"I heard that my cousin will be engaged to my second sister soon. Then I will have to call you my second brother-in-law."
Gu Yue's attitude was very cold, but if you listened carefully, you could also hear a hint of sourness and dissatisfaction.
Xie Xian pretended to be sad. "Cousin, don't you know what I'm thinking? Marrying Gu Jiu is not what I want. If it were possible, I would immediately cancel this marriage."
Gu Yue snorted coldly, "What nonsense are you talking about? If you turn down this marriage, who will my second sister marry?"
"But I can't bear to leave my cousin. These days, I have lost my appetite and all I can think about is my cousin."
Xie Xian was affectionate, and his expression was sincere.
Gu Yue's cheeks turned red, and she said coquettishly, "What nonsense are you talking about, cousin? What will happen if someone hears it?"
"Yu er, do you miss me? I miss you so much! You don't know how much it hurts me that I can't marry you."
Gu Jiu's mouth twitched and she smiled silently. Xie Xian's love words were really well-written, worthy of being a veteran in the flower world.
A little girl like Gu Yue is no match for Xie Xian. She will fall into the trap in a minute.
"Oh, cousin, why are you saying all this? You are about to marry my second sister. What do you want me to do now?"
Gu Yue stamped her feet, feeling a little shy, a little ashamed, and a little angry, and her expression was extremely complicated.
Xie Xian simply hugged her.
Gu Yue was frightened but happy in her heart. She pretended to push him and said angrily, "Cousin, let go."
Xie Xian was trapped by love and was so persistent, "No, I won't let go. I will never let go you in this life. Marrying Gu Jiu is just a temporary solution. Cousin, you will wait for me, right? In two years, when Gu Jiu died... I will come and marry you, okay?"
Gu Yue leaned into Xie Xian's arms reluctantly.
She bit her lip, her cheeks flushed, "Will my cousin really marry me?"
"I swear, I will marry Yue'er. If I break my oath, I will be struck by lightning and die a miserable death."
"Don't..." Gu Yue stretched out her hand and covered Xie Xian's lips, "I believe my cousin."
Xie Xian's face was filled with surprise, as if he had obtained a priceless treasure that was worth cherishing for a lifetime.
He held Gu Yue's hand and kissed it wildly.
Gu Yue looked flustered, "Cousin, don't be like this."
But deep down, she hoped that her cousin could be a little tougher.
Going against her upbringing and doing something that was not appropriate for her status made Gu Yue feel a strange sense of excitement and shame. She felt hot and soft all over, and was overwhelmed with shyness.
Xie Xian's eyes widened, "Cousin, you are so beautiful!"
Gu Yue rolled her eyes at him, but finally managed to control herself at the critical moment and pushed him away, "I should go back. Cousin, remember what I said today."
"Don't go, cousin."
Gu Yue ran away as if escaping. She was panicking and afraid that she would not be able to control herself and make a big mistake.
Xie Xian was chasing after him.
The two figures quickly disappeared outside the bamboo forest.
Qing Mei took a breath and felt like she was suffocating.
After hearing about the secret meeting between the Third Miss and Young Master Xie, she didn't even dare to breathe, for fear of being discovered.
"Miss, what should we do?"
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "This matter should not be made public."
It was really unexpected that Gu Yue and Xie Xian had an affair.
Gu Yue might have fallen in love with him, but it was hard to say how deep the feelings were.
As for Xie Xian, he clearly has evil intentions.
On the one hand, he wanted to marry Gu Jiu and get a dowry for free, while on the other hand, he was flirting with Gu Yue.
What exactly are the Xie family father and son planning?
Could it be that Xie Xian really wants to marry Gu Yue?
How could Mrs. Xie agree to this, and it is even more impossible for Lord Gu to agree to this marriage.
There is no way Mrs. Xie would marry her precious daughter to Xie Xian.
However, if Xie Xian could find a way to make Gu Yue's marriage a fait accomplished, then even if Xie Shi disagreed with the marriage, she would have no choice but to accept it.
Xie Xian married Gu Yue, which was a very profitable business. Promotion, wealth, glory and honor, as long as he married Gu Yue, he would have all of these.
Think about it, Gu Yue is Xie's precious daughter.
Gu Yue married Xie Xian. Even though Xie looked down on Xie Xian, for Gu Yue's sake, Xie would try his best to invest the Gu family's resources in Xie Xian.
Xie Xian was not well educated and could not pass the imperial examination to become an official. So he had to rely on recommendations to pursue a career in officialdom.
