Chapter 136

Gu Jiu Ling said she would go and really took someone to the Gu family; inside and outside the Gu family were posted big red happiness characters, but the guests who came to attend the banquet were somewhat embarrassed.

Everyone in Shang Jing knows that the Gu family's second daughter, through extremely dishonorable means, forcibly made herself a concubine to Heir Apparent Lin Jingyuan of the An'guo Gong Fu.

Since she was becoming a concubine and not a proper marriage, the Gu family nevertheless invited all the aristocratic families of Shang Jing and set up a banquet in the flower hall to celebrate.

It is simply unheard of; a miss from a prestigious minister's family offering herself as a concubine is bad enough, but ordinary people would already be ashamed and at a loss; the best would be to quietly send their daughter over and be done with it.

But Gu Shijie could not withstand the tearful pleas of his second daughter and Lin's concubine, saying that if his daughter were to marry over in such a miserable way, the An'guo Gong Fu might look down on her in the future.

He also said that if they could rely on the Gu family's influence to let their daughter gain a foothold in the Lin family, they might even be able to help the Gu family's eldest son.

Gu Cheng also felt a bit guilty toward his own sister, after all, the second sister was proud and haughty; becoming a concubine was tantamount to humiliating her.

He also pleaded before his father, turning an ordinary send-off banquet into something extraordinarily grand, feeling as if it were a proper betrothal of a maiden.

The Gu family was just having fun on its own, and other aristocratic families increasingly felt that the Gu family was a joke.

But Minister Gu, after all, is the Prime Minister; Gu Cheng follows the Crown Prince and has some ability; the Gu family's eldest daughter is the Princess Consort of Rui.

Generally, nobles also did not want to offend the Gu family, but having the main line of the family appear at the banquet made them feel they were losing face.

Therefore, those sent were the family's concubine sons, distant relatives, and others of relatively low status to attend the banquet.

Thus they need not offend Minister Gu, nor lose their own status over a woman who is becoming a concubine.

When Gu Jiu Ling's carriage stopped at the minister's residence gate, Jiu Yue had just helped her lift the curtain when she heard several elderly maids beside Lin's lady discussing.

"How come everyone who came are those who usually can't even get on the table?"

"Yes, they are all the younger generation of the family, and they are all concubine daughters and concubine sons."

"How are we to receive them? If we slight them, after all they are scions of aristocratic families; if we give them face, what face do these people have?"

"This isn't looking down on people, is it?"

"Hehe! Once our second daughter establishes herself in the An'guo Gong Fu, we'll let these dog-eyed, low-looking aristocratic families have a look!"

"That's right; relying on our second daughter's talent, she will surely become the lady of the Gong Fu, and then..."

Gu Jiu Ling walked out, and the gossip-mongering old women hastily stopped their chatter; upon seeing that it was Gu Jiu Ling coming, they all broke into smiles and welcomed her, attending her carefully.

Now the eldest daughter is formidable; Prince Rui has just recovered his fief, and it is evident that his authority and nobility from seven years ago have been restored; before the eldest daughter, one must curry favor.

Gu Jiu Ling let these lowly servants who fawn on the high and trample the low put on their act, without exposing it, and followed an elderly maid to the courtyard where Gu Nanxiang resided in the inner residence of the Gu family.

Inside and outside the courtyard were posted happiness characters; from the warm pavilion came a sound of merriment and laughter; Lin's lady's voice sounded quite cheerful, showing no sorrow at all over her daughter becoming a concubine.

In Lin's lady's view, all men under heaven are as foolish as Gu Shijie; with just a little trick, they will obediently crawl under her pomegranate skirt, ready to be commanded by her.

Gu Jiu Ling entered the warm pavilion; after all, she is the Gu family's eldest daughter, so naturally she should first go sit in her sister's boudoir.

As soon as Gu Jiu Ling appeared in the splendidly decorated boudoir, all the various laughter in the room came to an abrupt halt.

Several distant female relatives of the Gu family, girls who usually played with Gu Nanxiang, and Lin's lady all raised their eyes to look at Gu Jiu Ling.

Looking at the radiant and dignified Gu Jiu Ling this time, Lin's lady's hatred grew ever stronger; this lowly person, after marrying into the Rui Wangfu, actually became more and more beautiful, gaining an air of noble composure out of nowhere.

