Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 46

After four years, the rumours in the capital about Gu Yu Qi had gradually faded away.

Gu Huai Zhong deliberately kept a low profile which made people who were already forgetful, gradually forget that four years ago, Gu Yu Qi had done so many shocking things.

Gu Yu Qi heard the news of Princess An’s death even without needing to leave the house. When Yan Zhi told her about it, she just said lightly, “It’s a pity that the princess was so young.”

In her previous life, Mu Rong Ling Yan had died around this time. Her mother had also left her around this time. It was just that in this life, her mother was alive and healthy, but Princess Mu Rong had not escaped fate’s grasp.

She wondered if Yun Ke would be sad. How could that kind of person who had no heart be saddened at all by the passing of a woman, even if the woman was the mother of his son? Gu Yu Qi smiled coldly in her heart. Probably in his heart, only a notable lady like Zhang Wan Yi could match his identity. In his eyes, other people were just like mud on the ground and even she was no exception. She had been wholeheartedly sincere, but in his opinion, it was nothing more than just a joke and a means to curry favour.

She had not been out of the front door for these years. She did not go through two doors, basically living a life of isolation from the world. Even though the rumours about her had spread all over the sky, she had not made any movement.

Yun Ke had also seemed busy and had not come to provoke her in years. However, the quieter the days were, the more worried Gu Yu Qi became. If she became used to living comfortably, she felt like it would all be shattered suddenly one day.

Gu Yu Qi finished her martial arts practice today and handed over the silver spear to Bai Fu’s hand. With a smile in her eyes, Dai Mei handed over the handkerchief she had just soaked in hot water. Run Ying quickly served a bowl of sweet osmanthus taro soup.

The four maids brought from human traffickers had grown up with Gu Yu Qi. All of them had beautiful and fair appearances, and each of them acknowledged Liang-shi’s four maids as teachers to learn their skills.

Bai Fu was active by nature, so she followed Chun Xing to learn martial arts. She learned very well and had an innate talent for martial arts, learning everything instantly. Dai Mei was dexterous and followed Qiu Yue, learning embroidery and cooking. She also seemed to have a special talent for it and over the years, she had already become on par with Qiu Yue. Even among her own sisters, Qiu Yue was quite proud as her apprentice was the most amazing. Although Run Ying still had some baby fat and looked very cute and charming, she was incredibly smart. She followed Dong Xue to learn musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, painting, and bookkeeping. Even Gu Yu Qi would give Run Ying some advice in her spare time. As for Ran Mo, she followed Xia He to learn martial arts. It was just that her qualifications were mediocre and in terms of martial arts accomplishments, her knowledge was not as thorough as Bai Fu. However, she could endure hardship and if she could not do it after practising once, then she would do it three times without saying anything, never uttering a word of bitterness. This made Xia He, who rarely talked much, do her best to teach her. In addition to learning martial arts, she also learned makeup and dress from Xia He.

Yan Zhi followed Gu Yu Qi the whole time and although she had not learned anything in particular, no one could shake her position.

She was a sincere person. If other maids saw that all the maids under her command were so talented, they would inevitably feel jealous, but Yan Zhi did not. In her heart, Gu Yu Qi was her everything. She would be good to whoever was good to Gu Yu Qi. It was that simple.

Gu Yu Qi liked her simple temperament. In her previous life, only this honest and serious-minded maid stayed by her side until the very end. Gu Yu Qi wanted Yan Zhi to not suffer anything and just stay by her side.

As for Gu Yu Qi herself, she worked hard to practise the swordsmanship and marksmanship taught by Liang-shi. Originally, Gu Huai Zhong and Liang-shi thought that Gu Yu Qi’s martial arts training was just a moment of enthusiasm. Who knew that Gu Yu Qi would really work so hard?

If her talents in literature and military affairs in the previous life had all just been for show, then in this life, she was truly worthy of her name.

Liang-shi taught all of the Liang family’s unique skills to her without reservation. Gu Huai Zhong also handed over to Gu Yu Qi all his close combat and long-range combat skills developed during actual combat on the battlefield.

“Are you ready to accompany the Madam to Hu Guo Temple tomorrow to burn incense?” Gu Yu Qi asked Dai Mei with a smile after drinking the sweet soup.

