Chapter 115: with translation of chapter title

Gu Kang never expected his father to be so partial; before this, he had no idea his father was like this.

At that time, Gu Jiu Ling's dowry silver was there to rely on, and the Gu family never cut off his expenses.

Even then, he was fond of play; Lady Lin would give him whatever money he spent, and even when he indulged in eating, drinking, carousing, visiting prostitutes, and frolicking with a bunch of spoiled young masters, Lady Lin generously covered all those expenses.

His father, however, was furious; if he played too much, he would surely be given a beating, but Lady Lin and his elder brother would intercede for him, leaving him with no worries and growing ever more reckless.

After Gu Jiu Ling left the Gu household with her dowry, his life deteriorated day by day; this time, however, he came to his senses.

Compared to his elder brother, third brother, and second sister, he was the child least looked upon favorably.

When he suffered such humiliation, neither his father nor his elder brother stepped forward to defend him even a little; now he has had his face trampled in the mud, left to be openly insulted by the Bei Di people, and after finally obtaining the money left by his maternal grandfather, his father insists he hand it over to his elder brother.

Gu Kang, for the first time summoning his courage, defied his father's demand, shrinking back slightly as he said, 'Father, this is my property—how can I give it to my elder brother?'

'Your elder brother naturally has his own maternal grandfather; his maternal grandfather is the Duke of An Guo, who is also a person of name and status, so let your elder brother and his grandfather take the money—why must you quarrel with me over it?'

Over these years, Gu Kang has frequented the pleasure quarters, learning little else, but he has become quite skilled at arguing with people, able to make others spit blood with anger, his tongue exceedingly vicious.

Everyone knows what kind of situation Lin Qingxue was in when she was in the An Guo Duke's mansion.

Lin Qingxue's birth mother, Mei Yiniang, was utterly disreputable; she used every means to climb into the old duke's bed, only unfortunately giving birth to a daughter.

Instead of properly raising her daughter, she taught her some fox‑spirit tactics for bewitching men.

Originally, the legitimate eldest daughter of the An Guo Duke's mansion had already been betrothed in a good match, but Lin Qingxue, taking advantage of the flower‑viewing gathering, secretly behind her elder sister's back seduced the future brother‑in‑law, the Heir Apparent of the Dingnan Marquis.

Fortunately, the Heir Apparent of the Dingnan Marquis was an upright man; seeing that Lin Qingxue was no good, he firmly refused her offer to pour wine and throw herself into his arms, loudly rebuked her, and ordered someone to summon the lady of the An Guo Duke's mansion.

This promising marriage was nearly ruined by Lin Qingxue; from then on, the legitimate daughter of the Lin family, the eldest daughter of the An Guo Duke's mansion, could not raise her head before her husband's family.

The Lord of Dingnan Marquis even suspected the Lin family's conduct was improper, preparing to annul the engagement, and the Lin eldest daughter attempted suicide by hanging, nearly dying.

However, the Heir Apparent of the Ningnan Marquis had long taken a liking to the graceful Lin family eldest daughter, Lin Qingyu, and insisted on marrying her, saying that the shameless one was the Lin family's concubine‑born daughter, which had nothing to do with the legitimate daughter.

After this incident, the formidable Lady of the An Guo Duke's mansion—now the Lin family's grand matriarch—directly had Lin Qingxue's birth mother beaten to death with sticks in her presence.

This matter caused a great stir at the time; only after the elder lord stepped in was it finally settled, and the matriarch also spent a great deal of silver to smooth things over.

Lin Qingxue was confined to a separate cottage, kept there for a full year, and only released when spring arrived the following year.

The matriarch intended to casually find a family to marry off this trouble‑making woman; but as a daughter of a concubine, Lin Qingxue was not worthy of the offspring of high‑ranking clans.

Even the concubine‑born offspring of those great clans looked down on her, for that scandal had already been whispered among the aristocracy.

Only those of humble origins and shallow foundations, who valued the An Guo Duke's mansion's status and thought they could marry up a notch or two, were willing to take Lin Qingxue as a wife.

Unexpectedly, Lin Qingxue was quite determined; by chance she met Du Qingning, whose family had just moved from Jiumu to Shang Jing.

Du Qingning, who did not know any other young ladies in Shang Jing, took a liking to this enthusiastic girl, even becoming her confidante through exchanged handkerchiefs, and often invited her to visit the Gu household.

Who would have thought that, over time, this woman would actually become involved with her husband, Gu Shijie.

At that time, Gu Shijie was a newly minted zhuangyuan; moreover, Du Lao Ye had some acquaintance with Emperor Longqing, and under Du Lao Ye's strategizing, Gu Shijie gained considerable favor from Emperor Longqing.

Soon Gu Shijie became a prominent youthful figure of the Southern Qi dynasty, naturally catching Lin Qingxue's eye.

Du Qingning never imagined, even in her wildest dreams, that she would be inviting a wolf into her home, gradually driving herself into a desperate situation.

Now they spare nothing—not even Du Lao Ye's property, the Lin clan, nor the son she bore and raised.

Gu Kang, choking with anger and now having become the object of others' ridicule, found his voice rising several notches; his words were especially sharp and his tone loud, so that those around him not only looked down on Gu Kang, but even on Gu Cheng and Gu Shijie.

Having left the Du household, Gu Shijie is actually nothing at all, and his son is even less.

This time, Gu Cheng did not speak up to stop his brother's nonsense; he merely lowered his head slightly to look at the cup before him, though his gaze was icy cold.

As the banquet drew to a close, Emperor Longqing felt particularly displeased, still pondering how to restore Xiao Yin's fiefdom, how to suppress him in the future, and yet preserve his reputation.

The Bei Di siblings, Tuoba Heng and Princess Yuanqing, were also somewhat dispirited; one failed to use the Du family's wealth to hang Gu Jiu Ling, while the other was firmly pressed down by Gu Jiu Ling, moreover offending his beloved.

She anxiously rose and followed behind her elder brother Wang, took her leave of Emperor Longqing, and returned to the separate lodge to rest.

Meanwhile, Gu Kang also rose and walked behind Gu Shijie, waiting for him to board the Gu family carriage, when suddenly his collar was seized in a fierce grip by Gu Cheng, who was already seated inside the carriage.

Immediately, Gu Cheng slapped Gu Kang's face one after another; after exchanging pleasantries with the other officials, Gu Shijie turned toward the carriage, heard the sounds from inside, and stopped in his tracks, not boarding.

He stood there coldly, while from within the carriage came Gu Kang's anguished cries and struggles.

"Gu Cheng! You bastard! This list is mine, mine!"

"Are you trying to seize it by force? I will certainly report you to the authorities! I will make everyone see what sort of scum you are, the so‑called first son of Southern Qi—I spit… sob… sob…"

"Elder brother! Stop hitting… elder brother! I hurt… I beg you… I beg you…"

Gu Shijie's face turned cold; at the Du family's worthless pastries, he gave a cold snort, turned, and boarded another carriage that had arrived.

Not long after, Gu Cheng leapt down from the carriage, the list in his hand stained with blood.

His handsome, pale, icy face showed no expression at all, even bearing the satisfaction after venting his rage; the attendant beside him dared not speak, handing over a handkerchief.

Gu Cheng slipped the blood‑stained list into his sleeve, then took the handkerchief and slowly wiped the blood from his hands.

"Lock the worthless wretch inside the Chai Fang; for three days give him not a drop of water nor a grain of rice, let him remember this well—if anyone asks, say the Second Young Master has caught a chill and cannot be seen."

"Yes!" the attendant's heart gave a slight tremor; the eldest young master truly is ruthless and cruel.