Chapter 505: Miss Gu Pays for Everyone

“Yes, she's a really good person. When I first came here, I wasn't very familiar with things, but she helped me get to know everything. Even her family has been exceptionally kind to me, taking special care of me. There were many times when they thought of things I didn't even consider, and they brought me a lot of joy without me knowing.” There was a beaming smile on Yuxing's face, as if she was recalling some happy moments, her lips curled up in a continuous smile.
“Hearing you say this makes me feel relieved, and I can tell that her family treats you really well. If it weren't for you, I might not have been accepted by them either. My sister used to say I was wrong, and now I want to make amends. If possible, I would also like to be friends with them.” Yuke really envies Yuqing; whether in childhood or now, she seems to be someone who can easily be accepted by those around her. Later, she deeply resented her, but now she has thought it through and realized that Yuqing is indeed a good person. You can tell by the way she treats her that if she weren't good, how could she possibly forgive her, especially after she did such bad things?
Hearing Yuke say this, Yuqing felt incredibly happy. “Sister, it’s so wonderful that you think this way; you really make me so happy. Don’t worry, they will definitely accept you. Their people are all very nice, so you don’t need to worry.”
Yun Ke patted Yun Qing's head, and soon they arrived at their place of residence. The environment here is quite nice, and it is a separate small courtyard. There is a small pond behind, planted with some lotus flowers, but now it is autumn and there are none.
“Sister, this room is yours. You can go rest first. I still have to go to the front for a while and can't accompany you for the moment. Someone will come over later to bring toiletries. You can wash up and then go to sleep!”
```htmlAfter Yu Qing finished her duties, she left. Yu Ke looked around her room; everything here was so beautiful that she felt a bit reluctant to leave.
After Yu Qing returned, she went out shopping with Gu Qingyi. While they were on the road, they unexpectedly ran into Su Xianxiang, which was quite rare. If it weren't for this encounter, Gu Qingyi might have forgotten about this person for a long time.```
“You little brat, I've been looking for you for so long, and you haven't come to play with me. Do you know I'm almost going crazy? I'll tell you this, if you don't spend today having fun with me, I'm just going to move into your house! Let's see if you can handle that!”
The proud Su Xianxiang, who Rainy Qing did not recognize, looked at her with some confusion and asked, "Qingyi, who is this?"
Gu Qingyi did not answer. Rainy and Su Xianxiang exchanged glances, and for a moment, neither of them looked pleasing to the other.
“Alright, alright, let me introduce you two to each other. Yuqing, this is Su Xuanxiang, and this is Yuqing, who is my future sister-in-law. So, today, none of you are allowed to cause any trouble. We’re going to shop together, just the three of us.” Gu Qingyi really couldn't take it anymore. She had been so busy these past few days that she almost forgot about this matter, only thinking about plotting against Gu Qingzhen and Luo Lizheng. She still hadn’t resolved things with Zhu’er yet. “Xuanxiang, why are you all alone today? Where’s Zhu’er? Why isn’t she out here with you to have some fun? She can’t just stay indoors all the time; she needs to come outside and get some sun too.”
Whenever Zhu Er is mentioned, Su Xuanxiang becomes a bit excited. "If you hadn’t brought it up, I would have almost forgotten. I have to tell you that your surgery was really a huge success! I saw her face, and it truly looked like a different person; you can hardly recognize her. I was actually planning to visit you in the next few days, but she hasn’t been feeling very well, so I told her to rest in the inn. If you have time today, we can go visit her together; after all, you’re just sitting around doing nothing."
Gu Qingyi thought for a moment and felt it was a good idea. "Sure, let's buy what we need first and then head over together. I really haven't seen her in a long time. Since you spoke so highly of it, I want to see for myself if my work is truly that good. If you like it, I can give you one for free later. How about it? Are you interested?"
Gu Qingyi joked with Su Xianxiang, who quickly waved her hand. "Please spare me, I really have no interest at all. You don't know how much I truly fear this thing. Although I didn't watch when you had the surgery, I did see with my own eyes what her face looked like when she came out, all swollen like a big pig. She couldn't eat for several days, didn't even dare to touch anything, and couldn't sleep well at night. If it weren't for her possible survival, she might have quit long ago; she might not even have had the courage to live."
Su Xuanxiang was indeed telling the truth. People pointed out that the anesthetics in ancient times were certainly not as effective as the modern ones, so the ones applied to her face actually didn't last very long. After she returned, the effect wore off. If Gu Qingyi hadn't mentioned these things to her before, Zhu'er would have thought her face was ruined.
Yuhqing really couldn't understand what the two of them were talking about, looking quite innocent. It wasn't until they finally finished speaking that she could open her mouth. "What are you two talking about? I don't understand anything."
