Chapter 198 [VIP]
"Young master, what brings you here?"
Gu Zhizhuo said cheerfully.
Xie Yingchen helped her up and looked her up and down.
Her bright face shone with radiance, her hair was loose and tied into a braid, the beaded flowers on the braid were tied firmly, and not a single strand of hair was out of place.
This makes it seem like he didn't sleep at all.
It's almost dawn, aren't you going to sleep?
Ah! Gu Zhizhu shrank back guiltily. Her body had barely recovered to about 60 or 70 percent. Her master had told her to take good care of herself, and she had taken it very seriously.
Gu Zhizhuo glanced at the sky, then immediately became self-righteous and said before he could finish, "Young Master, it's already past midnight, and you're still not resting! Running around everywhere."
Is this a case of the guilty party accusing the innocent first? Xie Yingchen glared at her.
Gu Zhizhuo's pinky finger hooked around the jade pendant at his waist, circling and circling, melting his heart.
Xie Yingchen grasped her mischievous hand; his palm was burning hot, yet the force was as gentle as catching a snowflake.
As they looked down, their breaths mingled: "What are you doing?"
"Fortune telling. One wrong move and it's too late." Gu Zhizhuo noticed what he was holding. "Young master, what is this?"
"Umbrella for Ten Thousand People"
There were many strips of cloth hanging under the umbrella, which were quite difficult to gather up. When unfolded, they resembled a canopy with tassels hanging down. Xie Yingchen held them with both hands, shielding them above her head.
Xie Yingchen said to her, "Chief Supervisor Shen asked Qin Chen to bring it back from Qingzhou."
Shen Xu was indeed very thoughtful.
Knowing that Yaoyao needed merit to nourish her soul, he even obtained the Umbrella of Ten Thousand People for her.
"When will Lord Shen return? The cat misses him."
Shenmao runs out early every morning, and when she comes back at noon, she sits on the windowsill, looking out sullenly.
"It will be a few more days."
Xie Yingchen said, gesturing for her to take two steps back.
Gu Zhizhuo looked up as instructed and immediately saw a line of words embroidered in gold thread at the very top of the umbrella's front—
May Miss Gu live a long and healthy life, free from illness and worry.
Gu Zhizhuo smiled. She reached out and gently stroked each word, as if it were some rare treasure.
Hmm.
Gu Zhizhuo was slightly taken aback, and a faint warmth flowed from her fingers into her limbs and internal organs.
Her master once said that she was able to survive a near-death experience because countless people sincerely prayed for her.
Just like the prayers on this umbrella for all people.
"Young master, I like it very much."
Gu Zhizhuo looked at each name on the list, a smile curving his lips and two shallow dimples appearing on his cheeks.
Xie Yingchen stood beside her, holding the umbrella of ten thousand people, and looked up at the sky.
Before dawn, the sky was cloudless, and among countless stars, Xie Yingchen accurately located the companion star.
Its radiance shone even brighter.
Xie Yingchen took her hand with satisfaction, but in less than two breaths, the little ungrateful girl shook him off and crawled under the canopy.
She carefully examined the names on the strip of cloth, not finding it tedious at all. Suddenly, she stopped, holding a small grasshopper woven from straw, looking on with suspicion.
"Huh, what's this?"
Hmm, it's a bit ugly.
"I made it up."
After three days of editing, I finally have one that's passable.
"So cute!"
Xie Yingchen: "..."
That expression clearly shows she's trying to coax him!
She's so skilled at coaxing people; I wonder how many times she's done it before.
Gu Zhizhuo chuckled, clutching his sleeve, and quickly changed the subject, pulling over a royal blue strip of cloth to show him: "This is from Wujiang Prefecture. Zhang Zinan and Kong Xiulan... I met them when I was in Yihe County. Young master, have I ever told you about Yihe County? This Zhang Zinan instigated the refugees to cause trouble, and I beat him down..."
Actually, she mentioned it as soon as she came back.
However, Xie Yingchen listened with a smile, gently lifting the tassels that hung down for her, and occasionally adding a word or two in response.
Gu Zhizhuo, not minding the fatigue at all, pointed to another name and said, "And him too. I thought the child was more seriously ill and we didn't have enough medicine, so I took care of the child first. As a result, he was fine the day before and could even fight, but after one night he was lying down and almost dying. His illness came on more fiercely than the children's! I'm amazing, I saved him."
