Fortunately, Uncle Wang asked the question she was wondering about. "Are you mute?"
A Nu first nodded, then shook his head.
With a look of utter confusion, Ye Qiong stared at him. What was that supposed to mean?
"Can you speak, but you just don't know how to start?" Uncle Wang guessed.
A Nu nodded.
Uncle Wang turned to Ye Qiong. "Princess, this person might have suffered some kind of trauma that has left him unable to speak for now."
Ye Qiong originally wanted to ask about his injuries and why he had fled the Gu family. However, she decided against it. He was, after all, a target who had helped her extend her lifespan. She was definitely keeping him.
"Uncle Wang, go prepare a deed of sale." She then turned back to A Nu. "Remember, from now on, your name is Daji. You are a guard in my manor."
With a look of joy, A Nu nodded.
Uncle Wang prepared the document with incredible speed. Once the thumbprint was pressed, Ye Qiong's confidence surged.
"Let's go, Uncle Wang! We're going to have a word with that third young master of the Gu family!"
Before Ye Qiong even reached the manor gates, she could hear Gu Chengyang shouting from a distance.
"Princess Zhaoyang, come out! Don't think that just because you're a Princess, you can harbor a runaway slave from the Gu family! Hand him over right now!"
Ye Qiong frowned and looked at Jixiang. "Is his father a Prince too?"
Jixiang quickly shook her head.
"Then why is he even more arrogant than I am?"
Jixiang hesitated, but finally gritted her teeth and spoke. "In the past, you favored Lord Gu the most. To please him, you treated the entire Gu family with great importance. That's why the Gu family has always been so arrogant at Prince Duan's Manor, and you used to let them get away with it."
Ye Qiong pointed at herself. "I used to have such a good temper?"
Jixiang shook her head again. "You only had a good temper toward the Gu family."
Ye Qiong was stunned. "Don't tell me I spent money on that Lord Gu too?"
"No, you didn't," Jixiang replied. "You and the Fourth Princess both liked Lord Gu. However, you felt that the Fourth Princess was wealthier than us, and we couldn't win if it came down to a bidding war. Later, you suggested to the Fourth Princess that a man as pure and elegant as Lord Gu shouldn't be defiled by something as vulgar as money. The two of you agreed to compete fairly and win him over with sincerity. The Fourth Princess thought you made sense, so she made a pact with you on the spot."
Ye Qiong's expression softened slightly upon hearing this. However, her mood soured again very quickly.
When Gu Chengyang saw Ye Qiong appear, he didn't back down. Instead, his arrogance flared up like a lit fuse.
"Princess Zhaoyang, I wonder when my family's runaway slave managed to catch your eye? To think you would personally step out to protect him."
With a contemptuous look and a voice devoid of respect for Prince Duan's Manor, he spoke. In his mind, Princess Zhaoyang was only doing this because her sister had saved the Emperor half a month ago and received a title. The Gu family was currently in the spotlight, so she was likely using this as an excuse to get his brother's attention. He thought she was playing a very calculated game.
Ye Qiong frowned and looked at Uncle Wang. "What is his official rank? How can he get away with not bowing to me?"
Uncle Wang was startled by the sudden question but reacted immediately. "Princess, this third young master of the Gu family has not entered government service yet. He has no rank."
Ye Qiong gave a half-smile. "Oh? No rank? So he's just a commoner. For a commoner to be so insolent to a Princess... I heard the Gu family was a scholarly household with strict rules, but it seems that was just talk."
Gu Chengyang froze for a moment before erupting in rage. He spoke with a sarcastic tone. "The Princess must be joking. Although I hold no rank or title, I know I should bow. I was simply questioning this maid just now and had a momentary lapse in judgment. I hope the Princess doesn't take offense."
He paused and scoffed, his tone becoming even more dismissive. "But why must the Princess cling to a single mistake? Is it because my brother has been too busy with official business to pay attention to you lately, so you're looking for an excuse to make him come and apologize on my behalf? If you want to see my brother, you don't need to go to such lengths or steal a slave from my house."
The system couldn't take it anymore and popped up. [Host, he's even more narcissistic than you! You have to hit him!]
Ye Qiong arched an eyebrow. He really was asking for it. She had the right to be narcissistic, but what did this dog have?
"Uncle Wang, get some people to beat him up!"
"On it!" Uncle Wang had heard enough as well and immediately went to call the guards.
Ruyi was startled. She looked at the commoners gathering near the manor gates and quickly whispered a warning. "Princess, the Emperor said that if you get into another fight, he'll force you to get married."
Ye Qiong, who had already rolled up her sleeves, suddenly snapped back to her senses. "You have a point."
Ruyi sighed in relief.
Ye Qiong pulled her sleeves back down and put on a terrified face. "This is too much! Your Gu family actually wants to break into Prince Duan's Manor to beat up my father! My poor father!"
Jixiang caught on instantly and raised her voice. "Help! The third young master of the Gu family brought a mob to break into the manor and beat up the Prince!"
Uncle Wang, who had just returned with the guards, was shocked. What? Gu Chengyang wanted to break in and hit the Prince? This was unacceptable!
Seeing her guards, Ye Qiong immediately shouted, "Protect the Prince at all costs!"
The manor guards heard this and roared. They charged forward, screaming about protecting the Prince. The Gu family servants didn't even have time to process what was happening before their feet instinctively moved to meet the charge.
The surrounding citizens saw the commotion and crowded around to watch the show. They heard the shouts about Gu Chengyang trying to break in and hit Prince Duan, followed by the guards' desperate cries to protect their master. It was enough to make anyone's blood boil.
Soon, the news that the third Gu son had brought thugs to storm the manor and assault Prince Duan spread as if it had wings. The rumors grew more ridiculous with every person who told them. By the time the news reached the palace, it had turned into: "The third Gu son has murdered Prince Duan!"
When the Emperor heard the news, he nearly choked and almost collapsed. The Empress quickly called for Physician Zhang. After a moment of chaos, the Emperor regained his clarity and sent people to the manor to see what those two troublemakers were up to now.
Eunuch Fu returned shortly after he had figured out the truth. Behind him followed a bruised and swollen Gu Chengyang and Princess Zhaoyang, who looked like she had just won a great war.
The Emperor felt a throbbing headache the moment he saw Ye Qiong. Hadn't this brat just left his office less than an hour ago? What kind of mess had she caused this time?
With a dark expression, the Emperor looked at her. "What is it this time?"
Ye Qiong was the first to complain. She repeated everything Gu Chengyang had said at the manor gates. She mimicked his arrogant, disdainful, and mocking tone perfectly—perhaps even making it sound slightly worse than it actually was.
"Imperial Uncle, it really wasn't my fault this time. This young master Gu was the one who was rude to me first."
"So you called the guards to beat him up?" The Emperor felt his head spinning.