The Dudufu was originally the residence of Marquis Zhongjing, bestowed by Emperor Taizu Gaozu. He lived next door to Marquis Ningyuan, hence the street in front of the gate, known as Zhongning Street. However, during the reign of Emperor Taizong Wu, the Marquis Zhongjing's residence was implicated in a major treason case. Following his death, his title was stripped, his certificate destroyed, and his family exterminated. The residence was subsequently granted to Xiong Linshan, a prominent official of the Wu dynasty, and renamed Chengyuan. Upon his retirement, Xiong requested the garden's return. Emperor Renzong confiscated the garden and granted him numerous properties in his hometown.
Excluding the front and back forests, Chengyuan covers a total area of about 90 acres and can be divided into two parts, front and back.
The front yard is also called the outer garden, where men handle government affairs. The main gate in front is a vermilion lacquer gate with 49 copper nails, and on both sides are the east and west corner gates. The inside is paved with smooth and neat square stone slabs, which go straight down and are symmetrically arranged in two rows of four outer study rooms. Outside of them are the stables and carriage houses, and several rows of narrow courtyard houses where the servants live. After passing the outer ceremonial gate, there are five huge and bright meeting halls in the middle, with greenhouses, side rooms, tea rooms and the like on both sides.
Going through the three inner ceremonial doors, you will reach the inner courtyard.
Out of caution, Minglan sat on a lightly draped sedan chair and quickly walked around the front yard. Gu Tingye pointed out a few places and briefly identified them. Once they entered the inner courtyard, Gu Tingye immediately asked Minglan to get out of bed and walk. Minglan politely said that she was too frail to walk for a long time and that it would be better to sit in a sedan chair. The man immediately looked at her strangely and whispered in her ear, "Are you trying to maintain your strength..."
Minglan thought for a moment and said, "I'd better walk."
The man had sharp eyebrows, a straight nose, thin lips, and deep eyes, and seemed to be smiling at her silently.
In the center of the front of the inner courtyard stood five large halls with stag-roofed porches. In front of the halls, a plaque inscribed with the characters 'Chaohui Hall' in a flamboyant style, was a flourish of dragons and phoenixes. Minglan silently exclaimed, "Great!" and turned to say, "Master Xiong is, after all, a veteran of two dynasties, a distinguished scholar, and a family of scholars. There's no need for festive words; just the two characters 'Chaohui' are sufficient!"
Gu Tingye looked at these three words and nodded.
The small courtyard on the left side of Chaohui Hall is Gu Tingye's inner study. On the right side is a side hall and a hall with grass and trees. Behind it, across a white stone corridor and a hanging flower gate, is the main courtyard with seven rooms and seven frames. There are three-story side rooms and three-story ear rooms on both sides, and three-story porches in front and back. There are more than twenty rooms in a large span. It is grand and magnificent, with splendid decorations. There are three big characters written on it - Jiaxiju.
Minglan felt that the face looked familiar, and after a few more glances, she realized that this was the place she had set out from this morning.
Behind the three-room back porch of Jiaxiju, there are two corner doors. One leads to the back corridor, where there is a small meeting room, probably used by the imperial family to meet guests. Another door leads to a corridor that leads to a large flower hall.
Minglan felt dizzy and her legs were weak. Gu Tingye found her dizzy and dazed look funny, so he took her to have lunch first. After she took a nap, the couple continued shopping.
With Jiaxiju as the center, there are five courtyards and rows of houses facing north, east and west respectively. These places were probably for the old grandfather, the mistress and the brothers and sisters to live in. Unfortunately, they are all empty now.
The nearer courtyard was connected to the main courtyard by a winding corridor, the farther one by a north-south alley. Beyond that lay a garden and forest teeming with flowers and plants. Minglan walked around it, her favorite spot being the lotus pond. Its shimmering waters were tranquil, the fragrance of lotus pods wafting through the surface, and the faint tangles of lotus roots visible beneath the water. This pond connected the Ouxiang Pavilion Garden at one end and the grand flower hall at the other.
