Before Gu Liyue could react, Lu Yunxi had already pointed at a young maid and asked her to lead her to find Brother Gu Si.
Cheng Yinyin secretly tugged at Gu Liyue's sleeve. After Lu Yunxi left, she explained, "It was she who told the Empress Dowager that she wanted to leave the palace to visit Brother Gu Si, and only then did the Empress Dowager give her permission."
Gu Liyue asked, "Does the Empress Dowager know about this too?"
Cheng Yinyin nodded. "She told the Emperor about her feelings, so of course the Empress Dowager also knows. I heard from her that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor... are a bit dissatisfied."
Gu Liyue understood in her heart that Second Uncle was the second son, and Brother Si was the second son of the second son, so his status was a bit lower. The Prince of Qingling had made great contributions, so of course the Emperor wanted to choose a more suitable husband for the princess.
But perhaps he couldn't resist Lu Yunxi's requests, so he had to turn a blind eye and wait for things to settle before making a decision.
"What about her..."
Cheng Yinyin spread her hands. "You don't have to worry about her. She knows what she's doing. This isn't a big problem. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager dote on her so much. If she asks a few more times, they will surely agree. Moreover, the Emperor trusts your Gu family. Brother Gu Si has noble character, so there's nothing inappropriate about it."
Gu Liyue smiled slightly. Before, she always thought that Cheng Yinyin was a bit pretentious and not very easy to get along with. But after getting in touch with her, she found that it wasn't arrogance. She always spoke just right and would never make others feel uncomfortable.
After thinking for a while, Gu Liyue asked again, "Is your little niece better?"
Cheng Yinyin's face immediately fell. "This incident made my mother angry, so she didn't let my elder sister-in-law manage the household. My mother and my second sister-in-law are in charge of all the household affairs. My elder sister-in-law got angry and made a scene at home, saying that my mother was being harsh to her. Finally, it got to my father, and he was so angry that he almost went to the Shao family to argue."
Gu Liyue frowned. In general families, the internal affairs of the inner courtyard were managed by women. How could it get to the men? This eldest mistress of the Cheng family was really ignorant.
Cheng Yinyin added, "Actually, my mother is also in a difficult position. My second sister-in-law is a concubine-born daughter, but my elder sister-in-law isn't very smart. In the future, when my mother gets older, she will have to let them manage the household by themselves."
It was other people's family affairs, so Gu Liyue didn't say much. She just asked Cheng Yinyin to try the snacks.
Cheng Yinyin probably hadn't met anyone to confide in for a long time, so she continued, still not satisfied. "Sometimes I think I hope that my future in-laws won't be as muddle-headed as my elder sister-in-law."
After seeing Gu Chengzhi, Lu Yunxi didn't stay long. She asked Gu Liyue and Cheng Yinyin to accompany her out for a stroll.
Gu Liyue originally didn't agree, but Jiang knew that Gu Liyue had been unhappy these days because of the news of Lu Jinchen's death. It was rare for her sisters to invite her out to play.
"Just go. There's nothing to do at home. Your elder brother Si is much better. It's good for you to go out and play. By the way, go to Mingzheng Street and buy some peach blossom cakes. Your grandmother likes them."
Gu Liyue followed Lu Yunxi out of the house. The carriage went all the way to Mingzheng Street.
Lu Yunxi wasn't as excited as when she came to the Gu family. She just leaned against the carriage wall and stared at Gu Liyue. After a long time, she asked, "Liyue, are you very sad?"
Cheng Yinyin frowned and tugged at her heavily. "Yunxi, what are you talking nonsense about?"
Lu Yunxi frowned. "I really want to know. Liyue, my cousin is dead. Will you be sad?"
Gu Liyue didn't say a word. The sadness in her heart swept over her. How could she not be sad? Since the day she got the news, after she had cried enough, she always told herself that Lu Jinchen wasn't dead. How could he be dead?
He had said in the letter that he was coming back soon and was coming to accompany her soon, right?
Lu Yunxi said, "Sometimes I feel like it's a dream. It's so unreal. Actually, I like Lu Jinchen very much. He's different from my hypocritical cousins. He's never fake. Liyue, you're not sad because you think so too, right?"
Gu Liyue lowered her head. "He's not dead."
Lu Yunxi nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, yes. I think so too. Liyue, I knew your thoughts were the same as mine. And those people said that he wasn't the son of the Prince of Liang. How could that be? He looks exactly like the Prince of Liang. How could he not be the Prince of Liang's child? Anyway, I don't believe a single word of it."
Gu Liyue's eyes sparkled. She calmly raised her head. "Yes, I think the same as you. So, I will wait quietly until the day he comes back and tell him in person that I believe in him."
Lu Yunxi and Gu Liyue held hands and looked at each other seriously. They both saw confidence in each other's eyes, the confidence that Lu Jinchen was still alive.
Just then, the carriage suddenly stopped. The three girls all lunged forward. Fortunately, Lu Yunxi had good martial arts skills and managed to support Gu Liyue and Cheng Yinyin.
"What's going on? Who dares to stop the princess's carriage?"
Lu Yunxi angrily lifted the carriage curtain and sized up the person below. She sneered. "So it's the second young master of the Qi family. What do you want by stopping the princess's carriage?"
The second young master of the Qi family was polite. He raised his eyebrows and smiled. "So it's Princess Yunxi. The thing is, today Concubine Shu left the palace to visit her relatives. She got a good embroidery pattern and remembered that Miss Gu was proficient in embroidery skills. She sent me to the Gu family to invite Miss Gu. I didn't expect to see Miss Gu here. Miss Gu, please come with us."
Gu Liyue looked out through the carriage door opened by Lu Yunxi. Her eyes were solemn. They were taking Lu Yunxi's carriage today. And the way from the Qi family to the Gu family didn't go through Mingzheng Street. How did they manage to invite her here?
Unless they came here specifically to arrest her.
Lu Yunxi sneered. "Concubine Shu is visiting her relatives? Why don't I know about this? I left the palace this morning to pay respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress, but I didn't hear that Concubine Shu was visiting her relatives. Moreover, the Emperor is still in a coma. What does Concubine Shu want to do by leaving the palace at this moment?"
The second young master of the Qi family's eyes flickered slightly. He didn't expect Princess Yunxi to be so aggressive. Every word of hers seemed to imply that their Qi family was trying to help the Second Prince rebel by doing this.
He wasn't stupid. He knew that if he tried to explain things according to Lu Yunxi's words, it would only get more troublesome. So he ignored her and bowed to the people in the carriage. "Miss Gu, Concubine Shu has invited you. Please come with us."
Gu Liyue subconsciously grabbed Lu Yunxi's hand and whispered, "I can't go with him."
Lu Yunxi understood immediately and immediately sneered. "Hey, I'm asking you a question. How dare you ignore me? Does your Qi family think that just because you're the Second Prince's maternal family, you can be so shameless?"
The second young master of the Qi family only hesitated for a moment before saying loudly, "The Second Prince is loyal to the Emperor and the Crown Prince and has no second thoughts. Princess Yunxi is young and can say whatever she wants, but I can't. But the princess has repeatedly stopped Miss Gu Liyue whom Concubine Shu wants to see. I wonder why."
Lu Yunxi clapped her hands. "Because I invited her first. If Concubine Shu wants to see her, she can do it next time!"