Clouds and Moon Shadow

Chapter 329 Gentle Township, Tomb of Heroes

Gu Qingyue's words struck a nerve with Princess Chaoyue.

She could almost see people pointing and whispering about her!

She gripped the handkerchief tightly in her hand. If it weren't for the fact that there were noble ladies and gentlemen outside, she would have loved to slap the woman in front of her hard across the face and ruin that vixen's face.

"We'll see!" Still mindful of her status as a princess, she glared fiercely at Gu Qingyue, brushed past her, and walked towards the palace gate.

"Don't be so arrogant," Zhao Lingyun said angrily, pulling on Princess Chaoyue's sleeve from behind.

Gu Qingyue raised an eyebrow at the jealous look in her eyes, "Not as arrogant as you."

"You!" Zhao Lingyun's eyes widened in anger.

Gu Qingyue smiled slightly and mouthed: "Stop pretending?"

Seeing Gu Qingyue's lip movements, Zhao Lingyun remembered his family's constant reminders to cultivate a good relationship with Gu Qingyue. Suddenly, he froze and quickly followed Princess Chaoyue forward.

Zhao Lingyun was extremely frustrated. She was incredibly jealous and wary of Gu Qingyue's beauty; she was practically driven mad with jealousy!

Especially when she saw Zhang Qingxuan and Gu Qingyue sitting at the same table talking at the Spring Appreciation Banquet.

She had long been convinced that Gu Qingyue was trying to seduce her sweetheart, how could she not be furious?!

Seeing Princess Chaoyue coming to cause trouble, she immediately followed, but by now it was too late to react.

Gu Qingyue watched Zhao Lingyun walk away stiffly, amused, and laughed even more heartily.

"Moon," Gu Qingyue was happily watching Zhao Lingyun and his group's departing figures when she heard Liu's voice from behind.

Gu Qingyue turned around and saw Madam Liu leading the main branch of the family over, with a very beautiful young girl by her side.

Huh?

Isn't this the innocent, naive young lady I met at the teahouse in Lizhou?

"Aunt," Gu Qingyue said in a flat tone, becoming a soulless talking machine once again.

"Greetings, Third Sister," Miss White Lotus said.

She actually spoke to me! And she even called me "little sister"?

Gu Qingyue turned her head, puzzled, and met Gu Yuanen's furrowed brows and troubled expression. Suddenly, Gu Qingyue realized something.

Could this be the Miss Liu that Fourth Brother gossiped about? The one who likes Third Brother?

"And who is this?" Gu Qingyue smiled politely. After all, the other person was really good-looking, beautiful, gentle, and graceful. Gu Qingyue even wanted to go up and help her up to comfort her.

Gu Qingyue's attraction to good-looking people is not limited to either men or women; she loves to look at them regardless of gender.

“This is my younger sister’s daughter, Liu Yingying. She is the most well-behaved girl. You are about the same age, so you can play together,” Liu said to Gu Qingyue with a smile.

Liu's parents had only two daughters. Liu married into the Zhenguo Duke's mansion, while their younger daughter stayed at home and married into the family.

The son-in-law respected Liu Shi very much, and the two were very loving. After their marriage, they had a son and a daughter, and the daughter was Liu Yingying.

Therefore, Liu was jealous of her younger sister and brother-in-law's harmonious relationship and disliked them very much, so she didn't visit them much.

However, because of her outstanding appearance, and since she herself had no daughter, she was even more fond of her. Therefore, she would take her with her whenever she went to important occasions.

In particular, this niece has a foxy appearance and is used to acting coquettishly, clinging and showing weakness in front of men. Madam Liu really hopes to bring her and Gu Yuanming together.

Gentle Township, Hero Tomb.

Ideally, Gu Yuanming would be so bewitched that he would die on the battlefield.

Of course, no one else knew about Liu's secret thoughts.

When Gu Qingyue heard Liu Shi's unusually warm words today, she raised an eyebrow. Was Liu Shi having a split personality?

Wasn't she the one who loved picking fights with the second wife? What's wrong with her today?

She sensed a conspiracy.

"So it's Miss Liu, nice to meet you," Gu Qingyue said, raising her eyebrows and smiling even more broadly.

