Gu Tingye hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Gu Tingyu struggled to stand up. Mrs. Shao, who was standing beside him, quickly put away the handkerchief she had been using to wipe her tears, took a few steps forward to support her husband, and then walked to the door first. Just as Gu Tingye took a step, he seemed to remember something and turned back to Minglan, saying casually, "You come too."
Minglan breathed a sigh of relief and immediately stood up. She smiled and said goodbye to the female relatives with a very standard "Pardon me" expression, then slowly caught up with the main group.
Walk all the way inside and go straight to the westernmost side of the Marquis' Mansion. Fortunately, Xuanning Hall is originally on the west side, so you can go through two hanging flower doors and walk along a flower-lined path to reach your destination.
Minglan looked up, lowered her head and pouted slightly. It was uncreative. She had already thought of it.
The Gu clan ancestral hall, with its high roof, flying eaves and large wrought iron fence coated with black tung oil, surrounds the courtyard. Inside are two rows of five tall main halls facing each other. The north hall is the main hall, with three side halls and a platform. The south hall is the secondary hall, with only small side rooms on both sides. There are four huge tung trees in the courtyard that cover the sky, standing in the east, south, west and north. It is said that they were planted on the day when Ningyuan Houfu was enthroned, and they represent luxuriant branches and leaves and deep roots.
As soon as she walked in here, Minglan couldn't help but lower her head solemnly, feeling a sense of solemnity, and no one dared to laugh loudly.
The Gu family of Qingcheng was originally just an ordinary local family, who made a living by fishing, woodcutting, farming and trading. However, during the change of dynasties, wars broke out everywhere, the fields were left barren, and the people had to leave their homes. Qingcheng was located at a strategic point, a place that was fought over by military strategists, so many local men joined the army.
At a critical moment, Gu Shande, the ancestor of the Gu family, died while protecting the emperor, leaving behind two sons. They were then promoted to young soldiers. After more than twenty years of fighting in bloody battles, the two brothers were brave and resourceful, and they followed the emperor to make great contributions and were respectively granted titles. This is how the Gu family prospered.
After that, the Gu family set about repairing the ancestral tombs and ancestral halls in their hometown, and sent several generations of descendants to Qingcheng to start their own businesses. As a result, the Gu family is now an undoubted big family in Qingcheng. Later, the Ningyuan Marquisate and the Xiangyang Marquisate had a dispute over the succession of heirs. The Gu family simply built the ancestral temple in their hometown of Qingcheng, and then the two marquisates each built an ancestral hall, and both had the power to expel the clan members or separate the family.
When the group walked into the courtyard, Gu Tingyu suddenly said to his wife beside him: "You and your sister-in-law stay here, my second brother will come in with me." As he spoke, he pushed Mrs. Shao's hand away, and the personal maid beside him handed him a cane. Gu Tingyu smiled mockingly, took the cane, and with a slightly shaking arm, he leaned on the cane and staggered into the North Hall.
Gu Tingye looked back at Minglan and followed.
Only two sisters-in-law and a little maid were left in the courtyard. Madam Shao looked at the direction where Gu Tingyu had gone with a worried look on her face, then turned to Minglan and forced a smile: "Why don't you come with me to the side room for a cup of tea, sister-in-law?"
Minglan noticed that she was thinking about her husband, so she smiled and said, "It's very cool here, with no sunlight at all. I'll sit in the yard for a while and wait. What do you think, sister-in-law?"
Mrs. Shao had been staring at her husband's back as he slowly walked away, unwilling to leave. Upon hearing Minglan's words, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's great! Shi Wen, you go..."
The little girl responded and left. After a while, she brought two rattan stools and a small table, placed them under the shade of the tree, and went to prepare tea and snacks.
Seeing Madam Shao's worried face, Minglan wanted to comfort her, but she didn't know where to start. Madam Shao frowned and said, "...I wonder if there are any seats and tea inside?"
Minglan was dumbfounded and could not answer. She hesitantly said, "Well, I don't know either. I've only been there once." It was the second day after her wedding, when she offered sacrifices to her ancestors, entered the family tree, and recognized her relatives. That was the only time.
