Chapter 25 Chapter 25

Jiang Jinghui didn't seem to notice Gu Huaisheng's abnormality. Her eyes were still on the two of them. She said, "They seemed to be talking happily. I think that young master must be a good person, otherwise he wouldn't have made my sister so happy the first time they met."

"These days, Jingchun has not had a smile on her face." Jiang Jinghui said, then looked at Gu Huaisheng and asked him, "Cousin, do you think she is like this because I'm back? Will she blame me for taking her place?"

Her voice sounded somewhat sad.

But these words were implicitly implying that Jiang Jingchun was petty and narrow-minded.

Gu Huaisheng finally retracted his gaze and looked at Jiang Jinghui beside him. Through the rain, her face was somewhat similar to Jiang Jingchun.

He seemed to be sizing her up, and was silent for a moment before looking away and saying, "She's not that kind of person."

Jiang Jinghui chuckled, but the smile in her eyes faded a little.

Isn't she such a person? Everyone will protect her.

After a while, Gu Huaisheng asked her again, "Jiang Runchu asked me to come over. Was it your idea?"

Jiang Jinghui looked innocent again, "What do you mean by that, cousin? I didn't know it was you before I came. He told me to wait for the gentleman at the door, and then I knew it was you."

Gu Huaisheng looked at her without saying anything.

After a moment, he suddenly asked her, "Did those families teach you these things in the past?"

The sound of heavy rain was heard, and Gu Huai's cold, emotionless voice reached Jiang Jinghui's ears.

When Jiang Jinghui heard what Gu Huaisheng said, she was stunned and didn't react. Her thoughts seemed to have flown away somewhere else.

She didn't know what she was thinking about, and the smile in her eyes faded completely.

After a long time, she finally came out of her memories, looked at Gu Huaisheng and said, "My cousin seems to be very hostile to me. They made me read books and write, so what? Now I can't understand the obscure ancient words, so I want to ask my cousin for help. What is my cousin thinking? I don't think I have ever offended my cousin. Last time at the banquet, I saw my cousin smiling very intimately. It seems that I misunderstood."

The implication is, if you dislike her so much, why do something that may cause misunderstanding?

Hearing the sarcasm in Jiang Jinghui's words, Gu Huaisheng did not evade the question. He said, "Last time it was also because of Jiang Runchu."

"The face is on your cousin's own body." Jiang Jinghui said sarcastically with a smile.

He doesn't laugh, and no one can force him to laugh.

Gu Huaisheng looked at her with a somewhat harsh look, and his narrow eyes showed a hint of hostility.

Jiang Jinghui looked at his gaze and realized that she couldn't continue to argue. What good would it do her to argue with Gu Huaisheng? She quickly calmed down her emotions, but when she wanted to speak again, she saw Gu Huaisheng walking towards the waterside pavilion.

When Jiang Jinghui saw his action, she immediately concluded that he was not as ruthless to Jiang Jingchun as the rumors said. Her face returned to normal and she followed him as if nothing had happened just now.

She followed behind Gu Huaisheng and asked, "Why did my cousin go there?"

Gu Huaisheng ignored her words and didn't even pause for a moment as he strode towards the waterside pavilion.

Seeing that he didn't reply, Jiang Jinghui sneered and followed him.

The atmosphere in the waterside pavilion was much better than the tense situation outside. The two people were chatting happily and didn't even realize that someone else had entered this place.

Gu Huaisheng put away his umbrella and walked into the pavilion. The two people sitting opposite each other were talking. He didn't know what Fang Zhiping was talking about, but he saw that Jiang Jingchun had a smile in her eyes.

The atmosphere between the two was harmonious, until... Gu Huaisheng and the other person stepped into this place.

Jiang Jingchun heard the noise and looked towards the person who came. Seeing that it was Gu Huaisheng, the smile in her eyes disappeared instantly. Fang Zhiping on the opposite side noticed the change in her mood, turned around and looked behind her, and found that there were two people standing behind her out of nowhere.

His gaze fell on the handsome man, with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

He had the honor of meeting Gu Huaisheng once before, but if the man in front of him was not him, then who could it be? The man whom he could only admire from afar suddenly appeared in front of him. Fang Zhiping was unable to react for a moment and did not know how to react.

How did he suddenly appear here?

Today is not a weekend, and this is not the Jiang family, nor the Gu family.

It was Gu Huaisheng who spoke first to break the strange atmosphere. He said casually, "I was heading towards the main hall when it suddenly started to rain heavily. I came to the waterside pavilion to take shelter."

His eyes were always on Jiang Jingchun, but she didn't seem to want to look at him.

Gu Huaisheng watched her smile and then stop smiling. When she saw him, her face fell in an instant. His face, which was originally calm and composed, tensed up a little. He stopped looking at Jiang Jingchun and turned to look at Fang Zhiping. The sharp cold light in his eyes could not be ignored. He asked him, "Who are you?"

