Chapter 126 Coming-of-Age Ceremony (First Update)

That very night, Prince An received an invitation from the Marquis of Ding'an's residence.

Since ending his hostage period in the State of Chen and returning to the capital, Prince An has kept a very low profile, rarely interacting with others except for studying for the imperial examinations.

Everyone in the capital knew the nature of Prince An, and they wouldn't usually take the initiative to befriend him. Therefore, Prince An was somewhat surprised when he saw the invitation in his hand.

To avoid appearing abrupt, Lord Gu sent invitations to both Prince An and Zhuang Mengdie.

Prince An was quite surprised, but when he saw Zhuang Mengdie's name, he seemed less surprised: "Lord Gu really has raised a restless daughter."

It's easy to guess that it was Gu Jinyu, the one who was switched at birth, who did it.

However, Prince An did not expect that Gu Jinyu had misunderstood his words, causing Gu Jinyu to develop inappropriate feelings for him. He only thought that she was trying to win over Zhuang Mengdie and take advantage of Zhuang Mengdie to invite him to her mansion to benefit from his influence.

He sneered and threw the post on the table.

Wu Yang asked, "Your Highness, what is the Marquis of Ding'an's mansion thinking? Why did they send you and Miss Mengdie invitations?"

The relationship between the two is actually somewhat complicated. The last time at the villa was an accident. It was getting late and there were no inns nearby. He couldn't see at night and was afraid that his condition would be exposed, so he stayed at the villa of the Marquis of Ding'an.

However, behind the Marquis of Ding'an's mansion is Consort Shu, and behind Consort Shu is His Majesty. Aren't they afraid that their close ties with the Zhuang family will arouse His Majesty's suspicion?

Prince An sneered, "If anyone asks, it's just a relationship between two young girls, and it has nothing to do with factionalism."

Wu Yang curled his lip in disdain: "Let's not go to banquets at this kind of mansion! Even when the old Marquis was in power, he wasn't worthy of associating with our Zhuang family, let alone now?"

Prince An said calmly, "Don't look down on the Marquis of Ding'an's family. The old Marquis had made great military achievements back then, but suddenly His Majesty stripped him of his military power and handed over the assassins he had secretly trained. Heartbroken, he left the capital and traveled all over the world. Do you really think that's the case?"

"Isn't that right?" Wu Yang asked.

Prince An narrowed his eyes: "I have always suspected that the old Marquis's apparent break with His Majesty was actually a pretext to leave the capital and secretly cultivate military power for His Majesty. If the Marquis of Xuanping's mansion is the spear in His Majesty's hand, then the Marquis of Ding'an's mansion is the arrow in His Majesty's back."

Wu Yang expressed his doubts: "But I don't think Lord Gu is capable of great things. How long can the old Marquis hold on by himself? Has His Majesty made a wrong bet?"

Prince An's gaze was deep and unfathomable: "Lord Gu cannot, but Gu Changqing can."

Wu Yang: "This..."

Prince An did not continue the topic, but instead asked, "Isn't Miss Gu's birthday also on the same day?"

Wu Yang naturally understood that the Miss Gu his master was referring to was not Gu Jinyu, and he said, "It should be, and also Young Master Gu."

Prince An nodded: "Did you find out where they live in the capital?"

Wu Yang said, "I found out that Miss Gu's husband went to the Imperial Academy to register and left his address, but..."

"But what?" Prince An asked.

Wu Yang said, "That house was once coveted by the Prince, who even sent his subordinates to buy it. Unfortunately, it was bought by someone else for ten times the price."

Prince An had a vague recollection: "You mean that house that's very close to the Imperial Academy, with two huge courtyards?"

“That’s right!” Wu Yang nodded!

Prince An asked, puzzled, "How did they get into that house?"

Wu Yang said, "I heard that Miss Gu's husband rented it for thirty taels of silver per month."

Prince An became increasingly puzzled: "Only thirty taels?"

Thirty taels is actually quite a lot, but if one knew that the house was bought for ten times that price, one would feel that the rent is insignificant.

All the houses in that alley were close to the Imperial College, but only that house had the largest courtyard, making it perfect for families with young children. She happened to have a three-year-old brother.

But how did they manage to rent it?

"Maybe it was just good luck." What Wu Yang really wanted to say was that the person who bought the house was a fool. Why would someone spend so much money to buy a house in the Imperial College district just to rent it out?