Mrs. Shao saw that Minglan looked like a child who couldn't answer the teacher's question, and she was annoyed. Even though she was worried and confused, she couldn't help but smile: "I have only been in there twice."
The rules of wealthy and prominent families are that, except for important family events, there are differences between men and women to avoid uncles and sisters-in-law. Women cannot enter the ancestral hall at will. Even during festivals when they need to worship their ancestors, men and women perform the worship activities separately in the north and south ancestral halls.
The two sisters-in-law had just exchanged a few words when they heard a slight sound and an old servant who was guarding the ancestral hall had gently closed the main door of the north hall.
The huge and vast ancestral hall was gloomy, with only a few faint lights remaining on the high windowsills.
"You light the lamp." Gu Tingyu said, "I don't have the strength."
Gu Tingye stepped forward and took out the flint and wool wrapped in layers of oil paper from the third wooden rack on the left side of the incense table. He turned around swiftly, without even looking, as if he was very familiar with the location of things here. He raised his hand and lit the huge candles on the tall brass candlesticks on both sides. Even in such dim light, he did not slow down his movements.
Gu Tingyu watched Gu Tingye replace the flint smoothly and couldn't help but sneer: "Speaking of this ancestral hall, I'm afraid no one among us brothers is as familiar with it as you."
Gu Tingye hesitated for a moment and said self-deprecatingly, "Of course. Every three days there's a minor punishment, every five days there's a major one. You can't avoid kneeling here. If you're not let out by nightfall, the kid who's afraid of the dark will have to fumble with the flint himself."
As the candles lit, the hall brightened considerably. Everywhere was spotlessly clean, presumably from constant wiping and sweeping. A tea tray sat on the side table. The ancestral hall used high-quality incense and candles, casting shadows of light and filling the air with the faint scent of sandalwood. Looking around, the eight-tiered incense table, six feet wide and thirty feet high, was lined with tablets dedicated to the Gu family's ancestors. The hall was tall and spacious, built to accommodate a hundred Gu clan members for ancestral worship.
At this time, there were only two brothers in such a big place.
Gu Tingye's gaze was fixed on the newest tablet on the incense table: the tablet of Mr. Gu Yankai.
Those six simple words ended all the anger, injustice, grievances, and questions he had felt since childhood. From then on, he no longer had to question him. It was all over.
On either side, on tall, straight pillars, hung a nanmu plaque. Eight striking characters, deeply carved into the wood, read: "Ancestral virtues will live on, and prosperity will continue for generations." The characters were written in the rounded, solemn Yan script.
Gu Youshan, the first Ningyuan Marquis, loved unrestrained and wild cursive script all his life. When he was drunk, he could write "Song of the Wine" in four styles of cursive script in one breath. People asked him: Why did you use the orthodox Yan style at this time?
He replied: I have been a drunkard and reckless person all my life. Before I go to the grave, I only hope that my descendants will be safe and free from disasters.
Gu Tingye smiled.
He remembered that when he was forced to learn calligraphy as a child, his father would always use the example of his ancestor Youshan Gong who became a master of calligraphy through self-study to encourage his disobedient second son. He got tired of hearing this so often that he once bit the pen and muttered: "Learning cursive calligraphy? Maybe it's so that no one can notice if you make a mistake?"
At that time, Gu Yankai opened his eyes wide, raised his big palm, and was about to hit down, but his hand did not fall down for a long time. There was a weird expression on his face, as if he wanted to curse but also wanted to laugh. Little Tingye was not afraid at all, and even said as if possessed by a ghost: Did you think so when you were a child, father?
The result was that he was punished to copy "On Learning" twenty more times.
Gu Tingyu stood at the side with a cane, looking at Gu Tingye quietly. In fact, among the three brothers, he and Gu Tingwei looked more like the Qin family, but Gu Tingye was the most like his father, in every move, every smile and anger, and the older they got, the more similar they were.
Had his father noticed it long ago? That's why he paid so much attention to him.
"...Now that you have achieved so much, your ancestors and father would surely be very happy if they knew about this." His tone was gloomy, and he himself didn't know why he said that.
Gu Tingye raised the corner of his lips, as if teasing: "If big brother can get better, I think father will be even happier."
