The Cloud Feather of the Red Chamber: A Marriage Arranged with Gong Yuanzheng at the Start

On the way back to Zheng Palace, Lin Qingyue kept her head down the whole time. Gong Yuanzheng frowned and looked at her nervously. He wanted to speak several times, but he didn't know how to start.

Just as they arrived at the door, before Gong Yuanzheng could even go inside,

The door slammed shut in front of him, and Lin Qingyue's muffled voice came from inside.

"I'm tired, I'm going to sleep now, don't come in."

Gong Yuanzheng's hand remained on the door for a long time.

He heard Lin Qingyue return to bed and heard her suppressed sobs.

Gong Yuanzheng's eyes grew increasingly red, and his hand gripped the door tighter and tighter, with streaks of blood trickling down between his fingers.

He was not a stupid person. Thinking about the situation in the Blade Hall, he realized after careful consideration that Lin Qingyue had thought of herself through those brides.

Both were married into the palace, and both had no say in their marriages.

The bride was chosen by the palace gates, while Lin Qingyue was directly betrothed to him by the imperial court.

The door in front of him was very thin; if he wanted to go in, he could break it open without using any internal force.

But he dared not. He knew that if he broke down the door now, Lin Qingyue would only drift further and further away from him.

He can't let Lin Qingyue see him like this right now; she'll be scared and want to avoid him.

Gong Yuanzheng felt increasingly apprehensive, just like ten years ago when his brother went out on official business for the first time, and he waited for him to return alone in the corner palace.

For two long months, day after day, he stood guard at the palace gate, spending each day in fear and anxiety.

He studied pharmacology and concocted poisons with great effort, hoping to provide his brother with more protection while he was away and to help him complete his mission and return to the palace as soon as possible.

Without his parents, he only had his older brother. In the vast palace, only his brother cared for him and protected him.

He felt incredibly safe and secure whenever he was with his brother.

Lin Qingyue made him feel comfortable. Just being with her, without doing anything, made him happy.

He would never allow Lin Qingyue to leave his side, never!

The crying inside had stopped, and the breathing had become long and even.

Without hesitation, Gong Yuanzheng pushed open the door.

The cloak was casually tossed in a corner of the bed, and Lin Qingyue, with half her face buried in the blanket, was already fast asleep.

The dark stains on the quilt and the damp eyelashes all indicated that the person under the covers had just been crying.

Gong Yuanzheng watched silently, his dark eyes glaring at the person on the bed with a frenzied and burning intensity, the sinister look in his eyes growing ever stronger.

He turned and left the room, and a moment later, he came to the bedside with a warm towel.

Carefully, the person's face was pulled out from under the covers, and gently wiped away the mottled tear stains with a warm towel.

If you don't clean it now, your face will be dry when you wake up tomorrow.

Looking at the sleeping person, Gong Yuanzheng sighed softly, his stubbornness undiminished.

Yue'er, now that you have become my fiancée, you can only marry me in this life. We are destined to be together in life and in death.

-------

Inside the pharmacy, Qiulan was fast asleep, clutching her blanket. She had spent the whole day reading medical books, and now that she was asleep, her dreams were filled with the names, pictures, and properties of various herbs.

Qiulan couldn't help but want to groan. Studying medicine is really not something a human being should do!

She felt colder the more she slept. Strange, she had closed the window before going to bed, so why was there still a draft?

Startled, Qiulan immediately woke up and looked up to see a figure standing outside the window.

Qiulan nearly screamed as a figure leaped into the room.

It was Gong Yuanzheng.

Qiulan was even more frightened; she would rather the person who came was an assassin...

The fear of the poisonous insects writhing and crawling in her palm surged back into her heart, and Qiulan trembled as she hugged the quilt.

"Young Master Zheng, what are you doing here?"

Gong Yuanzheng stared at her with dark, gloomy eyes. "Immediately, write down everything your young lady likes to do at home!"

"Write down everything for me: what kind of tea you drink, what kind of teaware you use, what kind of snacks you prefer, what kind of jewelry you like!"

--------

Inside the Blade-Holding Hall, only Snow Child remained; Young Master Snow and Young Master Flower had already returned to the back mountain.

Gong Zishang looked at the portrait that Gong Shangjiao had brought over with an expression of disbelief.

"The woman in purple at the Wan Hua Lou is Situ Hong? Are you sure? Could this information be incorrect?"

Gong Shangjiao did not answer, but simply drank his tea in silence.

It's true that you can't judge a book by its cover. She looked so gentle and charming, but I never expected her to be such a monster.