Prince An shook his head: "Forget it, there's no need to delve into this. It's fine for them to live there. The surrounding area is full of students from the Imperial Academy, so no one will recognize the Empress Dowager."

“There’s one more thing,” Wu Yang said.

"What is it?" Prince An asked.

Wu Yang said with a strange expression, "Does Your Highness still remember the number of recommended candidates in the county? I have inquired and found that Miss Gu's husband ranked first in two of the preliminary examinations, and his overall score ranked first in the county."

Prince An said, "I know about this. It was because his grades were good enough that I persuaded my grandfather to find a way to reopen the Imperial Academy, so that his whole family could enroll and the Empress Dowager could enter the capital without attracting attention. Is there a problem?"

Wu Yang looked puzzled and said, "He wasn't the one recommended by the county government; he got the spot on his own!"

Prince An gave a puzzled "hmm," unsure whether he was more surprised that the other party had come in first place in the provincial examination, or more surprised by the issue of the number of places.

"Who got the spot?" he asked.

Wu Yang said, "It was given to one of his friends, named Feng Lin. I have investigated and found that this Feng Lin has no background. He ranked seventeenth in the provincial examination in the provincial capital, and he took the preliminary examination in Song County. He didn't even get the title of 'subsidized student'. I don't know how he got the recommendation quota from the Imperial Academy."

Prince An sneered: "Bribing the county magistrate is enough."

Wu Yang frowned: "But the quotas for the Imperial Academy are submitted first, and the results of the provincial examinations are released only afterward. Could it be that Xiao Liulang was so confident that he could get first place before the results were even out that he bribed the county magistrate in advance to give the quota that should have been his to his friend? That's too outrageous!"

That's really outrageous, after all, even Prince An wouldn't dare to take such a risky move.

But even if you said there was another hidden reason, Prince An wouldn't believe it.

After all, Wu Yang had also investigated Xiao Liulang's background. He was an orphan from another place who lost his father at a young age. His mother raised him and his brother, but they both passed away one after the other, leaving him all alone.

He fainted at the village entrance and was rescued by Gu Jiao. They got married afterward, and he registered his household in the village.

He was highly regarded by Dean Li, who even unilaterally declared him to be his direct disciple.

He himself has never responded, but his grades did indeed improve rapidly after he became Dean Li's disciple.

He was originally at the bottom of his class, but who could have predicted that in less than a year, he would soar to the top and become the top scholar in the provincial examination?

Prince An smiled faintly: "Dean Li and my fourth uncle were once ranked as the four great talents of the capital. My fourth uncle was always dissatisfied with why Dean Li was ranked ahead of him. Now we have the answer."

Was it really Dean Li's doing? Why did Wu Yang think that Scholar Xiao was the truly extraordinary one?

However, Wu Yang didn't say these words. He knew his own prince's temperament well. He was resourceful and far-sighted, but at the same time, he was arrogant and didn't think anyone in the world could be smarter than him.

October 18th arrived in the blink of an eye; the autumn sky was clear and the air was crisp, with light clouds and gentle breezes.

The Marquis's residence was bustling with activity before dawn.

Today is both Gu Jinyu's birthday and her coming-of-age ceremony.

Lord Gu originally intended for Gu Jiao and Gu Yan to return to the manor together to celebrate their birthdays, but the siblings refused without hesitation.

Gu Jiao didn't go back because she didn't consider herself a member of the Marquis's household, while Gu Yan didn't go back because he couldn't find many people in the entire household who truly welcomed him.

His grandmother only cared about his three older brothers. He was sickly and had a lot of bad luck, so his grandmother didn't like him from a young age.

As for his three older brothers, he naively believed they were his real brothers when he was young, but after being beaten a few times, he realized that he and they could never be family.

Gu Jinyu's true identity was known only to the masters of the mansion and a few trusted servants. No one else knew that Gu Jinyu was a girl who had been switched at birth, nor did they know that Gu Yan had returned to the capital.

Just like in previous years, only Gu Jinyu, the daughter, was celebrating her birthday.

Last night, Madam Yao gave the gift to Gu Jinyu, and early this morning she went to the Imperial College to celebrate the twins' birthday.

Gu Jinyu couldn't dwell on her disappointment, because she had received so many surprises today.

Because of a sudden mishap in the palace, Consort Shu was unable to come to the Marquis's residence, so she sent the Fifth Prince in her place.

