Gu Jingyuan returned to the prince’s mansion with a dark expression, causing everyone in the mansion to not dare to breathe loudly.
Madam Tao brought over some iced tea, noticed Gu Jingyuan’s expression, and placed the iced tea on the small table beside him, saying, “It’s hot today, have some iced tea to quench your thirst after your trip.”
Gu Jingyuan glanced at the iced tea on the table, retracted his gaze, and sat motionless. After a while, he finally picked up the bowl of iced tea and drank it all in one gulp.
Nanny Jiang quietly walked to the door, glanced at Madam Tao, and seeing Gu Jingyuan’s expression, didn’t dare to enter the room.
Madam Tao walked to the door, and Nanny Jiang whispered something in her ear.
After Nanny Jiang left, Gu Jingyuan frowned and asked, “Is it another marriage proposal for Zaili?”
“Yes. The Song family sent an invitation for a small gathering, but in reality, they have taken a liking to the eldest daughter and plan to discuss it in person,” Madam Tao replied.
Gu Jingyuan pondered for a long while before saying, “We need to pay special attention to Zaili’s marriage this time. It can’t just be about her liking; we need to thoroughly investigate their family background. Of course, her opinion should be prioritized. There’s no rush, we can take our time. If there’s a suitable family, let me know. If there are things you can’t investigate or find inconvenient to check, I’ll handle it myself.”
Madam Tao quickly responded, “I understand. I will make sure Zaili doesn’t encounter such a family again.”
Gu Jingyuan stood up and walked towards the door. Just as he stepped over the threshold, he turned back and said, “Jingniang, we just moved back to the mansion, and there’s a lot to do. You’ve been working hard these days.”
Madam Tao, flattered, quickly said, “It’s not hard at all, Zaili has been helping me manage things.”
Gu Jingyuan nodded and went to the backyard to find Gu Chuan.
Gu Chuan was currently learning boxing from a martial arts master.
Gu Jingyuan stood aside watching, which made Gu Chuan nervous, wanting to show off everything he had learned recently. The martial arts master asked Gu Jingyuan if there was anything he needed, but Gu Jingyuan shook his head and told him to continue the lesson. The class had just started and would last for more than an hour. Gu Jingyuan stood there the whole time, watching. Gu Chuan remained tense, not daring to slack off for a moment. The martial arts master, not wanting Gu Jingyuan to think he wasn’t teaching well, increased the intensity.
By the end of the class, Gu Chuan was exhausted and in pain all over.
“Father!” Gu Chuan walked up to Gu Jingyuan, nervously waiting for his father’s comments.
Seeing his face covered in sweat, Gu Jingyuan’s expression softened a bit. He took the handkerchief handed over by a servant and personally wiped the sweat off Gu Chuan’s head and face, then walked with him along the willow-lined path by the lotus lake.
“Chuan’er, your father is getting older. In the future, this family will rely on you. You mustn’t be playful anymore.”
Gu Chuan was shocked, his eyes wide: “Father is in his prime!”
Gu Jingyuan smiled, sighed, and said, “I will inevitably leave you all first. Chuan’er, you are the only male in the family. When I pass away, you must take on the responsibility of protecting the family. Whether it’s your mother, your two married sisters, or even the servants in this courtyard, they will all depend on you.”
“I will remember, I won’t let you down, Father!” Gu Chuan’s childish voice rang out clearly.
Gu Jingyuan smiled and patted his son’s shoulder.
Gu Chuan looked up at his father and thought—besides protecting his mother, two sisters, and the servants in the mansion as his father had mentioned, he should also protect his father!
Gu Jianli assumed that Ji Wujing had gone to visit Luo Muge. After all, they were once senior and junior disciples, and Luo Muge had been researching the antidote for the poison in Ji Wujing’s body. Luo Muge had also been injured while searching for medicinal herbs. If Luo Muge could truly cure Ji Wujing, that would be the best outcome.
Sitting at her dressing table, Gu Jianli looked into the bronze mirror. With just one glance, she frowned and turned her eyes away. She even thought that with her current appearance, others would likely be disgusted.
Her mood sank.
However, her low spirits didn’t last long. She got up and squatted down beside a box filled with various scar removal ointments. The box was packed to the brim with ointments, some of which she had found herself, and some were given to her by others. On top of the bottles and jars was a notebook, which she opened and read carefully.
There were so many medicines that Gu Jianli was afraid of mixing them up and causing more harm to her face. She took note of the usage methods and contraindications for each medicine. She then categorized and reorganized the medicines, thinking that she should invite a physician to examine them someday. However, since her scabs from the blisters hadn’t completely fallen off, many of the scar removal ointments couldn’t be used yet.
Her gaze fell on the box of medicine sent by Ji Xuanke. She stared at it in a daze for a while before opening it. Inside was a small round bottle with a thick neck, and beneath it was a piece of paper. Gu Jianli took out the piece of paper, on which Ji Xuanke had written the usage method and contraindications in his elegant handwriting. There was nothing else written.
Gu Jianli put the paper and the small bottle back, closed the clasp on the box, and placed it among the other medicines.
“Madam! Madam!” Lizi came running in, hopping. Seeing Gu Jianli turn to look at her, she beamed with a bright smile and said, “The Third Miss jumped into the lake! Splash!”
Gu Jianli was startled and hurriedly stood up, asking carefully, “Who did you say? Third Miss Yuezhen?”
“Yes, yes!” Lizi nodded vigorously.
“Could it be because of her disfigurement…” Gu Jianli muttered to herself.
