CH 26

Chapter 26: Calm storm

“Nothing, just calling out.” Yun Ke said calmly but he had layers of dark waves in his eyes.

“This servant girl will go first.” Gu Yu Qi tried her best to calm down. She nodded and left quickly.

Still pretending? Yun Ke looked at Gu Yu Qi’s retreating figure. A cold smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He had not understood why he was born to live again. In his previous life, he had clearly died on the great imperial dragon bed and only the crown prince had been by his side. All his life, he had little interest in his sons. Apart from the son born by the former Princess Mu Rong, the rest of his children had died inexplicably. Perhaps the gods had seen his hands stained with the blood of his brother and had sent such a punishment.

Fortunately, the crown prince was intelligent. He had poured his heart into cultivating him so he could be of great use, and he had paved the way for his son before he had died. He had cleared up any stumbling blocks while he was still the emperor. For military issues, there was Ding Guo Du Xia, for literary issues, there was Han Xi An Bang. He did not have any great regrets in passing. If he really had any thoughts, it was that woman Gu Yu Qi.

Perhaps she had died too tragically. The fire still floated before his eyes when he closed them. It haunted him all his life and he never forgot it.

Yes, after he died, Gu Yu Qi’s urn was under his coffin. If he was reborn, there was no reason why Gu Yu Qi was not.

So good.

The smile on Yun Ke’s lips turned a little colder. When she died, she had proclaimed that the light of fire would illuminate the road with her blood as the guide, and that they would never meet again in any life.

What she wanted to do, he just would not allow.

If he relived then he would experience the taste of the world again. Then it would not be bad to drag her into it.

Although she had refused to admit it, the panic that flashed in her eyes just now and her slightly chaotic footsteps had clearly told him that she had also been reborn with the memories of her previous life.

Interesting. No wonder she had a different reaction than in her previous life. Everything was explained in this way.

Yun Ke took a step forward and followed, he wanted to see. How would Gu Yu Qi justify herself this time? It was clear that she pushed them into the water. Since she had the intention of harming them, why would she save them? She carried the memories of her previous life. In her previous life, she had slandered Zhang Wan Yi in front of him. In this life, she clearly could already have let her die, but she saved her again.

Gu Yu Qi, Gu Yu Qi. What kind of medicine are you selling in your gourd?

Gu Yu Qiwalked away from Yun Ke as though she was running for her life. When Yun Ke called her just now, almost all the blood in her body had drained. She almost fell to her knees!

He was just like her! Omg. Heaven, are you here to play with me?! As Gu Yu Qi ran, she wanted to give the middle finger to the heavens.

Now this was fun! In the previous life, she had died so pitifully just to never see him again. In this life, he just had to get involved with her. It would have been fine if only she had memories of the previous life, but now even he had memories of the previous life.

Don’t play like that!

However, the most important thing now was to go to the warm pavilion and deal with the current situation. Gu Yu Qi still had an idea in her chaotic brain.

It was already like this, she could not burn herself again; it hurt, alright? Then again, why?! Even though it was all her fault in the past life, she had done nothing in this life. She could not just slap Yun Ke and stuff him in a coffin to be buried. She could only take things one step at a time.

As soon as Gu Yu Qi entered the warm pavilion, she saw her mother’s face flushed red. A mad lady had grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. The woman’s hair was dishevelled and the corners of her eyes were red. She kept saying to her mother, “The good daughter you raised is harming others! It’s better to let her die!”

“This Madam. Are you talking about me?” Seeing the embarrassment on her mother’s face, Gu Yu Qi’s heart burst into flames. She stopped and stood in the centre of the warm pavilion and spoke aloud. 

Gu Yu Qi’s voice made all the noble ladies in the warm pavilion turn their attention to her.

On the huge carpet in the centre of the warm pavilion, the young girl stood proudly. Although she did not have a tall stature and she was still young, there was a look of anger and danger between her eyebrows. Her voice was clear and loud, without the slightest falter of having done something wrong. Instead, there was an indescribable arrogance.

“It’s you, you jinx!” The lady who was holding Liang-shi saw Gu Yu Qi come and she immediately pushed Liang-shi away. She took two steps forward and grabbed Gu Yu Qi’s wrist. “Let’s go! Come with me to meet His Majesty! Is there no law in this world?”

“Madam, if you have something to say, let’s discuss it nicely.” Gu Yu Qi glanced at the woman who was holding her arm, “You should be Madam Zhao.”

