Chapter 9: Tricked

The maidservants of the Duke's Residence were unable to accept the scene before their eyes. Their eyes were swollen from rubbing them, yet they still saw their graceful young master confidently walking towards the Crane Pavilion with the female bandit in his arms.

The two of them chatted and laughed, behaving like a newlywed couple deeply in love.

In their minds, they imagined a robust and mighty man, but the young mistress, who hailed from a bandit background, was now nestled coyly in the arms of their young master, blushing and shy, as lovely as a flower.

The tender look in their young master's eyes towards his young mistress could practically create water ripples.

For them, this was undoubtedly a heavy blow, a thunderbolt on a sunny day.

Really!

The female bandit was the one holding their young master, not the other way around, which surprised and pained them even more.

Their young master had a taste for such things, while they worried about trivial matters.

They would never sympathize with their young master again!

The maidservants turned away indignantly.

As they watched the maidservants scatter, the accusations and disgust that had surrounded them dissipated. Ziling patted Gu Yunfeng's shoulder and tenderly said, "Please let me down, my dear husband. You must be tired, and it pains my heart."

What an act she put on.

Gu Yunfeng smiled and cooperated, saying, "My wife's legs must be sore. I'll continue carrying you. Although I'm weak, I still have some strength left."

On the side, two maidservants passed by.

After the maidservants had gone a fair distance, Ziling cast an admiring glance at Gu Yunfeng and said, "I'll give you a score of 101 for your acting skills. Don't let it get to your head."

"You're not too shabby yourself, my wife."

Quite modest, Ziling smiled brightly and said, "I suppose we can consider ourselves allies now, presenting a united front to the outside world, right?"

Gu Yunfeng lowered his head and saw the person in his arms smiling at him. Her clear, bright eyes sparkled like shooting stars across the night sky.

He didn't say anything, so Ziling took it as his agreement.

And so, Gu Yunfeng carried her all the way until they reached the Crane Pavilion, where he finally set her down and held her hand as they stepped into the courtyard.

Ziling struggled for a moment but couldn't break free.

This time, she truly blushed. This guy was too skilled at adding fuel to the fire. She didn't mind the accusations, but the never-ending displays of affection were getting on her nerves.

"Everything in moderation," she whispered.

"When putting on a show, go all out," he replied with a smile.

Ziling fell silent.

Why does she have a sense of foreboding, as if she's boarded a pirate ship?

Has she chosen the wrong ally?

Taking a deep breath, Ziling braved it and, with a smile on her face, allowed Gu Yunfeng to lead her up the steps.

Although the marriage was rushed, the Marquis of Dongling and the Tang family tried their best to gather information about the Duke Zhenguo's mansion and share it with Ziling. In the words of the Marquis of Dongling, knowing oneself and the enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles.

Therefore, Ziling had some shallow understanding of the Duke Zhenguo's mansion.

The Crane Perching Hall was the residence of the Duke Zhenguo's old lady.

She was the legitimate wife of the Duke Zhenguo, and they had endured hardships together, even risking her life to save the Duke Zhenguo. They had come this far by working hand in hand and had two sons and two daughters together. The two sons were the Eldest Lord and the Third Lord, while both daughters had married well—the eldest daughter was now the wife of the Minister of Justice, and the second daughter was the wife of the Marquis of Beiji.

In the Duke Zhenguo's mansion, the old lady held a supreme position. The Marquis of Dongling and the Tang family repeatedly reminded Ziling not to provoke the old lady under any circumstances.

Ziling took it to heart.

At present, both the Duke Zhenguo and the Eldest Lord were not in the capital, and she didn't know when she would be able to meet them. The current head of the Duke Zhenguo's mansion was the Eldest Madam, Princess Nanting County.

It was Princess Nanting County who arranged for Ziling to enter the palace and ask the Emperor to bestow a marriage to bring joy to Gu Yunfeng.

Princess Nanting County was the younger sister of the Empress Dowager and was bestowed the title of princess due to the Empress Dowager's favor.

Gu Yunfeng was the legitimate eldest grandson of the Duke Zhenguo's mansion, but he was not born to Princess Nanting County. His birth mother was someone else, but no one knew who she was, nor had anyone seen her.

It was said that when the late Emperor arranged the marriage between Gu Eldest Lord and Princess Nanting County, Gu Eldest Lord was not in the capital, and the old lady received the imperial decree on his behalf.

The Empress Dowager happily prepared for the marriage of Princess Nanting County, but when Gu Eldest Lord returned to the capital, he entered the palace with the imperial decree, confessing that he had pledged his lifelong commitment to another woman and promised to marry her in a grand procession. He couldn't break his word. He couldn't provide Princess Nanting County with the position of the legitimate wife, so he asked the Emperor to revoke the imperial decree.

At that time, this matter caused a great uproar, and there were various speculations about which young lady had stolen the heart of the heir to the Duke Zhenguo.