“Sister-in-law, if you don’t understand, I can explain it to you. We know someone named...” Before she could finish, she was interrupted. Gu Qingyi was looking at the people on the street; with so many coming and going, it was still uncertain whether anyone was following them. She knew it was not wise to speak too openly, “Let’s not state things too clearly. We are in the open right now, and if there are people lurking in the shadows, you two should be aware of that, right?”
Gu Qingyi couldn't believe that Su Xianxiang was just an ordinary person. After all, when they tried to investigate Su Xianxiang before, they found that there was no information about her in their country, which indicated that she must be from another country. Therefore, her purpose for coming here was yet to be examined.
“Oh right, right, okay, let's go check out some other places first, and then we'll go to where I'm staying. I recently found a new job and I'm embroidering a type of handkerchief. I've studied that pattern for a long time before I figured it out. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have any money for food. Thankfully, the shop owner trusts me and gave me a good advance. I've already completed several of them, and I'll definitely give you one when I'm done.”
Su Xianxiang excitedly talked about her achievements, and Gu Qingyi couldn't help but twitch her lips. "Can what you've embroidered really work?"
"Let me tell you, don't underestimate me. Back in my hometown, I was the best at embroidery, and I can also do double-sided embroidery. How many people here can do that? If anyone can, come forward and let's have a good competition to see who can outdo whom."
“Alright, alright, you're the best, we all admire you, but didn't I leave you quite a bit of money before? How could it be gone? You didn’t leave the house with a single penny, did you? I can't believe your family hasn't come looking for you after all this time; I really doubt whether you even have any connections!" Gu Qingyi deliberately brought up this matter, hoping to pry some words out of her. However, she was disappointed; Su Xianxiang was particularly tight-lipped. Not only was it impossible to learn anything from her, even if she were asked about her family, she would not say a word unless she brought it up herself. No one else could get anything from her.
Although she usually enjoys playing with Gu Qingyi, she still doesn't fully trust her deep down. On the contrary, she might even feel some apprehension. However, as long as she doesn't say anything, the interests between the two won't be disrupted. Neither party needs to care about the other's thoughts; they just need to focus on themselves and maintain their relationship.
Three people went shopping and bought quite a few things. They all asked to have them sent back to the general's residence and the inn. Moreover, Yuqing bought some clothes and other daily necessities for Yuke. Yuqing is indeed good to Yuke; if it were Gu Qingyi, that woman who killed her own parents, she would definitely not let her off easily.
“Let's find a place to eat lunch outside today. I haven't had food from Futinglou for a long time, and I've been craving it for quite a while. If you're free and want to eat, come with me.” Gu Qingyi called out to the others, and of course, the two who usually enjoyed free meals chose to go with her. “It's not far from where you all live, so how about we invite Zhu'er to join us for lunch? After all, not many people recognize her right now, and she should get out and have a good experience.”
Suxianxiang also nodded. "I think she should come out and take a good walk too, but no matter how I tell her, she won't listen. She says she can only listen to you. If by any chance it disrupts your plans and leads to failure, then all her efforts will be in vain."
Zhu Er's awareness in this matter is very good, but comparatively she is indeed too cautious. "It's fine, you two go in first and order some food. I'll go call her and also discuss a few other things with her. We'll come over in a bit, so you guys can have some pastries to fill your stomachs and not go hungry."
Gu Qingyi left Su Xuanxiang and Yuqing, letting the two of them go in and start ordering dishes first. Since today was Gu Qingyi's treat, Su Xuanxiang began to order freely.
In the inn, after Gu Qingyi arrived, she was concerned about the situation with the boss's girl, Zhu'er, because she had changed her appearance and worried about attracting others' attention. So she booked another room; Su Xuanxiang had returned the previous one. Now, when Gu Qingyi came to ask the innkeeper, the innkeeper seemed a bit confused and couldn't quite remember.
“No need to trouble the innkeeper, I’ll go up myself to look for her. Besides her, I also know another friend who I heard has been staying here recently. If I find them, I’ll come down quickly, so the innkeeper can just stay busy here for now.”
Gu Qingyi went up to the second floor. Before she could take a look one by one, she saw Zhu'er, who was about to open the door for some fresh air. Others might not recognize her, but Gu Qingyi certainly did. Looking at Zhu'er's face now, wasn't it just a version of her own likeness? Although it was slightly different, it was still very similar. If Luo Lizheng still liked Gu Qingyi, then seeing Zhu'er in front of him would surely drive Luo Lizheng crazy.
“Princess, what brings you here?”
Zhu Er welcomed Gu Qingyi into her room. “I really apologize, princess, I don’t have much to offer you here. Please have some tea to warm yourself; it’s been quite cold outside lately.”
