At this point, Gu Heng also understood—under the current circumstances, she couldn’t act rashly.
Without solid evidence, someone as selfish as Gu Changfan would never punish Qin Rou and her daughter.
For now, she could only bide her time and wait for the right moment.
With a soft “Mm,” Gu Heng turned her head and no longer responded to them. She only whispered, “Now that Grandmother has passed, I ask Father to allow me to keep vigil by her side and serve her until her burial.”
Gu Changfan nodded at her words.
“Mother loved you most of all—of course you may. If you grow tired, you may return to Zhaohui Hall to rest. All your daily needs will be as they were before. What happened in the past is in the past. From now on, you are still my daughter.”
As he spoke, his gaze lingered meaningfully on the young man beside her. Then he continued: “As for Ah Zheng, he may live in the courtyard next to yours. It hasn’t been used in a while and may be a bit messy, but I’ll have people fix it up. He can move in today.”
Ah Zheng nodded slightly. “Then I’ll trouble Uncle Gu.”
Hearing this change in how he was addressed, Gu Changfan finally felt reassured.
As long as he was treated well and taken care of, and until he regained his memory, surely there would be benefits to reap in the future.
After giving his instructions, Gu Changfan left with Qin Rou and her daughter.
Before she left, Gu Yue shot Gu Heng a vicious glare, her eyes full of unwillingness.
Gu Heng ignored her, simply kneeling solemnly before her grandmother’s memorial tablet, silent and unmoving.
Sensing Gu Heng’s grief, Ah Zheng did not disturb her, simply staying quietly by her side.
Finally, when midnight arrived and the night watchman’s gong rang outside, Ah Zheng spoke, “It’s midnight, Ah Heng. Let’s go back and rest. You’ve just recovered from a serious illness—staying up all night again won’t be good for your body.”
Recalling how each morning over the past few days she had woken to find Ah Zheng’s eyes red from worry, Gu Heng realized how much this illness had frightened him. She didn’t dare insist.
“All right. We’ll come back tomorrow.”
She tried to stand, but after kneeling so long, her legs had gone numb, and she nearly fell.
Thankfully, Ah Zheng reacted quickly and caught her.
“Forgive me—I couldn’t stand steadily.”
She smiled, but Ah Zheng could see the bitterness hidden behind it. It was likely that just getting through today had already taken all her strength.
He glanced around and, seeing no one nearby, simply picked her up in his arms.
Gu Heng suddenly felt her body lighten and realized she was now cradled against his chest, her head resting on his shoulder. She panicked.
“What are you doing! We’re in a mourning hall—put me down!”
But Ah Zheng didn’t let go. Instead, he held her more tightly.
“If your grandmother’s spirit truly sees this, she wouldn’t blame me. You’re pale—you need to rest. If you can’t walk, then I’ll carry you.”
With that, Ah Zheng respectfully looked toward the shrine and said, “Grandmother, please forgive me,” before carrying her out the door.
Though the night was dark, being held so closely by a man—especially even someone as familiar as Ah Zheng—still made Gu Heng feel deeply embarrassed.
Her face flushed red to the tips of her ears.
Luckily, the darkness concealed it from view.
“My father values decorum in a woman above all else. What if someone sees us like this?”
She spoke in the softest whisper, afraid of being overheard. But to Ah Zheng, she sounded adorably flustered.
“Don’t worry. Didn’t you already excuse the servants an hour ago so they could rest? There’s no one around. No one will see us.”
“But…”
“No buts. Where is your room? Let’s go quickly. The night air is cold—you mustn’t catch a chill.”
Hearing that, Gu Heng sighed inwardly and gave in.
She pointed toward Zhaohui Hall. Ah Zheng activated his qingong and swiftly carried her there.
To her surprise, the lights in the courtyard were still on.
Just as they entered, a maid rushed out, knelt down, and tearfully looked up at her.
“Second Miss, you’re finally back! That day, I saw you fall off the cliff with my own eyes. I thought I’d never see you again! It was all my fault—I failed to protect you!”
Seeing this, Gu Heng patted Ah Zheng’s hand, signaling him to put her down.
Once on the ground, she quickly helped Ziyun up and wiped away her tears.
“It wasn’t your fault. We both know what happened that day. Gu Yue intended harm—we couldn’t have guarded against it.”
Saying this, Gu Heng suddenly remembered Qin Momo.
“But why are you the only one here? Where’s Qin Momo? Has she gone to sleep already?”
At that, Ziyun wept even harder.
Grabbing Gu Heng’s hand, she choked with sobs, “Qin Momo, she… she’s already…”
Gu Heng’s heart dropped. “Don’t panic. Tell me slowly.”
“That day, after you fell, we returned to the residence. But as soon as we entered, the Eldest Miss claimed that Qin Momo had disrespected her, that she gossiped in front of you and suggested Fu Yiniang’s death was suspicious—that’s what led you to accuse others. So she ordered twenty strikes and drove her out of the residence!”
Hearing those words, Gu Heng’s fists clenched tightly.
“Twenty strikes with the rod? Even a young and healthy man might not be able to endure that. Qin Momo is already old—she wouldn’t be able to withstand such a severe punishment!”
Ziyun was crying so hard she was hiccuping. “Yes, exactly. When Qin Momo was carried out, the flesh on her back was already torn apart… I knew that since we had witnessed everything, the Eldest Miss wouldn’t let us off easily. But I never expected her to be so ruthless!”
