Wrapped In Golden Branch - Chapter 21

Chapter 21
Third Gu is everywhere

Li Kangning felt pity for him, the abandoned marquis’ son. She felt guilty for accidentally revealing someone’s sad story. “Then, when you have a day off next time, let’s go out to play again. I’ll take you to all the eight major restaurants in the capital, okay?”

The man was stunned initially, and then a warm current surged through his heart, “Okay.”

Fine, it was better if he rem*mbered it alone.

Pei Yizhi still carried her down from the carriage this time, but Li Kangning didn’t resist as much as before.

Outside Qingyun Tower, the young couple instantly attracted a youth clad in a luxurious brocade robe. When he saw the young lady’s appearance clearly, the idiom “A th*rny hairpin and a plain dress couldn’t hide her natural beauty” came to his mind. “How can such a beautiful lady wear only two cheap silver hairpins?” He couldn’t help but say it out loud.

The youth ignored the tall man’s cold and vigilant eyes and stared at the beautiful lady with obsession.

Li Kangning saw only admiration in his eyes, not obsc*ne intentions, so she didn’t take it to heart.

“Yan Xu, don’t be rude in front of the noble.” A clear, jade-like male voice said.

“My brother is young and ignorant. Please forgive him, Miss.” The handsome man, who looked like a banished immortal, bowed. His voice, appearance, and demeanor were all eye-catching.

Pei Yizi’s eyes fell on the clam beads on the other’s waist, and he couldn’t help biting his back teeth. His already ugly face became even more gloomy-

Why was Third Gu everywhere?

“Wife, let’s go in.” He held the girl’s hand beside him. He pretended to be casual and turned sideways, revealing the same sachet on his waist as his wife’s.

As expected, Gu Yanheng’s eyes suddenly changed for a moment.

Li Kangning didn’t notice the undercurrent between them. She nodded slightly toward Gu Yanheng in response to his words just now.

Then she walked into Qingyun Tower with Pei Yizhi and went up to the second-floor private room under the guidance of the shopkeeper.

Zhen Yanxu was still stunned by the young lady’s beauty. After a long while, he hesitated and asked: “Third cousin, you said that couple are nobles?”

Gu Yanheng’s usually warm eyes turned cold. “Well, I’ll tell you in detail when I return home.”

Zhen Yanxu touched his nose and muttered in his heart. He was the son of the Zhen family of Suzhou Weaving House. Everyone in the family spoiled him, making him develop a straightforward and romantic personality.

“Third cousin, you are already 24 years old. Why haven’t you gotten married yet?” Zhen Yanxu asked again curiously.

Gu Yanheng glanced at him lightly and did not answer. Then he looked back at the Qingyun Tower and pondered for a long time.

?

In the private room on the second floor of Qingyun Tower, before the young couple arrived, the entourage had come in advance to take care of everything. As soon as the two sat down, the servers came in orderly with various delicacies.

Pei Yizhi was uninterested in these delicacies and looked at the Princess hesitantly.

Li Kangning felt funny, “What do you want to say?”

He hesitated momentarily, “Does the Princess have a history with that Third Gu?”

In the private room, the atmosphere briefly stagnated, and one could hear a pin drop.

Li Kangning stared at the various dishes on the table, her thoughts gradually drifting away——

Gu Yanheng, the Third Young Master of Duke Wei Mansion, was this dynasty’s youngest top scholar and the Hanlin Academy’s top-third. It was rare for Huai’an Marquis’s Heir, Pei Yujin, to pa$s the provincial examination at the age of 20, and it was even rarer for Gu Yanheng to pa$s the imperial examination at the age of 20. How many scholars in the world have never been able to make further progress in their entire lives? Soon, Gu Yanheng’s sister, Gu Baoying, was chosen as the Second Prince Consort. Thus, he frequently entered the palace. When escorting his younger sister to the palace, Gu Yanheng met the Princess who had returned from the imperial garden to collect materials on the palace road. That was the first time Li Kangning had close contact with such a handsome young man who looked like a banished immortal. Her heartbeat accelerated inexplicably, and the scroll in her arms accidentally fell to the ground. Gu Yanheng, who had always remained calm in times of crisis, was also stunned. They both bent down and picked up the same scroll when they recovered. After a quick glance at each other, they blushed, and their hearts beat like drums. However, the tree wanted to be quiet, yet the wind didn’t stop.

The Second Prince Consort’s family background was far superior to the Crown Princess’s. Not only was she the daughter of Duke Wei, but her uncles and brothers were all popular and important officials.

The Crown Princess had no other t*tle or position in her family except for her grandfather, who was once the prince’s tutor, and her mother, who was a princess from the royal family. Gradually, some changes occurred inside and outside the court, and the so-called Second Prince Party emerged. Some people even boasted in private that Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty were brothers from the same mother.

Li Kangning knew very well why his brother and sister-in-law had not given birth to children for a long time. They worried they would give birth to the eldest grandson before the East Palace. Duke of Wei Mansion had already produced a consort, so her husband naturally couldn’t be someone from the Duke Wei Mansion. Seeing the situation clearly, Li Kangning quickly withdrew from the unrevealed vague feelings.

Pei Yizhi saw that she was hesitant to speak, and his blood ran cold. “If you don’t want to say it, forget it.” His low and magnetic voice was muffled.

Li Kangning came back to her senses. After thinking briefly, she slowly said, “I don’t have any old relationship with that Third Gu, but I have met him a few times before.”

Hearing this, Pei Yizhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately embraced her. He whispered with bewitching tenderness-

“Okay, I believe in my wife. I am all yours.”

Hearing him say “wife” repeatedly, Li Kangning’s cheeks flushed with shame, and she struggled to break free from his arms. Stupid, she laughed in her heart.

When the two returned to the Princess Mansion, it was already Xushi (7-9 pm). It happened to be the fifteenth day of the lunar month, and a full moon was hanging high in the sky. Xiao Luzi, the chief eunuch of the Princess Mansion, approached with a flattering smile.

“Princess, the mother of the Prince Consort, Mrs. Jin, has asked for an audience and has long waiting. Do you want to meet her?”

Mrs. Jin was only a concubine in the Marquis Mansion, and she was not worthy of being called Mistress. Xiao Luzi was giving face to the Prince Consort.

Pei Yizhi’s back stiffened when he heard this.

Li Kangning raised her eyebrows slightly, “Allow.”

“Hey, I’ll go right away.” Xiao Luzi hurried out to call her.

Mrs. Jin was waiting impatiently in the side hall and had acc*mulated a lot of words to tell the Princess.

After entering the main hall, she bowed respectfully, her eyes downcast. “This common woman pays respects to Her Highness the Princess.”

Even the Marquis of Huai’an had to bow to the Princess, so naturally, she dared not to put on the air of a mother-in-law in front of the Princess.