"Ahem..."
After Qiantong left, Qi Surong immediately covered her mouth and coughed lightly, her throat hurting.
Ping'er patted her back distressedly and handed her a glass of warm water.
"Miss, really, you are obviously sick, why are you talking to her so much?" Although she didn't understand most of it, she also knew that the lady was trying to hold on.
"It's okay." Qi Surong said in a hoarse voice, "I'll just lie down for a while and I'll be fine."
I lay there until Yinshi (3 a.m. to 5 a.m.).
When he opened his eyes, the surroundings were pitch black, with only a few glimmers of light coming from the window.
Qi Surong felt that the heat in her body seemed to have faded a lot, but because of the sweat, her body was a little sticky and very uncomfortable. But at this time, it was not convenient to ask someone to boil water for her to bathe.
I tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep again.
"Are you awake?" A deep voice suddenly came from outside the house, which seemed particularly clear in this quiet space.
"Gu... Jinyun?" Qi Surong called uncertainly.
"Well, I was passing by for morning exercise." Gu Jinyun said, "I heard that you are sick."
"Thank you for your concern. I feel much better after a good sleep." Qi Surong sat up and leaned against the wall with the quilt in his arms.
"If your voice is hoarse, stop talking."
"Um."
There was silence outside, and there was no movement for a long time. Just when Qi Surong thought he had left, a melodious oral string sound suddenly came to his ears, soft and melodious, like the lingering breeze, extremely moving.
Qi Surong closed her eyes and listened. The two of them were separated by a wall, quietly enjoying the peace.
Perhaps it was because the song was too gentle, tears fell from Qi Surong's eyes unconsciously, and the fragility of her heart was revealed at this moment. She buried her face in the quilt and cried silently.
Not fear, not exhaustion, but a loneliness with no one to complain to, and a heavy responsibility. After she was reborn, she didn't care about fame, status, money or wealth, she just wanted her family to be safe throughout her life. However, the Qi family is now like a boat against the current. If they don't advance, they will retreat. They have a desire to avoid the world. They have no choice but to press forward step by step, so they can only move forward bravely.
Although she has the advantage of being a prophet, she is not sure of winning. Things are unpredictable, and the future she originally knew could change at any time due to her actions. Whether it can grasp the current situation is still unknown. No matter what, she doesn't want to make the same mistake again. But can she do it
"At a young age, it's easy to think too much." Gu Jinyun put down his tongue and said slowly, "Don't be too sad, I will protect you."
I'll protect you. These four simple words, like the dawn light, dispelled the darkness in Qi Surong's heart. She raised her head, the sorrow in her eyes gradually faded, and her vision became clearer.
"Have a good rest, I'm back." After getting no response for a long time, Gu Jinyun didn't care and said goodbye to her calmly.
After sitting in silence for a long time, and there was no sound outside, Qi Surong softly uttered two words: "Thank you."
I accepted it.
Gu Jinyun, who was waiting outside the wall, had an almost imperceptible smile flashing in his eyes, and then he really left.
Gu Jinyun always had a strange feeling towards her. When they met each other, they only spoke a few words, but they seemed to have known each other for a long time. They had an unexpected tacit understanding and got along naturally.
Although Gu Jinyun looks handsome, his expression is cold and his eyes are sharp. Few men, let alone women, dare to look at him.
But Qi Surong was different. When she spoke to him, she would look directly at him calmly, without any embarrassment, and she would not be ridiculed or fearful of some of his rather inappropriate behaviors.
Gu Jinyun felt that this woman was his partner in this life.
Three days later, Qi Surong gradually recovered and resumed taking over the affairs of Xiuzhuang.
At the same time, her prophecy about Qian Tong also came true in the uncertain wait.
A tragic case in which a concubine killed his wife shocked the government. The victim was Chen Hua's wife, Chen Wu. The case was not complicated. The cause was that Chen Wu designed to kill the child in Chen Hua's concubine. The concubine became angry and cut Chen Wu's throat with scissors, killing Chen Wu on the spot.
