Early morning.
Gu Qinghan habitually nuzzled her cheek against the soft pillow, only to find that the pillow she always had to hug while sleeping had been kicked to the foot of the bed.
She felt momentarily puzzled—without the soft pillow, why had she slept so comfortably last night?
Chun Tao entered and saw her young mistress awake so early in the morning. Her dazed and adorable appearance couldn’t help but soften one’s heart.
“Why is the young mistress awake so early today?” she asked with a smile, bringing out the prepared honey water. She watched as Gu Qinghan took small sips until she finished before taking the cup away.
“The small kitchen has prepared snow-melt chicken porridge, along with the young mistress’s favorite golden milk pastries and shrimp wontons.” As she spoke, Chun Tao directed the maidservants to enter and attend to Gu Qinghan. Seeing that Gu Qinghan still seemed a bit dazed, she continued, “There’s also chilled milk pudding, which will be prepared for the young mistress when it gets hot around noon~”
Only then did Gu Qinghan fully wake up. The maidservants in the room couldn’t help but chuckle softly at the sight, proceeding to dress her, wash her face, and clean her teeth in an orderly manner…
“Which hairpin would the young mistress like to wear today?”
“This one~” Gu Qinghan casually pointed to a peach-pink hairpin.
“This gold-inlaid gem peach blossom hairpin was sent back by the Madam when she was in the Western Regions. You can even faintly smell a peculiar fragrance on it!”
Chun Tao’s words reminded Gu Qinghan of the letter that Gu Xu had dropped last night. She carefully sniffed the hairpin and the envelope, discovering that their scents were remarkably similar.
This wasn’t the rouge fragrance of a brothel but a spice unique to the people of the Western Regions!
Frowning, she opened the envelope and found the letter entirely written in the script of the Western Regions, densely packed across the page.
Just as she was wondering how to decipher it, a maidservant beside her suddenly spoke up, “This servant lived in the Western Regions for a time as a child and is somewhat familiar with their script. I could assist the young mistress.”
In truth, she had never actually lived in the Western Regions. From a young age, she had been recruited into the Crown Prince’s list of covert guards, where she not only learned martial arts but also studied the basic languages of various countries. The maidservant thought to herself, Only someone as intelligent and beautiful as the young mistress could make His Highness so infatuated.
The maidservant’s lovely face showed nothing but respect and obedience, with no other meaning behind it.
Seeing that she was someone arranged by Ye Muyan, Gu Qinghan handed over the envelope without much thought.
As the maidservant quietly read, Gu Qinghan looked on expectantly. Under Gu Qinghan’s bright, almond-shaped gaze, the maidservant suddenly grew nervous.
After understanding the letter’s contents, the maidservant’s expression turned serious. “Young mistress, this letter states that the Passion Incense Gu Xu purchased from a Western Regions merchant is to be traded at Yong’an Tower in two days. Just a small amount of this incense can render a person completely weak and…”
She hesitated to finish the rest, fearing it would sully the young mistress’s ears. Having served as a covert guard for many years, she had witnessed far more depraved things. Yet, faced with this crystal-like girl before her, she felt an overwhelming reluctance.
Gu Qinghan guessed what she left unsaid, her slender fingers tightening around her skirt.
Although she had already seen through Gu Xu’s venomous heart, truly understanding the letter’s meaning still frightened her for a moment.
“Young mistress…” Chun Tao’s heart tightened at the sight of Gu Qinghan’s expression. Though she had long known Gu Xu was no virtuous person, she never imagined she would resort to such despicable tactics.
If the young mistress were to fall into such a trap, Chun Tao dared not even imagine the scene.
“Since Gu Xu intends to trap me like this, I don’t mind putting on a show with her.” Gu Qinghan’s rosy lips had turned somewhat pale, her pearly teeth clenched tightly. “Shall we call this play ‘Asking for Trouble’?”
Gu Qinghan expressionlessly restored the letter to its original state and quietly gave Chun Tao some instructions.
The Dali Temple prison.
In a damp, hot, and filthy corner, three people who had been tortured all night lay on the verge of death.
Gu Jun and Yu Ling felt nothing but regret. They should never have provoked Gu Qinghan. They should have simply enjoyed the halo brought by the main branch of the family. It was their greed that had led them to this state. What should they do now?
As for Gu Xu, her hatred for Gu Qinghan swelled wildly in her heart.
Once she got out, she would repay every bit of humiliation she had suffered today.
No matter how arrogant Gu Qinghan was, she still didn’t know that the future husband she longed for had already gotten involved with her own cousin.
Thinking of this, Gu Xu laughed out loud. Her disheveled hair and filthy face made even the jailer shudder.
