Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 188

It seemed she had no say in whether she could stay or leave.
“Other than here, it seems there is nowhere else that this concubine can go,” Gu Yu Qi said with a faint, bitter smile, her eyes carrying a hint of desolation.
Go to Kuizhou? To look upon the city she had built with her own hands? But what about her mother?
A hint of fear lingered in Yun Ke’s eyes.
If one day Gu Yu Qi’s soul were to vanish from this body, where would he go to find her again?
“Where is your hometown?” Yun Ke asked cautiously.
Gu Yu Qi thought for a moment but could only say, “It’s a place very far from here. If not for a coincidence of fate, I would never have even come to this world.”
Yun Ke thought Gu Yu Qi was unwilling to say more, so he did not press the matter. It was fine, he had patience. He would ask slowly, little by little, and use the fragments he gathered to piece together where her homeland might be.
In truth, it was not that Gu Yu Qi did not wish to tell him, but she simply could not.
The Qi dynasty had never appeared in the history she knew.
Even if she wanted to recite a chronicle of its dynasties to Yun Ke, she could not make it up.
At that moment, Dai Mei knocked at the door outside. “Your Highness, the Princess Consort’s medicine is ready.”
“Bring it in,” Yun Ke said.
Dai Mei’s arrival interrupted the awkward conversation between Gu Yu Qi and Yun Ke.
She entered with a bowl of steaming hot medicine. “Your Highness, this servant will serve Her Ladyship the medicine.”
“This prince will do it,” Yun Ke said, taking the bowl from her and gesturing for Dai Mei to leave. Dai Mei curtsied and stepped out, only to see Bai Fu standing under a tree outside, peeking towards the room.
“What are you doing here?” Dai Mei frowned slightly. “It’s fine with me here.”
A hint of embarrassment flashed through Bai Fu’s eyes. Ever since Gu Yu Qi had been brought back injured, Dai Mei had not allowed her to come near Gu Yu Qi. Usually when His Highness was present, she dared not disturb them. When His Highness was away, Yan Zhi and County Princess Jia Xi would come to keep her company. There was never a chance for her to speak.
Dai Mei only let her sweep the courtyard. She was rarely assigned to stand night watch for the prince or the princess consort.
Even if Bai Fu wanted to get close to the prince or Gu Yu Qi, she did not have much of a chance.
Perhaps feeling that her tone had been a bit harsh, Dai Mei added, “Go back and rest. If I need you, I’ll come find you.”
“Sister Dai Mei, do you have some misunderstanding about me?” Bai Fu asked pitifully.
“How could that be?” Dai Mei smiled and shook her head.
No one misunderstood Bai Fu. Everyone could see clearly what she was thinking.
She wanted to use Gu Yu Qi’s injury as a chance to appear more often in front of the prince, but Dai Mei would never give her that opportunity.
“Then why am I no longer allowed to keep watch for Young Miss?” Bai Fu immediately argued, “Do you all treat me as an outsider?”
“Whether we treat you as an outsider doesn’t matter at all. What matters is whether you see yourself as one,” said Run Ying, who happened to walk by with an account book in her hands. “What I can’t stand the most is someone who betrays their own people.”
Dai Mei had held her tongue for the sake of Bai Fu’s face, but Run Ying was different. She was a businesswoman. In her eyes, one was one, two was two. For someone like Bai Fu, Run Ying saw no need to spare her feelings.
“Who are you calling a traitor?” Bai Fu snapped.
“Who it is, everyone knows in their hearts,” Run Ying replied coolly, holding her ledger as she walked past without even sparing Bai Fu another glance.
“Sister Dai Mei!” Bai Fu turned back to Dai Mei again.
“Alright now, stop making a fuss or you’ll disturb Young Miss’ rest,” Dai Mei said with a frown.
She turned and left, leaving Bai Fu alone in the courtyard. Bai Fu yanked off a dry branch from a tree in front of her and lashed it hard against the ground, the movements fierce and quick.
Just wait till she becomes wealthy one day, then she would see how these people came fawning before her!
And that Yan Zhi! Did being a County Princess make her so great? Did she have to parade around in those fine clothes every day, as if afraid others would not know how wealthy she was?
In truth, Bai Fu had entirely misunderstood Yan Zhi. All her clothes and jewellery had been prepared by Princess Ping Hu herself. Whatever the princess gave her, Yan Zhi simply wore it without complaint or preference.
Princess Ping Hu was fond of Yan Zhi and feared she might be slighted, so she made sure that everything prepared for her was of the finest quality.
These clothes and jewellery had deeply agitated Bai Fu. Seeing that Dai Mei and the others were still so close with Yan Zhi, she felt certain they must be deliberately currying favour with Yan Zhi because of her status.

Gu Si Yang had already left the Ding Yuan Marquis’ residence. Liu Yue was still somewhat fond of her son, so she used her own savings to buy him a small courtyard and even hired two or three servants to look after him.

After much thought, Gu Si Yang decided to sit for the spring examination next year. Thus, apart from visiting Ran Mo each day, he spent all his time locked up studying.

He had also heard the rumours about his eldest sister and had specifically asked Ran Mo about them. Ran Mo would not speak, which made Gu Si Yang feel uneasy. He wanted to visit his eldest sister, yet Yun Ke stopped him, telling him not to let his imagination run wild. Having received Yun Ke’s reassurance, some of his darker thoughts were finally dispelled. After all, rumours grew more absurd the more one paid attention to them. Now that even his brother-in-law had personally come forward to clarify matters, he had no reason not to believe him and instead trust those baseless whispers spreading through the capital.

