Chapter 88: The Older Generation's Cosplay [Many Thanks to the Readers for Their Support]

"I heard it was because this young lady said my little maid makes good tea that she was borrowed by Plum-Fall Courtyard."

"She is just a maid from Liang Shan; how would she dare to offend the Hou Fu's favored concubine?"

Gu Lun Kai, standing nearby, spoke softly:

"It certainly wasn't borrowing someone else's power."

As he spoke, he swept a glance over Bai Shi and Xu Xu Pingmei.

He was implying that Xu Xu Pingmei was currying favor with her mother-in-law, and thus had ordered Sister Qingzhi to do this.

Gu Yankai paused for a moment before understanding the implication, then stared at Bai Shi.

Xu Xu Zaizhang, standing aside, shook his head, feeling this family was truly beyond hope.

Bai Shi closed her eyes and said:

"Cui Cui Mama Chang, you speak!"

After bowing to Cui Cui Mama Chang and the others in the hall, she said:

"This is the first time I've seen borrowed property handled without the owner's consent by the borrower. Did anyone beg you to lend her?"

"You are merely a concubine of the Hou Fu; both I and this little maid are servants of the Hou Fu. What right do you have to dispose of her? If the Da Da Niangzi of the Yu family wished to slight you, she would simply refuse to lend you the person!"

"Are the masters of the Hou Fu's inner courtyard not Bai Wu Da Da Niangzi and Wu Wu Da Da Niangzi?"

"By binding this little maid, aren't you just trying to curry favor with someone in the Hou Fu?"

Hearing Cui Cui Mama Chang's words, a trace of unease appeared on the faces of Gu Lun Kai and Mei Mei You You Lian.

Gu Yankai, looking at his own fifth brother beside him, had already guessed the general situation and had intended to erupt in anger.

But seeing Mei Mei You You Lian's expression, Gu Yankai helplessly closed his eyes.

After all these years of longing, he truly could not bear to part with her.

"Father, let us end this matter here, lest it escalate and affect Eldest Brother's imperial examinations," Gu Gu Tingye stepped forward, bowed, and said.

Hearing his second son's suggestion, Gu Yankai glanced at Gu Gu Tingyu before saying:

"Leave the affairs of the inner courtyard to the Da Da Niangzi."

With that, he rose and walked out of the hall.

At this, Xu Xu Zaijing bowed and said, "Senior Uncle, please wait; your nephew has an impertinent request."

Gu Yankai halted his steps: "What is it? Speak."

"Since Plum-Fall Courtyard conflicts with my eldest sister's name, it would be better to change it to Green Lotus Courtyard!"

"Preposterous!"

Having spoken, Gu Yankai flicked his sleeves and strode out of the courtyard.

Mei Mei You You Lian bowed to everyone and followed him out.

Outside the hall, the corpse of that old woman, whose cause of death remained unknown, was carried away.

Xu Xu Zaijing and his Second Brother, Xu Zaizhang, stayed a while in Bai Shi's courtyard, exchanging a few more words with their eldest sister and Bai Shi; naturally, no Yamen Runners or coroners were summoned.

Afterwards, the two took their leave.

As they departed, they saw Sister Qingzhi; that pretty little maid had suffered again, nearly being bound and sent to a bed.

Seeing Xu Xu Zaijing, Sister Qingzhi bowed.

"Are you afraid?"

Sister Qingzhi glanced at Sister Zhu, who stood beside her protecting her and had been protected by others in turn, and said with a solemn expression:

"I am not afraid, not with Sister Zhu of the Zhu family here."

"You must remain ever more vigilant in the future."

"Yes, Young Master."

He glanced again at Qingxia and said, "Continue as you have been."

Qingxia squatted to bow.

Having spoken, Xu Xu Zaijing continued walking outward.

Gu Gu Tingyu also followed out.

"Zhang Sanlang, Han Wulang, wait for me!"

Gu Gu Tingyu called from behind, dismissing Gu Gu Tingye, Youqing, and the others who were following.

Xu Xu Zaizhang wanted to stop, but Xu Xu Zaijing pulled him forcefully, walking faster and faster.

Xu Pingmei, watching anxiously from behind, waved the handkerchief in her hand and said:

"Why don't Third Brother and Fifth Brother wait for their brother-in-law? Really!"

Qingxia said nothing, thinking to herself that her young lady and her lady's husband were truly a good match.

Soon, the group arrived at the main gate of the Gu family; although Gu Gu Tingyu's health had improved and he practiced swordplay daily, he was ultimately no match for Xu Xu Zaijing.

Xu Xu Zaizhang was dragged until he was gasping for breath; he wanted to stop but simply could not, as if a horse up ahead were pulling him.

From a distance,

the several of them tugging and pulling made their way from the inner courtyard to the Gu family's main gate, where Xu Xu Zaijing finally slowed his pace.

Gu Gu Tingyu told Xu Zaizhang to ride a horse back to Xu Fu first to explain the situation to his father-in-law and mother-in-law, while he himself pulled Xu Xu Zaijing into the carriage prepared by the Gu family.

Finding he could not pull Xu Xu Zaijing, he could only bow repeatedly,

appearing as though frightened by Xu Xu Zaijing's arrogance and intending to apologize, while Xu Xu Zaijing, with a stern face, entered the carriage.

Brother Qingyun and Youqing followed behind the carriage on horseback.

Inside the carriage,

thick leather lined the interior walls for warmth and insulation, covered with brocade stitching.

Gu Gu Tingyu glanced at Xu Xu Zaijing, took several deep breaths, and lost the hurried demeanor he had shown earlier.

