Chapter 103 A Domineering Beating of Father (Second Update)

Not long after Xiao Liulang left, Lord Gu came to visit.

He came behind Yao's back, mainly because he was worried about Gu Yan. He felt that living in such a poor and remote place would spoil his precious son, and he hoped to bring Gu Yan back.

Gu Yan opened the door.

Gu Yan saw his father quickly close the door!

Lord Gu was so angry that he jumped up and down, but the door wouldn't open no matter how much he knocked. By the time he finally managed to get around to the back door, Gu Yan had already bolted the door shut in his own room.

Lord Gu, whose teeth were chattering with anger: "..."

The chicks haven't started their day yet and are quietly kept in their coop.

Lord Gu found Gu Jiao busy in the backyard and pointed to the closed door, saying, "Aren't you going to do anything about him!"

Gu Jiao looked at him as if he were an idiot, her eyes direct and cold, then ignored him and brought out a gleaming axe from the woodshed.

Lord Gu gasped, "You... what are you going to do? You're planning to kill..."

Before she could finish speaking, a loud crash was heard, as Gu Jiao had split a piece of wood in two.

The wood was split in two, the cut was intact, and the force was evenly distributed. It was clearly the work of an experienced woodcutter!

Lord Gu swallowed hard, and it took him a while to find his voice. He said, "This place is not suitable for Yan'er to live in. He was spoiled growing up, and his food, clothing, and daily necessities are far beyond what ordinary people can afford. His health has only just improved a little, and if we're not careful, he might fall ill again. You are his sister, so don't harm him. If you and your brother really want to be together, then move back to the manor. The manor is so big; you can live in whichever courtyard you want. If you don't like the current courtyard, you can even have the servants build another one."

He swore that this was the most heartfelt thing he had ever said to this girl.

He made a huge concession; surely that should move him now?

He didn't yell at her or hit her; he spoke to her so kindly. Shouldn't she be satisfied?

But to everyone's surprise, Gu Jiao showed no emotion whatsoever, and simply said, "He is living very well here."

Lord Gu angrily retorted, "Look at this poor place! How could he possibly live comfortably here?"

Gu Jiao swung her axe down: "With such a nice manor and villa, how come his illness has improved over the years?"

"I..." Lord Gu was speechless after being rebuked.

Indeed, Gu Yan has lived in the most luxurious house and eaten the finest delicacies for years, surrounded by servants, yet his health has continued to decline. It was only after encountering Huichuntang that he was finally brought back to life.

Lord Gu knew there was no way to argue about this matter. That's why they were called twins; the brother and sister were exactly the same when it came to contradicting him.

Lord Gu put his hands on his hips, took a few deep breaths, and asked, "So when do you plan to go back?"

If he insists on staying, he'll probably agree, right? But there has to be a time limit!

Consort Shu was pressing him hard; he would have to return to the capital with his entourage by June at the latest. He couldn't let the siblings continue their antics indefinitely.

“He will go back when he wants to.” Gu Jiao didn’t mention herself, because she had never thought about going back at all.

Lord Gu finally understood: this girl was stubborn and determined to fight him to the end.

Never mind, let Yao handle this later.

When she speaks, the twins are more likely to accept it.

Lord Gu remembered his second purpose for coming here: "You can stay away from me for now, but you and that cripple must get a divorce!"

Gu Jiao stopped chopping wood.

Lord Gu said, "While you two haven't consummated your marriage and you're still a virgin, when you return to the capital, just say you've never been married, and I'll find you a good marriage!"

Thump!

Gu Jiao chopped the axe into the wood.

If she could barely ignore the suggestion that she and Gu Yan should return to the capital, then asking her to divorce Xiao Liulang was going too far.

What kind of scoundrel would inquire whether his daughter had consummated her marriage?

Gu Jiao actually misunderstood Lord Gu; he only knew that she had a virginity mark on her face.

But none of that matters anymore.

Gu Jiao was already angry.

Lord Gu was still nagging and persuading her, even listing a long list of famous young men in the capital, but before he could finish, Gu Jiao stood up with an icy expression.

Lord Gu felt a chill run down his spine and his hair stand on end as he was stared at by Gu Jiao's deathly gaze.

How could this girl have such a terrifying look in her eyes?