Gu Heng patted her back, helping her steady her breath. “And what about you? Are your days in the manor still bearable? Has anyone been making things difficult for you?”
Unexpectedly, as soon as she heard that, Ziyun dropped to her knees.
This time, no matter how Gu Heng tried to lift her, she refused to get up.
“Second Miss, these days the Eldest Miss has been threatening me. If I dare speak a single word about what really happened that day, she said she’d bring me the corpses of my mother and younger brother.”
As she spoke, Ziyun shook her head in anguish. “For their sake, I had no choice but to stay silent. I’m sorry, Second Miss…”
For a moment, Gu Heng felt a storm of emotions surge inside her.
Now that she had lost her Yiniang’s support, she herself had become the only reliance for those around her.
It was precisely because she had fallen out of favor that the servants under her were also bullied.
A wave of guilt and rage surged in her heart.
“Get up. I don’t blame you.”
Ziyun looked up, her eyes swollen like walnuts. “Really?”
Then she lowered her head again. “But no matter what, it’s still a betrayal to you. Kneeling is what I should do.”
After saying this, she kowtowed to Gu Heng several times in a row.
The thudding sounds rang loud and clear in the quiet night.
Gu Heng rubbed her temples, feeling a headache come on. “Stop crying, and stop kneeling! I order you to stand up right now! If you don’t, you won’t need to stay in Zhaohui Hall tomorrow.”
Hearing the anger in Second Miss’s voice, Ziyun scrambled up in fear, flustered and at a loss.
“Ziyun, I really don’t blame you. Now that I’ve returned, I will definitely protect you all. Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to visit your mother and brother. Then we’ll move them to a new place, where Gu Yue and the others won’t be able to find them.”
After saying this, she saw tears welling up in Ziyun’s eyes again, so Gu Heng quickly changed the topic.
“Enough. Now answer me—aside from you two, there was also a coachman present that day. What happened to him?”
Ziyun frowned. “Strangely enough, that coachman seemed to be on the Eldest Miss’s side, so he should’ve been one of her people. But not long ago, he was caught stealing from the manor. The Master beat him on the spot and sold him off. What’s odd is that the Eldest Miss didn’t even try to plead for him!”
At those words, Gu Heng let out a cold laugh.
Why? Because that venomous woman would of course want fewer people knowing the truth.
A mere coachman wasn’t worth saving.
As for sparing Ziyun, it wasn’t out of kindness.
It was just that Gu Heng had only just met with misfortune, and if all her attendants suddenly ended up dead or crippled, it would draw too much attention.
If someone with a discerning eye started speculating, it would be a serious problem for Qin Rou and her daughter.
With a deep sigh, Gu Heng gave her a command. “Enough, you’re tired too. Whatever it is, we’ll talk about it tomorrow. Go get some rest.”
Then she looked toward Ah Zheng, who was standing to the side.
“It’s getting late. You should return to your quarters too. Your place is just next door—once you exit the courtyard gate, you’ll see it.”
Ah Zheng nodded, glancing at Gu Heng with concern. “Don’t overthink things. No matter what, I’m still here with you—you’re not alone.”
Hearing this, Gu Heng felt a flicker of comfort in her heart. She smiled gently. “Alright, I know. Go on now.”
It was only after hearing their conversation that Ziyun gradually came back to herself from the depths of sorrow.
Moments earlier, she had been consumed by guilt, her eyes focused solely on the Second Miss, completely ignoring the person beside her.
Now, looking at Ah Zheng, she wore an astonished expression. “Earlier today, the maids who swept the courtyard were talking. They said that Young Master Shen came back together with our Miss. It’s been years since we’ve seen you—do you still recognize me?”
Ah Zheng only glanced at her before furrowing his brows slightly. “I don’t.”
At that, Ziyun’s face turned awkward. Seeing his indifferent expression, she suddenly recalled something else she’d heard earlier. “This afternoon, they were saying you’d lost your memory. I didn’t believe it at first, but now… it seems to be true.”
As she spoke, she pointed to a peach tree in the courtyard. “Do you still remember this tree? When you were little, you always used to climb over the wall and perch on that tree. Whenever Second Miss passed by, you’d shake the branches on purpose to make the leaves fall on her!”
At this, Gu Heng also laughed. “Yes! And one time, you accidentally shook a caterpillar down on me. It landed right on my neck—it was red and swollen for days before it healed! After that, you never dared to climb that tree to prank me again.”
Seeing the two of them laughing heartily, Ah Zheng’s eyes curved with a smile too. “Is that so? I was that mischievous as a child? I must’ve really scared you then.”
Gu Heng giggled. “Yes, you did—but only for a moment. Looking back now, it’s just funny.”
At that moment, a sense of unease welled up in Ah Zheng’s heart.
Lately, he kept dreaming—dreams of battlefields, his body drenched in blood, a longsword in his hand moving as if it were part of him, cutting down countless enemies.
Those dreams felt worlds apart from the peaceful memories Ah Heng spoke of.
And ever since he came to the Gu manor, everyone seemed to know him—but to him, they were all strangers.
To him, they were completely unfamiliar.
Thinking of this, his head began to throb again. He instinctively pressed a hand to his forehead.
Seeing this, Gu Heng quickly supported him. “Are you alright?”
In that moment, Ah Zheng looked up at her worried face and instinctively lied, hiding his doubts about the past.
“Ah Heng… I’m fine. Just now, when you two were talking, I… remembered how I used to climb the wall to come see you.”
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