Chapter 247 Xian'er, your aunt has come to take you home.
For seven consecutive days, the sky over the capital seemed to be covered by a layer of gray gauze, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.
Yongfu leaned listlessly against the window all day, gazing at the withering flowers and trees in the courtyard. Unconsciously, she stroked the blood-stained silk handkerchief in her hand, and her bright little face was devoid of any smile.
Xiao Yeming became even more silent, his aura as cold as ice in the depths of winter.
He routinely drilled his troops and handled military affairs, but his personal guards could sense that the general had a deep and unyielding melancholy between his brows and often stared blankly in the direction of the Yongjia Earl's residence.
Lu Zhaoruo's desk was piled high with account books, contracts, and name cards.
Gu Xian entrusted her with all the business connections, shops, and personal relationships he had built up over the years.
The handover was a complex and multifaceted affair, keeping her busy day and night, negotiating with various managers and supervisors, leaving no room for error.
Only when she was alone late at night, reviewing the accounts, looking at the details where the handwriting was sometimes neat and sometimes a little messy due to her lack of strength, would she stop writing, gaze at the flickering lamplight, and let out a barely audible sigh.
When Madam Gu learned that Gu Xian had transferred all his properties to Lu Zhaoruo, she was so angry that she smashed her teacup and rushed to the Earl of Yongjia: "Earl! Are you really going to let him act so recklessly? Those shops and money are, after all, the property of the Gu family. Why should he give them all to an outsider! You are his father. Are you just going to watch the family property flow out of the country?"
The Earl of Yongjia, who had been rubbing his temples with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them upon hearing the sound. His gaze pierced sharply at Madam Gu, his voice filled with rare anger and exhaustion: "Outsider? Wasn't it you who used to nag me every day, saying that his business dealings had disgraced the Yongjia Earl's mansion and made him a laughingstock in the capital? If it weren't for your repeated instigations, why would I have hastily summoned him back, and why... why would I have punished him by making him reflect in the ice cellar for a month, causing him to be chilled to the bone and his condition to worsen rapidly?"
He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, abruptly standing up, pointing at Madam Gu, and saying with heartache, "He's already in such a state, what more do you want? Do you want to force him to his death? Because of you, I... I've already caused so much suffering to my own flesh and blood!"
Madam Gu was stunned by the unprecedented sternness in Yongjia's eyes and the remorse in his words. Her face turned pale, and she stammered, but in the end, she did not dare to utter another word.
The next day.
A well-decorated carriage quietly stopped at the side gate of the Yongjia Marquis's residence.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and the first thing to emerge was a slender, jade-like hand, with a jade bracelet on the wrist that accentuated her snow-white skin.
Immediately afterwards, a woman dressed in a begonia-red silk jacket bent down and got off the carriage. Her hair was slightly loose, her hair ornaments swayed gently, and there was a lazy and charming look between her brows.
It was An Linglong.
Upon receiving Xiao Yeming's message, she rushed over from Jizhou day and night.
The gatekeeper and servants were so captivated by her beauty that they momentarily forgot to stop her.
An Linglong walked straight into the second gate and said coldly, "Go and inform Madam Gu that Gu Xian's aunt, Madam An, has come to take my Xian'er home to recuperate."
Upon hearing the news, Madam Gu rushed over and stopped the person in the passageway.
Looking at An Linglong's bright and cheerful appearance, which seemed out of place in the gloomy atmosphere of the mansion, and remembering that she was just the younger sister of that deceased concubine, she felt contempt and her tone became even colder: "Madam An, what do you mean by this? Xian'er is the son of a concubine in the Yongjia Marquis's mansion. Moving him while he is ill is not a trivial matter."
An Linglong's eyes flickered as she lightly swept over Madam Gu, a slight smile playing on her lips. Her demeanor was languid, but her words were sharp as knives: "Madam is too kind. It is precisely because my son is seriously ill that I, as his aunt, must take him away. His mother passed away early, and although she was a concubine, she was a noble concubine whom the master had formally betrothed to through the proper rites and marriage ceremony. As her younger sister, it is only natural for me to take care of my elder sister's only son."
