Gu Chengyan had long wanted to bring Gu Yuebai back to the Marquis's mansion, as he always thought his son should be recognized by his ancestors.

Finally, with Guan Yingying's permission, he excitedly hugged Gu Yuebai and went to Tu's courtyard instead of Fanghua Garden.

When Tu saw Gu Yuebai, she was startled.

The little boy in front of me had a chubby face, fair skin, and a pair of very clever eyes.

She looked Gu Yuebai up and down, her eyes welling up with tears.

So alike! He looks at least 70% like Gu Chengyan when he was a child.

She immediately hugged him tightly, tears welling in her eyes: "My little darling, Grandma's precious baby, you've finally come..."

Aunt Wang, with tears in her eyes, gently pushed Gu Yuebai and said, "Young Master, this is Grandmother. You should call her Grandmother."

"Grandmother." Gu Yuebai was almost four years old and was starting to understand things. Seeing how affectionate Madam Tu was towards him, he grinned and called out sweetly.

"Oh, my good boy."

Once I hugged him, I wouldn't let go, calling him my darling nonstop.

"How could she bear to send the child back? Wasn't she unwilling?"

“Mother, Yuebai is about to turn four and start her formal education. No matter how reluctant she is, she doesn’t want to delay the future of the Marquis’s bloodline.” Gu Chengyan kept trying to win Guan Yingying’s favor.

"She's quite sensible," Madam Tu said, holding Gu Yuebai affectionately. "This child seems even more clever than you were when you were little."

"Mother, he can already recite many ancient poems." Gu Chengyan felt a little embarrassed when he thought of this, remembering those damned poems that ruined his reputation.

Tu also thought of this matter, so you can't be superficial in your studies, and fakes will be exposed sooner or later.

“Then let him study hard from a young age,” said Madam Tu. “Your third uncle received his early education at the Xie family’s private school. Why don’t we send him to the Xie family’s private school as well?”

Gu Chengyan was jealous of his third uncle, but he also admired his third uncle's extensive knowledge.

Since his third uncle received his early education at the Xie family mansion and was later taken in as a disciple by a great Confucian scholar, he sent Gu Yuebai to the Xie family mansion's private school for his early education as well.

The Gu family's luck in education all went to the third uncle; the men were all terrible at studying. Guan Yingying always said that Yuebai was smart and might be as good at studying as the third uncle, and might even become the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Yingying once said, "No matter how hard life is, we can't let our children suffer; no matter how poor we are, we can't neglect their education." This clever kid shouldn't be satisfied with just inheriting a marquisate; he might just become the second Grand Secretary of the Gu family in the future.

Thinking of this, he immediately said eagerly, "Then I'll ask Xiangxiang to contact the Xie family and send Yuebai to their early childhood education class."

The addition of a child to the household was a secret, and despite Madam Tu and Gu Chengyan's efforts to keep a low profile and claim that the child was being fostered by a relative, Xie Zhaozhao found out that very day.

Xie Zhaozhao couldn't help but laugh.

Was it delivered to the Marquis's residence so early?

Just like in the previous life, it's your cousin Tu Qianyue's child, right?

His name is Tu Yuebai, right?

You want to send him to the Xie family's private school, right?

...

Okay, I'll send it over!

It must be sent!

Xie Zhaozhao said to Manman, "Go to the Xie residence and give the letter to Grandmother. Tell her that I miss the teachers at Mengxi Academy and want to go see the academy's autumn opening ceremony."

Manman was also very happy and said, "Yes, Miss, I also want to go and see. If Master Qingqiu saw you, he would be overjoyed. You are the top student in the academy!"

Manman quickly ran to the Xie residence. Old Qin, the gatekeeper, saw Manman returning with a basket of fat crabs and happily asked, "Is the young lady coming back?"

"No, Miss asked me to send a few crabs to the manor."

Manman went to Wutong Garden with ease. When Madam Xie saw Manman return, she was naturally overjoyed and asked Xie Zhaozhao how she was.

She bowed deeply, handed the letter to Madam Xie, and said with a smile, "Madam, the eldest young lady is doing well. She said she wants to see the initiation ceremony in the autumn."

After receiving the letter, Madam Xie read it carefully twice and said with a kind smile, "Go back and tell the eldest young lady that the mansion agrees to let the second young lady enter the family and will not stop her. If that relative's child wants to come and study, let him come."

*

Xie Xiangxiang learned that Gu Yuebai had entered the mansion the next day.

Upon hearing the name Gu Yuebai, their eyes immediately lit up.

Yuebai? Gu Yuebai?

Isn't this Xie Zhaozhao's adopted son from my previous life?

This could be the next top scorer in the imperial examinations!

"Chunling, go and buy some small toys for toddlers, as well as all kinds of snacks and candies that children like... buy everything that children like."

She excitedly instructed her maid, Chunling, that she wanted to give her future son the best first impression.

Chunling and Xiahua were both maids she had recently bought from the servants, and they were very loyal. It was just hard to understand why she would fawn over a stranger.

Xie Xiangxiang had her own plans. Gu Chengyan was too good to her. Money is easy to come by, but a true lover is hard to find. Even if he was impotent, she didn't want to be separated from him.

Besides, he will still be a Duke in the future, and he has promised never to have a second woman in his life. If he can raise a successful child, that would be a perfect life.

She took Chunling and Xiahua, carrying trinkets and fruits, to Tu's courtyard.

Tu suddenly felt inexplicably nervous and asked with a smile, "How did you find the time to come over?"

“I heard that my cousin’s child was playing at home, so I thought we were all relatives and came to check on him.”

Madam Tu said that this was a relative's child who had suffered a misfortune and was being temporarily fostered at the Marquis's residence.

Xie Xiangxiang thought to herself, "I know all of this."

In a past life, my eldest sister raised this child; he is an orphan.

She handed the small drum to Gu Yuebai and asked with a smile, "What's your name?"

Following Guan Yingying's instructions, Gu Yuebai said, "My name is Tu Yuebai."

Xie Xiangxiang thought to herself with delight, "Now you're called Tu Yuebai, but from now on you'll be called Gu Yuebai!"

Which of these do you like?

Xie Xiangxiang asked Chunling to show them to him. Gu Yuebai looked at those little trinkets, pouted, and thought, "What does a boy like me like with stuffed animals?"

Seeing that Yuebai and Xie Xiangxiang were close, Madam Tu took the opportunity to say, "Yuebai is four years old this year and is very smart. I'm thinking of sending him to Mengxi Academy in the Xie family to begin his studies. Could you please put in a good word with the teacher there?"

Xie Xiangxiang paused, Xie Mansion?

On the day she was to return to her parents' home, she was expelled from the Xie family mansion. "Without an invitation from the Xie family, one may not return to the Xie family mansion." How could she possibly enter the Xie family mansion?

Seeing that she remained silent, Madam Tu felt a little uneasy and asked, "Doesn't Mengxi Academy also accept children from other families? Can't you ask the teacher for permission?"

Xie Xiangxiang clenched her fist. This was her future son, how could it not be allowed? Even if she knelt for three days and three nights, she would insist that her grandmother send Yuebai to study at the Xie family's private school.

Thinking of this, she smiled and said, "Why not? I'll go back and talk to my teacher about it in the next couple of days."