A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

After that, Guier still went to work and came home every day, and there was no change.

Although the Marshal had mentioned marrying Gui'er to Zhao Yingwu before, he didn't bring it up again. Even the third concubine quietly comforted Gui'er: "Don't worry, the Marshal will not prepare a dowry for his daughter. My Sanmei is his biological child. When you married Marshal Zhang, I paid for almost all the dowry. Although you are marrying a servant's son now, if you don't give a penny for the dowry, people will still laugh at you. I have an idea for you. Tell your brother not to prepare a dowry for you. When the Marshal asks you to marry, ask him for a lot of dowry. I guarantee that this marriage will not be successful."

Gui'er burst out laughing after hearing this, but when she thought about it, it actually made some sense.

Dingxiang also reported that she had inquired with the maids in the main courtyard and that the Marshal had never mentioned the matter again, even in private, since that incident. She didn't know why, but she heard that the Zhao steward and his wife were very anxious, and from time to time they hinted to the Marshal that Zhao Yingwu was not young anymore. But the Marshal ignored them.

Gui'er thought for a moment and said to Dingxiang, "Forget it. The Marshal never worried about anything for me in the past. This marriage was probably just a spur of the moment idea on his part. Let's put it aside for now. By the way, how is the eldest wife doing recently?" She wanted to find out whether Sha Yanyao came back just for vacation or for some other purpose. She was afraid that Sha Yanyao came back to carry out a mission, and he would be a tough opponent.

Dingxiang thought for a moment and tilted her head. "It's nothing, really. Miss Jinbao has two sons, so the Madam has some regard for her. But Miss Tian is the principal wife, and with her family background, she doesn't dare to be too prominent. But money is essential. I heard from the servants of the principal wife that they are still living separately in Nanjing, and Miss Jinbao has moved to a new place that is much better than the original one."

"So what's my eldest brother been busy with this time when he came back? I heard Jinbao say that he didn't even accompany her for a stroll. He always dragged me along when he went out. I saw that Miss Tian seemed to be going out by herself with those rich ladies to play mahjong and watch operas. Could it be that my eldest brother has found a new mistress outside?"

"Oh my, Miss, now that you mention it, I just remembered. Indeed, in the past, when the young master returned to Jiangcheng, he would just visit Director Song and the others to catch up on the past, and then stay at home to read. But this time, he's been running out a lot. I heard from the people in their courtyard that the young master runs out every day."

After hearing this, Gui'er was secretly anxious. Could it be that Sha Yanyao really came back this time to carry out a mission? Then she would have to report to Song Xichen.

So when I arrived at the hospital that day, I told Manager Liu about this. Liu Zhanggui took it very seriously and said, "I've also heard about this task from Old Song. I really need to get some feedback right away. I happen to be on a medical visit, so I'll go talk to him right away."

After Manager Liu left, Guier returned to her post and continued working.

Suddenly seeing Wu Mingqiang limping in, she felt very strange and hurried forward to ask, "Little Brother Wu, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

Wu Mingqiang was startled when he saw her and stammered, "Miss, why are you here?"

Guier said, "I'm working in the hospital now. Is your foot injured? Come, let me take a look at it for you."

Without saying anything, he pushed him onto the chair, lifted up his trouser legs and saw that he had been stabbed. He was shocked and quickly helped him to find a surgeon to bandage him.

Fortunately, the cut was not deep and only 5 or 6 stitches were needed. The doctor sewed him up, treated the wound, gave him some precautions, and then went to deal with other patients.

Gui'er helped him walk outside and sat down. She asked curiously, "Why did you come here alone? Where are your brothers?"

Wu Mingqiang smiled awkwardly and said, "I was just walking down the street alone when someone ambushed me. I really miscalculated, and you got to see me in such an ugly state. You'd better stay away from me. I'm afraid those who are looking for revenge on me are still here."

Upon hearing this, Gui'er glanced around nervously. Spotting no suspicious individuals or unusual activity, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "How's your old hotel doing now? Even if you're no longer running it, you've got a bunch of loyal followers, right? Didn't my brother ask you to stay informed of market trends? How did you end up facing retaliation from your enemies?"

Wu Mingqiang said with a wry smile, "Miss, I have always been a bystander. Unless the young master tells me to, I will not take action. But if you walk by the river often, you will inevitably get your shoes wet. If some hooligans do something dirty, they must be taught a lesson. If I take action, won't I be hated?"

Gui'er sighed and said, "How did they ambush us this time? It's inconvenient for you to walk now. Will you be ambushed if you go out? Do you want me to call Brother Cheng to come and escort you back?"

Wu Mingqiang looked around, stood up on one foot, and said, "It's okay, miss, it's just a minor injury. I have already dealt with that guy just now." Then he limped towards the hospital gate.

Gui Er suddenly remembered something and hurried forward, helping her down the stairs while saying, "By the way, Brother Wu, I have a personal matter I'd like to ask for your help."

Wu Mingqiang stopped and said with a smile, "Miss, if there's anything you need from me, just tell me. Why bother asking me to help you?"

Gui Er hesitated for a moment and said, "Actually, I want to secretly monitor the young master of the Marshal's Mansion."

Wu Mingqiang was stunned for a moment and asked, "What's wrong? Does he want to go against the young lady?"

Gui'er smiled and said, "I'm not sure either. Did you know that the Marshal recently suddenly said he wanted to match me up with Zhao Yingwu, the son of the Marshal's Housekeeper Zhao? I suspect that Housekeeper Zhao is planning to join forces with the First Wife, but I don't know yet if they've reached a deal. If the First Wife sides with Housekeeper Zhao, it would be very disadvantageous to me, so I want to know the Young Master's attitude. Can you find some hooligans to follow Sha Yanyao from a distance? But he's a professional spy, so it would be difficult to stay undetected. We need more manpower. More importantly, even if Sha Yanyao finds out, we can't let him trace it back to us."

Wu Mingqiang said angrily, "Miss, don't worry. I'll go back and arrange for the staff right away. This young master is really something. After all, he and Miss have lived in Nanjing for so many years. Don't you think he cares about our relationship at all?"

Gui'er smiled and said, "This is my own idea. I haven't told my second brother yet. I'm afraid it will affect their brotherly relationship, which would be bad. So I'd like to trouble Brother Wu to keep this a secret from my second brother as well. You just need to have someone observe from a distance who he interacts with. I suspect those people are connected to Butler Zhao."