Chapter 26: High Hopes...

The carriage came to a stop in front of the Duke's Mansion, and Gu Yunfeng was the first to step out.

Sporting a bruised eye, his departure from the Drunken Moon Tower had caused quite a commotion, making it impossible for him to ride back without attracting attention.

The servants of the Duke's Mansion were taken aback when they saw his bruised eye.

"Young Master, your eye..." one of the servants exclaimed.

"I bumped into a door," Gu Yunfeng replied coldly.

"How is that possible?" the servant blurted out.

"Do you ask when you already know it's impossible?!" Gu Yunfeng snapped in anger.

The servant's spine shivered, and he quickly retracted his neck, moving aside.

There was no need to say it; it was clear that the young master had been beaten up.

Behind him, Ziling's shoulders trembled.

Gu Yunfeng, filled with anger, strode into the Duke's Mansion. The steward came forward and said, "Young Master, Young Madam has returned."

Gu Yunfeng glanced at the steward and noticed something placed against the wall behind him. His brows furrowed instantly, and he felt weak all over.

"These are all sent by the Dongling Marquis's men," the steward turned around and said.

Ziling couldn't muster a smile anymore.

Her father had really sent all eighteen types of weapons.

Swords, spears, sabers, halberds, axes, hooks, whips, maces, hammers, and polearms were among them.

She walked over and tried to pick one up, but it took all her strength to barely lift a hammer before quickly setting it down.

The steward chuckled, "These eighteen weapons were sent to Young Master by the Dongling Marquis."

"Sent to me?" Gu Yunfeng frowned.

He cast a sidelong glance at Ziling.

Your father sure knows how to find excuses to send you things.

Ziling smiled faintly.

My father is just that clever, there's no helping it.

Gu Yunfeng held back his frustration, the pain in his eyes becoming more intense.

Qianqian spoke up, "So it was meant for my husband. I thought the Marquis had sent it to the wrong person."

Sent it to the wrong person...?

"These aren't the weapons I requested, right?" Ziling asked.

Qianqian blinked, "Of course not. Miss, you can't even lift these, let alone use them for combat."

Beside the weapons, there was a large box. Qianqian walked over and opened it—

And then, Ziling was dazzled by the gleaming gold.

The box was filled with nothing else but gold.

An entire box of gold.

Qianqian grabbed a gold ingot and exclaimed joyfully, "I knew Qingyun Mountain wasn't short on money. Young Master brought money to the capital."

This box was meant for Ziling, untouched until now. When the steward saw the box filled with gold, he was also taken aback.

A memory flashed through his mind.

"Today, a convoy of carriages entered the capital. At the city gate, one of the carriages overturned, and two boxes fell out. They were full of gold..."

Ziling massaged her temples.

There was no need to say it; it was definitely her father's doing.

"Wherever you lose face, that's where you find it again.

To recover the face lost from borrowing, only flaunting wealth can bring it back.

Qianqian rummaged through the box for a while, only to see gold and nothing else.

"Is there only one box?" Qianqian asked.

The steward replied, "There's also a bundle."

Afraid it would be stolen if left outside the door, they kept it and the steward sent someone to retrieve it.

Qianqian opened the bundle and took out a brocade box from inside, presenting it to Ziling as if presenting a treasure. She said, "These are the eighteen weapons that the young lady desires."

Inside the brocade box, the eighteen miniature weapons were exquisite, adorned with pearls and gemstones, made into jewelry-like items such as hairpins, earrings, and bracelets...

Qianqian said, "Madam doesn't like the young lady to wield large weapons, but the young lady insists. Madam came up with this good idea. These are all designs drawn by Madam herself, and the Marquis had the craftsmen captured and brought up the mountain to create them for the young lady. The young lady calls them the eighteen small weapons, while those clumsy fellows are the eighteen big weapons."

"If the young lady wants to carry a hammer today, I'll bring you this," Qianqian picked up a pair of hammer-shaped earrings, swaying them back and forth.

