In the past, after she married Zhao Changxing, she felt she could hardly carry on after less than a year. She had endured the torment from Cheng and Zhao Changxing for ten years. Her only hope was that Du would come back to save her. Now that Du had returned, no matter what, she would not let Du leave again.
This was also one of the reasons why she had been trying so hard to please Gu Ying recently.
"This is nothing. It's just something within my capability."
"Ah Ying, having a good sister like you is the blessing of my lifetime."
Gu Ying smiled helplessly. "Let's not talk about this. Mother really put me in a difficult position. She clearly knows I don't recognize a single complex character. If she asks me to copy this scripture, I'm afraid the Queen Mother will dislike me and laugh at me."
Huo Qiyun was also worried. "This concerns the royal family. I'm afraid it can't be easily dismissed. Ah Ying, shall I help you copy it?"
Gu Ying's eyebrows twitched slightly. Suddenly, she felt a few more strands of vigilance towards Huo Qiyun in her heart.
In her previous life, she had at least competed among those talented ladies in Jiangyin. Huo Qiyun's offer made her notice her ambition.
Since it could not be easily dismissed, how could she casually let others copy on her behalf? Ladies of their status learned this principle early on in their childhood.
The Queen Mother was praying blessing for her son. What she wanted was the sincerity of the person copying the scripture. If not sincere, what would be the point of copying it?
Gu Ying asked as if puzzled. "Can this be done?"
Huo Qiyun looked down on Gu Ying, the illiterate, in her heart. On the surface, she smiled understandingly. "If you don't say and I don't say, no one should know. But we have to do this discreetly. Why don't I come to Changfeng Pavilion every day to copy it for you? Ah Ying, what do you think?"
Gu Ying did not think it was good.
She felt unhappy at the thought of Huo Qiyun coming over everyday. She might run into the Prince.
"Ah Ying?"
"Ha ha." Gu Ying recalled the punishment from the man last night. She smiled. "Sister-in-law, I don't think it's appropriate."
Huo Qiyun's face stiffened. She forced a smile. "I was just casually suggesting it. Don't overthink it, Ah Ying."
Gu Ying resolutely rejected Huo Qiyun. She somehow felt strange about her own petty mood. It was obvious that Huo Qiyun wanted to match the Prince with her. But now, she had become somewhat petty...
The room fell into awkward silence. Huo Qiyun was about to get up and leave. But just as she was about to stand, her eyes caught sight of the long bow hanging on the wall. "Huh? Ah Ying, is that Li King's bow?"
"..." Gu Ying did not expect Huo Qiyun to recognize Li King's bow. "Yes, yes it is. Sister-in-law, you know about it too?"
"Mm. Du showed it to me before."
The smile on Gu Ying's lips stiffened. "The Prince and Sister-in-law have deep feelings for each other. It's really enviable."
Hearing this, Huo Qiyun felt comforted in her heart. No matter that Gu Ying was Du's wife. The years she had spent with Du were irreplaceable to anyone.
She would always be the most special one in Du's heart.
She walked forward as if she was the mistress of Changfeng Pavilion herself. Her slender fingers caressed the peerless divine bow. Her fine brows furrowed slightly. "Why is Li King's bow string broken?"
"..." Gu Ying was rendered speechless for a moment. "It broke by accident. I haven't been able to find a suitable bow string...so I just left it like this."
Huo Qiyun said regretfully, "What a pity for such a fine bow."
Although she said so, the deepest resentment swirled in her eyes towards Li King's bow.
To think Du had just given Li King's bow to Gu Ying so casually...Gu Ying was not even worthy!
She pondered for a moment, then turned her head with a gentle smile. "But I know where in Dongli to find the best bow strings that can repair Li King's bow. It is said that Li King's ancestors made it."
"Is Sister-in-law speaking the truth?"
"Why would I lie to you? Ah Ying, just say, do you want to fix this bow or not?"
Gu Ying said, "Of course I do."
Although she had dealt with Mrs. Liu's two spies with Li King's bow, in the end she had let down the divine bow and failed the Prince's intentions.
Her biggest wish before she left was to repair Li King's bow and return it to the Prince.
"Good. I'll give you his address. You can go find him then. But they are a strange clan who shun the outside world. It would be difficult to obtain the bow string. There needs to be the right timing. They rarely see anyone after Lantern Festival. There would be a chance to enter their territory after Lantern Festival."
"It's fine. I'll find a way."
Huo Qiyun smiled sincerely. "Ah Ying is really good to Du. With you accompanying Du, I can rest assured too."
The tone of staking her claim...was quite annoying.
Gu Ying looked to Huo Qiyun inconspicuously.
She was a very beautiful woman with fair skin, slender and delicate, gentle and elegant. It was the profound cultural foundation of a literary family like the Huo Family that cultivated such a gentle temperament. In addition, there was always a light sadness around her that made her even more pitiable and loveable. Even, she sensed some familiar feeling in her brow and eyes.
From a certain angle...Huo Qiyun and herself were quite similar. Especially since they both favored plain light colors, that touch of pure grace and white skin made them even more alike.
Recalling Zhao Changxing's meaningful words during the tea ceremony, Gu Ying suddenly had an unpleasant guess in her mind.
The Prince treating her so specially...could it be because she resembled Huo Qiyun?
This speculation stunned her for a moment. Then a nameless sour feeling slowly crept into her heart.
"Ah Ying, I'm leaving first."
It took Gu Ying a long time to return to her senses. Something seemed stuck in her throat as she choked out, "Okay..."
She watched Huo Qiyun leave.
Then she stood in front of the copper mirror to look at herself - snow white skin, black silky hair, delicate smooth skin, bright spirited eyes, light willow brows, red moist petite lips.
The more she looked, the more she felt there were indeed some similarities between herself and Huo Qiyun.
Yin Lan walked in to see Gu Ying frowning at the mirror. She laughed and asked, "My Lady, what are you looking at?"
Gu Ying suppressed the sour feeling in her heart and pulled the corners of her lips. "Yin Lan, do you think Sister-in-law and I look alike?"
Yin Lan was rendered speechless by the question. She walked over. "Why is My Lady asking this?"
Gu Ying's mind rippled slightly. She somehow felt she had become more and more concerned about the Prince recently...
Awkwardly, she showed an embarrassed smile and moved away from the copper mirror. She also felt she was making a fuss and becoming unlike herself.
But Yin Lan laughed and said, "My Lady and the Eldest Madam only look a little alike in temperament. If you really compared them, My Lady is much more beautiful than Eldest Madam. Your features are more delicate."
Yin Lan wasn't lying.
In fact, Gu Ying was the most beautiful woman she had seen. Compared to Gu Ying, even Huo Qiyun was slightly inferior.
Her mistress looked like an exquisitely carved porcelain doll. Not to mention the Prince would like her, even she, a woman, liked her immensely.
Hearing this, Gu Ying only felt her breath stuck halfway in her chest. Her heart ached dully as if a large hand was clutching it tightly and crushing it.
She didn't want to be a substitute...
She didn't want that when he held her tenderly, the one in his heart was still Huo Qiyun.
She was her. She was Gu Ying.
...
