C8

Gu Jinzhu didn't know that someone's gaze was following her. She slowly walked along the lake's edge, feeling annoyed and reluctant to leave.

Although her aunt and uncle treated her very harshly, she had grown up here and every blade of grass and tree here had left behind her grandmother's scent. After this farewell, she would probably never have the chance to come back.

She walked along the cobblestone path, revisiting the place where her grandmother had led her, hand in hand. It was late when she returned to her own small courtyard.

"Miss, is it really the Crown Prince who came to pick you up?"

Yun Xiang sized up the Young Miss and heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that she was fine.

Gu Jinzhu was stunned. Duke of Guo? Her father, whom she hadn't seen for eight years? This girl really did dare to think about it. Gu Qingyuan hadn't even looked at her since she was born, so how could he have come all the way here to pick her up?!

However, it was to send someone who didn't matter.

That's right, Gu Yiqing was just an insignificant person in the Duke's Mansion. Although he had very little memory of the Gu family, Jinzhu still remembered this so-called 'Third Uncle'.

Gu Yiqing did not have much of an impression of him, because her father Gu Qingyuan only had one brother, and that brother was born from her grandfather's concubine, Gu Duanhai.

However, when she was four years old, her grandfather brought back a youth from the outside and told her that he was his third son. His mother had died, so he brought him back to stay with his grandmother.

At that time, Gu Yiqing was already 11 years old, and she was very cold and detached towards everyone in the family. It was as if this child was born with no feelings.

As for Grandmother, she hated this bastard who came out of nowhere and had caused a ruckus for a while. However, the Old Duke protected her with his hand, and since she wanted to pretend to be virtuous and magnanimous, she had to let this thorn in her side.

However, it was only limited to her grandfather. Once the Old Duke left, she would think of how to deal with this adopted son of hers. On the other hand, this child was lucky. His grandmother had tried several times but had yet to injure him in the slightest. She was so angry that she almost vomited blood.

From Gu Jinzhu's impression, her grandfather doted on this child even more than he did on his own two biological sons. Her father Gu Qingyuan had complained to her mother more than once and had never admitted that this youth was her younger brother.

Moreover, this young third uncle had a cold personality. He would only stay in his own courtyard and would rarely interact with outsiders.

Jin Zhu's mother, the Yang family, was very ill at that time, so she rarely noticed outsiders.

The reason why he had left such an impression on her back then was because every time her grandmother mentioned him, she would reveal a twisted and malicious face, scaring her to the point that she would have nightmares in the middle of the night.

Afterwards, when her mother passed away, Jin Zhu didn't notice where her third uncle had gone to, because in the Gu family, other than the patriarch's love and care, he was basically someone who didn't matter.

That was why she didn't think of this so-called "San Ye" for a moment.

It was hard to imagine him to be like this now. It was impossible for Jinzhu to associate that elegant and noble aura from before with the "bastard" that her grandmother spoke of. Only when she thought of his pair of extremely calm eyes could she see his cold and indifferent figure.

He hadn't thought that after ten years of separation, the Gu family would actually send such a person to pick him up. It could be seen that they didn't care about how far this daughter of his had progressed!

A cold smile appeared on her face, but she kept talking to herself.

"Miss, who came to pick you up?"

"Has the duke not come? "Then when are we leaving?"

Although Yunxiang didn't say anything, she still looked at her expectantly.

"Tomorrow morning!" Gu Jinzhu suddenly said.

"Tomorrow morning?" The two of them were stunned, and then their faces filled with surprise and joy, "Tomorrow morning? "Great, miss, can we leave now?"

Bi Meng was laughing and jumping around Gu Jinzhu. She was even more happy than Gu Jinzhu. Suddenly, she rushed into the room and anxiously said, "Ah, we're leaving tomorrow. We haven't packed our things yet, quickly come here!"

Yun Xiang also quickly walked in.

Looking at the two girls' excited expressions, Gu Jinzhu forced a smile.

She had been chosen by her grandmother as her personal maid, and had been following her since she was young. Since her grandmother's death, the two of them had been treated harshly by the Yang Mansion, so they wanted to leave.

However, how could they know that the so-called 'home' was actually something that they could not return to. It was just that she had no other choice right now.

If not for Gu Yiqing's arrival, she would have almost forgotten her other identity — the first daughter of the famous Qi Guo in Shengjing.

She was clearly the eldest miss of the Duke of Guo's estate, Jin Zunyu. Yet she was kicked out after her stepmother ascended to the throne.

It was because Jinzhu's mother, Lady Yang, had died when she was five years old, leaving behind only her only daughter. She didn't expect that in less than three months, the Duke of Guo would carry her concubine, Yao Yunxiang, as his successor.

Speaking of Gu Jinzhu's youth, if this stepmother was a little better, she would have taken good care of the daughter left behind by her previous wife and would have found a good marriage for Jinzhu in the future. That would have been a good story.

However, as the old saying goes, "A wasp's tail being pierced by a needle is the most toxic part of a stepmother's heart". Although Mrs. Yao doted heavily on the daughter left behind by the former wife, she did not care about her in private and even allowed her servants to bully the harsh young lady.

It was understandable that Lady Yao didn't like Gu Jinzhu. The Yao family was from a large family in the capital, and her father Yao Jing was a deputy minister in the capital. He was a official of the second rank and held high authority.

Therefore, even though Yao Yun Xiang was only a young girl, her status could be considered precious. He happened to run into the Qi Kingdom's Gouqing Yuan in the middle of the incense stick, and was immediately enchanted by the beauty of the woman. From then on, a strand of love was tied to Gu Qingyuan.

Although the Gu family was a noble family in Shengjing, their family background had declined in recent years, leaving behind only a powerless empty title. Gu Qingyuan had just inherited the family's identity as a duke and was considering how to revitalize his family when he saw that the young mistress of the Yao family was interested in him.

His wife, Lady Yang, was engaged by the Old Duke and his fellow brothers who had fought life and death together on the battlefield. Although the Yang family's court was not high, the two families had always been on good terms.

His wife, Mistress Yang, was even more gentle and virtuous. She had spent the past few years taking care of her husband and raising her mother-in-law, and she was kind and gentle. Now that she was pregnant, how could he abandon his wife and children?

However, his desire for power nipped at his heart like an ant. Thinking of the Yao family's monstrous power, he thought that as long as he married Miss Yao, he would have a real job. Immediately, he hardened his heart.

Gu Qingyuan was after all a distinguished official of the Qi Kingdom. His life was extremely handsome, and he was able to bend his body down and act as a small child to coax Lady Yao's heart to tie itself firmly onto his body. Finally, a year later, he carried Yao Yunxiang over as an equal wife.