Chapter 72

Gu Ying laughed helplessly.

The two people her aunt had sent were like her left and right arms, especially Yin Lan. She had a sweet mouth and nice personality, and could give Gu Ying ideas and plans.

"Young miss, this servant understands what you want to do. These are the most basic tricks for fighting in the inner chambers. When I came here with the mistress, I had already scouted the terrain. The hunting grounds are heavily guarded by forbidding guards everywhere, but the banquet tent seems heavily fortified now when in fact it has the most lax defenses, since all the nobles and gentlemen are inside. So the store tent for hunting equipment and game on the right side of the banquet tent is the best location - this is what they call taking advantage of the darkness under the lamp," said Yin Lan.

Gu Ying had been fretting over this matter. Hearing Yin Lan's words immediately cleared her confusion. "Good, let's set it there."

Right now Gu Jia was still in the Gu family camp tent. Gu Ying had to think of a way to lure her out.

"Yin Lan, go do as I said first."

Yin Lan glanced at Gu Ying in surprise, then quickly answered, "Yes, young miss."

...

Gu Jia did not go to the bonfire banquet tonight.

She had lost face after being mocked by several young ladies from prominent families today. She also had an unhappy argument with Jiang Yin, so she had pled illness and returned to her tent early.

While Gu Ying gained face and made a big impression, Gu Jia was suppressed like this instead.

Not only had the matter in the stables been spread around, Jiang Yin had dared to declare he wanted to break off their engagement.

Calling off their engagement right after getting engaged, how could she keep face after this?

She of course refused, and viciously ridiculed that Jiang fellow, only then feeling a little better.

After returning to her tent, she looked scornfully at her own attire. Recently after Gu Ying's change, she constantly felt inferior to her. And now she kept smelling the stench of horse dung from the stables on her body, so she had someone prepare hot water for her to bathe.

When she returned from her bath, she saw a pot of hot tea on the table.

Ever since Gu Min's resentful ghost had appeared, she had developed the habit of drinking fortifying tea, and figured that Dou Kou was thoughtful enough to know that she was so angry she couldn't do anything right now and just wanted to sleep, so Gu Jia picked up the porcelain cup and poured out the hot tea to drink a mouthful.

After a mouthful of tea slid down, a wave of warmth came over her. "Dou Kou?"

No one responded.

There was only her alone in the tent, one lamp, the faint yellow glow of the flickering candlelight, and the wind and snow howling outside, as if ghosts and monsters were shrieking.

"Dou Kou, where are you! You little slut, where did you run off to so late?"

She shivered from the cold, and subconsciously pulled her cloak tighter, but still felt an inexplicable chill coming out from her bones behind her back.

Especially after calling for Dou Kou multiple times with no response, that chill was like wisps of smoke winding into her chest, making her even more panicked. For some reason, a burst of heat suddenly rose within her body, making her heart thump rapidly.

She tugged at her collar with her hand and breathed out a mouthful of hot air.

"That little slut must have gone drinking with some other maid! I'll give her a good beating when she comes back!"

She was about to take off her cloak to put on some clothes and go out to look for people, when

a white sheet of paper floated fluttering out of her clothes and fell down.

She had sharp eyes and immediately saw several large written characters in red cinnabar ink on it - "Jia'er, I'm still alive, I'm waiting for you in the game store tent, Gu Min."

"What the hell is this?"

She let out a shriek, startled until her pupils shrank.

"Who?!"

Who had put this inauspicious thing in her clothes?!

But...she shakily squatted down to pick up the paper, and when she completely saw the handwriting on it, her breath was nearly choked off and she almost couldn't breathe...

That was completely Gu Min's handwriting when she was alive!

Gu Min wasn't dead?!

Impossible! Gu Min had already been pushed by her into the pond and drowned! When her body was dredged up, it had already turned white and swollen like a steamed bun!

She had personally watched her mother bury her, so how could she still be alive!

Gu Jia fell on the ground in fright, madly shaking her head.

Extreme fear made her ignore the heat that suddenly rose in her body.

She bared her teeth savagely, her eyes narrowed, her fingers shaking as they tightly clutched the sheet of paper, then rushed outside, "I'll go take a look! Just who is pretending to be a ghost and playing tricks!"

There were many people outside, and it was lively. She kept a dark look on her face but her bearing was flustered. She made her way through, avoiding the strange looks from others, and barely managed to walk to the store tent for the hunted game.

When she arrived, there were unexpectedly fewer people, because there was only hunted game piled inside, so there were almost no forbidden guards, not even lamps.

The pitch-black tent stood quietly in front of her. Her entire body went cold, and she took a deep breath, her heart even more panicked.

But she had no choice.

Gu Min's resentful ghost had always hounded her. If she didn't resolve this tonight, she would be trapped forever!

...

Gu Ying stood in the dim corner not far away, watching as Gu Jia bent down to enter the tent, very calmly saying, "Once she's inside, don't let her come out again."

Yin Lan's eyes showed some admiration. She didn't expect the second young miss of the Gu family to actually be so clever and scheming. She couldn't help praising, "Young miss divines well."

"What divination," Gu Ying laughed lightly. "It's just the human heart is tricky. If her heart had no guilt, why would she come here tonight?"

Yin Lan's eyes shone as she looked at Gu Ying reverently and admiringly. "Young miss speaks true."

Gu Ying smiled. "Yin Lan, go find Rouge now."

Yin Lan quickly responded, "Yes, young miss."

...

Jiang Yin sat in the corner of the tent, staring in Rouge's direction while continuously drinking wine.

He usually held his liquor very well, but for some reason tonight, whenever he thought of those fragmented glimpses in his mind of Gu Ying nestled by his side, begging him to look at her, his eyes quickly turned red.

After a while, Rouge suddenly walked over to him.

The tent was filled with singing and dancing. The dancing girls swayed their waists vigorously, exerting themselves to show their bewitching figures and alluring dance moves to the audience. The young masters and ladies of prominent families toasted each other, smiling faces shining in the firelight.

No one noticed a little maid quietly walking to Jiang Yin's side, nor Jiang Yin's dumbfounded expression after hearing the maid's words.

After she finished speaking, Rouge let out a clever laugh and returned to the Gu family's seats. Everything happened so quickly it was as if nothing had transpired.

Jiang Yin looked at her in a daze for a moment.

Gu Ying wanted to meet with him?

Gu Ying, she...was engaged to the young marquis, and also chose Fu Xun to be her partner for the hunt, so why was she enticing him now? What were the "very important words" she wanted to tell him herself?

He shook his dizzy head. He was truly muddled. Were those oaths of love from her that flashed through his mind real, or just a dream?

He panted for breath and contemplated for a while in his seat before finally summoning his heavy body to stand up.