“Don’t worry, Young Miss, everything has been properly arranged,” Dai Mei smiled slightly. That smile was as bright as the spring day.

Gu Yu Qi looked at these little beauties in her courtyard and was pleased with herself. In the beginning, she really had a good eye. Those four thin witless young girls had turned out to be beautiful women one after another after raising them for several years. They were really like the four seasons, each having their own characteristics. Any one of them was eye-catching.

Although Gu Yu Qi had not gone outside in the past four years, it was still a pleasant thing to face her maids in the courtyard.

Princess Ping Hu had sent someone over several times, but each time, Liang-shi had declined on the grounds that Gu Yu Qi’s health was not good.

It was not that Liang-sh did not know how to appreciate favours, it was just that there was a puzzling knot in her heart. Gu Yu Qi had been fine but twice she went to Princess Ping Hu’s place and twice something had happened. So even at the risk of offending Princess Ping Hu, she would not let her daughter have too much contact with members of the imperial family.

She just wanted her daughter to be well.

Princess Ping Hu also knew that Liang-shi was deliberately making excuses. In the first two years, she sent people over but in the following year, she did not send any more people to invite them over. She just delivered a message saying that Gu Yu Qi had the jade pendant of the Princess’ palace and that the door of the Princess’ palace was always open for Gu Yu Qi, so she could go to the Princess’ palace anytime she wanted.

Gu Yu Qi was naturally happy to hide at home. In this life, she could not want anything more than to be as low-profile as possible. During the last Winter Hunting Festival, so many things had already happened.

Yet, this time she must go to Hu Guo Temple. If Gu Yu Qi recalled correctly, during this time in her previous life, Liang-shi had already passed away. But now Liang-shi was alive and well, hence Gu Yu Qi must go to Hu Guo Temple to burn incense and repay her vows. Whatever the case, it was a way of asking for peace of mind.

Having been home for the past four years, she had kept watch. She had secretly reminded Chun Xing not to use anything from Liu-shi no matter what.

Chun Xing was an intelligent person and naturally carried out the eldest young miss’ instructions resolutely. She also did not tell Liang-shi.

It was not that Liu-shi did not want to act, but the maids and nannies around Liang-shi were too formidable. Moreover, Gu Yu Qi was there on the side eyeing her with hostility. Having waited four years without a chance, she was really about to vomit to death.

During these four years, Gu Si Yang had received Gu Yu Qi’s teachings and his academic studies had progressed by leaps and bounds. He had become more and more respectful of his eldest sister. Gu Si Yu was even worshipping Gu Yu Qi as an idol. It was said that there was a difference between the main wife and concubines. With Gu Yu Qi drawing them over to her side and with Liang-shi being generous, Gu Si Yang’s and Gu Si Yu’s status in the residence was not much lower than Gu Yu Qi’s. They were aware of their status in their hearts. In addition, there were rumours from time to time in the capital about how other noble women treated their family’s concubines and the concubines’ daughters harshly, about how they were suppressed. Gu Si Yang and Gu Si Yu had their own eyes and ears to see and hear this, especially Gu Si Yang who heard even more inside the Imperial Academy. So, they gradually respected and loved Liang-shi and Gu Yu Qi in their hearts.

Sometimes, Liu Yue would say something bad about Liang-shi in front of Gu Si Yang and Gu Si Yu. Gu Si Yang would interrupt his own mother seriously and tell her not to say this in the future.

Gu Yu Qi was right, family harmony was the basis for success in any undertaking. Liang-shi was originally reluctant to meddle in matters. It was as hard as finding a bone in an egg for Liu-shi to find faults with her. Gu Yu Qi did not go outside the main door nor her own two doors. Dan Xia courtyard and Wan Xin Zhai were protected by Gu Yu Qi like iron buckets and even a drop of water was unable to get in. Liu Yue really felt that she was useless.

After four years, Liang-shi’s face became more and more radiant and Gu Yu Qi appeared more and more like a force to be reckoned with. Liu-shi became haggard because she had nowhere to release her pent up frustrations.

