Gu Zifu leaned over to her closely. The breeze outside the window, blew over her hair falling hair and itching around her neck. Su Qing looked up at him, only to see the delicate chin like jade and then Gu Zifu stood up and purposely put the paper she wrote aside. Unknowingly humming twice in good mood.
Su Qing, "……" Is this a mockery?
Su Qing lowered her head and looked at the words on the paper. Gu Zifu wrote her name. She had Shuangqiao taught her several times, she knew it.
The word “Qing” should be tender like flowing moon, but when it was written by Gu Zifu, with his freely flowing style of writing like floating clouds, but also displaying the domineering and unrestrained. It"s really looks like this man"s style.
Throughout the whole afternoon, Su Qing sat at the desk, copying over and over the words on the book. Yet, whether she knows how to read it or not is another matter. At least, now she has a general idea of it.
After a long day of hard work, the evening finally came. Suddenly Si Ting announced from outside, "Seventh Lord, it"s time for dinner."
Su Qing was overjoyed, she hurriedly closed the book, put the brush aside, but when she was about to stand up she gazed at Gu Zifu from the corner of her eyes and saw him still resting on the soft couch with his eyes closed. She then reluctantly sat back to the original place.
She said in a soft voice, "Seventh Lord, it"s time to eat."
Gu Zifu lazily said "Um" then got up, raised his eyelids and looked at her coldly, "What shouting about, this lord is not deaf."
Um, you are not deaf, you are just psycho.
Su Qing murmured in her heart, but her expression remained unmoved. Once she saw Gu Zifu is walking out of the study, she hurried lifted up her skirt and followed. Maybe practicing handwriting has made her too depressed, Gu Zifu deliberately walking very casually in front of her. Su Qing gritted her teeth and slowed down her pace walking behind him.
By the time they arrived, two side dishes and soup had already been set up on the table and Shuangqiao just bought over another dish of steamed beef in dry pot. Last time when she went to the kitchen to learn how to make pastry, and saw Shuangqiao was cooking this dish, so she casually mentioned a few words. She gave her a suggestion to use a small magnetic bowl, cut the meat into cubes, added sweet wine and oil, seal the inside of the large bowl and put it into the pot, slowly cooked it with simmering heat until it turned very soft and dry.
Gu Zifu seemed to like eating meat too. He only took a few bites of vegetables and pushed the dish away with his chopsticks, then dragged the steamed meat dish over putting it in front of himself.
"……" Su Qing"s chopsticks paused mid-air, after glancing at Gu Zifu, she retracted her hand and ate two bites of green vegetables instead.
Chuntao walked in from outside with a look of panic. She couldn"t see the road clearly at night, almost stumbled and fell. Fortunately, she grabbed onto the door frame on time.
Gu Zifu frowned, looking up at her unhappy.
Chuntao hurriedly lowered her head in frightened and forgot what she wanted to say.
Seeing this, Su Qing put down the chopsticks, got up and walked toward Chuntao. She held Chuntao"s cold hands to warm her up, seeing that her soul slowly came back, she whispered in a low voice comforting her, "Don"t be afraid, let"s talk slowly if there is a problem."
Chuntao finally calmed down, and looked carefully inside, seeing that Gu Zifu no longer stare at her, she whispered at Su Qing, "Your Highness, Eunuch Changsheng is here. He is waiting outside."
"Outside Gu Courtyard?"
"No, outside Gu Mansion."
"Outside Gu Mansion?" Su Qing frowned and murmured, feeling a little uneasy in her heart, "Why didn"t you invite him in?"
Chuntao quickly shook her head, "GongGong said he only has a few words to talk to Your Highness, so no need to come in."
Speaking of eunuch Changsheng, she only saw him one time when she received marriage betrothed degrees. Even if there is a private connection between them, it should be related to the original body not her. Why does he come this time?
After thinking about it, she decided to go out and have a look.
Gu Zifu took a bite of a cake, but maybe it was too greasy, he immediately threw it away and told Si Ting to bring water for him to rinse his mouth.
"Seventh Lord, eunuch Changsheng is here, I"ll go out and have a look." Su Qing spoke from outside door.
Gu Zifu responded impatiently, then took the water to rinse his mouth, he didn"t even bother to look up at her.
The road was dark, Chuntao took the illuminated lantern from the backyard, then the two headed to the front gate of Gu Mansion. One must know that when the previous emperor was alive, this eunuch Changsheng was his closest servant. Even the Grand Consort also showed some courteousness when she met him. Thus, it"s not strange at all that someone from Gu Family came out to greet him.
"Big Madam?" When Su Qing approaching, from the reflection of light lantern, she saw Ding shi standing there, her heart was taken aback. Although she only met Ding shi for a few times, she has quite a deep impression about her and now she also has taken over the Gu Mansion"s account, having somewhat the air of being the mistress of the family.
In the middle of having conversation with eunuch Changsheng and Su Qing has arrived, Ding shi said helplessly, "This child, you just called me Big sister in law a couple days ago, and now how can you change your mouth so quickly?"
Su Qing quickly explained, "I don"t have any other meaning, I was a bit surprised to see Big sister in law here at this late."
"The Old Madam is exhausted because of the Third Lord"s matter recently, so her body could not handle it. When she heard Changsheng GongGong has arrived, worried that the servants are neglected in their duty, so she asked me to come out and checked it." Finished saying, Ding shi put on the clothes delivered by Chunsao, said goodbye to eunuch Changsheng and walked up the steps. When she came next to Su Qing, she paused and smiled lightly. Under the moonlight, there was a soft halo between her eyebrows and eyes, she reached out and plucked the petals that stuck on Su Qing"s skirt and said, "Little Ten now is the person of Gu Courtyard, Seventh Lord"s health is not good, thus some matters will need you to put more effort.
