Chapter 3: Gossip (Revised)

After seeing off the guests, Xu Weishu looked at the jade wall. It had grown a bit more white light; it seemed the merit she had accumulated recently was enough to keep her lively for about a month, and only then did she eat her meal with satisfaction.

The household had long since abandoned the rule of "no talking while eating or sleeping." Back in Guixu, Xu Weishu couldn't even find anyone to eat or talk with; there was only the white whale to accompany her. Now, could she not enjoy a bit of liveliness?

As she ate, Baoqin sat to one side, chattering away about various gossip she had heard from outside—things like the former Crown Prince being seriously ill, the Crown Prince's third prince returning to the capital to attend to his illness, and the first and second princes making frequent moves and even sending heavy gifts to the Duke of Ying's manor. However, the current Duke of Ying, Xu Jingyan—who happened to be Xu Weishu's cheap uncle—seemed not to have accepted them.

This even piqued Xu Weishu's interest.

The connection between the Xu family and the former Crown Prince was too deep. It could be said that they rose because of the Crown Prince and fell because of him as well. The main reason Xu Weishu had fallen into her current predicament was also the Crown Prince; how could she not be concerned?

Unfortunately, most of the memory fragments left by the original host were about the inner chambers and back courtyards. Aside from knowing a bit about the general situation, there was... the Duke of Ying's manor was gone after all, and not much else. The original host likely hadn't noticed, but Xu Weishu had vaguely guessed from the words and gestures of those around her over the past twenty years—the Emperor did not want things to go well for Xu Weishu.

Troublesome!

Having incurred the displeasure of His Majesty in a feudal society, it would likely be very difficult for her to struggle toward a normal, farming-oriented life.

Baoqin was in high spirits, talking incessantly.

Speaking of the third young master of the former Crown Prince's family, there was quite a legendary air about him. When the third young master, Fang Rong, was thirteen, he was branded a demon by the Crown Princess. Later, he was sent to Mount Qinglan for spiritual cultivation, and since then, there had been no news of him.

Now that the Crown Prince had caused trouble, he had traveled thousands of miles to return and care for his father. According to rumors, even the Emperor felt this grandson was filial and virtuous, and people up and down the capital were discussing it fervently.

"That Third Master is one thing." Baoqin curled her lip. Although the capital said the Third Master was filial, there were many criticisms as well. His constitution was weak, he was afraid of light, and he never left his room; even inside the room, the lighting was dim. Though it wasn't good to say openly, the imperial physicians in the palace all said the third young master wouldn't live many more years.

The physical issues were one thing, but his personality was even more timid and cowardly; he didn't even dare to kill a chicken. The Great Yin Dynasty was founded on martial prowess, and even though it now emphasized both civil and martial arts, the Emperor still preferred courageous descendants.

"I actually quite admire the strategist by his side, Young Master Gao Zhe. It is said that during the Longevity Festival, because of the matter of the reforms, he alone debated against a crowd of scholars, making Chancellor Xu faint with anger, yet he earned the Emperor's praise, even overshadowing Jun Zhuo's prominence."

Jun Zhuo was the original host's original fiancé. At this moment, the engagement had long since been broken, and it was the Emperor's messenger who had delivered the word to end it.

The betrothal tokens had not been returned; instead, two chests of silver had been sent back.

Speaking of him, Baoqin called him by his name directly, clearly very dissatisfied with this irresponsible bastard of a former fiancé who had abandoned his young lady without a word. However, the maid's thoughts were no longer on this man who had already disappeared from her mistress's side.

"Strange, Gao Zhe, Gao Zhe... such a brilliant figure, yet how come this servant cannot find out his background? Five years ago, Gao Zhe was already famous in the Northern Border. The Qiang King, Gu Liangyan, said his talent was peerless, that he alone could rival an army of a hundred thousand. Back then, when our Duke went to receive the Crown Prince's return to court, only he was detained by the Qiang people, who refused to let him leave no matter what. Yet, who would have thought that after Mr. Gao spent three years in the Qiang Kingdom, he actually managed to cause chaos in the Qiang Kingdom, leading to tribal separation, and even swayed the Qiang King's most trusted Great General, Yuan Qi."

A string of little stars couldn't help but twinkle in Baoqin's eyes.

