Chapter 87 [VIP]
"I will have the accountant calculate the principal and interest and send it to you, Miss Ji."
"If you don't come out, we'll convert it into money for selling yourself into slavery. The Gu family wouldn't dare accept this 'kindness of raising'; let's settle things clearly."
Ji Nanke tilted her head slightly, her delicate back not daring to bend.
"I'll pay!"
Xie Jing stepped in front of her, "I'll pay it for you."
Gu Zhizhu casually tossed the waist knife back to Xie Jing.
Xie Jing instinctively caught it with both hands and saw the blade of the waist knife bend into a small arc, which showed how much force she had just used.
Xie Yingchen walked to her side: "Let's go."
Gu Zhizhuo nodded slightly to the Prime Minister not far away, offered him her hand, and let him hold it in his palm, his body heat enveloping her.
The young master used to be cold and aloof, but now Gu Zhizhuo loves his warm palms the most.
She hooked her finger around his, as if to say that she knew her limits and wouldn't do anything reckless.
Their little fingers intertwined, as if a feather had tickled her heart, like a gentle breeze caressing her heartstrings. Xie Yingchen watched with a smile as her earlobes gradually turned pink, his knuckles interlocking until their fingers were clasped together.
Gu Zhizhuo's earlobes turned even redder, and she twitched her fingers but didn't pull away.
Huh?
Gu Zhizhuo felt that there seemed to be thin calluses on the back of his hand, and curiously rubbed them with her fingertips. Her movements were light at first and then heavy, with a sense of exploration, which made Xie Yingchen feel a tingling sensation. His breathing became slightly heavier, and he tightened his grip on her restless hand, leading her towards the direction of Chief Minister Song.
Ji Nanke stared at Gu Zhizhuo's profile, which was not covered by a veil. A blush appeared on her cheeks, making her beauty flamboyant.
Her gaze was gloomy, and even Xie Jing's voice irritated her.
"Ke'er, don't provoke her."
"Ke'er, I will ask my father to grant me a marriage as soon as possible and take you away."
"As soon as possible," what else could he say? A prince, yet he kept backing down in front of Gu Zhizhuo, unable to even protect her. What else did he have besides his princely status?
Ji Nanke bit her back teeth, her slightly lowered face glistening with moisture, her slender back a sight to behold.
Xie Jing would give his life for her.
"Ke'er, wait for me..."
"Ke'er".
Chief Minister Song shook his head inwardly; one was willing to give and the other was willing to receive.
He wasn't old and blind; he could see clearly that every expression and even every little movement of that Miss Ji was calculated. Yet the Third Prince couldn't see it and was completely absorbed in her.
If the Third Prince were to ascend the throne, could he truly take charge of all affairs of the world and shoulder the responsibility of the Great Qi Dynasty?
The Grand Secretary felt a heavy weight in his heart. A voice inside him told him that the Third Prince was still young and he shouldn't make hasty judgments. However, his reason was already faltering.
"The Grand Secretary."
Gu Zhizhuo curtsied in greeting.
"You."
The Prime Minister Song looked away, not knowing what to say; he had been terrified.
This girl always does things that surprise people.
His gaze lingered on her face, now that her veil was removed, for a fleeting moment.
Gu Zhizhuo laughed lightly, "Don't worry, I'm not stupid... The injury on my face just 'healed' this month." Then, she changed the subject, "Have you had any abdominal bloating or pain these past few days?"
No, no.
Upon hearing this, Chief Minister Song beamed with joy.
In all these years, he has never felt so relaxed and happy as he has these past few days.
His lower abdomen no longer hurt, and he could even sleep through the night instead of being tormented by persistent, dull pain every night. He could eat and sleep well, and suddenly felt that his old bones could last for a few more years.
He stared longingly at Gu Zhizhuo, then raised his sleeve to feel her pulse.
"Just continue taking the health-preserving prescription given by the imperial physician. After three to five years of recuperation, you will be just like an ordinary person."
Judging from his pulse, he could easily serve as Grand Secretary for another ten years.
"only……"
Gu Zhizhu deliberately dragged out the last syllable, startling the Prime Minister Song, who thought he had some hidden ailment again. But what she asked was, "Does the Prime Minister still remember the thunder in broad daylight that day?"
"A thunderclap in broad daylight?"
The chief minister remembered that when he left the Xiangxi Tower, a bolt of lightning struck him, scaring him so much that he almost thought that his coming back to life was against the will of Heaven and that he would be struck by lightning.
