Chapter 84: Punished to Kneel; The Li Ju Horse and the Embroidery [Many Thanks for Everyone's Support!]

Upon hearing that his mother would return to the Gu family the next day, Gu Gu Tingye felt somewhat displeased.

The second day.

Bai Shi, the principal wife of the Lady Ningyuan Hou Fu, returned to the Gu family.

Sitting in the main hall, she drank the concubine tea served by that concubine, Miss Mei Mei You You Lian.

She rewarded her with a pair of bracelets, the ones she liked least from her jewelry box.

Gu Yankai was very satisfied with Bai Shi's initiative in bowing her head and yielding; after lingering for a while, he went to the government office.

After Bai Shi returned to her own courtyard, she took Gu Gu Tingyi to the Fuyao Courtyard where Gu Dalang resided.

"Yu'er, have you improved recently?"

Gu Gu Tingyu put down the brush in his hand, bowed, and replied, "Replying to Mother, I am no longer in serious trouble."

"That is good."

"Mother, regarding the new concubine Father has taken, I am extremely disgusted in my heart."

"Yu'er, I naturally know this. However, nowadays your father is unwilling to divide the household, and now that our family has encountered such a matter, I fear the Xu family..."

The relaxed expression vanished from Gu Gu Tingyu's face.

"Wait two days; I will take you to the Xu family to explain the situation once more; we must certainly give the Xu family a promise."

"What Mother says is correct."

"Brother Yu, the autumn examinations are still the priority."

"Yes, your son understands; I beg Mother to prioritize your health and not worry too much. You have two sons."

Bai Shi was momentarily stunned; looking at Gu Gu Tingyu, she said:

"Good child."

At this moment, You Qing arrived at the door and said, "Young Master, Young Master Jing from the Xu family sent a letter."

"Bring it over."

You Qing placed the envelope into Gu Gu Tingyu's hands; Gu Gu Tingyu opened it and glanced at it a few times, his brows furrowing, then respectfully handed the letter to Bai Shi, saying:

"Mother."

Bai Shi looked at the letter, her brows furrowed, and finally slapped the table, cursing:

"This unfilial beast! Someone come! Call the second young master to the Fuyao Courtyard. Brother Yu, you are his elder brother; you brothers will be together longer than you will be with me, so I leave him in your care."

"Yes, Mother."

Gu Gu Tingye was summoned to the Fuyao Courtyard; seeing his frowning mother and elder brother, he had a bad premonition.

"Second child, come here," Gu Gu Tingyu said.

"Elder Brother."

"Kneel." Gu Gu Tingyu pointed to the spot in front of Bai Shi.

Gu Gu Tingye looked at his mother and elder brother, then knelt down.

"According to what Brother Jing said, you have been getting close recently to the sons of the Duke of Lingguo, the Marquis of Fu'an, and the Duke of Han?"

"Elder Brother, there is no Duke of Han."

"Hmm, and it is also said that you claim daily amusement and play are what is best?"

"Yes."

"Where is the top-grade glass pendant your maternal grandfather gave you? I heard you were playing pitch-pot with others; even when they hit one target worth five, you still gambled with them?"

"I..."

"Do you know that piece of glass pendant is worth an entire residence in Bianjing, and you just lost it like that? Hmm?"

Gu Gu Tingye said, "Elder Brother, I was wrong!"

"The pleasure of indulgence is easy to obtain. But when Mother is bullied, will you have the ability to protect her?"

"Mother is the principal wife of the Hou Fu; who could bully her?"

"Then is that woman from the Luomei Courtyard here just to eat vegetarian food and chant scriptures?"

"She is merely a concubine."

"Oh? A concubine? So a concubine cannot bully Mother, is that it? Then where has Father been resting these past few days? If this continues, do you have the ability to make Father change his mind?"

"I..."

"When Mother encounters difficulties, do you have the capability to argue forcefully on her behalf?"

"I..."

"Accomplished in neither literature nor martial arts. We sons are Mother's greatest source of confidence; I did not expect that you, her biological son, would be like this."

"Elder Brother, I did not... I just... I just..."

"Before the autumn examinations, I will certainly strive hard in my studies; next year at the metropolitan examination, I will definitely appear on the honor roll and have the confidence to back Mother up. As for you? Just do not drag me down."

"..."

"You continue to squander the family fortune; from now on, I alone will support Mother."

Gu Gu Tingyu rarely spoke so sternly.

Gu Gu Tingye kept his head lowered and said nothing; only a single teardrop fell onto the ground.

Bai Shi said nothing; she stood up and left the main hall.

Nanny Chang walked over to Gu Gu Tingye's side:

"Alas, my young master."

One day later,

While practicing calligraphy at home, Xu Xu Zaijing listened to Brother Qingyun recounting You Qing's words, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

This Gu Gu Tingye, who cannot distinguish right from wrong; with whom could he not have associated, yet he insisted on getting involved with those few individuals.

Learning goodness takes considerable time, but learning badness comes instantly.

Near vermilion one turns red; near ink one turns black.

On the morning of the second day,

Brother Qingyun stood in the running ground wearing thick leather armor and holding a shield.

As a noble household, owning a few sets of leather armor was acceptable, after all, their defensive capability paled in comparison to the Great Zhou's iron armor.

Xu Xu Zaijing held three arrows in his hand, aiming specifically at the flaws exposed when Brother Qingyun raised his shield; if there were no flaws, then he would maneuver to create them.

After the practice ended, Brother Qingyun looked dejectedly at the white chalk marks on his body; although there were no metal arrowheads, being struck still hurt somewhat.

Having practiced for one double-hour,

Brother Qingyun went to change out of his leather armor, while Xu Xu Zaijing went to the stable, where his master was stroking the belly of a black foal.