Is her meaning as long as she"s Seventh Lord"s person, the Old Madam would not dare to do anything to her? Thinking of what happened last time, her words seemed to make sense.
"Big sister in law, your words are too heavy." Su Qing bowed her head.
Ding shi didn"t say anymore, walking pa.s.sed her and went inside the house. However, a few old servants outside did not move at all.
Su Qing didn"t care about them, she went down the steps and stood before eunuch Changsheng. She bent her body with courtesy, but eunuch Changsheng quickly moved forward to avoid her courtesy.
Eunuch Changsheng tossed the horsetail whisk, and asked softly, "Is the Seventh Lord"s injury still not better?"
Injury? Why didn"t she know Gu Zifu was injured?
Su Qing"s brain quickly turned and nodded her head, "No, I didn"t see Seventh Lord taking any medicine these days."
"This temper of his has never changed. Having him to take medicine is harder than stabbing him with a knife." Somehow, aside from his teasing remarked, Su Qing could feel some other flavor in it. It sounds more like he"s affectionately mentioned about an old friend.
How old is the Seventh Lord this year? Su Qing wondering.
Twenty-four years old? Twenty-seven years old? She remembered that someone seemed to mention he is in his thirties. Isn"t it mean he"s much older than her?
Chuntao who was standing next to her slightly pulled the corner of her dress, Su Qing quickly came back from her though and asked softly, "GongGong came here this late, something happened in the palace?"
Changsheng looked at her, his eyes fell on her eyebrows. He shook his head slightly, and immediately said, "Tomorrow is the day that His Majesty"s body will be buried in the imperial mausoleum. When His Majesty was alive, how well he treated Your Highness, this slave doesn"t need to say it. If you can go see him for the last time, I believe His Majesty"s heart would be at peace."
Su Qing paused for a moment and asked tentatively, "Dare to ask GongGong, is this….. Crown Prince, or Grand Consort"s idea?"
"It"s His Majesty"s idea."
Changsheng seemed not wanting to talk more about it and only mentioned, "Tomorrow, when Your Highness enter the palace, this servant will personally accompany you. Please don"t miss the time." Finished saying, he turned around and walked to the carriage. The little eunuch who accompanied him immediately recognized his eyes and brought the stool over, helping him to get on the carriage.
After the carriage went away, Su Qing and Chuntao walked back to Gu Courtyard.
She doesn"t know what would happen tomorrow when enter the palace. Especially the two in the palace….. Thinking about it, making her head hurt.
Chuntao sneaked glanced at her from time to time, wanted to say something but hesitated to open her mouth. Seeing her being like this, Su Qing felt funny, she stopped her paces and picked the flower put it behind Chuntao"s ear. She then said with relaxed tone, "Oh, it looks pretty good."
"Your Highness…." Chuntao took the flower down and said anxiously, "If you enter the palace tomorrow, Seventh Princess will surely try to give you a hard time again. There are a lot of people tomorrow, will easily give them a chance."
Tonight"s moon shone brightly making Su Qing"s mind to feel a lot better, putting her hands behind her back and walked forward with a small leap. When she heard Chuntao"s concerned, she stopped and her mouth twitched, "She"s a mad dog. I am not a delicious cake, why staring at me all day for?"
Chuntao was speechless to her respond.
Compared with this, Su Qing has other more important thing in mind.
The place where Chuntao stayed is a little far from her. Seeing that Su Qing didn"t take the matter to her heart, she also stopped talking about it and turned to her room with anxiety.
When Su Qing walked in, Si Ting was holding a pile of clothes. The corner was a little dark, couldn"t see clearly and almost ran into Su Qing, fortunately he reacted quickly.
"Madam, it was you ah." Si Ting said awkwardly.
Su Qing glanced at the clothes in his hands, nodded and whispered at him, "The Seventh Lord sleeps yet?"
"Not yet. He just finished bathing and now is resting in the room."
Su Qing felt a little disappointed, asking him a few more words and then entered the room. There was only one candle in the room, which seemed a little dim. For some reasons reminded Su Qing of the candle on the table on her wedding night. Her heart felt empty all of a sudden.
Gu Zifu tucked in a soft pillow behind him, closing his eyes and rested leisurely there.
"Seventh Lord." Su Qing called softly.
She heard not respond, Su Qing ran out of her patience and was about to go to have a bath, she suddenly heard Gu Zifu asked, "Are you going to the palace again tomorrow?"
Su Qing was hesitant, "En, tomorrow pre…. Emperor Father will bury in Imperial Tomb, eunuch Changsheng wanted me to go into palace to send him off." The tip of her tongue curve in circle.
Gu Zifu nodded.
Su Qing glanced at him. After a moment of pondering she summoned the courage and walked to the bed asking him in a low voice, "Seventh Lord, you and Changsheng GongGong knew each other before, right?"
Gu Zifu opened his eyes with disliked looks, "Tsk, I guess you were not born yet at that time."
Su Qing blinked, covered mouth and look at him incredibly, thinking about the rumors she heard about him.
Seventh Lord, he…he is really in his thirties?
Su Qing touched her own face, and set her gaze on Gu Zifu"s open front robe, exposing his collarbone. Her eyes were entangled. She"s so envious.
Gu Zifu lifted his eyelids, seeing her in a daze, he said with impatience, "What are you doing there, get out if you don"t sleep."
"Seventh Lord is right." Su Qing responded quickly, went to blew the candle. As she was about to go to bed, taking off her shoes and shocks, she suddenly remembered she hasn"t taken a bath yet. I had to put them on again and walked out of the room in a very light steps.
When she came back again, there was no movement inside. Su Qing tip toes her steps in the dark and lay down on the edge of the bed. She then closed her eyes to sleep.