Gu Qianying bowed slightly towards the carriage and looked at Bai Qi, who stood outside. "Young man, could you please ask your master to help this humble maiden?"
Bai Qi glanced into the carriage, then turned back, his voice stern. "No!"
Gu Qianying paused, a slight twitch at the corner of her lips. She thought, this young attendant is truly… difficult to deal with.
"Miss, please leave quickly. My master dislikes outsiders approaching."
Encountering such a blunt and unyielding young man, Gu Qianying felt speechless.
However, at this moment, she had no choice but to take this step.
Just then, the light blue gauze curtain with gold trim on the carriage was lifted by a hand with distinct bones.
What met her eyes was a face of unparalleled beauty.
Seeing the man in the carriage, Gu Qianying froze.
The man's features were as handsome and exquisite as if carved by a knife. His lips, a perfect shade of red, were pressed into a straight line. A simple, elegant white robe outlined his robust physique, exuding an aura of mystery and nobility, like a banished immortal. His cool demeanor made one hesitant to approach.
Gu Qianying snapped back to reality, her heart filled with shock.
Isn't this… the current Ninth Prince, Nangong Mo?
Gu Qianying was filled with regret. She had actually provoked such a dangerous figure!
What to do? What should she do next?
As Gu Qianying was unsure of what to do, Nangong Mo suddenly looked at her, their eyes meeting.
Nangong Mo's clear, cool voice broke the silence. "What is it you wish for my help with?"
When Nangong Mo spoke, both Bai Qi and Gu Qianying were stunned.
Bai Qi furtively glanced at his master.
Could it be that the sun rose from the west today?
Normally, if any women came to fawn over him, no matter how beautiful they were, his master had only one word: "Scram!"
Even when a princess tried to strike up a conversation with his master, he wouldn't spare her a second glance.
But why today?
Bai Qi was utterly shocked.
At this moment, Gu Qianying's shock was no less than Bai Qi's.
In her previous life, it was rumored that the Ninth Prince was aloof and proud, unpredictable, and disliked any woman approaching him. If he wanted you dead by midnight, you would surely not live past dawn.
Yet now, the Ninth Prince was asking her what she needed help with?
Gu Qianying was so shocked that she was momentarily speechless.
She couldn't possibly ask the noble Ninth Prince Nangong Mo to be a witness for her trivial family matter, could she?
However… inviting the young attendant might be feasible.
Thus, Gu Qianying bowed slightly to Nangong Mo and, steeling herself, said, "Greetings, Ninth Prince. This humble maiden is Gu Qianying, the legitimate daughter of the Gu Manor. Qianying implores the Ninth Prince to lend this humble maiden your attendant."
Nangong Mo was the most handsome man in the court, the Ninth Imperial Uncle whom many princesses and county princesses dreamed of marrying, and a renowned figure among the common folk.
Even if ordinary people didn't recognize the Emperor, they would recognize the invincible Ninth Prince—Nangong Mo.
Years ago, the Ninth Prince led his troops into battle, using only five thousand elite soldiers to utterly defeat an enemy force of a hundred thousand. It was a pity that after the Ninth Prince's legs were paralyzed, he no longer led troops into battle, nor did he participate in court affairs.
Borrowing Bai Qi?
Nangong Mo frowned, his expression unchanging. Then, with a "pu," he lowered the gauze curtain and remained silent for a long time.
Gu Qianying was a little bewildered.
What did this mean?
Beside her, Bai Qi raised an eyebrow, peeked into the curtain, coughed lightly, and then said, "Miss Gu, my master says, no—"
Before Bai Qi could finish his words, two cold words interrupted him: "Ten taels of reward!"
"..."
Bai Qi was dumbfounded!
Gu Qianying was stunned.
She almost doubted if she had heard correctly.
To borrow someone from the famous Ninth Prince, one needed to pay a reward? And only ten taels of silver?
To prevent any misunderstanding, Gu Qianying, mustering her courage, asked softly, "Reporting to the Ninth Prince, this humble maiden left in a hurry and only brought eight taels of silver. Could this silver…?"
In fact, Gu Qianying had more than just these eight taels, but she wanted to use this question to dispel her doubts.
However, just as Gu Qianying thought she would be driven away, a clear, cool voice sounded again: "Bai Qi, accompany her!"
Gu Qianying immediately felt that the rumors of the Ninth Prince's immense wealth were likely false.
Bai Qi, sold for a mere eight taels, was completely bewildered.
He was sold just like that? For only eight taels?
No, that wasn't the point. The point was, why was his master so out of character today?
At this point, he even suspected if the master in the carriage today was a fake.
To verify this, before Gu Qianying left, Bai Qi deliberately craned his neck and peered into the curtain several times.
A gust of wind blew, lifting Bai Qi's sleeve, and he felt the coldness emanating from his master.
He shivered violently, belatedly scratched his ear, and thought, yes, it was real.
Meanwhile.
When the people of the Gu Manor saw Gu Qianying bring a guard, and that guard was none other than the Ninth Prince's attendant, Bai Qi.
Gu Kun quickly put on a smile and walked forward. "Guard Bai, why have you come? Did my daughter Qianying offend the Ninth Prince?"
Bai Qi was a favored attendant of the Ninth Prince, so Gu Kun treated him exceptionally well, while showing prejudice towards Gu Qianying from the outset.
If Qianying hadn't offended the Ninth Prince, why would the Ninth Prince send Guard Bai?
Bai Qi spoke directly and frankly. "My master sent me to be Miss Gu's witness!"
His words left the Gu family members bewildered.
Witness? What witness?
"Father, I did not push my second sister. If you don't believe your daughter, then I can only find evidence to prove my innocence. But before I present the evidence, I have invited the young attendant to be my witness. Father, next, I will show you whether I pushed my second sister or not."
With that, Gu Qianying instructed Lu Zhu to lift the curtain of the carriage she was in.
Before Gu Qianying could make any further moves, Gu Kun pulled her aside.
"You unfilial daughter! For such a trivial matter, you dare to trouble the Ninth Prince. You truly have the gall of a leopard. Let this matter drop. Don't embarrass yourself here!"
Handling a family dispute in front of Guard Bai was nothing short of embarrassing him, wasn't it?
At this moment, Gu Mingyue, who had been putting on a pitiful and wronged act, was quickly helped up by her maid as Bai Qi arrived, and she tidied her appearance.
Behind her, Gu Ziran and Gu Yumei did the same.
There were spare dresses in the carriage. Gu Mingyue returned to the carriage and changed into a "misty water hundred flowers" dress.
Everyone wanted to leave a good impression on the famous and dashing Ninth Prince, and also on his attendant.
Who knew if the Ninth Prince might take a liking to them and marry them into his manor as his consort? That would be a glorious occasion for their ancestors.
"Yes, elder sister, to trouble Guard Bai for such a small matter, you are making a mountain out of a molehill and are ignorant of etiquette," Gu Mingyue said, adding fuel to the fire as Gu Kun reprimanded Gu Qianying.
With that, Gu Mingyue took Gu Qianying's wrist and smiled. "Elder sister, I have already forgiven you for what happened just now..."