This magnificent horse, bestowed by the Emperor, was already pregnant, and during this period, his master had been attending to the mare with utmost care.

"Master, is the foal in this belly a stallion or a mare?"

No one paid Xu Xu Zaijing any heed.

Xu Xu Zaijing walked to the side, looked at his first horse, and said:

"You certainly possess a fortune in beauty."

The horse shook its head and brain, appearing very content.

The turmoil within Lady Ningyuan Hou Fu seemed to have passed just like that.

Gu Gu Tingyu also visited the Xu family under the name of Bai Shi; though he made no oaths or vows, his attitude was respectful and his words substantial.

Furthermore, Gu Yankai later sought out Xu Minghua; once matters concerning Lady Da Qin were set aside, Gu Yankai's mind remained sharp.

He knew clearly the nature of his own nephews and sons, and seeing now that the Xu family's favor with the throne was growing daily, he guaranteed that upon returning home he would restrain and whip them.

Xu Minghua thus nodded and let the matter pass.

In private, Gu Gu Tingyu had already sought out Xu Xu Zaijing; although Xu Xu Zaiduan was the elder brother, Gu Gu Tingyu still felt that approaching Xu Xu Zaijing was more reliable.

He told Xu Xu Zaijing that his own old father, Gu Yankai, had indeed approached the uncles of his fourth and fifth branches, asking them to restrain and whip their children.

However, Gu Gu Tingyu felt the effect was minimal, after all, his own father's own conduct was not upright.

Afterwards, the two dismissed their servants and whispered secretly together for nearly half a double-hour.

In the days that followed.

The only thing that brought joy was that Gu Gu Tingyu had passed the autumn examinations, ranking eighth in the prefectural trial; for a child of the nobility to achieve such a result was already rare.

Therefore, over these two months, the Gu family's reputation and public assessment in Bianjing had already improved.

On this day,

Bai Shi came to the Xu family to discuss the children's marriage with Sun Shi.

Before the incident occurred, her life in the Gu family had been very smooth, but recently, for some unknown reason, vexing matters had arisen one after another.

"Sister, what is the matter with you? Are you feeling unwell?" Sun Shi asked with concern.

Bai Shi looked at Sun Shi; with her husband Gao Sheng rising in rank these past few years and her children being sensible, her complexion seemed even better than when they first met.

"Not fearing sister's mockery, my concubine has become pregnant."

"As the main wife, I can only allow her to give birth; otherwise, if word spreads, I might earn a reputation for being harsh and jealous."

"It was rejected by Brother Yu, who threw a tremendous tantrum with his father in the courtyard, but in the end, the Marquis listened to reason." After speaking, Bai Shi glanced at Sun Shi, her future in-law.

Gu Gu Tingyu behaving so at home was also meant to inform the Xu family that he held authority within the Gu household!

It implied that Xu Pingmei would have someone to protect her after marrying over.

The two Da Da Niangzi skipped over the unpleasant matters and discussed the details of Xu Pingmei's grand wedding in the main hall.

In Qiongzhi Pavilion, Xiao Dan entered carrying a wooden box, saying:

"Eldest Miss, the Main Wife instructed me to come and deliver this congratulatory gift from Yang Zhou to you."

Sister Qingzhi, having recovered, stood at the door and said, "Sister, please come in; the Eldest Miss is inside making trouble with the Second Miss."

Xiao Dan nodded to Sister Qingzhi and entered the room where Xu Pingmei was staying.

Holding the wooden box, Xiao Dan said:

"This was sent by the Gu Grandmother of the Sheng family, said to be a token of affection from the women of the Sheng family."

Full of curiosity, Xu Anmei hastily instructed Xiao Dan to place the item on the small table beside the Arhat bed in the room.

Using the copper key tied to the wooden box, she opened it,

and took out the items one by one: a pouch containing jade stones, a gold hairpin shaped like a plum blossom, and a piece of embroidery wrapped in a cloth cover.

Xu Anmei observed and said, "The others are fine, but this cloth cover is somewhat old."

Speaking thus, Xu Anmei took out a scroll of embroidery from the cloth cover.

Inside the plain-looking cloth bag was a scroll made of supreme-quality white silk, mounted like a painting.

As Xu Anmei unrolled the scroll, Xu Pingmei, Xu Anmei, Xiao Dan, Qingxia, Sister Qingzhi, and other women skilled in needlework all let out involuntary cries of amazement.

"Wow, this is 'Plum Blossoms Opening for Five Blessings'."

On this mounted, lustrous white silk, only red and black embroidery threads had been used.

The vivid image of bright red plum blossoms standing tall in the snow was embroidered so lifelike that when Xu Anmei shook the piece, the plum blossoms on the embroidery seemed to move as if blown by the wind.

"Wow, do the embroidery shops in Yang Zhou have such excellent items?" Qingxia asked with some surprise.

Xiao Dan said:

"Miss, this was not purchased; Brother Cui's sister-in-law's brother is a frequent visitor to our Xu family, and he said that a Wei Xiaoniang of the Sheng family placed this into the box."

Xu Pingmei looked like a master calligrapher who had encountered an excellent model copy, her eyes full of contemplative intent.

"This Wei Xiaoniang has put much heart into it; I wonder which one of the Sheng family she is?"

Xiao Dan:

"They say the sixth Miss was born, surnamed Wei."

【I have revised the few earlier passages that left a poor impression; the author admits fault and has already made the changes.】

Thanks to the readers for pointing out the flaws; they have been revised.

My deepest gratitude for everyone's support!

Bowing once more!

Please stop scolding; the author is on the verge of collapse.

Boo-hoo-hoo, shortcomings must still be pointed out, and the author will certainly accept them!

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(End of Chapter)