“Discuss it nicely? My two good daughters were pushed into the water by you, yet… yet…” Madam Zhao’s stubbornness instantly turned into sobbing. Most of the noble ladies present had daughters. Seeing Madam Zhao like this, they all felt that Gu Yu Qi was a complete jerk. She was so young but had not learned properly and was pushing people into the water.

“Those two sisters had been rescued by the guards. Under the watchful eyes of the public, you’re afraid that it will be difficult for them to get married in the future, right?” Gu Yu Qi finished speaking and then smiled lightly, “How strange. As a mother, you didn’t think about the safety of your daughters first, but instead thought about that. Could it be that the two sisters in the Zhao family only have the value of marriage in Madam Zhao’s eyes?”

Gu Yu Qi’s words made Madam Zhao’s face flush red. She was speechless for a while and then said angrily, “Still so eloquent? Is it reasonable for you to push people? Come! Go and face His Majesty! If His Majesty favours your Marquis’ residence and oppresses my family as a small minister’s family, then I won’t comply. Even if I crash to death in front of the emperor’s throne room, I’ll ask for a statement.”

She prattled on and on about His Majesty. Princess Ping Hu who was sitting to the side frowned slightly.

The matter had happened in her courtyard so she had an inescapable responsibility. She had originally wanted to calm things down. Although the three young girls had fallen into the water, they had been rescued on time. They had probably just choked on some water and been frozen cold, but it was not a big deal. Just wait for the imperial doctor to come and diagnose, then go back home and recover.

Yet with Madam Zhao making such a fuss, she was afraid this matter was no small matter.

She looked at Gu Yu Qi with resentment and dissatisfaction. It was all this little girl’s fault for causing trouble! Everything had been fine, so how could she push people into the water?!

As for the others, they sat quietly with an attitude of watching the liveliness. Even the Crown Prince and Yun Yi looked at Gu Yu Qi inquisitively. Although the two of them were young, they could see through things clearly. Just by looking at it, they knew that something was strange. After the three young ladies woke up just now, Zhang Wan Yi had not said anything but the two sisters of the Zhao family insisted that Gu Yu Qi had deliberately pushed them into the water.

There had been a panic when saving them and everyone’s attention had been on the people who had fallen into the water, but Gu Yu Qi had been ignored. After the others had calmed down, there had been no trace of Gu Yu Qi in the warm pavilion, so everyone thought that the young miss of the Gu family had returned home in fear from her crime. That was why Madam Zhao held on to the Liang-shi stubbornly.

However, now Gu Yu Qi, the initiator, had come back without escaping. 

The crown prince and Yun Yi glanced at each other. When their eyes met, they smiled slightly.

It seemed like they had not come in vain to this courtyard today, there was actually such a good show waiting.

Zhang Wan Yi and the two Zhao sisters were temporarily placed in the warm pavilion, separated from the outside by a large plain screen painted with peonies.

As soon as the two Zhao sisters heard Gu Yu Qi’s voice, they could not hold back their voices and shouted through the screen, “It’s this bad egg who pushed us all into the water! Mother must support us!

“Did you hear?! Now that there are witnesses here, you can’t deny it!” Madam Zhao felt confident again. She grabbed Gu Yu Qi’s wrist with one hand and placed the other hand on her hips!

Yun Ke walked into the warm pavilion quietly and saw Madam Zhao holding Gu Yu Qi’s wrist fiercely. He narrowed his eyebrows slightly, then quietly walked behind Yun Yi and stood still. 

“Seventh Brother, where were you just now?” Yun Yi covered his mouth with his hand and whispered to Yun Ke, “You almost missed a good show.”

“Imperial Brother, younger brother went to see another show,” Yun Ke whispered.

“How could that show be better than the one in front of me?” Yun Yi whispered with a smile, and did not think much about it.

You are not me, how do you know the other show is not good? Yun Ke smiled lightly and noncommittally, then turned his eyes to Gu Yu Qi again. 

As if Liang-shi could not see that Madam Zhao was doing something bad deliberately. She felt distressed over her daughter and wanted to go over and tear Madam Zhao away. However, she was stopped by the expression in Gu Yu Qi’s eyes. Although she had misgivings, her daughter looked at her with warm, firm, and confident eyes, so she still stood down. When she was on the bridge, she had chosen to trust her daughter, so now it would be even more unreasonable to undermine her daughter.

Take it easy, perhaps her daughter really had a way. She could only comfort herself like this. However, she had already made up her mind. If her daughter could not settle the matter, she would not let anything happen to her daughter even if it cost her own life. If the worst came to worst, she would throw divorce papers at Gu Huai Zhong, then take her daughter away from the capital back to Jiangnan!