At first, Chen Hua wanted to suppress the matter to prevent the family scandal from being publicized, but Chen Wu's personal maid immediately told Wu's father about the matter. Wu's father was so angry that he sued the Chen family to the government that day.
After the concubine was arrested, she described herself as crazy and confessed.
After the case was completed, Wu's father was still angry. He rushed into Chen Hua's house, broke Chen Hua's legs, and had his servants beat up all Chen Hua's concubines.
Chen's father led the Zuozhonghou of the mansion, and was two ranks higher than Chen Hua. He beat him so hard that he didn't dare to say a word.
This incident caused quite a stir in the capital. Soon after, even the emperor heard about it, and directly criticized him for "lax family governance" and demoted him one level.
Chen Hua has lost all face, and his official career may come to an end here.
After Qiantong heard this, she felt lucky and no longer dared to doubt Qi Surong's words.
She begged: "Now that Chen Hua is no longer a concern, do you still want me to get close to this person?"
"Of course." Qi Surong nodded and said, "This is when Chen Hua is in a state of decline. If you take the opportunity to get close to him, you will definitely win his favor and trust. You don't need to deliberately use clichés to avoid arousing suspicion. Just serve him well and do your best. Maybe just satisfy him.”
Qi Surong did not fully trust Qiantong and rashly asked her to obtain information, which might be counterproductive. It is better to keep this chess piece first and act according to the opportunity.
"I understand." Qiantong nodded obediently.
"In a few days, you will have an excuse to go out and go to the Chen Mansion to see him." After saying that, Qi Surong handed her a bag of silver, "Take these first and buy some things for yourself."
"Thank you, Miss." Qiantong's eyes lit up slightly as she put away the silver. Although it is not as generous as when he was in Qi Mansion, it at least means that Qi Surong does have the intention to win over.
"Miss, can I ask you one more thing?" Qian Tong asked carefully.
"What do you want to ask?"
"When will our Qi Mansion be able to repeat its glory?"
Qi Surong glanced at her indifferently, she lowered her head and said hurriedly: "I'm a humble concubine asking more, how can the secret be revealed at will? Miss, please don't blame me."
After sending Qiantong away, Qi Surong sighed slightly.
When can Qi Mansion repeat its glory? She wanted to know too.
The next day, the Qi family received an invitation from Xu Chen, inviting Qi's father and Su Bao to visit Yingshu Pavilion.
Yingshu Pavilion is Xu Chen's current residence. Qi Surong did not expect that he would take the initiative to invite her. He was thinking of taking Subao to visit in the next few days.
Qi's father was a little confused when he received the invitation, but he was relieved when he heard about the whole story of Su Bao's encounter with Xu Chen in the temple.
He asked: "Su Bao, do you really want to join Mr. Xu?"
Su Bao nodded seriously: "Yes."
"Well, tomorrow my father will take you to Yingshu Pavilion to meet him." Although Qi's father doesn't like to be literate, he still respects literati and has no concept of overestimating civil and military affairs. It's just that he is naturally aloof and seems unapproachable.
On the second day, Qi's father ended his disciple's training early and took Subao to Yingshu Pavilion.
While Qi Surong was busy with things in Xiuzhuang, she waited patiently at home. She expected them to come during dinner time, but unexpectedly they disappeared after Youshi.
She couldn't help but feel a little worried, and immediately asked the steward to go out to find out the news.
At this moment, Gu Yufeng seemed to be passing by accidentally. He stood at the entrance of the courtyard and said with a smile: "Miss, don't worry, the master and the young master have been staying at Yingshu Pavilion for dinner by Mr. Xu."
Qi Surong was stunned for a moment and felt relieved. She still believed Gu Yufeng's words.
So she didn't ask any more questions and said hello: "Erlang, can you stay for dinner tonight?"
"Isn't this... not good?" Gu Yufeng hesitated.
