Volume One, Chapter 8: Burrowing Through the Doghole

She was determined to see her father and uncover the reason behind the worsening of his illness.

The main entrance was definitely off-limits, and Chunlan and Qiujü were clearly untrustworthy—no servant would ever hint to their mistress to drown herself.

She hadn’t been idle these past few days; there was a hidden dog hole in the Begonia Garden through which she could slip out.

Resolute, Gu Changning quietly got up, dressed carefully, and then glanced at the "Thousand Character Classic" on the table. Remembering the surprise and joy on Gu Jingzhi’s face when she recited it by heart, she tucked the book into her little bag and slipped out through the window.

It was already midnight, with no one outside except the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Feeling her way toward the dog hole, Gu Changning found it small but, fortunately, her slender frame allowed her to wriggle through successfully. However, her once-pristine clothes and neatly arranged hair were now disheveled.

Having successfully left the Begonia Garden, she hurried on her short legs to the Deer’s Call Pavilion. Faced with the tightly shut door, the little girl was at a loss—how could she find the dog hole in the dark?

Looking around, Gu Changning noticed a tree branch stretching into the courtyard. Thinking of her father, she didn’t hesitate and clung to the branch, hauling herself up with great effort.

Her tree-climbing skill was a relic from a previous life when hunger forced her to climb trees to pick fruit—little did she expect it would come in handy now.

Carefully holding the branch, she reached the limb extending into the Deer’s Call Pavilion courtyard. But matters were not so simple; now she was above the pavilion, yet too high to climb down.

Unsure of what to do, she lay flat on the branch. Finally, the door opened. Gu Changning silently prayed, "Please let it be Nurse Wen, and not Uncle Zhong." Uncle Zhong seemed to dislike her.

As feared, it was Uncle Zhong who emerged from Gu Jingzhi’s room.

Being a child, Gu Changning’s limbs had long gone numb from lying on the branch, yet worried for her father, she summoned courage and called softly, "Uncle Zhong."

Uncle Zhong paused, looked around but saw nothing. He shook his head, muttering to himself, "People don’t listen to age. He hasn’t suffered much, how could he be hearing things?"

"Uncle Zhong, you’re not hearing things. I’m here," Changning whispered, afraid to disturb others.

"Isn’t that Miss Changning’s voice?" Uncle Zhong lit his lantern and began searching, but found nothing in the courtyard.

Gu Changning’s grip on the branch weakened. Straining, she said, "Uncle Zhong, I’m right above your head."

Looking up, Uncle Zhong saw something falling from the tree. Without hesitation, he dropped the lantern and caught the falling figure firmly.

"Unc—Uncle Zhong, thank you for saving me." Only then did Uncle Zhong realize Miss Changning had been perched in the tree.

Feeling the light, catlike figure in his arms, a chill ran down his spine. Luckily, he had caught her.

Receiving no response from Uncle Zhong and unable to read his expression clearly, Gu Changning timidly said, "I’m sorry, Uncle Zhong. I was just so worried about Father."

Without a word, Uncle Zhong carried Gu Changning back into Gu Jingzhi’s room.

"Fourth Master, something fell from the tree. I brought it for you to see," Uncle Zhong said, gently placing Gu Changning before Gu Jingzhi.

The little girl’s face was streaked with sweat, leaves stuck in her hair, her clothes torn by thorns, with scrapes on her hands and legs—utterly disheveled.

Gu Jingzhi’s heart clenched sharply. Struggling to sit up, he took Gu Changning into his arms and asked with concern, "Changning, who’s been bullying you?"

"No one’s been bullying me. I just haven’t seen Father these days and was very worried, so I wanted to come see him," Gu Changning said earnestly, her large black eyes shining.

"You should have had the maids bring you. Running around alone at night is dangerous. And why did you climb a tree? That’s very risky," Gu Jingzhi said, his tone tinged with displeasure.

Seeing her father angry, Gu Changning felt inexplicably wronged. "Sister Chunlan and Sister Qiujü said I’m a jinx and that it’s my fault Father’s condition worsened."

At that, tears spilled uncontrollably, but she refused to say more.

Gu Jingzhi gently patted her back, then suddenly looked up, his gaze sharp and severe.

Noticing the cuts on Gu Changning’s arms, his heart ached.

But Gu Changning paid no mind. "Father, I’m fine. I used to often pick wild fruit in the flower bushes, but there weren’t many, so I picked from the trees. These little wounds will heal quickly. See? These ones have already healed."

She rolled up her sleeve to reveal countless tiny scars.

At this, Gu Jingzhi could no longer hold back and tears welled in his eyes.

Choking up, he said, "Go fetch Nurse Wen to tend to Miss Changning’s wounds."

Uncle Zhong was stunned by Miss Changning’s words. He had only known that the Marquis disliked this child, but had never imagined that the legitimate daughter of the noble house would be picking wild fruit to stave off hunger. Such misery.

He nodded and hurried to summon Nurse Wen.

"Father, will I really harm you by being here?" Gu Changning asked anxiously. Her father was the only one who had ever been kind to her; she never wanted him to die.

"Don’t listen to their nonsense. Father won’t die. Thanks to you, I discovered the incense was the problem. I’ll recover soon. But there are evil people who don’t want me to get better, so I’ll have to stay ill a little longer. Do you understand?"

Gu Changning’s heart leapt with joy. Her father truly was the greatest talent in the capital—he understood at once. Her tears had not been in vain.

She nodded obediently, whispering mysteriously, "Oh, I understand. Father is trying to trick the bad people, isn’t he?"