Harem Daily Life

Chapter 421 Visiting Gu Ning and asking about the reason

Tao Yanyan now has shadow guards following her secretly to protect her whenever she leaves the palace, so He Linzhang feels more at ease and does not restrict her activities.

Knowing that the imperial concubine was coming, the entire Ningyuan Marquisate stood at the door to welcome her. Seeing this scene, Tao Yanyan smiled and said, "Uncle, there is no need to be polite. Aunt, please get up quickly. Big cousin, second cousin, third cousin, happy new year!"

She didn't bring any of the children today because she wanted to come early and go back early. If she had time, she would also like to go to the Tao Mansion to visit her eldest brother.

Ning Yuanhou said, "Ning'er is feeling a little down. Madam Tao sent a note saying she'll come to visit today. Maybe you and your daughter will meet again later."

Tao Yanyan knew that his mother must have come to visit Gu Ning on behalf of his elder brother, so he didn't say much and was first led to Gu Ning's room by Mrs. Gu.

It was obvious that Gu Ning had been crying, her eyes were swollen. When she saw Tao Yanyan coming, her cheeks turned red with shyness. She immediately asked the maid to help her up so that she could greet Tao Yanyan.

"Just lie down and don't get up." Tao Yanyan sat down beside Gu Ning's bed without any airs, holding her hand: "Ning'er, how could you be so depressed that you would rashly seek death? You make your uncle and aunt so sad!"

Gu Ning wanted to cry again. No one understood her thoughts and she kept everything in her heart, which made her feel very suffocated.

When she heard yesterday that Tao Zhixing had two ribs broken because of a fight between her and someone else, she felt a deep sense of guilt. She was powerless to change the status quo, and had no way to give Tao Zhixing any future. She was so depressed that she tied a white silk rope around her neck and committed suicide.

Fortunately, the maid arrived in time and quickly called for help. Everyone worked together to rescue her and then hurriedly went to ask for the imperial physician, who saved her life.

Now that Concubine Tao was right in front of her, she didn't know what to say. She could only remain depressed, with tears welling up in her eyes.

Seeing her sad look, Tao Yanyan sighed in his heart.

"Silly girl, no one and nothing is worth you ending your life, understand? Your father and mother are still alive. If you leave, how will you let them live the rest of their lives? How will you let your brothers live?" Tao Yanyan patted Gu Ning's hand: "Promise cousin, no matter what, you must love yourself first, understand?"

Gu Ning wiped her tears and nodded.

Seeing that the two sisters were talking peacefully, Madam Gu got up and left, letting the two sisters talk in private. She also hoped that Concubine Tao could persuade her daughter to be well. God knows that she was almost scared to death when she learned that her daughter had hanged herself yesterday!

After Madam Gu left, Tao Yanyan dismissed everyone and said, "Tell me, what is the reason for your depression? Don't worry, I will keep it a secret for you."

Tao Yanyan looked at Gu Ning with burning eyes, hoping that she could explain the whole process clearly so that she could figure out what to do next.

Gu Ning bit her lip, thought for a long time, and finally shook her head.

It's not that she doesn't trust her cousin, but there is no solution to this matter. If her cousin knew about it, she would only be caught between Ningyuan Marquis Mansion and Tao Family. She didn't want to embarrass her cousin.

Seeing that she didn't say anything, Tao Yanyan raised his eyebrows and said, "Hey, I was originally going to visit my eldest brother today. My eldest brother suddenly lost his temper yesterday and had a fight with someone. Now he is still lying in bed and can't get up. I heard from my mother that my brother not only broke his ribs, but also that part... I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to have children in the future."

Tao Yanyan silently apologized to his elder brother in his heart. Spreading rumors about his elder brother was also a helpless act.

Tao Zhixing, who was recuperating from his injuries, suddenly sneezed a few times, causing his wounds to vibrate a few times and causing him to break out in cold sweats due to the pain.

When Gu Ning heard that Tao Zhixing would not be able to have children, she couldn't stop crying like beads from a broken string.

Tao Yanyan hurriedly wiped her tears: "Why are you crying? My elder brother is not good enough, so what can we do? At most, we can adopt a child to take care of him in his old age. He is already in that state, I am afraid there is no need for him to get married. Anyway, he is not satisfied with any of the girls my mother has shown him. He insists that he already has someone in his heart, but he refuses to say who it is. It is irresponsible to keep thinking about other girls for nothing."

When Gu Ning heard that she misunderstood Tao Zhixing, he became extremely anxious. He quickly took out the paper and pen from under his pillow and wrote quickly: "Cousin, please don't misunderstand Brother Tao. He is a good man, not an irresponsible person."

Tao Yanyan looked at him and pouted, "You've only met him a few times, and you're speaking for him. I've lived with him for more than ten years, how could I not know him better than you? He either lied to my mother and deliberately didn't go on a blind date, or he felt that he was not worthy of the girl, or he simply liked men. In short, it's very strange."

Gu Ning became even more anxious. She really didn't want her cousin Tao to misunderstand Tao Zhixing. Gritting her teeth, Gu Ning wrote: "He is telling the truth. He does have someone in his heart, but that person cannot be accepted by your Tao family, so he didn't say it. Don't misunderstand him!"

Tao Yanyan looked at Gu Ning with her big round eyes: "How did you know?"

Gu Ning almost wanted to cry again. She pursed her lips and wrote: "Brother Tao... confessed his love to me."

Under Tao Yanyan's questioning, Gu Ning had no choice but to briefly recount what happened between them.

It turned out that ever since they knew that Tao Yanyan, raised by Madam Tao, was actually the daughter of the sister of the Marquis of Ningyuan Mansion, the two families had become close and visited each other more often. After Tao Zhixing and Gu Ning had met several times, they had developed a crush on each other. However, Tao Zhixing was sent to serve as an official and could not stay in the capital all year round, so he had to write to Gu Ning often and often send Gu Ning some specialties from Qingtian County.

Last year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Tao Zhixing took a two-day leave and came back. He didn't even see his sister, but instead asked Gu Ning to go out for a boat ride on the lake and enjoy the moon.

It was at that time that Tao Zhixing expressed his feelings for Gu Ning, hoping that she would wait for him for a few years, and when he was transferred back to the capital to serve as an official, he would come to propose to her.

Gu Ning was overjoyed at first, but later he heard that Madam Tao was very keen on participating in flower shows, tea parties and banquets held by various families. He realized that in Madam Tao's heart, she never thought highly of him.

Later, she gradually distanced herself from Tao Zhixing and seldom wrote to him, but Tao Zhixing could not help but send her letters one after another.

She also took advantage of Tao Zhixing's return to Beijing for the New Year to make things clear, saying that she was speechless and was not worthy of Tao Zhixing, and asked him to look at other girls and stop wasting his time on her.

But Tao Zhixing still asked her to wait, saying that he would definitely be able to convince her family and marry her legally.

Unfortunately, within two days, news spread that Tao Zhixing had fought with someone for her in Miaoyinfang and was seriously injured. Gu Ning became disheartened and chose to commit suicide.

After reading what Gu Ning wrote, Tao Yanyan pinched Gu Ning's face and said, "You are so stupid. My brother didn't even ask my father and mother about your relationship in person. He didn't fight for it directly. How do you know that my parents will definitely not agree to you being together?"