"There's nothing wrong with it. You are my father's disciple, and you still pay so much attention to a meal."
"If so, I'm sorry for bothering you." Gu Yufeng saluted.
Qi Surong smiled and let him into the house, and told Ping'er to prepare for dinner.
Gu Yufeng waited for Qi's mother to take her seat before slowly taking her seat.
After sitting down, he suddenly remembered that Qi Surong seemed to have called him "Erlang" just now? Does she know her identity? Can't? Even his father didn't know that he came here to study. How did Qi Surong know
Did the elder brother tell her? Are they already familiar with this
Not long after, Qi Surong brought the food up peacefully, laid it out one by one, and arranged the bowls and chopsticks. The movements are neat and smooth, without any hint of awkwardness.
Gu Yufeng couldn't help but feel a little fond of this prospective sister-in-law. He has been studying here for many days, but this is the first time he has had close contact with Qi Surong. From a distance, I felt that she was indeed as cold and arrogant as the rumors. But when I got closer, I realized that she had a temperament like orchid, and her elegance had a bit of wisdom and stability.
"Dongya, don't be formal about eating." Qi's mother liked this cheerful young man very much. He was only thirteen or fourteen years old. He was modest and polite, unlike ordinary children from ordinary families.
(Dongya is Gu Yufeng’s name. He always calls himself Dongya in the Qi family.)
"Thank you, Madam." Gu Yufeng's eyes fell on the dinner table. There were five simple dishes and one soup, three meat and two vegetarian dishes. Although they were just home-cooked side dishes, they were cooked very delicately and looked very appetizing.
Um? He found that the three dishes placed in front of him were all his usual favorites, while the other two dishes he didn't like much were placed further away.
Is it a coincidence
Gu Yufeng felt that he might be too worried. How could the Qi family know his preferences
At this time, Qi Surong brought another plate of spicy beans and placed it in front of Gu Yufeng.
Qi's mother asked strangely: "Rong'er, why do you take out this kind of thing to entertain guests?"
People in the capital don't like spicy food, so spicy beans are only eaten as a snack and never served on the table.
Qi Surong paused and realized what was wrong with him. It was only natural to bring out spicy beans just now, because she remembered that the Gu family loved spicy food, especially Gu Yufeng, who had a special liking for the bean drum mixed with spicy sauce.
"No, Master, Dongya likes spicy beans very much." Gu Yufeng said with a smile, "Thank you, Miss Qi."
"You're welcome." Qi Surong ate calmly.
Qi's mother saw that Gu Yufeng really liked to eat, so she stopped talking.
If the arrangement of the previous dishes was a coincidence, then what is the explanation for this plate of bean curd
Gu Yufeng secretly glanced at Qi Surong and wondered to himself, could it be that this prospective sister-in-law has been secretly paying attention to him for a long time and is interested in him? Oh, no, he doesn't want to be quartered by his brother.
Alas, it’s hard to give up on natural beauty, it’s so confusing! Sister-in-law-to-be, please don’t fall in love with your little brother.
Gu Yufeng really thinks too much...
After dinner, Gu Yufeng returned to Gu's house and immediately carefully told Gu Jinyun what happened today.
"Sister-in-law-to-be seems to know my preferences very well. Didn't my eldest brother tell her?"
"No." Gu Jinyun had a sullen face and stared at Gu Yufeng sadly.
"Don't look at me like that!" Gu Yufeng hugged his chest and declared seriously, "I just talked to my sister-in-law-to-be today, and I don't even see her in person. Brother, you have to believe me, I am absolutely innocent!"
The word "unhappy" was written all over Gu Jinyun's face, which made Gu Yufeng feel frightened. He didn't suspect anything wrong between his brother and Miss Qi, but he was unhappy that he could have dinner at the same table with Miss Qi, very unhappy.
Gu Jinyun stood up and ordered: "Get the accounts in the study in order."
"Oh no, brother, don't do this!"
Even a shrill wail can't change the eldest brother Juejue's back.