“One more thing. Send someone to investigate that Jinniang whom Xie Jin met half a year ago. He claims the two of them once saw me being unfaithful to him while they were outside. How strange. Apparently, even I don’t know whether I’ve been faithful or not.”
A gossipy look immediately appeared on Fufeng’s face. He nodded in agreement, then stared intently at Xiao Yu.
“What is it? Is there something on my face?”
Xiao Yu looked puzzled.
Fufeng flicked open his folding fan, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.
“Nothing. I’m simply used to seeing you looking sickly and frail. Seeing you suddenly like this takes some getting used to.”
He then leaned closer and whispered mysteriously, “But now that you’re like this, the two of us can’t bathe together anymore!”
Xiao Yu’s face instantly flushed.
Surprisingly, Gu Jiuci said nothing this time, leaving her no choice but to glare fiercely at Fufeng herself.
“You shameless rogue! If you love bathing so much, why don’t you go bathe with that sickly Ninth Imperial Uncle instead?”
Fufeng glanced sideways and burst into laughter.
Xiao Yu suddenly remembered the farmland and shops she had brought with her and quickly reminded Gu Jiuci about them.
“As for the farmland and shops in my dowry, have Uncle Zhong take care of them. Aside from the land needed to grow daily necessities, use all the remaining farmland to grow grain. Also, take half of the silver and use it to purchase old grain from various regions, then stockpile it nearby.”
“Half?”
Fufeng was somewhat shocked.
Half of the Ninth Prince’s Residence’s silver was no small amount! Although the Ninth Imperial Uncle certainly wasn’t short of money, even he couldn’t afford to squander it recklessly.
“You know that once something happens at the northern border, war will become inevitable. I don’t think I need to tell you what is needed most during wartime, do I?”
Fufeng fell silent.
Gu Jiuci was right.
Once war broke out, the common people would suffer, and what they would lack most was food.
“Fine. I understand!”
Fufeng stuffed the land deeds into his robe and stood up.
“I’ll be leaving, then. I’ll come back once everything has been arranged.”
After Fufeng left, Xiao Yu leaned against the window and stared into the distance.
Thinking back on the things Gu Jiuci had taught her to say earlier, she found herself gaining a deeper understanding of many things.
She had originally believed that the Ninth Imperial Uncle, whose influence dominated the imperial court, could do whatever he pleased.
But in reality, he was restrained in many ways.
For instance, his health.
Had he truly been born frail and sickly?
“No.”
Gu Jiuci sensed her suspicions.
After spending the past few days together, Xiao Yu had completely accepted his presence. Their communication had become much smoother, and Gu Jiuci no longer maintained the lofty airs of the Ninth Imperial Uncle around her.
They spoke casually now, almost like two old friends.
“Before the late emperor died, he ordered me to oversee the imperial court. Yet he was also afraid that I would gain too much power, so he never granted me the title of Regent. Do you know why?”
“Because he was afraid you would become too powerful.”
Xiao Yu did not explain further, but both of them understood.
If the Ninth Imperial Uncle became too powerful, he would inevitably threaten the new emperor’s throne.
The late emperor had wanted to make use of Gu Jiuci while simultaneously guarding against him.
As expected, once someone became emperor, their thoughts became unfathomably complicated.
“That was one reason. The other was because of my mother. Before entering the palace, she was a woman from the martial world. Because I had been weak since childhood, she trained a group known as the Divine Dragon Guards to protect me. They are highly skilled martial artists. Although there are very few of them, each one can fight ten ordinary imperial guards.”
Xiao Yu sighed inwardly.
No wonder.
With such a powerful force in Gu Jiuci’s hands, it would have been strange if the emperor hadn’t been wary of him.
“At the time, the Crown Prince’s position was not yet secure. He was also young and impulsive. My presence kept him constantly vigilant and forced him to mature quickly. At the same time, I served as a deterrent against the other princes.”
As members of the imperial family, it was impossible for them to have absolutely no ambitions toward the throne.
The current emperor was still young, and his brothers had yet to fully establish their influence.
But that did not mean they were willing to remain beneath him forever.
“You’re also a member of the imperial family. Have you really never desired that throne?”
Gu Jiuci fell silent.
For a brief moment, Xiao Yu sensed his mood darken.
“In the past, I truly didn’t. Perhaps because of my mother’s influence, I yearned for the freedom of the martial world from the time I was young. I even dreamed of abandoning my status as a member of the imperial family and wandering the world freely, living however I pleased.”
“But reality proved that my thoughts were far too naive. Even if I had no desire for the throne, that didn’t mean others would believe me. To prevent me from becoming a powerful rival to the new emperor, the late emperor had me poisoned, leaving me incapable of consummating a marriage. He even took away my chance of ever taking a wife.”
Xiao Yu was stunned.
