Chapter 69 Strike First for Pleasure, Strike Last for Trouble

"No, no, no. This servant simply thought that the Duke of Yu's Mansion had come regarding the marriage arrangement. Since My Lady is still young and inexperienced in the world and unfamiliar with many tedious protocols, if it truly concerns the marriage, this servant could offer some guidance."

Gu Xingwan gently stirred the bird's nest soup in her bowl.

"Nurse Tang is most considerate, but in the future, speak less and do more in my presence. Ask fewer questions about things that are none of your concern. In this regard, your predecessor, Nurse Qin, did exceptionally well."

Nurse Tang felt a sudden chill run down her spine, as if a ghostly wind had swept past her.

Why bring up a dead person in the middle of the night?

She knew Gu Xingwan was warning her.

"This servant understands. This servant will take her leave."

Having failed to extract any information, Nurse Tang went straight to Madam Song's quarters upon leaving the bedchamber to report and ask whether Gu Xingwan should be permitted to fulfill her vow at the Baoguo Temple tomorrow.

After careful consideration, Madam Song saw no reason to refuse.

"Take a few more servants along and keep a close eye on her."

"Yes!"

Back in the bedchamber, Tingzheng cleared away the bowls and spoons while muttering under her breath, "That sly old woman is clearly spying on you for the Madam. We must be on our guard against her from now on."

Gu Xingwan smiled faintly.

Such a petty character was hardly worth worrying about; she didn't even want to expend the energy to crush her with her fingers.

Her mind was currently occupied with Jian Aozhu.

A person equipped with a system was not easily dealt with.

Especially as the story progressed into the middle and later stages, Jian Aozhu would plunder the prestige values of numerous favored children of heaven, making the system's capabilities increasingly defied by the heavens.

So powerful, in fact, that it could alter the course of a war.

It could even sway the national destiny of a country.

At the peak of her power, Jian Aozhu's influence would no longer be confined to the Southern Chu Kingdom; she would manipulate the four nations of Southern Chu, Western Ling, Northern Yu, and Eastern Yue in the palm of her hand, poised to conquer all and unify the universe.

Anyone who defied her would meet a wretched end with no burial ground.

Yet Gu Xingwan, as a transmigrator, had been granted no system or golden finger by the Heavenly Way.

Could anyone possibly endure such a setup?

The only comfort was that she felt her fortune was immensely strong, as if some unseen force was watching over her.

Would that count as a golden finger?

As a modern person who had consumed countless television shows, movies, and novels, she deeply understood a simple truth: strike first and gain the upper hand; strike later and suffer disaster.

She could never allow Jian Aozhu to grow in obscurity.

"Tingzheng, have you received any news from the people I asked you to contact at the Longmen Escort Agency?"

Tingzheng stopped what she was doing and walked over to close the bedroom door, knowing that some people had very long ears.

She came close to Gu Xingwan's ear and whispered, "My Lady, the person you asked to find, Zhou Qingshu, has been located. However... the Longmen Escort Agency's branch in Jiaozhou sent word back that Zhou Qingshu has lost his mind. He has become completely muddle-headed, running wildly through the streets every day like a soul-less fool. He used to occasionally fight stray dogs for scraps, but now it's even worse. He urinates against a pillar in the street and roars at a pack of stray dogs, claiming that territory belongs to him and forbidding any other dogs to come near."

Zhou Qingshu's descent into madness was unexpected to Gu Xingwan, yet it made complete sense.

This person had been closely tied to Jian Aozhu, once a child of fortune with extremely high prestige value, known as the "Qilin of Jiaozhou."

At twelve, he passed the imperial examination as the top scholar at the county level; at sixteen, he topped the provincial examination. His literary talent was no less than that of the seemingly illustrious Mei Xianghan.

Later, Zhou Qingshu's prestige value was completely plundered by Jian Aozhu, ruining his future entirely and plunging him into a streak of terrible luck.

It began with a severe illness, followed by bandits raiding his home, where his parents and siblings were all slaughtered.

Under such compounding blows, how could anyone avoid going mad?

Fortunately, he possessed one strong trait: his fate was exceptionally resilient, and Jian Aozhu could not curse him to death.

In the original novel, the original host—having become the Empress Dowager—only found him over a decade later, intending to use him to counter Jian Aozhu.

Regrettably, by that time he was utterly deranged, his madness rooted deep into his bones beyond the reach of medicine.

Now that Gu Xingwan had found him in advance, if his madness could still be cured, he would be a major trump card in dealing with Jian Aozhu.

A profound contemplation was hidden in the depths of Gu Xingwan's gaze.

A madman had his advantages; Zhou Qingshu was now entirely alone, and even if someone abducted him, it would cause no commotion.

"Tingzheng, how much silver did you get when you pawned the jade pendant I gave you last time?"