[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-am-the-xu-family-s-son":3,"chapter-i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-89":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Am the Xu Family's Son",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2307867,4510,"Chapter 89: Punishment: Kneeling, Li Ju, and the Embroidered Gifts [Thank You for Your Support!]","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-89",89,"\u003Cp>When Xu Zai heard his mother was returning to the Gu household the next day, Gu Tingye was displeased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Bai of Ningyuan Marquis Mansion returned to the Gu household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sat in the main hall and drank the tea offered by Mei Youlian, the concubine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She gave her a pair of hairpins from the most disliked set in the jewelry box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Yan Kai was pleased with Bai Shi’s submissive attitude and left for the yamen after a roundabout path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After returning to her own courtyard, Bai Shi took Gu Tingyi to Fuyao Courtyard, where Dalang resided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yu’er, have you been feeling better lately?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingyu put down his brush and bowed: “Mother, I am quite recovered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother, I deeply despise the concubine Father recently took.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yu’er, I know this well. But now your father refuses to divide the household, and with this incident, I fear the Xu family—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingyu’s face lost its ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait two days—I’ll take you to the Xu household and speak plainly. We must secure a promise from them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re right, Mother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yu Ge, your priority is the autumn examination.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Mother. I understand. Please take care of your health and stop worrying. You have two sons.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Shi froze, looking at Gu Tingyu:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good child.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, You Qing arrived at the door: “Young Master, Xu Jings’er has sent a letter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bring it here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Qing placed the letter in Gu Tingyu’s hands. He opened it, read a few lines, frowned, and respectfully handed it to Bai Shi:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Shi read the letter, frowned, then slammed the table and cursed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You wretched brat! Someone! Bring Xiao Er to Fuyao Courtyard. Yu Ge, you’re his elder brother—your bond with him will outlast mine. I leave him to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Mother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingye was summoned to Fuyao Courtyard. Seeing his mother and elder brother frowning, he felt a bad premonition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiao Er, come here,” Gu Tingyu said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elder brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kneel,” Gu Tingyu pointed to the space before Bai Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingye looked at his mother and elder brother, then knelt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jing Ge says you’ve been associating lately with the sons of the State Duke, Fuan Marquis, and Han State Duke?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elder brother, there’s no Han State Duke.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm. And you say daily revelry and amusement are the best?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where is the peerless glass pendant your maternal grandfather gave you? I hear you lost it in a tossing game—you bet against others, and even when they hit five, you still gambled?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know that pendant was worth a mansion in Bianjing? And you just lost it like that? Hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingye said: “Elder brother, I was wrong!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pleasure comes easily. But when your mother is humiliated, will you have the strength to protect her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother is the Lady of the Marquis household—who dares humiliate her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you think the woman in Luomei Garden came here to chant sutras and eat vegetarian?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She’s just a concubine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? A concubine can’t humiliate your mother? Then where has Father been sleeping these past days? If this continues, can you make him change his mind?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When your mother is in trouble, can you stand up for her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re neither scholarly nor martial. We are your mother’s greatest strength—and yet you, her own son, behave like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elder brother, I didn’t—I just—just—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before the autumn examination, I will study hard. Next year’s imperial exam—I will surely rank. I’ll give Mother the backing she needs. You? Don’t hold me back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go on wasting the family fortune. Mother will be supported by me from now on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingyu rarely spoke so sternly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingye lowered his head, silent, a single tear falling to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Shi said nothing, rose, and left the main hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chang Mama walked to Gu Tingye’s side:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, my boy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One day passed,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing practiced calligraphy at home while listening to Qing Yun recount You Qing’s words, a faint smile on his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That fool Gu Tingye—why associate with anyone but those few?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Learning good habits takes time; learning bad ones comes instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Near vermilion, one turns red; near ink, one turns black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Yun stood on the horse track wearing thick leather armor and holding a shield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a noble family, owning a few sets of leather armor was acceptable—though their defense paled next to the iron armor of the Great Zhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing held three arrows, targeting only the gaps exposed when Qing Yun raised his shield; if no gap existed, he forced one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After training, Qing Yun frowned at the white dust marks on his armor. Though the arrows had no metal tips, the impacts still stung.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After an hour of practice,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Yun went to change his armor. Xu Zaijing went to the stable, where his master was stroking the belly of Li Ju.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This steed, gifted by the Emperor, was pregnant. His master had tended to her with utmost care these past days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, will the foal be a stallion or a mare?