Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 138

The scalding tea spilled over her skirt, and droplets that had not soaked into the silk fabric trickled down her thighs. Completely stunned, Gu Si Yu had no idea what to do. She looked toward Gu Yu Qi with pleading eyes, which immediately reddened, as if she were about to cry.

Gu Yu Qi stood up immediately and bowed to Princess Ping Hu and Prince Fu, “Si Yu was careless, may Your Highnesses please allow her to go and change her clothes.”

“No harm done, be careful not to get burned,” Princess Ping Hu replied. “Someone, take Second Miss Gu to Qiu Shui Pavilion.” Gu Si Yu let out a sigh of relief and turned to leave. She suddenly remembered that she had to bow, so she hurriedly turned back, made a quick bow, and then followed the princess’s maids out of the room.

Not feeling at ease, Gu Yu Qi excused herself and followed after her.

“This…” Seeing the sisters leaving one after the other, Princess Ping Hu shook her head and sighed. This daughter born of a concubine from the Ding Yuan Marquis’ household truly lacked refinement. What good was beauty alone? “Poor Ling’er, it is a shame. This Second Miss Gu seems unlikely to be able to bear the responsibilities of a main wife.”

“There’s no need to speak of it like that, Imperial Aunt,” Yun Ling gave a faint smile, “I actually find Miss Si Yu to be somewhat endearing in her naive charm. Besides, I lead a quiet and idle life, and have little need for a wife to shoulder important responsibilities.”

Seeing her nephew’s gentle smile, the Eldest Princess sighed again. Her nephew always thought of others first, a trait that endeared him to all. Yet, his frail health… Otherwise, there would be no need for him to compromise and accept a concubine-born daughter as his primary wife.

As soon as Gu Si Yu reached Qiu Shui Pavilion and the princess’s maids withdrew, she burst into tears, crying bitterly.

She truly felt so useless, having embarrassed herself so thoroughly in front of her future husband.

Standing outside, Gu Yu Qi heard the sound of crying from within and for a moment, she was unsure if she should enter. She hesitated outside for a bit before knocking on the door.

The sobbing stopped immediately, and after a long pause, a voice asked, “Who is out there?”

“It’s me,” Gu Yu Qi replied clearly.

Another moment of silence followed before the door opened, and Xiao Tao let Gu Yu Qi in. Gu Si Yu was still wearing the tea-stained dress, sitting on the edge of the bed in a daze, her eyes red and puffy.

Seeing Gu Yu Qi enter, Gu Si Yu quickly stood up, flustered, and asked anxiously, “Eldest Sister, they are not angry with me, are they?”

“Probably not,” Gu Yu Qi replied after some thought. “You don’t have to worry about those things. Besides, whether they’re annoyed or not, it’s already happened. You should change your clothes quickly and go back to apologise.”

“Eldest Sister, am I really useless?” Gu Si Yu looked at Gu Yu Qi with a pitiful expression, her voice small.

“Who said you’re useless?” Gu Yu Qi rolled her eyes, countering.

“Xiao Tao, you go out first,” Gu Si Yu suddenly said after staring at Gu Yu Qi for a while.

“Yes.” Xiao Tao bowed and left.

With Xiao Tao gone, leaving just the two of them, Gu Si Yu stepped forward and bowed to Gu Yu Qi.

“What are you doing?” Gu Yu Qi’s eyes widened in confusion.

“I know I can never compare to Eldest Sister in anything.” After wrestling with her thoughts, Gu Si Yu finally voiced what she had been holding inside. She felt as if she would burst if she kept it in any longer. In the parlour earlier, unable to get a word in, she had been so overwhelmed by her own thoughts that when the princess addressed her, she panicked.

“So, what then?” Gu Yu Qi’s expression darkened, seeing this situation. Clearly, Liu Yue had been filling Gu Si Yu’s head with nonsense again.

“Please, Eldest Sister, don’t compete with me, okay?” Gu Si Yu pleaded, her already red eyes starting to well up again.

“What am I even competing with you for?” Gu Yu Qi asked, half-amused, half-annoyed.

“All my life, Eldest Sister has been quicker at learning, better at everything. Eldest Sister is educated, knows martial arts, and is prettier than me. And yet, Eldest Sister was only given as a secondary consort to Prince An, while I am to be the main consort of His Highness Prince Fu. So please, Eldest Sister, don’t compete with me for Prince Fu, okay?” Grabbing Gu Yu Qi’s hand in desperation, Gu Si Yu said anxiously. She and Gu Yu Qi had been learning things together since they were children and she existed just to defeat her. Gu Yu Qi did not think so herself, but Gu Si Yu knew in her heart just how clumsy and frustrated she was compared to her eldest sister.

Unbelievable! Gu Yu Qi resisted the urge to grab a hammer to break open her sister’s head to see if it was filled with tofu dregs. How could she come up with such absurd ideas?

Seeing Gu Yu Qi staring at her in silence, Gu Si Yu became even more panicked, “In the parlour just now, I saw Eldest Sister and His Highness Prince Fu smiling at each other. Eldest Sister, you already have His Highness Prince An. Even as a secondary consort, you still hold the title of Consort Rou. So, I beg you, please let go of His Highness Prince Fu, okay?”

