On the day he left, the old lady asked those people, "Where are you taking him?"

"The old Marquis found a master for the Third Young Master. The master is a reclusive hermit who only accepts the Third Young Master as his student."

The carriage left, and the old lady didn't feel any heartache; she disliked her youngest son from the bottom of her heart.

It's probably because the ten fingers aren't all the same length when they're extended.

The old Marquis doted on his third son too much, neglecting his eldest and second sons. He would always beat and scold his eldest son for being useless and call his second son a coward.

However, Gu Boyu was her first child, and she still valued her eldest son more.

During the ten years he was away from home, Gu Shaoyu would write a letter home every year to let her know he was safe. The messenger would tell the old lady about Gu Shaoyu's situation when she asked.

Third Master has grown taller!

Third Master passed the imperial examination for the first degree.

Third Master passed the imperial examination and became a scholar.

Third Master...

It wasn't until ten years later that Gu Shaoyu returned to participate in the imperial examination, where he became famous overnight, rising from the top scholar to a high-ranking official, achieving rapid success.

The old lady never had to worry about anything.

Perhaps because she wasn't raised by her side from birth, the old lady was only proud of Gu Shaoyu's rising power and had absolutely no feelings for him.

Thinking about this, the old lady felt somewhat ashamed.

Aunt Zhi was speechless; her eldest sister was just too arrogant in front of the old Marquis.

Back then, the old Marquis was just a farmer in their hometown of Ouyang. After his family starved to death, he joined the army and later became a captain. When he returned to his hometown, the local scholar took a liking to his honest and simple nature and married his daughter to him. She is now the old Marquis's wife.

When the old marquis fought his way up to become a valiant general, his two sons were already over ten years old.

The old lord bought a small courtyard in the capital and brought his wife and two children from their hometown of Ouyang to the capital.

Back in Ouyang, the county magistrate, Tu, took the initiative to find a matchmaker to betroth his eldest daughter, Tu, to Gu Boyu.

In their third year in Kyoto, they arranged the marriage of Tu Shi and Gu Boyu.

Back in their hometown, a fourth-rank general could walk around with impunity, but in the capital, he couldn't even get a chance. The old lady was deeply dissatisfied that she had married such a rough and uncultured man.

The old lady never imagined that her husband would one day be granted a title.

The year after Zhou Shaoyu was born, the valiant general was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Pingyang. Later, the old Marquis died while saving the old master of the Xie family. From then on, the Xie family supported the Marquis family in many ways and promised to marry their eldest daughter to him. Only then did the Marquis of Pingyang truly get close to the capital circle.

Otherwise, what kind of flower party or gathering would invite a member of the Marquis's family?

After hearing what the old lady said, the aunts and cousins ​​all felt that their trip might have been in vain.

There's no affection between mother and son, so why should Gu Shaoyu take care of outsiders like them?

The old lady snorted when she saw the disdain on their faces.

“Don’t be discouraged. No matter what, the third son is still my son. I owe him a debt of gratitude for being born, and the old Marquis owes him a debt of gratitude for being raised. He wouldn’t do anything disobedient.”

“I told him yesterday to find some work for his nephews and grandnephews, and he agreed.”

Upon hearing this, the aunts' eyes lit up immediately, and they rushed to flatter the old lady.

"Little sister, you've really worked hard."

"Your nephew will definitely take good care of you."

"From now on, let your nephew's wife take care of you, and let them both fulfill their filial duties to their aunt."

For a time, the sisters-in-law developed a deep bond.

Suddenly, Miss Zhi Meimei rushed over and whispered a few words in her second aunt's ear, causing the second aunt's expression to harden.

"Eldest sister, I haven't slept well these past two days at the Marquis's residence. I'll go back and take a nap first," Aunt Zhi said with a smile as she bid farewell to the old lady.

"Many people are picky about their beds and can't sleep in a different one." The old lady also instructed Taxue, "See my second sister-in-law off."

Aunt Zhi waved her hand and refused with a smile: "No need, it's just a short walk, I can go back by myself."

Hurriedly walking towards the lake, he saw a secluded spot where Uncle Zhi was blocking a woman's path, grinning and spouting nonsense.

"Little girl, you're not young anymore, are you? Why be a servant? Serving the master, wearing gold and silver, being a master yourself is so much better!"

"Grand-uncle, you can't do this! This servant is still too young!"

"Small? Oh my goodness, you call this small? Tsk..."

The woman was clearly a maid. With a wall behind her, trees to her left, and a lake to her right, she had nowhere to go. Seeing his hands wandering aimlessly, she said anxiously, "Grand Uncle, please have some self-respect."

"Whether it's heavy or not, you'll know once you try it."

"Don't come any closer, if you come any closer I'll... I'll scream..."

"Shout, shout, the louder the better." Uncle Zhi grabbed the woman's chin and stroked her face. "So smooth!"

Just as the woman was in despair, her second aunt arrived and angrily said, "What are you doing, sir?"

Uncle Zhi was surprised to see someone. He turned around and saw his wife. The woman took advantage of Uncle Zhi's turn and quickly squatted down, covered her face, and ran away.

Aunt Zhi was both angry and anxious, and she scolded in a low voice, "Even if the master is desperate, he should know that this is the Marquis's mansion. Has the master forgotten how he came to the capital?"

"Shut up!"

"My lord, Baiju's future is going to be ruined by you. Can you please restrain yourself for the sake of our descendants? I beg you!"

In Ouyang, relying on his father being a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), his eldest nephew being the Marquis of Pingyang, and his third nephew being a Grand Secretary, the second uncle of the family dared to have an audacity and sleep with the village head's granddaughter.

He had defamed other women's reputations more than once or twice. The village headman was so angry that he reported it to the county magistrate, who turned out to be a relative of Tu's mother.

Unable to win the lawsuit, the village head's wife, along with her daughter-in-law, banged drums and gongs, cursing so much that the Zhi family couldn't leave their homes.

The village head also declared that if the county magistrate did not expel the second uncle's family, he would risk everything to appeal to the emperor in the capital and have the second uncle's youngest son, Zhi Baiju, stripped of his scholar's degree.

To file a complaint with the emperor?

The Zhi family then became frightened and, after discussing it, decided to go to the capital together.

Before leaving, he even said that Grand Secretary Gu had invited his uncles to retire in Kyoto.

The village head was so angry he vomited blood. He could only grit his teeth and swallow his blood, because the other party had power and influence!

Unexpectedly, after only a few days in the Marquis's mansion, Uncle Zhi's old ailment relapsed!

Aunt Zhi was both anxious and angry. She slapped Uncle Zhi hard and cried, "If you had just restrained yourself a little, we wouldn't have to be so humble and humiliated in the Marquis's mansion, being scolded so shamelessly by a child."

Enraged by the slap, Uncle Zhi pushed his wife to the ground and slapped her twice in return, yelling, "You wretched woman, you've gone too far! Why did I need to find someone? Wasn't it because of you? You're old, ugly, and disgusting!"

This place was remote, and Uncle Zhi and his wife originally thought that few people would pass by. However, they did not expect that Mo Yan was digging for water chestnuts by the lake today and heard everything.

When he first heard his second uncle harassing a woman, he was about to jump up and expose him when he suddenly realized it was Chunling. So he lay down behind the lotus leaf and kept quiet to listen to what they were doing.

They were flirting with him, and he was so engrossed in it that he almost wet his pants. Just then, his second aunt arrived and, as she listened, she began to understand something else.

This family isn't here to freeload, are they? Were they kicked out of their hometown?