Chapter 69: Funeral Arrangements, Great Victory, and Returning Home [Grateful Thanks to Readers for Your Support]

On the way, Xu Anmei told Xu Zaijing the name of that eldest Miss from the Hai family: Hai Zhaoxia.

Upon entering the courtyard, Xu Xu Zaijing saw his eldest sister-in-law standing beside his mother, while Xu Xu Zaiduan had also been summoned back and was sitting to one side.

Sun Shi said with a solemn expression:

"We just received news from the Qi family; the Duke of Qi has passed away (hong). Since our families are on good terms, we must set up a mourning shed and establish a roadside memorial when the time comes."

Sun Shi sighed and said, "Stay indoors as much as possible during this period."

"Yes, Mother."

Looking at her six children (and daughters-in-law) in the main hall, Sun Shi nodded with satisfaction.

The death of a Duke caused the entire city of Bianjing to fall into solemn silence.

As a top-tier noble house of Great Zhou, the Duke of Qi's mansion had always been linked by marriage to prominent families, and the late Duke (Hearing Qi Heng's grandfather) had served in the court for many years, promoting numerous junior officials.

Therefore, all the nobles and civil officials in Bianjing showed respect for the deceased; some celebratory events were scaled down, and there was no more indiscriminate setting off of firecrackers.

The palace even dispatched eunuchs from the Emperor's personal retinue to assist the Qi family with the funeral arrangements, highlighting the Qi family's status in the Emperor's heart.

Over a hundred monks and Daoist priests invited from temples and monasteries around Bianjing chanted sutras day and night for the deceased, the sound of wooden fish and golden drums continuing without cease.

The polo matches outside Jinming Pool were suspended for a month as a sign of respect.

After the coffin rested for over a month, relatives and old friends rushing from all corners of Great Zhou finally arrived at the Duke of Qi's mansion.

Most who came were middle-aged or young, vigorous men; older elders truly could not withstand the bumps of the journey and the hardships of sleeping under the stars.

During the funeral period,

Xu Xu Zaijing and his second brother, Xu Xu Zaizhang, went as unmarried juniors to pay their respects to the Duke of Qi, accompanied by other close friends among Bianjing's noble young masters, such as Gu Gu Tingyu, Gu Gu Tingye, and Zheng Xiao.

At a glance, all those prostrating on the ground were scions of noble Bianjing families, dressed in plain colors but made of luxurious fabrics.

Since the two of them were not yet married, they did not attend the roadside memorial; only Eldest Brother Xu Xu Zaiduan and his wife accompanied their mother, Sun Shi, inside the memorial shed.

Later, Xu Xu Zaijing heard his mother say that the Duke of Qi's eldest legitimate son, citing his own son's frailty and frequent illness, had yielded the title to Hearing Qi Heng's father.

The people of Bianjing understood clearly: since Princess Princess Pingning had only one son, it was impossible to adopt one out to the main line.

As biological brothers, if the eldest branch truly faced the extinction of its lineage, the second branch would not stand idly by.

Blood ties between biological brothers and nephews are far stronger than those with an adopted heir from a distant branch.

A few days after the funeral concluded, the entire city of Bianjing once again returned to its former prosperity and bustle.

Perhaps because they had not enjoyed themselves enough in recent days, business at the brothels and entertainment quarters became even better.

On the polo grounds, people were even lining up in queues waiting for their turn to compete.

The weather also grew increasingly hot.

On this day,

a courier from the northwest shouted, "Great victory in the northwest!" as he entered Bianjing City, causing residents and passersby to turn their heads and discuss the news.

Soon, confirmed details were released.

It turned out that the Bai Gao Kingdom in the northwest had been repelled by the Western Army; over five thousand of their men were beheaded, the siege of Lingzhou was lifted, and the counterattack pushed into Bai Gao territory, where, following the routing troops, they also seized a strategic fortress along the way.

Although the momentum was victorious, the Northern Liao army on the right flank of the front line also began to make larger moves.

