Water Margin: Gao Yanei is actually a Gal Genius

"A jinxed whore like that, does she even deserve to..."

Before Chen Liqing could finish speaking, the old Taoist priest covered her mouth and said, "Shut up!"

Chen Xizhen looked around; the maid and adopted daughter hadn't followed. "That's the daughter of an official of the Song Dynasty! Don't talk nonsense!"

Chen Liqing stopped talking, broke free from the old Taoist's control, and walked towards the armory.

The old Taoist priest followed behind, looking nervous. "My son, what do you want to do?"

Chen Liqing found the iron dragon-patterned staff, picked it up, and was about to walk outside.

"I'm going to help that bitch reunite with her fiancé!"

"Nonsense!" Chen Xizhen roared, snatched the long stick, and threw it to the ground with a 'clang'.

Chen Liqing looked at the long stick rolling on the ground, then slowly raised her head to look at Chen Xizhen.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his tone was indifferent.

"Father, are you going to stop me?"

The old Taoist priest turned around, took out a precious sword, and threw it, scabbard and all, into Chen Liqing's arms.

That knife was obtained by the Chen family ancestor with his life, and the scabbard is engraved with the eight characters "Chen family of Bianliang, loyal and brave."

"Go, take this knife!" The old Taoist priest's voice was eerily calm.

"Start the slaughter at Xuande Gate, first cut down three hundred imperial guards, step over their corpses, and then massacre the Wende Hall...and then what?"

He took two steps forward, his thin frame tightly embracing his daughter's trembling body.

"Then everyone in the world will say, 'The harlot Chen Liqing committed adultery and murdered her emperor!' The grass on your mother's grave will be trampled flat, your grandfather's memorial tablet in the Martyrs' Shrine will be taken out and smashed, and the reputation that my Bianliang Chen family has built up through five generations of loyalty to the country will become the most vulgar joke in the brothels and theaters!"

Chen Liqing trembled violently, her voice like a cuckoo crying blood, "My daughter was here first, why?"

Tears streamed down Chen Xizhen's face, yet he still held his daughter tightly, saying, "He is the Emperor of the Song Dynasty; his will is the will of Heaven, his words are divine judgment. No one can change it..."

"...Listen to your father, this is how the world is. If Gao Jin marries the princess, the history books will only say 'the emperor favored him greatly.' If you murder the emperor, the historian's pen will be like a knife, erasing the reputation of everyone in the Chen family..."

Chen Liqing let out a sob that sounded inhuman, "Daughter...I know."

After saying this, Chen Liqing stopped struggling.

The old Taoist priest released his daughter, stared at her for a long time, and gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Let's go to the northeast and take a look. Your ancestor said your marriage should be in that direction."

Chen Liqing remained silent for a long time before suddenly picking up the iron bar from the ground and rushing towards the small training ground at home.

Then came a series of 'bang bang' sounds from the training ground, interspersed with Chen Liqing's trapped animal-like gasps.

The old Taoist priest was still worried, so he came to the outside of the small training ground.

Chen Liqing appeared to be insane, relentlessly striking the old tree beside the drill ground with an iron rod.

The bark at the point of impact was gone, sap and wood chips were flying everywhere, and the trunk was gradually sinking in.

Chen Xizhen sighed and watched quietly from the side...

As the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) drew to a close, the city of Tokyo was shrouded in an intense, inky blackness.

Outside the east wall of Grand Commandant Gao's residence, the branches of a century-old locust tree trembled gently.

Chen Liqing clung to the shadows of the trees like a shadow. She was dressed in a dark night outfit, with a cowhide rope around her waist and a packet of powder hidden in her sleeve pocket.

This medicinal powder was obtained by her during her travels with an old Taoist priest in her early years, and its effects are astonishing.

The maid and the old Taoist priest inhaled a little and then fell into a deep sleep, and could not be woken up no matter how they were called.

"Brother Gao Jin is very strong, we should prepare more for him." She murmured to herself, exhaling a puff of white breath.

Chen Liqing suddenly thought of Chen Xizhen and showed disdain.

Old Deng spent half his life cultivating the Tao, but he never understood it.

My heart is at ease, and so is the Way.

Instead of heeding those damned children's precepts, it would be better to take down your brother as soon as possible.

I doubt that the princess would marry a married man, otherwise this would not have happened.

Old Deng was too polite.

She doesn't know when it started, but she also began calling him "Old Deng" like he did.

The walls of the Grand Commandant's mansion were no harder to climb than those of the Cai family's. Chen Liqing dug her fingertips into the cracks in the brickwork, the slippery sensation reminding her of the scene from half a month ago.

Back then, Cai Xiu was still alive in that courtyard. Her brother Gao Jin was sparring with her, and as they were sparring, his hand wrapped around her waist. The warm temperature of his hand penetrated her autumn clothes and burned into her heart.