“Are you paranoid?” Gu Yu Qi impatiently pushed Gu Si Yu away. She had always thought her younger sister was just timid and a bit naive, but she had never expected her to come up with such ridiculous notions.

“What does that mean?” Gu Si Yu asked, staring blankly at her sister, baffled.

“It means that all of this is entirely your imagination,” Gu Yu Qi replied unhappily, “I don’t know who has been filling your head with such misguided ideas, but rest assured, I haven’t got the slightest interest in your Prince Fu. Enough, that’s all I have to say. Don’t bring up this kind of matter with me again in the future. If you do, you’re only belittling yourself. Prince Fu is a good man, so treasure him well and don’t waste your time on these baseless thoughts.” Gu Yu Qi’s words were so sharp that Gu Si Yu’s face turned pale. “The one you should really guard yourself against is not me at all! Also, if you want others to respect you, start by not undervaluing yourself first.” With that, she firmly shook off Gu Si Yu’s hand and strode toward the door.

She had no interest in wasting more time here with Gu Si Yu’s insecurities.

What nonsense had Liu Yue been feeding Gu Si Yu to make her so paranoid?

The person Gu Si Yu should be wary of was not her, but her own mother.

She would never have any other interactions with Prince Fu, but Liu Yue talked nonsense today and would surely continue in the future. If Gu Si Yu truly married into Prince Fu’s household, Liu Yue would keep sowing doubts on something else, and if those thoughts poisoned her mind, Gu Si Yu and Yun Ling would hardly find happiness together.

Gu Yu Qi had said all she needed to say. The rest was up to Gu Si Yu to figure out.

After leaving Qiu Shui Pavilion, Gu Yu Qi felt a bit disoriented. She found a maid from the princess’s residence to ask for directions and soon returned to the parlour. She chatted with the Eldest Princess for a while longer before Gu Si Yu finally reappeared, surrounded by maids. This time, she seemed to have thought things through in the room. She behaved with composure, following the etiquette their teacher had taught her, and did not make any further mistakes.

Princess Ping Hu found it rather remarkable. In such a short time, Gu Si Yu seemed to have grown more steady. She glanced at Gu Yu Qi, assuming she must have advised her sister. Little did Princess Ping Hu know, it really was Gu Yu Qi’s pointed words that had stirred Gu Si Yu. If you want others to respect you, start by not undervaluing yourself first.

She was the one who was engaged to be the primary wife while her elder sister was merely a secondary consort in Prince An’s household. So why should she fear her eldest sister? Although her sister was superior to herself in every other aspect, in this regard, Gu Si Yu was better. In the future, it would not be her begging her sister, it would be the other way around. She realised now that it was her own timidity and fear that had led to her embarrassing mistakes in front of the Eldest Princess and Prince Fu. Determined to restore her image in their eyes, she resolved to act with more confidence.

Meanwhile, Gu Yu Qi preferred to stay out of trouble. After settling in, she kept to herself except when practising her spear skills within her own courtyard. Unless summoned by the Eldest Princess, she did not go out. In contrast, under Xiao Tao’s encouragement, Gu Si Yu often strolled through the gardens, hoping to bump into His Highness Prince Fu by chance.

What surprised Gu Yu Qi was that County Princess Jia Xi had also come to stay at the princess’s residence. When she learnt that Gu Yu Qi was there, she came directly to find her.

County Princess Jia Xi was a spirited young woman, whose personality matched perfectly with Gu Yu Qi’s. The two of them got along very well and Jia Xi’s presence, Gu Yu Qi’s loneliness was eased. What made Gu Yu Qi even happier was that County Princess Jia Xi had also learned some martial arts. Although she was not as proficient as Gu Yu Qi, she was considered one of the more skilled ladies within the noble clans.

Remembering County Princess Jia Xi’s loyalty in the future, Gu Yu Qi felt genuinely grateful to become friends with her. Though their time together was brief, it felt like she had finally found a true real friend in this ancient world.

On the sixth morning of their stay in the princess’ residence, a loud blast erupted like a thunderclap reverberating over the princess’s residence. It woke up the entire princess’ residence and even the capital from the peaceful dawn.

The Gengzi Rebellion had begun. Unlike the panicked frenzy of the others at the princess’ residence, Gu Yu Qi rose calmly and dressed herself with care.

The maids she brought had been previously warned by her, so they kept their composure and continued their duties in an orderly fashion. Gu Yu Qi, dressed in a striking crimson combat outfit and holding a silver spear, stepped out of her room just as County Princess Jia Xi, with her maid in tow, rushed over.

“Ah Qi, it’s terrible, bandits have broken into the capital,” she said with a panicked expression. When she saw Gu Yu Qi fully prepared, her eyes widened in surprise, “Ah Qi, you’re…”

“The princess’s residence is well-guarded. No need to panic,” Gu Yu Qi reassured County Princess Jia Xi, “Let’s gather everyone together.”

“Okay.” Seeing Gu Yu Qi so calm and steady, Jia Xi’s heart seemed to calm down as well. Just now, hearing the disturbing reports had left her completely unsettled, yet her first thought had been to inform Gu Yu Qi.