He also knew that his brother-in-law was handling the Xia family’s case, so in his heart, Yun Ke had become a hero. Since his brother-in-law told him to study diligently, he returned home and did so in earnest.

The Xia family was a tough nut to crack. Having grown up in the Ding Yuan Marquis’ residence, Gu Si Yang naturally understood how intertwined the great aristocratic families were.

For his brother-in-law to accept the Xia family case in the first place already required immense courage.

His brother-in-law was a man of great integrity and uprightness. He himself could not be weak. If he did not achieve success in the future, what would he have to guarantee Ran Mo’s happiness?

Everyone was striving forward, so he could not fall behind. He was also grateful that he had firmly decided to annul his engagement with the Xia family.

Gu Si Yang, however, did not know that when Gu Yu Qi had instructed An Le Marquis to donate money to the academy in his name, she had already secured a good reputation for him.

And now, the story of him falling in love with a maid, annulling his engagement with the Xia family, and being expelled from the marquis’ residence had spread widely, earning him great praise.

A marquis’ illegitimate son who possessed such integrity and deep feeling had become a role model of virtue among the elite.

Every scholar from a humble background who had ever benefitted from Gu Si Yang’s kindness would raise a thumb in admiration whenever his name was mentioned.

Naturally proud! Loyal and righteous!

Gu Yu Qi’s actions had already laid a solid foundation for Gu Si Yang among the scholars of humble birth. Even if he did not become an official in the future, he would still become a leading figure among them.

The Virtuous Consort had been rather restless of late.

Ever since the incident with Xia Ying, she had felt that everything had gone awry.

The way Emperor Jing looked at her now clearly carried a trace of weariness and faint disgust. After being husband and wife for so many years, how could she fail to notice?

Although Emperor Jing still came to her palace out of habit, he would often sit in silence, lost in thought, leaving her unable to fathom what truly occupied his mind.

So she grew anxious and brought up the matter of the Crown Prince.

Yun Ke was now investigating the Xia family under imperial command. The An Le Marquis’ wife had already entered the palace twice to see her. The first time, her tone still carried a hint of pleading but by the second time, it had turned firm and forceful. She had even questioned whether Xia Ying’s death had truly been suicide.

Her own elder sister already knew that Xia Ying had not taken her own life, but had died by her hands. The Virtuous Consort could sense it.

She could see the accusation, grief, and fury in her sister’s eyes.

Sitting in her grand and ornate bedchamber, she felt somewhat dejected. She felt as though all her lifelong efforts might end in nothing.

Yun Ke’s move of bringing Xia Ying to her had been ruthless indeed. It was practically cutting off the source of her strength. He had forced her hand, leaving her no choice but to kill Xia Ying to protect both the Xia family and herself. Yet he had left just enough clues for the Xia family to discover that Xia Ying’s death was due to her hands, achieving his purpose of sowing discord.

The Xia family had been one of Yun Yi’s major allies. Now, with Xia Shuang Cheng under investigation and Xia Ying dead, the Virtuous Consort could only watch as Yun Ke pulled this powerful support from her grasp, utterly helpless.

If she interfered in the Xia family’s affairs again at this time, she would certainly incur His Majesty’s displeasure.

She could not afford that gamble.

Without the Xia family, she still had the Zhang family.

At that thought, she straightened her posture and instructed her attendants to select a few pieces of jewellery from her treasury, place them in a box, and accompany her to Feng Yi Palace.

She needed the Empress’ help.

After contending with the Empress for so many years, never willing to bow her head and be inferior, she now had no choice but to seek aid from the Empress for the sake of her son.

If His Majesty no longer favoured her, at least he would still heed the Empress’ words to some extent.

After all, Zhang Wan Yi was the Empress’ own niece. Even if the Empress was angry, it was only at her. If she were to apologise and comply with the Empress’ wishes, the Empress should be willing to help Zhang Wan Yi.

She had long urged Yun Yi to win over Zhang Wan Yi precisely to guard against a day like this.

Helping her own niece would be the same as helping her niece’s husband. To the Empress, there would be no loss, only further glory and prosperity for her maternal family.

The Virtuous Consort could think of no reason why the Empress would refuse.

She could not afford to overlook the Empress at such a crucial moment.

Yun Ke once again entered the interrogation chamber and saw Xia Shuang Cheng bound to the pillar.

“Have you been well?” he asked slowly as he sat down comfortably on the chair that had been prepared for him.

A night had passed and Xia Shuang Cheng’s lips were still swollen.

How much chilli had Li Sheng forced down his throat?

Yun Ke could not help but smile faintly. Li Sheng truly was a capable man, one very much to his liking.

The reason Li Sheng and the other secret guards had tortured Xia Shuang Cheng so zealously was partly for Gu Yu Qi’s sake and partly for Wang Yan’s.

The sight of Wang Yan’s miserably battered body had filled all the secret guards with fury.

Wang Yan had been beaten by this monster and now lay unconscious in Ximu Alley residence. Although he had been revived, he was still weak from the amount of bl00d lost.

If they could not avenge Wang Yan, how could they still call themselves brothers bound by life and death?