baibai was amazed and couldn't help but praise, "Brother, you have such skillful hands."
Lu Jinyi smiled shyly.
He was not good at socializing, and he poured all his emotions into his paintings.
From the age of thirteen, he traveled out of the capital with several old servants, first following some travelogues, and later supplementing them bit by bit.
Wherever he went, he would draw all the mountains and rivers he had traveled to keep as a memento.
Later, his marriage was not successful, and as he grew older, he could no longer leave the capital at will. So he began to only travel around the outskirts of the capital, and at most he went to Yizhou. He walked through every village, every mountain and every river in Yizhou, and had his old servants help him measure them. It took him ten years to complete this map of Yizhou.
Gu Zhizhuo was itching to read it, so she called over a servant, grabbed the scroll at her end, and ran ahead to take a look.
She looked from left to right, then back from right, marveling at the sight.
"Uncle Lu, is this the capital city?"
Gu Zhizhuo knew how to read maps and immediately located the capital city.
"Yes."
“This path…” Gu Zhizhuo leaned closer to examine it, but she didn’t dare touch it. She simply beckoned to Gu Yican and asked, “Brother, come here. Have you seen this path before?”
Gu Yican used to enjoy riding horses in the outskirts of Beijing with a group of playboys, and had been to far more places than she had.
Gu Yican also gave the scroll to the servant, ran up to her, and the two of them looked at it together, heads touching.
Gu Yican touched his chin and thought carefully for a moment: "No."
Lu Jinyi said from the side, "Going north from the capital, there is a small stall that specializes in selling herbal tea. This stall has been around for fifteen years. Behind this stall, there is a river with thorns growing on the banks. If you go through the thorns, you will find a path."
Rivers and brambles were also drawn on the map.
Lu Jinyi could narrate the story fluently without even looking at it.
He spoke slowly, pointing to the map as he spoke leisurely.
“I’ve walked this path before; it leads directly to the Liangshan Mountains in Yizhou.”
Lu Jinyi then pointed to the location of the Greater Liangshan Mountains.
The most important thing in mapmaking is accuracy.
He traveled to almost every corner of the capital and Yizhou, and the paintings he created filled two warehouses.
The two siblings fell silent. When he finished speaking, he looked up and saw them staring at him with similar phoenix eyes, their eyes sparkling.
"Uncle Lu, you are amazing."
"Uncle Lu, is there an underground lake here?"
"Uncle Lu, I didn't even know there was a small village here!"
"Uncle Lu, your hands are as good as gold. No, even gold can't compare to yours!"
Do all children from the Gu family praise others so directly?
Lu Jinyi was extremely shy, two rosy blushes rising on her pale face, stretching all the way to the back of her ears. Her tone slowed even more: "Me too... I walked it several times. Some of the paths and underground rivers aren't actually that hard to find... just walk around more and ask the elderly people nearby... I just drew them out."
Gu Baibai was staring at the direction of the Xishan camp on the map.
This map even shows the layout of the Xishan camp, the terrain of nearby villages, and underground rivers.
If he hadn't been so familiar with Lu Jinyi that he knew Lu Jinyi was simply indulging in calligraphy and painting and wouldn't have thought of anything else, he probably would have really believed this was a spy painting.
No wonder it took him ten years to complete this painting.
Having such a map in hand is enough to withstand at least a thousand troops.
They could even use some secret passages and trails in Yizhou to transfer troops from the northern frontier in small batches.
Gu Bai lowered her eyelids and echoed, "Your Uncle Lu is very meticulous. The landscape painting he drew for me in the northern frontier last time led us to win a battle where we were outnumbered and annihilated the enemy."
"No, no."
He really just drew it casually for Ah Bai to appreciate, but Ah Bai insisted that it saved the lives of at least 30,000 soldiers.
The eyes of the two Gu children suddenly brightened, and Lu Jinyi felt a burning sensation behind her ears.
His face must have turned red. He awkwardly changed the subject: "Ah Bai, I originally intended to give this as a birthday gift, but consider it a thank-you gift for now. I'll prepare another gift for your actual birthday."
