Gu Chengzhi happened to be on his way to find his younger sister when he bumped into a weeping noble young lady who claimed there was a snake. He was startled and rushed over quickly. There he saw Gu Liyue calmly placing a box aside.
"Tangyuan, put this away. Later, give it to the kitchen and ask them to make snake soup. It's very nourishing," Gu Liyue said.
Tangyuan didn't dare to take it. It was Yunniang who got up, took the box, and carried it to the back.
Gu Chengzhi was furious. He grabbed Lu Yunxi's arm and shouted, "Lu Yunxi, why are you bullying my sister?"
Lu Yunxi's eyes welled up with tears from the pain, but she refused to back down. She only scolded, "I was just joking with her. It's none of your business. Let me go! Sneaking up from behind is not what a hero does. If you've got the guts, fight me face - to - face!"
Gu Liyue quickly stepped forward to separate them and explained, "Fourth brother, I'm fine. The snake is dead. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Lu Yunxi pouted and jumped behind Gu Liyue to avoid being grabbed by Gu Chengzhi again. She grumbled discontentedly, "Humph, it's so boring. I scared several imperial concubines in the palace, but I couldn't scare Liyue. I should have brought a live one."
Seeing that Gu Chengzhi was about to get angry again, Gu Liyue quickly pointed to the old lady sitting at the top and said, "Fourth brother, you came to find grandmother, right? Go quickly. We girls are playing together. What are you doing here?"
She gently pushed Lu Yunxi onto a stool and said, "The young ladies have never seen a snake before. It looks cold and terrifying, so it's normal for them to be afraid. In the future, Your Highness the Princess, don't play such tricks on people."
Lu Yunxi pouted and said, "It's so uninteresting. Hey, everyone else is scared. Why aren't you afraid?"
Gu Liyue replied honestly, "The place where I used to live was not good. There was a cemetery behind it. Not only dead snakes, but also live snakes, mice, and weasels were common."
Lu Yunxi was stunned for a while and then asked, "What's a weasel?"
Gu Liyue was in a dilemma. She called it "weasel" just like others, but she didn't know if they didn't call it that here.
She tried to describe and gesture, but still couldn't explain it clearly. At this moment, she really felt how difficult it was for Yunniang. She was so used to Yunniang that she could understand Yunniang's meaning with just a few gestures. But others didn't understand, and it must be really hard for Yunniang to communicate with others.
Finally, an old maid standing behind couldn't help but step forward and explain in a low voice, "Your Highness the Princess, Miss. The 'weasel' the young lady mentioned should be a yellow - weasel. It's just a different name in different places."
Gu Liyue finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the noble young ladies around also let out a sigh of relief. No matter what the "weasel" was, in their minds, it was just like the snake they saw just now. If they had to listen to the Princess and Miss Gu talk about such things all day, it would be unbearable.
But Lu Yunxi still didn't understand. She scratched her head and asked, "What is a yellow - weasel?"
The old maid smiled awkwardly. "Well... it's a kind of animal that steals chickens in the countryside. And it can... uh, fart. It stinks really badly."
Realizing she had said something inappropriate, she quickly apologized and stepped back. The younger noble young ladies covered their mouths and giggled secretly.
Lu Yunxi still looked confused. After thinking for a long time, she clapped her hands and said, "No, I'll go looking for one later. I must catch one to have a look."
Gu Liyue didn't understand why Lu Yunxi had such a strange hobby. She just looked at her helplessly and then changed the topic.
Not long after, a servant came in. It was Princess Jing who had sent someone to deliver a gift. The servant said that Princess Jing had been feeling unwell these days and was not convenient to come in person. She had only sent someone to deliver a congratulatory gift to congratulate the Gu family on finding their long - lost daughter.
Princess Jing had never had much contact with the Gu family. But the Gu family was a prestigious family, so they at least knew each other. It was expected that Princess Jing would send a gift, but unexpectedly, the gift was extremely generous. And there was one specifically for Gu Liyue.
Lu Yunxi craned her neck curiously. "Hey, what did Princess Jing send you? She didn't like you at all during the palace banquet. Why is she sending you a gift now? And she's been so busy in the palace these days. When did she have time to prepare a gift for you?"
Gu Liyue paused and asked, "Has Princess Jing moved into the palace?"
There were too many people around, so Lu Yunxi didn't want to say too much. She just nodded vaguely. "Yes. Concubine Qi is unwell. The Emperor showed his concern and ordered Princess Jing to enter the palace to accompany Concubine Qi."
After the banquet, the noble young ladies played in small groups. As the host, Gu Liyue should have accompanied them, but Lu Yunxi pulled her into a pavilion to have a private conversation.
Lu Yunxi was very sociable. As soon as she sat down, she said carelessly, "They are too delicate. I've never liked playing with them."
Gu Liyue smiled with pursed lips. "It's not easy for a young lady to be as carefree as you."
Lu Yunxi nodded as if it were the most natural thing. "That's right. So I usually don't like playing with girls. They either flatter me or cry after I say a few words to them. It's so boring. I like playing with boys."
Gu Liyue just smiled.
Lu Yunxi continued, "But I really like you. I think you're different from other girls."
Gu Liyue didn't know whether she should be glad or grateful. She just said vaguely, "Actually, I'm timid and shy. They don't seem to like playing with me very much."
"That's their fault," Lu Yunxi said indifferently. "Don't worry. From now on, I'll be here for you. You don't need to be timid. I'll protect you."
Gu Liyue hesitated. "But today..."
Lu Yunxi didn't care what Gu Liyue was thinking. She pulled her and said, "Why do I feel like you know nothing? Such a big thing happened in the palace. Are you really unaware?"
"What?"
"Princess Jing," Lu Yunxi said. "Princess Jing has been arrogant since childhood. At that time, Concubine Qi was still a noble consort and was very favored. Even though she only had a princess, the Emperor loved both mother and daughter very much. But later, Concubine Qi became arrogant and jealous because of her favor. She even tried to harm the heirs of two other concubines, so she was demoted and almost sent to the cold palace. Because she was Princess Jing's mother, she was only confined instead of being sent to the cold palace. But the Emperor's favor had long since faded."
Gu Liyue didn't know about these past events. She just remembered the desperate look on Princess Jing's face that day and felt a little sad for her.
"I spent almost half of my childhood in the palace. If I say Princess Jing is bad, that's not true. She was quite nice to me. But if I say she's good, she has a bad temper and often punishes her servants. Later, she got married, and I saw her even less. However, the whole city was full of rumors about her and the Marquis of Xinyang, saying how much she looked down on him. But whenever the Empress Dowager asked her, she would shake her head and say that she was living a happy life, with a loving husband and easy - to - get - along - with in - laws. So, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor didn't say much. Because they knew her temper, they even advised and scolded her."
"However, a few days ago, she came into the palace with a bruised face. She knelt down in front of the Hall of Diligent Government right in front of all the court officials and almost fainted."