Even though they knew that Gu Liyue had been well in the palace, as soon as she returned, her family members surrounded her, looking her up and down as if they were afraid she had suffered any grievances. They even seemed to want to part her hair and count if two strands had fallen out.
Gu Liyue helplessly twirled around and coquettishly said, "Grandmother, please stop looking. I'm really fine. I ate and lived well in the palace and even received many rewards from the empress."
The old lady pulled her aside to sit down and sighed, "You were in the palace. Just when Chengzhi had a falling - out with Lu Yunxi, I was really afraid that Lu Yunxi would, out of anger, bully you."
Gu Liyue shook her head. "No, the princess has been very kind to me."
Only then did the old lady feel slightly relieved and kept asking her many questions.
However, Gu Liyue was concerned about Gu Chengzhi's injury. After saying a few words, she said she wanted to go and see her fourth brother. When she reached her fourth brother's courtyard all the way, she found that he was not recuperating properly but was practicing martial arts vigorously.
Seeing Gu Liyue coming, Gu Chengzhi immediately ran over, pulled her into the room, and poured tea for her. "Liyue, how is Lu Yunxi? Is she still mad at me?"
Gu Liyue shook her head. "She isn't mad at you. Instead, she feels guilty every day, always saying that she accidentally hurt you. Fourth brother, how are you? Are you okay?"
The scar on Gu Chengzhi's face wound from his forehead to his nose and then to his left cheek, looking extremely terrifying. How could he seem okay? But he just shook his head and ruffled Gu Liyue's hair. "It just looks ugly, but I'm a man. What's there to be afraid of with such a small injury?"
Gu Liyue couldn't help but reach out and touch his face. Seeing that he really didn't seem to be in pain, she relaxed a bit. "But such a wound may leave a scar, right?"
Gu Chengzhi laughed heartily. "It doesn't matter. A man shouldn't care about his appearance. Sister, don't you think I look more valiant like this?"
Gu Liyue couldn't help but burst out laughing. Her fourth brother was really too care - free. "But what if your future wife dislikes it?"
Gu Chengzhi's eyes dimmed instantly. After a moment of silence, he said, "Caiyin won't."
Gu Liyue's heart skipped a beat. Did her fourth brother really have feelings for Caiyin? She didn't believe it before, but Lu Yunxi had repeatedly told her not to mention in front of her fourth brother that Lu Yunxi liked him. But she always held a glimmer of hope, thinking that her fourth brother and Caiyin seemed open and aboveboard and there should be no secret affection between them.
"You... You and Caiyin..."
Gu Chengzhi nodded. "I've already told aunt that no matter what happens to Caiyin, I'm willing to marry her."
Gu Liyue sensed something was wrong. "No, what do you mean? What's wrong with Caiyin?"
But Gu Chengzhi didn't answer.
Gu Liyue got anxious. "I've only been away for a few days. What happened to Caiyin? What did you do to her?"
Gu Chengzhi quickly shook his head. "How could it be me? It's just that her reputation is now ruined. My aunt came to me crying and begging. After all, she's my cousin. I can't just watch her enter a nunnery, can I?"
Gu Liyue finally realized. "What exactly happened to Caiyin? No wonder when I came back today, everyone was there but second aunt..."
Gu Chengzhi patted Gu Liyue's arm to calm her down and then said, "A few days ago, Caiyin heard that I was injured and was going to come and see me. But something happened on the way. Although she was rescued, her reputation was still ruined."
"On the way... What happened?"
Gu Chengzhi hesitated for a moment. "It's a matter of the court. It's useless to tell you. You won't understand."
Gu Liyue stood up anxiously. "I don't understand court affairs, but Caiyin doesn't either. How is she involved?"
Gu Chengzhi explained, "Originally, a spy from a neighboring country was discovered by the crown prince. When the crown prince led people to pursue him, the spy panicked. Just then, Caiyin's carriage passed by, and she was hijacked by the spy."
How unlucky! Qin Caiyin was just walking on the road and unexpectedly encountered such a thing.
Gu Chengzhi added, "At that time, we were all unaware, and the crown prince didn't know which young lady was in the carriage. The spy was very difficult to deal with, and Caiyin was kidnapped for three hours..."
Gu Liyue gasped. Three hours. No wonder Caiyin's reputation was completely ruined.
Gu Chengzhi said helplessly, "Later, Jiang Che rescued her. But that stupid Jiang Che, maybe seeing that she was injured and eager to take her for treatment, actually revealed her identity. That's how everyone knew that the kidnapped person was Caiyin."
Jiang Che?
"How did Jiang Che rescue her?"
Gu Chengzhi shook his head. "I'm not very clear about the details. Anyway, Caiyin only suffered a minor injury, but her reputation was gone. Although Jiang Che made a mistake, after all, he rescued Caiyin. We can't blame him, can we? My mother got seriously ill because of this. I thought that since I'm her cousin, I can't just ignore her. So I told my aunt that I'm willing to marry her."
Gu Liyue was stunned for a long time before asking, "Then... Did second aunt agree? And grandfather and grandmother... Did they all agree?"
Gu Chengzhi pursed his lips and smiled. "My mother is ill. I haven't told her yet. The others know Caiyin's character, so they naturally support me."
Gu Liyue asked anxiously again, "But fourth brother, do you really like her?"
Gu Chengzhi paused and then helplessly spread his hands. "Silly girl, do you think it's so easy to meet someone you like and who likes you back in this world? Your true love with Jin Chen is really rare and should be cherished. As for me and Caiyin, we know each other well. It will be good for us to be together in the future."
Gu Liyue felt unhappy. Her fourth brother made it sound so simple. But if they didn't really like each other, could they really be together? Then she thought that in the capital, many people got together not because of true love but because of family status and suitability. Moreover, everyone knew that Caiyin had lost her reputation. If she married into another family, even if they didn't say it on the surface, they would actually look down on her. If her husband didn't like her because of this, she would be in trouble.
It seemed that with her fourth brother's disfigured face and Caiyin's ruined reputation, this was the only way.
It was just a pity that Lu Yunxi's true feelings would be in vain.
Gu Liyue didn't think much and rushed to Aunt Qin's courtyard. The courtyard was very quiet. Aunt Qin liked quietness, so there weren't many servants.
The nanny was happy to greet her when she saw Gu Liyue coming. "Miss is here? Second madam heard that you're back and really wanted to go and see you. But her body couldn't take it. The doctor told her that she needed to rest in peace after being frightened."
Gu Liyue rushed into the room, nodding and saying, "Why did second aunt want to see me when she's ill? I'm fine."
Entering the room, Aunt Qin was lying in bed and couldn't get up. Her pale face showed apology. "The doctor said not to move around too much, so I didn't change my clothes. Don't laugh at me."
Gu Liyue quickly helped her sit up properly and said, "Second aunt, don't worry. I'll go and see Caiyin in the Qin family tomorrow."
Aunt Qin nodded slightly but only asked, "Liyue, Caiyin is in such a situation. If I still force Zhier to marry her, isn't it too unfair to Zhier?"