Chapter Sixty-Two: A New Heir
Granny Feng looked bewildered: "So what do you mean?"
Madam Gu sighed softly and said, "Xiuwen and Xuanyi are twins, but Xuanyi has already gone astray. Xiuwen is different from Zhang Shi, but he is spoiled by Zhang Shi and is lazy in his studies. If he continues to stay by Zhang Shi's side, he will probably be spoiled."
Granny Feng was taken aback again: "Do you mean you want to raise him yourself?" As she spoke, she glanced at her mistress, not quite agreeing with her approach, "Madam, the Fourth Young Master is already fifteen years old, it's a bit inappropriate."
Upon hearing this, Madam Gu shook her head and chuckled, "You know I prefer peace and quiet, so why would I create more trouble for myself?"
Upon hearing this, Granny Feng immediately considered many possibilities.
The young master disappointed both the old lady and the marquis. The heir of the dignified marquis's mansion was morally flawed, causing a scandal by running away from his wedding on the day of the ceremony and eloping with someone else. He even said that he only wanted Miss Li for the rest of his life, and if he could not marry Miss Li, he would take her as a concubine.
In this way, although Miss Li was a concubine, the young master had no principal wife.
But the young master forgot that he was the heir of a marquis's family and would inherit the title in the future. After entering officialdom, he would need the mistress to entertain guests at festivals and banquets. The marquis's family also needed the mistress to manage things. It was impossible to let a concubine perform the duties of a principal wife, otherwise it would be a laughing stock.
The Marquis has a hidden illness and cannot have his own children. If he does not want the current heir to inherit the title and wants to change the heir, then the only option is to adopt another child.
Could it be that the old lady wants to discuss with the first wife the possibility of adopting the fourth son of the eldest son's family to the Marquis?
Actually, it's not impossible. The Fourth Prince is simple-minded and not like the First Madam. With proper upbringing, he might become a great talent. The First Madam would probably be very happy about this, since she has long coveted the position of heir apparent for a long time and dreams of having her son adopted as heir.
Thinking of this, Granny Feng felt it was a good idea and nodded hurriedly, "I can understand why the old lady would do this, after all, the young master... Ah, I'll send someone to invite the eldest madam over right away." After saying this, she gave a slight bow to the old lady and immediately went outside to find a maid to go to Zhang's place.
Old Madam Gu was somewhat bewildered, not understanding why her trusted nanny would suddenly bring up Xiuming.
Meanwhile, when Zhang learned that her mother-in-law had sent someone to invite her over, her heart skipped a beat and she panicked. She figured her mother-in-law already knew what her daughter had done that day and would definitely come to interrogate her. She simply told the maid to go back first and that she would arrive shortly.
Seeing her flustered expression, Gu Jingsheng frowned and asked, "Why are you in such a panic when your mother wants to see you?"
Zhang realized she hadn't told her husband about her daughter's trouble yet. She quickly recounted the incident, then asked, completely bewildered, "What should I do? My mother is sure she won't let me off this time."
Gu Jingsheng's forehead throbbed as he listened, and he scolded in a deep voice: "A doting mother spoils her son. Look at you, you've spoiled Xuanyi so much that she's lawless and dares to say anything. I don't know what Mother will think of me when she finds out."
Zhang didn't take it to heart: "What can she think? You're not her biological son. Doesn't she understand? No matter how filial you are, she'll still feel that you're not truly respecting her. Let's put that aside for now. What should we do now?"
Gu Jingsheng thought for a moment and replied, "Mother won't eat you. Just go see her directly. She hasn't punished you in any way over the years, and I don't think she will punish you this time either, since you've already punished Xuanyi."
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhang frowned and gave a displeased snort. What a fool! Useless at crucial moments. He's already in his forties, yet he still thinks so highly of his stepmother. If his stepmother catches him with this kind of leverage, it would be strange if she didn't use it to punish them.
Gu Jingsheng glanced at her, puzzled, and said, "Madam, what's wrong with you now? Since Mother has sent someone to invite you over, don't delay any longer. Go quickly. If Mother makes things difficult for you, I'll plead for you, okay?"
Zhang glared at him, opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she didn't say a word and left in a huff.
Gu Jingsheng watched his wife's angry departure, somewhat bewildered. He felt it wasn't a big deal, so why was she so angry? Her temper had really gotten worse in recent years; now she even dared to give him the cold shoulder.
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Shou'an Hall.
With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Zhang arrived at Shou'an Hall and had a maid announce her arrival before entering the room.
As soon as she entered the house, her heart jumped into her throat. She was so nervous that she dared not breathe. It was one thing to be angry with her husband just now, but since ancient times, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has been like blood ties, so how could a daughter-in-law dare to be angry with her mother-in-law?
Upon seeing Madam Gu, Zhang raised her eyes slightly, carefully observing her mother-in-law's expression. Seeing that her mother-in-law's face was calm and she could not tell whether she was happy or angry, she became even more nervous. This was not a good thing; it was probably the eve of a storm.
"Your daughter-in-law greets Mother. Mother is well." Zhang bowed respectfully to Madam Gu, then asked anxiously, "I wonder what brings you here, Mother?"
Madam Gu didn't make things difficult for her. She said calmly, "Sit down and let's talk. There's something about the child that I'd like to discuss with you."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang's heart pounded like a drum. She replied "Yes" and then sat down in the seat below her mother-in-law. Although she had already expected her mother-in-law to make trouble for her because of the child, she was still afraid when the matter actually came to pass. Now that Meng Jinyao had married into the family, would her mother-in-law take this opportunity to strip her of her power to manage the household?
Old Madam Gu glanced at her, seeing her nervous expression, and shook her head helplessly. She had no intention of punishing her, but she had become frightened. She went straight to the point and asked, "Have you heard that Lingshan Academy has started enrolling students?"
Zhang was stunned and confused. Wasn't her mother-in-law going to confront her? Why was she talking about Lingshan Academy?
She shook her head slightly: "My daughter-in-law didn't pay attention."
Although she hadn't paid attention to whether Lingshan Academy was enrolling students recently, she knew of its reputation. The academy had many famous teachers, and if her child could study at Lingshan Academy, she could really brag about it for a long time.
Madam Gu said calmly, "This time, we are recruiting children aged ten to fifteen. Xiuwen is exactly fifteen years old. I was thinking of sending Xiuwen to Lingshan Academy, but you are his mother, so I need to ask for your opinion on this matter."
She had thought it through carefully. Xiuwen was a simple, kind, and intelligent child, but he was lazy. She couldn't let Zhang continue to spoil him and turn him into Xuanyi. She sent Xiuwen to Lingshan Academy to study. In the academy, Zhang couldn't reach him and couldn't continue to pamper him. The child would be influenced by the environment and would naturally become more motivated.
The eldest son is mediocre, the second son is much better, he has some cleverness but no great talent, and her own son, the third son, although talented and capable, has a hidden illness and cannot have his own children. And with Xiu Ming like this, it is unknown whether he will be able to support the Gu family in the future.
Changsun Xiuyuan seems alright for now, but we'll only know how he really is when he takes the exam. However, she knows that her grandson Xiuwen is smarter and more clever than Xiuyuan. The second son, Xiuhong, is a good student with excellent character and academic performance, but he's too old.
If the Gu family is to continue to prosper, the younger generation cannot be mediocre. Those who can be saved should be saved as soon as possible. Maybe Xiuwen will really become the top scholar in the imperial examination and bring glory to the family.
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