"Huh, where is this from? So many names and handprints." They're densely packed, with no gaps at all.
"Dongyang County".
oh oh.
Gu Zhizhuo's eyes flickered slightly. In his previous life, Xie Jing had taken on the task of earthquake relief and took Ji Nanke to Dongyang County.
Later, nine out of ten houses were empty.
"When Jiang Yan arrived in Dongyang County, the epidemic was raging. People were dying and there was no time to bury them; they were all piled up in the streets. Jiang Yan temporarily dispatched an extra batch of medicine to fight against death." Jiang Yan was one of the people he sent to Qingzhou.
Xie Yingchen and she examined all the hundreds of strips of cloth together. The light of dawn shone down, reflecting on the colorful umbrellas of the people, giving them a faint glow.
The two of them didn't sleep all night, and Gu Zhizhuo had breakfast prepared in the flower hall.
Xie Yingchen ate his porridge while looking at her with a smile in his eyes, even the plain porridge tasted sweet in his mouth.
Gu Zhizhuo: ?
"I'm thinking."
"What?"
"After we get married," Xie Yingchen said gently, "we can be just like we are now."
I can see her as soon as I open my eyes.
Her presence had long since seeped into his very being, becoming one with him in spirit and essence.
Gu Zhizhuo's earlobes turned a rare red, and her breathing became slightly erratic. She discreetly picked up a shrimp dumpling with her chopsticks and gave it to him: "Young Master, you absolutely mustn't stay up late tonight. You have to go to sleep by the first watch!"
Xie Yingchen responded politely and took a bite with her chopsticks.
"Yaoyao, come with me to Taiqing Temple in a little while."
Gu Zhizhuo raised an eyebrow at him.
"Imperial Preceptor, Senior Brother is the most suitable."
Xie Yingchen has been reviewing the ordination certificates of several Daoist masters presented by the Daoist Register Office over the past few days.
In terms of Taoist magic, Qingping is in no way inferior to others, and most importantly, he knows everything about them.
Putting aside the fact that he is Yaoyao's senior brother, Qingping is pure of heart, has no ambition and doesn't value power. His greatest hobby is saving money, yet he's surprisingly bad at it. There's absolutely no need to worry that he might do something rash. Otherwise, if another person like Changfeng were to emerge, Daqi wouldn't be able to withstand another upheaval.
"OK."
Gu Zhizhu clapped his hands happily: "Senior brother will definitely cry with joy. Young master, does the Imperial Preceptor receive a salary?"
"...Yes, with an annual salary of 1050 shi, equivalent to a first-rank official."
That's great! She couldn't wait to tell Qingping the good news, so she went straight out of the city to Taiqing Temple after finishing her breakfast.
Xie Yingchen first personally inquired about Wuweizi's intentions.
As Wuweizi ate the phoenix pastry that Gu Zhizhuo had personally made to honor him, he said to Qingping, "When you left the temple to enter the world, I cast a divination for you. This journey is like taking chestnuts out of the fire, going into danger. If you succeed, you will gain opportunities; if you fail, your life or death is uncertain."
Qingping was startled; his master hadn't told him this before. However, entering the world to cultivate the Dao was both a test and an opportunity for them, and even if his master knew there was danger, he couldn't reveal the secrets of heaven.
"Grand Preceptor, this is your opportunity to enter the world."
"In the future, you should be a pillar, supporting the destiny of the Great Qi Kingdom, just like the True Man of Yuncheng. You must not slack off in anything."
Qingping suppressed his smile and bowed deeply in agreement.
"I understand, disciple."
Xie Yingchen held Gu Zhizhuo's hand, and after Wuweizi's admonition, he told her that Qingzhou had sent the "Umbrella of Ten Thousand People." Wuweizi took her pulse, calculated with his fingers, and said with a smile, "It's a good thing. Zhuo'er's soul needs the nourishment of merit."
As Wuweizi spoke, he gave Gu Zhizhu a lucky bag.
"Open this when you are ready to set the date; it will be the auspicious day that your master has divined for you..."
Gu Zhizhuo turned his back and secretly tore open a corner to peek inside.