“Brother,” Gu Baibai said with a smile, “this is a birthday gift for your nephew, not a thank-you gift.”
Lu Jinyi was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but smile.
It would be too formal to talk about thanking them with gifts given between their two families.
"Yes. It's for Xu'er. How is Xu'er?"
Lu Jinyi had no children; his sister's two children were no different from his own.
"I'm fine." Gu Baibai felt incredibly touched. "Thanks to the real person."
Gu Baibai finally looked up from the map and recounted the harrowing experience of that day, making Lu Jinyi's hands tremble as she listened.
He was furious, but he couldn't utter a single swear word. All he could say was "despicable," "excessive," and "too bad."
"Brother, look on the bright side, you've actually turned misfortune into a blessing in disguise."
Gu Baibai looked at the graying hair at his temples. He was not yet thirty years old, and the frustrations of the past few years had added several fine lines to the corners of his eyebrows.
Now that he has finally managed to get rid of the title "son-in-law," Lu Jinyi finally has a smile on his face, and looks especially refined.
Lu Jinyi suddenly said, "I let those people go."
He was referring to those male concubines.
After Gu Baibai left, whether as compensation or just for appearances, the palace sent a large number of rewards, including gold and silver estates and contracts for the twenty-three male concubines, meaning he could dispose of them as he pleased.
He gave all the contracts to the head steward, instructing him to return them to them and to remove their status as lowly people. As for whether they would leave or return to the princess's residence, that was none of his concern.
Gu Zhizhuo and Gu Yican were still huddled in front of the map, chatting away, looking for little paths, mountain trails, underground rivers and such that they had never paid any attention to before, and talking about going to check them out tomorrow.
Gu Baibai withdrew her gaze and said with a smile, "Brother, would you like to go and see Xu-ge'er?"
"good……"
After Lu Jinyi agreed, Qiongfang announced from outside, "Miss, Princess Danling has arrived."
ah?
Cousin Danling is here? Gu Zhizhuo's face lit up with joy.
Having not seen Danling for a long time, Gu Zhizhu reluctantly took his leave and ran briskly toward the ceremonial gate.
From afar, she saw Xie Danling leaning against the carriage, listlessly playing with a gift box. When she saw her coming, she just lazily turned her head away, looking very unhappy.
“Cousin Danling.”
Gu Zhizhuo skillfully took her arm and began to coax her: "Did you come all the way out of the palace just to play with me? I knew you liked me the most."
Her tone was sweet, with an upward inflection, making her sound both obedient and sweet. Xie Danling's stern face softened slightly, and a hint of good mood flickered in her eyes, as if to say: Don't stop, keep coaxing me.
"It's not that I didn't want to come to you, it's just that if I went to the palace now, I would be beaten and thrown out."
Xie Danling pouted, rested her head on her shoulder, and casually lifted her veil.
Why did you come out today?
She came out openly and honestly! Speaking of this, Xie Danling was in a good mood: "The Empress was scolded, so she doesn't have the energy to deal with me now. The Duke of Anguo's mansion sent a lot of male concubines, saying that the eldest princess was giving them to the Empress as a tribute. Father scolded the Empress for being shameless, even meddling in the princess's private affairs, and for not having the demeanor that an empress should have."
"Father Emperor ordered the Empress to hand over the Phoenix Seal. Now my mother and the Imperial Concubine are jointly managing the affairs of the six palaces."
"So! This princess can go out now!"
As she said this, Xie Danling raised her hands high, beaming with pride.
Gu Zhizhuo immediately clapped in agreement.
Xie Danling's anger came quickly but subsided just as fast. She hooked her arm around hers and, as she entered the ceremonial gate, said, "My mother sent me to deliver the third-day-after-birth gifts. Father Emperor agreed."
"Let me also tell you that my cousin Wang will be arriving in the capital in a few days."
"Is it Cousin Yan, or Cousin Xing?"
"Cousin Xing".
Wang Yan and Wang Xing are both direct descendants of the Wang family's eldest branch; they are each other's cousins and met when they were children.