Gu Huai Zhong spent more and more time going to Wan Xin Zhai. Most of the time he taught Gu Yu Qi martial arts was at Wan Xin Zhai. When he was tired, he would stay there. Although Liang-shi was polite to him on the surface, Gu Huai Zhong could see that Liang-shi did not want to see him anymore. Sometimes, he wanted to get close to Liang-shi, but Liang-shi would make up various excuses to leave. He gradually gave up and sometimes, he felt that it was a luxury just to bump his wife’s hand.

The relationship between him and Liang-shi was very strange now. Liang-shi was more and more beautiful and it seemed that time would not take away her beauty, but was making her more mature and magnificent. She was just like when Gu Huai Zhong first saw her, loftily above the clouds, without the tenderness of girlhood in her eyes. Instead, there was a unique calm and open-mindedness.

This kind of Liang-shi gradually turned Gu Huai Zhong’s heart upside down. After all, she was the person he had once fallen in love with and had spent all day and night with, so how could he forget her?

The more he could not get her, the better. As General Liang’s influence on him became weaker and weaker, he became more and more interested in Liang-shi. However, he felt sorry for Liu Yue. After all, when he was at his worst, Liu Yue had been by his side and had even given him a pair of children.

Gu Huai Zhong suffered in the midst of sweetness and pain everyday. When he saw Liang-shi, his eyes would be attracted involuntarily but his heart felt extremely complicated.

Liu Yue also noticed the change in Gu Huai Zhong and she felt a deep hatred from the bottom of her heart, but there was no way for her to take on Liang-shi.

Gu Huai Zhong’s transformation was also seen by Gu Yu Qi. Speaking of which, she did not want to see this cheap scumbag of a father. He had married such a good person as her mother, but had gotten Liu Yue to come and poke her mother’s heart. She could not care less about him.

However, he was her father after all, so Gu Yu Qi never said anything bad about Gu Huai Zhong in front of Liang-shi. She felt that all decisions lay with Liang-shi. As long as Liang-shi was happy, then everything was fine.

***

The next day, the wind was gentle and the sun was bright. The Ding Yuan Marquis’ residence’s carriage set out from the gate early in the morning, driving slowly towards Hu Guo Temple in the suburbs of the capital.

Gu Huai Zhong and Liu-shi personally saw them off. Originally, Gu Huai Zhong wanted Liu-shi to go with them, but Liu-shi refused so he just let her do as she wished.

Liang-shi took Gu Yu Qi, Gu Si Yang, and Gu Si Yu away for three to four days. For three to four days, she would be alone with the Marquis. How could Liu-shi give up such a good opportunity? She needed to use these few days to gather the Marquis’ thoughts.

Liang-shi sat alone in the carriage at the front while Gu Yu Qi and Gu Si Yu sat together in the carriage at the back. Gu Si Yang was now 13 years old and did not want to share a carriage with his sisters, so instead, he followed on horseback beside Liang-shi’s carriage.

Gu Si Yu was a restless person and occasionally, she opened the curtain to look outside. Gu Yu Qi leaned lazily on the cushion with her eyes closed.

After the carriage left the city gates, the number of pedestrians on the main road gradually increased. It was a fine spring, so an endless number of nobles in the capital were going on a spring outing. As the horse-drawn carriages of the Ding Yuan Marquis’ residence passed by, the pedestrians on the road glanced inadvertently at the curtain raised in one of the carriages and could not look away anymore.

The slightly raised curtain revealed a face as sweet as a spring flower with a pair of lively eyes. However, when they looked in the carriage again, they saw a beautiful lady leaning on the soft cushions in the carriage. It was just a glimpse and that face was obscured by the carriage curtain, but just that sight would be unforgettable for a lifetime.

What a beauty that was. It would be difficult for brush and ink to depict her beauty, her white porcelain skin, her cherry red lips, and her hand placed seemingly unintentionally on her cheek. Even if she was languid, she was breathtakingly beautiful. Even if her eyes were not open, she was already intoxicating.

The carriage drove past and the beauty’s face disappeared from sight. Unexpectedly, some people could not recover for a long time and some even whipped their horses to chase after them.

It was almost noon when the Ding Yuan Marquis’ residence’s carriage stopped in front of the Hu Guo Temple’s mountain gate. Gu Yu Qi held onto Bai Fu’s hand and dismounted from the carriage. She looked up at the scene in front of her and she could not help but let out an infinite sigh in her heart.