Gu Tingyu stared at him. "Ever since I was old enough to understand, someone told me that your mother had my biological mother, Madam Qin, murdered. Not only that, but my sickly condition is also the result of that misfortune."
Gu Tingye said calmly, "If anything bad happens in the mansion, it's all the fault of us, mother and son. I've known this for a long time, so why would I need Big Brother to remind you?"
"I later learned that I was already born when the treasury deficit occurred. I can't blame anyone for my poor health," Gu Tingyu said calmly. "My mother's health was not good to begin with, and she shouldn't have given birth."
She risked her life to give birth to a son for her deeply in love husband, but in the end she was drained of money and the child was not very healthy.
Gu Tingye raised his eyebrows sarcastically: "Thank you for your understanding, big brother."
"You and your sister-in-law have a very good relationship." Gu Tingyu ignored his sarcasm and suddenly said this without thinking, "If your family were to face a disaster today and you were asked to divorce your wife and marry someone else, what would you do?"
"Brother, that's an interesting question." Divorcing Minglan for these people? Gu Tingye couldn't help but laugh.
"Ahem, of course, ahem, for the sake of those people in Xuanning Hall right now, you wouldn't agree." Gu Tingyu coughed lightly. He took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, looked up and stared at Gu Tingye, "What if it was father? If now in order to save my father's life, you are asked to divorce your wife and marry another one, what will you do?!" He suddenly raised his voice with the last four words, sharp as a sword, piercing into his opponent's heart.
Gu Tingye was shocked and took a step back suddenly, then immediately calmed down. He always knew that his elder brother was a very smart person, who could read people's hearts, look for opportunities when they were weak, and think carefully and thoroughly. If it weren't for his poor health, he would be a very powerful master if he could serve in the court one day.
When he was very young, a seemingly careless remark from him could make his father furious and punish him even more severely. He suffered a lot from childhood to adulthood.
He narrowed his eyes slightly: "What exactly does Big Brother want to say?"
Gu Tingyu was panting heavily. He slowly leaned against the pillar, found a chair and sat down. "That's right. Everyone in the Gu family has let you and your son down, but not everyone is like this. Big Brother Xuan secretly sent you food to the ancestral hall several times since you were a child. When you were stopped outside the mourning hall, who spoke up for you despite being beaten and scolded by your own father? And... Father, he knows that you and your son have been wronged, and he doesn't feel well either..."
It would have been better if he hadn't said this. Hearing this, Gu Tingye became even more furious. He straightened his back, pounded his fist on the pillar beside him, and sneered arrogantly, "Even if father knew, what does it matter? For the past twenty years, he's watched others use words to insult my mother! And now he uses my mother to insult me?! If he couldn't bear it at all, why didn't he say a word?! I'm afraid you've made a mistake. Can these few words change my mind?"
Gu Tingyu remained motionless, staring straight ahead. "I know it's not a roundworm. Check your conscience. How has father treated you over the years? Father was so busy with military duties that it was a blessing if he could spare two hours a day. He spent almost all of that time teaching you both civil and military. The time he spent on you was more than double that of me and my third brother combined!"
I remember that after a busy day, my father would always ask "How is Tingye today?" Once he got bad news, he would shout and call out the family rules to teach Gu Tingye a lesson.
Gu Tingyu couldn't help but feel a sharp pain in his heart. Although his father was good to him, he was not very willing to stay with him. Sometimes, when he looked at his face and frail body, his father would inevitably leave with sadness.
"Father raised you this way. If it wasn't out of love for you, what else could it be? Tell me the truth. If what happened back then happened to you, what could you do when you were helpless?!" Gu Tingyu raised his voice, his face flushed, and roared, "Think about how you treated your younger siblings today, and then think about your father!"
After all, years of self-control had become a habit. Although Gu Tingye's heart was churning, he was still able to calmly answer: "I never think about 'what ifs'. I'm not a father, I don't have so many concerns. I shouldn't have fallen into the situation of being 'helpless'!"
As a general, you should not wait until you are at your wit's end and then think about whether to sacrifice the front troops to charge or the rear troops to cover the rear. Instead, you should never allow this situation of being "forced to choose sacrifice" to happen.
