Lao Qi's palace is at the foot of the imperial city. It can be described as magnificent and well-organized.
Reining his horse and stopping at the gate, Qingguan followed Mr. Gu with lowered eyebrows and lowered eyes, looking at everything around him from the corner of his eyes.
Entering the flower hall, the maids who had the wit to report had already gone to report, but no one came out to greet them. The maids and women in the courtyard were busy doing their own work, and did not even come forward to salute and say "Sister-in-law."
The second master Gu had a stern look on his face. He looked back and gave his daughter a few words, pretending to be nonchalant.
Qingwan felt disgusted by his pretentiousness.
It is said that the uncle is equal to the son-in-law. The second master Gu's status in the palace, not to mention the son-in-law, is not even as good as the servants who have the honor, so he is suppressed by the princess.
A pair of beautiful and calm eyes looked over, and in the old King Qi's cloudy eyes, a gleam of light flashed past, and he instantly became calm.
Qingguan quickly lowered his head, bowed seriously, and then sat down at the foot of Mr. Gu in a polite manner. Regret arose in my heart.
This was the first time she saw the legendary old King Qi. She couldn't hold it back and took a second look, but was shocked by the sharp light in the eyes of the old King Qi. The man in front of him was about sixty years old. He was extremely well-maintained. He had clear features, white skin and clean beard. He had a kind look on his face, but he was so noble that no one dared to look directly at him. He must have been a charming person when he was young. Compared with the old princess who is not amazing in appearance, the old King Qi is much more outstanding.
.
A slight cough interrupted Qingguan's thoughts.
"Father-in-law... Sir, I'm here to take Huayang back home." Mr. Gu was trembling and shrinking as he spoke, without any momentum at all.
There was no expression on Old Qi Wang's calm face. He didn't speak. He just picked up the teacup at hand and stirred the tea leaves with his hands.
However, for some reason, a cold aura spread out in the hall, making people feel breathless.
With just such an action, Qingguan felt that the old King Qi's city was deep.
She turned her head to look at Mr. Gu. As expected, there was heavy sweat on Mr. Gu's forehead. Looking at the Huayang mother and daughter sitting opposite each other, they looked calm and unfazed, turning a blind eye.
Qingguan sighed secretly. After all, he had his back against a big tree so he could enjoy the shade. With such a father behind him, it's no wonder Hua Yang didn't take men seriously.
"Father-in-law, Huayang and I..."
Suddenly, the old King Qi raised his eyes and looked straight at Mr. Gu.
Mr. Gu was so frightened that he trembled, fell to his knees with a plop, and said hurriedly: "Father-in-law, you can't blame me for this. Look at my face, every one of them was scratched by him. I..."
The old King Qi put the tea cup heavily on the table. The fine blue and white tea bowl jumped a few times and dripped a few drops of water.
Mr. Gu paused, his mouth half-opened and he didn't dare to speak, as if he was letting you down.
"This child Huayang has been spoiled by me. He has no sense of propriety in what he says or does. Please bear with me."
"Father-in-law!" Second Master Gu was stunned, and he was a little overwhelmed by such a gentle breeze and drizzle.
The old King of Qi knew this very well, and his father was no match for him. Qingguan glanced at the two of them and it was clear who was winning and who was losing.
"I have already scolded her, and she also knows that she is wrong. A man's face is a woman's face. She has lost her own face. She is really stupid."
These words simply touched the heart of Mr. Gu. When I went to the government office with such a rude face, many of my colleagues secretly laughed at me.
He squinted at Huayang, but Huayang lowered his head and couldn't see his expression clearly. Maybe she also felt regretful. Second Master Gu secretly rejoiced.
"You are a couple halfway through, and it is more difficult than other couples. If your father and your eldest brother hadn't asked for it, I would never have agreed to this marriage."
With such a kind face, every sentence seemed to come from the heart, but in fact, every sentence was precise, and Qingwan couldn't help but feel secretly afraid.
A prince with a humble birth escaped the purge of the struggle for imperial power, became famous in the current dynasty, and held a high and powerful position. How could he be so easy to get rid of
Qingguan pricked up his ears and listened.
"Now, you have been husband and wife for six years. You should know how she has treated you during these six years. Apart from other things, your official robe is the one I sacrificed my face to get for you."
The old King Qi's words were already full of seriousness, and Mr. Gu's cold sweat started to flow again.
"You are making such a fuss now, and Sister Ling has been slandered for no reason. In my opinion, there is no need for this couple to continue their relationship. One parting and two tolerance, two people are happy, let's get together and part ways."
Mr. Gu felt like he was struck by thunder. After a few good arguments, why did we end up like this? Without this woman, how would the Gu family survive in the capital in the future
Wanting to understand this, Mr. Gu repeatedly begged for mercy and shouted several times. Seeing that the old prince made no sound, he hurriedly pulled Qing Guan over, knelt down and said, "Thousands of mistakes are all my fault. Please, prince." For the sake of this girl, please spare my son-in-law this time."