Gu Zhizhuo: "A thunderclap in broad daylight is an ominous sign. Grand Secretary, there will be a strong earthquake in Qingzhou in August."
Upon hearing this, the Grand Secretary immediately suppressed his smile.
The earthquake actually happened in my previous life.
The earthquake, coupled with inadequate subsequent disaster relief efforts, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.
Earthquakes are beyond human control. The only thing Gu Zhizhuo could do was to take the "thunder in broad daylight" as a sign of an earthquake and use the opportunity to inform Chief Minister Song.
Heavenly secrets must not be revealed.
The earthquake involved the lives and deaths of too many people and their karma. She could not say the exact time, nor could she say which towns would be affected.
Qingzhou, August—that was the limit of what she could say.
"You..." Chief Minister Song was skeptical. The Imperial Observatory had not reported any earthquake. To claim an earthquake in Qingzhou based solely on a daytime thunderclap was simply too far-fetched.
"I calculated it." Gu Zhizhuo made a finger-counting gesture, speaking in a profound and enigmatic manner. "I also calculated that hail will fall in the capital in seven days."
"If my prediction is correct, will you trust me?"
It will be July in seven days. How could it hail in the sweltering heat? If it does hail, it means this is not just a wild guess. Chief Minister Song nodded solemnly.
As they spoke, they escorted Chief Minister Song to the ceremonial gate. After waiting a while, the Chief Minister's wife arrived. Gu Zhizhuo curtsied and bid farewell, watching the Song family carriage depart before the two turned back.
It was time to leave, and they walked slowly hand in hand, taking the opportunity to relax. Gu Zhizhuo told them everything that had just happened.
She said she had gained a cousin.
They said the Xu family stole the child and didn't treat her well.
It is said that Ji Nanke instigated Granny Sun to do bad things.
"How could she be so wicked?"
Gu Zhizhuo said angrily, "Jiaojiao has never provoked her."
She doesn't remember a single bit of kindness from others.
"If it weren't for the Duke of Zhenguo's family raising her, she would probably be somewhere in the dark right now."
Gu Zhizhuo grew angrier as he spoke, and stomped his foot. His master said that the chosen one, ordained by Heaven, was the most beneficial to the world, and therefore, he could make the world's fortune work for him.
I wonder if Heaven has gone blind this time, what exactly did it see in her!
"Do you think she's very bad?"
"yes."
Should I have hit her?
"You have the right to hit anyone. It's because I haven't tried hard enough that you hesitated. I was wrong."
Gu Zhizhu laughed so hard he was shaking, and his ruffled hair felt incredibly comfortable being stroked.
Xie Yingchen patted her back, afraid that she would choke.
Gu Zhizhuo leaned on his hand, looked up at him, her smile intoxicating, her soft breath brushing against his neck, and Xie Yingchen's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.
His fingers brushed across her cheek, tucking stray strands of hair behind her ear.
The cool fingertips touched her cheek, and her fingertips instinctively curled slightly as she quickly straightened up.
Her gaze darted around, and she casually asked, "Young master, are you cooperating with Chief Eunuch Shen?"
Xie Yingchen chuckled softly and replied, "Yes."
Xie Yingchen didn't hide anything and told the story, smiling as he said, "When interests align, he would never stab someone in the back; he is a very reliable partner."
People say he is ruthless, has no bottom line, and is vicious and cruel.
After spending some time with him, Xie Yingchen felt that this person was not difficult to get along with.
So what if we use any means necessary?
His ruthlessness is on full display, but there are many people in this world whose ruthlessness is like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce and bite you, injecting venom into your very being.
"Yaoyao..."
"What do you mean 'yao'? Don't call me that so affectionately."
A strikingly handsome young man climbed over the railing of the covered walkway, draped his arm over Xie Yingchen's shoulder, and squeezed himself between them. Gu Yican said with a grin tinged with threat, "Young Master Xie, my third uncle has obtained a map. How about we use this map to play a game of sand table?"
"No, I'm busy." Gu Zhizhuo refused on his behalf, then added, "Gu Cancan, you've got another little sister."
ah?
Gu Zhizhuo pulled him aside and recounted the whole story again, leaving him dumbfounded and rubbing his ears.
"No wonder Third Uncle's expression was so strange at the banquet!" Gu Yican clenched his right fist and slammed it into his left palm. "I'll go check on him..."