Minglan was tired from walking, so she simply walked into the Ouxiang Pavilion to rest.
"It's such a big house, and there are only two of us?" Minglan looked at the eight doors and windows around her, and asked weakly while lying on the Langgan Corridor beside the lotus pond.
"How big is this?" Gu Tingye stood on the courtyard corridor, facing the direction of Ningyuan Marquis Mansion, which was now a small forest, and said quietly, "You have also been to Xiangyang Marquis Mansion. It is more than twice as big as this."
Minglan followed his gaze and thought to herself, "This guy wants to merge! I just hope it's not an illegal expansion."
…
In Yao Yiyi's era, when the winter and summer vacations ended and school was about to start, the students who had been enjoying themselves during the vacation would stay at home honestly and be busy with their homework. After so many years, Yao Yiyi miraculously saw this scene again.
That night, after dinner, Gu Tingye moved a large pile of documents from the outer study into the house, spread them out on a table on the west side room connected to the master bedroom, placed an inkstone on it, dipped it in ink, lowered his head and read carefully, while reading, he also wrote some notes.
Minglan was stunned - she had to appear in court and appear before the emperor tomorrow, so was she going to make up her lessons overnight?
Seeing Gu Tingye lowering his head and reading the document in deep thought, Minglan wanted to say, "You study hard and take your time. I'm going to bed first." However, Gu Tingye took out a thick stack of account books and a list of servants and placed them in front of Minglan, hoping to "work hard together with her and make progress together."
Minglan suppressed a yawn and had to sit behind a small table on the other side, spreading out the account book and looking at the list; the night light was dim, and Gu Tingye was very happy to see Hongxiu accompanying him. He turned his eyes and saw Danju standing blankly beside him, so he said, "Juzi, go and make a pot of strong tea." He vaguely remembered the names of the maids around Minglan, they seemed to be all fruits or something like that.
This is good and easy to remember.
Danju felt sorry for Minglan and had prepared hot water for her underwear, hoping she could rest early. Seeing this, she turned around and went out to make tea and prepare snacks. Qin Sang, who was watching the fire in the porch, saw that Minglan looked unhappy and asked, "What's wrong?"
Danju was unhappy in her heart, but she didn't show it at all: "Take out the fresh grapes that were delivered this morning, and cut the peaches into a few pieces." As she said that, she went to the cabinet to get tea leaves and a teapot.
Qin Sang stood up and left after hearing this. Lvzhi, who was standing beside him, felt quite puzzled: "Didn't the girl say she wanted to go to bed early?"
"You should call me 'Madam'!" Danju said with a stern face, taking out a brand new set of 'Magpie Climbing a Branch' thin-walled official kiln powder porcelain tea sets. "Master and Madam have something to say. There are still many things to be handled in the mansion."
Bisi covered her mouth and chuckled softly, "Speaking of which, the master is really funny. Yesterday, he actually called Sister Qin Sang 'Zaozi', called Xiao Tao 'Taozi', and called me 'Lizi'. Sister Danju, what did the master call you?"
Danju came over with a large kettle from the stove by the door to make tea and said in a deep voice, "It's only been two days since you were released from custody, and you're already talking nonsense? Do you think you can frame the master? If the people in this mansion hear about it, they'll think everyone from the Sheng family has no manners!"
Qin Sang came in with some freshly cut fruit, and Lvzhi took out a six-inch square crystal bowl shaped like a lotus flower. They washed their hands and began to arrange the fruit. As they did so, Lvzhi said, "This little bastard is so crazy. I'll just have Mother Cui give him a good beating later!"
Cai Huan watched them move with such skill and coordination that she couldn't really help them, so she smiled and said, "Sister Bisi is young and may have neglected things because she didn't know better. We are sisters, so please don't tell Mother Cui."
Luzhi was choked, and Danju's eyes showed no hesitation. Qin Sang looked up and said with a smile: "Bisi, let me remind you. We have all followed the Madam since we were young. Don't you know her temper? Now that we have just arrived here, it is the time to give face to the Madam. Don't be confused." His words were meaningful.