Upon hearing this, both Liu Yingying and Madam Liu were taken aback. Gu Qingyue actually called her Miss Liu? Shouldn't she be called her cousin?

"Yue'er, don't be rude. This is your cousin," Madam Liu said, looking at Gu Qingyue with 'kindness,' showing no sign of anger.

Gu Qingyue was even more puzzled. Huh, isn't she angry? There really is a conspiracy!

Looking at Gu Qingyue's ambiguous smile, Madam Liu was so angry she wanted to bite her teeth, but she couldn't say anything more.

Indeed, her brother-in-law has had a successful career in the government in recent years, and is now the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, a fourth-rank official in the capital.

Although his official rank was not low, it was indeed far inferior to that of the Duke of Zhenguo, a first-rank official.

This wicked girl in front of me naturally looks down on her niece's background, how hateful!

But how could she possibly approve of it herself?

She despised Liu Yingying for constantly flattering and fawning over her, resorting to any means necessary to try and seduce Gu Yuanming, the legitimate son of the Duke of Zhenguo.

She's practically ready to offer herself up!

Gu Qingyue was puzzled by Liu Shi's ever-changing expression and wondering what she was up to when suddenly, "Third cousin!" A woman's soft, gentle voice rang in her ears.

That voice is undoubtedly Liu Yingying's!

Gu Qingyue turned her head following Liu Yingying's gaze and saw her second and third brothers walking towards them. She immediately realized who it was!

This innocent girl really likes Third Brother!

Look, my second brother, such a big guy, is completely ignored right in front of us.

"Mother, please go in quickly. It's almost time. Grandfather is urging us to hurry up," Gu Yuanming said expressionlessly, taking Qin Shi's arm and indicating that they should go to the palace immediately.

Gu Qingyue suddenly smiled.

Third Brother is indeed a ruthless person!

To be able to ignore such a delicate and sweet beauty is amazing!

Gu Qingyue waved to Madam Liu and Liu Yingying, smiled, turned around, and the group left in an instant.

Liu was so angry she was grinding her teeth, but she couldn't lash out.

Seeing Gu Yuanming leave so decisively, Liu Yingying was instantly devastated and swayed. Her beautiful eyes filled with glistening tears, like delicate flowers reflected in water, but no one cared.

Walking on the wide palace road, Gu Qingyue looked into the distance.

As the sun sets, the sprawling palace complex suddenly appears in view, gleaming brilliantly under the radiant glow of the sunset.

Red walls and black tiles, flying eaves and upturned corners, undulating and magnificent, with a grand and imposing presence!

I suddenly remembered a passage from a book I read in my past life, describing a palace from a certain dynasty. It said that the palace architecture of that dynasty was the pinnacle of Eastern palace architectural aesthetics!

Gu Qingyue felt that the buildings in front of her were indeed worthy of that praise.

Indeed, a royal court that can last for more than two hundred years is truly extraordinary!

Standing here, looking at everything before him, how could anyone with even the slightest chance of ascending to the supreme throne willingly hand it over to someone else?

However, the thought that this was Mu Yun Chu's home since childhood gave her a different feeling.

Once inside the Qianqiu Hall, the venue for the palace banquet, Gu Qingyue helped Qin Shi settle into her seat in the Zhenguo Duke's residence.

Qin Shi's body had only just recovered, and after walking for almost half an hour from the palace gate to here, Gu Qingyue had already sensed Qin Shi's discomfort and fatigue.

Therefore, she immediately asked Qin to sit down and rest.

Gu Qingyue looked around and saw that Madam Liu had entered with Liu Yingying and her two daughters-in-law.

However, they did not come over directly, but instead went to exchange pleasantries with a lady they knew.

Although they were far apart, Gu Qingyue would still occasionally receive Liu Yingying's sorrowful and resentful gaze, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Gu Qingyue wanted to rub her forehead.

Luckily, she didn't go to the Spring Festival banquet last time, otherwise she probably would have been annoyed to death by this scheming woman.

According to the rules of the palace banquet, officials of all ranks must first pay their respects to the emperor before entering the Qianqiu Hall.

Therefore, after entering the palace, the old Duke took his two sons and several grandsons to see the emperor, as did other officials. So now most of the people in the main hall are women.

Gu Qingyue glanced around and, seeing no familiar young ladies, sat down next to Madam Qin.