Fang Zhiping didn't know what Gu Huaisheng meant by this question, but he answered him anyway, "Hello, young marquis. My surname is Fang and my name is Zhiping. Today, I came with my mother to visit Madam Jiang. My mother is chatting with Madam Jiang inside, and I was out for a stroll with Miss Jiang. We encountered heavy rain on the way, so we came to the waterside pavilion to take shelter from the rain. We were bored waiting for the rain, so we chatted to kill time."

Gu Huai's voice was very imposing, and it was obvious that he just glanced at him and asked such a simple two words, but Fang Zhiping still couldn't help but tell him everything at once.

Fang Zhiping knew that Jiang Jingchun liked Gu Huaisheng in the past, but looking at her reaction now, she didn't seem to have any feelings for him. He also couldn't figure out why Gu Huaisheng suddenly appeared here, maybe it was just a coincidence?

Although he was not very clear about how the two of them got along with each other, he could now clearly sense that something was wrong in the atmosphere.

Gu Huaisheng and Jiang Jinghui's appearance was obviously a bit inappropriate. The two were chatting happily when they were interrupted by the sudden appearance of these two people. The atmosphere here froze a little, and it was no longer as relaxed as when there were only two of them.

After Fang Zhiping replied, the place fell into dead silence, without a sound.

But since they were already here, they couldn't just keep staying in this stalemate. Seeing that no one was talking, Fang Zhiping could only stand up respectfully and greet the two people to sit down.

After sitting down, Fang Zhiping asked the question in his mind, "Didn't the young marquis go on duty today?"

Gu Huai replied calmly: "The emperor approved a month's leave."

A few days ago, after delivering the evidence of Wang Shun's crime to Emperor Taihe, a few days later, a document came from the inner cabinet, saying that he handled the Tianlutai case well, and as a reward, he was given a month's leave. But for Gu Huaisheng in his current situation, it was hard to say whether it was a good thing or a bad thing to have a month of leisure at home while the affairs of the Censorate were handed over to someone else.

This memorial approving leave was submitted by Wang Shun, which shows that he was just rewarding in public and punishing in private, just to avenge the fact that Gu Huaisheng had slandered him.

Fang Zhiping was also a little surprised when he heard what Gu Huaisheng said. He was on the rise, so why would he be granted a month's leave? The court was in turmoil, the political situation was changing rapidly, and there were so many people in the Censorate who were jealous of his position. How could he dare to stay at home for a month?

Although he had not yet entered the court as an official, he was not completely ignorant of these matters.

Could it be that Gu Huaisheng had committed some crime and was punished?

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice Jiang Jinghui speaking.

"I heard you guys laughing from not far away. What are you talking about? You look so happy."

Jiang Jinghui looked at Jiang Jingchun and asked, with a kind look in her eyes like an elder sister.

In just a few days, Jiang Jinghui had completely adapted to the life in the Jiang family, and she already looked like a proper young lady.

In contrast, Jiang Jingchun has become increasingly taciturn and speaks less and less to others.

Jiang Jingchun responded to Jiang Jinghui's words. She said, "Nothing was said. It's just that Mr. Fang mentioned something interesting."

Fang Zhiping is a humorous person. He has the demeanor of a gentleman but is not too rigid. He can also find the right measure to say something funny. Jiang Jingchun was quite satisfied with him when she met him for the first time.

It was at this moment that she really felt that getting married would be a good idea. Fang Zhiping seemed like a good match, and if nothing else, at least getting married would be good.

When people are eager to jump out of the fire pit, they are very likely to be blinded by other things.

At least, Jiang Jingchun now feels that everything is fine, and even if there is something wrong, she will subconsciously ignore it. Although Fang Zhiping's behavior may seem like glib talk to please her in the eyes of others, in Jiang Jingchun's eyes, it is also humorous.

It is obvious that Gu Huaisheng doesn't like Fang Zhiping very much.

He thought, who could make a little girl laugh out loud the first time they met, what kind of good person could he be?

He also thought that Jiang Jingchun was too easy to deceive. It was obvious that she was not a good person, but she seemed to like him quite a lot.

Gu Huaisheng looked at Fang Zhiping, and asked curiously, "Really? I'm a little curious about what joke you are telling. It's so funny."

Fang Zhiping was not so stupid as to think that Gu Huaisheng was really interested in his amusing words. He seemed to be hostile to him, and Fang Zhiping could feel it. So when these hostile words came out of his mouth, he unconsciously felt a little embarrassed.

Fang Zhiping did not dare to offend Gu Huaisheng. When he was hesitating about how to respond, Jiang Jingchun suddenly stood up.

"What does he say have to do with the young marquis? He said it to me, not to you."

There was a hint of coldness in her eyes as she looked at him. At this moment, she didn't even call him "cousin", but just called him "young marquis" in a distant tone.

