Seeing that both Gu Liyue and Qin Caiyin looked innocent, Mrs. Qin didn't make her point clear in the end. She was thinking about discussing it with her elder sister - in - law and then inviting her sister from her natal family to talk about the situation. It was better for the two girls to know each other well as they grew up.
Qin Caiyin was in good health. The next day, she was eager to go out and play.
Mrs. Jiang was not happy. "My little ancestor, please be quiet. You fell into the water yesterday and haven't fully recovered yet. You need to rest well. Why do you want to run out? And Liyue was frightened before. How could she go out again?"
Qin Caiyin shook her head and pulled Mrs. Jiang, acting coquettishly. "Madam, please be kind to us. We've been stuck at home for several days. We're really bored to death. We're dying to go out and get some fresh air."
Mrs. Jiang said helplessly, "Well, there will be a poetry gathering hosted by Miss Cheng later. You can take Liyue with you to have some fun."
Qin Caiyin cheered. "Thank you, Madam. That's great! Most of the girls will probably go to Miss Cheng's poetry gathering. Liyue, we'll go together then."
Mrs. Jiang shook her head and sighed. "I must make it clear to you. Liyue is not very familiar with others. You can't leave her alone. Do you understand? If anything goes wrong..."
"I know. If anything goes wrong, even if you don't punish me, my mother will skin me alive."
Qin Caiyin pulled Gu Liyue and went back to the yard with a big smile. She whispered, "I got the news last night that all the other girls had accepted Miss Cheng's invitation, but ours hadn't. I knew it must be your aunt who declined it."
Gu Liyue asked, "So you were making a fuss on purpose today?"
Qin Caiyin grinned. "Your aunt loves you. Of course she wants you to go out and have fun. She's just worried that you were frightened. But don't worry. I'll protect you. I'll stay by your side all the time then."
Gu Liyue asked, "Is Miss Cheng the one named Cheng Yinyin?"
Qin Caiyin nodded. "Yes, Cheng Yinyin. Don't look down on her family background. She's quite famous for her talent and is very popular among the noble girls. Even Princess Yunxi likes her very much. Every time there's an invitation from her, as long as Princess Yunxi is in the capital, she will attend."
Gu Liyue asked doubtfully, "Really? But I think Cheng Yinyin and Lu Yunxi are two completely different people. How did they get along so well?"
Qin Caiyin shrugged. "With Lu Yunxi's personality, no one can tell who she likes or dislikes."
On the day of the poetry gathering, Gu Liyue found out that they were not going to the Cheng family's place but to the royal villa.
Qin Caiyin explained, "There's a girl from the Cheng family who is a concubine of the Prince Ling's Mansion and is quite favored. Since there's no principal concubine in the Prince Ling's Mansion, that concubine from the Cheng family is in charge of the whole mansion. She has the power to hold a banquet for Cheng Yinyin in the royal villa."
Gu Liyue nodded vaguely. Back at the Jiang family, she had to try hard to remember the identities and statuses of those noble girls. Now that she was in the Gu family, she didn't need to worry so much. She had just met many people briefly and only had a faint impression of them.
As soon as they arrived at the villa, an old maid beside Princess Jing came over and bowed. "Miss Gu, my mistress is in the Jingxin Tower over there. She invites you to have a talk with her."
Qin Caiyin quickly grabbed Gu Liyue and stared at the old maid.
The old maid smiled and said, "If Miss Qin San is free, you can go together too."
The two of them went to the Jingxin Tower together and met Qi Manyan coming out. They greeted each other and then went their separate ways.
Gu Liyue looked back at Qi Manyan, and fear welled up in her heart. If she hadn't been prepared, she would have screamed at the sight of Qi Manyan today. How could she act so calmly on the surface after doing those things? She was so elegant and well - behaved, without a single flaw.
Qin Caiyin nudged Gu Liyue and asked, "Liyue, what's wrong?"
Gu Liyue came to her senses and smiled at Qin Caiyin. "She's so beautiful. I can't help but take a few more looks."
Qin Caiyin covered her mouth and snickered. "Yes, she's the most beautiful girl. Everyone wants to take a few more looks at her when they see her."
Gu Liyue didn't say a word. She felt creepy. How could such a vicious mind be hidden behind such elegance? She couldn't bear to think about it. This woman had even set up such a scheme just to get rid of her for a man.
Before long, they were in front of Princess Jing.
Princess Jing was teasing a bird in a cage. When she saw them come in, she waved. "Liyue, come and have a look at my canary. Isn't it beautiful?"
Gu Liyue looked at it for a long time. Seeing that the bird didn't show any sign of liveliness no matter how it was teased, she said, "Maybe it's lonely as a single bird."
"Yes, it's longing for the outside world."
Gu Liyue didn't know how to respond, so she just kept silent.
Qin Caiyin couldn't hold back and asked, "Your Highness, since you think so, why don't you set it free?"
Princess Jing raised her eyebrows, looked at Qin Caiyin, and then at Gu Liyue. "Liyue, what do you think?"
Gu Liyue thought for a while and said, "A bird that has been used to being in a cage for a long time probably shouldn't be set free. If it's set free, it won't know how to hunt for food and survive, and it won't be able to integrate well with wild birds. If it's forced to be let go, it will probably end up dead."
Princess Jing let out a long sigh. "You're right. It's lonely, but since it was born, it has been a pet for people to watch and play with. It has no survival skills at all."
Gu Liyue and Qin Caiyin glanced at each other. They didn't know why Princess Jing suddenly had the interest to ask them to judge a bird.
Princess Jing put down the bird food and asked someone to take the bird away. "Actually, birds are quite similar to humans. Sometimes, people are just like the birds in the cage. They're bound and don't know where to go even if they want to. They can't go anywhere."
Gu Liyue lowered her head and pondered for a moment. Then she summoned up her courage and said, "Princess Jing, I think this statement is inappropriate. A bird can't be set free because it has lost its survival ability. But humans are different from birds. Humans have thoughts. Even in adversity, as long as they use their hearts and minds, they can find a way to survive."
Princess Jing looked back at Gu Liyue. "You think so? But do you know how many people have disappeared after leaving their comfortable places?"
Gu Liyue nodded. "I think so. Those who disappear don't do so because they can't survive, but because they're disheartened."
"Disheartened."
"The biggest enemy in life is not others but oneself. Survival is actually very easy. It has nothing to do with power, wealth, but everything to do with the human heart. As a human being, I'm very lucky. I don't have my fate in the hands of others like livestock, and I don't have to worry about food and shelter like wild animals. More importantly, humans have emotions. No matter what kind of emotions they are, they're the things that humans rely on to relieve their moods."
Princess Jing stared blankly at Gu Liyue and then suddenly laughed. "You're really interesting."
Gu Liyue frowned. Seeing that Princess Jing didn't seem to want to continue the topic, she changed the subject and asked, "Are you also here to attend the poetry gathering today, Princess Jing?"
Princess Jing shook her head. "I've been living in the villa these days. The poetry gathering is for you young people to play. How could I attend it?"