Like a rare and noble tree swaying in the gentle breeze, his long hair fluttered, and the hairband in it danced in the wind. It was the very hairband she had given him.
Gu Chengzhi stood up. "Jin Chen is here? Haha, let me tell you, you didn't hear just now. My younger sister was defending you all the way."
Gu Liyue hung her head, her ears turning red. She had just been chatting idly with her fourth brother, never expecting that he would come to the inner courtyard.
Lu Jinchen walked over, carrying a cage covered with a red cloth. It was hard to see what was inside. He casually nodded. "I heard."
Gu Chengzhi asked curiously, "What's that in your hand? A bird? Does it need such a big cage?"
A faint whimper came from the cage.
Gu Liyue was stunned. This sound seemed somewhat familiar. "Is it... a puppy?"
Lu Jinchen smiled slightly and lifted the red cloth. Inside was a big black dog with two eyes like grapes, looking around. It was a bit thin but in excellent spirits.
Gu Liyue exclaimed, "Little Black?"
Hearing someone calling its name, Little Black immediately looked over and let out two whines in response to Gu Liyue's direction. There was a look of confusion in its eyes, as if it wanted to recognize her but was not sure.
Lu Jinchen opened the cage, and Little Black immediately ran to Gu Liyue's side, sniffing around. Perhaps it realized it had found the right person, and it let out a joyful whine, putting its front paws on Gu Liyue and rubbing against her vigorously.
Gu Liyue giggled, hugging Little Black. "Little Black, how did you come here? It's only been a year, and you've grown so big. You're not Little Black anymore; you're Big Black!"
Little Black was extremely excited and circled around Gu Liyue.
Lu Jinchen explained, "I was out on business a few days ago and encountered some dog - thieves. There were a whole cart of dogs, and it was among them."
Gu Liyue asked, "You remembered it?"
Lu Jinchen nodded. "Its left front leg was injured at that time. Although it wasn't very serious, the hair on the inner side didn't grow back, and its two front legs were a bit uneven."
Gu Liyue picked up Little Black and examined it. She found that it was indeed as Lu Jinchen had said. She was surprised that Lu Jinchen was so meticulous that he could notice such details. She had raised Little Black for so long but had never known these things.
She became worried again. "But Little Black was far away in Cangyun County. How did it get here?"
Lu Jinchen added, "I've already investigated. The widow and orphan it was with, Mrs. Cao and Cao Tiedan, should be familiar to you."
"Yes, I entrusted Little Black to them before I left."
"Cao Tiedan is highly regarded by the Feng family. Now he works beside Feng Chen, the second young master of the Feng family, and has come to the capital on errands for him. At the beginning of this year, Feng Chen brought Cao Tiedan's mother to the capital, and that's when Little Black came here too."
Hearing this, Gu Liyue couldn't help but feel happy. It seemed that Tiedan had found a stable life. But she wondered why they didn't come to find her when they came to the capital. The Feng family should have known her whereabouts.
"Yesterday... it was my fault."
Gu Liyue looked up in surprise and saw Lu Jinchen's apologetic face. "What?"
Lu Jinchen pursed his lips and said, "I wasn't in the capital yesterday. Otherwise, this matter would never have been settled so easily."
Gu Liyue's eyes curved into a smile, and she shook her head. "My family has already taken care of it. Moreover, this matter has nothing to do with you."
Little Black was very happy and scurried around the yard. Gu Liyue followed it with a big smile, just like the old days on Qingcui Mountain.
Lu Jinchen walked up to Gu Liyue and said, "Just now, I heard what you said to Chengzhi. Liyue, thank you for speaking up for me."
Gu Liyue turned to look at him. "I just said what was on my mind. Everyone says that the prince is a good person... but is a good person allowed to let his wife and children get hurt?"
Lu Jinchen nodded with a smile. "Maybe I'm selfish. A person who can't even take care of his own family doesn't deserve to be called a good person."
Gu Liyue felt the hostility around him. She wanted to persuade him but finally said nothing.
Lu Jinchen asked, "What did you want to say?"
Gu Liyue shook her head. "I originally wanted to persuade you, but then I thought that I haven't experienced what you've been through, so I have no right to persuade you. Moreover, I never believe in truly empathizing with others."
Lu Jinchen looked at Gu Liyue's profile, as if something was plucking at his heartstrings. From childhood to adulthood, all he had heard was how great his father was. Everyone told him to understand his father's hardships. But in his perception, his father was just a violent man who punished him at every turn and showed all his affection only to his younger brother.
Even as he grew up, although he might slightly understand his father's difficulties, he couldn't forgive him. His father had never taught him to distinguish right from wrong. All that he had learned was from the emperor, Lord Gu, and even Lord Lin later. All his father had brought him was scolding. He even had to use subconscious lies and deceptions to find a moment of peace in the prince's mansion.
His father's hardships came from his responsibilities, not from him. But his own sufferings and hardships came from his father.
However, he was very happy today because she understood him.
Gu Liyue added, "Your father came yesterday and has already settled this matter. Actually, my grandfather and uncle didn't really want to resist the imperial order and break off the engagement. They just didn't want me to be wronged."
Lu Jinchen's face darkened. "He did it for his wife."
Gu Liyue didn't think so, but she just shook her head non - committally and didn't say anything more. Instead, she changed the topic. "Do Mrs. Cao and Cao Tiedan know that Little Black has been found?"
"I had someone investigate but didn't reveal this information."
Gu Liyue nodded. "They've come to the capital. Although I don't know why they didn't come to find me, I still want to see them. Could the heir apparent help me arrange a meeting?"
"Sure."
Lu Jinchen chose a teahouse of the Feng family, which was located in the northern part of the city, close to the common people.
Even so, when Gu Liyue entered the private room, Mrs. Cao and Cao Tiedan immediately knelt on the ground.
"May the young lady be in good health."
Gu Liyue and Yunniang quickly stepped forward to help them up. "Mrs. Cao, it's me, Liyue. Don't you remember me?"
Mrs. Cao then looked up at Gu Liyue for a moment and quickly lowered her head again. "We heard that Miss Gu is doing well, and we're relieved. The official said that Little Black has been found? It's my fault. I didn't take good care of Little Black."
Gu Liyue was a bit sad to see Mrs. Cao being so distant. She stepped forward and held her hand. "Why do you say that, Mrs. Cao? I had someone check Little Black, and it's in good condition. It must be because you've taken good care of it on a daily basis."
Mrs. Cao smiled with her head down. "Now that Little Black can return to the young lady, I've finally got one thing off my mind."
Gu Liyue looked at Cao Tiedan again. "Tiedan has grown taller and stronger. I heard that you're working for the Feng family now and are highly regarded by the young master of the Feng family."
Cao Tiedan grinned and nodded. "Thanks to the elder sister's blessing..."
Mrs. Cao gave Cao Tiedan a hard tug. Cao Tiedan scratched the back of his head and quickly changed his words.
"Thanks to the young lady's blessing. The shopkeeper of the Feng family saw that I was smart and taught me everything. Later, I got the chance to do accounting for the master and finally ended up beside the second young master."
His eyes sparkled as he looked at Gu Liyue. "Young lady, I now get twelve taels of silver as monthly salary. If I do my job well, there are also other rewards."