终于又故地重游了，上一世，她在这里一袭红衣，故意的摆了半天的pose，装了一把13，可真的是迷倒不少王公贵族的子弟。
Finally, she had revisited this place again. In her previous life, she had been dressed in red here and had posed here deliberately for a long time, something 13, but had really charmed the sons of many imperial and noble families.

Yet now, before she got off the carriage, she had put on a long veil to hide her face from the sight of others.

After Gu Yu Qi led Gu Si Yu behind Liang-shi into the temple, the young men who had followed on horseback quietly approached the Marquis’ carriage, found a servant who was leading the horses, and asked in detail.

The flowers were fragrant in April and not only was the air fresh and pleasant on the mountain, even the scenery was much more gorgeous than during other seasons. Looking around in the mountains, there were all kinds of unknown mountain flowers blooming over the hillside, dotted among the green hills and grass. The Hu Guo Temple’s most famous peach blossoms were also in bloom on the hillside. Layer upon layer, they were like patches of pink clouds spread across the mountains.

At this time, Hu Guo Temple had the most tourists. Hence, in her previous life, Gu Yu Qi had also chosen to come to Hu Guo Temple during spring to show her face.

Although it was packed with tourists, the Ding Yuan Marquis’ family were all very quiet. They had already contacted the abbot of the Hu Guo Temple so as soon as they arrived, they were taken to a prepared temple by a little monk at the mountain gate.

The abbot was waiting in the temple and first exchanged greetings and salutes. After letting Liang-shi in, they told Liang-shi about the arrangements and regulations of the Buddhist ceremony.

Gu Si Yu could not stay still and could not help tugging Gu Yu Qi’s sleeve, wanting Gu Yu Qi to take her to play in the mountains. Gu Yu Qi smiled secretly and told her to be patient. She went to bother Gu Si Yang, but Gu Si Yang had arranged to enjoy the flowers with his classmates and friends so how would he bring Gu Si Yu along? Gu Si Yu had no choice but to come back and wait with Gu Yu Qi.

After finally waiting for the master abbot to say everything properly and then leave, Gu Si Yu could not wait to pull Gu Yu Qi out.

Liang-shi also hoped that Gu Yu Qi could go out and play. During these four years, Gu Yu Qi did not even go outside the door and even Liang-shi felt that her daughter was depressed beyond the limit. She had been worried that her daughter would become obsessed with martial arts. So when Gu Yu Qi asked if she could take Gu Si Yu out for a walk, she nodded quickly. However, for safety’s sake, Liang-shi still asked Chun Xing and Xia He to bring Bai Fu and Ran Mo to follow after them.

These four maids could all do martial arts and were useful in this kind of place.

There were so many people… Gu Yu Qi was pulled out of the temple by Gu Si Yu and this was her first reaction. This was comparable to the tourists during the modern National Day holiday, tsk tsk tsk… Who said ancient people did not play? Look at all the people over the mountains, as if they came out to see the scenery, it was more like they came to see people.

Although Gu Si Yu liked new things, she was not happy that there were so many people. She had to turn sideways when walking and the mountain road was already rough to begin with. If she turned carelessly, she would be bumped by someone. If they were not guarded by the maids, who knows how many times this girl would have been bumped by others.

“Does Eldest Sister know where there are less people?” Gu Si Yu asked with a pout.

Anyway, in her mind, there was nothing Gu Yu Qi could not do, so whether Gu Yu Qi had come to Hu Guo Temple before or not, she immediately turned to Gu Yu Qi for help.

“I know…” Gu Yu Qi pondered for a while and remembered a place, “But it’s just that it’s not easy to get there.”

“Is it because it’s far?” Gu Si Yu asked naively.

“It’s not that. It’s a place where noble people go to retreat. If we go there rashly, I’m afraid it won’t be good,” Gu Yu Qi smiled.

“How good is the scenery there?” Gu Si Yu asked.

“The scenery is naturally good,” Gu Yu Qi took her hand and smiled.

“Then let’s go and take a look quietly. Wouldn’t it be okay if we don’t disturb the nobles?” Gu Si Yu took Gu Yu Qi’s hand and said coquettishly, “Eldest Sister is the best. See, there’s almost nowhere to stand here, how can we see the scenery?”

