Gu Liyue only knew that the emperor doted on Lu Jinchen. It turned out that Lu Jinchen also had a good relationship with the Crown Prince. Right, she had previously heard that when the King of Liang punished Lu Jinchen by family law, it was the Crown Prince who took Jinchen away.
Gu Chengzhi asked, "Do you want to see Jinchen?"
Gu Liyue blushed slightly, pursed her lips and whispered, "Yes... I have something to ask him."
"I'm afraid he won't be available to see you for a while. If I hadn't been injured, I probably wouldn't have had any free time either. The palace guards have been tightened. The third brother can't get out, and the affairs outside the palace also need to be strengthened. Uncle is so busy that he has no spare time at all. I'm a son of the Gu family, but I can only sit at home waiting for news. I'm really anxious!"
Gu Chengzhi clenched his fists, looking annoyed. But he quickly came to his senses and asked Gu Liyue, "What do you want to ask? I mostly know about his affairs. My duties are mostly the same as his. Maybe I know the answer."
Gu Liyue forced a smile and said, "It's... I only found out after entering the palace that there were rumors about my past with Feng Lanqing some time ago..."
"You're talking about this. I know. Big brother said it took you a long time to get over it, so there was no need to bother you with these things. That's why he told us not to tell you, so you don't know much about it."
Gu Liyue suddenly perked up. "You know too? Do you know who did this?"
Gu Chengzhi scratched the back of his head. "Could it have been done by someone else? I don't know. I only know that when the rumors were spreading, Lu Jinchen had already taken action and exposed the things that Feng Lanqing and Liu Qinting had done to hurt you. Later, when people talked about you, they mostly felt sympathy for you. There were hardly any more words saying that you had moral flaws."
Gu Liyue frowned. Her guess was right. If the matter between her and Feng Lanqing had really just been accidentally exposed, Lu Jinchen would never have reacted so quickly. Moreover, digging out the past to make people pity was not a good thing, unless Lu Jinchen was forced to do so.
Anyway, this matter had already been resolved. She just didn't know if big brother had noticed something was wrong. Even if he had found out, he probably wouldn't have told the fourth brother.
Gu Chengzhi stood up and asked, "Did you find something else?"
Gu Liyue quickly shook her head and managed to persuade Gu Chengzhi to leave. She returned to her room and asked the maids to continue combing her hair. Sitting in front of the table, Gu Liyue felt her face burning like fire.
He had always remembered her, in a place she didn't know.
Because she hadn't rested well in the palace and went to bed late at night, Gu Liyue didn't wake up until late the next morning. She quickly asked someone to prepare the carriage and was about to go to the Qin family.
But before she could set off, a maid came to report that Miss Qin, the cousin from the Qin family, had come.
Gu Liyue quickly went out to greet her. Sure enough, she saw Qin Caiyin coming. She held Qin Caiyin's hand and looked at her, but was a little stunned. Usually, when a young lady lost her reputation in such a big event, she should have been haggard and painful. But she didn't see any sign of haggardness on Qin Caiyin's face. Instead, her face was glowing with happiness, as if she had been extremely happy these days.
Qin Caiyin lifted her skirt with one hand and let Gu Liyue hold her other hand. She turned her head and asked, "I heard you're back home. I originally wanted to come and see you yesterday, but my mother wouldn't let me. She said I had to come early in the morning. How are you? You look in good spirits. I guess you didn't suffer any hardships in the palace."
Gu Liyue nodded vaguely. "What... are you here for?"
Qin Caiyin waved her hand indifferently. After entering the room, she didn't even want tea. "Do you have honey milk? The ones made at my home are not as delicious as yours. From now on, when I come, you don't need to ask the maids to make tea for me. I only drink honey milk."
Gu Liyue then said to Danju, "Change it."
Qin Caiyin happily took a sip of the honey milk and asked again, "Where did this woman who makes the tea come from? The taste is really good."
Gu Liyue also became puzzled. It seemed that there had never been a woman who made sweet tea in the mansion before. Since when had all kinds of milk teas and milks become so sweet?
Danju explained with a smile, "Cousin Miss, this is a woman that the Fourth Young Master specifically sent someone to ask for from the residence of the Heir of the King of Liang because he knew that Miss liked sweet drinks."
Hearing this, Qin Caiyin looked at Gu Liyue meaningfully, with the teasing in the corners of her eyes self - evident.
Gu Liyue blushed instantly. Only later did she realize that the fourth brother wasn't that considerate. It was probably Lu Jinchen who, seeing that she liked sweet things, sent the woman over in the name of the fourth brother.
Just like the two baskets of maltose that day.
Gu Liyue playfully patted Qin Caiyin's hand. "Don't make fun of me. I was even going to go and see you today."
Qin Caiyin's smile grew wider. "You were going to see me? It's already late in the morning, and you're still at home. And you said you were going to see me?"
Gu Liyue turned her face away. "If you keep this up, I'll get angry."
Qin Caiyin then pleaded for mercy. "Good Liyue, it's my fault. I won't make fun of you for being lazy. Anyway, you have someone who loves and dotes on you. Even after you get married, you don't have to care about what time you sleep until."
Gu Liyue's face turned even redder. She simply picked up a pillow and wanted to hit Qin Caiyin.
Qin Caiyin giggled non - stop and played around with Gu Liyue.
After playing for a while, Gu Liyue stopped and asked, "You came so early. Did you come specifically to see me?"
Qin Caiyin shook her head. "No. I came with my mother. Early yesterday morning, your aunt came to my home to propose marriage, saying that the fourth cousin wanted to marry me. My mother actually agreed. I wasn't happy when I found out. So today I asked my mother to come and reject this matter."
Gu Liyue's eyes widened. "Rejected? But... why did you reject it? Don't you want to marry my fourth brother?"
Qin Caiyin said, "I know he wants to marry me because he's afraid I'll suffer, but I don't want to. Liyue, do you know? I've always envied you. You and the Heir of the King of Liang weren't in a blind marriage. You have feelings for each other. He also wants to marry you because he likes you. I hope my future husband will be like the Heir of the King of Liang to you, not because of responsibility, but because of love."
Gu Liyue was a little dazed. Love was such a luxury for them.
"But if you don't marry into our family, how will you get along in the future?"
Qin Caiyin smiled playfully. "Anyway, I won't go to the nunnery to become a nun. Don't worry. At worst, I'll go back to my hometown and live for a few years. I'm not even seventeen yet. I can wait for a couple of years."
Gu Liyue reached out and held Qin Caiyin's hand. "Then... will you be able to find your ideal husband in two years? And how do you know if my fourth brother will still be waiting for you in two years?"
Qin Caiyin said seriously, "I never hope that he'll wait for me. The person I like... probably won't wait for me either."
Gu Liyue was greatly shocked. Her hand unconsciously tightened. "You... you have someone you like? You... him..."
"Ouch, don't squeeze so hard. You're hurting me." Qin Caiyin broke free from Gu Liyue's hand and complained dissatisfiedly. "Can't you even speak properly? Why can't I have someone I like? It's just that he doesn't like me."