"What right do you have to interfere in my affairs?"

"Because I'm your father!"

"Did you take care of me? Not even for a single day?"

Lord Gu choked, and after a long while, he stammered, "Wasn't that because we were switched at birth? I'm back to make it up to you now, aren't I? As long as you come back with me, you'll be the daughter of the Marquis's family! Your mother and I will dote on you!"

Gu Jiao sneered: "There's not a shred of sincerity."

Lord Gu said unhappily, "How did I lack sincerity?"

Gu Jiao said slowly, "If you really want to take me back, then kick out Gu Jinyu, who has been occupying my identity for more than ten years. That's the sincerity you should show."

Lord Gu's face darkened instantly: "How could you say such vicious things? None of this is Jin Yu's fault, yet you insist on blaming her! And she kept speaking up for you, saying that her illness wasn't because you bullied her, but look at yourself, how have you been acting as an older sister?"

Gu Jiao said indifferently, "I don't have a younger sister."

"You..." Lord Gu remembered how Jin Yu always called her "sister" so affectionately, and looking at this girl again, he felt that she was utterly useless and disappointing. "I will not drive Jin Yu away, don't even dream about it!"

Ha, who cares?

Gu Jiao kicked the person out and slammed the door shut!

Meanwhile, Huang Zhong sat at the village entrance waiting for his lord to come, but his lord did not appear. He thought that something must have gone wrong again, and was about to go look for him when he saw his lord coming over, covering his nose.

"My lord, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

Lord Gu lowered his hand from his nose, and Huang Zhong was dumbfounded: "You...you got beaten up again?"

Why is your nose bleeding? And your nose is swollen too?

"Wasn't it because that girl slammed the door too fast?" He tried to step inside, but was slammed out by the door, his nose almost crooked.

Huang Zhong sighed, "Can't you just not make the young lady angry?"

Lord Gu glared at him and said, "How can you say I made her angry? It was clearly her who made me angry!"

Huang Zhong asked, "What did she do to offend you?"

Lord Gu sneered, "She actually had the audacity to tell me to kick Jinyu out! How can she be so petty, unable to even tolerate a younger sister! Did Jinyu say anything when she found out she had an older sister?"

This... is different, isn't it?

The second young lady is not the biological daughter. She has occupied the identity of the eldest young lady for so many years. It's already a favor that she wasn't sent back to the main family. How can she complain?

The second young lady is innocent, but so is the eldest young lady.

She endured the hardships that the second young lady should have endured, while the second young lady enjoyed the blessings that she should have enjoyed. Who could be happy about that?

However, Huang Zhong had followed the Marquis for many years and knew his character well. He was extremely rebellious at heart, and he was only responsive to gentle persuasion. The more he was told not to do something, the more determined he was to do it to the end.

In this respect, the father and daughter are remarkably alike.

Huang Zhong sighed, "My lord, let's go back."

Lord Gu said with a dangerous look in his eyes, "The matter is not yet finished, how can I go back?"

Huang Zhong was speechless: "No, you can't do anything about the young lady again."

"Just because I can't do anything about him doesn't mean I can't do anything about others," Lord Gu said coldly. "Go to the academy."

The academy has just finished class.

Xiao Liulang came out of Tianxiang Academy and was on his way to pick up Xiao Jingkong from the private school.

Lord Gu summoned a servant from the academy and asked him to identify which one was Xiao Liulang. The servant pointed and said, "That's him!"

Lord Gu glanced at Xiao Liulang, and in just one look, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets!

Isn't this the boy who looks somewhat like the young Marquis Zhaodu that we met on the way out of the village last time?

How could it be him?

Lord Gu and the young Marquis of Zhaodu did not meet often, mainly because there was little interaction between the two mansions. Although they were both marquis mansions, the Xuanping Marquis's mansion was of a higher rank than the Ding'an Marquis's mansion.

Marquis Xuanping was a true first-rank prince.

He was powerful and wealthy, and dominated the capital.

The younger sister of Marquis Xuanping is the current Empress Xiao, and even his own younger sister, Consort Shu, has to perform the rites due to an imperial consort when she meets her.

Sons from such families can definitely be called the pride of heaven.

With such an outstanding background, he still lived up to expectations and became the Junior Chancellor of the Imperial Academy at the age of twelve or thirteen, showing a talent that rivaled even his biological father, Marquis Xuanping.