Xu Weishu smiled faintly, sighing that no matter where one was, there was no shortage of struggles for power and profit. This Gao Zhe was said to have been praised by the Emperor later on—*His skin is like jade, his hair like emerald pines; his beauty is peerless, the likes of which the world has never seen.*

He was indeed a remarkable figure. It was just that the original host had looked down on him, simply because he had once left her master, Fang Rong, to join Prince Zhong. Even if Fang Rong did not hold a grudge and forgave him—remaining close friends until they both died young, with their graves even being adjacent—the original host still did not like him.

Xu Weishu, however, was quite curious about this person.

She felt that as a prince, it would be impossible to forgive such an act of betrayal; there must be a story behind it.

Perhaps it was a double agent situation?

The memories were very fragmented. Since she couldn't figure out the cause and effect, Xu Weishu stopped thinking about it and chewed her breakfast slowly.

Su Juan also brought over Qiuqiu's food—two roasted small fish with no seasoning, all the bones picked out cleanly. The little creature crouched in front of the plate, chewing slowly just like its owner.

Baoqin, however, sat staring blankly, gazing at the charcoal brazier at her feet, appearing heavy-hearted. Xu Weishu glanced at her and knew she was worried about whether the family had enough money to get by.

Sigh, daily expenses were actually fine, it was just...

Taking advantage of the good sunlight today, Xu Weishu decided to take people to pack things up. After the mourning period ended, she had to return to the Duke's manor no matter what to prepare in advance and avoid chaos.

As soon as they started packing, the maid Baoqin burst into tears once.

"When the Madam was still here, she would make jewelry for the Young Lady every few days. Top-quality jade and jewels were brought by the chestloads in carriages. I remember the Madam once joked that the jewelry the Young Lady just threw around for play would be several times more than the entire dowry of a girl from an ordinary wealthy family."

Xu Weishu was stunned. In her memory, her father had also laughed and said—*How is this enough? A girl must be raised to be precious, the more precious the better, so she knows what true prosperity is, lest she becomes shallow-sighted in the future and is easily coaxed away by some random cat or dog.*

Especially during the Coming-of-Age ceremony; no one knew where the Duchess of Guo had obtained that Twelve Dzi Bead Crown, but even the Empress was envious.

The original host had indeed grown up in a honey pot. When she practiced calligraphy in her childhood, she used works of the level of the *Kuai Xue Shi Qing Tie*. The ink she used had to be the specially made fragrant ink by the Old Man of Qishan. The clothes she wore had to be made of the finest fabrics by the best weavers. The things she discarded were things others would compete for with thousands of gold pieces.

From the moment she stepped out of the house at age ten, the original host was an object of imitation. The clothes she wore, the ornaments she carried, the toys she liked, and even a song she listened to when the mood struck—all of them would instantly become trends.

Her parents were likely the most doting parents in the world, though their tendency to flaunt wealth might not have been a good omen.

Xu Weishu sighed. Whether it was good or bad luck, this could be considered a stroke of accidental fortune. Her second aunt might have ill intentions, but her uncle was not that kind of unscrupulous person. Even if he didn't treat his niece very well, he would never touch her personal jewelry or clothing; after all, they were a noble family, and face and reputation were the most important things.

Even if her uncle, being a second son, had not received the best education like the eldest legitimate son from a young age, he was not ignorant of basic principles.

With these pieces of jewelry accumulated from childhood to adulthood to protect her, even if the Duke of Ying's manor truly vanished in the future, she would have time to plan her escape.

However, the maid Baoqin did not think her mistress was very rich. Once her lady finished her mourning and reappeared in social circles, in her current state, she would surely suffer grievances.

*The official dies for the master's disgrace!* The little girl was clenching her fists, ready to charge into battle for her mistress.

That mistress, who in her heart had always been waiting for her to charge into battle, finished packing her things and then felt the silver ingots engraved with exquisite cloud patterns underneath. She thought about taking out another batch to exchange for copper coins; copper coins were becoming increasingly expensive.

It was only a brief thought. Taking advantage of the good sun, she hugged her little cat, Qiuqiu, and lay on the lounge chair to soak up the sun comfortably.

Baoqin was full of resentment toward that former fiancé who was now considered non-existent, but Xu Weishu felt that when Jun Zhuo broke the engagement, instead of returning the heavy and useless betrothal gifts, he had sent silver instead. Regardless of his actual mindset, this approach was most appropriate for her current situation.

It was just that the original host's current memories hated him intensely, while the long years that followed were mostly filled with melancholy and sadness.

Holding Qiuqiu in her arms, it was very warm, and even the winter wind did not feel so bone-chilling. Xu Weishu's mind did not want to work too hard, and before long, she was drifting toward sleep. In her daze, a sudden burst of hurried footsteps reached her ears.