The Prime Minister’s Darling-Chapter 421 - : 212 Entering the Palace (Second More)_2

Chapter 421: 212 Entering the Palace (Second More)_2

Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, he turned around. In the darkness, his seemingly murky eyes held a sharpness and acuity unrivalled by the young: “Do you have someone you like?”

Prince An paused, “Why does my grandfather say so?”

Prime Minister Zhuang said, “You’re not young anymore. Your aunt believes it’s time to arrange a marriage for you.”

Prince An’s eyes slightly trembled: “I am not even of age yet, why the rush?”

A man of Zhan Country comes of age at twenty. Only then he’s considered an adult, and most elite families arrange marriages after this age.

Prime Minister Zhuang declared, “We’re not asking you to get married right now, just start looking. Originally, we planned to seek a match with Princess Hui for you, but due to her unfortunate circumstances, your aunt has set aside this idea. If there’s a girl you admire, who is of equal social standing, embodying grace and beauty, inform your aunt.”

The figure of a maid carrying a basket across her back flashed across Prince An’s mind, but he maintained his composure saying, “There isn’t one.”

Prime Minister Zhuang turned and left the room.

Prince An sighed softly.

A match of equal social standing?

The Marquis of Ding An’s residence seemed neutral, yet just like the Marquis of Xuanping, the old Marquis acted as the left and right arm of the emperor. She and he would never match socially.

As for appearance.

He didn’t care about her appearance, but his aunt would never allow him to marry a girl who had both a flawed face and a previous marriage.

“Heh,” Prince An chuckled mockingly, “Why should they bother asking me?”

—

While the whole Capital City was engrossed in the enormous impact brought by the Apricot List, Gu Jinyu at the Ministry of Justice had no access to any news from the outside world.

She was trapped in the interrogation room, unable to eat or sleep well.

The Emperor seemed to have made up his mind to break her will. No one was allowed to force a confession out of her, but neither would they pay her any attention.

She was utterly alone and was slowly losing her strength to keep going.

She hadn’t bathed for many days. Unlike Gu Jiao, who’d grown up in the countryside and could go for half a month without a bath, she loved cleanliness!

Fortunately, Madam Qi, a close aide of Lady Shu, arrived.

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Upon seeing Madam Qi, Gu Jinyu instantly broke down in tears.

“There, there, Miss County, please stop crying or it will upset the lady,” Madam Qi wanted to comfort her by hugging her, but was put off by Gu Jinyu’s smell.

Madam Qi cleared her throat, ended up standing next to Gu Jinyu, and handed her a clean handkerchief.

Gratefully receiving the handkerchief, Gu Jinyu sobbed, “Thank you, Madam, for coming to see me.”

Madam Qi asked, “The Lady asked me to find out what really happened. Did you really break the Jade Seal or… did you do something else to anger the Emperor?”

Upon hearing these words, Gu Jinyu’s eyes flickered. “Did the lady… hear some rumors?”

Madam Qi came to clarify the matter, “There are rumors in the palace that the bellows was not your invention, but someone else’s.”

“Someone else… who?” Gu Jinyu cautiously asked.

Madam Qi pondered, “I don’t know. The rumor doesn’t specify who it is.”

Gu Jinyu lowered her head guiltily.

Who started this rumor? The Emperor or the old blacksmith and carpenter? Didn’t all three of them know about that girl?

Gu Jinyu didn’t understand what was going on. She collected herself, and then asked, “So, does the lady believe it?”

Madam Qi retorted, “Can the lady believe it?”

Gu Jinyu heaved a sigh of relief. At least, her efforts over these years were not in vain.

Madam Qi sighed, “However, the origin of these rumors is suspicious. Think carefully about whether anyone has tampered with your blueprint, or whether you mentioned the bellows to anyone.”

It seemed that father hadn’t told the Imperial Concubine about the fact that both she and Gu Jiao had “invented” the bellows. He hadn’t mentioned it for quite some time, so she suspected that he might not mention it at all.

Gu Jinyu hesitated over whether or not to expose Gu Jiao herself.

The Imperial Concubine didn’t have a good impression of Gu Jiao for two reasons. Firstly, she didn’t like the Yao Family, and by extension, she didn’t like their children either. She only cared for her because of her intelligence and the fact that she’d helped the fifth prince immensely.