Although in front of so many people she could not afford to lose face, she still put on a composed expression and said lightly: "The eldest daughter has returned? It's troublesome that you still remember today is Nanxiang's auspicious day; I even thought you had forgotten this sister Nanxiang."

Gu Jiu Ling raised her eyebrows, gave a light laugh, slowly sat in the seat of honor, and did not even touch the tea brought up by the maid: "How could I forget?"

"The concubine mother issued eight hundred urgent orders, even the soldiers guarding the frontier outside the passes must be summoned back to attend the second sister's send-off banquet, as if afraid that the whole country's common folk wouldn't know."

A strained, extremely difficult-to-suppress laugh suddenly came from the room.

"You..." Lin's lady's face changed; she indeed had sent out many invitations, one batch not enough, so she sent a second, intending to invite all the prominent people of Shang Jing to her home to attend her daughter's send-off banquet.

Her daughter, Lin Qingxue, was about to have a splendid occasion; even as a concubine, she would be different from other women.

This is just jealousy on Gu Jiu Ling's part!

I didn't expect Gu Jiu Ling to shift the topic, smiling lightly: "It's also strange; I thought that with such a grand arrangement by the concubine mother, those nobles in Shang Jing would at least give some face."

"Just..." Gu Jiu Ling sucked in a breath as if her tooth ached, "How come I haven't run into a single acquaintance? Those aristocratic families who came are all strangers! What about Feisi?"

Gu Jiu Ling put on an affected tone; the furious Gu Nanxiang, sitting on the bed with her veil pulled over her head, grabbed the veil off and stared fixedly at Gu Jiu Ling.

"Xiang'er! Quickly cover it!" Lin's concubine mother's heart startled; this veil is supposed to be lifted by the bridegroom, and her lifting it herself is not very auspicious.

She hurried to replace the veil on Gu Nanxiang's head, but Gu Nanxiang stared fixedly at Gu Jiu Ling and said: "Everyone, please step aside; I have some words to say to my elder sister."

The ladies seated around saw that something was amiss; the eldest daughter's return was like tearing down the stage, and today is supposed to be a good day for the second daughter, yet she is still angry.

Lin's concubine mother felt uneasy, but after receiving a cold glance from her own daughter, she steeled herself and went out, placing the veil to one side for Gu Nanxiang.

Only the two Gu sisters remained in the warm pavilion; Gu Nanxiang slowly rose to stand opposite Gu Jiu Ling, her eyes filled with poison.

Gu Jiu Ling raised her eyebrows, instinctively stepped back two paces; a gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall, and a woman does not stand opposite a mad dog.

The needle tube hidden in her sleeve fell into her palm; if the other party went mad, she would ruthlessly give her an injection, a little wedding gift, stabbing her into paralysis and inability to care for herself.

Gu Nanxiang stared fixedly at Gu Jiu Ling and coldly laughed: "Gu Jiu Ling, you have brought me to this point; I will surely repay you a hundredfold!"

Gu Jiu Ling was taken aback, shrugged her shoulders: "whocare, who cares?"

Gu Nanxiang furrowed her brows fiercely, not knowing what this woman was secretly chewing on.

Gu Jiu Ling lightly laughed: "Those who harm others will always be harmed; constantly walking by the river of harm, how could one's shoes stay dry?"

"Gu Nanxiang, you covet the status of the Gu family's eldest daughter and future Crown Princess Consort, you covet my fiancé, you covet the priceless dowry my mother left me."

"How can you not understand?" Gu Jiu Ling lightly laughed, "As the saying goes, all roads lead to Shang Jing; I was born in Shang Jing, while you are just a spawn of a concubine—what right do you have to contend with me?"

"This... has capsized, hasn't it?"

"Gu Jiu Ling! I..." Gu Nanxiang's face turned ashen with rage, her expression twisted.

Gu Jiu Ling's lips curled slightly: "How? Not satisfied? Then endure it!"

"Gu Jiu Ling! I will surely make you pay the price!" Gu Nanxiang's eyes flashed with near-mad cold light, "As long as I marry into the An'guo Gong Fu, I will certainly become its lady; then you'll see how I deal with you, even your Rui Wangfu won't be able to protect you!"

Gu Jiu Ling smiled helplessly: "Gu Nanxiang, first get into the An'guo Gong Fu's gate before you talk; at your young age, how are you already blowing hot air? Boasting without paying taxes!"