Chapter 27

Before Gu Qiancheng left, the half of the *Yi Guo Zhi* (Chronicles of the Yi Kingdom) that she had Sun Mama deliver to Grandfather Gu finally came into play. Grandfather Gu accidentally came across the book, opened it, and was immediately stunned, then overjoyed, unable to contain himself.

After a quick read, he realized it was only half a book, and Grandfather Gu became extremely anxious. Remembering that this was something Gu Qiancheng had someone deliver, Grandfather Gu immediately understood his granddaughter's intentions. For the sake of the *Yi Guo Zhi*, Grandfather Gu did not mind taking care of Gu Qiancheng and making sure she lived well in the Gu household.

Grandfather Gu had someone invite Gu Qiancheng over, but was told that she had already been sent away.

Grandfather Gu almost fainted from anger. After scolding his old wife, son, and daughter-in-law, he immediately ordered his trusted aide to chase after Gu Qiancheng and bring her back at all costs.

Grandfather Gu was the king of the Gu family, and no one dared to disobey his orders. Even if Lady Gu was so angry that she almost fainted, she could only grit her teeth and accept it.

Grandfather Gu's trusted aide, knowing the importance of the matter, rode his horse at full speed and finally caught up. However, the situation seemed a bit off.

"Your Highness, this lowly one greets Prince Qin, may you live ten thousand years." Grandfather Gu's trusted aide, after turning his horse around, immediately knelt down to pay his respects to Qin Jiyu.

Qin Jiyu ignored him and instead looked at Gu Qiancheng in his arms. This woman had yet to answer his question.

"Your Highness, since someone from the Gu household has come to pick me up, I won't trouble you to see me off personally." Gu Qiancheng was happy not to answer, thinking that Qin Jiyu wouldn't have the nerve to ask again.

Qin Jiyu indeed wouldn't repeatedly ask like a woman. However, since Gu Qiancheng kept toying with him, he wouldn't let her off easily.

"Gu Qiancheng, I will remember you." Qin Jiyu gave Gu Qiancheng a cold look and, when she was completely unprepared, gently pushed her, sending her falling off the horse.

"Ah..." Falling straight down, Gu Qiancheng screamed in terror, instinctively reaching out to grab something, but found nothing to hold onto.

This sudden turn of events not only terrified Gu Qiancheng but also stunned Jiao Xiangdi and Feng Yiqian. Prince Qin's mood changed too quickly. Just a moment ago, he had risked his life to save her, and now he was trying to kill her. Indeed, the ways of the imperial family were beyond the understanding of ordinary people.

"Miss." Grandfather Gu's trusted aide, his face pale with fear, quickly got up, trying to catch Gu Qiancheng. But just as Gu Qiancheng was about to hit the ground, Qin Jiyu flicked his whip, wrapping it around her waist and suspending her by the horse's side.

Phew... She didn't hit her head, that's good.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Qin Jiyu was just scaring Gu Qiancheng. But at that moment, Qin Jiyu released the whip, letting Gu Qiancheng roll away.

"Despicable." The wound on her body rubbed against the ground again, and Gu Qiancheng almost bit her tongue from the pain.

The Crown Prince indeed had a bad temper. She must stay away from him in the future.

"This is the lesson I give you." Qin Jiyu coldly watched Gu Qiancheng roll to the other side of the street, raised his whip, and rode away...

The horse's hooves kicked up a cloud of dust. Gu Qiancheng, lifting her head, choked on a mouthful of dust. After coughing for a long time, she finally caught her breath and couldn't help but curse in her heart: "Qin Jiyu, you despicable guy, I will remember you."

She had never suffered such a great loss in her life. Qin Jiyu, she, Gu Qiancheng, would remember him!

"In the cold and aloof Prince Qin, who keeps people at a distance, actually saved that young lady. It seems that in the heart of Prince Qin, this young lady must be special." In a private room of a teahouse across the street, a man in a moonlight-colored robe watched the entire scene with interest. His warm eyes sparkled, and the man sitting opposite him was Feng Sijin, whom Jiao Xiangdi envied and hated.

Feng Sijin smiled before speaking, his warm eyes filled with a captivating warmth: "Perhaps this young lady doesn't want to be the special one."

Feng Sijin, dressed in a dark blue brocade robe, exuded a noble and slightly cold aura. His exquisite and beautiful appearance could make men jealous and women go mad.

Of course, the man sitting opposite him was equally outstanding. Sitting next to Feng Sijin, he did not lose any of his luster. His gentle and noble demeanor matched Feng Sijin's, and it was clear that he came from a very good family.

Indeed, Jing Yan, the owner of the most beautiful garden in the world, Jingzhuang, though not as noble as Feng Sijin, was still far above the average person.

One was a nobleman's son, the other a young hero from the martial world. Feng Sijin and Jing Yan, two unrelated young nobles, met because of the imperial examination.

Though Jing Yan came from the martial world, he preferred literature to martial arts and even participated in the imperial examination, winning the top place.

Feng Sijin had been participating in various exams in the capital, excelling in the north; Jing Yan was the top scholar in the south and a candidate for the triple first place.

When the top scholars from the north and south met, the expected sparks and intense competition did not occur. They hit it off immediately and quickly became close friends.

Both were the pride of the emperor, with backgrounds and talents far above others. Things that others could only dream of were easily within their reach, and such things did not impress them at all.

To them, titles like "talented scholar" and "top scholar" were just empty names. They never took the fame others bestowed upon them seriously.

With a cup of tea and a plate of delicate pastries, Feng Sijin and Jing Yan's gazes met and then quickly turned away. They both looked at Gu Qiancheng, who was gradually disappearing in the distance.

Gu Qiancheng, the eldest daughter of the Gu family, was a woman who, though not well-known, had caught Prince Qin's special attention. They couldn't help but notice her.

Gu Qiancheng, riding in a carriage back to the Gu household, had no idea that at her most embarrassing moment, she had attracted so much attention, and even more so, that they had already met...

Grandfather Gu's trusted aide was a rigid person. When Grandfather Gu ordered him to bring Gu Qiancheng back immediately, he only knew to bring her back, completely ignoring her injuries.

Gu Qiancheng knew that she did not have the authority to give orders, so she didn't foolishly try and lose face. Half-lying in the carriage, she cut her inner robe into strips, barely stopping the bleeding, and then lay in the carriage, waiting to return home.

After returning home, if nothing went wrong, she would still have a tough battle to fight. Grandfather Gu valued the *Yi Guo Zhi* so much that, upon realizing he had been tricked, he might be so angry that he would want to kill someone.

In the Gu household, offending the old lady, the lady, or even her own father, she could still survive. But if she offended Grandfather Gu too much and he ordered her death, no one would dare to speak up for her.

"Sigh... I really have a life full of trouble. One problem after another. I wonder what the Gu household will have in store for me." Gu Qiancheng rubbed her temples, feeling a headache. If it weren't for the fear that Grandfather Gu might give her to Qin Jiyu as a concubine, she would have wanted Qin Jiyu to send her back to the Gu household.

With Prince Qin as her backing, even if Grandfather Gu was extremely dissatisfied with her, he would still have to let her live. If one day Prince Qin remembered her, the Gu household might rise to new heights and once again be related to the royal family.

After all, the current favorite for the throne was the Crown Prince, Qin Jiyu. If she entered the Qin household, perhaps in a few decades, the Gu family might produce another imperial concubine.

Unfortunately, a life of being caged like a golden bird, always trying to please the master, was not what she, Gu Qiancheng, wanted. She could use Qin Jiyu's power, but she would never give up her life for it. She would rather suffer and fight than compromise!