Union

Chapter 189 Giving too much
Yunying doesn't need to worry about the terraced fields, but there's also the dried goods shop.

In the dried goods store, Qiu Ning was able to take charge of the business partly because of her shrewishness and competence. However, she was also close to the county magistrate and had a good relationship with him, which made some people afraid to bring her down.

But if Chen Yanzhou is transferred, it's uncertain whether Qiu Ning can still hold onto her position as manager.

But it's not a big deal.

Qiu Ning had said that wherever she went, she would follow. Her life was steadily improving; there was no reason why she couldn't find Qiu Ning a better place to go.

Then there are the newly established weaving workshops...

Ugh.

Yunying grew increasingly worried the more she thought about it.

She was quite happy that Chen Yanzhou was able to be transferred, as it meant that his life was also on the rise.

But the transfer was so sudden that it really caught her off guard.

What should be done with her businesses?
How can Chen Yanzhou's arrangements be sustained?

It's so annoying just thinking about it.

Yunying grumbled, "It's all the Emperor's fault. He acts on a whim, never giving anyone a chance to prepare."

Yunying thought a lot, but these things only flashed through her mind.

When she came to her senses again, her gaze immediately fell on Chen Yanzhou, who was not far away.

Chen Yanzhou wore a dark blue brocade robe with a jade belt around his waist and court boots on his feet. On his head was a rather understated yet precious jade crown.

He was dressed in the same familiar attire as Yunying, but perhaps because they hadn't seen each other for a few days, Yunying felt that Chen Yanzhou seemed to look even more refined and elegant than before.

At this moment, he stood politely in front of his father, his back straight and his figure tall and slender. Coupled with his exceptionally handsome appearance, he appeared even more refined and elegant, a young man as charming and captivating as the moon and the breeze.

Yun Ying stared intently, and Chen Yanzhou seemed to sense her gaze and naturally looked over.

The two looked at each other, and suddenly their eyes were filled with a deep smile.

It was a relaxed and contented laugh, carrying a sweet, reassuring, joyful, and nostalgic feeling. Older people who saw it couldn't help but silently murmur, "Youth is truly wonderful!" and "They are such a perfect match, so deeply in love."

But to his own father and brother, this scene didn't look right at all.

Gu Wangchen dared not speak to his daughter, fearing that the young lady was too shy and might lose face or become estranged from him, her father.

Unable to offend his own daughter, Gu Wangchen could only direct his frustration at his nephew in front of him.

Gu Wangchen said, "Since you are about to be promoted, I would like to congratulate you first. However, I have important matters to attend to and do not have time to chat with you much. Nephew, please go and attend to your own business."

Chen Yanzhou seemed oblivious to his uncle's attempt to shoo him away, simply replying with a "Okay." Then, as if remembering something, he said, "I'm going out this time to find an old friend for my father and deliver some things. I wonder where you're headed, Uncle? May we travel together?"

At this moment, both Gu Wangchen and Gu Yuanxi felt a bad premonition.

Gu Wangchen frowned and remained silent. Gu Yuanxi asked unfriendly, "What business is it of yours where we're going? There's a wide road ahead, let's each go our own way. Hurry up, don't block the way, we're in a hurry, we have important business to attend to."

Chen Yanzhou said, "In that case, I won't bother you any longer, Uncle. I'm heading to Baili County in Qianzhou now. Uncle, Yuanxi, farewell."

That's what he said, but Chen Yanzhou stood still and didn't move an inch.

Seeing this, Gu Yuanxi sneered. Taking advantage of Chen Yanzhou's unpreparedness, he swung his fist and said, "Say goodbye? Goodbye my foot! Going to Baili County to deliver something, huh? I'll give you a ride."

The fist that was thrown out was caught in Chen Yanzhou's hand. Chen Yanzhou had practiced martial arts since childhood. On the other hand, Gu Yuanxi, being the youngest in the family, was also a sweet talker, coaxing the old lady to call him "my good grandson" and "my good grandson" repeatedly.

This is why a younger baby was born in the Duke of Xuan's mansion, and why Yunying, the missing granddaughter, was suddenly found. Otherwise, Gu Yuanxi would still be a little baby by the old lady's side.

How could a pampered young master endure the hardships of martial arts training?

His dedication to studying for ten years, and even achieving something significant, has already taken a toll on him. To then make him practice martial arts for fitness would be tantamount to trying to kill him.

Gu Yuanxi was no match for Chen Yanzhou, but how could Chen Yanzhou dare to offend his brother-in-law?
He blocked her for a moment, then released Gu Yuanxi, stepped back, cupped his hands in a gesture of begging for mercy, barely managing to save Gu Yuanxi's face.

