Gu Qiang pressed her lips and smiled. Then she stood up slowly and told Prime Minister Gu, “Father, you are back and need a good rest. After a long journey, you must be fatigued. I’ll leave you alone now.”
Then she walked out. Before Prime Minister Gu understood her meaning, she had gone far.
In fact, Gu Qiang was clear that Prime Minister Gu stood by Ye though he rebuked her.
Now that they were partners, why would she look at their affected manners?
Gu Qiang was used to it and didn’t feel uncomfortable when she was young. She even treated Ye as her mother. However, it was different now. She was not the stupid girl any longer and wouldn’t listen to her father’s fallacies.
She must listen to and believe them before. But now she had more choices, such as leaving right away when she didn’t want to listen.
Immediately after she went out of the main hall, she saw Gu Zhihua and Ye standing there and looking at her coldly.
Seeing Gu Qiang out, Ye rushed over, pointed at her, and shouted regardless of etiquette and the sense of shame, “Did you rat on me? Otherwise, why was the Old Master so angry?”
Ye was brainless but she blamed another one. She didn’t feel it fair to be scolded unless everyone else was scolded too, did she?
Gu Qiang shook her head with a cold face.
Ye was swollen with arrogance. Thinking of the head-on blow from Prime Minister Gu upon his arrival, she trembled with anger.
When Gu Qiang’s mother was still alive, she didn’t win much favor, because she was the daughter of a concubine in the Jiang Family. Therefore, Ye didn’t feel pressured. But Gu Qiang was still alive now. Ye always thought it was a terrible continuation that could affect many things.
Prime Minister Gu looked at Gu Qiang with softness in his eyes. He never paid any attention to her before.
Prime Minister Gu must have heard of something about Gu Qiang outside, so he turned to be nice to her. It was also possible that he wanted to make Ye feel that he didn’t love her any longer.
Gu Qiang looked Ye in the eye sulkily and answered coldly, “Mother, what do you mean? I don’t understand. As you know, I was not at home when my father came back. How could I say anything to him?”
Gu Qiang looked indifferent. It seemed that she was not surprised at Ye’s appearance. After all, Ye was not the kind of woman who can suffer any loss.
Therefore, when Gu Qiang still talked with Ye respectfully, Ye was made speechless. She had no idea why Gu Qiang always looked cold and seemed to be scheming something important recently. She even might do some shocking things anytime. Ye had such a feeling because Gu Qiang had changed dramatically.
Ye was confused about why Gu Qiang could change so greatly in a day or several days.
Ye opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, but she stopped. Gu Zhihua also pulled a face aside. She wanted to give the unruly woman a lesson on behalf of Ye. It would be better to rush over and slap her to shut her unruly mouth.
But Ye turned around and signaled to Gu Zhihua who looked aggrieved. But she went away slowly at last. Ye gave Gu Qiang a dirty look in response to Gu Qiang’s cold eyes and then left too.
Gu Qiang withdrew her eyes and returned to her yard.
Gusu Liang kept eating fruit under a tree in the yard as if she had never eaten anything delicious. There was not so much delicious food in Gu Qiang’s yard before.
Gu Qiang walked over. Gusu Liang threw an apple to her and said with a big smile, “Wow, My Lady. I never thought I would come across a lady from the Prime Minister Mansion on the street. Unbelievable.”
Gu Qiang was surprised at first and then began to eat the apple. Ting Feng and Chui Xue were both astonished. They couldn’t accept that Gu Qiang would treat a stranger as a close friend.
Who could be regarded as good guys in the world? Even among the women in a minister’s residence, many were evil, let alone people outside.
But Gusu Liang didn’t look like a bad one, so they didn’t have to worry. While eating the apple, Gu Qiang turned around and told Gusu Liang, “Go somewhere with me tonight. I need your help.”
Gusu Liang just swallowed the fruit and didn’t feel good. She said to Gu Qiang with a miserable look, “My Lady, is it difficult?”
Ting Feng said seriously, “Now that you come here, you have to listen to our lady. Go ahead. Don’t worry. Our lady will go there too.”
