nucmednet Chapter 370 Helping Guishan
Chapter 370 Helping Guishan
Zhu Qingtang and the other girls also smiled.
But the little sister's next words froze their smiles.
"Speaking of which, the second young lady of the Zhu family almost killed the three of us sisters back then. Her heart is truly despicable! The younger sister is like this, but what about the eldest young lady of the Zhu family..."
The younger sister didn't finish her sentence, but her eyes swept up and down, her guardedness evident.
Zhu Qingtang hurriedly said, "You're talking nonsense. What Zhu Qingwei did has nothing to do with me."
The younger sister shrugged: "She's your sister. Besides, the case of Zhu Qingwei's crime was closed by the Emperor's decree. And the poor second young lady of the Gui family suffered from madness, and the Gui family was punished as a result. Both the Princess's Mansion and the Duke's Mansion expressed their understanding. So, it's clear who the person who really shouldn't be standing here is."
Unable to argue with her younger sister, Zhu Qingtang angrily retorted, "Si Muwan, you shameless woman, how dare you insult me like this!"
"What did I say wrong that Miss Zhu felt was an insult?"
Zhu Qingtang's face flushed red. She was the one who said her younger sister was vicious first, so her older sister must be just as vicious. Her younger sister wasn't wrong either; the Zhu family's case was closed, but the Gui family's case wasn't.
Even if everyone knows what's going on, as long as it's covered up in public, no one can say anything.
But why should I?!
Zhu Qingtang recalled her mother's words: her mother had been compared to Si Muwan's mother when she was still a young lady; should she do the same now?
She strode forward and raised her hand to slap him.
"Watch out!" Gui Shan exclaimed, rushing over to push her younger sister away, only to be slapped herself.
A long whip lashed out from the side, wrapping around Zhu Qingtang's wrist and pulling her. Zhu Qingtang spun around and fell to the ground, looking utterly disheveled.
She was furious: "Who dares to treat me like this!"
"You resort to violence when you can't win an argument? That makes you seem all-powerful! Come on, let's see what you're made of!"
The one who spoke was naturally Du Shangge, who arrived late.
Even though she was dressed quite ladylike today, she still carried a long whip, ready to strike at any moment.
Originally, because of her younger sister's words, the noble lady next to her was not too keen on associating with Zhu Qingtang, but now that Du Shangge has arrived... she's someone you can't afford to offend.
They have real skills, unlike the two fancy moves of County Princess Zhao Ning.
So none of the noble ladies paid any attention to Zhu Qingtang; they all stepped aside and pretended not to see anything.
Zhu Qingtang burst into tears, feeling utterly humiliated.
Du Shangge rolled his eyes and said to his younger sister, "Let's go, let's go inside."
The younger sister helped Gui Shan, who was still in shock and couldn't recover for a while, and said, "Shan Shan, let's go inside first."
Gui Shan then realized what was happening and smiled at her younger sister, saying, "Thank you all for today."
Du Shangge waved his hand: "Don't thank me. I didn't even know what happened. I saw someone trying to harm Wan'er, how could I stand by and do that, right?"
Gui Shan chuckled: "I used to think Miss Du was too carefree, but now I realize that being straightforward is a good thing."
Du Shangge chuckled as he received the praise.
The three of them entered the garden together, and what came into view was a large artificial rockery, which was piled up very beautifully.
Du Shangge rushed forward in one stride, lifting her skirt as she prepared to climb the mountain.
The maidservant was very anxious: "Miss, Miss, it's inconvenient for you to climb in this long dress. Let's not climb."
Du Shangge waved his hand dismissively: "You underestimate your girl, don't you? Don't worry, I'll come up here just like I came down in a minute, and I guarantee my clothes won't even get dirty!"
The younger sister shook her head helplessly and said to Guishan, "Don't worry about her. She'll be fine with this artificial rockery."
“I know,” Gui Shan chuckled. “Miss Du’s reputation is known to everyone in the capital.”
The two waited for her at the foot of the artificial hill, chatting idly.
Gui Shan offered her explanation: "My father is no longer an official in the court, so I didn't originally need to attend such banquets. But it's impossible for me to never show up again; I'll have to get used to it sooner or later."
The Emperor bestowed her upon the Crown Prince as his principal wife. Her previous status was not high enough, and now that Lord Gui has been demoted, her status is even lower.
The younger sister laughed: "With Miss Zuo not here, it would be more appropriate to give you the position of Crown Princess."
This is true. Without Zuo Xiangwan, all the other noble ladies would be vying for the position of principal wife, none of them wanting to be a concubine or be inferior to the others. Now, a strange balance has been formed.
It seems that it's not bad for sisters who aren't on equal footing to become the Crown Princess; everyone can compete fairly for the position of concubine.
Gui Shan held her younger sister's hand: "Wan'er, thank you so much for today."
The younger sister laughed: "Back in the hunting grounds, during such a critical time, you stepped forward. I only lent a helping hand."
Gui Shan was moved, but shook her head: "Wan'er, you... my sister hurt your sister, and you still help me without holding a grudge. How can I not be moved?"
"Your sister is your sister, and you are you."
Gui Shan paused, her eyes unconsciously reddening. She and her sister had been inseparable since childhood, and their parents always said so. Since the incident, she had been facing strange looks all the time.
This was the first time someone had ever told her, "Your sister is your sister, and you are you."
She and her sister were never the same.
The younger sister looked at her encouragingly: "The road ahead is long. We shouldn't limit ourselves to what's in front of us. We should look higher and farther."
She trusted Gui Shan because if Gui Shan were merely a calculating person, upon discovering that she was in danger, she would surely weigh the pros and cons before deciding whether or not to see her.
But Gui Shan saved her without hesitation, which shows that Gui Shan herself is a sincere person.
Gui Shan and Gui Yuan are fundamentally different.
After the garden party ended, the three parted ways and went home separately.
Seeing that it was still early, the younger sister simply instructed the driver, "Take a detour and go to the market ahead."
I haven't been to the shop in a while, so I'll go check it out today. They also have the braised pork knuckle from Zui Xiang Lou, which my family loves. My younger brother is growing, so he should eat more of it.
Upon arriving at the market, we saw people performing acrobatics ahead, blocking the way for the carriages.
The younger sister said helplessly to Yin Xin, "The acrobatics are lively, but they shouldn't have chosen a place like this. They always block the road."
Yin Xin replied, "If you don't want to leave, and prefer to rest in the carriage, I'll go buy some braised pork hock."
"It's okay to take a walk."
When the younger sister and Yinxin passed by the acrobatic performance, they couldn't help but stop and take a few more glances.
The juggler lit a tinderbox in his mouth and then breathed out a ball of fire, startling everyone into spontaneous applause.
Yin Xin couldn't help but clap her hands and laugh: "This is really interesting."
The younger sister watched with curiosity. Juggling is something that requires practice, but being a juggler and actually knowing kung fu are two different things. That fire-breathing man seemed to be a trained martial artist.
Are they forced to resort to this method to make money because they are struggling to make ends meet?
But... my sister felt like she'd seen that man somewhere before.