The Prime Minister's Darling

After arriving here, Gu Yan’s temper had improved significantly, and he found his own friends and playmates —— Gu Xiaoshun who would always kill him in games, and Xiaojingkong who taught him to lose graciously.

—

“Mother,”

By the time the Yao Family’s carriage reached the courtyard, Gu Jinyu had been pacing outside for quite a while.

The Yao Family took her hand, wiping the beads of sweat accumulating on her forehead with a kerchief: “Have you been waiting here for me all this while? The sun is so bright, aren’t you scared of getting sunburned?”

Gu Jinyu never used to expose herself to the sun before, for fear of spoiling her fair skin.

Gu Jinyu grinned sweetly, “I was missing Mother. How’s it going? Did the visit to my sister and younger brother go smoothly?”

“Yes, your brother’s private school was out today, so I got to see him and Jiaojiao. They’re both doing very well,” when the Yao Family spoke these words, the warmth in her eyes was impossible to hide.

Gu Jinyu’s expression turned distant for a moment, she couldn’t remember the last time she saw her mother this happy.

“What’s wrong?” the Yao Family noticed her daughter’s daze.

Gu Jinyu came back to herself, flashing a mirthless smile: “I wish to see them again too, I’ll visit her when my sister is no longer angry at me.”

Yao Family advised her earnestly, “She’s not mad at you, you’ve misunderstood her. She’s not one to hold grudges, she’s just accustomed to her current lifestyle and does not wish for disturbances.”

Gu Jinyu bowed slightly, “Yes, I should not have assumed the worst of my sister.”

The Yao Family chuckled and let go of her hand to go inside.

Gu Jinyu’s eyes danced with a cryptic glow as she followed suit.

“Madam, we’ve dried the young lady’s clothing!” A maidservant came up to them holding a set of silky, soft pajamas.

Gu Jinyu’s face lit up with joy, reaching out to accept the clothing: “Are these for me?”

When she unfolded it, she realized that the length wasn’t right, her pajamas weren’t this long.

Her fingers clenched.

The maidservant only just noticed her, her face turned pale when she comprehended her mistake.

Now the maidservant was at a loss, not knowing whether to retrieve the clothing or leave it be.

Gu Jinyu chuckled, “Mother, you’ve made my clothes too long, just let sister wear them instead.”

The Yao Family initially made those for Gu Jiao. Even though Gu Jinyu said so, if she revealed the truth, it would leave the girl feeling humiliated.

She spoke in a gentle voice, “Then your mother will make another set for you.”

Truth be told, she hadn’t made clothes for Gu Jinyu in a long while.

The main reason being her creations couldn’t keep up with the trends of Capital City, and Gu Jinyu thought they were too old-fashioned, thus refusing to wear them.

Gu Jinyu affectionately wrapped her arms around the Yao Family’s arm, “As long as they are made by Mother, I will wear them everyday!”

Gu Jinyu stayed in the Yao Family’s courtyard for dinner, and Sir Gu dropped by as well.

Since his ‘thrashing’, he started to make a recovery today. He didn’t have the guts to admit that a little servant girl had beaten him up, so he just blamed it on Huang Zhong driving under the influence, causing a carriage accident.

After dinner, Gu Jinyu asked her maidservant to haul over a large chest.

Yao Family asked, “What is this for?”

Gu Jinyu gently replied, “These are the gifts I’ve picked for sister. Since I wasn’t sure what she likes, I’ve prepared a bit of everything.”

Following that, the Yao Family instructed the maidservant to clear the dinner table and opened the chest. Each item was meticulously arranged: there were jewels, antiques, calligraphy, even embroidery… It was evident that Gu Jinyu put in a lot of effort, as every item was quite exquisite.

The object that received the most attention was an ancient guqin.

As the Yao Family opened the guqin’s case, she saw the five-stringed guqin emanating an antiquated aura, which caused her breath to hitch, “Jinyu, is this…?”

Gu Jinyu nodded with a smile, “Yes, this is the Yueying Fo Xi Guqin.”

This was no ordinary guqin, it was a royal gift, there was only one in all of Zhan Country.

The true antique Fo Xi Guqin had been lost to time in the previous dynasty, this one was made by Chen Country’s best guqin maker, Yueying. Hence it’s known as the Yueying Fo Xi Guqin, and it’s the most successful replica of the Fo Xi Guqin till date.

Once, Gu Jinyu played the guqin in the Empress’s palace, and the emperor happened to hear it. The emperor praised her skill, proclaiming it was only second to the future-third-prince’s wife.

The future-third-prince’s wife was the number one talented lady in Zhan Country, having learned to play the guqin for seventeen years, longer than Gu Jinyu has been alive.

Deeming Gu Jinyu’s talent exceptional, the emperor awarded her the Yueying Fo Xi Guqin.

The Yao Family felt uneasy about this, “How could you give away such a precious thing?”

Gu Jinyu beamed, “It’s alright, the emperor said once he gives it to me, it’s mine. I’m free to do whatever I want with it.”