Speaking, Cai Xia took out an exquisite brocade box from her body, opened it, and took out the contents.
It was a treasure map, drawn on sheepskin with many dense routes.
Cai Xia presented this item with both hands, her face surprisingly calm, but her heart was surging with excitement.
Rich, rich!
Gu Qianying took the treasure map from Cai Xia's hand, examined it carefully, then looked up at Cai Xia and asked with a smile, "Are you tempted?"
Whoosh!
A suffocating tension surged into her heart.
Cai Xia quickly said, "Your Highness, this servant dares not."
Gu Qianying chuckled, "People have little resistance to this kind of thing. My father hid it in the mansion, and I don't know how many lives were lost over it. Even I, upon seeing it, want to possess it.
Money, who doesn't like it? But... some things, even if you possess them, are not necessarily good. Some people will lose their lives because of it, some will lose their minds, and some will pay even more.
All things in the world, those who possess them, those who are equal, will pay the corresponding price, without exception. If you want to be the most special person, you must be the king among the strong. But how can a king be made so easily? And those who succeed, don't they also need to pay some price?
Such a price might be losing your life, or being betrayed by everyone, or having your dignity trampled, or having your most cherished possession taken away. If you want to be safe, you must abide by the rules and be well-behaved, don't you think?"
As she spoke, Gu Qianying looked at Cai Xia.
This maid had been by her side for so long. She thought this person was quite good and a capable person, which was why she was giving her some pointers.
"Your Highness's kind words have enlightened this servant, and I am immensely grateful."
Cai Xia lowered her head, her eyes somewhat complex.
How could she not understand the warning in her words?
"However, if you wish to make some changes, this Princess can lend you a hand, but you must think clearly. Once you start, there's no turning back. Every step must be perfect. Do you understand?"
In her past life, she had made one wrong step and then every step was wrong. In this life, she would definitely consider every step carefully.
After issuing a warning, Gu Qianying threw out a fictitious "date licking" to appease her.
Having lived two lives, she knew very well how to win people over.
As she expected, when Cai Xia looked up, there was more gratitude in her eyes: "Thank you, Your Highness. However, what this servant wishes for most is to stay by Your Highness's side and take care of you. Other than that, this servant has no other requests."
Gu Qianying's gaze lingered on Cai Xia's face for a long time. After a while, she smiled again: "Alright, alright. This Princess knows you are very loyal. But, if you meet your beloved in the future, you will have to get married. Will you stay by this Princess's side and become an old maid?"
"Your Highness~"
Cai Xia shyly lowered her head.
Gu Qianying's teasing remark made Cai Xia relax.
After chatting for a while, Cai Xia asked again, "Your Highness, what will you do next?"
Cai Xia understood very well that the Princess had said so much to her to test her loyalty. At the same time, after this, her Princess would regard her as one of her own.
"Next, this Princess... is going to... divorce the husband!"
"What?"
Cai Xia exclaimed, she was stunned.
The carriage suddenly stopped.
The young groom jumped down from the carriage and reported through the curtain, "Your Highness, someone is kneeling in front and wishes to see you."
Gu Qianying hid the item in her hand, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and asked coldly, "Who?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, she says she is Concubine Bai from the Gu Mansion, Madam Bai."
Gu Qianying was slightly surprised.
How could it be her?
She glanced at Cai Xia, who understood and got off the carriage, approaching Madam Bai and saying, "Concubine Bai, our Princess invites you."
Madam Bai, dressed in a light cyan dress, was stunned. She had not expected to meet Gu Qianying so quickly.
A moment later,
The carriage stopped outside a tea house.
Gu Qianying and Madam Bai sat briefly in a private room.
When it was just the two of them, Madam Bai took out the item she had brought and opened it.
It was a black pill wrapped in a handkerchief. Madam Bai placed it in front of Gu Qianying and said directly, "This is the pill that Madam Han often feeds the master. Ninth Princess has excellent medical skills and will surely know what this pill is."
Seeing Madam Bai like this, Gu Qianying's brows furrowed even tighter.
