Coming Kingly Son-in-Law: Don't Provoke the First Daughter - Chapter 39

Chapter 39 Take Care
Gu Qiang sat before the desk at dusk, took out her diary, and recorded the disaster seriously.

“Her Highness required donations. Ye wanted to donate the screen left behind by my mother, but I didn’t agree.”

After Gu Qiang knew the other one was herself, she talked in a different way. She talked casually and tried to make herself clear so that the other one could understand her meaning.

Soon some words appeared in the diary: Tomorrow, officials working on disaster relief will be investigated. Some of them will be searched and their property will be confiscated.

It seemed that just because of this, she could communicate with Empress Gu Qiang. It was a big deal. But it was not extremely important. She only hoped that the Gu Family wouldn’t get involved.

“I need a chance to stand out in the disaster.” Gu Qiang wrote briefly. Because she was facing herself, she might as well talk frankly. No one else understood her better than herself in the world. No one else was more expectant of her achievement than herself.

Looking at the words on the paper, Empress on the other side of the diary bit the writing brush. It was the first day of her confinement. She had a lot to talk, but she knew that she could help the younger herself, and not the other way round.

She wanted a chance. Gu Qiang looked up at the moon in the sky. It was as cool as water and glimmering on her desk. She became calm.

“Visit the Liu Family. Liu Shichu, the master of Liu Family had an affair with General Li Li’s wife. You can control him with it and threaten him to donate food. Besides, look for a kind of medicine named Suxin Grass. It can get rid of the plague.” Empress Gu Qiang thought for a while and then wrote on the paper.

Now the fifteen-year-old Gu Qiang was waiting silently for the words to appear in the diary. After reading them, Gu Qiang was so excited that she was close to tears. The information was very useful.

But when she wanted to write something to show her gratitude to the other herself, she hesitated. She didn’t know how to express it, though she was clear that the other herself was bound to help her.

After quite a while, Gu Qiang wrote on the paper: Take care.

She received no response, but she didn’t take it to heart. Then she closed the diary and went to sleep without taking off her clothes.

However, when Empress Gu Qiang saw the two words on the paper, she cried uncontrollably.

No one knew how important the two words were to Gu Qiang. As Empress, she enjoyed limitless wealth and good things. All people thought everything went well for her and she was the happiest person in the world. But only she herself knew how hard it was to keep the position.

It was the only comfort she had got during these years. It was from the other herself, but it still gave her power.

The next morning, Gu Qiang planned to visit the Liu Family as told by Empress. Though she didn’t know if she could succeed, she had to try.

Out of the door, Gu Qiang saw a girl sitting in the yard. The girl was wearing light-colored clothes and looked clean from the back. Gu Qiang glanced at her at the door, but she couldn’t guess who the girl was.

Ting Feng walked out of the next-door room and whispered to Gu Qiang, “This is the third lady, Gu Zhiyan. She has been here for quite a while and seems to come for you. But I don’t know what it is.”

Then Gu Qiang recalled when Jiang Min came here before, she requested Ye to marry a daughter to a man in her family. Finally, Gu Zhiyan was pushed out reluctantly.

As the daughter of a concubine, Gu Zhiyan had no option but to wait to marry a man of the Song Family. Perhaps that was why she came to see Gu Qiang today.

Gu Qiang walked out and sat down next to Gu Zhiyan, looking at the tall pear tree and flowers transplanted from nowhere by Ting Feng and Chui Xue. A breeze blew, and the scent of flowers was relaxing.

Feeling someone sit nearby, Gu Zhiyan turned around and saw Gu Qiang sitting there calmly and casually.

Gu Zhiyan rose immediately and intended to salute Gu Qiang. But Gu Qiang didn’t care and just said coldly, “Zhiyan, I can’t help you.”

Gu Zhiyan froze as if she was hit and couldn’t rise for quite a while.

After a long silence, Gu Zhiyan had to resume her seat and said helplessly with a smile, “I knew you couldn’t help me, but I still hoped against hope that you could give me a tip at least when I came here.”

