Meng Ruyi nodded in agreement and then said, "So in a few days, I might really need your help." "No problem!" Gu Ling slapped his chest. Suddenly, he remembered something and felt lucky, "Fortunately, I haven't set off yet. Otherwise, I wouldn't even be able to do this small favor."
"Alas." After saying that, Gu Ling sighed again and lamented, "I won't get angry with Zhang Yunyun, that little girl, anymore."
The two of them liked to quarrel from time to time. Meng Ruyi was already used to their confrontational manner. Hearing this, she glanced at Gu Ling.
"By the way." Gu Ling thought for a while and added, "This matter is not a big deal. After all, this place is far from the capital, so those people can't control it. A strong dragon can't suppress a local snake. So these local officials don't dare to do anything openly, but there are quite a few cases of them treating human lives like grass behind the scenes."
Saying these words, Gu Ling couldn't help showing some indignation on his face.
The current emperor's health had been deteriorating in recent years. Gu Ling would often see his mother receive urgent messages from the capital. Most of the time, every shock was related to the emperor's health.
The struggle for the throne among the princes had entered a white - hot stage. The powerful and noble people's attention was focused on the capital, so there were more people trying to take advantage of the chaos. Gu Ling knew that Zhang Yunyun's father used to be a good official, but he still sighed about his change.
But it didn't matter. Gu Ling sighed in his heart. This matter was not a big deal. If one wanted to forcefully suppress it, it was not impossible.
County Magistrate Zhang had really given birth to a good daughter.
Meng Ruyi sensed what Gu Ling was thinking and almost took out a stick to hit him on the spot. She never thought of letting County Magistrate Zhang get away unscathed, and neither did Zhang Yunyun. How could Gu Ling start making calculations first!
"Gu Ling!" Meng Ruyi was a little angry, and her tone was also a bit cold. "If you do those things, don't blame me and Brother Xiaosong for not caring about our old friendship."
Gu Ling had been chattering away. Hearing this, he suddenly fell silent. The whole person seemed to be frozen in place and didn't move.
Meng Ruyi also stopped walking and looked at him.
Gu Ling's background was too high. Meng Ruyi seemed to be seeing him for the first time, peeping at the superiority hidden beneath Gu Ling's hearty appearance. Lady Gu and General Gu were both very good people, and Gu Ling was also nice. But those who had been in high positions for a long time would inevitably have a different perspective when looking at people.
People who were used to solving problems with power always had the first reaction of suppressing things.
Meng Ruyi suddenly remembered that in that strange book, Gu Ling's character was a young general who forced himself on the female protagonist. He was tough in his methods and left no room for compromise.
"Sorry." After a long time, Gu Ling finally said, "I didn't think it through before I said such things."
Meng Ruyi thought that Gu Ling might not really have realized his mistake, but when her eyes met his, she saw the sincerity on his face.
It seemed that he really thought so and really realized his problem.
But could this young master, who was born in a house made of gold and jade, really learn to look at others equally?
Song Huaizhi watched the scene in front of him. Seeing that Meng Ruyi and Gu Ling finally both realized this conflict, he couldn't help sneering a little in his heart. His expression was calm as he watched them.
...
Zhang Yunyun's uncle and aunt were very nice people.
When Meng Ruyi went to pick her up, she saw the two of them with red eyes, standing at the door looking at her.
After explaining everything, Zhang Yunyun planned to move to her uncle's house in two or three days and try to get back her mother's dowry at that time.
By the time they got home and finished dinner, it was already late.
Meng Ruyi rubbed her tired eyes and heard Song Huaizhi beside her say, "Are you very tired, Yuyu?"
"Not too bad." Meng Ruyi looked at him. After hesitating for a moment, she still asked the question in her mind, "What kind of person do you think Gu Ling is, Brother Xiaosong?"
What kind of person was Gu Ling?
Song Huaizhi knew Gu Ling very well, just as well as he knew other protagonists. So he had never liked these people because no matter how he behaved, in Song Huaizhi's eyes, Gu Ling could never get rid of the arrogance in the original book.
In the original plot, Gu Ling was extremely arrogant. But now Gu Ling was much better, but Song Huaizhi still found it hard to like him.
"It's hard to describe." The past Gu Ling and the present Gu Ling had something in common, but when compared side by side, there was an obvious sense of disconnection.
Different experiences had led the same person to different paths.
"But with Gu Ling's background, it's destined that he can hardly be the same as you."
"The same?" Meng Ruyi didn't quite understand what Song Huaizhi meant by "the same", so she asked back, "The same in what way?"
Song Huaizhi saw the young girl slightly frowning, and her eyes looking at him were full of confusion.
Song Huaizhi didn't answer immediately. He organized his words in his mind. Meng Ruyi had a very rare characteristic, something that Song Huaizhi had rarely seen before, which was the purity of a smart person. She knew the ways of the world but wasn't worldly, always calm and kind.
She was very similar to Mr. Lin, so Song Huaizhi was sure from the beginning that he would take Meng Ruyi as his disciple.
"Kind?" After saying that, Song Huaizhi felt that this word was too general, so he added, "And that kind of tolerance."
Meng Ruyi understood a bit and nodded to indicate that she understood.
The moonlight was just right. The two of them slowly walked towards the yard. Lianqiao and the others followed behind sensibly.
The tree shadows were dancing. Meng Ruyi stared blankly at the shadows on the wall. Thoughts flashed through her mind continuously, and finally landed on the question Gu Ling had asked her at sunset.
What kind of person would Brother Xiaosong like?
Meng Ruyi and Song Huaizhi had always been honest with each other. They would directly ask each other any questions. But now, when this question came up, Meng Ruyi felt that she was a bit shy to ask. So she held it back and her face showed a hesitant look.
Although Song Huaizhi's eyes were fixed on the road ahead, his peripheral vision still fell on Meng Ruyi. Seeing her staring at him but not saying a word, he felt a bit confused.
"What do you want to ask me, Yuyu?"
Meng Ruyi was still hesitating. Hearing this, she almost bit her tongue. She turned to look at the young man beside her.
Under the moonlight, Song Huaizhi was so handsome that he didn't seem like a mortal.
Meng Ruyi looked and looked. She only felt her ears getting hot and her tongue getting tied up. "I... I was thinking, that... just..."
Stuttering for a long time, Meng Ruyi still couldn't ask the question. She almost bit her tongue again. Finally, in front of Song Huaizhi, she took a deep breath, calmed down for a moment, and then said, "Forget it. I'll think about it again."
"We're almost there. Be careful, Brother Xiaosong. I'll go back and rest too."
After saying that, she ran away in a hurry, only leaving Song Huaizhi with a back view. Her hasty steps inevitably had a taste of running away in embarrassment.
What was she thinking?