"Stop thinking. Enjoy the wine in the breeze, climb the tall building to overcome all difficulties, and seize the day. Let's go," Ji Yunsheng interrupted Xie Jiuan's train of thought and forcefully dragged him off to drink. Xie Jiuan didn't resist and was simply led away by Ji Yunsheng.
Gu Jiangyue watched their retreating figures and let out a long sigh. The journey ahead was perilous, but there would surely be someone returning with a sword in hand.
The environment of Bishui Yunju was quite nice, and Gu Yi liked it here very much. The tranquility here allowed Gu Jiangyue to temporarily forget some unpleasant things. She had stayed here for a few days but hadn't lost touch with the outside world because Zhi Yuan would go out every day to gather information for her.
Zhi Yuan had also recuperated for a few days. Her head injury wasn't too serious, so she recovered quickly. After this incident, her standing in Gu Jiangyue's heart had risen a great deal.
Even though Zhi Yuan was Gu Jiangyue's maid, she wasn't very noticeable in the capital, which made it easier for her to gather information.
"Miss, there's another letter from Miss Mu Xia," Zhi Yuan went to pick up Gu Jiangyue's letters every other day. Lately, Mu Xia had been sending letters to Gu Jiangyue quite frequently, which meant that Xie Chengrui had already made up his mind to marry Mu Xia.
"Let me see," Gu Jiangyue was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea. When she saw Zhi Yuan coming, she poured a cup for her too and then took the letter from Zhi Yuan's hand.
The content of the letter was different from the ones of the previous days. Mu Xia said that Xie Chengrui had decided to marry her and thanked Gu Jiangyue. Lately, Gu Jiangyue hadn't received any letters from Xie Chengrui.
"Miss, the rumors in the capital have been getting louder," Zhi Yuan hesitated before speaking and observed Gu Jiangyue's reaction. Gu Jiangyue showed no expression and simply said softly,
"It's inevitable that the Gu Mansion would be enraged after we left like that. All they can do is spread some rumors."
Zhi Yuan thought her miss was right and nodded vigorously.
"Has the news of the family split spread?" Gu Jiangyue raised her hand to take a sip of tea, her expression calm.
"The Gu Mansion couldn't wait to spread the news. Some people even said they had foresight and praised the Gu Mansion to the skies," Zhi Yuan was so angry that she wanted to roll her eyes but was helpless. She continued,
"Now almost the entire capital knows about General Gu's split from the Gu Mansion. Moreover, the Gu Mansion even guaranteed that General Gu was guilty and would be stripped of his title and property upon his return. I really don't know what the old matriarch was thinking. After all, General Gu is her blood relative."
Zhi Yuan poured out all the things that had happened in the capital lately.
Gu Jiangyue showed no expression because all these things were within her expectations.
"Don't worry. They're just enraged. When Father comes back, they'll be even more ashamed. We just need to wait and see," Gu Jiangyue gave Zhi Yuan a reassuring smile. Then, as if remembering something, she asked with concern in her eyes,
"Is there any news about my father? When will he come back?"
Zhi Yuan slapped the table and almost stood up excitedly. She couldn't hide her excitement.
"Miss, I almost forgot. The informant placed in the military camp by the Ninth Prince sent a message saying that General Gu will be back in the next two or three days. It's also said that the emperor will hold a grand banquet to welcome General Gu. I wonder what the people in the Gu Mansion will look like then."
Hearing this, Gu Jiangyue finally felt relieved. Every rumor spread by the Gu Mansion would turn into a sharp thorn and finally pierce each of them, leaving them in a complete mess. This was retribution.
"Miss, is the reason you haven't received any letters from Xie Chengrui lately because of the rumors about General Gu?"
After the important news had been told, Zhi Yuan felt a bit bored. She propped her chin on the table and looked at Gu Jiangyue listlessly. She couldn't help but sigh that her miss was really beautiful.
"Probably. After all, he only approached me because of my status. The rumors spread by the Gu Mansion have actually helped me get rid of a lot of trouble," Gu Jiangyue nodded. Zhi Yuan looked at her again and said,
"Miss, you're so beautiful. The matter of General Gu's military merits will surely spread throughout the city. I bet Xie Chengrui won't give up."
A smile curled up on Gu Jiangyue's lips. She looked at Zhi Yuan's round eyes and felt that there were a lot of ideas hidden in them. Gu Jiangyue pretended to be puzzled and asked,
"So what should I do?"
Hearing Gu Jiangyue's question, Zhi Yuan answered almost without thinking,
"Of course, you should marry the Ninth Prince earlier to cut off Xie Chengrui's thoughts. Am I right, miss?"
Gu Jiangyue couldn't help but burst out laughing. Finally, she reached out and gently flicked Zhi Yuan on the head.
"You've become smarter, trying to get information from me indirectly."
Zhi Yuan covered her head and rubbed it. She pouted.
"I'm right, aren't I?"
It was inevitable that Xie Chengrui wouldn't let Gu Jiangyue go after Gu Yanwu came back. But the most urgent matter now was Gu Yanwu's return, so Gu Jiangyue had no intention of thinking about her relationship with Xie Jiuan.
"I'll consider it after the matter is over," Gu Jiangyue said softly. She thought for a while and then reached out to gently ruffle Zhi Yuan's hair in comfort.
"I'll give you the wedding candy first. How about that?"
Hearing this, Zhi Yuan immediately became happy.
"Great, miss!"
"How's Yi'er lately?" Gu Jiangyue asked the question that had been on her mind. Since she came to Bishui Yunju, she had gone to look for Gu Yi but hadn't seen much of him. She didn't know what he was busy with.
"Little young master is learning how to ride a horse from Young Master Ji. He's learning very fast and is very happy," When mentioning Gu Yi, the smile on Zhi Yuan's face grew even wider. She didn't spend much time with Gu Yi, but since he was Gu Jiangyue's younger brother, when Gu Yi was happy, she would be happy too.
With Ji Yunsheng by Gu Yi's side, Gu Jiangyue didn't need to worry too much. She just nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
Ji Yunsheng could hold his liquor better than Xie Jiuan. After drinking with Xie Jiuan that day, he went to look for Gu Yi. He didn't plan to kill Xie Yuwen anymore. Xie Yuwen had a greater grudge against Xie Jiuan, so he left Xie Yuwen for Xie Jiuan to kill.
"Brother Yunsheng, you've finally come!" When Gu Yi saw Ji Yunsheng at the door, he couldn't contain his joy. He hadn't seen Ji Yunsheng for a long time and immediately walked forward and hugged him tightly.
"Yeah," Ji Yunsheng was happy to see that Gu Yi had become more lively after leaving the Gu Mansion. But Gu Yi's sudden hug made him let out a muffled groan. Gu Yi had bumped into the sword wound he got when he fought with Xie Jiuan that day.
He had been seriously injured that day, and the wound still hadn't fully healed. The bump made him suck in a breath of cold air.
"Brother Yunsheng, what's wrong with you?" Gu Yi raised his head and carefully watched Ji Yunsheng's every move, as if trying to figure out something from it.
"I'm fine. Guess what I'm here for today, Yi'er."