Chapter 362: She Still Likes Me

After Gu Cheng got off the carriage, he did not return to the Gu family patriarch's residence but went to the annex he had set up in Jing Cheng.

Because the gate was opened a fraction of a moment too late, Gu Cheng kicked the young servant who opened it to the ground, snatched the riding whip from the accompanying servant's hand, and beat the pitiful boy mercilessly until his skin split and he collapsed unconscious, then finally stopped.

The other serving servants were instantly terrified, knelt on the ground, and the entire inner courtyard fell silent.

The Gu family's eldest son rarely loses control like this; it was the first time they saw the normally refined eldest son go mad, and they were trembling with fear.

Gu Cheng, exhausted from beating people, returned to the inner hall, bathed, changed, and lay down to rest, but his eyes, inflamed to a blood‑red hue, kept him from sleeping.

A look of madness shone in his eyes, and he suddenly sat up.

"Someone, come!"

His trusted attendant bowed and entered hurriedly: "Eldest son!"

Gu Kang's eyes slowly narrowed: "Bring that box over!"

The attendant, following Gu Cheng's order, turned to the Eight‑Treasure compartment on the side, opened the hidden compartment, retrieved a box, and placed it before Gu Cheng.

Gu Cheng opened the box to find it filled with silver notes; over the years he had refused to watch his mother, Concubine Lin, and his younger siblings squander the Du family's inheritance.

He had other plans: after swallowing a large sum from Gu Kang, he had converted all his assets into silver notes and stored them here.

Now he took them all out, pulled out half, shoved them into the attendant's hand and said, "Go into the jianghu and find the most formidable assassin to kill someone for me; if successful, there will be a hefty reward."

The attendant's eyes widened, and he leaned down to ask softly, "Who does the eldest son want to kill?"

A surge of boundless hatred flashed in Gu Cheng's eyes, his voice catching on each word, as if he were about to bite out the name.

"Gu Kang!"

The attendant was startled; Gu Kang now was no longer the same—he was an Imperial Court official, and assassinating an Imperial Court official would be a case of exterminating an entire clan.

The great fire at Chongwen Tower must have driven countless people mad; does it seem the eldest son has also gone insane?

But regarding the task his master gave, how could he dare object? He hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Gu Cheng said slowly, "Remember, handle this matter by finding someone from the jianghu."

"Understood!" The attendant retreated.

Only Gu Cheng remained in the inner hall; he rose slowly, walked to the writing desk, retrieved a stack of portraits from a lower shelf, and casually selected one.

In the portrait, Princess Changping wore a pink dress, her smile radiant, a sight that pleased the eye.

Princess Changping liked him, and Gu Cheng knew it; he didn't even know when she had had someone slip that portrait into his hands.

Regarding Princess Changping's overtures, Gu Cheng never refused—he kept it dangling, neither rejecting nor responding.

It was like tying a carrot in front of a donkey—dangling far ahead; when the donkey tires, you give it a small treat, some cheap fruit or flowers, enough to keep the princess happy for a while.

At this moment, Gu Kang's Chongwen Tower had exhausted all his cards, leaving only this last life‑saving card.

Gu Cheng slowly raised his hand; his long, well‑defined fingers brushed across Princess Changping's face on the scroll, gently sweeping away the dust.

Gu Cheng whispered softly, "I can only rely on you now."

Inside Gu Kang's residence, after Gu Shijie was pushed out by a few words from Gu Kang, the front hall fell silent instantly.

Gu Kang slowly sat in the chair, and Steward Zhang dared not speak, merely staying by his side.

Gu Kang suddenly let out a soft laugh, which quickly grew louder, almost uncontrollable.

Steward Zhang's scalp tingled from his master's laughter; Gu Kang finally stopped laughing and muttered, "Mother, you are still a descendant of a noble house, quite talented—how could you set your sights on someone as lowly as Gu Shijie?"

He then turned to Steward Zhang and asked, "Any news from Bei Di lately?"

Since joining Gu Kang, Steward Zhang had also transferred the remaining influence of the late Du family patriarch, making the information network quite comprehensive.

Originally he intended to follow Miss Gu Jiu Ling, but the miss handed both him and the Du family members behind her over to Gu Kang.

Although the Du family has vanished, a emaciated camel is still larger than a horse,

some assets and connections remain; previously, watching Gu Jiu Ling and Gu Kang—both useless—handed these things to Gu Kang, only for him to squander them in the fireworks‑filled alleys.

Now the second Gu master seems like a different person; perhaps the Du family's modest capital can be entrusted to him.

He hurriedly bowed and said, "There's been unrest in Bei Di; the Bei Di king was poisoned by someone, and though rescued, he remains frail."

"Now someone accuses the Bei Di crown prince of the poisoning; the crown prince, in anger, has imprisoned other princes and further suppressed them—what a commotion!"

Lord Du died at the hands of the Bei Di, naturally hoping for misfortune upon the Bei Di royal clan.

Gu Kang steadied himself and let out a soft laugh, "Bei Di is now plagued by internal chaos, overwhelmed. The Western Rong are growing stronger; they will inevitably seek a marriage alliance with the Great Jin."

"For this marriage alliance, across all of Southern Qi, only two princesses are suitable to marry the Bei Di king's son."

"One is Princess Fuqing, the other is Princess Changping."

"Princess Fuqing is younger, while Princess Changping is older but already has a heart elsewhere; this matter is rather interesting."

Steward Zhang could not discern what was interesting.

The two princesses are close in age; in his view, Princess Fuqing seems the more likely candidate.

After all, the less favored princesses are usually sent for external marriages; Princess Changping, however, was born of Consort Duan…

Steward Zhang suddenly gasped; previously, Emperor Longqing would never have been willing to marry Princess Changping off to Bei Di.

But now that Consort Duan has just died, and given the cause of her death, it is truly disgraceful.

She had an illicit affair and even built a secret passage beneath the foundations of Chongwen Tower; no emperor could tolerate such a thing.

Moreover, Third Prince Xiao Wei became a eunuch, and the Duan family is now regarded by the emperor as a thorn in his side—must be removed to bring peace.

In this situation, whether the once-favored Princess Changping can continue to enjoy Emperor Longqing's favor is another matter entirely.

"Second Master, could it be the princess for the Bei Di marriage…"

Gu Kang said slowly, "It must be Princess Changping, if I'm not mistaken. That Princess Fuqing has survived so many years in the palace—it's a miracle."

"Princess Fuqing is meticulous; she once courted my elder sister and is definitely a formidable figure."

"Hmph, this time it's probably my elder brother who has already set his sights on Princess Changping, but his ambitions are lofty and his fate fragile."

"Now, because of Consort Duan's affair, the Duan family likely harbors rebellious thoughts before Emperor Longqing."

"Given that, they will surely seek an exit; sending their daughter to Bei Di as a princess would bring the Duan family countless benefits and no harm. It's a pity Princess Changping is deeply attached to my elder brother."

Gu Kang didn't say any more, but these words, heard by Steward Zhang, made his heart pound with alarm.

Who would have thought that our second young master's grand performance at Chongwen Tower turned into a short play, its ending impossible to guess.