As the eldest son of the Gu family, with an old father above him and younger brothers below him, it would be fine if he only cared about the deep affection with a sick woman, but he should at least think about the family situation, be prepared for danger in times of peace, and make preparations for the future. Even if he couldn't raise the money at the moment, he should find a good excuse or pretext to hold on for a while. After a year or two, Emperor Wu passed away. The new emperor is kind, and if he submits a memorial to plead for mercy, he will probably be able to deal with it slowly.
Thinking of Da Qin, although Gu Tingye knew that she died young and pitifully, he still couldn't help feeling disgusted. He could understand his father's deep love for her, but after all, she was a consort. She had been married into the Gu family for nearly ten years, and she only knew about romance and sadness, and she had no idea about the hidden dangers in her husband's family.
Such a weak woman should not marry the eldest son and grandson, and should not be the clan's daughter-in-law; if she is a responsible and intelligent woman, she will never be a burden to her husband, just like... Minglan.
His heart suddenly softened. Turning his gaze to his brother, a hint of cruelty appeared at the corner of his mouth as he sneered, "I understand why Big Brother brought me to the ancestral hall. However, he asked me to reflect on myself in front of our ancestors and father. Let me say this: even if I had not intervened and let this happen, the Gu clan would not have fallen."
Gu Tingyu stared at him fiercely with an intense look, but Gu Tingye did not back down. The two brothers of the same blood were like two masters who met their match in chess, competing with each other in strategy and scheming to see who could outlast the other.
After a while, Gu Tingyu sighed deeply, leaned back in his chair, pointed at the incense table and said, "There's a box over there, go take a look."
A cold gleam flashed across Gu Tingye's handsome eyes, and he walked to the incense table.
This was a large, dark, heavy wooden box, more than a foot wide and two feet long, with the four corners inlaid with gold and jade. That would have been fine, but when Gu Tingye touched it, he was surprised to find that it was made of extremely precious agarwood and golden nanmu. Such a large box would probably be worth a fortune.
The lock had already been opened. Flipping the lid, I peered inside. Atop a bright yellow background lay a double-handled scroll, embroidered with dragon and phoenix patterns in golden, multicolored silk thread, and adorned with auspicious clouds, cranes, and lions. It was an imperial edict. Next to it lay a dark object: a thick, arched iron plate, inscribed with vertical text in cinnabar, and inlaid with gold at the beginning.
Gu Tingye was slightly stunned. It was a red-lettered iron certificate.
In the past, it was only taken out and placed on the incense table for worship during festivals, and the descendants kneeling behind it could not see it at all; this was also the first time he saw this treasure of the Gu family.
"Take out the iron certificate and look at the first four words on it." Gu Tingyu said with difficulty.
The red-lettered iron certificate was originally in the shape of a hollow barrel. On the day of the imperial decree to confer the title, it was split in half, with the court and the family of the title each holding one half. Therefore, the heavy iron piece in Gu Tingye's hand was shaped like a tile.
Gu Tingye slowly turned the iron plate and moved his gaze to the beginning of the scroll. At the very front, there were four solemn characters engraved in gold: Founding the Country and Assisting the Fortune.
Gu Tingyu raised his head and looked at the numerous tablets standing tall on the incense table. In the candlelight, their shadows overlapped to form a jungle of thorns, and when they fell on the Gu brothers, even their faces could not be seen clearly.
"Our ancestor, Duke Shande, was a humble man who met Taizu. He died after leaving behind a widow and a few children. Duke Youshan also achieved great feats. After that, Taizu led the Eastern Expedition, Taizong the Western Expedition to Nurgan, the Southern Suppression of the Miao Clan, and the Three Peaceful Restorations of the Northern Frontier. The descendants of the Gu family lost a total of eleven lives on the battlefield... I don't need to elaborate on all this, right?"
"I know what you're planning." Gu Tingyu breathed a little, stroking his chest as he continued, "Father married your mother and gave birth to you just for the sake of the Marquisate. You hate and resent it, so you just want to see the Ningyuan Marquisate fall apart, have their titles and certificates destroyed, have those who deserve them imprisoned and those who deserve to be exiled; to vent all your pent-up resentment. After ten or eight years, as you slowly accumulate military merit, the Emperor will grant you a title. By then, you'll have brought honor to the Gu family! Those who wronged you will either be dead or destitute, and you'll have avenged all your grudges!"
