Merry Christmas!
“Er jiejie, you seem to have grown taller,” Gu Shan suddenly remarked.
Gu Jiu smiled and replied, “Really? I’m half a year older than san meimei, yet I’ve always been half a head shorter. I used to worry about not growing taller, but now it seems I’m finally catching up. Thank you, si meimei.”
Gu Shan pursed her lips in a faint smile. “I thought er jiejie would be heartbroken every day at Tianmen Temple, performing rituals for our late mother. Yet not only have you grown taller, you’ve also grown fairer. It seems the meals at Tianmen Temple are quite nourishing.”
Gu Jiu raised her brows. Well, well—Gu Shan had been waiting for this moment to strike.
Her words about growing taller and fairer were actually veiled accusations. She was insinuating that Gu Jiu’s time at the temple wasn’t spent in mourning but rather as an excuse to travel and enjoy herself.
Such actions, of course, would be deemed unfilial.
Xie shi nodded approvingly. Shan’er was indeed clever.
Not to be outdone, Gu Yue chimed in, “Er jiejie has indeed grown fairer. The last time I saw you, your complexion was waxy and yellow. Who would have thought that after just a few days away, you’d look so much better?
“Could it be that the food at Tianmen Temple is better than what we have at the Prefect’s fu? Perhaps I should visit Tianmen Temple myself to see if their meals are truly so nourishing.”
Da guniang, Gu Zhen, and wu guniang, Gu Lin, kept their heads low, silent as cicadas in winter.
Er jiejie had just sat down, and already the room was thick with tension. They feared yet another storm was brewing.
The maids from Zhilan Yuan clenched their fists in indignation. It seemed the people in shangfang couldn’t stand to see their guniang doing well and were eager to drag her down into the mud.
Xie shi put down her teacup and glanced at Gu Jiu with a faint air of reprimand. “Er yatou, it’s not that I want to criticise you, but when you’re away, especially to perform rituals for your late mother, even if your heart isn’t in it, you should at least pretend to be sincere. Flaunting yourself like this—are you not openly telling everyone of your lack of filial piety?”
The words ‘lack of filial piety’ were emphasised heavily by Xie shi.
It was clear she was eager to pin the charge of unfilial behaviour on Gu Jiu.
Once that accusation stuck, she didn’t believe laoye would continue to favour Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu glanced at Xie shi, noting the malicious glee flickering in her eyes. Lowering her gaze, Gu Jiu let out a mocking smile.
Then, raising her head, she looked directly at Gu Shan with a calm expression. Her words were sharp and precise: “Si meimei, I’ve always thought you were the smartest among us, but I didn’t expect you to make such a childish and laughable mistake, one that even caused san meimei and Xie shi to lose face.”
Gu Yue’s face changed. “Er jiejie, I don’t like listening to such words.”
Gu Jiu smiled lightly. “I owe san meimei an apology. I shouldn’t have implied in front of everyone that you’re not as clever as si meimei.”
Gu Shan was taken aback. Well played, er jiejie! She was sowing discord among them. Worse, it seemed aimed at fracturing her relationship with their mother as well.
She quickly glanced at Gu Yue, who had turned her gaze away with a cold snort, refusing to meet her eyes. Gu Shan immediately understood—Gu Yue was angry.
No one understood Gu Yue’s pettiness and competitiveness better than Gu Shan.
Her gaze then shifted to Xie shi, who remained indifferent, not sparing her a single glance. A trace of panic crept into Gu Shan’s heart.
Opening her mouth to explain, she suddenly realised this was a trap. Er jiejie had dug a pit, waiting for her to fall in. If she tried to refute or explain, it wouldn’t resolve the issue but would instead drag her deeper into the mire.
Gu Shan steadied herself and said calmly, “Er jiejie, I know you’re clever. It was wrong of me to show off in front of you. Please forgive me for my mistake.”
Gu Jiu raised her brows, impressed by Gu Shan’s quick recovery. But she wasn’t about to let her off so easily.
If Gu Shan dared to start a fight, she should be prepared to face the consequences.
Gu Jiu looked at Gu Shan with a faint smile. “Si meimei, you are indeed quick-witted to recognise the errors in your words so soon.”
Gu Shan’s eyes widened, but before she could respond, Gu Jiu continued. “Even a three-year-old knows that one doesn’t grow taller or fairer in just three to five days. The reason I look healthier is naturally because Father and taitai have shown me special care lately, instructing the kitchen to meet my needs without difficulty.
