Water Reflects Peach Blossoms

"Sister, why did you go to see Wu Ji today?" Gong Yuanzheng asked, remembering what happened today.

Gong Yunzheng's expression remained calm. "Old Zhiren was suddenly murdered. I was worried that Madam Wuji would be too sad, so I went to comfort her."

Gong Yuanzheng: "I know my sister is kind-hearted."

Even a concubine would show sympathy and comfort. My sister has always been very kind to the legitimate relatives and female relatives of the palace.

Hearing his brother's thoughts, Gong Yunzheng felt a little worried. What if such a simple-minded brother was deceived in the future?

Then she thought of today's harvest.

Ming Wuji indeed knew that Gong Huanyu was not dead.

She used the excuse of testing Ming Wuji's identity and only mentioned Lao Zhiren but not Gong Huanyu.

Ming Wu Ji didn't mention it either. Even when talking about Zi Yu's younger brother, she didn't mention this brother who was usually very kind to Zi Yu.

Unless... in her subconscious mind, Gong Huanyu is still alive and well.

If we want to know whether Ming Wuji is Gong Huanyu’s accomplice, we have to see whether she takes any action in the next few days.

Gong Huanyu is a meticulous person with great martial arts skills. He will do anything to achieve his goals. Perhaps Ming Wuji is not his accomplice. She is being used by him and may have another identity.

The next morning, a maid from the Corner Palace came to the Zheng Palace to report, "Ms. Shangguan has prepared a table of delicious food and would like to invite the Second Miss to dine with her at the Corner Palace at lunchtime."

Sitting under the porch, gazing at the lush branches and leaves of the trees in the courtyard, Gong Yunzheng said softly, "I understand."

The maid bowed and left.

Wearing a green embroidered dress, Gong Yunzheng looked at the beams of light filtering through the leaves, casting mottled shadows on the medicinal plants in the ground. He said with an ambiguous meaning, "The master is quite steady in his bearing."

Jiao Gong, standing in front of the railing that separated the tea room in the house, looked at the delicious food on the table. Gong Yuanzheng noticed the four bowls of rice placed next to it.

He looked at Shangguan Qian, who was inviting him and his brother to sit down for dinner, and deliberately said, "There are only three of us. Miss Shangguan, are you eating two bowls of rice by yourself?"

Being ridiculed for being able to eat, Shangguan Qian placed the sweet and sour fish on the table and looked up at him innocently: "Master Zheng, have you forgotten that there is someone who is supposed to dine with us?"

The smile on Gong Yuanzheng's face disappeared instantly, and his expression turned cold and hard.

Without waiting for the young man to threaten her, Shangguan Qian stood up with a smile and looked behind them: "Sister Yunzheng is here? Come and sit down and have dinner with us."

Gong Shangjiao and Gong Yuanzheng turned around and saw Gong Yunzheng, who had just entered the room, walking towards them.

Gong Shangjiao's face showed no emotion: "Did you invite Sister Yunzheng?"

"Yes." Shangguan smiled gently. "I thought that Sister Yunzheng and I are both female relatives, and Master Jiao and Master Zheng are usually busy with palace affairs, so I thought about getting to know them. Maybe Sister Yunzheng and I can get along well, and we can spend our free time together on weekdays."

Hearing her calling him "Sister Yunzheng" all the time, Gong Yuanzheng's brows showed anger: "Stop calling me sister like that."

He had warned her before not to use her little tricks on her sister, but it seemed that she didn't listen at all.

Or was she provoking him?

"I... just want to get to know the Second Young Lady better." Shangguan Qian was at a loss, not knowing what she had said wrong to make the young man so angry.

"Never mind. We have to get familiar with each other after all." Gong Shangjiao looked at Shangguan Qian, "But from now on, there's no need to specially invite Sister Yunzheng to come for dinner. Jiaogong is also Sister Yunzheng's home. It's convenient for her to come anytime."

Shangguan Qian looked at Gong Yunzheng, feeling quite uneasy: "I am the one who is estranged."

"It's okay," Gong Yunzheng said softly, "Miss Shangguan has just arrived at Jiao Palace, so there are some things she's not used to. We just need to get used to each other as a family."

Shangguan Qian said softly, "Thank you, Second Miss."

The four of them took their seats.

Shangguan Qian prepared four dishes and a soup, all of which were meat.

Although the food was delicious and made people's appetite grow, Gong Shangjiao only picked up two pieces of meat for Gong Yuanzheng and did not move his chopsticks again.

Gong Yunzheng ate quietly, listening to the conversation between his brother and Shangguan Qian as they competed openly and covertly for favor.

If others heard the conversation between the two, they would probably want to laugh, but to her ears, she just felt that the assassin without a sharp edge was hypocritical and good at attacking people's minds.

Gong Shangjiao sighed helplessly.

Seeing Shangguan Qian explain the exact reason why he only ate stewed soup and not whole chicken or fish, Gong Shangjiao's heart, which had been silent for many years in the killing of the martial arts world, was inevitably touched, and he asked her for a bowl of stewed soup.

Seeing this ambiguous scene between the two, Gong Yuanzheng was furious.

I secretly hate that Shangguan Qian is so capable that she can make my brother soften his heart!

He looked at his sister opposite him, only to find that she had been eating quietly from beginning to end without saying a word.

My brother has been bewitched by this woman, sister, please say something!

Seeing that his sister was still immersed in her own world, Gong Yuanzheng asked for soup, but when his brother handed him the soup that Shangguan Qian had presented to him, he felt that the soup was full of Shangguan Qian's affection for his brother, which made him annoyed, so he asked Shangguan Qian to serve him another bowl.

Passing the soup to Gong Yuanzheng, Shangguan Qian gently asked Gong Yunzheng beside her, "Would Second Miss also like a bowl of soup?"

Gong Yunzheng refused: "I have never liked stewing soup since I was a child."

"Like this." Shangguan Qian poured himself a bowl.

There was a moment of silence at the dinner table.

Shangguan Qian sipped her soup intermittently and suddenly said, "I heard that the young master of the Shang Palace is still underage, so the Shang Palace is now under the jurisdiction of the eldest daughter, who is temporarily the head of the palace."

Gong Yuanzheng frowned: "What do you want to say?"

He sensed a very dangerous smell!

"Nothing," Shangguan Qian put down the bowl in her hand, her face full of harmlessness, "I'm just curious. Master Zheng is also underage, but why..."

"As a younger brother, of course I have to protect and take good care of my sister." The boy's face was full of pride. "Don't you even know this?"

Shangguan Qian's smile froze, and she felt a little downcast: "I don't have a brother, so... I can't empathize with you."

"Really?" Gong Yuanzheng raised his eyebrows calmly. "I thought you were going to use your position as Palace Master of Zheng Palace to sow discord between me and my sister."

Seeing Shangguan Qian's embarrassed expression for a moment, he said, "Master Zheng has misunderstood."

Gong Yunzheng explained, "I have no talent for medicine or poisons, and I'm frail and can't be overly tired. It's Yuanzheng who's been taking care of me all these years."

Shangguan Qian looked at Gong Yunzheng and said sincerely, "Second Miss is very lucky to have such a brother."

Gong Yunzheng smiled at her.

When the meal was almost finished, Shangguan Qian asked, "How does it taste? Is it to your taste?"

Gong Yuanzheng looked at her with a pointed look: "It's like a fishbone stuck in my throat, hard to swallow."