Gu Zhizhuo grabbed him by the back of the collar: "You can't be lazy." The guests haven't all left yet.
Gu Yican pointed at Xie Yingchen: "He's slacking off too."
"Young master is a guest!"
"A guest?" Gu Yican raised an eyebrow, as if asking: You want to be a guest?
"I'll go."
Gu Yican laughed: "That's more like it."
He's a guest, after all. A son-in-law should act like one. When my father accompanied my mother back to my maternal grandparents' house, he had to please everyone, from my maternal grandparents to my nephews and nieces! He had to be proactive in doing chores, and he even built the canopy in my grandfather's yard himself.
My third uncle said that my sister was very happy about this marriage, but alas, there was nothing I could do if she wasn't happy about it.
"Let's go!" Gu Yican thought through gritted teeth, referring to his future son-in-law.
After they left, Gu Zhizhuo also returned to the inner courtyard.
After seeing all the guests off, it was already late afternoon. Gu Zhizhuo hurriedly returned to Ronghe Hall. Xie Danling, not wanting to return to the palace so early, followed behind her like a little tail. On the way, Gu Zhizhuo told her two younger sisters about what had happened. Gu Zhiwei was stunned to learn that her close cousin from childhood was actually her biological sister. She asked "Really?" several times in a row, then rushed into Ronghe Hall, pulling Gu Zhijiao around the room, jumping and laughing with joy.
Xu had clearly been crying; her eyes were red and her cheeks were still wet. She looked at her two daughters with a smile on her face.
Xie Danling nudged her with her elbow and said softly, "I think the Gu family is quite pitiful."
She held the face bag in her hands and sighed, "If I were stolen, my mother would tear the person to pieces."
Gu Zhizhuo wholeheartedly agreed. It was indeed quite tragic.
After Ji Nanke arrived, she stole the Gu family's good fortune, and things went wrong for them.
But why was I still so unlucky before?
In just a few years, first Jiao Jiao was replaced, then Lie Lie died young, then her second uncle died in battle, her mother died of illness, her grandfather died in battle, her father died in battle... If it weren't for her rebirth, A Man would have drowned, her aunt would have gone mad, the Gu family would have been exiled, and not a single member of the family would have survived.
Thirteen years ago, did the Gu family's bad luck begin?
Gu Zhizhuo's ears were ringing, and his head was throbbing, as if it were some kind of warning from the heavens.
She gently rubbed her ears, a smug glint in her eyes.
She seemed to have discovered something very interesting, and perhaps she could find out why Heaven had chosen Ji Nanke.
"Zhuo girl, your face?" The old lady stared in astonishment at her fair and flawless face, completely shocked.
The old lady never dared to ask too much about her injuries, for fear of upsetting her. She wasn't injured at all, was she?
Gu Zhizhuo touched his face and said with a smile, "It's all done."
"Then why do you wear a veil all the time?"
"nice."
Xie Danling gave her more than a hundred veils, and her mother's dowry also included several hundred.
Different styles of veils look beautiful paired with different clothes and jewelry. She took the veil out of her sleeve pocket and tied it up. The beaded flower she was wearing today was a butterfly perch, and there were two purple butterflies on the veil, as if the butterflies on the beaded flower had flown down.
"You little rascal!"
The old lady quickly caught up, and Gu Zhizhuo took off running. Before he knew it, he bumped into Gu Baibai, who had just come in.
Gu Baibai took her arm and said with a gentle smile, as was her habit, "Mother, it's getting late, we still need to go through the family genealogy."
This is a big deal.
Gu Zhizhuo took the initiative to go over and help the Grand Madam to sit down at the head of the table. He leaned close and whispered, "Aunt Ji was still alive at the time. This matter must not be known to anyone."
"Wounds take time to heal." Since the Ji family was in charge, and her grandmother was easily influenced and naive, instead of telling her not to let it slip, the whole family simply kept it a secret.
The old lady tapped her forehead, and she was no longer angry.
Granny Zhu asked someone to bring over cushions and tea. Gu Zhijiao kowtowed to the Grand Madam, Madam Xu, Gu Baibai, Gu Liaoliao and other elders, offering them tea and acknowledging their kinship.
Gu Baibai went to the Jingzhao Prefecture in person, kept a close eye on them, and ordered them to change their household registration immediately. She then rushed back to the prefecture, arriving at dusk.
The Gu family has few members and even their ancestral hall is located in the Duke's mansion. The establishment of the ancestral hall and the recording of the family genealogy are simply a matter of the Grand Madam's word.