Xu Xu Zaijing also relaxed his stern expression and looked at Gu Gu Tingyu with great interest.

He knew Gu Gu Tingyu's wisdom bordered on the monstrous, a fact due to the memories he had brought from before.

But others did not really know this.

Gu Gu Tingyu's personal attendant, Youqing, simply felt as though he were being seen through completely under his young master's gaze.

At this moment, Gu Gu Tingye had not yet been tricked by his elder brother's casual few words into feeling neither alive nor dead; he had not yet realized how certain and accurate his elder brother's calculations were, knowing only that his elder brother wrote well and studied well.

And in the eyes of other noble families, Gu Gu Tingyu was merely a diligent noble scholar who had placed eighth in the prefectural examination, nothing more than hardworking; if he were truly formidable, he would have won first place as the top candidate.

In recent years, Gu Yankai had been busy with military affairs and knew very little about his eldest son.

Bai Shi had her suspicions, but she merely believed the child had lost his mother early and thus matured sooner.

Therefore, few people knew about Gu Gu Tingyu's innate talent for fathoming human hearts and understanding worldly affairs with perfect clarity.

"You let me throw my weight around in your home like this; aren't you afraid people will suspect I am too arrogant?" Xu Xu Zaijing asked.

"Hasn't the fierce reputation of your family's Fifth Young Master long spread throughout Bianjing? Moreover, you are famously protective of your elder sister. Besides, there are some who hope my Lady Ningyuan Hou Fu becomes as chaotic as possible!"

"So you used my family's little female servant to test things? When did you realize there was something wrong with that person in the Bilian Courtyard?" Xu Xu Zaijing asked.

"What do you mean 'your family'! She is now my Gu family's little female servant! With a woman from the Zhu family protecting her, nothing will happen. Furthermore, I did not figure it out; I overheard it in the corridor," Gu Gu Tingyu said.

Xu Xu Zaijing wore an expression that said, "You are teasing me."

Gu Gu Tingyu said, "Truly, I am not lying to you!"

Xu Xu Zaijing still said nothing, staring straight at Gu Gu Tingyu; only when he could no longer maintain the pretense did Gu Gu Tingyu speak:

"At first, I really did overhear it. But the main reason was Father's personal attendant, Qi Sheng; since a misfortune befell his family, I entrusted Gu Gu Tingyu's maternal grandfather in Yang Zhou to settle the matter for him, and the man is also on a boat belonging to the Bai family.

Father encountered this woman on his very first day back in Bianjing, after which I already knew about this matter, but I simply did not tell Mother.

Unfortunately, I am merely a legitimate son of the Hou Fu and could not investigate this woman's origins. However, she is undoubtedly connected to the Qin family."

"Then what is the Qin family's purpose in scheming to send her to your home? Is it solely for your family's wealth and status?" Xu Xu Zaijing asked with some curiosity.

"I have some slight clues; it is nothing more than harming people, plotting for wealth, or plotting for power. I suspect there is also some jealousy involved!"

Xu Xu Zaijing said, "If you tell me these 'slight clues,' perhaps I can ponder them. But jealousy? Who is jealous?"

Gu Gu Tingyu said, "The reason Father treats her so well is that many things about this woman greatly resemble my mother as I remember her. Brother Jing, can you deduce anything from this?"

Xu Xu Zaijing said, "Either someone from your mother's natal family, the Dongchang Hou Fu, guided her, or someone who used to serve your mother did."

"Exactly. According to Qi Sheng, this woman's personality, clothing quality, and most importantly, her choice of incense items, all resemble my mother before she married! I fear both possibilities you mentioned are true."

"Looking at it this way, does the Dongchang Hou Fu intend to repair relations between the two families by currying favor with your father?" Xu Xu Zaijing asked with some confusion.

"They are using both carrot and stick. Qi Sheng has already spoken with Xiao Er's maternal grandfather; this woman was taken into the house by Father during the mourning period."

Xu Xu Zaijing frowned, saying with some disbelief in his eyes:

"How can this be allowed? Those who know will say your father took her in, but those who do not will claim she was forcibly dragged into the Hou Fu during the mourning period! If the remonstrance officials of the Censorate learn of this, you will inevitably be impeached!"

"Thus, it aligns with the jealousy I mentioned earlier. After this incident occurred, I questioned one of Father's concubines who was previously my mother's personal maid; under my forceful questioning, she told me an ugly secret regarding the Qin family."

Gu Gu Tingyu glanced at Xu Xu Zaijing and said:

""

"Brother Jing, you are a sensible person. I will not hide it from you; based on what this concubine said, I suspect my maternal uncle harbored improper thoughts toward my mother.

And after Mother married into the Gu family, my maternal uncle often visited the Gu home.

The Gu family is a house that assisted in founding the dynasty and transporting fortune; Father has always been a noble general holding real power, whereas the Qin family... when Mother married over, they had already begun to decline, and in recent years they have become even more wretched."

Xu Xu Zaijing stood stunned for a moment, his heart suddenly clear: jealous of Gu Hou's power and position, jealous that Gu Hou had married the Eldest Miss of the Qin family, and even more jealous of the Gu family's prosperity and success.

Then he bowed his hands to Gu Gu Tingyu, acknowledging the trust placed in him.

Living in the Hou Fu with its clear and upright family traditions, Xu Xu Zaijing truly did not understand that the Dongchang Hou Fu could harbor such filthy matters.

Xu Xu Zaijing thought deeper and said, "Could it be that this woman is someone the Qin family is using to..."

I will be more careful in future chapters to ensure I do not end them on such a cliffhanger!

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(End of Chapter)