“The two sisters keep insisting that I pushed them into the water.” Gu Yu Qi smiled lightly and let Madam Zhao grab her wrist. Madam Zhao hated the light smile on Gu Yu Qi’s face and secretly acted ruthlessly, digging her long nails into Gu Yu Qi’s flesh as though her life depended on it.

Compared to the previous life, this pain was a drop in the ocean.

Gu Yu Qi lowered her eyes slightly. She looked at Madam Zhao’s hand and smiled coldly, “May I ask how old I am? And how old are the three elder sisters?”

This… The noble ladies present were not fools. When Gu Yu Qi asked this, they took a breath. The Gu Yu Qi in front of them was only ten years old and she had not fully grown up so she was small and petite. Zhang Wan Yi and the two sisters of the Zhao family were all 14 years old. The two Zhao sisters especially had inherited their mother’s height and stood slim and tall. They were more than a head taller than Gu Yu Qi.

How could Gu Yu Qi, a petite girl, push three people into the water at the same time? 

Yun Ke seemed to have long expected that Gu Yu Qi would say such a thing. He could not help but snort coldly. In her previous life, Gu Yu Qi knew martial arts. If Madam Zhao fixated on this, it was likely she would not be able to shirk responsibility.

Gu Yu Qi paused, then continued speaking, “The two Zhao sisters really confused things. You clearly came over and accidentally stepped on my cloak but you didn’t want to slip, so the two of you pushed and pulled, and then fell into the water one after the other. Where did I push? As for Elder Sister Zhang, I need to thank you. She saw that I was about to fall so she came over to steady me. However, there was ice on the bridge and it was extremely slippery. Elder Sister Zhang saved me, but she accidentally fell into the water.” After finishing speaking, Gu Yu Qi’s mouth flattened and two bean-sized tears squeezed out of her big water eyes, “The two sisters were in the water, but they’re adamantly accusing me for pushing them. Perhaps I could have pushed one, but how can I push all three? I’ve really been wronged. Elder Sister Zhang, you have to be fair. You saved younger sister once and younger sister will definitely be deeply grateful.”

Yun Ke was relieved when he heard this. He looked coldly at Gu Yu Qi who was pretending to be fragile and his brows furrowed slightly.

Zhang Wan Yi had not originally planned on speaking. Something embarrassing like this would only be done by the two idiots of the Zhang family. Gu Yu Qi had shown she had the means on the bridge. Although she had not seen clearly in her panic, she knew that even though Gu Yu Qi was young, she should not be provoked. 

However, now that Gu Yu Qi called her name out of nowhere, she could not help biting her lip.

Although she had also wanted to push Gu Yu Qi into the water and give her a slap in the face, she had watched her back and had just prompted the Zhao sisters. She had just said that Gu Yu Qi was alone on the bridge right now and there was no one around, so if they wanted to tell her something, then they should go over. It was Zhao Zhi Xian, that idiot, who was tempted by her and had gotten this idea with Zhao Zhi Yue. From the beginning to the end, she had never said anything about pushing Gu Yu Qi into the water.

Now Gu Yu Qi had put this great role on her.

Sacrificing yourself in order to save others, this kind of reputation can turn a scandal like falling into the water into a beautiful story.

So Zhang Wan Yi hesitated.

Gu Yu Qi and Zhang Wan Yi had been entangled in their past lives, so she knew almost every detail about her.

She would rather drown than let the guards rescue her just now, so how could she easily let go of an opportunity to make a name for herself? She had observed just now that only the two Zhao sisters had spoken through the screen while Zhang Wan Yi was silent, so she knew that Zhang Wan Yi could not embarrass herself.

Since she did not want to be embarrassed, then she would give her a path, a gold-edged path inlaid with gems at that. There was no reason why Zhang Wan Yi would not latch onto it. Besides, now that the crown prince, Yun Yi, and Yun Ke were all here, how could she be willing to give up a chance to show off herself in front of her future husband? 

Thinking of this, Gu Yu Qi could not help but glance at Yun Ke who was standing behind Yun Yi, and sneered in her heart. In her previous life, you protected your cousin on all fronts and thought that she was the best woman in the world. Now she has given Zhang Wan Yi a chance to become famous. If she did not take it, she would not be Zhang Wan Yi. What a joke, the cousin you always thought about only wanted you for your power, reputation, and status.

