Gu Qingtong stood at the entrance for a while, then shook her head and went inside.
“Tong’er, you went to Yuan Yu Temple for cooling off without telling me. It’s so hot, I heard you have ice here, give me some to cool down,” Ji Chen complained as he entered the room.
Gu Qingtong found it amusing and asked Lü Guo to fetch some.
“Orange, you have something to tell me?” Gu Qingtong dismissed Lü Guo and spoke softly.
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“I heard that Cloud Music Master gave you trouble recently?”
“Yes, but I haven’t told anyone about this. How did you know?”
“No one specifically told me. I just heard that Cloud Music Master took Luo Xue away. After you found her, you invited Cloud Music Master over, which left you so angry you couldn’t speak, and then Luo Xue was locked up. I guessed Cloud Music Master was causing you trouble.”
“You guessed quite accurately,” Gu Qingtong glanced at her.
“Tong’er, there’s something I probably need to tell you.”
“What?”
“The child in Liang Luoxi’s belly is his.”
Gu Qingtong paused: “I already know.”
“You know?”
“Last night, I overheard Liang Luoxi and Cloud Music Master’s conversation at the corridor. It seems Cloud Music Master didn’t know originally, but Liang Luoxi confessed everything before leaving.”
Ji Chen saw Lü Guo entering and stopped talking, taking the crushed ice from her hand.
“Lü Guo, Luo Xue is at Li Music Master’s place, right? Go check on her and take some ice to her and Li Music Master.”
“Yes.”
Ji Chen waited for Lü Guo to be sent away again, then smiled lightly: “Liang Luoxi is quite foolish.”
“She’s probably truly foolish. However, I accidentally overheard her conversation yesterday, and she found out. Moreover, her look towards me was extremely malicious. Although my adoptive father has people watching me, I’m still a bit afraid she might take action against me.”
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Ji Chen remembered her previous near-miss with Liang Mo’en’s people and sat up straight: “Tong’er, we must tell Ruan Niang.”
“Telling Ruan Niang would be useless, wouldn’t it?”
“How could it be useless?”
In Gu Qingtong’s view, Han Yue’an’s people were already extremely capable. If even his people couldn’t stop Liang Luoxi’s malicious intent, what could Ruan Niang do? But Ji Chen clearly didn’t think so.
“Tong’er, Liang Luoxi might be foolish about emotions, but she’s not foolish about other things. Liang Mo’en is weak and cowardly, and she knows he can’t be relied upon. She definitely won’t use his hand. She’ll likely use other methods to harm you. After all, you know her secret, and she’ll want to eliminate you eventually to feel at ease.”
“Hmm.” Liang Luoxi’s murderous intent towards Gu Qingtong probably began that day at Luoxi Pavilion, though she couldn’t show it. Her gaze last night, after Gu Qingtong exposed her and Cloud Music Master’s affair, was too uninhibited – she must be vigilant.
However, Liang Luoxi was still Liang Luoxi. Wanting to enter the residence, she naturally had prepared thoroughly.
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Half a month later, Gu Qingtong heard that Liang Luoxian was getting along well with the young master of the Xiang residence, having only one conflict with the third young miss who was still waiting to be married. Elder Yan from the Xiang residence instructed that a husband be chosen for the third young miss, saying it would be better to marry her off early. Liang Luoxian was skilled in dancing with long sleeves and got along well with several wives of the Xiang residence’s advisors. While everyone secretly despised her, they also admired her methods.
Gu Qingtong thought that Liang Luoxian was quite capable. She had quickly won over the people of the Xiang residence. However, just because Liang Luoxian couldn’t compete with her usually didn’t mean she couldn’t compete with the pampered ladies in the big household. With Elder Yan’s support, her backbone was naturally stiffened.
“Gu Qingniang, the Xiang residence requests you to assist in the marriage trial for Third Miss Yan Suyuan to the fourth young master of the Wu family. The attire has already been sent.”
“Mm.” Because Liang Luoxian had left, no new niang had been brought to the Huahaoyueyuan Pavilion, so Gu Qingtong was busier than before.
In the past few days, she had already visited the Fan, Liu, Ye, and Wang families, and was set to go to the Qin family tomorrow. When she previously went to the Fan family, she had encountered Liang Luoxian once. Although she didn’t deliberately make things difficult for her, she just stood there, her gaze filled with disdain and provocation, which was truly uncomfortable. Tomorrow she was going to the Xiang residence and would certainly encounter Liang Luoxian again.
However, wasn’t this third young miss the one who didn’t get along with Liang Luoxian? And the one she was to have a marriage trial with was the fourth young master of the Wu family. It was said that this fourth Wu young master was quite honest and straightforward. The Wu family’s elder was a minor official without real power and didn’t have much ability. The fourth Wu young master had participated in the imperial examinations last year but failed. With a useless father and being incompetent himself, he was still idle at home, continuing to study and preparing to try again next year.
Now, the third daughter of the Xiang residence was matched with such a “useless” young master, which was most likely Liang Luoxian’s strategy. Yan Suyuan must hate her to death, but this also showed that Liang Luoxian had skills.
However, these were not things Gu Qingtong should worry about.
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Tomorrow, she still had to be on guard against Liang Luoxian harming her, after all, this was on her own territory.
Early the next morning, Gu Qingtong prepared to go to the Xiang residence, arriving half an hour earlier than usual, afraid of being caught for even a slight delay.
Liang Luoxian knew she was coming and posed like the mistress of the house, instructing someone to lead Gu Qingtong to the front hall to meet her.
Gu Qingtong saw her arrogant demeanor and restrained her expression, treating her as an ordinary housewife, and respectfully curtsied.
Liang Luoxian sneered: “Gu Qingniang, we meet again.”
“Yes.”
“We’re sisters in a way, so I won’t make things difficult for you. The third young miss has a slightly domineering temperament, but the Wu family’s young master is honest. Although their status differs, their personalities complement each other. You must serve the third young miss well and make no mistakes when going to the Wu family. If there’s even half a mishap, you’ll be held responsible.”
Gu Qingtong thought she was being kind, but her subsequent words were clear: If the third young miss’s marriage fell through, it would be her fault. Now thriving in the Xiang residence, Gu Qingtong would suffer if she didn’t comply with her wishes.
Liang Luoxian knew what Gu Qingtong was thinking.
She hummed and instructed Hong, whom she brought from the Huahaoyueyuan Pavilion: “Take Gu Qingniang to the third young miss. The third young miss doesn’t want to have a marriage trial and is currently throwing things and hitting people. But if she hurts Gu Qingniang, she’ll just have to accept it.”
“Yes.” Hong glared at Gu Qingtong, feeling particularly satisfied, and raised her chin to urge her to move.