The Cloud-Wing Army under the Duke of Ying even engaged the Northern Liao forces in a small skirmish, gaining an advantage.

Meanwhile, the Guangrui Army under Gu Yankai was locked in a standoff with the elite troops commanded by the Southern Courtyard King of Northern Liao.

Later, generals from the Western and Northern fronts speculated:

On one hand, the Bai Gao Kingdom must have offered Northern Liao extremely great benefits.

On the other hand, it was also a strategic defensive necessity for Northern Liao; if Great Zhou destroyed Bai Gao, their next target would surely be Northern Liao.

Half a month later,

as the weather grew ever hotter, the entire northern front, after experiencing those intense movements, returned to calm.

The Bai Gao Kingdom admitted defeat, no longer attempting to retake the seized fortress.

Northern Liao was also slowly withdrawing its troops, preparing for the approaching farming season.

After spies and scouts conducted their investigations, they learned that both sides had dispersed their armies.

The troops recruited several months prior in the northeast direction of Great Zhou were also disbanded and sent back to their hometowns.

After leaving behind generals capable of controlling the situation, the nobles in the capital began returning to the city one after another.

More than a month after the news of the northwest victory spread throughout the capital, Gu Yankai entered the Ansu Gate on the northern side of Bianjing.

The first matter upon returning to the capital was to surrender military authority.

That afternoon, Gu Yankai, travel-worn from his return from the north, went to the Ministry of War office to hand over his military tally.

Riding alongside the Marquis's personal guards through the streets, watching the bustling prosperity filling the roads, Gu Yankai felt a surge of emotions.

His heart also harbored some longing for his wife and children at home, especially his daughter Gu Tingyi; having not seen her for so long, he wondered how much she had grown.

Suddenly,

chaos erupted ahead.

From his high horse, Gu Yankai saw clearly: several hooligans from Bianjing were surrounding and blocking a somewhat slender woman.

Nearby, a few young masters from wealthy official families, dressed in splendid clothes, were watching the commotion.

Gu Yankai originally paid no attention to such people; once he and his guards rode close, those blocking the way would naturally move aside.

The hooligans would also restrain themselves somewhat.

Gu Yankai swept the scene with his tiger-like eyes, then his gaze froze.

Among those dissolute young masters were some he recognized.

One was Gu Gu Tingbing, the nephew from the fourth branch.

Gu Gu Tingbing stood to the side, his eyes filled with malice, his glare seeming ready to devour the young lady surrounded by the hooligans.

Gu Yankai felt a surge of anger in his heart, thinking silently that upon returning home, he must thoroughly discipline his fifth younger brother; raising a child like this was truly a disgrace to the family name.

Glancing at the companion beside him, Gu Yankai realized he knew this person too; it was Qin Chihan, the legitimate eldest son of the Eldest Young Master of the Dongchang Marquis Qin family, who, by relation, ought to address Gu Yankai as "Uncle by marriage."

Gu Yankai felt somewhat angry in his heart; while he had been sleeping with his spear and waiting at dawn in the north, donning armor to guard the borders, these few little beasts were actually harassing decent families in Bianjing.

"What are you all doing?"

A thick, rough voice arrived.

Gu Gu Tingbing, who was in the midst of lewd fantasies, jumped with a start, and Qin Chi Han also showed fear on his face.

"El-El-Eldest Uncle."

"Uncle by marriage."

Gu Yankai pointed at the patrol soldiers of the City Patrol Office who were watching the spectacle but dared not meddle unnecessarily, and said:

"You few soldiers, take these hooligans to the yamen."

"Yes, yes, My Lord Marquis."

Having spoken, they shackled the few hooligans and dragged them away.

Gu Yankai turned his head to look at the remaining young masters and offspring of noble families.

"So your families raise you just so you can harass decent families, is that it? Men!"

"My Lord Marquis."

"Take them back to their respective residences and let their elders deal with them as they see fit. As for this little beast, tie him up."

The one being tied up was Gu Gu Tingbing.

The followers and young attendants of the two naturally lost the arrogance and tyranny they had displayed before the commoners, becoming obedient like quails.

