Gu Jianli was somewhat surprised that Luo Muge would say this to her. After listening to Luo Muge’s words, Gu Jianli did not respond but simply looked into Luo Muge’s eyes, smiling faintly.
Luo Muge frowned and said, “You don’t care about Senior Brother.”
It was not a question but a statement.
“He is my husband. Naturally, I care about him.”
Luo Muge shook her head and asked, “But that’s all, isn’t it?”
Gu Jianli softly replied, “I don’t quite understand what Miss Luo means.”
“The Poison Doctor never saves anyone. Even if you find him, it’s unlikely you can get the antidote from him. If Senior Brother’s poison can’t be cured and he dies first, are you willing to join him?” Luo Muge pressed.
“Of course not,” Gu Jianli answered without hesitation.
“You don’t deserve his kindness!” Luo Muge turned her head angrily.
Gu Jianli continued to smile faintly. She bent down to pick up a pearl hairpin that had fallen onto the blue bricks and put it into the vanity box. While tidying up the jewelry that Ji Xinglan had messed up, she said, “If I can save him, I will certainly do my best. In times of adversity, if I lose my life, I won’t regret it. But a pointless sacrifice is extremely selfish. It only moves oneself and becomes gossip for others, bringing nothing but tears to relatives and friends.
The vanity box closed with a “snap” sound. The latch, adorned with two decorative little carp, gently swayed, touched, then separated repeatedly. Gu Jianli lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the two little carp.
She shouldn’t have said so much to Luo Muge, but Ji Yueming’s love-driven death had affected her deeply, making her speak more than usual.
The gently swaying little carp finally came to a stop. Gu Jianli blinked slowly, and a sudden cloud of irritation settled in her heart. In an instant, dark thoughts enveloped her mind. If someone treats her with three parts kindness, she is willing to return five parts. But if the other person treats her with twelve parts kindness, should she also reciprocate with twelve parts? She couldn’t match twelve parts of kindness; she had family and other concerns. Such obsessive kindness crossed her bottom line. Breaking her principles, losing herself, exhausting her relatives… would that be worthy of the other person? Otherwise, would she be accused of being heartless, unworthy, or ungrateful?
Too heavy a feeling, she couldn’t repay, nor could she afford to.
Luo Muge was silent for a long time, only saying, “The Princess certainly has a way with words!”
She glanced coldly at Gu Jianli, turned, and left with a hint of anger.
“Miss Luo,” Gu Jianli called out to Luo Muge. She lifted the vanity box and placed it heavily to the side, the smile in her eyes fading.
“What else?” Luo Muge stopped but did not turn around, her voice indifferent.
Gu Jianli slowly said, “I know Miss Luo cares deeply about Fifth Master and keeps his matters close to her heart. However, Fifth Master is carefree and doesn’t bother to understand others’ feelings. If Miss Luo has any thoughts, it’s better to express them directly to avoid regret.”
Luo Muge suddenly turned around and questioned, “What nonsense are you talking?”
She met Gu Jianli’s calm gaze and suddenly felt a panic, a strange sense of being seen through.
Gu Jianli stood up, her long dress trailing on the ground, and stepped down the stone stairs one step at a time until she stood in front of Luo Muge. She still wore a smile on her face and spoke in a gentle tone, “Miss Luo, you asked me if I care about Fifth Master’s previous woman. His former fiancée has mentioned this to me many times, hinting about how much he cared for and missed that woman.”
Upon hearing Gu Jianli mention Ye Yunyue, Luo Muge sneered disdainfully and eyed Gu Jianli. “What do you mean by that? Are you comparing me to Ye Yunyue, thinking I’m trying to sow discord?”
“Miss Luo, you are naturally different from Miss Ye.” Gu Jianli shook her head. “I bring her up just to make things clear to you once and for all. Let alone if Fifth Master had one woman before, even if he had many, it wouldn’t bother me. The past is the past and should be separated from the present. If Fifth Master still remembers her, it’s only human. As for Miss Luo…”
Gu Jianli paused and continued, “Miss Luo is not part of the past; you stand here before me now.”
Luo Muge was taken aback, not fully understanding Gu Jianli’s meaning. She asked, “So what?”
“So, the present matters need to be addressed clearly and resolved methodically. If Miss Luo thinks you are more suitable to be Fifth Master’s wife because you have more of a spirit of sacrifice than I do, please tell him and let him decide. Telling me these things is useless to you.”
“You! Don’t misinterpret and look at me with such despicable and dirty thoughts! I only have brotherly feelings for Senior Brother!” Luo Muge was extremely angry, completely losing her usual calm demeanor.
Gu Jianli nodded slightly and said unhurriedly, “If I was wrong, I apologize to Miss Luo.”
“Who cares about your apology!” Luo Muge turned away in anger and left in a hurry. Her retreating figure had a sense of fleeing in panic.
Gu Jianli stood motionless for a long time before turning around and stepping back up the stone steps. She suddenly swept her sleeve and knocked the vanity box off the table. The box fell to the ground, and the jewelry inside scattered everywhere.
Yanzhi and Hongzan exchanged glances, both shocked. Since they had started serving Gu Jianli, they had never seen her lose her temper. She always smiled, never even speaking harshly…
As they hadn’t been with Gu Jianli for long, the two maids quickly decided, and Yanzhi hurried to find Jixia.
