"The He family? I do know something about it, and I've even investigated the matter. The head of the He family was a man of integrity, yet his entire family was executed five years ago. I suspect it was the doing of the Lin family."
"Prince Nine is truly well - informed. Do you know that Liu Yunyan was originally a He? She's the only remaining blood of the He family. By some stroke of luck, she managed to escape that massacre. Now, she's become one of Lin Yeran's concubines, all to bring down the Lin family and avenge her family."
Xie Jiuan and Gu Jiangyue exchanged a knowing smile. There was no point in pretending anymore, as they both knew they couldn't deceive each other.
However, as Xie Jiuan listened to Gu Jiangyue's words, the fan he was slowly waving paused for a moment. He looked at the young lady across from him, slightly surprised.
Gu Jiangyue was only fifteen years old. Her face was full of innocence, and her fair skin made her plump lips look even redder. But Xie Jiuan could see that in her almond - shaped eyes, there was a maturity beyond her years, and an air of nobility surrounded her.
He had also been investigating this case recently. Although he always felt there was something fishy about it, he lacked evidence. He never expected that a concubine beside Lin Yeran would be so closely related to this case.
He originally wanted to secretly follow Gu Jiangyue to see what she would do. But unexpectedly, he saw Lin Yeran harassing her. He couldn't help but speak up, and even more unexpectedly, this young lady was also looking for him.
This young lady was getting more and more interesting.
"Just now, I saw Miss Gu seemed to say something to Miss Liu... Miss He. Did Miss Gu succeed?"
Although neither of them explicitly stated the topic, as smart people, they understood each other's meaning.
Gu Jiangyue watched as Xie Jiuan no longer pretended. There was a hint of coldness in his eyes, which matched his aloofness and innate nobility, making him seem unfathomable.
Gu Jiangyue observed the change in his emotions and confirmed her suspicion. Xie Jiuan was definitely not the playboy he appeared to be. He gave her a feeling of being in full control.
Even Xie Chengrui, whom she had supported for half her previous life until he ascended the throne, never gave her this feeling.
She nodded in response.
Xie Jiuan suddenly laughed. He snapped his fan shut with a swish, his lips curving up in a broad and bright smile. He finally got a clear look at the real Gu Jiangyue.
"Miss Gu dislikes the Lin family, and so do I. Would Miss Gu be willing to share the evidence with me so that we can bring down the Lin family together?"
His tone was light, as if he wasn't deciding the fate of an entire family. The Lin family seemed like ants to him, easily crushed at any time.
Indeed, with Xie Jiuan's power, in the capital, he could kill anyone he disliked silently. But now was not the time. One day, when the time was right, he would surely shock the entire capital.
"Thank you, Prince Nine. Then how can I meet you after I obtain the evidence?" Gu Jiangyue didn't waste any words, as she had other things to do later.
"Blue Water Cloud Residence always welcomes Miss Gu." Xie Jiuan still wore that gentle smile. As he spoke, he picked up the jade token on the table and reached out to hand it to Gu Jiangyue.
In the sunlight, his fingers were well - defined, fair, and slender. Holding the jade token, they seemed to glow slightly.
Gu Jiangyue didn't say much. She reached out to take the jade token and accidentally brushed against Xie Jiuan's fingers. His hands were very cold, as if they didn't belong to this late spring in March.
After bowing, she turned around and left. Xie Jiuan watched her back until she disappeared into the crowd.
He actually wasn't quite sure why Gu Jiangyue was secretly targeting the Lin Mansion. She said it was because of General Gu. An ordinary person might believe it.
But Xie Jiuan wouldn't. There must be a reason.
Xie Jiuan was deep in thought when suddenly, a hint of amusement appeared in his beautiful peach - blossom eyes.
Could it be because of Xie Chengrui?
The only connection between the Lin Mansion and Gu Jiangyue was his good second brother, the well - dressed Second Prince, Xie Chengrui.
In this case, since Gu Jiangyue was going after Xie Chengrui, what about their engagement...
Xie Jiuan suddenly felt a strange feeling in his heart. He thought Xie Chengrui didn't deserve Gu Jiangyue, and he didn't know why. He didn't want anyone other than himself to be involved with this young lady.
A mischievous smile played on Xie Jiuan's lips. With Gu Jiangyue's methods and personality, how could she let Xie Chengrui off so easily?
He was actually a bit looking forward to seeing how his second brother, who only knew how to disguise himself to gain favor, would be led around by Gu Jiangyue.
After leaving the restaurant, Gu Jiangyue headed back in the direction of the Gu Mansion.
How could Shen Menglan not cause any trouble when she was sent to clean up Gu Jiangyue's courtyard? If Shen Menglan really listened to the old matriarch and honestly cleaned up the courtyard and bought things for Gu Jiangyue, that would be truly strange.
Shen Menglan cared most about money. Now that she had lost so much silver, she wouldn't let it go easily. Since she couldn't find trouble with the black - clothed man, she would surely take it out on Gu Jiangyue.
Gu Jiangyue walked through the corridors of the Gu Mansion. Sure enough, she didn't see a single servant moving things around.
The flowers were in gentle bloom in spring, and there was no one in sight. All she could see were the shadows of flowers and willows reflected in the lotus pond, rippling with the wind.
Undoubtedly, the corridors and other courtyards of the Gu Mansion were neatly and beautifully arranged, looking just like a great family should. But only Gu Jiangyue's courtyard was in a state of disrepair.
The reason wasn't hard to guess. In everyone's eyes, Gu Yanwu was already dead, and Gu Yi was still out for medical treatment due to his health problems. So, in the eldest branch of the Gu family, only Gu Jiangyue remained in the mansion.
Gu Jiangyue was engaged to Xie Chengrui. So, when Gu Yanwu was still alive, he was extremely strict with Gu Jiangyue's cultivation in the eight arts, training her just like a princess in the palace.
But as Gu Yanwu got busier with official duties, he sometimes didn't return to the Gu Mansion for one or two years. And under the instigation of the second and third branches, Gu Jiangyue became more and more timid and cowardly, losing the grace and dignity of a noble daughter.
In her youth and innocence, under the conspiracy of the third branch, she completely fell in love with the gentle Xie Chengrui, not knowing that it was all a huge conspiracy.
Now, just thinking about the vows Xie Chengrui had made to her made Gu Jiangyue feel nauseous.
Before she knew it, she had arrived at the door of her courtyard. Without even stepping into the yard, she saw the weeds that had been pulled out and casually thrown on the ground, lying in disarray. There was hardly any place to step, and the rest of the place was the same as before.
A maid was sitting carelessly on a chair, sipping tea, completely unaware of Gu Jiangyue's arrival.