Gu Yankai, looking down from above with narrowed eyes and absolutely no fluctuation of emotion, glanced at the woman standing nearby with her head bowed and said:

"Give this Wei Wei Xiaoniang some silver; consider it an apology."

Having spoken, a personal soldier behind him dismounted, took several banknotes out from his robe, and presented them.

Only then did the Wei Wei Xiaoniang slightly raise her beautiful head, dodge the banknotes offered by the personal soldier, crouch down to bow, and say: "Thank you, hero, for saving me. My family indeed cannot accept this money."

Catching a glimpse of this woman's appearance from the corner of his eye, for some unknown reason, Gu Yankai suddenly whipped his head around, his eyes widening.

His expression lost its previous condescension, and a turbulent storm surged within his heart; the hand gripping the reins actually began to tremble slightly.

Under the exceptionally surprised gaze of the personal soldier, Gu Yankai shifted his body slightly; the personal soldier knew this was the motion his master made when dismounting.

But he was forcibly stopped by Gu Yankai.

"Good, put those banknotes away. I do not know where your home is, Miss; to prevent these hooligans from seeking revenge later, I will have my family guards escort you back."

This woman's eyes were full of gratitude as she slightly raised her head.

Gu Yankai felt a shock in his heart once more, and his breathing became somewhat rough.

Fortunately, having long experienced battlefields, his ability to control his facial expressions and thoughts was strong; though thunder crashed in his heart, his face remained as calm as a still lake, and he forcibly suppressed the turmoil within.

"Qi Sheng, you escort this Miss home; ensure she is completely safe."

The personal steward who had grown up alongside Gu Yankai narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded.

Gu Gu Tingbing hung his head, his body being pulled by his own eldest uncle, walking toward the Da Niangzi Ningyuan Hou Fu like a dog on a leash or a horse being led.

Passersby nearby pointed and commented.

Da Niangzi Ningyuan Hou Fu

Personal soldiers had already arrived at the Hou Fu to report the news, and the members of the Gu family were all waiting at the second gate within the courtyard.

Upon seeing Gu Yankai enter the gate, everyone was delighted.

Then they saw Gu Gu Tingbing being led along.

Gu Yankai dismounted and walked over to where the crowd stood.

His several children naturally greeted him with a lively clamor.

He paid no attention to the members of the fourth branch who had caused him shame.

Gu Yankai scooped up Gu Tingyi in one arm,

"Yi'er, oh my, you've gotten heavier."

"Father, Yi'er has grown up, so I am a bit heavier."

With a cute, childish voice,

Gu Yankai's heart nearly melted.

Gu Yankai looked at his other two sons, and some gratification appeared in his gaze, especially regarding Gu Tingyu, who was becoming increasingly healthy; his complexion no longer held the sallow yellow of years past.

His skin tone had already approached that of a normal person, and his height had shot up, reaching Gu Yankai's eyebrows.

He was truly a graceful and elegant Young Master.

Nearby, Gu Gu Tingye watched his own cousin, Gu Gu Tingbing, who stood with head bowed and shivering, with considerable amusement.

Several members of the fourth branch were quite dissatisfied with Bai Shi and spoke many words of mockery and sarcasm.

Usually, Gu Gu Tingye had frequently traded insults with his cousin.

However, Gu Tingye was somewhat curious; previously, when he acted this way, Gu Tingbing would have already glared and cursed, but now Gu Tingbing kept his head down, and Gu Tingye even saw an unclear, shrinking expression in his eyes as he stole a glance at Gu Yankai.

"Has my cousin been scolded stupid by my father?" he thought to himself.

Bai Shi looked at her husband returning home, her eyes full of joy.

However, she felt somewhat uncomfortable in her heart because after Gu Yankai returned to the residence, he would avert his gaze the moment their eyes met.

On the other side, Gu Yankai's personal attendant, Qi Sheng, had already accompanied the woman to a residence by the roadside.

Thank you all for your support, many thanks!

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(End of Chapter)