Bisi's expression froze, and she immediately shut up. Caihuan felt quite puzzled, but couldn't ask any more questions, so she deliberately said, "When we were in the Sheng Mansion, everyone said that of the three girls, the Sixth Girl had the best temper and was the most tolerant. Even if we did something wrong, I'm afraid she wouldn't punish us harshly, right?"
Danju had a deep bond with the green girls, so he didn't want to punish them too harshly. However, he was a little wary of Caihuan. Looking at her, he said slowly, "Madam said, no one is perfect. Dropping a bowl or breaking a cup is easy to deal with. Even if you messed up one or two tasks, as long as you understand the reasons and punish them, it's fine. But there is only one thing that I absolutely cannot do."
"Which one?" Cai Huan asked nervously, then changed her expression and smiled, "Sister told me so I can remember it."
"Intentions." Danju stared into Caihuan's eyes and said word by word, "No matter what it is, as long as there are any evil thoughts in your heart that will offend others, even if it is a perfect thing, I can't accept it."
Caihuan's heart trembled, but her face was full of admiration. She laughed repeatedly and said, "Madam is right. As maids, the most important thing for us is loyalty. Everything else is secondary!" As she spoke, she thought of something and asked softly, "...By the way, wasn't there a sister named Yancao? Why didn't she come with us?"
Danju glanced at her and said bluntly, "She is old enough, so my parents went to the old lady to ask for help and she will marry her off."
Caihuan was about to ask, "Isn't there still a Mother You?", but Luzhi shouted, "Xiaotao and Cuixiu, those two rascals, are just packing a few boxes and baskets, why haven't they come back yet?!"
…
Danju carried the tray to the main house. Before leaving, she thought for a moment and put a big bright red pomegranate in it. She smiled and arranged the tea and fruits in the house. Seeing that Minglan was dressed thinly, she took out a homely blouse with a moon-white background and red plum blossoms in the snow, and gently put it on Minglan. Finally, she turned up the brightness of the three sheepskin palace lanterns in the house before slowly leaving.
Over the years, Minglan has maintained a good study habit. While looking through the account books and lists, she wrote down some important points (ghostly scribbles that others could not understand) and recited them softly. Gu Tingye looked up at Minglan and found that under the dim candlelight, her jade-like face was flushed, her cheeks were rosy, her lips were cherry, and her eyes were bright. She was exceptionally beautiful.
He clenched his fist and cleared his throat. Minglan looked up at him, only to see Gu Tingye, who looked calm and composed. He said calmly, "Help me clean up the inner study tomorrow. I've already entrusted the things that need to be moved to Mr. Gongsun. Don't worry about anything else. Find me two reliable maids to watch over them... preferably illiterate."
Minglan was about to say it was no problem when she heard the last half of the sentence. After a moment's thought, she said, "I don't know anyone here. All my maids are literate, except Xiaotao, who is a bit clumsy and can't read much. But she's reliable and can definitely be trusted. Let her watch over him first, and I'll slowly look for someone else later. Reliable people don't come easily. For the next few days... if you don't mind, I'll tidy up your study for you."
The key isn't whether someone can read or not, but whether they can be trusted. Because they're unsure of their reliability, they choose someone who can't read. A literate girl who wants to peek at something can simply glance at it and memorize a few words. An illiterate girl, on the other hand, can only sneak in private messages, which is much more difficult and easier to catch.
Gu Tingye nodded in satisfaction, then frowned slightly: "How come they can all read? Did you teach them? Is it necessary?"
Minglan nodded and said seriously: "The maids are all literate, which makes me look more virtuous and kind." In fact, the original intention was to make them understand the rules and regulations of Mu Cang Zhai.
Gu Tingye raised an eyebrow, the dark gold pattern on the dark blue silk robe he was wearing shimmering slightly, and the bright moon-white inner garment further reflected his handsome and clear appearance. He clenched his fist to his lips and chuckled softly: "Not bad, not bad, Shengda talented woman, please grind some ink for your husband."