"What does it have to do with her?" Old Qi King was puzzled. "My daughter is pitiful. She has been without a mother since she was a child, and she has been suffering from all kinds of problems. Now that her madness has caught the eyes of the ancestors of the Jiang family, she is about to become a child without a mother again. Old prince, the ancestors said , if there is something else, she will take him away, how can I leave her father and daughter.
She has to be raised in front of others. "
Qingguan looked at his father from the corner of his eye. I saw regret on his face, as sad as a widower whose wife died, so pitiful.
A sneer escaped from the corner of her mouth. He was able to speak in front of his ancestors, but Prince Qi wanted to marry his granddaughter to the Jiang family. Who threatened whom, who manipulated whom
The seemingly honest and harmless Mr. Gu is not just a little sheep, he may also be a big bad wolf. No wonder someone as shrewd as the princess can only suffer a loss in his hands. It depends on how the old King Qi gave his daughter such a tone.
Sure enough, as soon as these words came out, Princess Huayang raised her head in disbelief with complicated eyes.
What kind of person is the old King of Qi? He took a deep look at his son-in-law, raised the corner of his mouth, and said down the slope: "In that case, I will let you go for her sake. But... some things can't be said with words, The wind will blow and it will pass. Let’s have a banquet and drink, and invite people back.”
After that, no matter what Mr. Gu's face was, he walked away, followed by the princess and her daughter. The old princess was left alone to sit at the top, looking at Gu Qingwan with soft eyes.
"Such a pretty and lovely girl, I really can't help but fall in love with you. Come here, give Miss Six the fruits that were rewarded by the palace above."
Qingguan pretended to be shy and lowered his head.
One is a villain, the other is a villain. These two old couples are really ruthless!
"Miss, tell me how these men's hearts are so long and more exquisite than women's." Yueniang thought about what happened in the palace, and was filled with fear.
Qingguan calmed down and said: "Both of them are powerful in the dark, and neither of them is a good person."
There was a hint of worry in his eyes. One pretended to beg for mercy, just to firmly hold the old King Qi's thigh; the other retreated in order to advance, taking the opportunity to take advantage of the Gu family. The two parties appear to be at war, but in fact they are tightly intertwined like ropes.
If the Gu Mansion is moved, the old Qi Wang Mansion will definitely be moved, and the old Qi Wang has a deep foundation in the capital, and it cannot be shaken for a while. Unless it is a major event like treason.
Qingguan squeezed the hand hidden in his sleeve, the expression deep in his eyes unfathomable.
As expected, Jingli was no better than Suzhou Mansion. The intricate relationships between high-ranking families and the more naked and insidious calculations between people made her somewhat helpless when it came to revenge.
"Miss, no matter how powerful they are, they still have their weaknesses. Don't worry, miss, they will always find a way. We have only been in Beijing for two months, and there is still a lot of time left." Yueniang knew the miss's thoughts well and comforted her softly.
It's only been two months, Qingguan's thoughts flickered. In the past, in Suzhou Prefecture, every day was busy and life passed in a hurry. After entering Beijing, she did not need free clinics and only walked around the house, so her days slowed down.
Qingguan sighed and said, "I know."
The car body paused, the curtain was opened, and Mr. Gu's handsome face stuck in.
"Father is going to the Yamen. Now that you are out, go to the ancestors of the Jiang family and say hello before going back."
Going to Jiang Mansion at this time? Qingguan looked surprised.
Seeing that his daughter was ignorant, Mr. Gu said cheekily: "You have caught the eye of the ancestors, so be smart. If they don't come to invite you, you can still go to the house and walk around."
Coming to the door shamelessly is not what people like the Gu family should do. I'm afraid it's you, father, who deliberately let the people in the palace see it.
Qingguan felt shameless, but lowered her head and said: "Yes, father, it's just that my daughter went empty-handed... It doesn't look good."
Mr. Gu frowned, took out a banknote from his arms and handed it to Yueniang.
"Go to the street and buy something valuable. Look at the lady and tell her to please the ancestors."
"Yes, Second Master." Yueniang answered respectfully.
Mr. Gu threw down the curtain and left. Qingguan looked at the five hundred taels of banknotes, and the sneer on his face grew even more.
"Miss, what should we do?"
Qingguan thought for a moment and said, "Yue Niang, please send someone to Jiang's house first. It's not a good idea for us to come to Jiang's house so rashly."
"Yes, miss. But what should I buy?"
"Since our ancestor is not in good health, let's go to Tong Ren Tang to buy some tonics." Qing Guan had an idea.
Yueniang said "Hey" and deliberately raised her voice to give orders to the crowd outside. This is great. The young lady is looking for a chance to visit Tongrentang. Now is a good opportunity.
"Back to the old princess, the second master went to the palace. He first sent someone to review the report, and then went to the Yamen. Before leaving, he ordered the sixth lady to go to the Jiang family to pay respects to the ancestors. The sixth lady went to Tong Ren Tang and said it was a purchase. Bring some tonics."
The boy had a smart look on his face and spoke very logically.
The princess glanced at Nanny Tan behind her, who took out pieces of silver and rewarded her.
"Your father is half right. Gu Songtao has underestimated him. He is very smart, but he just pretends to be stupid in front of outsiders. How can you beat him?" The old princess hit the nail on the head. Huayang's heart skipped a beat.