Gong Zishang felt a sense of unease and fear. She had seen this woman in purple from the Wan Hua Lou more than once, and had even drunk and talked with her.

Looking back now, I'm really grateful that Wu Feng didn't think much of her. If he had really wanted to kill her, she probably would have died in the Wan Hua Lou.

That was truly a huge scandal. For a young lady from the prestigious Shang Palace to die in a brothel was an utter disgrace.

Gong Shangjiao looked at Xue Zhongzi, "Wang's martial prowess is no less than that of the Red Jade Guard. I need the assistance of the back mountain to keep an eye on Situ Hong."

This is also why Xue Zhongzi was kept. Young Master Xue is too young, and Young Master Hua's talent is average. Currently, all the Red Jade Guards are managed by Xue Zhongzi.

Xue Zhongzi nodded, "I will immediately arrange for the strongest Hongyu guards to keep a close watch on Wanhualou day and night."

Gong Zishang, on the other hand, had the same idea as Gong Yuanzheng.

"Shang Jiao, I think it would be better to have Zi Yu act as bait to lure Wu Feng's men out..."

Before Gong Shangjiao could speak, Xue Zhongzi looked at Gong Zishang with an incredulous expression.

Gong Zishang immediately shut her mouth; her greatest strength was her ability to read people's expressions.

Gong Shangjiao pretended not to hear Gong Zishang's words, "I have already sent a message to Qi Yan'an. The people from the court will work with the people from the palace gate to track down these four people."

"I will leave the palace once I have a clue."

Gong Zishang immediately dropped his somewhat playful expression and became solemn.

This is a demon from all directions. Back then, the Cold-Clothed Guest slaughtered the entire Jiao Palace. Now, ten years have passed, and the Cold-Clothed Guest's skills must be even greater than before.

Gong Shangjiao's martial arts skills are superior to his father's, but can he defeat Han Yike?

"Shangjiao, this needs to be considered carefully."

Gong Shangjiao remained calm. "At that time, the court's experts will join forces, so Zhi Ren need not worry."

Gong Zishang wanted to persuade her again, but Xue Zhongzi said, "I will go with you then."

Gong Zishang looked at Xue Tongzi in surprise.

Snow Child looked back calmly, "I am also a member of the palace."

Gong Shangjiao nodded. "Okay, I'll let you know when I have any news."

The Snow Child's martial arts skills are no less than his; if he were present, the chances of victory against the Four Wraiths would be even greater.

Having explained everything clearly, Gong Shangjiao and Xue Zhongzi bid farewell to Gong Zishang, one returning to the back mountain and the other going to Jiaogong.

In the still of the night, only the footsteps of the patrolling guards could be heard.

A figure leaped out of the clinic. Gong Shangjiao's expression hardened, and he was about to make a move when the clear sound of a bell reminded him that the dark figure was his younger brother, Gong Yuanzheng.

Gong Yuanzheng had obviously seen him too, and with a swift movement, he leaped to his side.

"elder brother."

Gong Shangjiao looked at his younger brother in front of him, and his heart slowly rose.

Although Gong Yuanzheng's expression was calm, his intuition told him that something was wrong with him at this moment.

"Brother Yuanzheng, why are you still at the clinic so late?"

Gong Yuanzheng's expression remained unchanged as he waved the paper in his hand.

"I've come to find that little girl and ask her about Yue'er's preferences."

Gong Shangjiao looked at the paper in Gong Yuanzheng's hand, and his unease grew even stronger.

Although he had no experience with matters between men and women, he could guess, based on what had happened at the Blade-Holding Hall, that something must have happened between this Miss Lin and Yuanzheng's younger brother.

While worrying about her younger brother, she also felt a bit annoyed. The love between men and women was indeed the most difficult thing in the world to understand. How long had these two known each other? Yet so many troubles had already arisen.

"A expedition to you..."

Gong Yuanzheng looked at him with a smile: "Brother, Yue'er is my wife, you will definitely help me, right?"

He didn't say what he was helping with, but Miyazaki knew what he meant.

“You are my younger brother, so of course I will help you.”

Gong Yuanzheng smiled happily, "Brother, I'm going back to Zheng Palace first. You should rest early too."

After taking a few steps, she turned back and said, "Brother, I want to plant more flowers and herbs in the Zheng Palace. Some medicinal herbs need to be moved to the Jiao Palace."

Gong Shangjiao had no objection. "Then you can move over tomorrow."

Watching Gong Yuanzheng's departing figure, Gong Shangjiao's slightly upturned lips slowly relaxed, and his heart, which had been pounding, gradually calmed down.