"She was just lucky. In my eyes, you're far better than her." Hearing Gu Zhengwan's words, Qin Anjie felt a twinge of displeasure. He gave Gu Jiangyue a deep look.
"Thank you, Young Master Qin, for your comfort. But Zhengwan is injured now and botched the performance. I really can't be happy."
Seeing Gu Jiangyue smiling more and more happily under everyone's flattery, Gu Zhengwan felt even more aggrieved. Naturally, she wasn't going to let it go easily.
She wanted Gu Jiangyue to taste the humiliation as well.
Qin Anjie was very fond of Gu Zhengwan and didn't care about the bad things she did. As the only legitimate son of the Qin Mansion, he had been overly protected and hadn't experienced much of the world's malice. So, he quickly fell into Gu Zhengwan's trap.
"Don't be sad, Wan'er. Since Gu Jiangyue has bullied you, I'll surely get justice for you."
Gu Jiangyue had no idea what the two were whispering about. Suddenly, Qin Anjie, who had been fine just now, inexplicably stood up and walked straight towards her.
Although she was confused, Gu Jiangyue noticed Gu Zhengwan behind Qin Anjie, smiling maliciously.
This couldn't be anything good.
In a short while, Qin Anjie stood in front of Gu Jiangyue. He was very tall and looked down at her with disdain in his eyes.
Gu Jiangyue felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze. She took a wary step back to keep a distance from him.
On the surface, she remained calm, but there was a hint of scrutiny in her eyes. She coldly said,
"I wonder what business Young Master Qin has that makes you come to find Jiangyue in person."
Some people also sensed Qin Anjie's ill intentions. Although the relationship between Qin Anjie and Gu Zhengwan had always been ambiguous, there were always those who knew they had a close connection. Now, Gu Zhengwan had intended to shine at Gu Jiangyue's coming - of - age ceremony but ended up making a fool of herself due to her lack of skill. And now that Qin Anjie had come, his purpose was obvious.
Everyone sensibly stepped aside and quietly watched the show.
"Miss Gu's piano skills are truly excellent. But as the daughter of a general, is it a bit... just knowing how to play the piano?"
At this point, Qin Anjie's lips curled into a mocking smile. He stopped talking. Even if he didn't say the rest, Gu Jiangyue knew what he meant.
"Jiangyue only knows how to play the piano? Then what does Young Master Qin mean?"
Seeing Qin Anjie's true colors revealed, Gu Jiangyue scoffed at him directly.
"Compete with this young master. How about we compete in archery?"
As soon as Qin Anjie finished speaking, there was a stir in the crowd. Everyone gasped. Gu Jiangyue's piano skills were so good that they might not be inferior to those of court musicians, but in Qin Anjie's words, they seemed to be useless.
However, Lord Qin had been an honest official all his life. Most of the people present, if not all, had received help from him. So, they only whispered in indignation for Gu Jiangyue and murmured a few words. No one was really brave enough to stand up and defend Gu Jiangyue.
Just as Gu Jiangyue was about to refuse, a young man in a dark purple robe stepped forward. He walked quickly over and stood shoulder - to - shoulder with Gu Jiangyue. His voice was loud, full of a fearless attitude.
"Compete in archery? Why don't you compete with Miss Gu in piano? Are you afraid?"
Gu Jiangyue was also a bit surprised by this sudden appearance. She turned her head slightly and finally saw the young man's appearance.
He was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with sword - shaped eyebrows and starry eyes. He looked very heroic. His hair was tied up high at the back of his head, showing a combination of modesty and arrogance, pride and frankness.
Looking at his appearance, Gu Jiangyue recognized who he was. This was none other than the heir of the Great Xia, Nian Zhengqing.
In both her past and present lives, Gu Jiangyue hadn't had much interaction with Nian Zhengqing. She could only search her memories of the past life related to Nian Zhengqing in her mind.
Nian Zhengqing was straightforward and upright. He also had a close relationship with the Empress Dowager. He was of noble status and had been fearless since childhood. It was really suitable for him to stand up for Gu Jiangyue, and even Qin Anjie couldn't do anything to him.
Qin Anjie didn't expect to provoke Nian Zhengqing. Choked by Nian Zhengqing's words, he had just wanted to cause trouble for Gu Jiangyue and vent Gu Zhengwan's anger. He never thought Nian Zhengqing would suddenly appear, so he didn't know what to say.
Gu Jiangyue also watched him leisurely. Since Nian Zhengqing was willing to help her, there was no reason for her not to accept.
Seeing that everyone had fallen silent and was looking at him like ghosts, Qin Anjie felt a bit embarrassed. He simply gathered his courage, ignored Nian Zhengqing, and looked at Gu Jiangyue again. But the arrogance in his eyes had diminished a lot.
"Miss Gu is the legitimate daughter of a general. Surely you're not unskilled in archery and afraid to compete with this young master? Did General Gu only focus on fighting on the battlefield and never teach Miss Gu?"
He was insinuating that Gu Yanwu was so dedicated to the country that he neglected his family. Although it was a compliment, it took on a different meaning when it came from Qin Anjie's mouth.
Gu Jiangyue didn't expect Qin Anjie to use her father's name to provoke her. In fact, Gu Jiangyue was not unskilled in archery. On the contrary, her archery skills were no worse than Qin Anjie's. In her past life, when her father, Gu Yanwu, returned, he had made great military achievements and was rewarded with a mansion, which allowed Gu Jiangyue to move out of the Gu Mansion.
Although Gu Yanwu had made contributions, the border wars were still frequent. Burdened with government affairs, he couldn't protect Gu Jiangyue. So, he found many bodyguards for her. Different from ordinary young ladies in the boudoir, Gu Jiangyue knew some martial arts.
She had actually learned archery for Xie Chengrui. Xie Chengrui was going to participate in the hunting event held by the emperor, and Gu Jiangyue also wanted to go with him, but was only despised for her lack of skills. After that, Gu Jiangyue studied archery hard and finally achieved good results in the next year's hunting. But besides the emperor's praise, Xie Chengrui still didn't pay much attention to her.
A cold smile curled up in Gu Jiangyue's heart. In this life, she would use all the skills she had learned because of him to completely destroy him. This initial show of talent was just the first step.
"Thank you, Heir, for your concern. It seems that Young Master Qin has a lot of dissatisfaction with this humble girl. I'd better solve this matter myself."
Looking at Gu Jiangyue's determined eyes, Nian Zhengqing finally didn't say anything more. He had stood up for Gu Jiangyue because he couldn't stand Qin Anjie's bullying. Since Gu Jiangyue said she could handle it, he didn't need to interfere further.
"Miss Gu, be careful."
Nian Zhengqing laughed heartily, showing no sign of displeasure on his face.
Gu Jiangyue was a bit stunned. She had thought Nian Zhengqing would be angry after being rejected, but it seemed that he wasn't affected at all.
He was of noble birth but had an amiable personality. Gu Jiangyue's impression of Nian Zhengqing improved a bit.
Gu Jiangyue came back to her senses and looked at Qin Anjie again. Her eyes immediately showed coldness.