“Speaking of this, it reminds me of the past. Back then, when Tao Hong worked in Zhilan Yuan, I couldn’t even dream of having a simple dessert like snow pear with white fungus.
“I wanted the kitchen to prepare two small dishes to improve my meals, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford it. Slowly, my health deteriorated, my complexion turned yellow, and the toxic medicines I was forced to drink almost killed me. If not for Father and taitai’s care, I wouldn’t be alive today, much less recovering.”
As she finished, Gu Jiu bowed slightly to Xie shi. “I thank taitai for your concern. Your instructions to the storeroom and kitchen have been a great help in my recovery. I am deeply grateful.”
Xie shi’s face darkened. What a cunning little wretch!
Feigning a smile, Xie shi said, “It’s good that you’re recovering and know to be grateful. My efforts were not in vain.”
Gu Jiu bowed slightly again. “Thanks to taitai’s efforts, I’ve regained my health and was able to go to Tianmen Temple to perform rituals for my mother. I’m sure my late mother, if she knows of your care, would be comforted.”
With that, Gu Jiu flashed a sweet smile, nearly driving Xie shi to the edge of an outburst.
Xie shi took a deep breath, forcing a smile. “It’s just a pity that your mother passed so young. When she left, Yue’er was just born, and you were merely half a year old. She must have been unwilling to go, unable to watch you grow up. How regretful. Speaking of which, your marriage will surely cause much worry. Who knows what kind of family you’ll marry into?”
Gu Jiu smiled faintly. Xie shi was quite clever.
If she were the original Gu Jiu, she would probably feel deeply troubled by Xie Shi’s words, thinking it unfair on Su shi‘s behalf—how could someone like Su shi lose to a woman like Xie shi?
But she wasn’t the original; she had transmigrated. She could therefore face any talk of Su shi calmly.
She responded softly, “I regret troubling taitai. As for my marriage, Father will decide. You can focus on arranging matches for san meimei and si meimei. There’s no need to concern yourself with mine. With father’s vision, no ordinary cats and dogs will be allowed into Gu jia’s door.”
Xie shi snorted internally. Gu Jiu was clearly pointing at the mulberry tree and cursing the locust tree, mocking her by comparing Xie Xian to cats and dogs. How presumptuous!
If Xie Xian was a cat or a dog, then what was Xie jia? What was she?
Hmph! Gu Jiu was dreaming if she thought her marriage would be out of her, Xie shi’s, control. Even if Gu Jiu didn’t marry Xie Xian, she had to marry her to some other rotten family
If worse comes to worst, she would just pick a match in the capital.
She didn’t believe laoye couldn’t be persuaded.
Xie shi said to Gu Jiu, “This child, you’re being so inconsiderate. Laoye is busy with official duties; how can he have time to arrange a marriage for you? Don’t let your thoughts run wild. When the time comes, I’ll find you a satisfactory match that will surely make you happy.”
Gu Jiu smiled faintly. “I wouldn’t dare trouble taitai, nor would I dare disrupt Father’s duties. When gege gets married, I’ll have sister-in-law take care of the arrangements. Father would only need to approve.”
Xie shi shook her head. “Er yatou, you’re oversimplifying things. Who knows when san lang will get married? You’re a guniang; your youth is fleeting and cannot afford to be wasted.”
Gu Jiu looked up at Xie shi and said, “I’m only half a year older than san meimei. If taitai is so focused on arranging my marriage, what about san meimei? Surely taitai isn’t planning to marry her off to just any family? That would be too unfair to her.”
Gu Yue was furious and glared fiercely at Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu ignored her and continued, “If taitai is intent on arranging san meimei’s marriage, how could you manage to handle both at the same time? Could it be that taitai plans to hastily find a family and marry me off casually? Taitai cherishes san meimei but would wrong me instead—how is that fair?”
When Gu Jiu finished speaking, the room fell silent, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Gu Zhen and Gu Lin were secretly astonished. Gu Jiu was truly bold—wasn’t she afraid of taitai’s wrath?
Gu Yue’s eyes widened in disbelief. She never imagined Gu Jiu would dare to say such things. Who gave her the courage?
Everyone stole glances at Xie shi.
Xie shi’s expression was already strained, and it was clear she was on the verge of an outburst.
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