Chapter Twenty-Seven: This is Fate
Shou'an Hall.
The jade incense burner emitted wisps of sandalwood incense, forming wisps of white smoke above it, resembling a white dragon circling in mid-air. The room was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, a scent that soothed the mind and spirit.
Madam Gu leaned back on the soft couch, her brows slightly furrowed, her hands moving the sandalwood prayer beads as she closed her eyes and recited scriptures.
At this moment, Granny Feng, who was serving Madam Gu, came in, walked quickly to her side, and whispered in her ear, "Madam, the Marquis has arrived."
Upon hearing this, Madam Gu paused in her prayer beads, slowly opened her eyes and looked outside, where she saw her son walking towards her unhurriedly.
Gu Jingxi walked up to Madam Gu and bowed to her, saying, "Your son greets Mother."
"Yaoling, sit down and let's talk." Old Madam Gu glanced at the seat below and gestured for him to sit down.
Yao Ling is Gu Jingxi's courtesy name, given to him by the late Marquis of Changxing. It is said that the Marquis of Changxing had already chosen his formal name and courtesy name on the day he was born.
He was born at dawn, when the sun was rising and a gentle breeze was blowing. As the old Marquis of Changxing looked at the morning sunlight and listened to the cries coming from the delivery room, a line of poetry immediately came to mind: "The clear sun shines brightly, and the gentle breeze is serene."
However, this generation of the Gu family uses the character "Jing" in their name, so they named him Jingxi. "Xi" also means sunshine, and Yaoling was chosen as his courtesy name.
Gu Jingxi moved to the seat below Old Madam Gu and sat down. Seeing that she was unconsciously moving her prayer beads, clearly troubled, he asked, "Mother, do you know what happened today?"
Madam Gu glanced at him and said helplessly, "With such a commotion in the mansion, anyone who isn't blind or deaf will know. By tomorrow, everyone will probably hear the news."
Gu Jingxi looked ashamed: "It was my fault for disturbing Mother's peace."
"Yaoling, didn't you punish Xiuming too harshly?" Even though Madam Gu wasn't there in person, she had heard from the servants how her son had punished his grandson: twenty-five lashes, confinement to the ancestral hall for a month, and copying the ancestral rules a hundred times. He was still in the ancestral hall, so the punishment was no small matter.
Gu Jingxi shook his head slightly: "It's not serious. Compared to what that little girl went through, he's only suffering temporarily. How could it be serious?"
Madam Gu was stunned, then looked up at her son. He was handsome and exceptionally capable, possessing both literary and martial talents. At a young age, he had already risen to the rank of one of the Nine Ministers. If it weren't for the injury he sustained while saving the Emperor, leaving him with a hidden ailment, he would surely have both a son and a daughter by now, and there would be no need for him to be adopted from a collateral branch. If her son didn't have this hidden ailment, it would be quite good for that girl, A Yao, to marry him. But because of his ailment, that girl would have to live a life of widowhood, unable to even have a child of her own. It was truly a pity for that girl.
Looking at her exceptionally talented son, she felt a pang of heartache and lamented the injustice of fate. She said gently, "Yaoling, don't belittle yourself. Yao married you because she valued your talent and noble character. If you feel that our family owes her something, then treat her well."
Gu Jingxi nodded and replied, "Mother, rest assured, I will not mistreat her."
Hearing her son's quick agreement, Madam Gu felt that he didn't understand and advised him, "Being good to a woman can't just be about food, clothing and daily necessities. Even without you, she's not starving. You still need to take care of her. She's the person who will be by your side for the rest of your life."
"My son understands." Gu Jingxi nodded again.
Old Madam Gu glared at him, feeling that he still didn't understand. He was always engrossed in cases, only thinking about solving them; how could he possibly understand a woman's heart? Oh well, let him figure it out on his own.
After a short while, Madam Gu asked again, "How is Xiuming now? What did the doctor say?"
Gu Jingxi said casually, "I just fainted from the pain. I'll be fine once I recover. Don't worry, Mother."
"That's good, that's good." Madam Gu said, sighing softly, her face showing undisguised disappointment. "Xiuming, that child, has always been quite well-behaved and sensible. I always thought he was the most sensible among his grandchildren. How could he have caused such a disgraceful incident?"
Originally, when she wanted to give her son a child to adopt, the eldest son of the first wife was very eager to give one of his sons to Yaoling. The eldest son was someone who was easily led by his wife. She knew very well what Zhang Shi was up to, so she did not agree, so as not to cause trouble in the future.
The second wife only had one son, so it was impossible for him to be adopted. She chose one from a collateral branch of the clan. Xiu Ming's appearance was somewhat similar to her son's. Among the group of children, she took a liking to him at first glance and chose Xiu Ming, so that her son would have a son to see him off in his old age.
Who would have thought that Xiu Ming was such a troublemaker, causing such a disgraceful incident at such a crucial moment? It was truly disappointing. There were clearly better solutions, but he chose the worst one. He must have been bewitched.
"He's gotten used to having everything go smoothly all these years, and I never expected him to develop such a willful and reckless personality. He never thinks about the consequences of his actions on others, and only cares about his own happiness." Gu Jingxi's voice was calm, with a hint of disappointment.
Madam Gu sighed and said, "I hope that after this lesson, he will think twice before acting in the future and not act impulsively without considering the consequences. We, as elders, can't always be there to clean up his messes."
Gu Jingxi paused for a moment, then nodded slightly: "I hope so."
Madam Gu glanced at her son, recalled a past event, and a smile appeared on her face, dispelling the gloom that had been hanging over her brows, and her expression relaxed.
Seeing this, Gu Jingxi asked, "What are you laughing at, Mother?"
"I'm reminded of something from the past."
Madam Gu's smile deepened as she said, "Your father and Ayao's grandfather were close friends. Knowing that Ayao's grandfather was worried about his granddaughter, he agreed to the marriage, allowing Ayao to marry into our family. In the future, she wouldn't have to be arranged by her stepmother. If it weren't for the fact that you are so much older than Ayao, you should have been engaged to Ayao. I never expected that in the end, you would be the one to marry Ayao. I guess this is fate."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi looked astonished: "Me?"
Madam Gu nodded with a smile, her tone tinged with helplessness: "Yes, your father, in a moment of passion, told A-Yao's grandfather that you were the most promising of his three sons, and asked her to be engaged to you, promising to marry you when she came of age. However, A-Yao's grandfather thought you were too old and didn't agree. Your father was very disappointed, so he considered his grandchildren. At the time, he couldn't choose the most suitable one among his grandsons, so he arranged the marriage first and discussed it later."
Gu Jingxi was stunned: "..."
He was unaware of this unexpected turn of events. He vaguely remembered that the marriage between the Gu and Meng families was arranged ten years ago when he was nineteen. His fiancée had already broken off the engagement, and Xiu Ming had been adopted into his family.
The father probably thought that he could wait ten or eight years for his hidden illness to end, so he could wait until the little girl came of age before getting married. But it's no wonder that the little girl's grandfather would agree.
But in the end, the two impossible people came together, and he actually married that girl.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com