Chapter 40 Chapter 39 This jade ring is for your future wife...
Seeing the other party waiting outside, Gu Shiyan cleaned up briefly and invited him in. Liang Qiulan saw that he was awake so early and looked concerned: "Why don't you sleep a little longer?"
Gu Shiyan felt a little guilty. He couldn't say he'd secretly visited the palace last night and stayed up all night, could he? He feigned indifference, his eyes twinkling slightly, looking very well-behaved. "Don't we have to go see Grandmother today? I got up a little early."
During the meal, one of the dishes was a delicate, translucent shrimp dumpling. Gu Shiyan had never seen anything like it in Jizhou, and curious, he tried a few more bites. Liang Qiulan, standing by, was delighted to see that he liked it. Just as Gu Shiyan raised his hand, she noticed the dark circles around his eyes and said with concern, "You didn't get enough rest last night. Are you not used to it?"
Gu Shiyan's thoughts raced, trying to find a suitable excuse. He cursed Mu Congmo several times in his mind. If he hadn't been so persistent, he wouldn't have stayed awake all night. Fortunately, an idea struck him. "I was a little excited yesterday, so I slept a little late. It's not like I'm not used to it."
Hearing Gu Shiyan's answer, Liang Qiulan's guilt surged up again. In order to hide her abnormal emotions, she reached out and picked up a full bowl of food for Gu Shiyan, so that the latter's bowl was piled with a small mountain of various ingredients.
She was so focused on Gu Shiyan that there was nothing in her own bowl. When Gu Shiyan saw this, he changed the serving chopsticks placed beside her and picked up a small bowl for her as well.
Putting aside the initial awkwardness, both of them were very satisfied with the breakfast and had a great time.
"Your father has already gone to the morning court. It's not too late to see him after the court. Let's go see your grandmother first." Liang Qiulan said when he saw that Gu Shiyan had finished his work.
"I listen to my mother in everything." Gu Shiyan had no objection to this and replied.
The two of them walked towards the courtyard of the Duke of England's wife. The old lady was old, and her residence was a little remote, but it was quiet. No one would disturb her on weekdays, and the old lady had long since exempted them from paying their respects. However, it was still necessary to inform the old lady of such a major event as Gu Shiyan's return.
Liang Qiulan was deeply grateful and respectful of her mother-in-law, Yi Qinghua. Over the years, Yi Qinghua had never interfered in the affairs of the mansion. If anyone had tried to use her to help Gu Cheng take a concubine, she would have directly refused. This was far superior to the average mother-in-law. Furthermore, the Duke of Yingguo's mansion only had Gu Cheng's family, so she didn't have to deal with the worries of having sisters-in-law.
Along the way, Liang Qiulan, fearing Gu Shiyan would be nervous, told him many things about Yi Qinghua's kindness. Gu Shiyan was well aware of this; during his early years in Jizhou, he had heard that the Duke of Yingguo's wife had fought on the battlefield. Such a heroic woman would naturally not care about trivial matters at home. As for the atmosphere in the Duke of Yingguo's mansion, it was much better than he had imagined.
The wealthy families depicted in the novels were all filled with intrigue and schemes, even among merchants, let alone the Duke's family, which inherited a title. Although he had no interest in the title, he was too lazy to deal with all the intrigue and deception.
Soon, they arrived at the old lady's courtyard. At Liang Qiulan's signal, Furong went in first to report, while the rest of the group waited outside.
Gu Shiyan looked around the courtyard. It was a little too simple, no different from an ordinary person's home. If no one told him, who would have guessed that this was where the old lady of the Duke of England, a lady of the first rank, lived.
A moment later, Furong came out, followed by an old woman with white hair. Liang Qiulan turned her head and said to Gu Shiyan, "This is Aunt Xia He, your grandmother's maidservant."
The aunt named Xia He bowed neatly and called out, "Hello, Madam. It's been a long time since we last met. You look much better now." Then she turned her gaze to Gu Shiyan who was standing beside her and said kindly, "This must be the young master. Madam sent someone to tell the old lady early this morning. She has been waiting for you since dinner."
The two of them entered the house, warmly led by Aunt Xia He. The furnishings here were as simple as those in the courtyard, but a closer look revealed that, despite its simplicity, it was extremely soothing. An elderly man with plain clothes and graying hair sat in the middle chair, sipping a steaming cup of tea.
Although Yi Qinghua was nearly seventy years old, she didn't look old at all, perhaps because of her military service in her early years, or perhaps because of something else. Instead, she looked energetic. This was Gu Shiyan's first impression of her. Yi Qinghua didn't have the common deafness of the elderly, so she noticed it the moment everyone entered.
She looked at the young man before her, a spitting image of her daughter-in-law, her aged eyes brimming with joy. What elderly person wouldn't long for a house full of children and grandchildren to enjoy? But after what happened back then, she had no choice but to sympathize with her son and daughter-in-law's efforts. Fortunately, her grandson was back now, and judging by his behavior, his upbringing over the years must have been quite good, perhaps even better than what he'd received at the Gu family.
