Gu Junyan patted Gu Liyue on the shoulder. "Don't be afraid, sister. Although the Qi family is a duke's mansion, our Gu family is by no means a low - ranking family to be bullied. Without solid evidence, we can't convict the Qi family. I can only pretend not to know to avoid alerting the enemy. Once I find the evidence, I will never let them off."
Gu Liyue's mind was in a turmoil, and her hands involuntarily curled up. She knew too little about the Qi family. Moreover, she was in the open while the enemy was in the dark. It was really hard to guard against.
"I remember that the old matriarch of the Qi family was an acquaintance of our grandmother."
Gu Junyan nodded. "That's right. If we talk about relatives, the old matriarch of the Qi family is our grandmother's distant cousin. They were very close when they were young. The Qi family is also a century - old noble family. The current Imperial Concubine Shu is from the Qi family. Qi Manyan, a daughter of the Qi family, was once favored by the Empress and was to be selected as the Crown Princess. Later, the Empress and Concubine Shu were in a power struggle, and the Qi family was also hesitant between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince. In the end, Qi Manyan was quite bold. She simply said that she was in love with..."
Here, Gu Junyan paused and lowered his voice. "Liyue, that was in the past. Qi Manyan is really a remarkable woman. First, to prevent the Qi family from getting involved in the fight for the throne, and second, to avoid the imperial family arranging a marriage for her, she simply used Lu Jinchen as an excuse."
Gu Liyue was a bit confused. "So, Qi Manyan's admiration for Lu Jinchen is not true?"
Gu Junyan smiled. "Liyue, you should know that in families like ours, love is often the least important thing. Qi Manyan is the legitimate eldest daughter of a duke's mansion. The responsibilities on her shoulders are not comparable to those of ordinary noble ladies. Why did she choose Lu Jinchen? First, Lu Jinchen is the nephew of the emperor and is as favored as a prince. If she showed her love for Lu Jinchen, neither the Crown Prince nor the Second Prince would consider her. Second, Lu Jinchen's situation is quite complicated. Qi Manyan would not allow herself to marry into the Prince Liang's mansion aggrievedly. Under that situation, Lu Jinchen was the best choice."
Gu Liyue didn't quite understand. "But... I still don't understand, big brother. Isn't a man like Lu Jinchen good enough for Qi Manyan?"
Gu Junyan shook his head. "He's just a playboy. Prince Liang is extremely disappointed in Lu Jinchen. It was only because of the emperor's insistence that Lu Jinchen could keep his position as the heir. Unless the relationship between Prince Liang and Lu Jinchen eases, Qi Manyan will never marry Lu Jinchen. At first, Qi Manyan used her so - called love for Lu Jinchen to get out of trouble, and later she could either advance or retreat. So, when Lu Jinchen got engaged to you, Qi Manyan had no complaints."
"Really no complaints?" Gu Liyue asked. "If so, why did she hurt me several times?"
Gu Junyan asked in confusion, "How do you know it was her from the Qi family who hurt you?"
Gu Liyue looked at Gu Junyan without saying a word.
Gu Junyan then realized. "Previously, I couldn't figure out why. Our Gu family has no feud with the Qi family. Why would the Qi family target you? If it was really Qi Manyan, it would make sense. But... for a man?"
Gu Liyue shook her head. After thinking for a while, she said, "There's another thing. At the birthday banquet of the Eldest Princess last year, Qi Manyan once warned me to stay away from Lu Jinchen."
Gu Junyan frowned. "There's such a thing?"
He remembered that he had seen Gu Liyue that day, but he didn't take it seriously. Now that he thought about it, he also remembered that Lu Jinchen seemed to have talked with Gu Liyue. He couldn't help but look at Gu Liyue in a scrutinizing way.
"You've known Jinchen for a long time?"
"I got to know him when I met the fourth brother. We weren't familiar then. That day, he was with me because he found that Jiang Yingyue was going to harm me and saved me by the way..." Gu Liyue said dejectedly. "He was doing it for my good, and so was the fourth brother later. But I was too weak. At that time, I thought that for Mrs. Jiang's sake, I should let the matter rest..."
Gu Junyan was shocked. So Jiang Yingyue had wanted to harm her at that time? He asked, "I only knew that Jiang Yingyue was willing to disfigure herself in order to frame you. So she had tried to harm you before that? Liyue, tell me, what else did she do?"
What else did she do? There were open and secret sarcasms and mockeries. In front of Mrs. Jiang, she was just cold, but behind Mrs. Jiang's back, there were so many humiliations.
Gu Liyue pursed her lips, shook her head, and smiled. "Those are all in the past. I don't care."
Gu Junyan felt extremely heart - broken. This younger sister had not been raised at home since childhood. How much suffering must she have endured?
Gu Liyue added, "Big brother, I've thought it through clearly. Jiang Yingyue has never targeted me personally. All she wants is Mrs. Jiang's favor. Now that they say they're sending her to the estate, I probably have an idea of what's really going on. How could I care? Qi Manyan... Big brother, didn't you ever think that it might be Qi Manyan who did all these things?"
Gu Junyan was a bit confused. "I really didn't think in this direction. After all, noble ladies like her cherish their reputations. How could they do such things for a man? Qi Manyan... Now that I know, don't worry. I'll always find a way to find out the truth."
Gu Liyue nodded. After a long and eventful day, filled with shock and fear, she was extremely exhausted. She was so sleepy that she leaned on Gu Junyan's shoulder and fell asleep.
Gu Junyan turned his head and looked at his younger sister. At the birthday banquet of the Eldest Princess that day, he didn't know that this girl was his younger sister. At that time, his younger sister was just growing up, looking quite stunning, which had attracted a lot of young men's discussions. Now Liyue had grown up a lot and was well - nourished. Even without makeup, her skin was delicate and smooth. Her long black hair made her look especially bright.
There was also more flesh on her cheeks, making her look cute and chubby. She must have been even cuter when she was a child.
Gu Junyan remembered what Cheng Zhi had told him. He said that when he first saw Gu Liyue, he thought she was only twelve years old. She was thin, small, and haggard, with yellowish hair and a pale face. She looked like a poor country girl. How could such a girl be cute?
The carriage stopped. Gu Junyan frowned, lifted the curtain, and made a silent gesture. Then he asked, "What's going on?"
The guard below bowed and said, "My lord, the criminal Liu Qinting refuses to plead guilty and insists on seeing the young lady. She said that as long as the young lady talks to her nicely, she will tell the young lady something special."
Gu Junyan rubbed his fingers, his eyes solemn. "No matter which criminal wants to see the young lady, there's no need to report it again."
When Gu Liyue woke up, they had already arrived at the marquis's mansion. Besides her anxious sister - in - law and Qin Caiyin waiting here, Jiang Che was also standing on one side.
Now the Jiang family and the Gu family had completely cut off their relations. But Jiang Che had saved Gu Liyue today, tied up Feng Lanqing and brought him to the Gu family, and also went to the Ministry of Justice to tell everything that had happened today.
He bowed and looked at Gu Junyan. "Cousin, is the case closed?"