Is Cousin Xing planning to enter the game next year?
That's a bit too early.
"Oh dear, you don't care about me at all," Xie Danling pouted. "I told you last time that Her Majesty the Empress insisted I learn the zither. I later found out that she just wanted me to please her concubine so she could send me to the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion to marry her foolish nephew."
Xie Danling was so angry that she didn't even bother using honorifics anymore.
Gu Zhizhuo felt a little guilty; she really hadn't been paying attention to her little cousin these days.
"And then what happened?"
“Mother wrote a letter to Grandfather, and Grandfather sent Cousin Xing over.” Xie Danling’s eyes sparkled. “Mother said to take it one step at a time. If all else fails, let the Wang family propose marriage. If the Wang family and the Cheng’en Duke’s Mansion are put together, the Emperor will definitely choose the Wang family. Cousin Zhuo, do you still remember Cousin Wang Xing?”
“He used to bully me when we were kids, so why wasn’t it Cousin Yan who came?”
Xie Danling rested her cheek on her hand, looking troubled.
Her two cousins had only been to the capital when they were young. At that time, she and Xie Danling were at most five or six years old, so she didn't really remember much. She only remembered that her cousin Wang Xing always liked to provoke them, and after they cried and made a fuss, they would run away and then get beaten. They were so pitiful.
However, what Cousin Danling didn't know was that it was actually Cousin Wang Yan who went to complain every time. After seeing Cousin Xing get beaten, he would still nonchalantly take them out to play. This was terrible.
Gu Zhizhuo's eyes crinkled with joy.
really.
Even if the Empress truly intended to marry Danling back to the Duke of Chengen's mansion, there was no need to hesitate about which family would be more advantageous, given that the Duke of Chengen's mansion, which had nothing and relied entirely on the Emperor's support, and the Langya Wang clan.
My aunt was just trying to be safe.
In any case, it's better for Cousin Danling to marry back into the Wang family than to be randomly betrothed or even sent on a political marriage.
In her previous life, her cousin Danling passed away, and the emperor's fourth princess was sent to marry into the Liang Kingdom.
When will my cousin Wang Xing arrive?
"They've already set off and should arrive in the capital in August."
"Then I'll go to the Wang family's house in a couple of days to see if there's anything I need to buy."
The Wang family has a residence in the capital, attended by several old servants. However, these servants mainly do cleaning and repairs; they don't actively go out to buy anything. August is the height of summer, so they need to set up sheds and stock up on extra ice.
Xie Danling walked briskly, skipping along: "Cousin Zhuo, do you still remember what Cousin Xing looks like? I wonder if he's good-looking. He lost a front tooth when he was little, he was so ugly."
Gu Zhizhu smiled broadly, cupped her head in her hands, and said happily, "We're both so beautiful, so my cousin definitely won't be ugly either."
"That makes sense!" Xie Danling nodded slightly, satisfied.
As long as it's not ugly, it's fine.
For Xie Danling, nothing is more important than being good-looking.
"Yaoyao, my mother told me to tell you that you haven't reached marriageable age yet, so even if you get married soon, it won't be until next year. She will take a look at your cousin Chen. Whether he's good or bad, don't be silly and believe everything others say." Xie Danling poked her forehead. "You really make me worry so much."
Yes, yes, yes.
Gu Zhizhuo leaned on her shoulder and giggled.
As they were talking, they arrived at Ronghe Hall.
"grandmother."
As soon as they entered the courtyard through the hanging flower gate, Xie Danling greeted them warmly.
The old lady heard her sweet voice while she was still in the room, and immediately her face lit up with a smile.
"Our little princess has arrived!"
Xie Danling was always sweet-talking, and she addressed the Grand Madam as "Grandmother Gu" repeatedly. She never put on airs, and the Grand Madam was always happy to see her.
Without needing anyone to announce her arrival, Xie Danling lifted her skirt and entered the room, skillfully stopping the old lady from paying her respects, and then sat down to her left.
Xie Danling often came over to play, and the old lady quickly had someone prepare her favorite sweet soup.
