Nan Gong Mo stared, stunned, at Gu Qian Ying, who sat before him with her outer robe shed.
"What... what are you doing?"
Her soft, slender waist and fair skin met his gaze.
His body stiffened, and he looked in disbelief at the woman lunging towards him.
"You... you..."
Their lips met.
His eyes widened.
A large, warm palm rested on her waist.
Hiss!
Pain shot through him.
The scent of blood spread, filling his nostrils.
Gu Qian Ying suddenly sat up, pulled on her outer robe, and looked at the still-dazed Nan Gong Mo.
Her slender fingers touched his bleeding lips. "You have my mark here now. From this day forward, you belong to me. Therefore, Ninth Imperial Uncle, you must remain chaste and wait obediently for the day I marry you."
With that, she turned, dismounted the carriage, and quickly left with Xu Zi Chen and his servant.
As she left, Gu Qian Ying's hands were sweating.
Xu Zi Chen and his servant followed her.
Along the road, Xu Zi Chen began to chatter again, but Gu Qian Ying silenced him with a curse: "If you don't want to die, shut up!"
Xu Zi Chen promptly and obediently closed his mouth.
At this moment.
The hidden guards outside the carriage, who had witnessed Gu Qian Ying and the other two leave, looked at each other.
They were unsure whether to report Miss Gu's departure with others to their master.
Inside the carriage.
Nan Gong Mo raised his hand to touch his blood-stained lips, lost in thought for a long while.
The scene from moments ago kept replaying in his mind, refusing to fade.
"Oh my, Ninth Imperial Uncle, I heard you were attacked. Are you alright?"
Nan Gong Li rode up.
He dismounted and walked towards Nan Gong Mo.
On his way back to the palace, he had heard news of his Ninth Imperial Uncle being attacked, and before he had even returned, he had rushed back.
Nan Gong Li's voice broke Nan Gong Mo's train of thought, pulling him back from his daze.
Lifting his robes, Nan Gong Mo looked at Nan Gong Li, but as he did, he suddenly noticed that Gu Qian Ying and Xu Zi Chen and his servant were nowhere to be seen.
His expression instantly turned cold.
"They left?"
The hidden guards exchanged glances and replied in unison, "Yes, Master, they left."
"All three of them left together?"
The hidden guards reported in unison, "Yes, Master."
Thump!
He let his robes fall coldly and spoke indifferently, "Each of you will receive fifty lashes. Return to the manor!"
The hidden guards looked embarrassed.
Ignored, Nan Gong Li used his fan to lift the robes and ducked inside.
"Ninth Imperial Uncle, what's wrong now? Oh my, who bit your mouth? Why is it bleeding?"
*Poof!*
Nan Gong Li was gloriously flung out of the carriage again.
The hidden guards following behind collectively feigned blindness.
Gu Qian Ying had parted ways with Xu Zi Chen and his servant midway.
Xu Zi Chen needed to return to the manor to manage his medicinal herb business. As he left, he specifically gifted Gu Qian Ying a book he had written on the types and effects of medicinal herbs and ingredients during his travels.
In return, Gu Qian Ying gave Xu Zi Chen some of her remaining poison pills and explained their effects.
With the poison pills gifted by Gu Qian Ying tucked into his embrace, Xu Zi Chen thought to himself that he would find a secluded spot to bury them upon his return, lest they fall into the wrong hands and cause fatal harm.
Gu Manor.
"Did you hear? Our Fourth Miss, unable to bear the torment of interrogation, committed suicide in prison. The way she looked when she died was so terrifying, it almost scared people to death."
"I heard that our Second Miss, on her way to the Dali Temple, encountered bandits. Due to extreme fright, her pregnancy was unstable, and she gave birth to her child on the road. However, the child was born unexpectedly and without care, dying on the road.
I also heard that our Old Master sent Second Miss to His Highness the Crown Prince, to be dealt with by the Crown Prince himself. But the Crown Prince, using various excuses, only sent word: 'This woman has committed such a grave offense and lost her unborn child. How can I keep such a useless woman in the Eastern Palace!'
After the Crown Prince released this statement, our Old Master could only bring Second Miss back and sent her directly to the Dali Temple. Second Miss, unable to accept this outcome, went completely mad, crying and screaming in her cell every day. It's so frightening."
"Alas, all daughters of the manor, yet their fates are so different. Look at our Eldest Miss. She is now the person Old Master values most. I heard that a few days ago, there was a plague in the military camp. The reason it was brought under control and the infected were cured was all thanks to our Eldest Miss's efforts. Old Master, overjoyed, reported this to the Emperor and requested that upon her return from this expedition, our Eldest Miss be allowed to succeed him."
"Ah? Let Eldest Miss succeed Old Master? Doesn't that mean handing over the power of the head of the household to our Eldest Miss?"
"But, for a woman to be the matriarch of the inner chambers, I've heard of that. But for a woman, an unmarried young lady, to take on the role of the head of the household, doesn't that seem a bit inappropriate?"
"You don't understand. Look at who else in our manor is capable of taking on the role of the head of the household. Take our Master, for example.
I heard that ever since our Master broke his leg, he hasn't attended court for several days. He spends his days drinking and listening to music with the two concubines he recently took in, living quite leisurely. With such a carefree attitude, how could our Old Master be willing to return the power of the household to Master? As for others, Eldest Young Master is entirely focused on military matters. Second Young Master and Third Young Master have no say in the manor. As for the other three young ladies, one is mad, one is dead, and they are irrelevant to even the affairs of the inner chambers, let alone the manor.
When you think about it, only our Eldest Miss has the ability to manage the affairs of the manor. Although there are no female generals in the court, nor is there a precedent for women managing household affairs, judging by Old Master Gu's affection for our Eldest Miss, what we are saying is bound to happen sooner or later."
"It seems we'll have to find a way to work in the Gardening Pavilion in the future. If we curry favor with our Eldest Miss, we might be able to enjoy blessings alongside her."
"You're right. It's getting late, let's hurry back to our duties."
The gossiping maids scattered.
At the pavilion, Gu Master Gu Kun, who was enjoying the cool breeze accompanied by three concubines, had a very unpleasant expression.
The words of the few maids echoed in his mind.
His gaze fell on his broken leg, and his resentment deepened.
The third concubine, Madam Han, stood behind him, her hands resting on the armrests of Gu Kun's wheelchair. When his personal maid brought an outer robe, she took it and draped it over Gu Kun: "Master, it's getting cold, please take care of yourself. Don't pay attention to what those maids said. I don't believe Old Master will hand over the authority of the household to Qian Ying, after all, Qian Ying is still unmarried, which is truly inappropriate."
"Heh! Don't believe it? Did you believe he would break his own son's leg?"
Gu Kun's expression contorted with hatred.