*Smack.* The whisk slapped her on the head.
"I said I'd wait until the appointed time to see it." Wuweizi snatched it back from her hand and handed it to Xie Yingchen. "You keep it, don't give it to her."
Then she threatened him, saying, "Leaking the secrets of fate will affect your marital fortune."
"Yes." Xie Yingchen immediately hid it. "I absolutely won't give it to her."
Gu Zhizhuo: "..."
"You should return to the capital as soon as possible."
Xie Yingchen took Qingping back to the capital with him. That same day, he issued an imperial edict, bestowing upon Qingping the title of Grand Preceptor of the Great Qi Dynasty, and ordering the Ministry of Works to repair the Grand Preceptor's residence in the capital.
After the passing of the Cloud City Immortal, the Great Qi Dynasty finally had a new Imperial Advisor after eight years.
He was also the third Grand Preceptor of the Great Qi Dynasty.
Qingping was smug and arrogant all day long. He was overjoyed by all kinds of flattery and received so many gifts that he was overwhelmed with gratitude. After playing with them all all night, he handed them over to Bixia Yuanjun Hall to be used to house the abandoned girl.
As the Imperial Preceptor, Qingping is required to preside over the blessing ceremony on the fifteenth of October.
He made a special trip to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to instruct the Ministry of Rites on the arrangement of the ceremony, and then cast several divinations. After finishing, he turned around and approached Gu Zhizhuo.
"Junior sister," Qingping whispered, "I think my calculations are a bit off."
No matter how he calculated it, there was only one hexagram—
A mirage.
He shook his head and sighed, "This divination is inauspicious."
At first, Qingping thought about changing the date, but then there weren't any good dates available.
"Junior sister, why don't you persuade Ah Chen to just stop praying for blessings?"
Qingping flicked his whisk, draped it over his arm, and said, “Praying for blessings is about seeking good fortune. Since we can’t get any blessings, we might as well not pray for them at all, lest we be caught in the unpredictable cycle of good and bad luck.”
"Senior brother," Gu Zhizhuo poured him a cup of tea, "what divination did you perform?"
"The Emperor's Sign under the Nine Purple Fire Luck".
Knock knock.
There was a knock on the closed door of the private room.
Gu Zhizhuo gestured for Qingmei to open the door, followed by a female voice with a foreign accent: "Miss Gu?"
Standing at the door were Princess Jiaye of Xiliang and Xie Jing, whose expression was slightly awkward.
"It really was you."
Jia Ye entered with a riding whip in hand, showing no signs of shyness. Her deep brown eyes lingered on Qing Ping for a moment longer: "This must be, the Imperial Preceptor?"
"This humble Taoist priest is peaceful and content."
Qingping bowed in greeting and then sat down again.
Xie Jing looked back and forth between Gu Zhizhuo and Qingping. Qingping used to help him all the time, but he didn't know when it started, but without realizing it, Qingping had become closer to Gu Zhizhuo and the others.
Jia Ye said with a smile, "We went horseback riding and just got back to the capital. We invited Brother Wang to have dinner here. I recognized you at a glance from downstairs."
Gu Zhizhuo sat in a private booth facing the street, with the window half open.
“Miss Gu, I said I would toast you three times last time, but I only drank one. This is a good opportunity to make up for it.”
Jia Ye's official language lacks sophistication and experience, and a single sentence may contain some sarcastic remarks.
Gu Zhizhuo didn't order any wine, but drank tea with Qingping. Jiaye asked the waiter for a pot of wine and offered two cups to him. Gu Zhizhuo, seemingly lost in thought, simply drank two cups in return.
Jia Ye smiled and said, "The wine from the Central Plains is still a bit too mellow. I brought some horse wine with me this time. It tastes sweet. I'll have someone send a few jars to Miss Gu later. You should also try our grassland wine."
Gu Zhizhuo responded with a "good" and clapped his hands in praise: "I have always heard that women from the grasslands are bold and straightforward, and meeting the princess confirms it."
Jia Ye tightened her grip on the riding whip slightly, and smiled nonchalantly, "Miss Gu speaks such eloquently in Liang language, have you ever been to Liang Kingdom before?"
"I went there in my past life."
