Gu Jiu couldn’t be more disdainful toward Liu Zhao.
“As the saying goes, whoever pays calls the shots. If I’m the one supporting the household, then naturally, all matters, big or small, should be decided by me. It wouldn’t make sense for me to spend the money and still have to suffer grievances.”
Liu Zhao studied the meaning behind her words and asked back, “So all matters, big and small, are up to you?”
Gu Jiu smiled sweetly at him and nodded.
“Even the servants by bengongzi’s side, would they also be under your say?”
Gu Jiu’s smile grew brighter as she nodded again, yes, all of it under her control.
Liu Zhao was no fool. He looked at her suspiciously. “What scheme are you plotting?”
Gu Jiu put on an innocent expression. “None at all. I’m just exercising my rights.”
“Your rights seem a little too extensive.”
Gu Jiu gave a little huff and turned her head away, clearly unwilling to look at him.
But Liu Zhao only laughed. He could never get tired of watching Gu Jiu’s little expressions.
He teased, “You haven’t even married in yet, and already you’re thinking about managing the household. Not bad, not bad.”
Not bad, my foot.
Gu Jiu’s expression cooled. “I’m going back to the theatre to listen to the opera. Let me go.”
“No rush, we hardly get to see each other.”
Gu Jiu simply looked at him with a smiling gaze, without saying a word. She let him interpret the meaning in her eyes for himself.
Liu Zhao raised an eyebrow. “So today, you were wronged.”
Gu Jiu replied, “It wasn’t only Zhou Yi who wronged me.”
“Who else?” Liu Zhao’s expression instantly turned dark.
Gu Jiu wasn’t afraid. “I don’t know who, but during the banquet, someone tampered with my wine. I don’t know what poison was used, but I’m certain that cup was problematic.”
Liu Zhao’s face turned grim. “Someone dared to poison you?”
Gu Jiu sneered. “That’s a question for you. This is the wang fu, you’re the master here. If you don’t know, how could I possibly know?”
Liu Zhao’s face was cold. “I’ll get to the bottom of this. Do you remember who gave you that cup?”
“A maid. But I didn’t see her face.”
“I understand. I’ll handle this. Once I have results, I’ll inform you.”
Gu Jiu said, “I’ve said what I needed to say. Now I’m leaving.”
Liu Zhao was reluctant to let go. “Do you dislike bengongzi that much?”
Gu Jiu asked back, “Would you be fond of someone who only brings you trouble every day?”
Liu Zhao said with utmost seriousness, “Husband and wife are one, sharing honour and disgrace alike.”
Gu Jiu pressed her lips into a smile. “But we’re not husband and wife yet. Naturally, we can’t share honour or disgrace together.”
“If I’d known earlier, I should’ve brought the wedding date forward.”
“Wouldn’t matter. I’m leaving now, let me go.”
Liu Zhao gently rubbed her fingers. They were slender, pale, and delicate to the touch.
“Your hands are beautiful.”
Gu Jiu answered proudly, “My hands are, of course, beautiful.”
“So that means, being able to marry you is a very fortunate thing for bengongzi.”
“You haven’t married me yet.”
“The imperial decree has been issued. Don’t tell me you plan to go back on it?”
Liu Zhao’s gaze turned cold, sharp enough to intimidate.
But Gu Jiu remained calm. “Going back isn’t an option, unless someone can overturn the imperial decree.”
Though blunt, her words eased his expression somewhat.
Gu Jiu continued, “If you hadn’t chosen me, my life wouldn’t be like this. I might have married a man of equal family background, and then–”
“Shut up!”
Liu Zhao’s face darkened again.
He realised one day this woman would infuriate him to death. She was deliberately saying these things just to provoke him.
Gu Jiu looked at him and secretly laughed.
Liu Zhao snorted. As expected, she was doing it on purpose.
It seemed like he would have to assert his authority as a husband.
But Gu Jiu gave him no chance.
She cut in first: “Feeling upset? Good. That’s right. Now you finally understand how I felt back then. Not bad, not bad.”
After speaking, her brows arched proudly, and she gave a triumphant smile.