Gu Yu Qi was troubled by Gu Si Yu and hesitated, but still nodded, “Then we’ll go and just look at it from a far distance, then we’ll leave quietly and not disturb others. If you promise me this, then we’ll go.”

“Okay.” Gu Si Yu clapped her hands happily, then pulled Gu Yu Qi to walk forward.

Gu yu Qi pulled her sister in amusement. “Wrong! It’s this way,” she said and pointed to a path beside her.

The two sisters and four maids weaved through the crowd and onto the obscure path.

The stone path was hidden among the flowers and plants and it was really inconspicuous if you did not pay attention.

“Has Young Miss come here before?” Chun Xing felt strange as they walked and she could not help asking.

“No,” Gu Yu Qi lied. She had been here too many times in the previous life… “I just read about it from some travel journal.” As she said this, Chun Xing felt at ease. Her young miss never forgot anything after reading about it. After so many years of reading books, it was likely that she had read all the books at home.

It was not an exaggeration to have read records about some little path from a book.

Either way, Gu Yu Qi was an existence with a plug-in, so whatever she said goes at home and few people doubted her.

After bypassing a small moon gate half hidden in the forest, Gu Yu Qi’s eyes suddenly brightened. In front of them was a large peach blossom forest. It was fragrant and as a breeze passed, petals fell like rain and even the grass was covered with a layer of petals like snow, making people not dare to set foot on it. It was like a fairyland here.

“Oh my god!” Gu Si Yu exclaimed, stunned by the beauty in front of her. She hitched up her skirt and carefully raised her foot to test the petals that had fallen onto the grass. It was like stepping onto a carpet made of petals. The little girl was immediately attracted to this soft and natural feeling. Throwing away Gu Yu Qi’s hand, she ran on the grass.

“Don’t make too much noise. It won’t be good to attract others here.” Gu Yu Qi saw that there was no one around, so she took the veil off her head and said to Gu Si Yu with a smile.

If this life was the same as her previous life, then at the end of the peach blossom forest would be where His Highness the Sixth Prince was cultivating. She had been here in her previous life and according to her experience, His Highness the Sixth Prince’s guards would not come here. They would just stay in front of the door. However, because it was near where the sixth prince, who was the current Prince Fu Yun Ling, was cultivating, few people came here and over time, the path outside became covered in grass. In front of Prince Fu’s house, there was a path leading directly to Hu Guo Temple.

In her previous life, Gu Yu Qi had only heard of prince Fu’s name, but had never seen him.

She had heard that he was not in good health so he had been titled a prince early and had left the palace. He did not go back to the capital often, just rested in Hu Guo Temple. Emperor Jing also liked this son very much and not only allowed him to not return to the capital to present himself before him, he also did not allow anyone else to bother him. So this place was like a paradise for others.

When Yun Ke ascended to the throne in the previous life, he returned to the capital once. After presenting himself to the new emperor, he returned to Hu Guo Temple.

Back then, her heart had been set on Yun Ke alone and naturally she dismissed others. Hence, she never paid attention to His Highness Prince Fu who had been cultivating the entire time. She had just heard that he studied Buddhism very well and even the abbot of Hu Guo Temple would sometimes ask him a question or two.

Gu Yu Qi stood on the side and watched Gu Si Yu play quietly, but her eyes floated towards the shadowy house in the depths of the peach blossom forest.

She wondered if she would be able to meet someone in this life that she had not met in her previous life.

While Gu Yu Qi was slightly lost in thought, she heard light footsteps in the forest. Gu Yu Qi turned to look and saw a man in white slowly walking out of the peach blossom forest.

He had jade skin and ink black hair. As he walked, his footsteps stirred the petals scattered on the ground. The petals swirled around the hem of his clothes as if he was walking on waves of petals. The sun was bright on this spring day and it shone through the branches and fell onto his flawless white clothes in a dappled array of light and shadow. His eyebrows were clear and cold and he was tall and straight like bamboo in the forest. On his god-like face with unparalleled handsomeness, a pair of eyes glittered like ice and snow that would never melt.

How could it be him?!

Gu Yu Qi could not help but take a step back. Fate once again showed its mighty power. After four years, she was meeting him again just like the first time in her previous life, in Hu Guo Temple, under the peach blossom tree. He was in snow white clothes like before, but she was no longer in flaming red.