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“I heard that biaoge will soon get engaged to my er jiejie. At that time, I will have to call you second brother-in-law.”
Gu Yue’s tone was very cold and indifferent, but if one listened carefully, there was a sour taste and a resentful flavour to her words.
Xie Xian looked deeply hurt and broken-hearted. “Biaomei, don’t you know my intentions? It was not my wish to marry Gu Jiu. If possible, I can’t wait to reject this marriage immediately.”
Gu Yue snorted coldly. “What nonsense are you saying? If you reject this marriage, who will er jiejie marry?”
“But I can’t bear to part with biaomei. Recently, I haven’t been able to eat or drink well; even while reading, I think about biaomei.”
Xie Xian appeared passionate and sincere, filled with deep love.
Gu Yue’s cheeks reddened. She feigned anger, saying coquettishly, “What nonsense is biaoge saying? What can we do if someone overhears?”
“Yue’er, do you miss me? I miss you so much! You don’t know how much my heart hurts because I can’t marry you.”
Gu Jiu’s mouth twitched as she laughed silently. Xie Xian’s love-filled words were indeed worthy of a veteran brothel-goer.
Where was a little girl like Gu Yue Xie Xian’s opponent? She had fallen into the pit in a matter of minutes.
“Aiya! Why is biaoge saying this? You are going to marry my er jiejie. What do you want me to do at this time?”
Gu Yue stomped her foot, feeling a little shy, a little ashamed and a little resentful. That expression was extremely complicated.
Xie Xian simply hugged her.
Gu Yue was startled, but she was immediately delighted. Pretending to push and reject him, she said angrily, “Biaoge, quickly let go of me!”
Xie Xian, who was acting impassioned and hard-pressed by his love, clung to her tightly. “No, I won’t let go. I won’t let go in this lifetime. Marrying Gu Jiu is simply a matter of convenience. Biaomei, wait for me, alright? Two years later, wait for Gu Jiu to… I will immediately come and marry you, okay?”
Gu Yue leaned into Xie Xian’s embrace, appearing half-willing and half-unwilling.
She bit her lip, her cheeks flushed. “Will biaoge really marry me?”
“I swear, I will definitely marry Yue’er. If I break my oath, may the heavens strike me with lightning, not letting me die well.”
“Don’t…!” Gu Yue stretched her hand, covering Xie Xian’s lips. “I believe biaoge.”
Xie Xian appeared pleasantly surprised, as if he had obtained a priceless treasure that was worthy of being cherished all his life.
He held Gu Yue’s hand and kissed it presumptuously.
Gu Yue was flustered. “Biaoge, don’t be like this.”
But in her heart, she hoped that biaoge could be more forward and aggressive.
Going against her upbringing and acting in a way which didn’t conform to her identity and status let Gu Yue experience a strange sense of excitement and shame. She felt hot all over and her body seemed to soften; she felt extremely bashful.
Xie Xian stared at her unabashedly. “Biaomei, you are so beautiful.”
Gu Yue looked at him coldly and, at the critical juncture, stopped him and pushed him away. “I should return. Biaoge, you should remember what you said today.”
“Biaomei, don’t go.”
Gu Yue ran away as if she were fleeing from someone. She was panicked and scared, afraid that she would lose control and make a mistake.
Xie Xian chased after her.
The two people quickly disappeared from the bamboo forest.
Hu!
Qing Mei gasped. She had almost suffocated to death.
While listening to third young lady and Xie gongzi’s private conversation, she hadn’t dared to say anything, afraid that they would be discovered.
“Guniang, what should we do?”
Gu Jiu smiled. “It is inappropriate to speak out about this matter.”
It was indeed beyond her expectations that Gu Yue would be having a tryst with Xie Xian.
Gu Yue, this girl, probably truly felt affection for him, but the depth of her feelings was unknown.
As for Xie Xian, his was clearly a case of a wolf’s ambition.
On the one hand, he wanted to marry Gu Jiu and obtain her dowry for free. On the other hand, he also flirted with Gu Yue.
What were the Xie jia‘s father and son actually planning?
Could it be that Xie Xian really wanted to marry Gu Yue?
How could Xie shi agree to that? Gu daren was even more unlikely to agree to that marriage.
Xie shi would absolutely not marry her treasured daughter to Xie Xian.
But if Xie Xian had a way to make it so that the rice was already cooked, even if Xie shi agreed to the marriage, she could only pinch her nose and acknowledge the relationship.
Xie Xian marrying Gu Yue was a very profitable transaction. As long as he married her, climbing the ladder of success and obtaining glory, wealth and status were all possible.
Gu Yue was Xie shi’s darling daughter.
If Gu Yue married Xie Xian, even if Xie shi looked down on Xie Xian, for Gu Yue’s sake, Xie shi would likely do her best and go all out, investing Gu jia‘s resources in Xie Xian.
Xie Xian was not learned couldn’t enter the officialdom through the imperial examination. He could only rely on recommendation to walk the path of an official.