She looked at Madam Bai, but did not mention the pill. Instead, she asked, "Why are you doing this? Do you have any conditions? Or, just state your purpose."
She did not believe that Madam Bai's actions today were to curry favor.
When Madam Han and her daughter had an accident that day, Madam Bai had acted as if it had nothing to do with her, which made Gu Qianying look at her more closely.
And today, Madam Bai's behavior was truly unusual.
When Gu Qianying asked, Madam Bai paused. She was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Gu Qianying and asked nervously, "Your brother... did he... really die?"
Gu Qianying's body trembled violently, her pupils contracted, and her voice became colder: "Concubine Bai, have you heard some rumors, or do you think your life is too long!"
Her words were both a test and a threat.
Could it be that this person had discovered something? It seemed this person could not be kept alive.
Gu Qianying flipped her wrist, and a silver needle appeared.
Madam Bai seemed not to understand what Gu Qianying meant. She continued to ask, "Did he really die?"
"He's dead!"
The silver needle between her fingers was about to be thrown, but she saw Madam Bai, like an eggplant that had been frostbitten, no longer indifferent, calm, and composed as before.
Her eyes turned red, her lips trembled, and even the words she spoke were intermittent: "I schemed to seduce the master of the Gu family, thinking I could get closer to him... but I never expected this parting to be... eternal."
A tear trickled down her eye. Madam Bai looked at Gu Qianying and asked with a sob, "Are his things still kept?"
Gu Qianying looked at Madam Bai quietly. Seeing her like this, she unhurriedly put away the silver needle in her hand.
"No."
Even though she saw that Madam Bai had some unusual feelings for her brother, she would not reveal the true situation of her brother.
Madam Bai suddenly laughed. She laughed and cried, supporting herself on the table to steady her swaying body. Her voice was ethereal and weak: "He just left like this, leaving nothing behind, hahaha."
Due to excessive grief, she became somewhat deranged. Madam Bai suddenly glared at Gu Qianying: "Who killed him? Was it someone from the Gu family, or someone else?"
When Madam Bai asked this, Gu Qianying only said, "I don't know."
Whether Madam Bai was instigated by someone else or deliberately testing, even if it was sincere, it was not trustworthy.
"If you don't know, then I will investigate until I find out."
Madam Bai got up and swayed as if to leave.
Gu Qianying watched Madam Bai's retreating back and suddenly called out to her: "Since you were in love with my brother, why did you deliberately seduce my father? Wouldn't it have been better to directly seduce my brother?"
Gu Qianying couldn't understand this point.
Madam Bai's footsteps stopped, and she turned back, a bitter smile on her lips: "With my lowly status, how could I be worthy of him? He was so good, and I was not worthy."
Gu Qianying was stunned for a moment.
Such an answer was beyond her expectations.
Madam Bai's back gradually receded.
Gu Qianying flicked her fingers into the air, and a black-clothed figure appeared, kneeling at her feet: "Sect Leader."
"Watch her, don't let her die!"
"Yes, Sect Leader."
The black-clothed figure then left.
Gu Qianying also walked out of the tea house.
Earlier, when she got off the carriage, to avoid attracting attention, she had deliberately swapped clothes with her maid, Cai Xia. When they returned, she swapped back with Cai Xia.
Sitting in the carriage, Gu Qianying picked up the pill that Madam Bai had given her and sniffed it.
Upon smelling it, she understood.
It was an aphrodisiac pill with five-stone powder added.
This medicine was addictive. Those who took too much would not only suffer from backlash but also lose their lives.
It seemed her father did not have much time left!
The carriage suddenly bumped and stopped again.
Before Gu Qianying could ask what had happened, a voice came from outside the carriage: "Who is the blind fool blocking our Crown Prince's way? Quickly have your master come out of the carriage and kneel to apologize to our Highness."
The scolding followed.
Gu Qianying's expression was displeased, and she sneered inwardly.
What a coincidence, enemies meeting on a narrow road!
Gu Qianying lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage.