Gu Qianying's voice was quite loud, and everyone turned to look at her.
Lu Zhu was stunned, "Miss... Miss, your maidservant doesn't know how to fight!"
Laughter and mockery erupted from the crowd.
"To send a maidservant who can't even lift a chicken to spar with a strong man, isn't that an insult to the strong man?"
"Exactly, I think that young lady must be foolish."
Amidst the crowd, discussions buzzed.
Lu Zhu felt that her ears must have been playing tricks on her earlier, as she hadn't heard her young lady's words correctly.
Gu Qianying ignored the discussions and mockery, pushing Lu Zhu forward and saying, "It's alright, just go."
"But Miss, your maidservant..."
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through.
Before Lu Zhu could finish speaking, her body involuntarily lunged forward.
The strong man in the distance, seeing Lu Zhu before him, had initially intended to show courtesy to a woman and exchange a few moves before sending her away. However, he hadn't expected Lu Zhu's internal energy to nearly injure him.
Lu Zhu herself was dumbfounded.
She had no idea when she had become so powerful.
After the martial arts competition concluded, the strong man admitted defeat.
In reality, Lu Zhu's movements were very slow and clumsy.
Yet, the strong man could not gain any advantage from her, all because of her profound internal energy.
Lu Zhu stood rooted to the spot, bewildered.
Gu Qianying walked over, took out a string of silver coins, and handed them to the strong man. "You are burying your father and are a filial son. Take this."
The strong man initially didn't want to accept the silver from Gu Qianying, but he suddenly noticed the jade ring that Gu Qianying had inadvertently flashed. His body trembled, and he immediately took the silver from Gu Qianying's hand, bowing deeply. "I am Hu Biao. From this day forward, Miss is Hu Biao's master, and Hu Biao will be loyal for life."
Gu Qianying smiled faintly. "Mm, rise. Handle your family affairs as soon as possible, and then come to the Gu Manor to find the eldest young lady of the Gu family."
Hu Biao cupped his hands and obeyed, "Yes, Miss."
Gu Qianying left with Lu Zhu.
Hu Biao stood in place, watching Gu Qianying's receding figure, his heart filled with shock.
He never imagined that the divine physician who had treated his wife in his home was actually a woman?
The eldest young lady of the Gu family!
Three days prior, the divine physician had given him a letter stating that three days later, he was to feign "selling himself to bury his father" and kneel opposite the First Teahouse, awaiting her arrival.
If anyone bought him, he was to engage in a "sparring match" to stall until she appeared.
When she appeared, it would be when she defeated him and took him as her own.
Initially, Hu Biao was quite worried. While his martial arts were decent, he was by no means a top-tier expert. If he were defeated by someone else, would he follow them or not?
But now, all his worries seemed to be in vain.
It was already an attention-grabbing matter for a young lady of the manor to buy a male servant on the street. Now, Gu Qianying had even announced her identity and let everyone witness how formidable her maidservant was.
The crowd's discussions about her intensified.
"So she's actually the eldest young lady of the Gu family? Her maidservant is already so formidable, she herself must be even more so. Truly worthy of being the granddaughter of Old General Gu."
Following the discussions, several assassins, disguised and hidden in the crowd, all departed.
At this moment, Gu Qianying sat in her carriage, listening to the sounds of people with martial arts skills gradually fading outside. A cold smile played on her lips.
Very good, this was precisely the effect she desired.
To repel opponents without revealing her true strength.
Ever since Nangong Mo had ostentatiously delivered gifts, she had been thrust into the spotlight.
Although Nangong Mo usually had hidden guards lurking around her for protection, this was ultimately not a foolproof plan.
Gu Qianying returned to the Gu Manor with Lu Zhu.
As soon as they returned, rumors spread throughout the manor about the eldest young lady of the Gu family buying an outsider male as a servant, which was damaging to her reputation.
The First Madam immediately went to inquire. Gu Qianying simply smiled and said, "Mother, why is it acceptable for a woman to sell herself to bury her father, but not for a man? If you truly want to help someone, do you need to consider their gender?"
The First Madam was momentarily speechless, then sighed, "Ultimately, a woman's reputation must be prioritized."
Gu Qianying couldn't help but chuckle, "Mother, while a woman's reputation is indeed important, if one doesn't maintain a pure heart and only focuses on their own reputation, is it then right for them to do all sorts of bad deeds for the sake of their reputation?"
"This..."
"Moreover, those who value reputation do so because they don't wish to be entangled by gossip, nor do they want to be rejected when seeking a good match in the future due to damaged reputation. However, I fear neither of these. Firstly, there has been much gossip imposed upon me these past few days. Even if I wanted to care, I would be powerless.
Secondly, Prince Jiu Nangong Mo openly delivered gifts and declared to the public that I am the one he fancies. Therefore, in the future, regardless of my willingness, my destined husband can only be him."
Upon hearing this, the First Madam clutched her handkerchief and began to weep, "But it is rumored that Prince Jiu is impotent. If you marry him, you will be a widow. How can Mother bear to let you suffer such hardship?"
The more she spoke, the more distressed the First Madam became.
Gu Qianying was dumbfounded, feeling panicked and helpless.
She merely wanted to give her mother a heads-up before implementing her next plan.
This way, her mother would not be too shocked to accept her subsequent changes.
However, she hadn't expected it to cause her mother to weep uncontrollably.
After Gu Qianying soothed her mother with great care, the First Madam finally stopped crying and instructed Gu Qianying, "If possible, go and explain to Prince Jiu that we do not wish for this marriage."
Gu Qianying nodded in agreement, but her mind was already plotting something else.
Around the hour of Wei (1 PM - 3 PM), a man arrived outside the Gu family's main gate.
The man claimed to be the male servant purchased by the eldest young lady of the Gu family, and he had come to express his gratitude after handling his family affairs.
Hu Biao stood outside the Gu Manor, while the gatekeeper went to report to the main hall.
At this moment, in the main hall, Old General Gu and Gu Kun were playing chess.
Gu Yefeng, who had been busy with official duties, had stolen some leisure time to stay at home and, along with his younger sister Gu Qianying, was imitating Old General Gu and Gu Kun by playing chess.
Meanwhile, Gu Mingyue and Gu Yumei were hovering around Old General Gu and Gu Kun, constantly trying to please them.
Old General Gu's birthday was in two days. Gu Mingyue and the others had specifically requested Old General Gu's permission to gather together, the four sisters, to discuss gifts for him.
Originally, Old General Gu should not have been privy to this.
There was no reason for him to know about his own birthday gifts in advance.
However, Old General Gu did not care about such things.
He was very happy to have his granddaughters and grandsons gathered around him.
When the gatekeeper came to report, before Old General Gu could speak, Gu Kun turned to Gu Qianying with a stern face and reprimanded her, "A young lady buying an outsider male and bringing him into the manor, what kind of propriety is this! Are you not concerned about your reputation?"
As soon as Gu Kun finished speaking, Gu Mingyue, who was pouring him tea nearby, smiled and said, "Father, don't be anxious. Eldest Sister probably bought that man because she saw he had some skills. Coincidentally, our manor is short of guards, so Eldest Sister is also helping father with household matters."
Although this sentence seemed to be speaking well of Gu Qianying, its underlying meaning amplified the matter of Gu Qianying buying an outsider male.