C76

Behind the fake mountain, a gust of moist water assaulted their faces, and a waterfall snaked out from the cave entrance, like a curtain of water directly rushing into a round pond below.

Everyone felt cool all over, and the heat from the scorching sun seemed to have disappeared in an instant.

The girls excitedly ran over to the side of the pool and stretched out their hands to splash water. All they could hear was a burst of clear and melodious laughter that was like jade beads that sprinkled onto the surface of the water.

The tranquility of the scenery really caused people to lose their focus. Gu Jinzhu could not help but take in a deep breath. Her heart was filled with the fragrance of the trees.

Su Ju whispered from behind her, "Miss, I thought that Gu Mansion's garden was already beautiful enough, but compared to the Zhu Residence, it's far inferior."

Gu Jinzhu smiled, but before she could say anything, Faang Yuting smiled and said, "There's really no way to compare. Forget about Gu Mansion, there really isn't anyone in the capital who can compare to this garden. This was specially built by the late emperor for the imperial concubine to live comfortably when she returned home.

Gu Jinzhu nodded. She had also heard about the previous emperor and that imperial concubine.

Legend has it that the imperial concubine was as beautiful as jade. The previous emperor had fallen in love with her at first sight and had doted on her very much in his life. For the sake of Imperial Concubine Zhu returning home in the short period of a few days, he was afraid that she would not be used to living here and that she would not be able to endure the summer heat.

Not only was the scene of the pavilion beautiful, the exquisite design of the pavilion itself was breathtaking. For the sake of just a few short days, the late emperor had already spent so much time and effort.

Before the late emperor died, he had even wantonly built an imperial palace for the imperial concubines to live in. He was afraid that if the imperial concubine died, the imperial concubine would suffer a calamity.

Currently, the grand imperial concubine was living in the palace, free and unfettered, her life carefree and unfettered.

Gu Jinzhu was extremely curious. She didn't know how beautiful this imperial concubine was to have the late emperor spend his entire life in love with her, planning things out for her even after he died.

Just as she was lost in her thoughts, she heard Faang Yuting beckoning to her from the front. "Sister Gu, come here quickly. This place is so fun to play with."

She was sitting on the edge of a small pond, playing with the water. The dark red carp in the pool swam back and forth, occasionally flicking its tail and splashing water all over her face. It made her giggle incessantly.

Fang Hui Jun was talking to someone else and did not notice it.

Gu Jinzhu walked over and said, "It's too cold in the water. You can come up later."

"It's fine, it's so cool that you'll feel comfortable." As Faang Yuting was speaking, she suddenly let out a "ya".

She didn't notice that half her skirt was in the water, and by the time she stood up, it was wet.

Faang Yuting pinched her skirt with a face full of regret. "What do we do now? I didn't bring a change of dress."

I can't let her stay wet, right? "Gu Jinzhu helplessly called Su Ju over," Aren't we wearing a spare skirt? "Take Miss Fang and change."

With some hesitation, Su Ju asked, "Miss, are you sure you can stay here alone?"

Gu Jinzhu laughed. "How can it be alone? So many young misses are here. Hurry up and go."

Su Ju looked around and saw that the girls were scattered all around, in groups of twos and threes, either chatting or feeding the fish. It looked like nothing would happen to Miss. She nodded and helped Faang Yuting out.

Gu Jinzhu went to the edge of the pool and sat down on a rock. The ground was slightly off to the side, and the trees above were shaded, making it very cool. The other girls were in a pavilion not far away, so if they weren't paying attention, they wouldn't be able to see her.

She had drank quite a lot of fruit wine just now, but now that she felt intoxicated, she felt a bit dizzy. The cool breeze caused her eyelids to sink, and just as she was about to close her eyes, footsteps sounded out from behind her, Gu Bitong's voice rang out, "Elder sister, I didn't expect you to be hiding here, it's really easy for me to find you."

If it was during Gu Mansion, she would have played the role of a deep sisterhood. But here, not only had she repeatedly embarrassed herself, she had even humiliated the young miss of Zhu Family and fought with her poems. To some extent, the two sisters had already torn off their faces.

She stood up without a word and turned around to leave. Gu Bitong grabbed her sleeve and asked with a bit of grievance, "Elder sister, don't tell me you're still blaming me?"

She tilted her head back slightly, and the sunlight shone through the shade of the tree onto her face, making it seem even more flawless. Her skin was white and fragile, and her eyebrows were slightly creased, and her red lips were pursed.

Gu Jinzhu, however, was no longer fooled by her outer appearance. She coldly shook off her sleeves and said, "Younger sister is smart, what can I blame you for?"

"I knew Elder Sister would blame me, but my younger sister did it out of good intentions. Zhu Lan was reputed to be a talented girl with a great reputation in the capital, and it was only because she used her Zhu Family to produce an imperial concubine that people wanted to see her more! "In little sister's opinion, her little bit of ink is not even comparable to big sister's, sister's only thought is that big sister just came back and that Lady's forces are mostly strong, if big sister doesn't show some real abilities, there's no way for her to gain a foothold in this circle, and so she found an opportunity to let big sister show her talents in poetry."

She said with a wronged look, "Isn't the result very good? Tomorrow, Big Sister's reputation of being able to compose poems in three steps will definitely spread throughout the capital. At that time, everyone will praise Miss Gu for her talent, and even we as sisters will be able to bask in her glory. "

There was a hidden bitterness in her tone, as if Gu Jinzhu didn't know of her painstaking efforts.

Gu Jinzhu looked at her coldly until the grievance on her face disappeared. She raised her head awkwardly and said, "Big sister …" Don't you like it? "That little sister knows she's wrong. She definitely won't be like this in the future …"

As she spoke, she bent down to apologize, but her eyes suddenly changed when she saw what was behind her, and she blurted out, "Elder sister, look, what's that?"

Gu Jinzhu instinctively turned her head, and Gu Bitong quickly scanned her surroundings. Gritting her teeth, she extended her hand towards Gu Jinzhu's back.

Gu Jinzhu's heart sank as a powerful force attacked her from behind. Without thinking, she made a grasping motion with her hand.

Under the sister's feet were smooth stones covered in moss green. Gu Jinzhu fell backwards, but Gu Bitong had her hand on the ribbon on her chest.

In order to appear elegant, Gu Bitong liked to cover herself with a layer of gauze clothes that were tied with long ribbons. When she moved, the ribbons would dance with the wind, causing her to look like a goddess, unprepared to be grabbed by Gu Jinzhu at this moment.

Gu Bitong was dragged forward. A trace of panic flashed past her eyes. A trace of coldness appeared in Gu Jinzhu's eyes. She held on tightly to her and refused to let go, preventing her from struggling free.

In the blink of an eye, with a "plop" sound, the two sisters fell into the pond.

The cool and icy water didn't reach her. Gu Jinzhu's body sank as a large amount of water was poured into her mouth and nose. She choked bitterly and subconsciously let go.

In the distance, there was a man who was struggling nonstop and splashing water all over the place. Gu Bitong's voice sounded desperate and panicked, "Save —" But before she could finish, she was choked by the water.