Recalling Jiangnan

  It's too late to avoid now, Gu Yuqie could only lower her head and put on a shy expression, pretending that she didn't know anything, but it was a bit of a strain for her.

  Memories of the person from her past life floated up to her mind, there was nothing specific, but a dull ache still lingered on her heart, and her hands hidden in her sleeves had lost their warmth.

  "I've met the fifth prince and the seventh prince." Just as Gu Yuqiu lowered her head to look at her skirt, Zhang Huanji had already taken two steps forward and curtsied deeply.

  Her voice was clear and moving, her posture elegant and refined, but it made the other person, Gu Yuqie, who had been hanging his head in shame, look even more uncouth.

  "Yuan Yi, little sister, there's no outsider here, no need to be formal. Don't bother with those empty courtesies, just call us Brother Yun is fine." Yun Yi said with a smile, his eyes shifted to Gu Yuqiu standing behind him, and his smile seemed to grow even brighter.

  "This is..." He asked knowingly. Since the day he saw Gu Yuqiu at the slave market, he had specially sent someone to ask about her, and unexpectedly met her today.

  Now this girl's silly and numb appearance is quite different from her lively and heroic appearance at the slave market that day. And the poem she just recited, although simple, has a profound meaning, which is not something an ordinary person can do. It really lives up to her reputation as a child prodigy and talented woman. I never thought that this girl would be the female disciple of Chen Hanlin, who was praised by Lian Hongru.

  Zhang Wan-yi has a clever mind, and as soon as she saw Yun Yi's gaze, she quickly pulled over Gu Yu-gui who was standing stupidly on the side. "This is the eldest miss of the Dingyuan Marquis' household, today is her first time coming to the Imperial Aunt's place." After finishing speaking, she whispered to Gu Yu-gui, "Don't you hurry up and pay respects to the two princes? They are my fifth older cousin and seventh older cousin."

  Her mother and the empress were sisters, so Zhang naturally regarded herself as a cousin of the imperial princes and princesses.

  She looked at Gu Yuqin with a proud face after finishing speaking.

  Gu Yuqiu reluctantly knelt down and hastily paid her respects, "I've seen the Fifth Prince and Seventh Prince." Then she retreated unobtrusively to Zhang Wan'er's side.

  Gu Yuqie's timid and reserved demeanor actually delighted Zhang Wanyi. What a talented woman, knowledgeable and reasonable, yet when faced with the imperial family, she still appeared to be timid and reserved. Perhaps she really did have some talent, but just this small-mindedness of shrinking away from people would not pass muster in the imperial household. However, Gu Yuqie was born with a naturally flirtatious face. Now that she was already so eye-catching at such a young age, adding time to the mix, it's likely that among all the noble ladies in the capital, no one could surpass her, and one had to be on guard against her.

  Zhang Wan-yi was raised as a future princess or crown princess since childhood, with a calm and composed demeanor, and is well-versed in the preferences of noblewomen in the capital. Today, upon meeting Gu Yu-qiu, who has just arrived from Jiangnan, she had an extra twelve parts of attention to spare.

  So far, Gu Yuqie's performance has been satisfactory. Unlike other people's daughters, when she saw the fifth and seventh uncles, she didn't act coquettishly or try to show off herself, but instead hid behind her own back in a proper and dignified manner.

  Yun Ke's eyelids drooped slightly, covering up the surging undercurrents in his eyes.

  The sun rises over the river, its beauty surpassing that of fire; when spring arrives, the river's waters are as green as blue - he is all too familiar with this verse.

  In his previous life, the poem written on a golden fan given to him by Zhang Wan'er was this sentence. When she gave the fan, she also said shyly that the poem was written by her. But later, Gu Yuqie said that the poem was copied by Zhang Wan'er. At that time, he naturally wouldn't believe Gu Yuqie's words.

  It's just now... He slightly raised his eyes and cast his gaze on Gu Yuqie, who was hiding behind Zhang Wanji. After carefully examining her, he realized that in the previous life, it was indeed his own mistake to misunderstand her.

  It's no wonder that her reputation as a talented woman has quietly spread throughout the capital.

  Whether it was the previous life or this life, she had a reputation as a talented woman. Only in her previous life did he think that Gu Yuqie's behavior was light and rude, mostly seeking fame and fortune.

  Yun Ke's gaze lingered on Gu Yuqie, and although Zhang Wan'er felt uneasy in her heart, she still warmly pulled Gu Yuqie to her side.

  "This young lady from the Marquis's residence has just arrived in the capital from Jiangnan. They say that Jiangnan is a land of exceptional people and scenery, and I think that Miss Gu's appearance is truly a testament to this saying." Zhang Wan'er said with a smile. From a young age, she knew what to say at the right time. The two men in front of her were among the best of their generation of princes, although the Emperor had already appointed an heir apparent, but rumors from within the palace indicated that the current Emperor did not like the Crown Prince, which meant that these two men had no chance whatsoever. Moreover, the current Crown Prince was not born to the Empress, and his mother, the Imperial Concubine, had only given birth to two princesses.

  The crown prince already has a crown princess, and even if she were to marry the crown prince, she could only be a secondary wife, still far inferior to the primary wife. Her father is the current prime minister, so if he were to stand on Yun Yi's side, his support would not be small, and Yun Yi might consider making her his primary wife. As for Yun Ke, she was born of a palace maid, with no background in the palace, relying only on her emotional connection with Yun Yi from growing up together, truly a pity that she is not a good match.

  At present, Your Majesty does not like the Crown Prince. If one day the Crown Prince falls, it is not certain that she will become the future Empress.

  Gu Yuqie's beauty has just begun to shine, and it is certain that she must first establish a good relationship with Gu Yuqie. Suppressing Gu Yuqie now would be unwise, as her status and identity make it impossible for her beauty to remain hidden. Moreover, she currently has a reputation as a talented person, and with time, she will surely become famous throughout the entire Qi state. It's better to take control of her firmly before she gains prominence in the capital city, so that in the future, there won't be an additional enemy and a loss of a powerful helper.

  So she didn't mind introducing Gu Yuqiu to Yun Yi and Yun Ke, maybe one day Gu Yuqiu would accept her feelings.

  Zhang Wan-yi had her own plan in mind, so she also generously pushed Gu Yu-qiu out.

  Gu Yuqie was wailing in despair, the person she had been trying to avoid was now standing right in front of her, those icy jade-like eyes staring at her intently.

  Did he ever look at himself with such a focused gaze in his past life?

  Gu Yuqie's heart sank, perhaps only in the moment of her death did he focus on her, and it was truly a tragic life in her past.

  In the previous life, Yun Yi and Yun Ke's relationship was also so good. Yun Ke's mother had a lowly birth as just a palace maid, she died soon after giving birth to him, he was adopted by Yun Yi's biological mother, Empress De, therefore they grew up together. Wherever they went, the two of them were always together. Even the current Emperor often praised the harmonious relationship between the two brothers, with the elder brother being friendly and the younger brother being respectful.

  Is it really like this? Gu Yuqie only sent up two words: "hehe".

  If it's really as the Emperor said, then why did Yun Yi still end up dying at Yun Ke's hands? The brotherly affection and fraternal respect that appears in the imperial family is simply a joke.

  Gu Yuqiu felt like she was being stared at by Yun Ke, just like a poisonous snake staring at her, making her feel uneasy all over. Just then, a gust of cold wind blew by, and she involuntarily shivered.