Facing the insults from Liao and Gu Xin, Gu Zhi was not angry.
She looked calm and composed, as if she hadn't heard how vicious the words they said were.
"Are you listening to me?" Seeing that Gu Zhi was indifferent, Gu Xin was extremely angry and yelled at Gu Zhi in a high voice.
Gu Zhi's willow-shaped eyebrows were slightly frowned, and there was a little ripple on his face.
"You said I can do it, but please take care of my mother who is ill in bed. She is resting now and should not be disturbed."
"Who is your mother? Do you want me to take care of her?" Gu Xin raised his eyebrows and looked at Gu Zhi with disdain.
"Gu Zhi, is it because someone came to the general's mansion and told you that the young general liked you that you forgot your identity?" Liao snorted coldly, her words full of disdain.
"How can you defeat the princess of Northern Zhou?"
Liao seemed to have already seen Gu Zhi's look when his engagement was broken off.
"What about me? Can what I say count?"
Ling Qingwan's voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone was frightened and looked towards the door at the same time.
Ling Qingwan originally came to explain to Gu Zhi, but unexpectedly, she happened to run into Liao's mother and daughter bullying Gu Zhi.
If she hadn't run into him, it would have been fine. But if she had, she would have definitely stood with Gu Zhi. Moreover, the Liao mother and daughter kept talking about Gu Zhi and Ling Xiao's marriage.
"Second Miss Ling is coming to my Grand Secretary's residence, why didn't you tell me in advance so that I could go to the hall to greet her." Liao said to Ling Qingwan with a forced smile.
"If I hadn't come here without permission, I wouldn't have known that Madam Gu and the Second Miss had already chosen my brother as their lovebirds."
Upon hearing this, Liao and Gu Xin's faces turned green.
"But Madam Gu's idea is novel. I have never thought that the princess of Northern Zhou would become my sister-in-law." Ling Qingwan's mouth corners raised slightly.
She was clearly smiling, but Liao and Gu Xin found it particularly creepy.
"It's all spreading outside." Liao grinned, looking as awkward as possible.
Even so, she still wanted to be sarcastic.
"Mrs. Gu, please relax. I came here today just to explain everything to Zhier. Rumors stop at wise people. I believe that you must be that wise person. You will not be led by the nose by someone with ulterior motives, right?"
Ling Qingwan's smile grew even wider.
"Miss Ling Er is right." Liao said with a smile.
She had no choice but to follow Ling Qingwan's words. She couldn't just admit that she was a fool.
Liao was turned down in front of Ling Qingwan and could not stay any longer, so she dragged Gu Xin away in shame.
Ling Qingwan watched the two figures gradually disappear from her sight before she turned around and faced Gu Zhi.
Gu Zhi still looked gentle, but there was a hint of sadness between his eyebrows.
The two of them understood each other tacitly and went back to the yard and sat down together.
"Chi'er, I know you must have heard about what happened outside. I came here to tell you that it's all fake. I know my brother's character best. He and the Northern Zhou princess did know each other on the battlefield, but he only saved her life and healed her wounds. It's not like what was said, that my brother ruined her innocence."
Ling Qingwan took Gu Zhi's hand.
"Everything I said is true."
She also knew that Ling Xiao had just gotten engaged when such a thing happened. In this situation, the one who had the most difficulty was Gu Zhi. Moreover, Gu Zhi and Ling Xiao had not known each other for a long time, so it was reasonable for Gu Zhi not to believe what she said.
"I know." Gu Zhi raised the corner of his mouth slightly, revealing a faint smile. "You are so smart and kind-hearted. The people you think are good must be really good. I believe in you, and I also believe in General Ling."
"That's good." Ling Qingwan patted Gu Zhi's hand, feeling somewhat grateful.
"However, although I'm here to explain to you, I'm not here to force you to agree to this marriage with my brother." Ling Qingwan changed the subject and her expression became more serious.
Gu Zhi was puzzled and looked at Ling Qingwan.
"There are some things I must tell you in advance." Ling Qingwan said to Gu Zhi.
"You are very thoughtful. You should be able to see that my brother got engaged to you and then there was a scandal about him ruining the innocence of the Princess of Northern Zhou. This is by no means accidental. In fact, the last time you, Anyi and Shuying came to visit me at the General's Mansion, you left and we went to Jinhua Garden. That's when we met the Princess of Northern Zhou."
Ling Qingwan told Gu Zhi what happened in Jinhua Garden.
"Moreover, I received an invitation to the palace banquet held by the Queen to select a wife for the Crown Prince of Northern Zhou. This is why I suddenly decided to get married to the Seventh Prince."
Gu Zhi was shocked when he heard this.
She did feel strange about Wei Xun and Ling Qingwan's engagement. Although it was no secret that they were in love, this engagement was so sudden and hasty that anyone who was close to Ling Qingwan would be surprised.
But she thought about it, but couldn't figure it out.
It turned out to be because of the Crown Prince of Northern Zhou.
"I suspect that the reason the Crown Prince and Princess of Northern Zhou came here to marry is actually to target the General's Mansion." Ling Qingwan lowered her voice, and it seemed as if she was not joking.
Gu Zhi couldn't help but feel nervous.
"The Northern Zhou went to war twice, and both times my grandfather led the Dai Viet army to defeat them. In their hearts, I'm afraid my grandfather had already been cut into pieces. So this time, the Northern Zhou prince married me, and the Northern Zhou princess married my brother, all just to curb my grandfather's power."
"What I want to say is that this is the first time my brother has been targeted, and it will definitely not be the last time. We don't know what will happen in the future. You and my brother haven't gotten married yet, so you still have a chance to regret. If you don't want to be involved, you can cancel the engagement at any time. My brother is not a narrow-minded person. When the time comes, it will only be you who will announce to the world that you have canceled his engagement. It will not affect your future marriage."
Ling Qingwan spoke very sincerely, and I believe Gu Zhi also heard it.
She didn't want Gu Zhi to marry into the general's mansion without any clear reason, and end up facing the schemes of the Northern Zhou princess and even the entire Northern Zhou together with them.
Gu Zhi was in a dilemma.
"Take your time to think about it. There's no rush." Ling Qingwan said in a gentle and comforting voice.
"What about you? What do you think?" Gu Zhi raised his eyes and asked Ling Qingwan.
"You are my friend, and I feel so sorry for meeting you too late. I would be very happy if you could marry my brother, become my sister-in-law, and become a family with me. But if you don't want to get married, we will still be friends, and there will be no change at all." Ling Qingwan answered truthfully.
Since she decided to give the choice to Gu Zhi, she would not put pressure on her or morally blackmail her.
Gu Zhi thought about it for a while, but still couldn't figure out the reason.
"Let me think about it for a few days."
Finally, she proposed to Ling Qingwan.
Gu Zhi was not indifferent to Ling Xiao, nor was she afraid to face these plots and traps with Ling Xiao. She had lived a peaceful life since she was a child and had never experienced any storms.