Chapter 330

Gu Jiu Ling returned to the Peach Blossom Pavilion; Jiu Yue saw her mistress's face grim to the extreme, dared not ask anything, and attended her carefully.

"Mistress, would you like some calming sandalwood incense tonight, or perhaps pear blossom?"

"The bath water is ready; would you like to change now?"

She tried to find a topic to shift her mistress's attention, lest the mistress become too distressed.

The mistress was always strong-willed; if she didn't speak, we servants dared not ask anything.

We could only stay by her side carefully, doing our best to look after her daily life.

Gu Jiu Ling let Jiu Yue loosen her hair and comb it, then after thinking she finally said: "Jiu Yue, you and Ling Feng have been engaged for some days; why not take a few days to settle your marriage?"

Jiu Yue froze, then panicked.

These days the mistress has been acting strangely; it seems her relationship with the Prince is somewhat delicate, and now she suddenly brings up her marriage.

Having followed Gu Jiu Ling for years, Jiu Yue naturally could guess her mistress's thoughts with nine-tenths accuracy.

Jiu Yue knelt before Gu Jiu Ling, gently pinching her mistress's slightly swollen leg, lifted her head and said: "Mistress, I was bought by the Du family when I was young and then sent to the Gu household."

"I grew up alongside you since childhood; the Du family sent me to your side back then just to keep you company."

"No matter what danger you face, I must protect you."

"Whatever you do in the future, no matter how far you go with the Prince, you need not worry about me."

"I am devoted to following you; wherever you go, you must bring me, and you must never abandon me."

"Although Ling Feng and I had an agreement, he never finally sealed it; under these circumstances, whether we can actually marry remains unknown."

"At first I thought he was a responsible person, but these days seeing his attitude toward the mistress has made me especially angry."

"The mistress treats him so well, yet he joins those who can't tell right from wrong in speaking coldly to her."

"The mistress once took people to the valleys of Wuzhou and saved their master and servant's lives, yet they remember nothing of it."

"Such ungrateful wretches—I, Jiu Yue, would rather not marry at all."

"Mistress, do not accommodate anyone for my sake; I am bound to you."

"No matter what the mistress orders me to do, if she wishes to kill, I am the knife in her hand."

"If the mistress travels far, I am her horse."

"My life in this lifetime was given by the mistress; do not hesitate for my sake. Please, mistress, show mercy and do not let me go."

Jiu Yue's words, spoken with tears and voice, instantly stopped Gu Jiu Ling from saying anything further.

Gu Jiu Ling is a modern person living in the modern world, and she utterly fails to comprehend this ancient notion of loyalty and righteousness.

But at this moment Jiu Yue's words were fierce and her expression tragic; she suddenly realized that if she followed modern thinking and left her alone in the Rui Wang Fu,

then leaving again might cause this girl to do something extreme; for a moment she felt somewhat embarrassed.

This girl is also clever; she actually guessed that she intended to leave the Rui Wang Fu.

Having guessed it, Gu Jiu Ling could not conceal it from her; she gently seized Jiu Yue's wrist, pulled her up from the cold floor, and let her sit beside her to speak.

Jiu Yue was still somewhat upset; she had already sensed her mistress's intention to match her with Ling Feng, which meant the mistress wanted to keep her in the Rui Wang Fu.

She had actually guessed that the mistress would leave, yet the mistress abandoned her and left alone—how could she feel at ease?

She also did not know what exactly had happened between the mistress and Prince Rui; earlier Ling Feng had sought her out, whether to accompany her or say something.

Whenever she asked about the mistress and the Prince, Ling Feng would evade, which made Jiu Yue especially dissatisfied, adding a chill to her heart.

"Since you respect your master, I too respect my master; we need not be together."

Gu Jiu Ling looked at Jiu Yue's extremely determined eyes, and the words she had on the tip of her tongue had to be swallowed back.

She let out a slow sigh: "Jiu Yue, this time you probably have to go on a long journey with me; I don't even know when we might return to Shang Jing."

Jiu Yue stared for a moment, then looked at Gu Jiu Ling and said: "I will obey only the Princess Consort's orders."

Gu Jiu Ling collected herself and looked at Jiu Yue: "Go help me contact Gu Kang and deliver this letter to him."

Jiu Yue hurriedly took it, hid it in her bosom, then comforted Gu Jiu Ling not to think too much and served her to sleep.

Only then did she leave the Wangfu through Xi Ce Men, walking through the night toward Gu Kang's residence.

It was already deep into the night, yet Gu Kang remained at his desk reading.

He had previously been a spoiled young master; although he had dabbled in reading, he was certainly not diligent.

Now that he has entered officialdom, his knowledge must be profound; he must therefore spend several times more than others to make up for the lessons he previously neglected.

Steward Zhang stood outside the study, gazing at the silhouette of Second Master Gu reading by candlelight, and could not help but sigh.

If the late lady and Old Master Du were still alive, seeing Gu Kang so diligent would bring them great comfort; alas, they are no longer here to see it.

He composed himself and walked over, with Jiu Yue following behind in a black cloak.

Jiu Yue removed the hood from her head, stepped forward, and bowed to Gu Kang.

Gu Kang hastily rose to help Jiu Yue up; he also held her in great respect, for she was a person left by his mother and a prominent figure beside his elder sister.

Jiu Yue whispered: "Second Master, the Princess Consort bids me to deliver a letter to you."

Gu Kang quickly took the letter from Jiu Yue, opened it, glanced at it, and raised his eyebrows slightly.

Jiu Yue waited there, watching Gu Kang's expression, only to realize that at some point his face had become devoid of visible joy or anger.

After a long while Gu Kang said: "I understand; you may go back."

"Steward Zhang, escort Miss Jiu Yue part of the way, lest something happen on the road."

Steward Zhang nodded, took Jiu Yue away, and personally escorted her back to the Wangfu.

After Jiu Yue left, Gu Kang opened Gu Jiu Ling's letter once again.

The letter contained simply two characters: "Depart."

Seeing those two words, Gu Kang instantly understood his elder sister's intention.

Indeed, things have come to this pass; if she remained in the Rui Wang Fu, it would surely be like seeking skin from a tiger, and Xiao Yin is certainly not someone to get along with.

Gu Kang lowered his gaze to the tip of his left hand's finger, the very end of which had been severed by Xiao Yin's sword earlier.

Their gaze flickered slightly, instantly showing a hint of mockery.

Although Xiao Yin had saved their life.

But that was a beast that was very hard to control; their and their elder sister's lives could never be casually placed in another's hands, living by others' joys and sorrows.

They sighed, placed the letter Gu Jiu Ling had given them on the candle flame until it gradually burned away, and then a calculation formed in their mind.