Gu Yunzheng was the second-place finisher in the recent imperial examinations. Now, he had been promoted and appointed as a sixth-rank assistant magistrate in the prefectural yamen. When he was sorting out the list of people going to Xingzhou for the autumn hunt, his name was prominently on it.
However, he had just entered the officialdom and was alone in the capital. His carriage was in the second half of the entire convoy. It was not until then that Song Yihuan noticed that he was also in Xingzhou.
Halting her steps, Song Yihuan kept a distance from him and slightly nodded. "Lord Gu."
Song Yixuan stood beside Song Yihuan, blinking his curious eyes at the tall and upright Gu Yunzheng. His eyes sparkled brightly.
Lord Gu? Was he the same Lord Gu who had won the second place in the imperial examinations and came to the Prince Ning's Mansion to look for the Fourth Sister?
Gu Yunzheng naturally also noticed the little guy beside Song Yihuan. Realizing that this was the younger brother she had mentioned before, he lifted his lips into a smile and formally greeted Song Yixuan.
"This must be Young Master Song the Fifth. As the Fourth Miss said, you're really as cute as a snow angel."
Song Yixuan didn't reply immediately. Instead, he blinked his eyes and looked at Song Yihuan. Song Yihuan smiled at him. "Don't be afraid. Just address him as Lord Gu like I do."
Only then did Song Yixuan obediently call out, "Lord Gu."
Seeing that the two were about to go out, Gu Yunzheng asked with concern, "Where are you two going at this time?"
Song Yihuan didn't want to talk to him much. She simply said, "We have something to attend to. Please excuse us."
After saying that, she took Song Yixuan's hand and walked out with Fuling following behind.
Obviously, Gu Yunzheng wasn't going to let go of such a good opportunity, especially when Ji Lingchuan wasn't by her side. Immediately, he turned around and caught up with her steps. With a straight face, he said,
"You're a weak woman, and you're taking your young brother with you. It's really unsafe in Tianxiang City where you're not familiar with the place. I'm the assistant magistrate of the capital prefecture. It's my duty to ensure the safety of Miss Song the Fourth and Young Master Song the Fifth."
Song Yihuan was a bit helpless. She said, "We don't need your trouble, Lord Gu. We're just going to stroll around the inn. There'll be no problem."
"No. It's only natural for a man to protect a woman. If you feel uncomfortable, I'll keep a distance from you. I won't let people gossip."
After Gu Yunzheng said this righteously, he secretly glanced around, moved closer to Song Yihuan, and lowered his voice to say something only the two of them knew.
"I've found some clues about the matter you asked me to investigate last time. Let's find a place and talk slowly."
Song Yihuan was shocked inside. She nodded imperceptibly, silently allowing him to follow.
The two walked out of the inn one after the other. Although there was a distance between them, anyone could tell that Gu Yunzheng was protecting Song Yihuan and Song Yixuan.
And this scene was all seen by two people in the inn.
Ji Zihuan was playing with the teacup in his hand. Looking at Gu Yunzheng closely following behind that graceful figure, he smiled at Ji Lingchuan beside him. "This Scholar Gu is really persistent. After being so ruthlessly rejected by Miss Song the Fourth, he still keeps chasing after her. Cousin, aren't you worried?"
Ji Lingchuan frowned slightly. His gaze followed Song Yihuan's departing figure. He said indifferently, "Worried about what?"
"A determined woman is afraid of a persistent man. Lord Gu is so persistent and looks so deeply in love. Few women can resist him. Now Miss Song the Fourth has become a popular figure. Don't you have any thoughts in your heart, cousin?"
Ji Zihuan deliberately asked.
He knew that with Ji Lingchuan's character, he would never do anything that violated the worldly etiquette. But he had no other interests in his life. He just liked to see his solemn and etiquette-abiding cousin in a dilemma, and it always worked.
But to his disappointment, Ji Lingchuan still had that cold and indifferent look on his face. He said, "What thoughts can I have?"
Ji Zihuan shook his head and drank the tea in his cup in one gulp. He sighed, "I really don't understand you more and more, cousin."
The way he looked at her clearly showed his desire. He even came to him privately to ask him to legitimize her and her biological mother. Didn't this mean that he was in love with her?
Was the opinion of the world really that important? So important that he could give the woman he fancied to someone else?
He just didn't believe this nonsense.
Rolling his eyes, Ji Zihuan waved his hand and yawned. "I'm tired. General Wei Yuan, you may leave."
Ji Lingchuan bowed his hands to Ji Zihuan in salute, then took a step and left Ji Zihuan's room.
Walking down the wooden stairs step by step, the picture of Gu Yunzheng following behind Song Yihuan emerged in Ji Lingchuan's mind.
Previously, in order to capture those dwarfs, the three of them had worked on a case together. He could see that Gu Yunzheng had never stopped his thought of getting closer to her. He even deliberately curried favor with Qi Lei. It was obvious that he still hadn't let her go.
He also knew that now her reputation was no longer as bad as before. She finally didn't have to be criticized and looked down upon by others. Maybe there would be many young masters from noble families who would have the same idea as Gu Yunzheng about her.
He should be like what he had just said to Ji Zihuan, not to listen, not to hear, and not to see. But his body and his reason were in conflict. There was clearly a voice in his mind telling him that he couldn't, at least not now. But his feet still walked uncontrollably all the way to the bottom of the inn and followed the direction where the two had disappeared.
Seeing Ji Lingchuan chasing after them with his own eyes, Ji Zihuan on the rooftop laughed even more meaningfully.
The local customs in Xingzhou were indeed different from those in the capital. Song Yihuan held Song Yixuan's hand and strolled casually on the street, looking at the small gadgets and food sold by the street vendors. Her eyes were full of freshness and curiosity.
The siblings looked around here and there, having a great time.
Gu Yunzheng followed the siblings at a proper distance as he had said before. Listening to the occasional laughter from the siblings, a faint smile appeared on his face.
He saw Song Yihuan playing with a hairpin lovingly. She seemed quite tempted, but in the end, she put the hairpin down and took her younger brother to another place.
Gu Yunzheng stepped forward, took out a piece of silver from his sleeve, threw it to the peddler, bought the hairpin just now, and followed up quietly.
The peddler held the piece of silver in his hand, grinning from ear to ear. But a shadow fell in front of him. Looking up, he saw a tall and straight man standing in front of his stall, with a cold face that made the peddler shiver.
Fortunately, that man just glanced at the hairpins on his stall and then left, leaving the peddler there wiping his sweat desperately.
Song Yihuan walked around the bustling market in Tianxiang City. In a short while, she got used to the local accent in Xingzhou. She could not only understand seven or eight out of ten words but also imitate the local accent to talk to people. No one could tell that she was from the capital. They even thought that she had grown up in Tianxiang City since childhood.
This unique skill of hers greatly surprised Gu Yunzheng.
Not only Gu Yunzheng, but even Ji Lingchuan who was silently following behind them didn't expect Song Yihuan to have such a talent.
Not knowing what he thought of, his breath caught, and he looked at Song Yihuan.