The Fifth Prince also brought an imperial edict, officially bestowing upon her the title of County Princess and the honorary title of Hui.

This was the first county princess to come from the Marquis's family, and everyone was proud of it. Even Old Madam Gu felt honored and knelt down to thank the Emperor for his grace.

“Grandmother.” Gu Jinyu helped the old lady Gu up.

Madam Gu patted her hand with satisfaction, her eyes full of affection: "I knew you were a promising person. His Majesty bestowed upon you the title of Princess Hui. The name Hui is enough to show His Majesty's appreciation for you!"

This is praising Gu Jinyu for her exceptional intelligence!

Gu Jinyu bowed and said, "It's all thanks to my grandmother's excellent teaching. I've been under her care since I was a child, and my current knowledge is all thanks to her. She didn't discriminate against me just because I'm a girl. She hired so many excellent tutors for me. Without her, I wouldn't have the title of Princess Jinyu!"

These words delighted Madam Gu.

Madam Gu certainly doted on Gu Jinyu, but it couldn't compare to her three legitimate grandsons. The tutors were all hired by Marquis Gu, and Madam Gu simply didn't object.

However, the fact that Gu Jinyu was willing to attribute the credit to her shows how filial she is.

Unlike that wild girl who grew up in the countryside, who has been in the capital for so long and doesn't even bother to come and kowtow to her.

It's a pity they're not related by blood; after all, they're separated by a bloodline.

"Congratulations, Madam! Congratulations, Princess!" Aunt Ling presented her carefully prepared congratulatory gifts.

Gu Jinyu disliked Aunt Ling, but she knew that the old lady liked Aunt Ling, so she wouldn't offend the old lady.

She personally accepted Aunt Ling's congratulatory gift: "Thank you, Aunt."

Aunt Ling then took out another gift: "This is what your eldest brother prepared for you. He can't leave the military camp, so he asked me to bring the gift to you first."

Gu Jinyu knew that this was actually prepared by Aunt Ling. She was not disappointed. You can't get fat overnight. Her brother's change of heart towards her would take time. She had already seen the signs and believed that in time, her brother would accept her from the bottom of his heart!

Gu Jinyu's coming-of-age ceremony was a grand affair, attracting many powerful and influential figures from the capital, including the Director of Studies from the Imperial Academy!

The position of Director of Studies is the second highest in the Imperial Academy after the Chancellor. There are two Directors of Studies: the Chief Director and the Deputy Director. The one who came was the Chief Director of Studies, Lord Zheng!

The young Chancellor has passed away, and the old Chancellor has resigned and left the capital. Everyone in the capital is saying that this Lord Zheng will be the next Chancellor of the Imperial Academy!

Gu Jinyu felt extremely honored, and all the grievances she had suffered during the six months at the villa vanished.

She truly belongs to the capital; the capital is her home, where she can shine!

If Zheng Siye's arrival made Gu Jinyu feel extremely honored, then the next person brought glory to the entire Marquis's mansion.

The person who arrived was actually a confidant of the Crown Princess. The Crown Princess had brought Gu Jinyu a coming-of-age gift!

Gu Jinyu was at a loss for words.

The Crown Princess is the future Empress, whose status is second only to the Emperor, Empress and Crown Prince. Even Consort Shu does not dare to act arrogantly in front of her. Such a high-ranking and powerful person actually sent someone to attend her coming-of-age ceremony.

Gu Jinyu was flattered!

The eunuch smiled and said, "Congratulations, Princess Hui. The Crown Princess said that if you have time, you can visit the Eastern Palace and play chess with her to relieve your boredom."

"Yes!" Gu Jinyu replied respectfully.

The eunuch raised the whisk in his hand and said with a smile, "It's getting late. The Crown Princess is waiting for me to go back and report."

"I'll see my father-in-law off!"

"Princess Hui, please wait."

After the eunuch left, both Madam Gu and Lord Gu felt that this was not real. Overnight, they had even made contact with the Crown Princess.

Saying they have a close relationship might be an exaggeration; the Crown Princess most likely only gave a congratulatory gift because of His Majesty's influence.

Regardless, this high regard was enough for them to be prominent in the capital for a time.

"Jinyu has not disappointed her grandmother." The last bit of resentment that Gu Jinyu was not her biological granddaughter disappeared. What did it matter whether she was her biological daughter or not?

Those who leave their manor will represent the manor's reputation in the future.

(End of this chapter)