Liu Zhao was utterly helpless. His thought of asserting authority dissolved into smoke.
“When you first received the imperial marriage edict, were you that unwilling?”
Gu Jiu shot him a glare. As if she could ever have been willing.
Finally, she voiced the question she’d held in her heart for a long time: “Why do you assume I’d want to marry you? Just because you’re the Emperor’s grandson?”
Liu Zhao suddenly laughed. There was no need for him to quibble over her thoughts. Soon enough, they’d be husband and wife anyway.
So he said, “Willing or not, you will marry me.”
Gu Jiu nodded calmly. “That much is true. The decree has been issued; besides marrying you, I have no other road to take.”
Liu Zhao squeezed her fingers. “Bengongzi is glad you recognise that.”
Gu Jiu smiled softly. “But marrying you doesn’t mean I’ll be under your control. I only hope that years later, you won’t regret marrying me.”
Liu Zhao declared firmly, “Bengongzi will never regret marrying you.”
Gu Jiu just smiled and said nothing.
The two fell into silence, and the air in the room gradually grew ambiguous.
It was too warm. Gu Jiu pushed the window open, letting a cool breeze drift in.
She turned back to Liu Zhao. “Don’t you have to entertain your guests?”
“Everyone’s watching the opera right now. No need to socialise.”
After a pause, he added, “How about I move the wedding date forward?”
Gu Jiu immediately shook her head in refusal. “No way.”
That was an utterly terrible idea.
Gu Jiu had already thought the wedding date was too early, but she hadn’t expected Liu Zhao to want to bring it forward even more.
All Gu Jiu wanted to say to Liu Zhao was: Heh!
Time passed little by little.
When the eunuch came to urge him, Liu Zhao couldn’t linger any longer and had to leave early.
As he left, he said to Gu Jiu: “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything.”
Gu Jiu only smiled without answering, watching him leave.
Qing Mei and Qing Zhu came over to her side.
Qing Mei smiled and said, “Congratulations, guniang. Gongzi Zhao cares so much for you. Once you marry into the wang fu, surely you and he will live in harmony as husband and wife.”
Gu Jiu smiled faintly and said, “What happens later, we’ll talk about later. Let’s go back to the theatre.”
The three of them returned to the theatre, where a new play was only halfway through.
Pei shi glanced down from upstairs and asked the maid beside her, “Has Gu Jiu returned?”
The maid nodded.
Pei shi then asked: “And da gongzi?”
The maid whispered, “Something urgent came up. He left the fu.”
Pei shi frowned slightly and asked, “Do you know what happened?”
The maid lowered her voice: “It seems something happened in the palace.”
Pei shi turned her head sharply toward the maid, her tone stern: “What happened in the palace?”
The maid shook her head. “No news yet.”
Pei shi felt a wave of unease, but she kept her expression calm and cast a discreet glance at Zhao wangfei and the others.
They were all watching the play as usual, seemingly unaware that anything had happened.
Pei shi shifted her body slightly into a more relaxed posture, making sure no one could see anything unusual.
As the hostess, she couldn’t leave on her own.
So she instructed her maid: “Have someone find out the news as quickly as possible. And go to wangye, see how he reacts. As soon as you hear anything, report back immediately.”
“Nubi obeys.”
For the rest of the performance, Pei shi’s mind was elsewhere.
She kept observing the reactions of Zhao wangfei and the others. Since they didn’t seem to know about the palace affair, she quietly let out a sigh of relief.
After what felt like a long time, her trusted maid hurried back to the theatre and whispered in her ear: “Reporting to niangniang, Mei pin’s affair has been exposed.”
Pei shi gasped sharply. She instinctively looked toward Zhao wangfei and Fuming gongzhu.
They clearly knew about Mei pin’s matter. Could they have had something to do with its exposure?
Pei shi asked: “And how did wangye react?”
The maid hesitated, then said: “Wangye has handed the matter over to da gongzi to deal with.”
At this, Pei shi immediately frowned.
“And Yi’er? Didn’t wangye ask Yi’er to take part?”