Huh? Jia Ye paused, of course she didn't believe it. She casually laughed and said, "You think I'll believe you just because you say that?"
Gu Zhizhuo said, seemingly genuinely, "Not only did I go there in my past life, but I also drank wine with Chief Naguya'er, which was also horse wine. I heard that Chief Naguya'er was married off to the Yu tribe by her father and brothers for the price of ten sheep in her early years, and in less than ten years, she became the leader of the Yu tribe. It is truly admirable."
As a princess of Liang, Jiaye was no stranger to Naguyaer.
Her marriage was merely a transaction; the remaining tribes had a barbaric custom of killing daughters, and the tribe had always had more men than women, with brothers sharing wives. Naguya'er didn't even have noble blood; she was just a shepherdess from the grasslands.
This shepherdess, after being "married off" to the Yu tribe, became their leader at the age of twenty-five, making those barbaric men bow down at her feet.
This matter is not a secret, but what did Miss Gu mean by saying that?
Did she realize his intention to get close to her?
While she was pondering, Gu Zhizhuo handed her another glass of wine, the amber liquid reflecting her deep brown pupils.
"Please." Gu Zhizhu raised his hand. "This cup is for the princess, to congratulate her on her marriage."
Jia Ye smiled broadly: "His Highness the Third Prince said that the Crown Prince is his cousin. According to the customs of Daqi, Miss Gu and I will be considered sisters-in-law in the future."
She drank another glass.
As she raised her sleeves, her braids swayed gently before falling back down onto her shoulders.
Xie Jing was unhappy to hear that she was about to marry Xie Yingchen. After finishing his drink, he said, "Jiaye, your brother must be getting impatient."
Jia Ye didn't refuse him and said goodbye to Gu Zhizhuo.
Xie Jing hesitated for a moment, then turned around and asked, "Master Qingping, you once said that Ke'er was a woman blessed with a destiny, but now..."
Qingping raised his whisk, interrupting him.
Qingping did not lie, but stated the truth: "His destiny has come to an end."
Ji Nanke, who was waiting for him outside, looked gloomy when he heard these words.
She did find that her luck was not as good as before; in fact, it had become quite bad.
Just now, when she went horseback riding with Xie Jing, she fell off her horse, and a stone hit her calf, almost making her unable to walk. For some reason, she remembered three years ago when she went hunting with some noble ladies, her horse was startled and she fell, but somehow the Fang family girl's horse suddenly appeared in front of hers.
The two horses collided, and she fell onto the Fang family girl, who broke a bone in the same spot.
besides……
"Ke'er, let's go."
Xie Jing interrupted her thoughts, and Ji Nanke followed him closely.
They didn't go far, but instead went into another private room that was three rooms away from this one.
As I pushed open the door, a sharp, angular gaze fell directly upon me.
“Brother Wang,” Jia Ye said sweetly, “we saw Miss Gu when we came up and went over to say hello.”
She sat down in the round-backed chair and placed the riding whip on the eight-immortal table.
"Your Highness, the wedding day is just around the corner. Have you made up your mind?"
This third prince is utterly indecisive, hesitant, and indecisive. Duoleng doesn't want to have worked for nothing.
The Emperor of Daqi is currently trapped in the palace, and apart from the day of the palace banquet, he can't even see anyone. The only way to get cooperation is through this foolish prince.
"Me." Xie Jing hesitated for a moment.
He was about to say something was wrong, but Duke Chengen preemptively said to Duoleng, "Don't worry."
"There will be absolutely no mishaps in this matter," the Duke of Chengen said with a fawning smile. "Your Highness is your brother-in-law, we're family."
Duo Leng smiled noncommittally.
He picked up a jar of wine and poured it into the large bowl in front of him.
He pulled out a knife and cut his wrist; the dripping blood spread out in ripples in the clear wine.
"Consider it a blood oath."
He pushed the large bowl in front of Xie Jing.
The dagger was also thrown over with a thud.
The Duke of Cheng'en urged, "Your Highness, hurry!"
Xie Jing clenched his fist.
To cooperate with barbarians is like asking a tiger for its skin.
He recalled the mocking and disdainful look that Gu Zhizhuo always gave him.
He suddenly stood up, his face dark, and slammed the door shut as he left.
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