Chapter 35

Gu Qiancheng's dowry was truly excessive. Even if her foot wasn't injured, she alone couldn't possibly organize it all. Gu Qiancheng could only check the list to ensure nothing was missing.

To be fair, this could also be considered Gu Qiancheng's good luck. Lady Gu, with the mindset of preparing a dowry for her own daughter, had brought out all of Gu Qiancheng's mother's dowry, and everything was only more, not less.

"It's far more than a million taels, and I've even made a profit." After spending a day checking the list, Gu Qiancheng had the housekeeper, Sun Mama, put away the paintings and books. As for the antiques and jewelry, Gu Qiancheng glanced at them and left them piled there.

Although the items were now in her possession, whether she could keep them was another question. Among this pile of things, only the paintings and books were small in size and high in value, so she decided to hide them first. As for the rest, she didn't have the means to liquidate them in the short term, so she left them aside for now...

Lady Gu was recently busy taking care of Qianxue, and with the old master's protection, she didn't dare to cause trouble for Gu Qiancheng in the short term. The dowry issue wasn't urgent. The immediate priority was to find the old master and resolve the matter of the "Yi Guo Zhi" (Chronicles of the Yi State). Otherwise, even if she had mountains of gold and silver, she wouldn't be able to take them away if she was expelled from the Gu family.

Gu Qiancheng yawned, seeing that it was still early, and decided to drink a bowl of tea to clear her head. In her previous life, she relied on coffee to stay alert during busy times, but now, without coffee, she had to switch to tea.

Just as Sun Mama brought the tea, the housekeeper from the old master's courtyard came over, respectfully greeting Gu Qiancheng and saying, "Young Miss, the old master has woken up and wants to see you."

Although the old master had been bedridden for several days, he was still well-informed about all the big and small matters in the household. He knew that Gu Qiancheng had come to see him when Prince Zhao visited, but she hadn't seen him. He had expected Gu Qiancheng to come to him again after receiving the dowry, seeking his protection, but she hadn't made any moves.

"She's a smart and composed child." Due to the Qianxue incident, the old master was very disappointed in his son and shifted his focus to the grandchildren, hoping to cultivate one of them to support the family in his lifetime.

However, cultivating a grandchild couldn't be rushed. The old master first turned his attention to Gu Qiancheng, wanting to see how capable this granddaughter, whom he had overlooked, really was.

Gu Qiancheng was supported in, and the old master was also propped up. The two of them could be said to be in the same boat. The old master didn't make things difficult for Gu Qiancheng. After dismissing the servants, he had Gu Qiancheng sit by the bed.

Gu Qiancheng didn't refuse, thanked him, and sat down by the bed, behaving gracefully and naturally. The old master nodded in satisfaction, "Qiancheng, I heard from the servants that you came to see your grandfather a few days ago. Was there something you needed?"

The old master, being a shrewd old man, wouldn't ask for what he wanted from his granddaughter. He had many ways to make Gu Qiancheng hand it over voluntarily.

"Yes, Grandfather." Gu Qiancheng, who had just sat down, stood up again, showing respect, "Grandfather, I came to confess my sins to you."

"Confess your sins?" The old master's heart skipped a beat, suppressing his unease, he asked, "What happened?"

Gu Qiancheng had been standing on one foot for a while and found it tiring. To show her sincerity, she knelt down. This act made the old master even more uneasy, his breathing quickened, and his face, hidden in the shadows, looked even more aged and haggard.

The atmosphere in the room became heavy, but Gu Qiancheng remained unaffected, lowering her head, "Grandfather, I had one of the maids deliver a gift to you, but she accidentally left half of it behind."

Gu Qiancheng paused here, noticing that the old master's breathing had calmed down. She continued, "I originally planned to bring it to you before leaving, but..."

"What happened?" Gu Qiancheng's pause made the old master's heart race again, his eyes, though cloudy, showed a mix of eagerness and worry.

Gu Qiancheng bowed her head even lower, her voice trembling, "But on the night I came to see you, I was pushed into the small pond as I passed by."

After saying this, Gu Qiancheng looked up at the old master, who looked terrifying in the darkness. She quickly lowered her head, as if frightened.

The old master wasn't concerned about Gu Qiancheng's well-being at that moment; he only wanted to know, "Where is the item?"

"It fell into the water." Gu Qiancheng looked defeated but tried to maintain her composure, "When I fell into the water, I found someone else there. I didn't know who it was, and just as I was about to call for help, I was pushed under the water. While in the water, I vaguely heard Father looking for someone, but the situation was too urgent, and I couldn't be sure if I was mistaken."

Gu Qiancheng subtly mentioned Qin Jiyu's identity and glanced at the old master, seeing his expression soften. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "After that, I don't know what happened. When I woke up, I was already in bed, and the items I had were gone."

She said the last sentence in a very low voice, believing that the old master, with his intelligence, would fill in the gaps...

"You, you... fool. How could the Gu family raise such a foolish child?" The old master's breath caught in his throat, almost unable to recover. By the time Gu Qiancheng finished, the old master was shaking with anger.

The old master was as angry now as he had been happy before.

The other half of the "Yi Guo Zhi" falling into the water left only two possibilities: it was either destroyed by water or taken by someone. In either case, the Gu family couldn't present a complete "Yi Guo Zhi."

Sigh... The credit for presenting the "Yi Guo Zhi" was now out of reach. The old master dared not submit a half-book and risk the emperor's suspicion.

With such a great opportunity right in front of him, now lost, the old master looked at Gu Qiancheng with even more disdain.

By only bringing half the book, the old master understood Gu Qiancheng's intentions. He didn't mind his granddaughter's cunning, but now he found her petty and lacking in grandeur. As the eldest son had said, she was completely incapable of bringing glory to the family and was only thinking of herself.

The old master felt as if a piece of his flesh had been cut out, his heart filled with hatred. His gaze towards Gu Qiancheng was filled with indescribable disgust and anger...

Gu Qiancheng understood that compared to the "Yi Guo Zhi," she, as a granddaughter, was insignificant. The old master had no affection for her, and she didn't need to treat him as a loving grandfather. She only needed his protection, even if it was based on calculation and self-interest.

Gu Qiancheng looked up and secretly glanced at the old master, seeing his breathing gradually calm down. She knew the opportunity had come. She looked up, biting her lip, as if hesitating to speak...

The old master already disliked Gu Qiancheng, and seeing her petty demeanor now made him even angrier. If it weren't for the bad reputation of killing his own granddaughter, he would have wanted to kill her.

"What are you still kneeling for? Get out." The old master shouted, his eyes cold.

Although she shouldn't care about how the old master treated her, Gu Qiancheng's heart still ached. She took a deep breath and bowed her head, "Grandfather, don't be angry. It's Qiancheng's fault. Please don't ruin your health. You can punish me however you like."

"Hmph..." The old master didn't even look at Gu Qiancheng, immediately ordering the servants to drag her away, "Someone..."

But just as he opened his mouth, he heard Gu Qiancheng say, "Grandfather, when I went out of the city today, I met Prince Qin. Prince Qin asked if I was willing to enter the Qin王府 (Qin Palace). He said that if you agreed, he would take me in."

Gu Qiancheng's words were abrupt and disconnected, and a slightly dull person wouldn't understand. But Gu Qiancheng believed that the old master, with his decades of experience in the political arena, would understand the meaning behind her words, or rather, the meaning behind Qin Jiyu's words...