Gusu Liang lowered her head resignedly to look at the fruit in her hand. She ate Gu Qiang’s fruit, so she was deprived of the right to say no. She had to accept whatever Gu Qiang said. So she went back to her room, redressed herself with black clothes, and sat down on the chair, waiting for the coming of evening.
When the sunset, the last afterglow shone on Gu Qiang’s clean face and made her look prettier.
Gusu Liang sat next to Gu Qiang, gave her a cup of tea, and asked, “My Lady, where shall we go?”
Gu Qiang raised her head silently to look at the setting sun. In fact, she wanted to try again. Liu Family was large, and its master cares about face-saving. When Shen Qianshan visited the Liu Family, he behaved rudely and didn’t save Liu Shichu’s face in the presence of so many people. Anyone would shun him in this situation.
If it could be solved privately, Liu Shichu might consider the suggestion. That would be great.
But Gusu Liang didn’t need to know it, because that was Gu Qiang’s own business. She only needed Gusu Liang’s help. Others couldn’t meddle in her life, which was her principle.
Gu Qiang turned around and told Gusu Liang, “You are ready? Let’s go.” Then she stood up.
Ting Feng saw Gu Qiang and Gusu Liang off at the gate and was reluctant to part from them. She had no idea why Gu Qiang, her lady, kept doing something strange recently, what Gu Qiang wanted and what her purpose was.
If Ting Feng knew something, she hoped she could give some help. She was willing to do anything for her.
It was evening, so there were few people on the street. Compared with the bustling scene in the daytime, it was quieter. The whole capital city was like a huge sick monster that was sleeping.
Gusu Liang and Gu Qiang walked fast. With no obstructions, they got to the Liu Family quite soon. Not knowing where the entrance was, they hung about outside.
Gusu Liang sat in the wall corner and said helplessly to Gu Qiang, “My Lady, it is a little difficult if you want to get in. The Liu Family is one of the wealthiest families in the capital city. It is heavily guarded and is not easily accessible.”
Gu Qiang nodded and told Gusu Liang, “That’s why I bring you here to help me. I can’t enter by myself. Keep waiting here if we made it.”
Though Gusu Liang didn’t know what the lady that she had just met wanted to do, she had to trust her and help her, because she had chosen her.
Gusu Liang helped Gu Qiang enter the house immediately. Gu Qiang landed quietly in the backyard garden of the Liu Family. No one noticed the uninvited guest.
Gu Qiang bent over, walked a few steps when she found no one was around. But she saw a man and a woman sitting in the pavilion at the center of the backyard garden. The pavilion was lit by beautiful lanterns. They were enjoying cakes. The scene was as beautiful as a painting.
Gu Qiang groped forward, hid in the grass, and listened to their conversation quietly. One of them was Liu Shichu, the master of the Liu Family.
It was unknown who the woman was. But when Gu Qiang took a good look at her, she found the woman was gorgeous, slim, and graceful.
It proved that Liu Shichu was fine. He convulsed and passed out in the presence of Shen Qianshan today because he couldn’t face Shen Qianshan.
“The Ninth Duke came here with a woman today and asked me for food. You know it is impossible for me to do that. Now that the situation turned dangerous, and the capital is not habitable, why don’t you leave here and stay in Liuzhou for some days? It’s nice there. I will send someone to take you back when the time is suitable. OK?” Liu Shichu said softly.
He said to the woman in front of him. That woman said smilingly after a long silence, “How can I go to Liuzhou alone? Besides, my husband hasn’t come back. If I go to Liuzhou without telling him, he will be suspicious. I can’t go there.”
It turned out that the woman was the wife of General Li Li. Though Shen Qianshan had gone here and threatened Liu Shichu with such affairs, he failed. They were still dating privately. Li Li’s wife was so bold and came to the Liu Family openly. No wonder many people in the capital knew their relationship.
That was because the two people didn’t try to conceal it at all.
Liu Shichu failed to persuade Li Li’s wife. After the small talk, she stood up and was ready to go out. She couldn’t go out through the main entrance, of course. Followed by two servant girls, she quickly passed the grass behind which Gu Qiang was hiding. Liu Shichu was still sitting in the pavilion as if thinking about something annoying.
The perfume of Li Li’s wife was so strong that Gu Qiang almost coughed after it struck her nose. Fortunately, she refrained from coughing.