The late Emperor appreciated Gu Eldest Lord's honesty and decided to revoke the imperial decree, but the Empress Dowager disagreed and was furious.

Since ancient times, marriage arrangements were made by parents and matchmakers. How could he privately decide his lifelong partner? Moreover, the Empress Dowager doubted that Gu Eldest Lord had no true love interest, and the pledge of lifelong commitment was just an excuse to convince the late Emperor to revoke the decree.

Since we have committed to a lifetime together, let's welcome that girl into our home. If we cannot welcome her, then it would be a betrayal to the ruler.

Mr. Gu has been away from the capital for some time and didn't bring back any girl, but he did bring back a child.

That child is Gu Yunfeng.

It is said that Gu Yunfeng's biological mother was pregnant and fell into the water by accident. She struggled to give birth to the child with her last breath and then passed away.

The Empress Dowager questioned Gu Yunfeng's identity and forced Mr. Gu and Gu Yunfeng to publicly shed blood as proof of their relationship. The Duke of Zhenguo also acknowledged Gu Yunfeng as the legitimate eldest grandson of the Duke's household.

By acknowledging him as the legitimate eldest grandson, it naturally means that his biological mother is the legitimate wife.

Originally, everyone thought this marriage would fall through. It was too unfair for the noble county princess to become a concubine, especially since Mr. Gu already had a legitimate eldest son. He couldn't spend his whole life as a concubine and end up without even a noble title.

Unexpectedly, the princess of Nanting County did get married. She married Mr. Gu and became his second wife, and they had a pair of children.

With Gu Yunfeng's complicated background and his toxic condition, it's truly remarkable that he survived. Even Ziling couldn't help but sigh and say how difficult it was.

The closer Ziling got to the main hall, the more her heart raced, filled with unease.

But when she actually entered the room, Ziling was stunned.

The main hall was empty, with only two maids wiping tables and arranging potted plants. There was no one else.

When they had agreed to the tea ceremony, there were supposed to be many elders in the room. They warned her not to oversleep and not to keep the elders waiting, as it would lead to gossip. They repeatedly reminded her to behave properly and understand etiquette, despite being a bandit. She needed to display the elegance of a noble lady and not let anyone look down on her.

Where were the elders?

Where were all the elders?

Please don't tell her that the elders of the Duke of Zhenguo's household have a habit of playing hide-and-seek.

It seems that the Duke of Zhenguo's household never really believed that Gu Yunfeng was still alive. That's why they didn't prepare the tea ceremony for them, and that's why the princess of Nanting County sent word for them to come half an hour later.

Poor Ziling was afraid of keeping the elders waiting and facing their anger without having eaten properly. She hurriedly came to serve tea, only to be met with a slap in the face.

Haste makes waste, and that's absolutely true.

Qianqian stood aside, with puffy cheeks. Yesterday, when she humiliated the girl with a rooster, and today, being so indifferent, it was really insulting!

Madam said that if the elders don't drink the tea offered by the girl, it means they don't recognize her as the young lady of the Zhenguogong Mansion!

Ziling glanced at Gu Yunfeng from the corner of her eye, seeing his icy expression and a hint of mockery at the corner of his mouth. She taunted, "Darling, did you take the wrong path? It's not like we can't see an elder even a minute early, right?"

Even if Gu Yunfeng was still unconscious, she would still offer the tea.

Gu Yunfeng fell silent for a moment and said, "Indeed, I took the wrong path. Thanks for reminding me, my lady."

Ziling "..."

Big brother, can't you be a bit more reliable?

I can understand if I, as someone who just arrived, took the wrong path, but you, a born and raised local, claiming to have taken the wrong path, aren't you ashamed?

Ziling rolled her eyes, not understanding why he would say that. She was then pulled by Gu Yunfeng's hand, leading her out of the main hall and straight ahead.

As they went further away, Ziling couldn't help but ask, "Where are you taking me?"

"Are you tired again?" Gu Yunfeng asked.

What?

Ziling hadn't even reacted yet when Gu Yunfeng lifted her up once again.

Goodness!

He's addicted to carrying her!

If it weren't for her checking his pulse, and him walking steadily with a calm aura, she would truly suspect that he faked coughing up blood and fainting.

Fine, if he loves carrying her, let him carry her. It's quite nice not having to walk herself. Ziling secretly gave Gu Yunfeng a nickname: Gu Baobao (Carry Carry).

But when Gu Yunfeng carried her all the way to the ancestral hall of the Zhenguogong Mansion, looking at the neatly arranged memorial tablets and the tea cup handed over by Gu Yunfeng, Ziling felt uneasy.

"It seems like I really got on the wrong boat this time," Ziling twitched her lips.

"You're a bandit, yet you're afraid of being on the wrong boat?" he laughed.

"..."