C8

Gu Jinzhu didn't know that other people's gazes were following her. She slowly walked along the lakeside, feeling annoyed and a little reluctant to leave.

Although her aunt and uncle treated her very harshly, she had grown up here and every blade of grass and tree here had left behind her grandmother's scent. After this farewell, she would probably never have the chance to come back.

She walked along the cobblestone path, revisiting the place where her grandmother had led her, hand in hand. It was late when she returned to her own small courtyard.

Biwan had been waiting anxiously for a long time. She walked around the yard, looking out from time to time. When she saw Gu Jinzhu, she rushed over. Biwan asked repeatedly, "Miss, is it really State Duke who came to pick you up?"

Yun Xiang sized up the Young Miss and heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that she was fine.

Gu Jinzhu was stunned. State Duke? Her father, whom she hadn't seen for eight years? 'This girl really dares to think about it. Gu Qingyuan hasn't even looked at her since she was born, so how could he have come all the way here to pick her up? '

However, it was to send someone who didn't matter.

That's right, Gu Yiqing was just an irrelevant person in the State Duke's Mansion. Although he had very little memories of the Gu family, Jinzhu still remembered this so-called "Third Uncle".

She didn't have much of an impression of Gu Yiqing because her father, Gu Qingyuan, was born from her grandfather's concubine, which was also her second uncle, Gu Duanhai.

However, when she was four years old, her grandfather brought back a youth from the outside and told her that he was his third son. His mother had died, so he brought him back to stay with his grandmother.

At that time, Gu Yiqing was already 11 years old and very cold towards everyone in the family. It was as if this child was born with a lack of feelings.

As for Grandmother, she hated this bastard who came out of nowhere and had caused a ruckus for a while. However, the Old Duke protected her with his hand, and since she wanted to pretend to be virtuous and magnanimous, she had to let this thorn in her side.

However, it was only limited to her grandfather. Once the Old Duke left, she would think of how to deal with this adopted son of hers. On the other hand, this child was lucky. His grandmother had tried several times but had yet to injure him in the slightest. She was so angry that she almost vomited blood.

In Gu Jinzhu's memory, her grandfather cared for this child even more than he cared for his own two sons. Her father, Gu Qingyuan, complained to his mother more than once and refused to admit that this youth was her brother.

Furthermore, Little Third Uncle was naturally cold and usually stayed in his own courtyard, rarely interacting with outsiders.

Jinzhu's mother, Mrs. Yang, was very ill at the time, so she rarely noticed outsiders.

The reason why he had left such an impression on her all those years ago was because every time her grandmother mentioned him, she would turn into a twisted and resentful face, scaring Jinzhu into nightmares in the middle of the night.

After her mother passed away, Jinzhu didn't notice where Third Uncle had gone to, because in the Gu family, other than the patriarch's love and care, Third Uncle was basically someone who didn't matter.

That was why she didn't think of this so-called "San Ye" for a moment.

Jinzhu never thought that he would become like this. Jinzhu could never associate that elegant and noble aura from earlier with the "bastard" that her grandmother spoke of. Only when she thought of his extremely calm eyes could she see his cold and indifferent figure.

He hadn't thought that after ten years of separation, the Gu family would actually send such a person to pick him up. It could be seen that they didn't care about how far this daughter of his had progressed!

A hint of a cold smile appeared on her lips, but Biwan just kept talking noisily beside her ear.

"Miss, who came to pick you up?"

"State Duke didn't come? "Then when are we leaving?"

Although Yunxiang didn't say anything, she still looked at her expectantly.

"Tomorrow morning!" Gu Jinzhu suddenly said.

"Tomorrow morning?" The two of them were stunned, and then their faces filled with surprise and joy, "Tomorrow morning? "Great, miss, can we leave now?"

Biwan was laughing and jumping around Gu Jinzhu, even happier than a young miss. Suddenly, she rushed into the room, saying in a panic, "Yo, we're leaving tomorrow morning. We haven't packed up yet, big sister Yunxiang, come quickly …"

Yun Xiang also quickly walked in.

Looking at the two girls' excited expressions, a wry smile appeared on Gu Jinzhu's face.

Biwan was the personal servant that her grandmother had chosen for her. She had been following her since she was young, and since her grandmother's death, the two of them had been severely ostracized by the Yang Mansion, so they wanted to leave this place.

However, how could they know that the so-called 'home' was actually something that they could not return to. It was just that she had no other choice right now.

If not for Gu Yiqing's arrival, she would have almost forgotten about her other identity — the illustrious first daughter of the Qi Kingdom.

She was clearly the eldest young miss with a golden State Duke's Mansion, yet she was kicked out after her stepmother ascended to the throne.

It was because Jinzhu's mother, Lady Yang, had passed away at the age of five, leaving behind only her only daughter. Unexpectedly, in less than three months, State Duke and Gu Qingyuan had taken her concubine, Yao Yunxiang, as their successor.

In terms of Gu Jinzhu's age, if this stepmother had been a little better, she would have taken good care of the direct daughter left behind by the former wife and would have found Jinzhu a good marriage in the future.

However, as the old saying goes, "A wasp's tail being pierced by a needle is the most poisonous part of its mother's heart." Mrs. Yao seemed to care about the daughter left behind by the former wife dearly on the outside, but she didn't care about her in private.

Mrs. Yao's unhappiness towards Gu Jinzhu was also within reason. Mrs. Yao came from a large clan within the Shengjing, her father was Yao Jing, an envoy of the Shengjing, and a second-grade official. Her position was high, and she had a daughter who accompanied her in the palace.

Therefore, even though Yao Yun Xiang was only a young girl, her status could be considered precious. Coincidentally, he met Qi Guo's Gu Qingyuan in one of the incense sticks, so he was enchanted by Gu Qingyuan's beauty, and from then on, only a strand of love was attached to Gu Qingyuan.

Although the Gu family was a noble family within the Shengjing, their family was in decline and only had a short position in the imperial court. Gu Qingyuan, who had inherited the family's identity as a duke, was currently considering how to revive the family and seeing that the young miss of the Yao family was interested in him, he was overjoyed.

His wife, the Yang family, had been personally engaged by the Old Duke and the two brothers, who had fought life and death on the battlefield. Although the Yang Family court was not high, the two families had always been on good terms.

His wife, Mistress Yang, was even more gentle and virtuous. She had spent the past few years taking care of her husband and raising her mother-in-law, and she was kind and gentle. Now that she was pregnant, how could he abandon his wife and children?

However, his desire for power nipped at his heart like an ant. Thinking of the Yao family's monstrous power, he thought that as long as he married Miss Yao, he would have a real job. Immediately, he hardened his heart.

In the end, Gu Qingyuan was a distinguished official of the Qi Kingdom. He was extremely handsome in life, and he was also able to bend his body down to be small. Mrs. Yao's heart was tied to him and he finally brought Yao Yunxiang over as an equal wife a year later.