Gu Tingyu laughed as he spoke, panting with laughter: "But the emperor can't just take my title away from you. Even if there is a crime, it will inevitably be suspected of bullying a weak brother and a widowed sister-in-law. The emperor values his reputation the most. He won't do that, and for you, he won't do that. But you can't swallow this breath, so you simply cut off the firewood and overthrow Ningyuan Hou! Is that right?"
Gu Tingye looked at his brother who was laughing wildly, coldly and without saying a word.
"But, but, have you ever thought..." Gu Tingyu finally stopped laughing, his expression sad, "Years later, when you get the red seal and iron certificate again, will it have these four words on it?"
"Over the years, during the reign of Emperor Taizu, so many meritorious officials were purged. Then, during the reign of Emperor Taizong, there was the 'Nine Princes Rebellion'. Later, there were several cases of treason, and the widespread imperial inquisition. Even now... so many founding heroes have had their titles stripped away! Do you know how many noble families still hold such red-lettered iron certificates?"
Gu Tingyu suddenly became excited. "I'm telling you, there are only eight families! Eight families! The rest, the loyal officials, the meritorious officials, are nothing compared to our family! We are the ones who truly have a common lineage, unbroken! Even the Xiangyang Marquisate has lost this, so what does the now-popular Shen family mean to us?"
He exerted all his strength and suddenly rushed in front of Gu Tingye. He grabbed Gu Tingye's collar with his skinny hands and roared, "Why do you think you were given such an important task? When the new emperor ascended the throne, you only brought a team of soldiers to take over the defense, and the Jiangdu camp also obeyed your orders obediently. There were so many confidants around the emperor who also received military orders and went to take charge of military affairs. Except for the emperor's brother-in-law who gave him some face, who was as smooth as you?! You sent troops faster than others and won the support of the people earlier than others, so you can achieve great things! Let me tell you, it's because your surname is Gu! The Gu family has been buried in the army for generations! Because your surname is Gu! You..."
Gu Tingyu ran out of breath and started coughing violently, almost falling to the ground. Gu Tingye had an indifferent expression and no one knew what he was thinking. He helped his brother up, put him back in his seat, poured a glass of water from the tea tray and handed it to him.
Gu Tingyu coughed so hard he was practically bleeding, but he forced the cough down with tea and, after taking deep breaths, gradually calmed down. He gazed at the iron-blue red seal on the incense table, his eyes gradually moistening as he whispered, "When the incident happened, my father had already reached the rank of Commander of the Left Army. Both Emperor Wu and the late Emperor, who was then the Crown Prince, held him in high esteem. Even without his title, he still had a promising future. He ultimately left my mother behind, all for these four words."
Gu Tingye remained silent.
When he was a child, he had seen his father hiding in the study and crying in front of Da Qin's portrait more than once.
The candlelight stretched the brothers' shadows long, one tall and strong, the other hunched and huddled. Gu Tingyu glared at his own shadow on the ground with disgust, then suddenly felt relieved. After all, for all these years, had he been resentful of the past, or jealous of the present? But at this point, what was there to worry about?
"I know you feel unfair for your biological mother, but as a biological son, there's nothing wrong with that." When he spoke again, Gu Tingyu's heart was at peace. "But you not only have a mother, but also a father. Half of your body is flesh and blood, and your surname is Gu. You belong to the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion."
"I won't appoint an heir. As for how long I'll have to wait, you can ask Imperial Physician Zhang. I don't think I'll have much time left." Gu Tingyu's face, as withered as dead water, was like a pine branch standing on a cliff. "You can inherit the title naturally. It's up to you to deal with those people outside. They've been relying on my father for years, and they're full of arrogance. With your current skills, it won't be difficult to find something to use against them."
Hearing this, Gu Tingye laughed and curled his lips sarcastically: "I wonder when did big brother become so clear? Back then, big brother was as close to his fourth uncle and fifth uncle as a father and son."
Especially when dealing with him, they sowed discord, fanned the flames, and coordinated perfectly.