Unfortunately, fate is cruel to those with great talent.

Lord Gu glanced at Xiao Liulang a couple more times.

Now, he no longer felt it looked very similar.

The young Marquis of Zhaodu is a simple and kind-hearted boy, gentle and refined, with a clean and beautiful smile always in his eyes.

Xiao Liulang's eyes were too cold; his heart was dark.

Lord Gu narrowed his eyes in displeasure.

Just then, Xiao Liulang approached, and the servant waved to him: "Xiao Liulang! Someone is looking for you!"

Xiao Liulang glanced at Lord Gu and paused in his steps.

Lord Gu didn't insist on waiting for him to come over. He walked over himself and looked at Xiao Liulang with disdain, saying, "You are Xiao Liulang?"

Xiao Liulang looked at him with a calm expression: "What is it?"

Lord Gu gave Huang Zhong a wink, and Huang Zhong took out a stack of silver notes from his pocket.

Lord Gu arrogantly declared, "Leave my daughter behind, and these silver notes are yours!"

Xiao Liulang didn't even glance at the silver notes, and said expressionlessly, "Isn't this too little?"

Lord Gu raised his chin and said, "Five thousand taels is enough for you to squander for several lifetimes, and you can marry several beautiful women and live a carefree and happy life in your later years. Don't think that just because you passed the provincial examination twice, you have a bright future. I have seen many people like you, and very few of them can actually make it to the palace examination. If you are unlucky, you will fail the provincial examination."

How much effort and resources do aristocratic families invest in cultivating their offspring? Among those offspring are many who are intelligent and diligent in their studies. What do these students from humble backgrounds have to compare with them?

Even if you manage to get into the capital by chance, do you really think you can make a name for yourself?

At the provincial examination level, it might still be a test of hard skills, but as you go higher, it becomes a test of influence and power.

Every year, the top three candidates are selected from candidates from the major powers in the capital. How much helplessness the emperor has and how much unspeakable political struggle are involved are things that poor, pedantic bookworms like Xiao Liulang can never imagine!

Studying can indeed turn a bunch of shrimp into small fish, but it's absolutely impossible for a carp to leap over the dragon gate.

Lord Gu looked at Xiao Liulang and said, "A person's social status is determined at birth. You are not worthy to be my son-in-law. Be sensible and take these silver notes and disappear from my sight. If you think it's not enough, I can give you some more. Huang Zhong!"

Huang Zhong then took out another thousand taels of silver.

Xiao Liulang laughed coldly: "Lord Gu, have you forgotten something?"

"What?" Lord Gu asked.

Xiao Liulang's lips curled into a smile: "Isn't she your daughter?"

That's heartbreaking!

Lord Gu's arrogance froze instantly!

Xiao Liulang said with a faint sneer, "If you're referring to your current daughter, then there's no need for that. I have absolutely no interest in your daughter who has been raised by your side since childhood. Even if you offered me five thousand taels of gold, I wouldn't give her a second glance!"

What kind of disgusted tone is this?

Isn't this kid too arrogant?

Does he know how many men in the capital want to marry Jin Yu? They are all young masters from prestigious families who are a thousand times, a hundred times, more outstanding than him!

No, this isn't the time to be angry about this. I almost let this kid lead me astray!

Lord Gu clenched his fist, intending to teach this ungrateful brat a lesson: "Huang Zhong, Huang Zhong!"

Huh?

Where are they?

Where did you go?

Lord Gu turned around abruptly, about to see where Huang Zhong had gone, when suddenly a slender, delicate hand reached out from behind him, grabbed his collar, and dragged him into a nearby alley.

Half an hour later, Gu Jiao walked out looking refreshed.

Xiao Liulang looked at her strangely. She clapped her hands and gave a gentle smile: "Sorry to keep you waiting. We have finished communicating and he will not bother you again."

After being "communicated," Lord Gu sat in the corner of the alley like a puppet with its strings cut, his body, numb with pain, leaning helplessly against the wall.

Beside him, Huang Zhong also became a soulless puppet.

The two men looked dazed, their faces bruised and swollen, their noses crooked and their mouths drooping – a truly pitiful sight!

(End of this chapter)