"Grandma, where's my little cousin? I put a little gold lock on his wrist."
Her personal maid, Awu, presented her with an exquisite box.
"They haven't brought it over yet."
The baby's third-day celebration was scheduled for Ronghe Hall, but the auspicious time hadn't arrived yet, so the baby hadn't been brought over. Xie Danling said with a smile, "I'll give it to you later. This is a design I drew myself, which was prepared by the silversmith a long time ago. It's very beautiful."
The Dowager praised, "Our little princess has such good taste."
Xie Danling held her chin high, looking very proud.
"Madam,"
A maidservant hurried down to the corridor, bowed, and said, "The Grand Secretary and his wife have arrived."
Huh? The old lady was startled.
Why is the Grand Secretary here?
For Xu Ge'er's third-day celebration, the Gu family didn't plan to hold a big event, only inviting in-laws and a few close friends of Gu Baibai and her husband.
The maidservant presented the gift list, and when Madam Gu took a look, she was stunned. These gifts were far too expensive.
It's even more expensive than a first-class gift.
Do they have such a good relationship with Prime Minister Song?
“Um…” Gu Zhizhuo cautiously raised his hand, “I think I know.”
Madam Gu glanced at him suspiciously. Gu Zhizhu chuckled and said, "That's right. A couple of days ago, when I went out, I accidentally saved Prime Minister Song."
"You saved Prime Minister Song?"
Gu Zhizhuo nodded happily.
Did she forget to mention it? She seems to remember telling her brother about it.
"You, you..."
Madam Gu pointed at her, speechless for a long time, and finally said angrily, "You really don't mention a word. You might as well forget about yourself sooner or later."
Gu Zhizhuo just smiled, a sweet smile.
The old lady glared at her and quickly said, "Please come in."
On joyous occasions, it is considered unlucky to refuse guests who come to the door.
A short while later, the Grand Secretary's wife was welcomed in, and the Dowager Lady personally greeted her.
The Prime Minister's wife brought along a particularly adorable little girl, about eleven or twelve years old, wearing a scarlet dress.
She followed obediently behind, and greeted them politely, her expressions and movements were so standard and perfect that there wasn't a single flaw.
The old lady was delighted just looking at it. She took off her bracelet as a gift and thought to herself: If Zhuo'er could learn from others and be as well-behaved as them, I would be completely satisfied.
One of her greatest wishes in this life was to have a well-behaved daughter. Thinking of Gu Liaoliao, the Grand Madam rubbed her forehead.
Or perhaps it was her beloved granddaughter; thinking of Gu Zhizhuo, her forehead twitched.
"Miss Gu."
After exchanging pleasantries, the Prime Minister's wife thanked Gu Zhizhuo repeatedly, holding her hands and not knowing what to say, her eyes red-rimmed.
When his master returned, he said that it was really just a hair's breadth away; if it weren't for Miss Gu's intervention, he might not have survived.
Song Jiuniang looked at her curiously.
“Madam,” the Prime Minister’s wife said, “I should have come to express my gratitude yesterday, but my husband couldn’t get up.”
In fact, after returning home that day, Chief Minister Song was already walking around freely. However, seeing that Third Master Gu was busy working for the Duke of Anguo's mansion yesterday, they decided not to come and cause trouble.
"You've really raised a wonderful granddaughter."
"This ability to bring the dead back to life and heal flesh and bone is truly divine."
"You are so lucky."
The old lady was so pleased with the praise that she said with pride, "This girl is so clever!"
"Sister Gu," Song Jiuniang said gently, her voice soft and gentle, "People say that saving a life should be repaid with one's own body."
"As a granddaughter, it is my duty to share my grandfather's burdens and make this promise on his behalf!"
Her eyes were bright and sparkling, full of life.
The old lady's hand, holding the teacup, froze. No, where was that well-behaved and adorable little girl?
"Sister Gu, do you want a little medical apprentice? I don't need wages, one meal a day is enough."
Gu Zhizhuo: ...
It's one thing to not pay, but what's with eating only one meal a day?!
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