Sure enough, Zhang Wan Yi hesitated for just a moment, then said softly, “Actually, the two Zhao sisters have misunderstood.”

Although her voice was soft, it entered the hearts of the people in the hall.

As soon as her voice fell, there was a collective sigh in the warm pavilion.

Gu Yu Qi lowered the corners of her eyes and there was a meaningful smile on her mouth.

She really knew Zhang Wan Yi!

“Young Miss Zhang, you can’t speak carelessly!” When Madam Zhao heard this, it was clear that the matter was going to take a turn for the worse. From Gu Yu Qi deliberately pushing someone into the water, it would turn to her own daughter stepping on someone’s cloak and accidentally falling into the water. As for why she wanted to step on Gu Yu Qi’s cloak, did it need to be asked? The bigger one was bullying the smaller one!

From today’s matter, the two Zhao sisters had already suffered. Being rescued by the guards in front of everyone’s eyes had already ruined their reputations. If these two daughters wanted to marry into high society, it would be unlikely. She could only look at the commotion and ask the Marquis to admit to the mistake in the future. Was there not another concubine’s son, Gu Si Yang, in the Marquis’ residence? Although he was a little younger than her two daughters, it did not matter. Perhaps Liang-shi would not have a direct son in the future and Gu Si Yang would be the heir of the Marquis.

Even if Liang-shi was pregnant with a direct son in the future, as long as her daughter marries into the Gu family, she would have a way to prevent Liang-shi’s son from being born! She would make sure Gu Si Yang would inherit the title and in this way, it would not be considered a grievance for her two daughters. Besides, Gu Huai Zhong was born handsome and tall so his son would not look too bad no matter what.

“Madam Zhao, the truth is exactly as Younger Sister Gu said,” Zhang Wan Yi said in a soft and sticky voice, “The two younger Zhao sisters just accidentally stepped on the Younger Sister Gu’s cloak and slipped. Younger Sister Gu was also knocked down by them. At that time, the situation was too chaotic and everyone was pushing and shoving, so the two younger Zhao sisters thought that it was Younger Sister Gu who pushed them. I was watching from the side and wanted to hold onto them, but unfortunately, I was a step behind and could only save Younger Sister Gu. However, I didn’t think I would be so weak and I fall down accidentally. It was Younger Sister Gu who desperately threw her cloak into the water and asked me to hold it. I held onto the two Younger Zhao Sisters so it didn’t lead to a disaster.”

Damn! You did it! Really broke it! Gu Yu Qi had to give a great big bow to Zhang Wan Yi in her heart! She was practically throwing herself down in admiration. She had only said that Zhang Wan Yi fell into the water to save her, but Zhang Wan Yi made it out that if she had not been there, it was likely that all four people present would have died. Not only had she saved Gu Yu Qi but when she was in the water, she had not forgotten to hold onto the Zhao sisters.

Who knew who was trying to get rid of the two Zhao sisters in the water just now, kicking at them with their feet.

The two Zhao sisters were also stunned by what Zhang Wan Yi had said. They were all behind the screen and the sisters looked in disbelief and dissatisfaction at Zhang Wan Yi who was lying beside them.

This was obviously a good opportunity to trample over that Gu Yu Qi and also get back at being thrown into the water by her. Why had it changed when it came to Zhang Wan Yi?

Just as the two sisters were about to speak, they heard Zhang Wan Yi lower her voice and speak in a volume that only the two of them could hear, “Alright, are you not embarrassed enough? Enough is enough, otherwise, I’ll tell them that you wanted to push Gu Yu Qi into the water but on the contrary, she had struck first! If you don’t want to continue being embarrassed, then just do as I say! Just say that you two were confused when you fell into the water and mistook Gu Yu Qi for pushing you.”

Zhang Wan Yi had felt that her voice was low, but she did not think about the fact that Yun Yi and Yun Ke had both practised martial arts since childhood. They had sharp ears and eyes and although no one else had heard those words, they had both heard them.

Yun Yi could not help but raise his eyes and glance at Yun Ke. There was a little smile in his eyes. However, Yun Ke lowered his eyes and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

In fact, he had also guessed that perhaps the two sisters had wanted to push Gu Yu Qi into the water but she had pushed back instead. It was just that he had always felt Gu Yu Qi was a master at stirring chaos. If she really had been framed, it was likely that it would be made public until the whole capital knew about it. Unexpectedly, Gu Yu Qi had also learned to restrain herself. She did not mention at all that the Zhao sisters had the intention of harming her, but only said that the Zhao sisters accidentally stepped on her cloak.