Gu Tingyu was not unaware of the meaning behind these words. He simply said, "When people are about to die, they always see things more clearly. Besides, I already knew what kind of people they were."
"You don't care about your wife and daughter? You only care about maintaining the Gu family's title." Gu Tingye said sarcastically, "The Gu family is indeed a good family."
"Your sister-in-law treats you well, you won't make things difficult for her. You are not that kind of person." Gu Tingyu answered straightforwardly, "Since your sister-in-law came into the family, I have seen that she is also very generous."
Gu Tingye secretly said that this person was still trying to be scheming at this time.
"Big brother is known for his eloquence, and as a younger brother, I have nothing to say." Gu Tingye smiled coldly, "However, I am an unfilial son of the Gu family. Just because of those four words, you want me to swallow my anger for all these years. Big brother, you are being too easy. After all, you are not the one who suffers."
"It was me who was kidnapped by my father and nearly sent to the clan house. Gu Tingyang raped the maid in my father's room and forced her to commit suicide, and I was the one who was wrongly accused. Gu Tingbing owed debts for prostitution and gambling, and after colluding with brothels and gambling houses, he wrote IOUs in my name, and my father almost broke my bones. I was so angry that I went to the brothels and gambling houses to confront them, but it only caused endless trouble, left me with a ridiculous reputation, and made my father vomit blood. I was angry and the more I acted, the more violent I became... In the end, my father was heartbroken and disappointed, and I was the one who was kicked out of the house."
Gu Tingye spoke very softly, almost muttering to himself, "...At that time, how many people in the Gu family spoke up for me? Big Brother Xuan did speak up a few times, but he didn't dare to do it later, especially since it involved his own brother; as for others, hmph..."
The dim and vast ancestral hall fell into silence, and the two brothers remained silent for a long time.
After a long while, Gu Tingyu finally sighed and said, "I'm a dying man, but I'm only following my father's instructions and doing my utmost to protect the Gu family. Whether you want to vent your anger or seek revenge, there are always other ways. Don't, don't, don't destroy the Gu family's century-old foundation." His words became weaker and weaker, almost pleading. He was extremely weak and couldn't bear the burden. "I've said everything I need to say. As for the rest, you can figure it out yourself..."
Gu Tingye raised his head and stared at the two large paintings on top of the incense table. They were the portraits of the first Ningyuan Marquis Gu Youshan and his wife.
When the sons of the Gu family grow up, most of them have a pair of deep brows, which press down on their flying and straight eyebrows, as if locking all their emotions in the hidden endurance of thick ink.
He suddenly recalled that humiliating day when he finally managed to enter the mourning hall and take one last look at his old father through the coffin. In his young eyes, his father, who had been as tall and majestic as a mountain, now shrank to be so thin and frail.
Before he was fifteen, he lived in inferiority and stubbornness, feeling that he was of inferior origin; after meeting Nanny Chang, he learned the truth about his biological mother marrying into the Gu family, and he was filled with resentment as hot as erupting magma, but he could not express it. At this point, he even secretly hated his father, and he was aggressive as soon as he opened his mouth, and the relationship between father and son became even more strained.
He knew that what Gu Tingyu said could not be believed. Didn't he know what kind of person he was, from childhood to adulthood?
If he really inherited his elder brother's title, would he treat his widowed sister-in-law badly?
And if the title is really taken away, it would be fine for other houses, at least there is a man there, but they, an orphan and a widow, can only rely on other relatives to live, and what good can they expect? Only if the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion stands forever, and they bear the name of the widow of the late marquis, can they live a good life of being respected and enjoying wealth.
Not to mention Sister Xian's marriage, which is even more different.
Today, he is no longer the second son of the Gu family who could bully or deceive people at will. He can see clearly what they are thinking, and he understands it all in his heart.
Gu Tingyu wants to arrange his funeral and take care of his wife and daughter's future. Does that mean he should be obedient?
Unconsciously, there was a bright light above his head and he had walked out of the ancestral hall. A familiar and bright face came towards him, full of anxiety and worry; he liked her eyes the most, so clean and calm, without any dust.
Behind us is a dark past, and ahead is a bright and clear future.
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