With the Gu family supporting him behind the scenes and the Gu family's connections, even if he is a fool, he can still get a position.
What's more, Xie Xian is not a fool, but is very good at research.
With the help and resources of the Gu family, it is only a matter of time before Xie Xian gets promoted and becomes rich.
The Xie family father and son are indeed very calculating.
Gu Jiu raised her eyebrows and smiled. If Xie knew that the Xie father and son were plotting against her precious daughter, would the brother and sister turn against each other?
It was probably a dog-eat-dog situation, with both ends up with a mouth full of fur.
Gu Jiu walked out of the bamboo forest and came to the place where Gu Yue and Xie Xian had a secret meeting.
Sure enough, I saw a handkerchief dropped into the flowers.
"Miss, this is the third young lady handkerchief."
Qing Mei picked up a yellow handkerchief with a "Yue" embroidered on it.
Gu Jiu held the handkerchief and said, "Don't tell anyone about picking up the handkerchief. Let's leave here quickly. When the third sister finds out that the handkerchief is missing, she might come back to look for it."
"I will listen to you, young lady."
The master and servant walked through a secluded path, avoiding the eyes and ears, and returned to Zhi Lan Courtyard smoothly.
"Miss, you are finally back. I was scared to death."
Qing Zhu sat up from the bed, her face covered in sweat. You could imagine how nervous she was.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "I'm back safely."
"Miss, don't sneak out next time. If you are discovered, it will be terrible."
"I know."
Gu Jiu changed her clothes and sat at the desk.
The handkerchief that Gu Yue dropped can be put to good use.
…
Capital city, Pingnan Marquis Mansion.
The eldest master of the Marquis' Mansion, Gu Zhiwen, came to the study in the front yard.
"Father wants to see me, did he has something to tell me."
Marquis Pingnan hummed.
Pingnan Hou was in his 60s, slightly plump, with half of his hair already white, but he was in good spirits.
In terms of relationship, Gu Jiu called Pingnan Hou his great-uncle.
Lord Gu called Marquis Pingnan "uncle" and treated him as his uncle.
Although the two families have separated, their mansions are only separated by a wall, so the two families are very close.
Lord Gu often wrote letters to Gu Zhiwen, the eldest master of the Marquis' Mansion.
The two cousins have a very good relationship.
Pingnan Hou looked at his eldest son Gu Zhiwen and asked casually, "Zhili wrote to you. Do he want to be transferred from Jinzhou to the capital?"
Gu Zhiwen nodded, "That's right."
Pingnan Hou tapped the table lightly. "Write him a reply and tell him that the Empress is seriously ill and ask him to postpone his return to the capital. Also, tell him to be careful of the Xie family."
Gu Zhiwen could understand why he had to postpone his return to Capital, but how could he be on guard against the Xie family?
"Father is worried that the Xie family is unreliable?"
Pingnan Hou snorted coldly, "Xie Mao has been very active recently!"
Xie Mao is Xie's eldest brother, the Prince's Junior Secretary, and is deeply trusted by the Prince.
"Do you understand the current situation?"
Gu Zhiwen shook his head.
Pingnan Hou said: "His Majesty, on the one hand, was mindful of the long-standing relationship between him and the Empress, but on the other hand, he issued an edict to reprimand the Crown Prince, thus making the Empress' illness worse. Tell me, why is this?"
"This... His Majesty may have some deeper meaning behind this." Gu Zhiwen said cautiously.
Pingnan Hou snorted, "I think his majesty is clearly warning everyone in the East Palace, warning the crown prince not to take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble. Unfortunately, Xie Mao has been unusually active recently. I heard that the second son of the Xie family went to Jinzhou."
Gu Zhiwen nodded, "That's right."
Pingnan Hou frowned, "When Zhili married Xie as his concubine, I just thought she was a not a good woman.
Unexpectedly, Xie Mao took this opportunity to borrow the Gu family's name and establish connections with the Eastern Palace, thus rising rapidly to the top.
Now that I think about it carefully, it is very likely that Xie Mao planned all this for Xie Shi to marry Zhili. I really underestimated Xie Mao.
Xie Mao seems to be honest, but he is actually treacherous. You must remind him to be polite and be careful with the Xie family.
Zhili is in the northwest, a military stronghold. Xie Mao wants the crown prince to ascend the throne, and with this boy's methods, he will definitely not let the northwest go."
Gu Zhiwen suddenly thought of something and his expression became serious. "Father, are you worried about the Marquis of Lu?"
Marquis Pingnan nodded slightly.