Under Zhao Shuning's care, Gu Zhiruo's body, though still weak, was no longer in mortal danger.
She had urgent matters to attend to.
So she sent Gu Zhiruo back to the palace ahead of time.
She still remembered.
In the main hall.
Gu Zhiruo's imposing manner at that time showed that he was no longer the young lad he used to be.
Back in Gu Zhiruo's palace, Zhao Shuning planned to talk to him about some matters regarding the silver plate and then leave.
Just then.
A palace attendant came in to report that Xu Yue'er was asking to see the lord outside.
Gu Zhiruo looked at Zhao Shuning.
"Elder Sister Ling?"
"Let her in. This girl is quite good. Her ideas are also rather novel."
Xu Yue'er originally heard that Zhao Shuning was in the palace accompanying Gu Zhiruo. She thought that going in would only make herself look bad, so she might as well leave now.
But just as she turned around.
The eunuch behind her said,
"The lord summons you."
Xu Yue'er was slightly stunned but still followed the eunuch into the hall.
In this deep palace compound.
Zhao Shuning was sitting on one side.
Gu Zhiruo was right in front of her.
Xu Yue'er never dared to raise her head.
She was a bit scared. Or rather, she didn't know what to say after seeing Gu Zhiruo and Zhao Shuning.
It was just that after hearing that Gu Zhiruo had returned to the palace, she couldn't hold back her worry for a moment. She wanted to enter the palace to find out what was going on. Besides, she could use handling the matters in the harem as an excuse.
But once she entered the palace hall.
After seeing the two of them.
She couldn't say a word.
"Miss Xu, you seem to be much quieter at this moment."
Xu Yue'er replied timidly, "Senior, I... I just have something to report to the lord. I'm sorry for disturbing you. It's really not my intention."
Zhao Shuning stretched out her hand.
She motioned for Xu Yue'er to stop. Such high - sounding words might be useful to deceive those stubborn ministers.
"Greetings to the lord."
Gu Zhiruo nodded.
Then he asked, "Thank you for your trouble these days, Miss Xu."
Xu Yue'er quickly shook her head.
"It's Yue'er's honor to do something within my power for the State of Cangwu."
Do they always meet like this, so proper and formal?
No wonder that young lad Gu Zhiruo was a bit slow in matters of the heart. If things continued like this, even after ten or twenty years, he wouldn't notice Xu Yue'er's secret feelings.
"If there's nothing urgent, you may leave first."
"This, is—"
"Wait a minute." Zhao Shuning spoke up.
Gu Zhiruo and Xu Yue'er both looked at Zhao Shuning.
"Elder Sister Ling—"
"Senior."
Xu Yue'er raised her eyes, looking surprised and suspicious.
The senior looked so young, yet why did the lord still call her elder sister?
Moreover, judging from the lord's demeanor, it was obvious that he respected her.
Zhao Shuning spread out her hands innocently and said, "As you can see, your lord and I are just siblings."
Xu Yue'er quickly lowered her head.
The senior's words were so ambiguous.
"Elder Sister Ling, what are you doing?"
"Kid, don't you see that this girl has feelings for you?"
A blush flashed across Gu Zhiruo's face.
Obviously.
Zhao Shuning's teasing still made him a bit flustered.
"Senior, don't talk nonsense. Yue'er... Yue'er would never dare to have such thoughts."
"I know you have great ambitions and many things you want to do. But girl, no matter how deeply you hide your feelings, there will always be a day when they're exposed."
"Moreover, this kid Gu Zhiruo really isn't the type to focus on such things. If you're not more proactive, you'll never have a future together."
"But senior and the lord?"
"Why don't you ask him if he has such feelings for me?"
Gu Zhiruo lowered his head.
Naturally, Xu Yue'er didn't dare to really ask. Moreover, she didn't have the qualification or the position to ask this question.
"Yue'er doesn't dare to speculate about the lord's thoughts."
"I'll just ask you, if you become the lord's wife, will you be like Concubine Mei Xuan?"
"Of course not!"
These words almost blurted out.
Zhao Shuning nodded in satisfaction.
Gu Zhiruo quickly said, "Elder Sister Ling, Miss Xu is young and can't take teasing. Please stop teasing her."
"What? Did I guess wrong? Miss Xu, do you really have no other feelings for this kid of mine?"
"Yue'er doesn't dare. Yue'er—"
"You'd better think it through before you speak. If you miss this opportunity, there won't be another one. This might be your only chance to express your feelings."
Xu Yue'er stopped.
Gu Zhiruo tried to smooth things over.
"Elder Sister Ling, don't you want to go to the palace's collection pavilion? I'll accompany you. This little girl is very shy. She really can't take your teasing like this."
"Yes, I do have feelings for the lord."
Xu Yue'er blushed.
She suddenly shouted these words.
These few words seemed to have used up all her courage.
"Since you've said it, why not say more?" Zhao Shuning encouraged Xu Yue'er.
Xu Yue'er took a deep breath.
Rarely did she raise her head.
She looked directly at Gu Zhiruo.
Her eyes seemed to have a different kind of fire burning in them at this moment.
"Miss Xu—"
"I've had feelings for the lord for many years."
"Maybe the lord will think that I was too young at that time and didn't know anything?"
"But that's just how feelings are."
"I've read the lord's notes and many of your theories on governing the country. Besides, every year when you came to the grand tutor's mansion to meet my father, I always hid behind the curtain and watched."
"Every time you came, I would groom myself in advance and couldn't sleep for days and nights. Every time, I could only catch a glimpse of you under the pretext of serving tea."
"Later, I knew that you had fallen in love with Sister Mei from my mansion. I originally wanted to hide these feelings in my heart forever. I really planned to do so and actually did it. But I didn't expect so many things to happen later."
Gu Zhiruo was a bit stunned.
This little girl was saying so many words in front of him for the first time.
"Senior is right. If I don't say it now, I'm afraid I won't have a chance in the future. Yue'er thinks she's not a timid person, but every time I see the lord, I always don't even dare to raise my head. It's only because the senior is here to encourage me that Yue'er dares to say these words."
Gu Zhiruo: "You?"
"Lord, I'm telling you these things not to get anything from you. I've been able to keep these feelings for so many years, and I can keep them for even longer."
"If I don't say it and never get a response in my whole life, I'm afraid Yue'er will feel regretful when I'm on my deathbed."
After Xu Yue'er finished these words.
She stared at Gu Zhiruo.
Gu Zhiruo didn't react for a moment.
He stood there stunned, not saying a word.
"Yue'er probably understands the lord's feelings. I won't disturb the lord anymore. I'll leave first."
The young girl turned around.
Tears were already streaming down in strings.
This time, without any etiquette and even without the lord's permission, she ran out of the bedroom.
She already knew the result.
But her heart still couldn't help but ache.
Looking at the departing figure and then at Gu Zhiruo who was still in a daze.
Zhao Shuning said, "You don't like this girl?"
"Not dislike."