The maid shook her head, then added another piece of bad news: “Wangye even asked er gongzi to assist da gongzi, but made no mention of si gongzi.”
Pei shi gritted her teeth, deeply displeased: “What does wangye mean by this? Yi’er is no longer a child. He’s about to be married. Yet wangye still won’t assign him any duties, while giving everything to laoda. Hmph! Saying one thing while doing another!”
Although Ning wang doted on Liu Yi, in Pei shi’s eyes, it was far from enough.
The maid tried to console her: “Wangfei, please don’t be angry. Si gongzi is busy with his upcoming wedding. Perhaps wangye is simply being considerate in not giving him responsibilities right now.”
Pei shi sneered, “Considerate? More like he doesn’t trust laosi’s ability. In his heart, it’s always laoda he relies on.
“He complains about the eldest, but when something serious happens, isn’t it still laoda who has to handle it?
“That man, cold on the surface, but his heart is colder still. Over the years, how chilled has he left benwangfei’s heart! My own son, and yet he guards against me at every turn, what kind of mother–son relationship is that?”
The more she spoke, the more upset she became, and her eyes fell on Gu Jiu sitting downstairs.
Liu Zhao’s personally chosen wife, what was so special about her anyway?
She told the maid, “Go, call Gu Jiu up here.”
The maid, having served Pei shi for many years, knew her temper all too well. Clearly, Pei shi was venting her frustration with Liu Zhao onto Gu Jiu.
The maid didn’t argue and immediately sent someone to fetch Gu Jiu.
At last, Gu Jiu began to sense something odd while watching the play. Just then, a little maid came up to her.
“Gu guniang, wangfei niangniang wishes to see you upstairs.”
Gu Jiu was taken aback. She couldn’t help but ask: “Niangniang summoned me at this moment?”
Right when the performance was at its most exciting? Was something wrong, or was there another reason?
Whatever the case, since the wangfei had summoned her, Gu Jiu had no choice but to go upstairs.
She said to the little maid, “Lead the way.”
Following her, Gu Jiu went up to the second floor, where she met Pei shi.
The trusted maid Li Zhi softly reminded Pei shi, “Niangniang, Gu guniang has arrived.”
Pei shi did not even spare Gu Jiu a glance. She merely gave a faint “Mm,” and then said: “Let her wait.”
Li Zhi apologised to Gu Jiu: “Your Ladyship is deeply absorbed in the opera. Gu guniang, please wait a while.”
Gu Jiu nodded.
One whole incense stick’s time passed, and Ning wangfei still made no move to summon Gu Jiu forward to speak.
Gu Jiu had had her doubts before, but by now she could be certain, Pei was deliberately putting her in her place.
Another cup of tea’s time passed, and Pei shi continued to ignore her.
But Gu Jiu was unwilling to wait any longer.
She said to Li Zhi, “Please inform wangfei niangniang that my health is poor and I cannot stand too long. I will go downstairs first. Once niangniang finishes the opera, I will come back up.”
Li Zhi gaped in astonishment, utterly shocked by Gu Jiu’s boldness. Never before had she seen anyone, under the wangfei’s summons, dare to leave on their own.
“Gu guniang, you…”
Gu Jiu smiled faintly, cutting her off: “Please trouble Li Zhi jiejie to pass on my words. I’ll take my leave for now.”
With that, Gu Jiu truly turned and left. She was not joking. She really intended to go downstairs to rest.
She was not yet the daughter-in-law of the wang fu, so of course she would not swallow this humiliation. Even if she were already married into the fu, she would not accept such treatment.
Seeing Gu Jiu leave, Li Zhi panicked.
She hurriedly reported to Pei shi, “Niangniang, Gu guniang said her health is weak, she cannot stand long, and so she went downstairs.”
Pei shi was stunned. “What did you say? Without benwangfei’s permission, she dared to go downstairs?”
Li Zhi nodded again and again; this was indeed true.
Pei shi looked toward the stairs, and sure enough, she caught sight of a departing figure.