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one answered Xu Zaijing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing walked aside, gazing at his first horse, and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve got quite the luck.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Er shook his head and swished his tail, looking thoroughly content.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The turmoil at Ningyuan Marquis Mansion seemed to have passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingyu, under Bai Shi’s name, visited the Xu household. Though he made no oath, his tone was respectful and his words meaningful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Gu Yan Kai later approached Xu Minghua, distancing himself from matters involving Da Qin Shi—his mind was still sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew the nature of his own nephews, and seeing the Xu family’s imperial favor grow, he promised to discipline and punish his children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Minghua thus nodded and let the matter pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Privately, Gu Tingyu had already met Xu Zaijing. Though Xu Zaiduan was the elder brother, Gu Tingyu still felt Xu Zaijing was more reliable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He told Xu Zaijing that his father, Gu Yan Kai, had indeed summoned his fourth and fifth uncles to discipline and punish the children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gu Tingyu felt the effect was minimal—after all, his own father was morally corrupt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, they dismissed the servants and whispered for nearly half an hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the days that followed,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only joyful news was that Gu Tingyu passed the autumn examination, ranking eighth in the provincial test—a remarkable achievement for a noble scion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, over these two months, the Gu family’s reputation in Bianjing had improved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On this day,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Shi came to the Xu household to discuss marriage arrangements for the children with Sun Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the incident, her life in the Gu household had been smooth. But lately, troubles came one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister, what’s wrong? Are you unwell?” Sun Shi asked with concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Shi looked at Sun Shi—over the past few years, her husband had been promoted, her children had grown sensible, and her complexion seemed even better than when they first met.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t laugh at me, sister—my concubine is pregnant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As the principal wife, you can only let her give birth. Otherwise, rumors might paint you as cruel and jealous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yu Ge refused. He had a huge argument with his father in the courtyard, but finally the Marquis listened to advice,” Bai Shi said, glancing at Sun Shi, her future in-law.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingyu’s behavior at home was also meant to signal to the Xu family: he holds influence in the Gu household!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So that Ping Mei, when she marries in, will have protection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two ladies set aside the unpleasant matters and discussed Ping Mei’s wedding in the main hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Qiongzhi Pavilion, Xiao Dan entered carrying a wooden box:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big Miss, the Lady ordered me to bring you a wedding gift from Yangzhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingzhi had recovered and said at the door: “Sister, please come in—Big Sister is inside arguing with Second Sister.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Dan nodded to Qingzhi and entered the room where Pingmei was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding the wooden box, Xiao Dan said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This was sent by Madam Sheng, as a token of goodwill from the Sheng family’s women.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anmei, full of curiosity, immediately instructed Xiao Dan to place the item on the small table beside the Luohan bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She used the copper key tied to the wooden box to open it,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and took out each item one by one: a pouch filled with jade stones, a gold hairpin shaped like a plum blossom, and a piece of embroidery wrapped in a cloth sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anmei looked and said: “Everything else is fine, but this cloth sleeve is quite worn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Anmei pulled out a scroll of embroidery from within the sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the plain-looking cloth bag was a sheet of premium white silk, mounted as a painted scroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Anmei unfurled the scroll, Pingmei, Anmei, Xiao Dan, Qingxia, Qingzhi, and other women skilled in needlework all let out involuntary exclamations of awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, this is ‘Five Blessings of the Plum Blossom.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the luminous white silk, only red and black threads had been used.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vivid embroidery depicted crimson plum blossoms standing proudly in snow—so lifelike that when Anmei shook the scroll, the blossoms seemed to sway as if stirred by wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, does Yangzhou’s embroidery shop have something this good?” Qingxia asked in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Dan said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This wasn’t bought—Cui’s sister-in-law’s older brother often visits our Xu family. He said this was placed inside the box by a young lady of the Sheng household.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pingmei, like a master calligrapher encountering an exquisite model script, stared at it with intense contemplation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This young lady has great thoughtfulness—who in the Sheng family is she?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Dan:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She’s the one who gave birth to Sixth Daughter—her surname is Wei.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Several earlier sections with poor impressions have been revised; the author acknowledges the errors and has made corrections.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank you, readers, for pointing out the flaws—already revised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deeply grateful for your support!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again, thank you all!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Please don’t scold me—I’m about to collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sigh… if there are still shortcomings, please point them out—I will definitely accept them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1681,"2026-06-20T10:32:38.675Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","48da5ed8a5137965bedd301cb7d0ccdca96e9d1db8230f88b11752b7cfb55090","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-90","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-88",790,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-the-xu-family-s-son-cover.jpg"]