“So Fufeng, the young master of Poison Physician Valley, stays by your side specifically to treat you?”
No wonder the rumors claimed that Gu Jiuci would never marry in his lifetime.
Who would have imagined that such a secret lay behind it?
“That’s right.”
Gu Jiuci chuckled softly.
He thought of the countless bets he had made with Fufeng. Somehow, Fufeng lost every single time and had eventually ended up willingly staying by his side.
Perhaps it had all been arranged by fate.
They were destined to become friends who could entrust their lives to each other.
When it came to governing the country, the late emperor had undoubtedly been a good ruler.
During his reign, he reduced taxes on the common people, implemented benevolent policies, and accomplished many things that benefited both the nation and its people.
The common folk all praised him as a good emperor.
Yet even the greatest emperor, once seated upon that throne, could resort to dark and unspeakable methods.
Perhaps Gu Jiuci had truly been carefree in his previous life and had never intended to threaten imperial authority.
But neither the late emperor nor the current Emperor An would have believed that.
Now that Gu Jiuci had been reborn, he had undoubtedly returned seeking revenge.
Perhaps he even intended to do the very thing they had always feared.
“That’s right! This time, that throne can only belong to me! Only when I no longer want it will anyone else have the right to sit upon it.”
Gu Jiuci finally revealed his true intentions to Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu suddenly felt incredibly fortunate.
She had somehow managed to latch onto such a powerful backer!
She had better treat him well.
After all, her future wealth and glory might depend entirely on Gu Jiuci.
She had already thought about this before.
Since Gu Jiuci had been reborn just like her—and had lived longer than she had in their previous lives—if she wanted to multiply the wealth from her dowry, there was no one better to rely on than him.
Now it seemed she had made the right choice.
As a woman confined to the inner residence, earning some income by managing a few shops would already be considered good enough.
Gu Jiuci, however, was different.
He possessed every possible advantage. In his hands, merely doubling her money would probably be nothing remarkable.
Entrusting it to him was definitely the right decision.
“Heh. At least you’re smart! However much of your dowry you give me now, how about we split the future profits thirty-seventy?”
“Fine! Thirty-seventy it is!”
Xiao Yu agreed immediately, without showing the slightest dissatisfaction.
Her reaction surprised Gu Jiuci.
He had expected her to bargain with him.
Xiao Yu, however, knew that even if she only received thirty percent of the profits, the amount her dowry could generate in Gu Jiuci’s hands would still be considerable.
Besides, they were partners now.
Gu Jiuci was preparing to accomplish something enormous, and countless aspects of his plans would require money.
If she helped him now, would she really have to worry about receiving no benefits in the future?
As expected, Fufeng worked extremely efficiently.
The following day, after Xiao Yu finished copying Buddhist scriptures, she went for a stroll around the back mountain.
There, beside the road, she encountered an unconscious woman.
The woman carried a small bundle with her and wore extremely ordinary clothing. She appeared to have collapsed from sheer exhaustion.
After receiving Gu Jiuci’s guidance, Xiao Yu had the woman brought back to the small courtyard.
“Thank you for saving my life, Madam. This servant’s name is Yuyan. I beg Madam to take me in!”
Xiao Yu glanced toward the doorway before turning back to the woman with a gentle expression.
“What happened to you? Why did you faint on the back mountain?”
“This servant is from Jingzhou. My hometown suffered a disaster, so I came here seeking refuge with relatives. But when I arrived, I discovered that they had already moved away. With nowhere else to go, I came to Yuling Temple to pray to Buddha. I was utterly exhausted and ended up fainting by the roadside.”
“I see. Taking you in wouldn’t be difficult. It’s just that…”
“Please, Madam! I used to hunt with my father, so I know some martial arts. I can protect Madam!”
“Oh? That would be excellent. In that case, you may stay here for now. I’ll also have someone investigate whether what you’ve told me is true. Once everything has been verified, you can serve by my side. How does that sound?”
Yuyan was overjoyed and immediately kowtowed in gratitude.
“Thank you, Madam!”
Anxiang felt that the name Yuyan shared the same character as Xiao Yu’s name and might be somewhat inappropriate, so she brought it up.
“Your Highness, should we change Yuyan’s name?”
Xiao Yu understood what she meant and waved her hand dismissively.
“There’s no need. I don’t care about such things. She can continue using the name Yuyan.”
Anxiang knew her mistress had never cared about such trivial matters, so she said nothing more and led Yuyan away.
Xiao Yu then summoned one of the young male servants who had accompanied them from the outer courtyard and instructed him to investigate Yuyan’s story.
In reality, she was merely giving him an opportunity to secretly report the matter to Xie Jin.
Everything Yuyan had said had undoubtedly been arranged perfectly by Fufeng beforehand.
The investigation was nothing more than a formality.