Gu Qingyi took the water but did not drink it. "I came here today to discuss something with you. I hope you can be prepared; our time is very tight and we must complete this before the New Year. Moreover, besides seeking revenge on them, there is another task I need you to accomplish: you must stop Gu Qingzhen from marrying Luo Lizheng and entering the Prime Minister's residence, not even as a concubine or maid."
“Princess, I’ve already heard about their situation. Since Luo Lizheng has married Gu Qingzhao, how could he possibly not marry Gu Qingzhen?” Zhu'er doesn't really know what to do now, after all, she hasn’t gone out to meet many people and isn’t quite sure if she can attract Luo Lizheng with her current appearance.
“This is what you need to consider: if you can make him completely fall in love with you, and you don’t like him taking a concubine, how could he possibly take one? Even if the Gu family caused a stir in the past, what does it matter now? There is already a miss from the Gu family in the Prime Minister's residence. If another one were to come, people would certainly gossip. Furthermore... Gu Qingzhen was supposed to marry the prince, yet he himself had inappropriate relationships with others. Would she really have the audacity to personally pressure a man’s household? So, you still need to learn all of this properly. Today, tidy yourself up, and I will take you out for a meal. Oh, by the way, you don’t need to be called Zhu’er anymore. You will be called... Huan Qingyi!”
Huan Qingyi... This name has similar characters; Huan means to change, so changing faces signifies becoming Gu Qingyi, which Zhur should be able to understand. However, this is all thanks to Gu Qingyi's help, and she is quite grateful that Gu is willing to give her the two characters Qingyi to use.
“Your Highness, rest assured, I will not disappoint you. I will certainly help you take down the Prime Minister's residence. As long as it is your order, you may command me, and I will think of any means to accomplish it!”
Gu Qingyi didn't have much to do; all she needed to do now was to get things sorted out at the Prime Minister's residence.
When the two of them arrived at the restaurant, Su Xuanxiang and Yuqing had already started eating. Seeing that they were almost done, Gu Qingyi was furious! "I just arrived a little late, and you two are already about to finish? So, did you leave no food for me? What kind of sin have I committed to meet you two troublesome friends? I don't care, you two better get me some more food to eat! Oh, right, and there's her too; we are both hungry, and you two are responsible!"
Gu Qingyi started to act a bit mischievous, which everyone found quite amusing. "Why is your way of speaking so entertaining? How could we possibly leave you? Look over there!"
They are currently in a private room, which is actually quite large. As Gu Qingyi entered, she saw the two of them eating, but she did not see another table.
The table is now filled with a sumptuous array of delicious dishes. "This is the meal we just ordered, and that is our appetizer. We were starving waiting for you two, so we went ahead and started eating, but we really did wait for both of you!"
“Alright, alright, I know you're the best. After we finish eating, I'll take you to the best rouge shop to get you some good rouge. You can choose whatever you like, and I'll cover the bill. Today, Miss Gu is treating.”
```htmlGu Qingyi said in a bold and generous manner, and the three of them turned to look at her in unison, “Are you sure you have enough money today?”
Gu Qingyi: “What kind of past event is this? Why are we bringing up old stories? Do you want to go or not? If you don't, I won't be going either, which is just fine, as I can save that money for my dowry.”```
Yuhang sneered, "You haven't even married yet, and you're already thinking about saving up a dowry for yourself. Once you get there, isn't all the money in the royal mansion yours to spend anyway? Why do you still need to bring your own money? Do you think the prince will restrict your spending?"
Gu Qingyi really wanted to retort that Xuan Yuan Zhe's money was also her money; she was a bit of a money-grubber. She didn't like to spend money on things outside, but after thinking about it carefully, what was the use of having so much money in her hands? If she were to die one day, wouldn't it just be that when her eyes closed, she could take nothing with her?
“Hurry up and eat, doesn't the food stop your mouths? Should I buy each of you a cloth bundle to stuff in your mouths so you can keep talking? I want to see who can still say anything.”
After the four of them finished talking, they all sat down together to start eating. The food here is indeed delicious and very cheap, although the portions are a bit small.
After the meal, Gu Qingyi indeed kept her promise and took them to the rouge shop. There is a Li Yan Fang in the capital, which is famous for its excellent rouge. Many young ladies from noble families love to buy from there, and it's said that even the ladies from the palace have someone buy it for them. However, this is just what people say, and it’s hard to know if it’s true.
There are quite a lot of people in Liyanfang today. It’s currently mealtime, and I can hardly believe there are so many people here, which truly surprises Gu Qingyi.
“This is my first time at Liyanfang. Everyone says their rouge is the best, but I never really believed it. Now that I see all this, I truly believe it. You three hurry up and pick what you like best, then bring it over here and I’ll pay for you. Remember, today is your chance; if you don’t seize it well, it may not come again.”
As soon as Gu Qingyi finished speaking, the three people dashed away. Gu Qingyi was about to say something else but quickly closed her mouth; these people really weren't cute at all.