“Did she really throw something? Did you see it with your own eyes?” Jixia was also stunned.
Jixia had served Gu Jianli for nearly ten years and had rarely seen her lose her temper, let alone throw things. She quickly asked, “Where is Madam now? What is she doing? How does she look?”
“Madam is teaching Miss Lan how to write and didn’t let us serve her. Before I left, I secretly observed for a while. Madam’s expression was as usual; I couldn’t tell anything was wrong…”
“Whom did Madam meet? What did they say? Tell me every word without missing anything!”
Yanzhi nodded heavily and described the entire conversation and actions between Gu Jianli and Luo Muge in detail.
Jixia nodded with a dark expression and, under the pretext of delivering snacks, went to see Gu Jianli. Gu Jianli was holding Ji Xinglan’s hand, teaching her to write with full concentration, not even looking up.
JiXiahesitated for a long time before mustering the courage to go to the front courtyard and secretly look for Ji Wujing. Ji Wujing wasn’t in his room sleeping but was leisurely fishing by the lake.
Several times Jixia wanted to approach but didn’t dare.
Finally, she gritted her teeth and turned to find Lizi.
Lizi was sitting in Changsheng’s courtyard, playing with a green-feathered parrot.
“Lizi, didn’t you praise my bracelet last time? It’s yours!” Jixia, without a word, took the bracelet off her wrist and put it on Lizi’s.
“Beautiful!” Lizi shouted, raising her hand high and laughing happily.
The green-feathered parrot was startled by Lizi’s shout and turned its head to fly into its cage, squawking in a thin voice, “Changsheng, fool!”
That was the only phrase it knew.
Jixia hooked her arm around Lizi’s and said with a smile, “Lizi, can you do me a favor?”
“Sure!” Lizi nodded vigorously, not even asking what the favor was.
Jixia whispered her instructions.
Changsheng, holding the green-feathered parrot, tapped its head lightly. After Lizi left happily, Changsheng glanced at Jixia, his tone unfriendly, “Tsk, you’re so timid you just lost a bracelet for nothing!”
Jixia was about to leave but turned back at Changsheng’s words. Without looking at him, she called out to the parrot in a drawn-out tone, “Changsheng—”
“Fool!” The green-feathered parrot tilted its little head, very cooperatively finishing the sentence.
Jixia beamed, glanced at Changsheng’s dark expression, and swaggered out.
All Jixia wanted was for Lizi to deliver some fish food to Ji Wujing, linger in front of him, and casually mention that Gu Jianli got angry because of Luo Muge.
Jixia had long noticed that while Ji Wujing had a stern face for the hundreds of servants in the manor, his attitude towards the sibling pair, Changsheng and Lizi, was quite good.
When Ji Wujing went to find Gu Jianli, she was almost asleep in the bathtub. The water was heavily medicated, and the small room was filled with thick steam and a strong medicinal smell.
Ji Wujing dragged a chair to the bathtub and sat down. Although he tried to make as little noise as possible, Gu Jianli still woke up when he sat down.
Gu Jianli looked at Ji Wujing with bleary eyes, then sluggishly lowered her head to pick up the cloth that had fallen into the water. The cloth, soaked in the medicated water, was supposed to be on her face, but it had slipped off as she fell asleep.
“It fell,” she said slowly, her movements lazy and slow as she wrung out the cloth and placed it back on her face.
With her head slightly bowed, she held the cloth to her face. The hot, steamy cloth made her skin tingle with a faint pain.
Ji Wujing casually picked an unknown herb from the bathwater and fiddled with it, asking, “Is this the prescription your father sent over?”
“Yes.” Gu Jianli’s muffled voice came through the cloth.
“I remember this prescription needs to be combined with acupuncture, doesn’t it?” Ji Wujing asked.
Gu Jianli gave another muffled “yes.”
“You don’t want to do acupuncture, so this prescription won’t be very effective,” Ji Wujing said lazily.
“I’ll do the acupuncture later. Jixia will help me with it,” Gu Jianli said, taking the cloth off her face, pausing for a moment before placing it back. The medication made her face red and slightly swollen.
Ji Wujing made a sound of surprise and looked at Gu Jianli in astonishment.
He remembered that Gu Jianli was particularly afraid of acupuncture. She used to cling to his sleeve, pitifully calling him uncle, just to avoid it. Ji Wujing’s gaze swept over Gu Jianli’s red and swollen face. If she was willing to face acupuncture, she must really want to get rid of those pockmarks.
He asked leisurely, “Does Jixia understand acupoints?”
Gu Jianli gently massaged her face with the palms of her hands and said, “There is an acupoint atlas. I had Jixia study it…”
As she spoke, Gu Jianli looked at Ji Wujing and understood his meaning. Hesitantly, with furrowed brows, she said, “Fifth Master is busy…”
“Not busy,” Ji Wujing slowly smiled.
Saying this, he turned slightly, picked up the acupoint atlas from the shelf, and asked, “Is it this one?”
Gu Jianli silently wrung the cloth, her lowered eyelids hiding a trace of gloom.
Seeing her downcast expression, Ji Wujing asked, “Unwilling?”
Gu Jianli shook her head.
She stood up in the medicated bath, the brown medicinal water slowly cascading down her jade-like body. It was already autumn, and the weather was getting colder. As soon as she stepped out of the bath, she sneezed.