With Gu jia‘s backing and using Gu jia‘s connections, even if he was a block of wood, he could still muddle through being an official.
Besides, Xie Xian wasn’t a block of wood. He was very thorough and meticulous.
With Gu jia‘s assistance and resources, it was simply a matter of time before Xie Xian flew high and prospered.
Xie jia‘s father and son truly had good schemes.
Gu Jiu raised her brows, laughing. If Xie shi came to know about this Xie jia‘s father and son scheming against her daughter who was yet to leave the boudoir, she wondered if that pair of brother and sister would fall out.
She supposed it would be a case of dog biting dog, each getting a mouthful of fur.
Gu Jiu walked out of the bamboo forest and arrived at the place of Gu Yue and Xie Xian’s rendezvous.
Sure enough, there was a handkerchief lying on a flowering shrub.
“Guniang, this is san guniang‘s handkerchief.”
Qing Mei picked up the yellow-coloured handkerchief on which the character ‘Yue’ was embroidered.
Gu Jiu took the handkerchief and said, “You mustn’t say anything about the matter of taking this handkerchief. We must leave here quickly. When third sister finds her handkerchief missing, she might come back to look for it.”
“This slave obeys.”
The pair of master and servant went through a remote alley, not attracting any attention, and returned to Zhilanyuan without a hitch.
“Guniang, you finally came back. Nubi was nearly frightened to death.”
Qing Zhu sat up on the bed, sweat visible on her face. One could only imagine how tense she had been.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, “Haven’t I returned safe and sound?”
“Guniang mustn’t go out secretly in the future. It would be disastrous.”
“I know.”
Gu Jiu changed her clothes and sat before the desk. She could actually make good use of the handkerchief Gu Yue had dropped.
Jingcheng, Pingnan hou fu.
Hou fu’s eldest master Gu Zhiwen arrived at the study in the front courtyard.
“Do you have any instructions for me, father?”
Pingnan hou said, “En.”
Pingnan hou was sixty years old this year. His figure was slightly plump and half his hair had turned white. However, he still had great spirit and vigour.
In terms of relationship, Gu Jiu had to call Pingnan hou bozufu — paternal grand-uncle.
Gu daren had to call Pingnan hou, dabo — eldest uncle, his father’s brother of the same mother.
Although the two families had divided into separate households, their official residences were separated only by a wall. Therefore, the two families had a very close relationship.
Gu daren frequently wrote to hou fu’s eldest master, Gu Zhiwen. The relationship of the two paternal cousins was very good.
Pingnan hou looked at his eldest son, Gu Zhiwen, and asked casually, “Did Zhili say in his letter that he wanted to transfer from Jinzhou and return to Jingcheng?”
Gu Zhiwen nodded. “Yes.”
Pingnan hou rapped the desk lightly. “Write to him and let him know that her majesty the empress is seriously ill. Let him postpone the matter of returning to the capital. Also, tell him to guard against Xie jia.”
The first part about postponing his return to the capital, Gu Zhiwen could understand. But why did this matter of guarding against Xie jia come up?
“Is father worried Xie jia cannot be trusted?”
Pingnan hou snorted coldly. “Xie Mao has been very active lately!”
Xie Mao was Xie shi’s eldest brother. He had obtained the crown prince’s deep trust by handling some matters very well.
“Are you clear about the current situation?”
Gu Zhiwen shook his head.
Pingnan hou said, “On the one hand, his majesty has been married to her majesty, the empress, for so many years. On the other hand, he issued a decree reprimanding his highness, the crown prince, causing her majesty’s illness to aggravate. Can you tell me why?”
“This… perhaps his majesty actions have a deep meaning,” Gu Zhiwen said cautiously.
Pingnan hou snorted. “I see his majesty is clearly deterring everyone in the east palace, warning the crown prince to not take advantage of the situation and make trouble. But unexpectedly, Xie Mao is abnormally active recently. I heard that the second son of Xie jia has gone to Jinzhou.”
Gu Zhiwen nodded. “Yes.”
Pingnan hou frowned. “When Zhili married Xie shi as a ceshi, I just thought he was lustful. But I didn’t expect that Xie Mao would take advantage of this opportunity to borrow Gu jia‘s name and climb onto the east palace and establish a relationship, rising straight up to the sky.
“Now that I think about it, Zhili marrying Xie shi might have been within Xie Mao’s calculations the entire time. I indeed underestimated Xie Mao, this person. Xie Mao, this child, appears to be honest and considerate but is actually treacherous and devious. You must remind Zhili to beware of the people of Xie jia.
“Zhili is in the northwest, and a military fortress is located there. Xie Mao wholeheartedly wants the crown prince to ascend to that position. With this child’s methods and his way of handling matters, it is impossible for him to let go of the northwest.”
Gu Zhiwen suddenly thought of something, his expression turning grave. “Is father worried about Lu hou?”
Pingnan hou nodded.