Shen Menglan didn't expect that Gu Jiangyue really had no idea. She was a bit at a loss.
"He's actually not dead yet. Didn't he send you any letters?"
Shen Menglan said. The next moment, Gu Jiangyue's eyes widened, shining brightly.
"My father isn't dead?! Where is he!"
Gu Jiangyue pretended to look at the Grand Matriarch in great surprise. Her acting was so real that even Zhi Yuan was a bit dazed.
"Grand Matriarch, do you know where my father is?"
Seeing Shen Menglan shrinking back and not daring to say anything, Gu Jiangyue simply switched to another target.
The Grand Matriarch fell silent for a while when asked by Gu Jiangyue. Then she let out a long sigh and finally decided to tell the truth.
"Jiangyue, actually your father has many charges on him when he returns to the capital this time. It's not only difficult for him to meet you, but you might also implicate the entire Gu family."
The Grand Matriarch was not just referring to Gu Yanwu, but "you", which included everyone in the eldest branch.
Since this news had spread in the capital and the emperor didn't stop it from spreading, it must be mostly true. The Grand Matriarch was always cautious and naturally believed this news. Otherwise, why would Gu Yanwu fake his death?
"What!"
A look of panic appeared on Gu Jiangyue's face. Her slender body swayed and then she fell into Zhi Yuan's arms beside her. Then her body trembled and her voice choked with sobs.
"Is all this true?"
Gu Jiangyue emerged from Zhi Yuan's arms. Her cheeks were already stained with tears as she looked at the Grand Matriarch and asked.
The Grand Matriarch hadn't figured out how to talk to Gu Jiangyue yet. Seeing Gu Jiangyue like this, Aunt Liu beside her didn't feel the slightest bit of pity. She still clearly remembered how Gu Jiangyue had argued with her just now.
"Everyone in the capital knows about it. Do you think it could be false? If you want to know, why don't you go and ask the emperor yourself? You've never done anything good. Now you're going to implicate us instead. We should really split up the family."
Aunt Liu's voice was not low. Obviously, she was speaking to Gu Jiangyue. Seeing Gu Jiangyue like this, Aunt Liu felt extremely comfortable.
The Grand Matriarch hesitated to speak. After all, what Aunt Liu said was right. By now, she really had the idea of splitting up the family. As long as the eldest branch was moved out of the Gu family before Gu Yanwu returned, whatever Gu Yanwu had done would have nothing to do with them.
"I don't believe it. I don't believe it. You must be lying to me!"
Gu Jiangyue seemed to be on the verge of collapse. She pushed Zhi Yuan. The push was very gentle, but Zhi Yuan understood what Gu Jiangyue meant. She pretended to be pushed hard and quickly dodged to the side, covering her hand and trembling.
"Miss!"
At this moment, Gu Jiangyue rushed out directly. She headed straight for Aunt Liu's direction at a fast pace and finally shouted, "I don't believe it. You're lying to me."
Aunt Liu was so frightened by the almost crazy Gu Jiangyue that she even forgot to dodge. Gu Jiangyue just rushed straight towards Aunt Liu.
"Ah!"
Gu Jiangyue punched Aunt Liu right in the face. She staggered and quickly covered her left eye that had been punched. Gu Jiangyue had put all her strength into this punch. When Aunt Liu took her hand away, her left eye was already bruised.
"Grand Matriarch, look at how she hit me."
Aunt Liu grimaced in pain. She pointed at her bruised eye and was about to complain to the Grand Matriarch. But Zhi Yuan beside her had no intention of coming up to stop Gu Jiangyue. She just stood there trembling aggrievedly, pretending to be very afraid of Gu Jiangyue.
Just then, Gu Jiangyue punched Aunt Liu in the face again. This time, Aunt Liu's right eye also swelled up. Gu Jiangyue didn't give her a chance to catch her breath and punched her on the nose.
"Ouch, my nose! Stop hitting me, stop hitting me."
Gu Jiangyue's punches scared Aunt Liu so much that she couldn't even open her eyes, let alone dodge. Aunt Liu was beaten by Gu Jiangyue for a while. She really couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to use her body advantage to push Gu Jiangyue away.
But how could Zhi Yuan beside her give her this chance? Zhi Yuan was quick - witted and quickly pulled Gu Jiangyue away while saying,
"Miss, calm down. Stop hitting. What will I do if something happens to you? I can't live without you, miss."
Zhi Yuan pulled Gu Jiangyue back. It didn't matter that Gu Jiangyue left. Aunt Liu had just gotten into position and lunged forward, but she missed and fell to the ground.
"Ouch, ouch."
Aunt Liu sat on the ground with a red - and - blue face. She covered her hand and was almost in tears. Seeing Aunt Liu, who used to be so arrogant, in this state, Zhi Yuan almost burst out laughing.
Gu Jiangyue's eyes were red. Her acting was very real. She didn't look at Aunt Liu but just glanced faintly at Shen Menglan. Shen Menglan was so scared that she took half a step back.
"You must be lying to me. I'm going to find Xie Jiuan. I'm going to ask him."
Saying this, Gu Jiangyue staggered towards the door. But just as she turned around, she saw a familiar figure at the door. The figure came so suddenly that even Gu Jiangyue was a bit stunned.
"Prince Jiu, why are you here?"
The Grand Matriarch was also a bit shocked. But at this moment, she had a premonition that Xie Jiuan's coming was not a good thing. Moreover, Xie Jiuan was still frowning.
An icy aura emanated from Xie Jiuan. Gu Jiangyue was a bit dazed. She didn't understand why Xie Jiuan would come. They had initially agreed that she would go to find Xie Jiuan.
When no one was paying attention, a touch of tenderness flashed in Xie Jiuan's cold eyes. He looked at Gu Jiangyue and winked at her, indicating that she didn't need to be afraid.
"Jiuan, what they said is false, right? You won't lie to me. Tell me, it's all false, right?"
Gu Jiangyue reached out and grabbed Xie Jiuan's clothes. Tears glistened in her eyes. Immediately, even the Grand Matriarch's heart was in her throat.
Just by looking at Xie Jiuan's attitude towards Gu Jiangyue, one could tell whether the rumors were true. If Xie Jiuan disliked Gu Jiangyue, the Grand Matriarch had already prepared to protect herself.
"I'm here today to settle one thing."
Under everyone's gaze, Xie Jiuan shook his sleeve robe and directly shook off Gu Jiangyue's hand that was holding him. Xie Jiuan's eyes were cold, like a cold pool in the netherworld. The chill was bone - piercing, and even the aura around him instantly became extremely impatient.
This was the first time Gu Jiangyue had seen Xie Jiuan so full of hostility. But from beginning to end, Xie Jiuan never looked at Gu Jiangyue with such a look. He was always looking at the people in the Gu Mansion.
"What thing?"
The show had to go on. Tears welled up in Gu Jiangyue's eyes. She acted extremely sad and looked at Xie Jiuan pitifully.
Xie Jiuan tried not to look into Gu Jiangyue's eyes. His thin lips parted slightly, and his voice was devoid of any emotion as he said,
"Come to break the engagement."