I'm so embarrassed!

She shook her head and, like a raccoon dog, climbed onto the wall.

Old Deng is still too old-fashioned. If he captures Brother Gao Jin tonight, he won't have to marry Princess Shang and offend the royal family.

The servants patrolling the mansion at night carried lanterns as they passed by, casting long shadows.

Chen Liqing lay on the eaves until the dim light disappeared before quietly landing.

In the third room of the east wing, a faint light still shone through the window frame.

Chen Liqing licked her lips. Who was he waiting for? Was he studying late into the night, or... sketching the portrait of that jinxed woman?

Her fingernails dug unconsciously into her palm, the pain bringing her back to her senses.

Brother Gao Jin is still a bit unruly. If the chains don't work after we catch him, then we should break his hands and feet.

Chen Liqing couldn't help but laugh.

Since Brother Gao Jin is still awake, she will try a different method of capture.

Chen Liqing pulled her clothes down a bit, revealing most of her shoulders, and took out the medicinal powder from her sleeve pocket, hiding it in her left hand.

After doing all this, she went to the door, knocked softly, and called out in a low, sweet voice, "Brother Gao Jin, your little sister has come to see you."

I called out five or six times, but there was no response from inside the house, only the popping of the candlelight.

Chen Liqing frowned slightly, sensing that something was amiss.

She pulled out a small knife for self-defense, inserted it into the crack in the door, and broke the bolt. Chen Liqing slipped inside and closed the door behind her.

The room was empty, with only the flickering candlelight. From the side room came the long, drawn-out breathing of the two personal maids.

Where is Brother Gao Jin?

Chen Liqing was shocked and hurriedly searched the room. Finally, under the candlelight on the desk, she found a piece of paper.

"Old Deng, the world is so big! I want to go see it!"

The handwriting was crooked and very ugly.

As Chen Liqing looked at the letter, two streams of tears silently flowed down her cheeks.

Brother Gao Jin has feelings for her; this must mean he wants to elope with her!

She quickly put the letter back and hurried home.

She dared not keep her brother Gao Jin waiting any longer...

Back home, Chen Liqing quickly packed her valuables, took her money, prepared weapons and horses, and waited for her brother Gao Jin to knock on the door.

They waited from the end of the Chou hour until the Mao hour arrived.

Brother Gao Jin didn't come!

Chen Liqing's face grew increasingly gloomy. Finally, she left the courtyard, mounted her Sichuan horse, and charged straight towards the Suanzao Gate.

She wanted to go and check out the monk's dilapidated courtyard first.

When she arrived at the courtyard near the Dongyue Temple, she found fresh signs of human and horse activity. She followed the trail to the front of the Dongyue Temple, but found that there were more and more human and horse tracks, making it impossible to distinguish them.

Chen Liqing stood at the temple entrance for a moment, then mounted her horse and headed towards Liangshan.

Brother Gao Jin is a man of great loyalty and righteousness; he must have gone to help Lin Chong.

Meanwhile, as Chen Liqing spurred her horse and galloped towards Liangshan, Gao Qiu was already kneeling before Zhao Ji.

"My son is worried about the bandits in the Song Dynasty and is determined to lead the army to quell the bandits for Your Majesty. I reprimanded him last night, but I didn't expect him to leave in a huff."

Zhao Ji's face darkened. "What's wrong with Tuizhi wanting to share my burdens? Why are you scolding him?! Now look what's happened, who knows when we'll see Tuizhi again!"

Still not satisfied with what he had just said, he kicked Gao Qiu in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground.

"Get out! I don't want to see you! If anything happens to that child, Tuizhi, you can go back to your hometown too."

After dismissing Gao Qiu, Zhao Ji summoned Liang Shicheng and ordered him to send the Imperial City Guard to find Gao Jin.

Liang Shicheng hesitated, "The matter of Cai Xiang's seven sons..."

Zhao Ji took a deep breath. "Let's get this done first, then we'll go find Tuizhi."

Just as Emperor Huizong was feeling troubled, Princess Maode arrived again, saying that she had recently learned a new piece of music and wanted to present it to the Emperor.

She was playing the pipa, but her eyes kept glancing towards the imperial guards. How could Zhao Ji not know his daughter's feelings? He went to her side and lowered his voice.

"That boy Tuizhi has gone to inspect the Song Dynasty for me. Daughter, I will find you a handsome young man for your marriage."

"Although I have not yet completed the six rites, I am still Cai Xiu's betrothed in name..."

As Zhao Fujin spoke, he lowered his body.

"Your subject is willing to remain loyal for a year to silence the criticisms of the people for your father."

A year should be enough to tour the Song Dynasty.

Having seen her imposing husband, Gao Jin, she had absolutely no interest in those listless young masters.