Water Reflects Peach Blossoms

In the morning, the Zheng Palace was like a fairyland with the medicinal mist spreading over the ground under the big trees in the courtyard.

After drinking the morning medicine, Gong Yunzheng placed the teacup he had rinsed his mouth with on the tray held by the maid, and saw an innocent woman being led by the maid through the corridor with a lunch box in her hand.

Gong Yunzheng's expression remained unchanged, but the murderous intent in his heart grew like a vine.

"Second Miss." Shangguan Qian stood in front of her, a gentle smile on her lips: "I apologize for disturbing you."

"You know it's rude, but you still dare to come here." Gong Yuanzheng, who was standing next to Gong Yunzheng, looked impatient and didn't give any face at all.

Shangguan Qian looked slightly embarrassed and said to Gong Yuanzheng, "Mr. Zheng is right. I just came here to thank the Second Miss. Even if it's presumptuous, I have no choice but to come."

He just felt that the woman in front of him was hypocritical and artificial, and smelled like tea. Gong Yuanzheng just wanted to roll his eyes at her.

"Mr. Zheng, I have some girlish words I want to say to the second young lady. I wonder if it's okay..." Having said that, Shangguan Qian looked at Gong Yuanzheng expectantly.

Understanding the meaning of her words, the boy looked at his sister, and when he saw her nod, he stood up and left.

"I'm taking care of the medicinal plants in the yard. If you need anything, just call me." He said this before leaving.

The main purpose was to warn Shangguan Qian not to do anything tricky.

After Gong Yuanzheng left, Gong Yunzheng said to the woman still standing in front of her, "Miss Shangguan, please sit down."

Shangguan Qian sat opposite Gong Yunzheng, put the lunch box in her hand on the table and opened it.

Inside the lunch box were several plates of exquisitely shaped pastries.

"This is a specialty snack from my hometown, Dafu City. I made it specially for the Second Miss to try."

Gong Yunzheng: "Thank you very much."

Seeing Gong Yunzheng's lack of interest, Shangguan Qian tried to lighten the mood. "I came here to thank the Second Young Miss. If the Second Young Miss hadn't discovered the clues regarding the medical case, I'm afraid I would have brought great disaster to Master Jiao."

"It is also thanks to the Second Miss that I have been able to maintain my position in Mr. Jiao's heart."

"Brother Shangjiao isn't someone who takes his anger out on others," Gong Yunzheng said calmly. "Miss Shangguan simply wanted to help her fiancé and fulfill her duties as a fiancée. There's no need to thank me."

"Then we should express our gratitude even more." Shangguan Qian said warmly, "Thank you, Second Miss, for saving my husband and me from danger."

"You're welcome." Gong Yunzheng's heart grew colder. "Brother Shangjiao and I have never been estranged from each other."

Shangguan Qian was deeply moved by Gong Yunzheng's words of affection. Her eyes moistened. "Second Miss is right."

"From now on, I will treat Master Jiao, the Second Miss, and Master Zheng even more sincerely."

Gong Yunzheng: "We're a family, this is how it should be."

In response, the two of them exchanged a few polite words.

Shangguan Qian saw a small bow hanging on the wall and asked tentatively, "Second Miss's room is exquisitely decorated. I believe Master Zheng has used the best things in the Zheng Palace here, but what is this bow..."

"This is for the expedition." Gong Yunzheng explained to her.

"Mr. Zheng's?" Shangguan Qian was curious.

Gong Yunzheng nodded, looking at the bow on the wall. His voice was gentle and nostalgic. "When Yuanzheng was seven years old, I saw my father making him a small bow and teaching him archery in the yard. I wanted one, so I asked my father to make one for me. I didn't expect that my father, who had always been so supportive of me, would reject me for the first time."

"I was very sad. I felt that my father valued Yuanzheng more than me. I threw a tantrum and cried secretly under the covers. The next morning, I woke up and saw the small bow that Yuanzheng had placed next to my pillow."

"My father found out about this and took the bow away without a word."

A bitter smile appeared on Gong Yunzheng's lips.