Gu Yuanxi: "..." Although it was annoying, he was no match for the other person, so he decided to back down gracefully.

Gu Wangchen witnessed all of this.

Gu Wangchen thought to himself, no wonder his friend asked him about the reason and time when he was going out yesterday. It turns out he was waiting for him here.

Gu Wangchen was filled with regret, but it was too late.

He could send Yanzhou back, but his daughter would probably be reluctant to let him go.

Well then, let Yanzhou come along; it'll just be to make our daughter happy.

Gu Wangchen spoke up, "Since we're going the same way, let's travel together. It'll be good to have someone to look after us on the road."

Chen Yanzhou cupped his hands and said "okay," then hurriedly led his horse over so that his uncle could mount first. His attentiveness and caring nature made Gu Yuanxi feel like an outsider.

Seeing this, Gu Wangchen's mood improved slightly. On the other hand, Gu Yuanxi was itching to give Chen Yanzhou a good beating.

People say that a brother-in-law and sister's husband are natural enemies. He didn't believe this before, stubbornly thinking that because of his relationship with Chen Yanzhou, if he really became his brother-in-law and was at his beck and call, he would be incredibly happy.

Now, heh, just thinking about how this person would take his sister away and then act like he was adopted in front of his father makes his fists hard.

On the way to Qianzhou, Gu Yuanxi didn't even ride a horse. He got into the carriage and sat down with his sister to talk, ostensibly to keep her company.

He didn't say anything else, but started talking about anecdotes and stories of famous people in the capital. As he talked, somehow, he came to talk about outstanding figures among the noble young men and women of the capital.

The focus is still on those wealthy young men.

The heir of the Prince of Cheng's mansion, the eldest grandson of the Grand Secretary, the third son of the Second Grand Secretary, the cousin of the Earl of Anping's mansion, and so on. Almost every prominent prince or nobleman in the capital was mentioned by Gu Yuanxi.

Yunying didn't understand what he meant at first, but she understood it all later.

She couldn't help but chuckle, finding her second brother rather adorable. Intending to tease him, Yunying pretended to be clueless and asked after he finished speaking, "These people have nothing to do with me, and I probably won't have any contact with them in the future. Second brother, instead of talking about these princes and nobles, why don't you talk about some young girls around my age? Maybe we could become friends."

Gu Yuanxi was dumbfounded.

How to break this game?
How could he introduce young girls to his sister? He didn't even know how many girls were in the various noble families in the capital.

If I had known, things would have been terrible; what kind of person would he have become!
Gu Yuanxi was taken aback by his sister's retort and was stunned. After a while, he noticed his sister chuckling out of the corner of his eye. A sudden realization dawned on him, and he instantly understood that he had been tricked by his sister.

Gu Yuanxi: "..."

Suddenly I stopped worrying.

With such a clever younger sister, it's a miracle that Chen Yanzhou wasn't fooled by her. How could he not believe that he could coax her away?

Time slipped away as Gu Yuanxi pondered deeply.

Soon it was noon. The group ate some dry rations in the wild and drank some water from their water bags before continuing their journey.

Perhaps feeling that such a hurried trip was neglecting his daughter, Gu Wangchen rode his horse to the carriage window more than once to ask Yunying, "Is He'er tired? Does she need to rest? Is the dry food not to your liking? If you find it unpleasant, we can detour to a nearby town and buy something she likes." Yunying hurriedly replied, "No need." "I'm not tired." "I can eat whatever I want."

The dry rations consisted of flatbreads and pancakes prepared by the main kitchen of the mansion. Because the food was prepared for the masters, the servants put a lot of effort into it, and it tasted delicious even when eaten cold.

Furthermore, the carriage's small drawers were filled with various pastries, fruits, and dried goods.

She has a small appetite and gets full after just a couple of bites, so there's no need to worry about whether she can get used to the food.

Perhaps this is what blood relatives are like; they always worry about whether you're eating enough, whether you're tired, and they keep you in their hearts at all times, fearing that you might be dissatisfied in the slightest.

……

The carriage rumbled along the post road, and by evening it had come to rest at the post station.

After traveling for five days, the group finally entered the territory of Baili County.

It shouldn't be this slow.

Normally, a journey by carriage would take three or four days. But to accommodate Yunying, everyone deliberately slowed down their journey as much as possible.

I'd rather waste some time than let her suffer too much.

The group entered Baili County and met Uncle Qian at the city gate.

Uncle Qian hadn't expected Yunying to come, let alone that the Second Young Master and the Second Master of the Rongguo Mansion would come along. He was puzzled for a moment, but quickly looked away.

He led everyone to the inn they had booked, whispering the latest developments to Gu Wangchen as they walked.

Gu Yuanxi got off the carriage and rode alongside Chen Yanzhou.