“Outrageous! Benwangfei merely told her to wait, yet she dares to show benwangfei this kind of face? Who gave her such nerve?”
“Please, niangniang, do not be angry.”
“How can benwangfei not be angry? Go bring her back up here!”
Li Zhi hesitated, replying: “Niangniang, the others are already watching.”
Reminded thus, Pei shi realised her voice had risen too loudly and had drawn the attention of certain people.
Princess Fuming laughed cheerfully: “Dearest saosao, who has angered you so? Let me guess, could it be that carefully chosen bride of Liu Zhao, that girl called Gu Jiu?”
Pei shi gave a cold snort but said nothing. Family disgrace was not to be aired in public; she had no habit of exposing her troubles before others.
Princess Fuming was unconcerned, covering her lips as she smiled: “In bengongzhu’s view, that girl Gu Jiu, though young, is full of schemes. She hasn’t even entered the wang fu yet, and already dares to show such defiance. Once she’s married in, who knows how arrogant and domineering she will become?”
Pei shi’s expression grew even darker.
But Princess Fuming was not ready to let her off. She went on: “It is truly strange. That Gu Jiu’s family background is ordinary. At home, it’s a stepmother running things, and her brothers are all useless. Tell me, where does she get such confidence to show attitude in the wang fu?
“Could it be that she relies on Liu Zhao’s choice of her, and the imperial decree of marriage, and so thinks she can act recklessly? This is troublesome indeed. Once Gu Jiu marries into the wang fu, won’t she turn into a source of constant discord, disturbing the whole fu without peace? Oh dear, what shall be done?”
Princess Fuming’s lingering tone, with eyes brimming with schadenfreude and open provocation, left no attempt at concealment.
But don’t be mistaken, though Pei shi often made things difficult for Gu Jiu, in public, she was not one to let family scandals spill out. She never allowed her fu’s shame to be broadcast.
Thus, in response to Princess Fuming’s words, she merely gave a cold chuckle.
“Fuming, you do love to meddle. You haven’t even sorted out your own fu, yet you come worrying about mine. How could I bear to let you tire yourself so? As for matters of my wang fu, you needn’t worry. Better concern yourself with the filth of your own Princess fu.”
Princess Fuming’s face fell instantly.
With a half-smile, she said to Pei shi, “My kind intentions, and you refuse to accept them. Very well then, why should I keep pressing my warm face to someone else’s cold backside?
“But still, I must congratulate saosao for giving me another daughter-in-law so fond of stirring trouble. From now on, Ning wang fu need not worry about being too quiet. It is guaranteed to be lively as a marketplace every day.”
As she spoke, Princess Fuming deliberately raised her voice, ensuring everyone around could hear.
Her scheme succeeded; many eyes now turned their attention toward the scene.
Pfft!
Zhao wangfei and Yan wangfei both burst out laughing, eager to watch Pei shi make a fool of herself.
Pei shi was furious, furious at Princess Fuming’s meddling, but even more furious at Gu Jiu.
If only Gu Jiu had obediently stood and waited, none of this would have happened. Others might even have praised her for her excellent manners.
But Pei shi refused to acknowledge that the whole situation had arisen because of her own petty display.
With her face stiff, Pei shi said: “Whether Ning wang fu is lively or not, it is not for you, Fuming, to worry about. The opera on stage is reaching its best part, yet instead of watching, you insist on gossiping. Could it be that you are dissatisfied with benwangfei’s arrangements? Do you find the wang fu’s hospitality too shabby?”
Princess Fuming laughed lightly: “Saosao is far too suspicious. The banquet you’ve arranged is, of course, excellent; I have no complaint at all. I merely spoke a few casual words, yet you respond to me with barbs. Could it be you don’t welcome me? If that is truly so, you should have said it earlier. In that case, I would never again set foot in the Ning wang fu.”
Pei shi was so angry she laughed instead: “Fuming, everyone says you have a sharp tongue. I never believed it before, but now I must admit, I am convinced. Indeed, your tongue is sharp. Unfortunately, it is wasted, you use it only to prattle about trifles all day long, nagging so much that it is utterly tiresome.”
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