Ziling "..."

Gu Yunfeng "..."

Can it be like this?

Ziling took the earrings and, to her surprise, they were indeed quite beautiful.

If she had known that the eighteen weapons were like this, she wouldn't have changed her mind so shamelessly.

All of this was the love that the Duke of Dongling and Madam had for Ziling.

Ziling's nose felt a bit sour.

The steward looked at Gu Yunfeng and asked, "Young Master, how should we dispose of these weapons..."

Gu Yunfeng's physique was not suitable for martial arts, and he had no use for these weapons. Even if they were suitable, he wouldn't know how to use them.

Gu Yunfeng wanted to throw them into the storage room.

Ziling glanced over.

"Move them to the Fragrant Pavilion," he said.

The steward then had people move the weapons away.

Ziling walked ahead, casting a sidelong glance at Gu Yunfeng. "Seems like my father has high hopes for you."

High hopes...

It's just like being described as 'promising material.'

Gu Yunfeng didn't like hearing it at all.

And don't even think about dragging him onto the path of banditry.

Qianqian giggled, and Ziling asked, "What are you laughing at?"

As soon as she asked, Ziling regretted it.

Qianqian said, "Clearly, it's you, the young lady, who he has high hopes for. What does it have to do with the Marquis?"

Ziling "...???"

She looked puzzled.

Qianqian leaned closer to her and whispered, "Young lady, don't you remember? On the day when you robbed the young master, this servant advised you that the young master might not have martial skills, let alone mastery of the eighteen weapons. I told you not to act impulsively, and you said you could teach the young master, that even if he only learned a few things, it would be fine because he would grow up to be as handsome as the young master is now."

Ziling "..."

Being handsome was indeed an advantage. The firm criteria for choosing a spouse had been relaxed.

Gu Yunfeng's face darkened with a hint of radiance. Feeling a chill beside him, Ziling remained unfazed, walking with composure. Just as they stepped into Chenxiang Pavilion, they saw several servants approaching. As they passed by, one of them reported, "Young Master, Young Lady, the tasks in the backyard have been completed."

"So fast?" Ziling was surprised.

Upon reaching the backyard, her surprise turned into astonishment. There was a bamboo house that resembled the one they used to have, only a bit farther away. Ziling glanced at Gu Yunfeng.

She didn't want to occupy the bamboo house they were used to, so it was fine for her to have a new one. But did it have to be this far away? It seemed like a clear indication of her being unwanted.

"Your life is still in my hands," Gu Yunfeng looked towards the hidden guards.

One of the guards explained, "The construction of the bamboo house in the backyard alarmed the Southern Pavilion Princess. She personally came to inquire about it. When she learned that the Young Lady desired the bamboo house, the Young Master arranged for it to be built. However, the Princess became angry and ordered the servants to move the bamboo house to a distance to avoid disturbing the Young Master's recuperation."

To ensure Gu Yunfeng's well-being, the guards didn't argue.

It was true that having the Young Lady and maidservants nearby would indeed disturb the Young Master's studies.

Ziling noticed signs of digging next to the bamboo house, confirming the guard's words. As long as it wasn't deliberate, there was nothing wrong with being a bit farther away. She only hoped that with the presence of a medicine room in the backyard, outsiders, including the Southern Pavilion Princess, would not be allowed to enter casually.

Ziling walked up to the bamboo house, looking at it with great satisfaction. Gu Yunfeng, on the other hand, had a dark expression and pointed at a stone, asking, "Who had this stone carved?"

"It was the Southern Pavilion Princess," Ziling replied, glancing away.

The stone bore three prominent characters: Fei Hu Zhai (Flying Tiger Fort).

Ziling's first reaction was not to feel humiliated but rather to think, "Wow, the branch of Qingyun Mountain's Flying Tiger Fort has reached Duke Zhen's Manor..."