He was also being a jerk, frequently pulling on the reins and letting his horse bump into Chen Yanzhou's horse.

"Sigh, we've already arrived in Baili County. When are you going to help Uncle find his old friends?"

Chen Yanzhou glanced at him and gave a perfunctory answer, "I'll go when I have time."

Gu Yuanxi snorted and said sarcastically, "Some people are so full of lies that I can't even be bothered to expose them."

Chen Yanzhou simply ignored these words and let them go, refusing to engage in a verbal battle with Gu Yuanxi.

But the more he ignored Gu Yuanxi, the more excited Gu Yuanxi became.

He caused trouble the whole way, preventing Chen Yanzhou from fawning over his sister. Gu Wangchen didn't reprimand him for his actions, which only fueled Gu Yuanxi's arrogance.

At this moment, his arrogance grew even higher, and he even used his shoulder to push Chen Yanzhou off the horse.

Chen Yanzhou finally reined in his horse and looked at him calmly, "Yuan Xi."

Gu Yuanxi has a get-out-of-jail-free card, so he is not afraid of Chen Yanzhou's revenge.

He scoffed, "What do you mean by calling me 'young master'?"

Chen Yanzhou said, "You said before that you wanted that agate paperweight in my study..."

Gu Yuanxi perked up his ears and asked casually, "How is it?"

"I'll have someone send it to you when I get back."

Gu Yuanxi scoffed, "Just a paperweight."

Chen Yanzhou added, "And the horse tack you lost to me in the race..."

Gu Yuanxi remained silent, but her head tilted further and further toward Chen Yanzhou.

His body was out of his control, but his expression remained firmly indifferent.

Chen Yanzhou continued, "There's also the set of sky-blue lotus-patterned teacups in my private treasury, the bow I obtained when I was fifteen years old while hunting with His Majesty, and the Qilin auspicious beast inkstone I received the year I came of age."

Chen Yanzhou looked over and said, "Is this enough to buy you the ability to pretend to be deaf and dumb?"

Gu Yuanxi swallowed hard, his reason struggling and jumping in his mind.

Seeing this, Chen Yanzhou spoke up, "If you don't..."

Gu Yuanxi: "Enough, enough, enough!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he lightly slapped his own cheek, then looked at his father in front of him with guilt.

He silently prayed: Father, don't blame your unfilial son for turning against you at the last minute. It's just that that bastard Chen Yanzhou gave me too much!
Especially that curved bow, which His Majesty used when he was young.

When Chen Yanzhou was fifteen, he accompanied the Duke of Rong and His Majesty on a hunting trip to the Western Hills. By some stroke of luck, he managed to hunt and kill a black bear all by himself.

His Majesty was overjoyed and immediately rewarded him handsomely, even giving him the bow he had used in his youth.

Leaving aside how rare the materials used in the bow were, the bow's range could even reach 300 meters, and its explosive power could easily penetrate city walls—of course, this also had a lot to do with the arm strength of the person using the bow.

If Gu Yuanxi were to use this bow and arrow, he certainly wouldn't be able to unleash its full potential. But that didn't stop Gu Yuanxi from being captivated by the bow and arrow, as if he had seen the goddess of the heavens he had longed for.

Gu Yuanxi was ultimately swayed by Chen Yanzhou's scheming and plotting.

With Gu Yuanxi out of the way, Chen Yanzhou openly walked up to Yunying when she got off the carriage, intending to help her down.

But just as he made that move, Gu Wangchen, who was walking in front, seemed to suddenly remember something and abruptly turned around and walked back.

Chen Yanzhou didn't have time to stop; his actions were witnessed by his uncle.

Gu Wangchen was preoccupied with important matters and had no time to instruct Chen Yanzhou further, so he simply whispered, "Nephew, you and Yuanxi go to the inn first. I will help He'er get off the carriage."

Chen Yanzhou forced himself to say "okay".

Yunying, who was sitting in the carriage, did not see what had just happened.

But she heard everything, whether it was Chen Yanzhou's deal with Gu Yuanxi or her father's instructions.

Thinking about Chen Yanzhou's antics, and then considering that no matter how much he schemed, he could only fail in front of his father, I suddenly felt sorry for him.

A smile spread across Yunying's face as she helped her father down from the carriage and looked ahead.

She saw Chen Yanzhou standing not far away, looking at her with a smile.

Seeing this, Yunying's smile deepened.

Gu Wangchen remained silent, simply walking beside his daughter, seemingly oblivious to the interaction between the young couple.

But how could they not have noticed?
This was the daughter he had searched for with great difficulty. After leaving the house, he kept a close eye on her, fearing that she would disappear right under his nose.

(End of this chapter)