Everyone present was stunned for a moment by Jiang Jingchun's harsh words. Gu Huaisheng looked at Jiang Jingchun, the smile on his lips faded, and only his eyebrows were slightly wrinkled.

He was wondering, did he just say something very aggressive?

He just said that one sentence, and she protected him like this.

It seemed that she really wanted to cut off her relationship with him. Last time, she said that she was not his cousin and that she had nothing to do with him. It was not just a joke. She was telling him with her words and actions that she really didn't want to recognize him anymore.

Jiang Jingchun didn't care how Gu Huaisheng looked at her. She looked up at the quick and short rain outside and saw that it had stopped at some point. She said to Fang Zhiping, "The rain has almost stopped, Mr. Fang, let's go."

As soon as he comes, she will leave.

"It bothers me so much."

At this moment, the three words "young marquis" stabbed his chest and made it hurt a little. Seeing her actions, he didn't react for a while and the mocking words came out of his mouth.

Jiang Jingchun really stopped in his tracks.

How could this person be so weird?

It's so inexplicable that it's unreasonable.

Wasn't he the one who pushed her away first? Wasn't he always impatient with her? Now that everything is going as he wished, he is not satisfied?

Jiang Jingchun even wanted to turn around and question him, or even scold him, but in the end he just paused for a moment.

She thought of Fang Zhiping who was still beside her, and finally did not turn around to question him.

She didn't really want him to know about her past, as she was afraid he would mind.

So, in the end, she just cursed him in her heart, and left without saying anything else, without looking back.

When Fang Zhiping saw Jiang Jingchun leaving, he saw no reason to stay here any longer, so he said goodbye to the two of them in a hurry and followed them.

The backs of the two men gradually disappeared. Recalling what happened when they came just now, Jiang Jinghui saw Gu Huaisheng staggering, and she couldn't help feeling gratified and found it funny.

"Cousin, you are so capable. I have never seen my sister sneer at anyone like this."

Gu Huaisheng heard the hidden meaning in Jiang Jinghui's words, and his expression looked even colder and more tense than before. He said nothing, turned around and walked out of the waterside pavilion, ready to go home.

"Cousin, didn't you just say you were going to see grandma? Why are you in such a hurry to leave?" She shouted at Gu Huaisheng's back with a caring look.

Gu Huaisheng naturally ignored her until his figure disappeared. The caring look on Jiang Jinghui's face also disappeared. She just stared at his gradually receding back with an expressionless face.

Originally, he wanted to use Jiang Runchu to trick Gu Huaisheng here today, but he ended up leaving in the back garden.

However, seeing the way they looked today, she was certain that something must have happened between Jiang Jingchun and Gu Huaisheng, and that Gu Huaisheng treated Jiang Jingchun in an absolutely special way.

She just said a few words to Fang Zhiping, and he was jealous to death.

That's really interesting.

*

On the way back in the carriage, Gu Huai called Shu Liang.

He asked, "Last time I asked you to investigate Jiang Jinghui's case, have you found anything?"

After speaking to her again today, he was even more certain that Jiang Jinghui was not who she appeared to be.

She said that she was abducted and made a child bride, but which child bride would be like her? She knew a lot, and seemed to know a lot. She looked kind, but she was full of venom and three out of five sentences were full of weirdness.

Shuliang replied, and he shook his head and said, "We have sent people to visit her former home, but there is nothing strange."

"Nothing strange?" Gu Huaisheng was obviously unconvinced.

Shu Liang said: "Yes, I have asked them to check it carefully, but they really can't find anything strange. Sir, maybe you are overthinking it..."

The carriage fell into silence for a moment, with only the sound of the carriage moving slowly and the wheels rolling on the gravel road.

Is he overthinking it?

No, he would not doubt his instincts.

Besides, the few words she said today were full of flaws.

But since Shuliang couldn't find anything, it meant that she had already concealed the suspicious information. It would be futile to look for it again.

Gu Huaisheng stopped talking about Jiang Jinghui and talked about another matter. He said, "Let's also check the family that came to Jiang's house today."

Shu Liang was a little surprised, "What happened to them, sir?"

"Just check it out." Gu Huaisheng felt a headache when he thought about what had just happened in the waterside pavilion.

Fang Zhiping looks like a decent and upright gentleman.

But getting married is a lifelong matter. If you don't know the whole story, you just want to get married. Who knows if the other side is a dragon's den or a tiger's den? Gu Huaisheng couldn't understand what she was thinking. How could she so easily want to entrust her life to him?

She didn't care about these things, and neither did the Jiang family. As her cousin, he had to help her figure out whether that person was a god or a ghost, otherwise she might be deceived by someone...

Isn't that too pitiful?

Gu Huaisheng found an excuse that he couldn't refuse. He didn't care at all that Jiang Jingchun had already stopped recognizing him as her cousin. He thought, after all, she had called him her cousin for so many years, and even if she didn't want to talk to him anymore, he couldn't just sit back and watch her get married.