As these words were spoken, total silence descended upon Tinglan Courtyard. Everyone stared blankly at Song Yihuan.
The newly - crowned second - place scholar in the imperial examination, Lord Gu?
Wasn't this the very person they had been discussing yesterday?
They never expected that their young lady actually knew the newly - crowned second - place scholar! No, no, that wasn't right. It should be that the newly - crowned second - place scholar had come all the way to the Prince Ning's Mansion looking for someone! What on earth was the relationship between this Lord Gu and their young lady?!
Song Yihuan suddenly came to her senses. Meeting three pairs of curious and somewhat excited eyes, her heart sank abruptly.
She never thought that Gu Yunzheng would come directly to the Prince Ning's Mansion to look for her, especially after the top three scholars in the imperial examination had paraded through the streets in their official uniforms. After today, many people would probably know that Gu Yunzheng was associated with her.
If it had been before, she would have welcomed this, but now she was no longer a virgin and couldn't escape the current predicament. Gu Yunzheng's actions would only bring her more troubles.
She should return that jade pendant to him, but it definitely couldn't be at this time.
Song Yihuan took a deep breath, looked up at the servant, and said, "Sorry, I don't know any Lord Gu. Since we're not acquainted, there's no way I'd go to meet him. Please be so kind as to decline this person on my behalf."
Don't know him? The servant who had delivered the message was also confused. He scratched his head. Seeing that Song Yihuan's expression didn't seem fake, he could only say, "I'll go and tell the steward right away."
As soon as the servant left, Song Yihuan was immediately surrounded by Chunxing, Fuling, and her younger brother.
"Fourth Miss, what's going on?" Chunxing asked eagerly. "Why did that Second - place Scholar Gu come to visit you?"
"Fourth Miss surely doesn't really know that Lord Gu, does she?" Fuling also asked curiously.
Song Yihuan remained calm and said, "I don't know him. I've never met him. A young lady's reputation is extremely important. You mustn't talk nonsense."
After sending the two maids away to do their tasks, Song Yihuan sat in the courtyard, her brows furrowing imperceptibly. Song Yixuan leaned over to her side and whispered in her ear, "Fourth Sister, is Lord Gu Fourth Sister's sweetheart?"
Song Yihuan was startled and looked at her younger brother.
The little boy blinked his big eyes, put his finger to his lips, and said, "Xuan'er will keep it a secret for Fourth Sister."
Not wanting to deceive her younger brother, Song Yihuan stroked his hair, sighed, and whispered, "He's not my sweetheart. We've just had some interactions in the past, but we're fated not to be together. Since there's no result, why meet again?"
Song Yixuan looked a bit regretful. "Xuan'er thought there would be one more brother - in - law in the future."
The words "brother - in - law" were like sharp thorns, piercing deeply into Song Yihuan's heart, making her recall that fateful night when she had submitted to her brother - in - law, Ji Lingchuan.
How could she be worthy...
A jet - black steed stopped outside the gate of the Prince Ning's Mansion. Ji Lingchuan dismounted and tossed the reins to a servant, then strode towards the mansion gate.
In order to investigate the case of the stolen items of the examinees, he hadn't been able to return to the mansion for several days. Fortunately, his hard work paid off. After catching the culprit red - handed, they sent the person to the yamen overnight and interrogated him for three days and three nights. Finally, the suspect confessed.
After signing the case file and putting the person in prison, Ji Lingchuan completed the task assigned to him and rushed back home without delay.
He didn't know why he was so eager. He just felt that... he had been away from home for too long this time.
Ji Lingchuan stepped into the mansion gate, and the steward, Cheng Zhong, greeted him. "My Lord, you're finally back."
Seeing the strange look on the steward's face, Ji Lingchuan stopped and asked, "What's wrong? Has anything major happened in the mansion recently?"
Steward Cheng said, "Everything has been fine in the mansion recently. The Prince and the Princess are in good health, and the Princess Consort is also safe. It's just..."
Ji Lingchuan's heart immediately skipped a beat. Since it wasn't the Prince, the Princess, or the Princess Consort, could something have happened to the siblings? His hand unconsciously rested on the saber at his waist, and his face darkened. "Just what? Speak up. Don't hesitate."
Steward Cheng said, "Just now, the newly - crowned second - place scholar, Lord Gu, suddenly came to the mansion. He said that he had heard that Miss Song, the fourth daughter of the Marquis Ding'an's Mansion, was staying in our mansion and wanted to meet her. I thought they were old acquaintances, so I sent someone to invite Miss Song. But Miss Song said she didn't know this person and declined to meet Lord Gu."
"I've relayed Miss Song's words to Lord Gu, but Lord Gu insists on seeing Miss Song and refuses to leave. Now, he's still in the mansion."
Miss Song, Song Yihuan. Sure enough, it was something related to her. Ji Lingchuan frowned tightly.
The newly - crowned second - place scholar, Gu Yunzheng. He knew this person. Gu was a disciple of his teacher, Grand Tutor Qi, and could be considered his junior brother.
During the imperial examination this time, thanks to his identity as the Heir of Prince Ning, he had watched the whole process on - site. This person was indeed extremely talented. He had spoken eloquently and written beautifully in the Golden Palace. With his young age, he had really stolen the show.
He never expected that Gu would be acquainted with Song Yihuan.
Gripping the hilt of the saber at his waist tightly, Ji Lingchuan asked, "Where is this person now?"
"In Qingyu Tower."
Ji Lingchuan turned around and strode towards Qingyu Tower. The wind blew his hair, and his robe fluttered in the air, making a graceful arc.
Inside Qingyu Tower, a figure in light blue was sitting upright. The man was lowering his head in deep thought, with his hair tied up in a hairpin at the back of his head. It was the newly - crowned second - place scholar, Gu Yunzheng, the legitimate son of the eldest branch of the prestigious Gu family in Yunzhou.
As if sensing something, he looked up towards the door and saw a tall and imposing figure walking towards him.
The man was nearly six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His strong body filled out the fabric of his clothes on his shoulders and arms, just like a drawn sword, full of boundless strength. Due to his high position, he exuded an indescribable air of nobility and dignity. His handsome and cold face was so perfect that even a man like Gu couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
This was Ji Lingchuan, the Heir of Prince Ning, the commander of the 100,000 Black Armored Troops, and the General Weiyuan.
Gu Yunzheng stood up and bowed to Ji Lingchuan who was striding towards him. "Gu Yunzheng, the eldest son of the Gu family in Yunzhou, pays respects to the Heir."
"The Gu family in Yunzhou, Gu Yunzheng?"
Gu Yunzheng was as elegant as a jade tree, handsome and charming. His looks were no less than those of the pampered young masters of the aristocratic families in the capital city.
Just having finished the imperial examination and won the second - place in the palace examination, his eyes were full of high - spiritedness. He truly deserved the title of "romantic scholar".
However, compared with Ji Lingchuan, who had been fighting on the battlefield for a long time, this high - spirited young second - place scholar, although having elegance, lacked physical strength. Ji Lingchuan felt that he could even crush him with one hand.
His hawk - like gaze fell on Gu Yunzheng, scanning him from head to toe carefully.
Ji Lingchuan looked down at the scholar who was a bit shorter than him and said calmly,
"I heard that you came to the Prince Ning's Mansion to meet Miss Song, the fourth daughter of the Marquis Ding'an's Mansion?"