"Jiangyue, your room is in such a mess. You probably can't stay here tonight. Go and stay in Zhengwan's courtyard. I'll have the servants tidy up your place another day."
Gu Jiangyue felt a flutter of joy at these words. She had been waiting for the old matriarch to say this. However, she didn't want to go to Gu Zhengwan's courtyard. She had just tricked Gu Zhengwan today. If she really went there, who knew how Gu Zhengwan would deal with her.
Moreover, she had to wait here for the black - clothed man to return. She had been busy all night. Even if she had no great achievements, she had at least put in the effort. She had a hunch that the black - clothed man would definitely come back. She had to get the money first.
Gu Zhengwan was stunned for a moment when she heard the old matriarch's words. She clenched her fists so tightly that her fingernails dug deep into her flesh.
The old matriarch's intention was to see that there had been some misunderstandings between the two girls today. It would be a good thing if they could stay together for a while to ease the conflict.
But Gu Zhengwan didn't want to stay with Gu Jiangyue at all. The sinister smile Gu Jiangyue had shown her today and the face of Maid He with her unclosed eyes still haunted her mind. Gu Jiangyue had changed. She gave Gu Zhengwan a very dangerous feeling. She didn't want to stay in the same courtyard with Gu Jiangyue.
It wasn't the time for revenge yet.
Gu Zhengwan hesitated, trying to figure out how to decline the old matriarch's request. But unexpectedly, Gu Jiangyue spoke first.
"Thank you, grandmother, for your concern. But I'd better not bother Sister Zhengwan. Sister just suffered a betrayal today. She must be in a bad mood. Let her be alone for a while."
Gu Zhengwan bit her lower lip tightly. Her face looked ugly. Just thinking of Maid He's face made her extremely guilty. And this Gu Jiangyue always brought up Maid He. But this was probably the most reasonable reason to decline the old matriarch's request.
Gu Zhengwan looked as if she had eaten a fly. She couldn't say yes, nor could she say no.
She tightened her fists again and finally compromised.
"Sister Jiangyue is right. I'm very sad now. I'm afraid I'll affect Sister if we stay together."
Seeing that both Gu Jiangyue and Gu Zhengwan had declined, the old matriarch didn't know what else to say. She was just about to comfort Gu Jiangyue and let her make do in her room for the night when she heard Gu Jiangyue speak.
"I won't bother everyone tonight. It's okay for me to stay here for one night. Tomorrow, Second Aunt can help me replace all the things in the courtyard. The things in my room really haven't been changed for a long time."
Gu Jiangyue bowed gracefully to everyone. Her voice was soft and showed no sign of aggression.
But these words sounded extremely harsh to Shen Menglan's ears.
Gu Jiangyue was clearly using the old matriarch to threaten her. Moreover, she was exposing the fact that Shen Menglan had been mistreating her on a daily basis.
Gu Jiangyue knew that if Shen Menglan really only had five thousand taels of silver, even if the old matriarch forced her, she would try to bargain with the black - clothed man. Since she didn't do so, there was only one reason: she must have hidden a lot of money.
Gu Jiangyue guessed right. Shen Menglan had been cooking the books for many years and indeed had a lot of silver in her hands. But Gu Jiangyue's courtyard was not small. It just hadn't been cleaned for a long time and looked a bit shabby. If it was to be renovated, who knew how much it would cost.
She wanted to decline, but was quickly interrupted by Gu Zhengwan.
"Sister Jiangyue is right. The things in the courtyard really need to be replaced."
Gu Zhengwan quickly echoed Gu Jiangyue. She was afraid that Gu Jiangyue would change her mind and decide to move into her courtyard. This Gu Jiangyue was far more complicated than she seemed.
The old matriarch nodded after hearing what the two girls said.
"Let's do it like this. Menglan, you take some people to tidy up Jiangyue's courtyard well tomorrow. It's in such a mess. Also, find more guards for Jiangyue so that no one can take advantage of the situation again."
There was a hint of blame in the old matriarch's tone. Just as Gu Jiangyue had expected, the old matriarch blamed Shen Menglan for her kidnapping.
The old matriarch agreed to renovate the courtyard for two reasons. One was her dissatisfaction with Shen Menglan. Shen Menglan had been too arrogant recently, and she wanted to teach her a lesson. The other was that Gu Jiangyue was different from before. She seemed much smarter. If Gu Jiangyue told others about how the people in the Gu Mansion had mistreated her, it would be embarrassing for the old matriarch.
Moreover, she really hadn't cared much about Gu Jiangyue before. This could be regarded as compensation for her. It was okay to spend some money to avoid trouble.
Shen Menglan knew she couldn't decline the old matriarch's order. She glared angrily at Gu Zhengwan. She was a bit confused. Why was Gu Zhengwan helping this girl today?
Gu Jiangyue watched this scene and a faint sneer curled up on her lips. It was a good thing to make Shen Menglan have a grudge against Gu Zhengwan.
After all, when she was ignored and bullied, the third and second branches of the family just watched and pretended to be stupid. None of them really helped her. They were all just laughing at her.
But she had done nothing wrong, yet she had to bear so much malice from them. Now, after experiencing the power struggles in the imperial palace, she had transformed. She was going to take back everything that belonged to her.
She was no longer the Gu Jiangyue who had been bullied by others. She would make those who had bullied her pay the price. This was what they owed her.
Shen Menglan felt a chill running down her back. It was as if she had needles pricking her, and she felt extremely uncomfortable.
"The old matriarch is right."
Shen Menglan had to swallow this bitter pill. She stamped her foot in anger.
If it hadn't been for this suddenly appeared black - clothed man who had kidnapped Gu Jiangyue, she could have followed her original plan and let a servant break into Gu Jiangyue's boudoir, ruining Gu Jiangyue's reputation and making her a laughingstock in the capital. By then, it would have been too late for Gu Jiangyue to hate her.
But why had things developed so differently from what she had imagined? Shen Menglan was grinding her teeth in anger.
Gu Jiangyue and Gu Zhengwan, just you wait.
"It's getting late. Everyone go and rest. Jiangyue apologizes to everyone here."
Gu Jiangyue curtsied slightly. She was so polite that no one could find any fault with her. In this drama, she was the victim.
When everyone saw that the matter was resolved, they all returned to their respective courtyards. But in their hearts, they all had a new impression of Gu Jiangyue.
Just now, because there were so many young ladies around, Zhiyuan only dared to be anxious on the side. Now seeing that her young lady was safe and sound, she was so relieved that she was almost in tears. She rushed up and hugged Gu Jiangyue.
"Miss, you scared me to death. I'm so glad you're okay."
Gu Jiangyue stroked her back to signal that she was fine. Then she said a few words to Zhiyuan casually and asked her to send someone to guard the courtyard gate. No one was allowed to enter.
As for the reason for guarding the courtyard gate, Gu Jiangyue knew that the black - clothed man would never enter through the main gate. She just wanted to prevent others from entering and avoid any more trouble.
Gu Jiangyue wrapped herself in a cloak. She looked up at the moon and sat quietly in the shabby room, waiting for the black - clothed man.
She thought the black - clothed man should come back, right?