Chapter Sixty-Three: Disdain for Her
Zhang was completely stunned by this good news. She was prepared to be scolded by her mother-in-law, but who would have thought that such a good thing would happen?
She immediately put her daughter's troubles out of her mind and nodded vigorously, "Mother, your daughter-in-law...your daughter-in-law agrees." Then, she hesitated, "But can Xiuwen...can he be chosen by the headmaster?"
Although she felt that her child was the best and most intelligent, Lingshan Academy was prestigious and had high requirements, so it was not easy to get in, and she was not confident.
Madam Gu replied, "Third Brother is friends with the headmaster of Lingshan Academy. If you agree to send Xiuwen to study there, I will mention it to Third Brother and ask him to take Xiuwen to visit the headmaster."
Zhang was both surprised and delighted. Her daughter had caused trouble that morning, and her mother-in-law wanted to help her youngest son get into Lingshan Academy that afternoon. Did her mother-in-law not know about what happened that morning?
Fortunately, she punished Xuanyi severely. Even if her mother-in-law found out about this later, she could explain herself to her mother-in-law and bring her daughter over to apologize. As long as she apologized sincerely, her mother-in-law would be lenient no matter how angry she was.
Seeing her overjoyed expression, Madam Gu said, "Eldest daughter-in-law, don't be too happy yet. This matter may not be successful. Whether you can enter the academy in the end depends on the headmaster's decision."
Zhang took a deep breath to calm her agitated emotions and said with a smile, "Mother, it is Xiuwen's good fortune that you and my third brother are helping him. As for whether he can succeed, it depends on Xiuwen's performance. If he cannot succeed, then it can only be blamed on Xiuwen's lack of excellence, which is not good enough to catch the headmaster's eye."
That being said, Zhang felt there was a 90% chance that her third son would succeed.
Madam Gu nodded gently: "Since you agree, then it's settled. In the coming days, you should make sure Xiuwen studies his lessons well. When the third son comes back tonight, I'll talk to him."
Zhang's mouth was practically stretched to her ears as she nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay, thank you, Mother."
Madam Gu glanced at her and replied in a low voice, "You don't need to be so polite with me. Xiuwen is my grandson. Since the academy is recruiting, I'm just helping my grandson."
Upon hearing this, Zhang felt instantly guilty. Not long ago, she had said that her mother-in-law had no real affection for them, but now her mother-in-law was doing her best to help her son get into Lingshan Academy. She felt as if an invisible slap had hit her face, and her face was burning.
She forced a smile: "Mother is right. Xiuwen has always been a filial son. When he becomes successful in the future, he will never forget how good his mother was to him."
Madam Gu smiled and nodded, saying, "That child is indeed filial."
After finishing the business, she didn't want to waste any more time talking to her eldest daughter-in-law, so she said, "Alright, I don't have anything else to say. You go back and talk to Xiuwen first, and when the eldest son comes home, you can talk to him too."
Madam Zhang nodded in response: "Mother, my husband came back at noon. I will go back and tell him that going to Lingshan Academy is such a good thing, and he will definitely agree."
After speaking, Zhang respectfully bowed to her mother-in-law before leaving.
When Granny Feng saw Zhang bowing to the old lady, she noticed that while the bowing was standard, it was mostly just for show. She rarely showed sincerity, but this time it was probably one of the few times she genuinely bowed to the old lady as a junior. Her sincerity was evident, and at that moment she almost treated the old lady as her own mother.
After Zhang left, Granny Feng spoke up, saying, "Madam, I thought you... Ah, let's not talk about it, I misunderstood."
Old Madam Gu asked in confusion, "What do you think it is?"
Granny Feng replied, "This servant thought you wanted to change the heir apparent, to have the fourth young master adopted by the Marquis, and to make the fourth young master the heir apparent." After saying this, she found it amusing that she would have such an absurd idea.
Hearing this, Madam Gu was taken aback and couldn't help but laugh out loud. She said helplessly, "You're so old, how come your mind is still as whimsical as when you were young?"
Granny Feng hurriedly said, "This servant is still not calm enough. I need to continue practicing."
Madam Gu said slowly, "Xiu Ming is fine, why should I think about that matter? Although he made a mistake, we can give him another chance. If Xiu Ming really insists on his own way and refuses to repent, and causes trouble again for this Miss Li, then we can consider changing the heir. After all, it is impossible for a man who can only revolve around a woman to support the entire family."
She paused, sighed softly, and continued, "Now that Xiuyuan and the others haven't entered officialdom, if it weren't for the third brother's efforts over the years, the family would have already declined. Whether a family can prosper depends on whether its descendants are capable, and children need to be properly nurtured. Internal strife within the family is the beginning of its decline. Xiuwen is a smart child, and without his mother's pampering, he might actually amount to something. I had considered separating him and his mother before, but after what happened today, I finally made up my mind."
Hearing these righteous words, Granny Feng's eyes immediately welled up with tears. The old lady had done so much for the Gu family over the years, and only the Marquis, as her own son, could understand her good intentions.
Over the years, the old lady has been trying to balance the relationship between the first and second wives. However, the first and second wives always fight each other openly and secretly over trivial matters. If the two wives did not fight, the conflicts between the first and second wives would be much less. The eldest son is rather simple-minded and always listens to his wife. He wants to scheme but he is not smart enough and just wastes his time. If he had married a virtuous wife, things would be much better.
Thinking of this, Granny Feng felt sorry for her mistress: "Madam, you have devoted yourself to the Gu family, all for the good of the younger generation. This time you have helped the Fourth Young Master. The First Madam is happy, but she does not understand your good intentions."
After a moment of silence, Madam Gu expressed her disdain for Zhang's petty and narrow-minded attitude: "That shallow-minded Zhang doesn't need to understand me. Xiuwen is a good-natured child. Once he studies with a renowned teacher, develops his own opinions, and broadens his horizons, he will naturally be able to see his mother's problems. He won't be instigated by Zhang to do pointless things and live a mediocre life. As long as he is willing to work hard, he will eventually become successful and bring honor to the family."
Upon hearing this, Granny Feng was filled with admiration: "The old lady is truly wise and righteous."
"If the younger generation is incompetent, the family business built by our ancestors will not be able to be preserved."
With clear and wise eyes, Madam Gu looked at the wisps of sandalwood incense rising from the incense burner, and her tone became heavy: "Our ancestor followed the founding emperor in conquering the country and was enfeoffed as a marquis for over a hundred years. The family has experienced several periods of rise and fall, and it rose again more than twenty years ago. If it were to decline again, we don't know when it would be able to rise again, or perhaps it would never recover. The next generation of the Gu family depends on the brothers Xiuyuan, Xiuhong, Xiuming, and Xiuwen. Looking at them now, none of them are particularly outstanding, and I feel melancholy."
Granny Feng thought of the young masters, who were far inferior to the Marquis in his prime. If none of them could rise to prominence within the next ten years, the Gu family might decline once again.
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