She had contracted numerous hidden illnesses on the battlefield in her early years, and should have died early or lingered on, far from being as energetic as she is now. But thanks to the elixir brought by the knight, all her ailments were completely healed. This was a real opportunity for Gu Shiyan, but it was a shame that twenty years of time could not be reversed.
Her brows relaxed, a boundless smile appeared on her face, and she waved to Gu Shiyan, "Come, let grandma see."
Seeing that Gu Shiyan didn't move, Liang Qiulan gently nudged him. Gu Shiyan then took a few steps forward, arriving in front of Yi Qinghua. He half-knelt to give the kindly old man a clearer view. Yi Qinghua reached out her old, calloused hands and gently stroked Gu Shiyan's forehead, then laughed heartily with satisfaction.
Then she looked at Xia He who was standing beside her. At her signal, Xia He brought out a wooden tray with two jade rings on it. These two jade rings must have a long history. The originally white jade had now turned slightly yellow. Yi Qinghua picked up one of the jade rings and placed it in Gu Shiyan's palm.
She began to introduce them, as if reminiscing about the past. "This pair of rings was handed down from our ancestors. This one is engraved with a rolling cloud pattern and is used to mobilize the power that the Gu family has secretly cultivated. It has been held by the patriarchs of the Gu family for generations. Your father refused to accept it back then, so I gave it to you when I saw it. The other one is engraved with a landscape pattern and can mobilize the gold and silver stored in the Gu family's various banks. It is for your future wife. My Gu family's foundation is in Wu County in the south of the Yangtze River, not in the capital. If you need to use them in the future, just take this ring."
Gu Shiyan was a bit bewildered. He had imagined countless possible responses from the old lady, but this was the only one he hadn't anticipated. His mind raced with thoughts, and he couldn't quite grasp what the old lady meant. This wasn't just a simple greeting gift; it was the entire legacy of the Gu family, spanning hundreds of years, being handed over to him. "Grandma, I can't accept this." He put the jade ring back.
Yi Qinghua's actions surprised even Liang Qiulan, who was standing by. While she was impressed by her mother-in-law's attention to her children, she also felt that such an item was too valuable. It wasn't that she didn't want Gu Shiyan to accept the jade rings, but the implications behind them were too complicated, and she didn't want Gu Shiyan to shoulder the fate of the entire Gu family upon his return home.
Back then, Gu Cheng had refused the rings because he didn't want to be constrained by his status as the head of the clan. While she hoped her child would be strong enough to protect himself if she were no longer around, she also didn't want Gu Shiyan to be burdened with too much pressure. Having lived in the inner chambers for so long, she wasn't familiar with these matters, so she spoke up before Yi Qinghua and rejected the jade rings on Gu Shiyan's behalf, "Mother, Yan'er just returned. It's not too late to discuss this later."
Yi Qinghua knew that she wanted to discuss this with Gu Cheng before making a decision, so she stopped pushing him. "That's fine. When you find a suitable wife, it won't be too late for Grandma to give you these rings as a gift."
The three of them drank tea and chatted about some trivial matters before ending the day's topic. Yi Qinghua and Liang Qiulan had never mentioned anything about Gu Shiyan's past twenty years, partly because they were afraid of upsetting others and partly because they were concerned about the rules of the sect Gu Shiyan belonged to.
Just at this moment, a servant came in and announced, "Madam, Madam, the Duke is back."
Liang Qiulan stood up and saluted: "Mother, since he is back, I will take Yan'er to see his father first."
Yi Qinghua had no objection, and before the two of them left, she reminded him, "If Ayan has time, please come visit Grandma more often."
After these words were spoken, Liang Qiulan could no longer conceal the smile on her face. It seemed that Yi Qinghua must be very satisfied with Gu Shiyan today, and she was genuinely proud and happy for him. Gu Shiyan also nodded in agreement, and he also had great respect for this kind grandmother.
Seeing that it was still getting dark, Liang Qiulan asked the maid Furong beside her, "What time is it now?"
"Madam, it is now morning hour."
"Morning hour? Is His Majesty leaving court so early today?" Liang Qiulan muttered to herself, oblivious to the strange expression on Gu Shiyan's face. Hearing the word "Your Majesty" immediately reminded Gu Shiyan of Mu Congmo, who had refused to let him leave the previous night. He had slept soundly, only for him to have to stay by his bedside like that all night. Gu Shiyan felt a surge of resentment.
At this moment, Mu Congmo, who was processing memorials in Chengming Hall, suddenly sneezed, startling Hu Xian, who was serving beside him, and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, you caught a cold last night. Should we call the imperial physician to take a look?"
Hu Xian was still frightened by what happened last night, but the emperor took the matter lightly. Not only did he not hold them accountable, he even did not allow the Shadow Dragon Guards to investigate further.
Mu Congmo himself didn't care, instead thinking that it was A Yan thinking about him. He planned to go to the Moon Chaser Pavilion tonight, hoping to see the boy in his dream again. However, he never saw the boy in the Moon Chaser Pavilion again, not even in his dreams.
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