Then Gu Zhiyan drunk water slowly and stared into the distance silently. Behind the yard, there was a large mountain, which was the edge of the capital. But the bustling capital was in front. The yard reflected the contrast clearly.

The same was true of life. The front was the happy life, while the back was reality and the biggest misery of life. Gu Zhiyan thought herself pitiful. She had never tasted happiness in her life. She only had limitless misery.

Gu Qiang kept silent for quite a while, too, but she didn’t say anything. She had many things to do. If she spared time to help Gu Zhiyan, she would be distracted, and she didn’t have so much time. Besides, among members of the Song Family, Jiang Min and Song Yun were not good, but Song Zhen who Gu Zhiyan would marry might be a good man.

It seemed impossible because he would not be an upright gentleman with such a brother and mother. However, life was full of miracles, wasn’t it?

Gu Zhiyan was the daughter of a concubine, and even Prime Minister Gu didn’t know her existence. She was doomed to marry someone when needed. It was her fate. Gu Qiang didn’t have to help her.

Many things came to Gu Qiang’s mind at that moment, but she looked calm as if she was considering it patiently.

But she was not actually.

Gu Zhiyan seemed to accept the fact that Gu Qiang wouldn’t help her. Everyone was clear that Gu Qiang led a hard life in the Gu Family and was even unable to protect herself, so how could she help Gu Zhiyan?

After a long silence, Gu Zhiyan turned around and asked Gu Qiang faintly, “Do you still remember?”

“Remember what?” Gu Qiang asked.

Hearing what Gu Qiang asked, Gu Zhiyan knew she had forgotten what had happened before.

“When we were about ten years old, our father came back from a business trip and brought many things. He prepared gifts for the madam, Gu Zhihua, you, and the Old Lady. I stood outside the crowd and expected he would give one to me.” Gu Zhiyan was overwhelmed with sadness.

Gu Qiang turned around to look at the girl. When she talked, she wore a faint smile as if she were telling the story of someone else and it had nothing to do with her. But Gu Qiang could tell how reluctant her smile was.

“But when everyone left with a gift, I still stood there, empty-handed.” Gu Zhiyan said and lowered her head slowly. She felt so sad as if it just happened. But it happened about five or six years ago. Even Prime Minister Gu didn’t remember it. However, she still felt terrible about it.

Saying nothing, Gu Qiang bit her lips. Ting Feng served tea and then went away.

“I’m sorry.” Gu Qiang just comforted her in this way because she didn’t know what to say.

Gu Zhiyan turned around, looked at Gu Qiang in surprise, and then said, “Do you forget that you gave your gift to me when you found I got nothing from father?”

Did she? Gu Qiang forgot. But it was an unforgettable memory.

Gu Qiang responded with a faint smile, “I don’t remember. It’s not a big deal. Never mind.”

Perhaps Gu Zhiyan had expected that Gu Qiang would say that, so she said, “I know it’s a piece of cake for you. But it warmed my heart and told me that not everyone in the cold Gu Family was bad.”

Could she judge a person to be good or not only through a gift? Gu Qiang thought Gu Zhiyan interesting, but it proved what she said casually could encourage another one to continue her life.

Then Gu Zhiyan stood up and said calmly, “I have to go. I hope you can come to see me when I get married.”

Then she walked to the gate slowly. Gu Qiang stared unblinkingly at her back with clenched teeth.

Ting Feng walked to her and said, “My Lady, can’t we give a hand to the third lady? She looks so pitiful.”

Gu Qiang turned around and told Ting Feng smilingly, “There are too many pitiful persons. She isn’t pitiful. She doesn’t make efforts. If she does, I believe her situation will be different.”

Ting Feng was confused and asked, “You mean she is stupid?”

Gu Qiang didn’t mean that. Perhaps Gu Zhiyan was kind and not stupid.

Gu Qiang smiled and told Ting Feng, “I’m going to visit the Liu Family. Take care of the house.”

“You won’t take me with you again, will you?” Ting Feng looked unhappy and pouted helplessly. As the eldest daughter of Prime Minister Mansion, Gu Qiang went out with no servant girls. It was unworthy of her status, wasn’t it? It was unknown what she was busy with.