She had really remembered her previous life, learning to be good and smart in this life.

Zhang Wan Yi’s speech was reasonable, not only to resolve the conflict between the Zhao and Gu families, but also to maintain the face of the two Zhao sisters. She really deserved to be the young miss of the minister’s residence. Besides, she had sacrificed herself to save others which already showed exemplary conduct and nobility of character. Whether it was this life or the previous life, Zhang Wan Yi was indeed the best person to be the mistress of the house.

When Liang-shi saw Madam Zhao so shocked that her mouth was hanging open yet still holding onto her daughter tightly, she could not help but feel angry. She rushed in front of Madam Zhao and threw her hand away fiercely, “Since Young Miss Zhang has already spoken the truth, Madam Zhao still won’t let go?”

After she finished speaking, she looked down and saw that Gu Yu Qi’s wrist was not only bruised by Madam Zhao, but also had several fingernail-sized bloodstains.

Heart aching, she simply ignored etiquette and pulled Gu Yu Qi’s sleeve back. Then she showed her injured wrist to everyone and sneered, “What a noble Madam Zhao, so cruel to a ten-year-old child! Is someone else’s daughter not born from human flesh? Not to mention that your two daughters falling into the water had nothing to do with my Ah Nan, but even if my Ah Nan had pushed them, the decision lies with the authorities. It is not up to you to illegally punish in secret!”

Gu Yu Qi’s wrist had already been pinched hard and especially with the fingernail bloodstains, all the noble ladies in the warm pavilion could not help but gasp when Liang-shi showed them. This Zhao family’s madam was too aggressive. In the end, she was still the young miss of the Marquis’ residence, how could she use this kind of inferior means that was used to deal with servants and concubines of the house?

“Good girl, let mother see your other hand,” Liang-shi was even more angry. Just now on the bridge, Gu Yu Qi had said that they had wanted to push her into the water, but she pushed them back. Now it seemed like her daughter had not been lying, otherwise why did Zhang Wan Yi who had been silent all this time suddenly change sides?

She pushed back Gu Yu Qi’s other sleeve. It was too late for Gu Yu Qi to hide and the marks on her palm were clearly shown in front of everyone.

The wound was bone-deep and still bleeding. Before, Gu Yu Qi had hid her hand in her sleeves and with the help of the fabric absorbing the blood, no traces were revealed. Now that it was shown, the bloodstained sleeves could not hide it.

When Liang-shi saw it, she was distressed and angry at the same time, “If my daughter really wanted to push your daughters into the water, then where did this wound come from? Young Miss Zhang also said that it was my daughter who threw her cloak into the water and had her hold it. If it was really my daughter who did it, why would she wound herself so much to save your two worthless daughters?!”

After Liang-shi’s words, everyone present was stunned. They all stared at Madam Zhao, convinced of what Zhang Wan Yi and Gu Yu Qi had said. Why would she try so hard to save people after pushing them into the water? Those people sitting them were all noble ladies from high-profile families. Which family had done something that could not be clearly explained, who could not understand at a glance?

Madam Zhao was obviously stunned by the sudden turn of events. Standing in the centre of the warm pavilion, her face turning red and white, her lips trembled unceasingly whether from anger or something else. She seemed to be so angry that perhaps she would pass out.

Princess Ping Hu saw that the matter was almost all settled. If the matter kept going on, there would be no face left and the most important thing was that everyone was alright now. Madam Zhao had no reason to make trouble in the throne room. So she stood up and started rounding things up, “From how this princess sees it, today was just a misunderstanding so everyone please go back first. Give this princess some face and let this matter drop for now. No need to keep fussing over it.”

As soon as the princess spoke, the crown prince also stood up and cupped his hands generously all around, “Noble madams and ladies, please also give this prince face and please go back. Since this matter has come to an end, please don’t mention it again.”

Since the princess and the crown prince had said this, how could there be any objections from the noble ladies at the scene? Besides, it was Young Miss Zhang who had fallen into the water who had verified what Gu Yu Qi said. From her mouth, how could these words be false? Everyone got up in succession and began to leave.

Except for Madam Zhao who was still standing in the warm pavilion, not knowing what to do. From today’s matter, she had lost all face.

Her two daughters had no future, they had offended the Marquis’ residence, and they had been shamed in front of the princess and crown prince!

She just wished she could dig a crack in the ground and crawl in. Right, she should also drag her two stupid daughters in too.