She took a half-step forward, her voice low, carrying a hint of nonchalance yet deadly threat: "Or does Madam insist that I knock on the front door and recount in detail how my sister—a noble concubine in the manor—was 'quietly recuperating' under your care until her untimely death? At that time, I'm afraid it won't look good on anyone."
Madam Gu's face turned deathly pale instantly, frozen in place by this threat that went straight to the heart of the matter.
At this moment, the Earl of Yongjia rushed over upon hearing the commotion. Looking at An Linglong's features, which bore a striking resemblance to his deceased concubine, he recalled the debt he had owed to that gentle woman in the past. Then, looking at his seriously ill son, he was filled with remorse and regret. Finally, he wearily waved his hand and said, "Linglong... never mind. Xian'er is also your nephew. He... I entrust him to you."
An Linglong said no more, nodded slightly, and walked towards the side courtyard.
When Erzhong saw her arrive, he both cried and laughed as he ushered her into the inner room.
When her gaze fell upon the person on the bed, An Linglong abruptly stopped in her tracks.
The nephew I remembered, so elegant and charming in his fine robes and jade belt, is now frail and sickly, buried in his pillow, his face ashen, his breathing so weak it's unsettling.
The usual languid smile on her face froze instantly, and tears rolled down her cheeks without warning.
She quickly wiped it away, walked briskly to the edge of the bed, and slowly bent down.
Her fingertips trembled slightly in mid-air before finally landing very lightly on the back of his cold hand, as if afraid of disturbing the last wisp of life.
"Xian'er..."
She called softly, her voice choked with emotion, "Your aunt has come to take you home."
Gu Xian heard that familiar voice.
He seemed to use all his strength to painstakingly pry open a tiny crack, revealing his dull, lifeless eyes beneath.
When his blurred vision focused on the familiar, tear-streaked face in front of the bed, a look of extreme surprise clearly flashed across his ashen face.
Her chapped lips moved slightly, her breath barely audible, but the shape of her mouth could be vaguely discerned as: "Aunt...?"
These two words contain so much disbelief, as well as a deep-seated pain and grievance.
He seemed to want to force a familiar, reassuring smile, but his lips only twitched weakly, eventually turning into a barely audible, choked sigh.
A tear silently slid down his cheek and disappeared into his temple.
He closed his eyes, as if confirming that this was not a dream, and then relaxed and fell into a deep sleep again. But the hand that An Linglong was gently covering moved almost imperceptibly, as if it wanted to grasp that rare warmth back.
An Linglong sensed his subtle reaction and saw the tear in the corner of his eye; her heart felt as if it were being clenched tightly.
She held his cold hand more firmly yet very gently, and whispered, "Yes, it's Aunt. Xian'er, don't be afraid, we'll go home now."
then.
Erzhong carefully carried Gu Xian out.
She stood protectively by his side.
Ah Sha followed behind him.
As soon as I stepped out of the cold side gate of the Yongjia Marquis's mansion, I was stunned.
Xiao Yeming, dressed in a black casual outfit, stood quietly in the bleak autumn wind.
Beside him was a carriage that looked simple but had clearly been specially modified. His attendant, Wang Wu, was already seated on the carriage shaft, obviously having been waiting for some time.
Xiao Yeming's gaze immediately fell on Gu Xian, and when he saw his pale and thin face, a flash of pain crossed his eyes.
He strode forward and nodded respectfully yet familiarly to An Linglong: "Aunt An."
When An Linglong saw him, her originally solemn expression relaxed slightly. As her eyes sparkled, a long-lost charm inadvertently appeared. She teased, "Oh, General Xiao is becoming more and more considerate and thoughtful these days."
His tone carried a touch of the old intimacy from his time in Jizhou City, which lessened the somber mood of the scene.
Xiao Yeming felt a slight heat at the roots of his ears, but he had no time to pay attention to anything else. He said in a deep voice, "The car is ready, and the shock absorbers have been fixed. I'll take you there."
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