Yuan Zheng has never liked interacting with or talking to others since he was a child. He often stays alone with poisonous insects. The first time, he got angry with his father because of this and hid secretly so that no one could find him.

When Daddy found him, he was sleeping in the hollow trunk of a big tree, holding the bow.

After finding Yuanzheng, her mother told her that it was not that her father did not value her, but that he was afraid that she would take the bow and secretly string it herself, or that she would have a heart attack. For this reason, he was often restless day and night and was very cautious. He also blamed himself for his poor medical skills and for not being able to let his daughter live a free and easy life.

Later, Dad realized that something was wrong and asked Yuanzheng to give the bow to her.

Unfortunately, not long after, Wu Feng disguised himself as a member of the Shangqing Sect and entered the palace.

Killing was everywhere, and her life and that of her brother became a hell.

Looking at Gong Yunzheng's sad and nostalgic expression, Shangguan Qian sensed something was amiss, mistakenly believing that she wasn't liked by her father either. She empathized with her feelings, saying, "Second Miss and I are both women, so we naturally understand how difficult it is for women, let alone being in the palace where women hold little influence."

She tried to win Gong Yunzheng over to her side by having a heart-to-heart talk with him.

"You are the one with little influence." The boy's pleasant voice was full of disdain.

Shangguan Qian looked towards the source of the sound and found that Gong Yuanzheng had been standing at the door, looking at her coldly.

"Don't compare yourself with my sister." He warned her: "You are you, my sister is my sister. If anyone dares to look down on my sister in the palace, I will skin him alive."

The boy's voice was calm, but his expression was so serious that no one dared to doubt the truthfulness of his words.

Shangguan Qian frowned and played dumb: "Master Zheng, are you... eavesdropping?"

Speechless about her focus, Gong Yuanzheng retorted, "Just because I'm like this, do you think everyone is like you?"

The next second, he said to Gong Yunzheng obediently: "Sister, Sister Zishang is here to see you."

"Sister Yunzheng." Gong Zishang, who had always been cheerful, walked forward from behind Gong Yuanzheng. After hearing what the young man had just said, he couldn't help feeling sad, and the good mood he had when he came here fell to the bottom.

She thought of Gong Jingshang's attitude towards her.

Being born to the same mother and having different mothers made her feel mixed emotions.

"Sister Zi Shang is here." Gong Yunzheng stood up to greet her.

After shaking off the sadness in her heart, Gong Zishang became her carefree and happy self again. She held Gong Yunzheng's hand, looked at Shangguan Qian, and said distantly, "Miss Shangguan is here too."

"Miss." Shangguan Qian stood up. "I'm about to go back, so I won't disturb Miss and Second Miss."

Gong Zishang waved his hand with a fake smile on his face: "Goodbye."

"There's a fun surprise. I'll take you there." Shangguan Qian left and waited for Gong Yuanzheng to return to the courtyard to continue tending to the medicinal plants. Gong Zishang pulled Gong Yunzheng to sit down and asked mysteriously, "Do you know about the Zhongyuan Festival in a few days?"

Gong Yunzheng nodded: "I know."

Looking around, putting his hand to his lips, in the room where only the two of them were, Gong Zishang still whispered quietly: "Gong Ziyu will take Miss Yun out of the palace to watch the lanterns that day. Jin Fan and I will also go, and sister Yun Zheng should go too."

"I..." Gong Yunzheng wanted to refuse, but when she saw Gong Zishang holding her hand, she softened her heart and said, "I will go."

"That's great!" Gong Zishang couldn't hold back her joy and covered her mouth. Seeing that Gong Yuanzheng in the courtyard didn't react, she smiled and whispered, "Then you mustn't let Gong Yuanzheng know."

If Gong Yuanzheng knew, and Gong Shangjiao would also know, then Gong Ziyu would definitely be in trouble.

"Yeah." Gong Yunzheng nodded.

It just so happened that she also wanted to see what Yun Weishan wanted to do.

After walking out of Zheng Palace, Shangguan Qian recalled the slight strangeness he had just felt in Gong Yunzheng's eyes, and a terrible suspicion arose in his heart.