Chapter 234
Gu Zezhi put this matter aside and went back to the outer courtyard. The boy guarding the second gate immediately welcomed him.
While walking, Gu Zezhi instructed the boy, “Go and call Fang Ji.”
The boy answered and went away.
When Gu Zezhi returned to his courtyard, a thirty-something, plain-looking man dressed in a green robe followed the boy.
“Third Master.” Fang Ji clasped his fists and saluted to Gu Zezhi.
Gu Zezhi took a shallow sip of hot tea, put down the cup, and asked.
“Fang Ji, how is Luo’an City?”
Fang Ji came from Luo’an City with Duan Wang Ye and Duan Wang Fei this time and knows exactly what was happening in Luo’an City.
He was well prepared and immediately replied in an orderly way.
“Third Master, when the emperor sent Hu Xiaoliu and Liu Weichang back to Luo’an City from the capital, the wang ye was furious. Later, the heir knelt and swore again and again that he was worried about the third master, so he sent these two people to protect the third master secretly. Unexpectedly, this causes a big misunderstanding.”
“At that time, Concubine Feng interceded with the heir. Gently coaxing wang ye so he gradually calmed down and believed the heir’s words.”
While talking, Fang Ji’s expression showed a little disapproval. Even a fool knows that this was the heir’s pretext, but the wang ye believed it!
Gu Zezhi did not express his opinion but drew a smile that was not a smile as he casually played with the octagonal hand stove in his hand.
The hand stove was exquisitely made. On it was a cover carved with magpies circling plum blossoms, which complements the plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum patterns painted on the stove body.
Fang Ji continued.
“Wang Fei got so angry and fell ill. She got a cold and was in bed for several days. At that time, the official residence doctor of the wangfu check on her and diagnose that the wang fei was furious so her body was affected. Finally, wang ye punished the heir with twenty blows.”
Gu Zezhi’s fingers, which were originally rubbing the hand stove, stopped, and his eyes were slightly narrowed.
He obviously didn’t say anything but there was chilling pressure in the air.
After a moment of silence, Gu Zezhi said, “Is there anything else?”
Fang Ji swallowed his saliva and replied.
“The wang ye is conferring marriage for the eldest young master. At present, he has chosen the daughter of the governor of Qingzhou. However, because there are still three months to go before the end of his filial piety, he has only secretly communicated with them.”
When Fang Ji said eldest young master, he was referring to Gu Haojun, the son of the eldest son of Duan Wang Ye, in short he was Duan Wang Ye’s eldest grandson.
The governor mentioned was a dignified official of the imperial court, and Duan Wang Ye choosing the family with influential background for Gu Haojun shows how he valued his eldest grandson.
Over the years, Duan Wang Ye has been in a lot of dilemmas regarding Gu Zezhi’s marriage. All the people in the manor knew about it. Fang Ji also secretly thinks that wang ye was being partial to his sons, fortunately, the emperor was wise and chose marriage for their third master.
The cold wind outside the window made the several pink plum trees in the courtyard sway in the wind, and the snow on the treetops fell down in succession.
Gu Zezhi looked out of the window, and Qin Jiu’s voice began to ring in his ears: “I’m going to plant some more plum blossoms in the yard behind the house…”
That’s right, he could also plant some camellia in the courtyard in spring.
Gu Zezhi’s smile on his lips deepened three times more.
Fang Ji carefully observed Gu Zezhi’s expression and said.
“The emperor ordered the Royal Guards to deliver a message in Luo’an City, he asked wang ye to bring the heir to the capital, the heir originally agreed to it. But then, hundreds of people from the Heli tribe suddenly broke the border. The heir said it will not be good if there was no one to leave in the west if he goes, wang ye thought so too so he did not bring the heir.”
“And also….”
Fang Ji remembered another thing but stopped talking.
Gu Zezhi’s eyes withdrawn from the window, and looked at Fang Ji sideways with his deep eyes like a boundless sea.
Fang Ji glanced at him before he lowered his head, and continued.
“After the emperor gave you and young miss Qin the marriage. These two days, wang ye always said that the wang fei agreed too it quickly…”
The cold wind in the courtyard became fiercer, blowing away Fang Ji’s words, and several pink petals fluttered into the window with the wind.
Gu Zezhi waved his hand, dismissing Fang Ji, and then stood up holding the already cold hand stove.
The servant wondered why his master used a hand stove today, so he asked: “Third Master, would you like me to add some charcoal to the stove…”
Gu Zezhi entered the inner room as if he didn’t hear the servant.
The boy scratched his face and felt that there was something wrong with his master today: aster never used a hand stove, furthermore the hand stove in master’s hand didn’t seem to match him at all. It was more like… more like a girl’s hand stove!
Is it safe for me to say that this hand stove was given by the future madam?
With this deduction, the servant felt that this was the case.
Immediately afterwards, he was in dilemma again. Seeing how his master treasure the hand stove, he could be safe to say that his master was very interested in the third young miss Qin then if this was the case he must carefully keep the hand stove. That was all good, but should he also wipe the hand stove clean every day, or just leave it alone?
At this moment, the “precious” hand stove has been placed on the bedside table by Gu Zezhi. He sat down beside the couch, stretching out his hands, he rubbed the hollow pattern of the stove with a happy expression.
Thinking that Madam Gu had chosen the auspicious day five days later to invite the matchmaker to propose a marriage, Gu Zezhi was in a better mood and stopped looking at the magpies flying around the plum blossom on the stove cover.
A magpie climbing a branch was a good omen.
“Third Master,” the boy knocked at the door outside, “Wang Ye called for you.”
Gu Zezhi puts down the cold-hand stove, gets up, and goes out.
Gu Zezhi went to Duan Wang Ye’s outer study, after bowing his hand in greeting, Duan Wang Ye raised his hand and pointed to a circle chair next to him, gesturing for him to sit down, and said in a serious tone.
“Zezhi, it’s not that the king wants to be partial to your elder brother, but your elder brother is the heir, and you should understand and respect the elders as the junior.”
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