Just as the jailer was worrying about having nightmares that night, another jailer hurried over and whispered something to him.
The three from the second branch shrank back, fearing more beatings.
Unexpectedly, the jailer only said gruffly, “You can go.”
Overjoyed, the three scrambled to run out, but their bodies, battered from a night of torture, couldn’t support them. They had barely taken two steps before they stumbled and fell. Gu Xu was also tripped, barely managing to brace herself with her hands to avoid injuring her face, but the posture was utterly ridiculous. Gritting her teeth, she tried to get up again.
At that moment, a pair of shoes embroidered with pearls and gold thread appeared before her, their owner stopping right in front of her.
Gu Xu looked up. Gu Qinghan was dressed in a Soft Silver Qingluo Lily Dress, a Milky White Pearl Necklace hanging at her collarbone, with matching pearl earrings swaying on her delicate earlobes. Her hair was styled in a Tassel Bun, adorned with a Jasmine Suet Hairpin. Her already exquisite face was accentuated, giving her a pitiful, delicate appearance.
Gu Qinghan stood out starkly against the prison cell. Simply standing there, she seemed surrounded by a soft glow.
Gu Xu dug her nails into her palm to calm herself. She couldn’t show her hatred. She had to make Gu Qinghan suffer a fate worse than death, but now was not the time.
Gu Qinghan had Gu Jun and Yu Ling carried out. Gu Xu braced herself for mockery.
But to her surprise, Gu Qinghan asked softly, “Sister, Han’er was somewhat out of her mind yesterday and actually did such a terrible thing.”
Gu Xu was taken aback. Was Gu Qinghan apologizing? The image of her arrogance from the day before still lingered in Gu Xu’s mind. How could there be such a drastic change in just one night?
Gu Qinghan reached out, using a handkerchief to help Gu Xu up. “Sister, I thought about it all night and decided to tell you after all. After all, we are family.”
“A few days ago, Yinghuai’s servant brought me a letter. At the end, it suddenly warned me to be careful of you, saying you had ill intentions toward me… and told me to take control of the Gu family accounts, cutting off your access.” At this, Gu Qinghan sighed lightly. “Ah, it’s also my fault. I had just recovered from my illness and wasn’t thinking clearly, so I actually believed him. Sister, you’ve always been so good to me. How could you possibly have ill intentions?”
“Impossible, that’s impossible!” Gu Xu covered her ears and stepped back.
But Gu Qinghan gave her no chance. She had Chun Tao produce the forged letter prepared in advance.
The letter clearly bore Xiao Yinghuai’s handwriting. Now, no matter how unwilling Gu Xu was to face it, she had no choice but to believe it.
Xiao Yinghuai had planned this all along. He intended to take everything from Gu Qinghan for himself—he had betrayed her.
From the very beginning, he had never considered sharing equally with her. He had not only schemed against Gu Qinghan but had also drawn Gu Xu into his plot.
Thinking of the promises Xiao Yinghuai had made to her in bed, of the secrets they had exchanged in places hidden from Gu Qinghan’s sight…
Only now did Gu Xu shed tears. She refused to accept this.
Even after learning Xiao Yinghuai’s true nature, the one she hated most was still Gu Qinghan. If not for her, why would she have to endure such humiliation?
She wanted to witness Gu Qinghan being hurt by Xiao Yinghuai with her own eyes. She wanted to see Gu Qinghan suffer. Gu Qinghan loved Xiao Yinghuai so much—learning the truth would surely cause her a thousand times more pain than it had caused her, wouldn’t it?
Gu Qinghan understood the look in her eyes. She had thought Gu Xu might show a hint of regret for treating her this way, or perhaps even reveal the truth to her.
If Gu Xu still held even a trace of sisterly affection, Gu Qinghan would have let her go, allowing her to bask in the glory of the Gu family.
If there was even a sliver of remorse, just a sliver.
Gu Qinghan grew even more resolute. She steadied Gu Xu, feigning concern. “I still trust you more, sister. Whatever misunderstanding exists between you can be resolved once Yinghuai returns.”
“I don’t want my two most beloved people turning against each other!”
Gu Qinghan acted no differently than usual. No matter how hard Gu Xu tried, she could never imagine that Gu Qinghan would use a divide-and-conquer strategy against them.
Both wore gentle, kind expressions. No one could guess the storm brewing beneath the surface.
“Sister, this is the letter you retrieved yesterday. I’ve read it several times but still can’t figure out whose handwriting it is. Now, I’m returning it to its rightful owner~”
Gu Qinghan watched as Gu Xu visibly relaxed, and she smiled with satisfaction.
The show was finally about to begin.