Among the ten or so people in the Guangping Marquis’ residence who contracted smallpox, Ji Yuezhen was one of them. She had also survived by luck but, like Gu Jianli and Ji Xinglou, her face was disfigured by the smallpox.
Before marrying into the Guangping Marquis’ residence, Gu Jianli had interacted with only a few women from the family, one of whom was Ji Yuezhen. Ji Yuezhen was Ji Xuanke’s biological sister.
At that time, Ji Xuanke wanted to see Gu Jianli but was too shy, so he brought along Ji Yuezhen. Ji Yuezhen was two years younger than Gu Jianli, small in stature, very fond of laughing, and had a sweet voice. She would smile at Gu Jianli with her eyes curved and whisper, “Future sister-in-law, my brother thinks of you eight times a day. He doesn’t want me to tell you though…”
Gu Jianli lowered her eyes.
After so many things had happened, when Gu Jianli saw Ji Yuezhen again, she had gone from being her future sister-in-law to her fifth aunt. When they met again in the Guangping Marquis’ residence, both of them tacitly kept their distance.
What girl doesn’t love beauty? Gu Jianli thought that Ji Yuezhen must have been distressed by her disfigurement.
“She called for you!” Lizi said.
“Called for me?” Gu Jianli was slightly surprised. “Lizi, tell me clearly, how did she call for me?”
Lizi tilted her head, straining to recall, then said, “I don’t know, she just called you. Gu Jianli—”
Lizi cupped her hands around her mouth like a small megaphone and mimicked Ji Yuezhen’s frantic calls from the water, “Gu Jianli—Gu Jianli—boo hoo hoo… Gu Jianli—”
Gu Jianli was a bit confused. Even if Ji Yuezhen called for her, she should have called her Fifth Aunt, right? Gu Jianli gave Lizi a suspicious look, but felt Lizi wouldn’t lie. Though Lizi was a bit clumsy, maybe she misunderstood the message.
Gu Jianli thought for a moment and glanced back at the box filled with various scar removal ointments.
Having suffered facial disfigurement herself, she naturally understood Ji Yuezhen’s feelings. Ji Yuezhen was also two years younger than her, likely even more distressed, otherwise she wouldn’t have jumped into the lake seeking to end her life.
Gu Jianli considered giving some of these scar removal ointments to Ji Yuezhen. Though she wasn’t sure if they would work, it was worth a try. However, she hesitated, not wanting to go to the Second House. In fact, she didn’t want to leave Fifth Master’s courtyard at all.
She could vaguely hear the commotion outside and remembered the lake wasn’t far away. Surprised, she asked, “Lizi, when you came back, had the Third Miss already been brought back?”
Lizi shook her head, “Nope! She had just been pulled out of the water when I ran back to tell you, hehe!”
Gu Jianli brushed her bangs down and put on a veil. She took Lizi and hurried over. Although her forehead still had some rash marks, there were fewer than on her cheeks. With her bangs down, most of them were hidden, and with the veil on, she could barely manage to go out.
As soon as Gu Jianli arrived at the lakeside with the bouncing Lizi, she heard Ji Yuezhen crying hysterically. The Second Madam was holding her, preventing her from jumping back into the lake. Ji Xuanke stood nearby, along with many others from the mansion.
The moment she saw Ji Xuanke, Gu Jianli stopped, hesitating, not wanting to move forward. But Ji Yuezhen, who was crying loudly, saw Gu Jianli. She paused her crying, pointed at Gu Jianli, and looked at Ji Xuanke, wailing, “You only have her in your heart, only her! You don’t care about me, your sister! I was eagerly waiting at home for you to find medicine for me, but the medicine you worked so hard to get was for her! You didn’t save any for me, not even a bit!”
The Second Madam, kneeling beside Ji Yuezhen, hugged her daughter’s head, crying with her, “My Yuezhen, you are breaking your mother’s heart! How could you be so cruel to jump into the lake…”
Gu Jianli was stunned, finally understanding why Ji Yuezhen sought death. Ji Yuezhen’s disfigurement had already been a significant blow, and her brother’s neglect was the final straw.
Ji Xuanke glanced at Gu Jianli from a distance, then looked away, frowning, “What nonsense are you talking about? Seeking death over such a trivial matter. That medicine isn’t unique. Didn’t I tell you I’d bring it for you next time? Your scabs haven’t even fallen off yet; there’s no rush to use it.”
Ji Yuezhen wouldn’t listen to Ji Xuanke, crying loudly. The young girl, struggling with her disfigurement, was so fragile that she couldn’t stop crying, wanting to vent all her grievances.
Ji Xuanke, not wanting to embarrass Gu Jianli, hurried over and picked up Ji Yuezhen. She cried and hit Ji Xuanke, shouting, “Why are you holding me? Go hold the one you want to hold, Gu Jianli!”
Ji Xuanke’s eyes suddenly turned cold, and he lowered his voice, “Ji Yuezhen, stop it. Do you hear me?”
Ji Yuezhen was frightened by Ji Xuanke’s look, staring at her brother in a daze, forgetting to cry.
“Don’t gather here anymore, everyone go back to your own courtyards.” Ji Xuanke left these words and carried Ji Yuezhen away. As he passed Gu Jianli, he looked straight ahead, not glancing at her.
Gu Jianli lowered her eyes, not looking at him either. They acted like strangers.
Ji Yuezhen, regaining her senses, suddenly pushed Gu Jianli. Caught off guard, Gu Jianli, who had been looking down, fell into the lake behind her.
“Nan Nan!” Ji Xuanke was shocked and immediately put down Ji Yuezhen.