Secondly, Gu Jiao had refused to return to the Marquis Residence, showing no respect towards the old Lady Gu, nor the Imperial Concubine, who was her aunt.

Ordinarily, once Gu Jiao had returned to the Capital City, she should have requested to meet with the Imperial Concubine at least once, but the lass hadn’t.

Gu Jinyu wasn’t certain that the Imperial Concubine would trust her like her father did.

What if the Imperial Concubine decided to verify the truth with Gu Jiao, or found out that the Emperor was biased in Gu Jiao’s favor. Would the Imperial Concubine still defend her then?

After weighing all her options, Gu Jinyu ultimately abandoned the idea of accusing Gu Jiao of stealing her idea.

She shook her head, “I don’t know. I never mentioned it to anyone.”

Qi, the old maid, scrutinized Gu Jinyu without blinking, “So tell me, was the bellows really your invention?”

So, her aunt still didn’t believe her?

Even after she’d done so much homework for the fifth prince, and taken so many tests on his behalf?

Gu Jinyu chuckled wryly in her heart. Still, she feigned innocence, “Old maid, is it that you don’t trust me, or is it Auntie who doesn’t trust me? I swear to the heavens, I invented the bellows. If I utter even a single lie, may I be struck by—”

The old maid hurriedly covered her mouth with a handkerchief, chiding her, “You shouldn’t speak such words lightly! The Imperial Concubine trusts you; it was I who was being too inquisitive. You shouldn’t take it to heart.”

Gu Jinyu responded softly, “Auntie, I understand you’re only looking out for my best interest.”

The old nursemaid sighed again, “The Imperial Concubine has checked. The jade seal was broken long ago, destroyed by the seventh prince. The Emperor was probably furious at you because he believed in the rumors, thinking that someone else invented the bellows. The pressing matter is to prove that you are the real inventor, but it’s unfortunate that the Imperial Concubine doesn’t know how…”

These words enlightened Gu Jinyu. Although she couldn’t use the case of the bellows to turn the tables anymore, she could certainly use something else to do so.

She remembered something she had seen in Bishui Alley one day.

Gu Jinyu squinted her eyes, “Auntie, it’s been too long since the bellows incident, and I didn’t play it smart to keep a detailed blueprint as evidence. It would probably be unclear anyway. But a bellows isn’t the only thing I’m capable of inventing.”

The old maid was taken aback at once, “You… you have other inventions too? Why didn’t you show them earlier?”

Gu Jinyu chuckled, “I thought of it just a few days ago. Being locked up here didn’t make me desolate. Instead, I calmed down and asked myself what else I could do for the court. Then, I remembered something I had casually invented in the manor.”

“What is it?” The old maid asked excitedly.

“Mortar made from glutinous rice.” Gu Jinyu hadn’t seen its effects in person, but she didn’t have much choice now. She had to bet on it, “The mixture made from glutinous rice soup is exceptionally strong. It’s the best building material. Auntie, if you don’t believe me, you can try it yourself when you go back to the palace. The Imperial Concubine loves me, and I should repay her kindness. I’m willing to give this achievement to the fifth prince.”

The old maid immediately went back to the Imperial Palace to tell the Imperial Concubine about the glutinous rice mortar, emphasizing that this achievement could be given to the fifth prince.

The Imperial Concubine was pleasantly surprised, “Is this true?”

The old maid replied, “The princess said it in person; how could it be a lie? Your Imperial Highness, this is a significant accomplishment!”

—

On the other hand, Little Jinkong, a Mok scholar at the Guozijian, had finished his studies for the day and arrived at the place where he’d agreed to meet his friends.

Last time, Qin Chuyu promised to take Little Jinkong and the other children on a tour of the Imperial Palace. After breaking through the connections of the crown prince’s wife, he finally managed to get her permission to bring his friends into the palace.

Adults might have wondered how he managed to gain entry to the Imperial Palace, but children wouldn’t question it.

Xu Zhuzhu informed the servant who came to pick him up about the prince’s invitation. The servant knew about Qin Chuyu’s identity and dared not refuse.

Little Jinkong made a trip to the Medical Hall and told Gu Jiao that he was going out to play and would return later in a carriage belonging to the Xu Family.

Gu Jiao had no objections.

Xu Zhuzhu and Qin Chuyu often came to play at the Medical Hall as well.

The three children happily climbed into Qin Chuyu’s carriage.