Gu Zhijiao kowtowed to the sparsely scattered memorial tablets in the ancestral hall, lit incense, and Gu Baibai wrote the paper. In less than an incense stick's time, everything was completed.
"come over."
Gu Baibai handed him the family genealogy, which was only four pages long. Gu Zhijiao's name was written below Gu Weiwei and Xu Shi.
She was their eldest daughter.
She covered her lips to stifle her sobs.
Her only impression of her father was from the few glimpses she caught of him when he accompanied her mother to the Xu family home—his gaze was fiery and his bearing exceptionally heroic. She wished she could have grown up by his side.
Madam Xu put her arm around her shoulder and said in a hoarse voice, "Your father has been looking forward to your birth. He would be very happy to know that you are still alive."
Gu Yique and Gu Zhiwei happily circled around them.
It was already dark when we came out of the ancestral hall.
The Dowager Madam, determined to settle today's affairs today, summoned all the stewards, head maids, and servants of the household to the main hall. She sat on the grand chair at the head of the table, took Gu Zhijiao's hand, and announced to the entire household, "This is the second young lady of the household."
Gu Zhiwei and Gu Zhinan also became the third and fourth daughters.
Many people had already vaguely heard rumors during the banquet. All afternoon, various private discussions in the mansion never stopped, and the master did not stop them at all. Now, it has undoubtedly confirmed their suspicions.
From the steward, servants, and young men of the front courtyard, to the steward's wife, maids, and old women of the back courtyard, they came in one row to pay their respects.
Gu Zhijiao was a little nervous at first, but the old lady held her hand the whole time, which made her feel much more at ease.
Her grandmother was there, her mother was there, her aunts and uncles were there. Her sisters, brothers, and cousins were all there.
They were all her blood relatives.
Without Xu Ying'er, her name was no longer meant to "attract" a younger brother.
In this world, there is only Gu Zhijiao.
She was the child her father and mother had been longing to have.
"well!"
After everyone in the household had paid their respects, the Grand Madam said with a heart full of joy, "Tomorrow we'll go see your grandfather and father again."
"The addition of two more people to our household is a great joy."
The Dowager Lady was very wealthy, and in her delight, she generously rewarded everyone in the household with three months' worth of monthly allowances, plus two extra one-tael silver ingots for each person.
Now, the whole household was overjoyed, even happier than during the New Year.
"Let's set off fireworks."
Gu Zhizhu clapped his hands and said, "I remember there are still some fireworks and firecrackers in the storeroom. Take them out and let's set them all off."
The children's eyes lit up at the mention of fireworks.
The servants carried the leftover fireworks and firecrackers from the New Year celebrations to the doorway.
The crackling of firecrackers echoed through the main street where the Zhenguo Mansion was located, and the dazzling fireworks illuminated half of the capital city as bright as the first light of dawn.
Such a grand display meant that within a single day, every prominent family in the capital knew about it.
The Gu family gained a second daughter.
She was stolen by her maternal uncle's family when she was a child, but she has returned now.
The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion made no ambiguity and clearly announced Gu Zhijiao's identity.
That night, Gu Zhijiao dared not sleep, fearing that when she opened her eyes she would find it was all a dream and she had turned back into Xu Ying'er. She had originally intended to stay awake until dawn, but unexpectedly, smelling the sachet her older sister had given her, she drifted off to sleep.
Upon waking, the servants all greeted her with smiles, calling her "Second Miss," and Gu Zhijiao's anxiety completely vanished.
After breakfast, except for Madam Lu, who was still in confinement after childbirth, and Xu Ge'er, the whole family went to the ancestral graves early. Gu Zhijiao kowtowed and offered incense to each of them. Madam Xu had the tombstone that was originally erected for Gu Zhijiao removed, but the infant's remains underneath were not moved. She and her mother-in-law had discussed it and decided to include the child as a member of the Gu family, change the tombstone, and register it under her and her husband's names.
The old lady chatted with the grandfather for a while, telling him that he had gained another granddaughter and a grandson.
"Third Uncle, my sister and I will go ahead first," Gu Yican whispered. "I plan to go with my sister to check out the secret passage on the map. Third Uncle, if it's feasible, we can gradually transfer troops from the northern frontier to the capital. Three thousand Qianji Battalion soldiers are still too few. If something happens, they won't be able to protect our entire household. Today we are leaving the capital openly and legitimately, and the timing is perfect."
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