TLDPCRM 49: A Scheme

Chapter 49: A Scheme

Madam Gu had a look of deep cunning. She touched her precious daughter's hand and whispered a few words in her ear.

Inside the pavilion, Gu Yunru was applying medicine to Qingxing's wounds and blowing on them gently.

"Miss, have you really made up your mind to marry into the royal family?"

Qingxing didn't understand why her mistress suddenly had a change of heart.

Gu Yunru finished bandaging her hand and tidied up her medicine bottle. "Yes, I've made up my mind. It's better to enjoy life than struggle. What's wrong with being a Wangfei?"

"But Miss, you always said you wanted freedom. If you become a Wangfei, you'll have to learn a lot of rules..."

Qingxing thought that her mistress had made this decision because of her, and she felt incredibly guilty.

Gu Yunru sighed and shook her head. "I've realized that it's the same no matter where you go. In this world, power and status are the most important things. Without them, even if you have all the freedom in the world, it's useless."

Qingxing scratched her head, not fully understanding, but she was happy to see her mistress suddenly become so calm.

Meanwhile, inside the palace, the princess had been waiting for news about Gu Yunru. Finally, a carrier pigeon arrived with a message, and the princess ordered for Gu Yunru to be brought to the palace for a few days.

The next morning, Gu Yunru packed her bags and arrived at the palace.

The princess had been waiting for Gu Yunru's arrival, and when she finally showed up, she came over excitedly. "Yunru, are you okay? I've been so worried about you these past few days."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I'm fine."

Gu Yunru smiled. She didn't expect the princess to care so much about her.

"I called you here because I heard that the foreign envoy from the frontier will be visiting soon, and they will definitely be discussing marriage. I'm not sure what to do, so I wanted to discuss it with you."

Gu Yunru knew what the princess was worried about, and she raised an eyebrow, reassuring her. "Don't worry, Your Highness. All you need to do is invite some handsome male musicians to the palace to play music for you. That will impress the envoy."

"That's a good idea, but what does that have to do with our plan?"

The princess didn't understand how this idea would help her.

"Think about it, Your Highness. The envoy isn't just coming to discuss marriage. He will also be reporting on your behavior and actions back to his ruler. If he finds out that you are ill-mannered and indecisive, and that you change your mind frequently, he will surely face opposition from his courtiers."

The princess finally understood, and Gu Yunru's plan put her at ease.

"Wait? You want this princess to ruin her reputation?"

Hearing this, Princess Ya became anxious. Although she was the only princess of Da Qi, she didn't need to ruin her name. If she became a laughingstock in front of others, what would happen?

"Princess, please calm down. Reputation is like a mirror of a person. Only the princess knows what kind of person she truly is. Others only see their own reflection in the mirror, and then they judge the princess based on that."

Gu Yunru just wanted to use Chu Yuyu's strategy to deal with the suitors who came to seek Princess's hand in marriage. Even if they knew that Princess Ya was beautiful and charming, they would not dare to openly pursue her, as they knew that she could potentially bring them shame.

Princess Ya listened to her words while pacing back and forth in front of her, clearly still uncertain about what to do.

"It depends on what the princess decides to do. Avoidance is not a solution. We must face it sooner or later."

"I understand. Why don't you stay with me in the palace for a few more days?" After returning to the palace, Princess Ya either went to see the Empress Dowager or stayed in the palace with nothing to do. It was rare to meet an interesting friend like Gu Yunru, so she didn't want to let her go so easily.

"I'm sorry, I still have some matters to attend to in my household. When my father returns, we will have to deal with them together. As a daughter, I have to show filial piety."

Gu Yunru was just using her father as an excuse. After they parted ways, Princess Ya ran into Xiao Dengzi at Xuanwu Gate and exchanged a few greetings.

"Miss Gu, I didn't expect to see you again."

"Oh, it's you, Xiao Dengzi. It's nice to see you again."

Gu Yunru smiled, feeling particularly close to Xiao Dengzi every time they met.

"Xiao Dengzi, has anything happened in the palace these days?"

Upon hearing Gu Yunru's question, Xiao Dengzi clearly had something on his mind.

"What happened? Has something really happened? How is Biluo?"

"Miss, Biluo has already passed away..."

Xiao Dengzi was also filled with regret that such a good person had died in this way.

Gu Yunru and Qingxing looked at each other, both unable to believe the outcome.

"How could this happen so suddenly? What exactly happened?" Gu Yunru pressed on, determined to get to the bottom of things.

After looking around to ensure no one was listening, Xiao Dengzi took a step forward and lowered his voice. "I heard that she was beaten to death by people sent by the Concubine Shu, and it was a gruesome sight."

"This Concubine Shu..." Gu Yunru swallowed her words halfway, fearing that someone might be listening through the walls.

"Xiao Dengzi... what about Biluo's family?" Gu Yunru never thought that she still couldn't protect Biluo, leaving her alone and helpless to die under the power of the court.

Xiao Dengzi wiped away his tears and choked up

"Biluo was pitiful and had no family left."

Gu Yunru was lost in thought for a long time before Xiao Dengzi remembered that there was still business to attend to and left first.

Qingxing saw Miss Gu looking upset and couldn't help but feel sad too.

"Biluo is really pitiful. The servants who work in the palace are all helpless."

"Yes, their lives can be equated with money." Gu Yunru couldn't help but look back. Aren't there already many ghosts in the deep palace? The imperial concubine can make someone disappear forever with just a whim.

She couldn't help but worry about Concubine Ying.

"Miss, let's go back quickly to avoid encountering the same thing as last time." Qingxing urged, still fearful from the last incident.




Upon returning home, she saw chickens and ducks flying around the yard, with feathers littering the ground and the area becoming almost like a duck pen.

"What's going on?"

Gu Yunru looked at this group of people dissatisfiedly. Did these chickens and ducks just happen to fly into the Garden Pavilion? It wasn't happening anywhere else, but it was happening in her own yard.

"Miss, don't be angry. These animals somehow flew out from the wall courtyard and just happened to fly into your yard. You don't need to worry, we'll catch them right away."

Qingxing wrinkled her nose, the smell of chicken droppings filling the yard, almost making her want to throw up.

"I don't know if the Miss can't stand the smell of these animals. Please hurry and clean them up!"

"Yes."

Gu Yunru suppressed her disgust and walked into the house. As soon as she pushed the door open, an old rooster jumped out, startling her.

"Qingxing, close all the doors and windows tightly. Don't let these things fly in!"

"Yes."

Gu Yunru vaguely guessed who had planned this scheme and knew that Madam Gu would not give up easily.