Minglan smiled as she went over to grind ink for him. She deliberately made a bitter face, shook her head, and sighed, "What a great knife!"
Gu Tingye laughed heartily at the sight. He stared at Minglan's wrists, white as snow, grinding ink slowly and gracefully. He could not help but be slightly stunned. After a long moment, until Minglan had finished grinding a thick inkstone and was about to sit back down, he pulled Minglan aside and quietly asked, "You, don't you have anything to ask?"
Minglan was puzzled and asked blankly, "What...?"
"In the mansion." Gu Tingye said, "Isn't there anything you want to know?" The situation in the Gu mansion was weird, and anyone could see it, but she hadn't asked anything in the past few days.
Minglan understood what he meant, her eyes clear. "I did, but the old lady said that if you don't understand something, don't rush to ask. Think about it yourself first; that makes me look smart."
Gu Tingye's stern brows relaxed, and he couldn't help but smile: "Okay, you are smart, then tell me about it."
Minglan pulled Gu Tingye's hand away, dragged a small stool over to sit down, and said softly, "...When I first met your family, the first thing that struck me as strange was their age. First, my deceased father-in-law was the eldest son. As the son of a marquis, it would have been only a matter of time for him to get married. However, Brother Xuan and Brother Yang are much older than Brother Yu. Why is that?"
Gu Tingyu is only 28 years old and has no older brothers, but the eldest sons of the fourth and fifth rooms, Gu Tingxuan and Gu Tingyang, are already 33 or 34 years old. So far, the eldest son of the eldest room has only one legitimate grandson, Gu Tingwei's son, Ding Xian'er, who is only two or three years old.
As for the fourth and fifth rooms, let alone just being a soy sauce vendor, Gu Tingxuan's eldest son is more than capable of running a soy sauce shop, and Gu Tingyang's eldest daughter is old enough to be the shop's proprietress.
Gu Tingye's eyes gradually brightened, and a smile appeared on his lips. Minglan looked at him and sighed, "I think my father-in-law must have had a deep love with the first lady, and their love was extremely deep."
Gu Tingye's face gradually darkened. This was not said casually. If one deduced the meaning, if the old marquis had deep feelings for the first Madam Qin, then he would not be very accepting of Madam Bai who married in right after him, but he would love the current Madam Qin as well as her family.
Gu Tingye gently embraced Minglan, holding her close to his chest, and whispered, "When I was little, I once heard Fifth Aunt talk about the first Dowager. She said she and my father were childhood sweethearts, and they were deeply in love. Because she was frail and often sickly, my father asked for the imperial order to go to the border to avoid the nagging interference of the elders in the capital. The current Dowager often talks about her, saying that she was beautiful and noble, elegant and gentle, kind and gentle, and a good woman who was rare in the world. My father has remembered her all his life."
Minglan pouted, leaning against the man's arms. She said calmly, "The second thing I don't understand is the Madam's age." She felt the man's muscles tense as she continued, "According to her zodiac sign, she's forty-four this year. When you were born, she was nineteen, and a year later, she married into the Marquisate at twenty. In other words, when the first Madam Qin died, she would have been around sixteen. What's going on here?"
If the old marquis really had such deep feelings for the first Madam Qin and wanted to find a daughter of the Qin family to remarry so that she could take care of Gu Tingyu, he could have married Madam Qin at that time. Why did he have to put Madam Bai in between?
Minglan felt the stiffness of Gu Tingye's body, slowly got up, looked into his eyes, and said firmly but softly: "What reason did my father-in-law have at that time that he had to marry my mother-in-law?" This question was a bit embarrassing, but it was the root of all the problems now.
Gu Tingye stared at Minglan for a long time, not knowing what to say. Over the years, Gu Tingye had been feeling resentful, but he could not talk about his family affairs. When he really wanted to talk about them, he did not know where to start. Minglan did not ask a single question, but she could see the big picture from the details and understood some things very clearly.
Minglan had never seen Gu Tingye look like this before. His stern eyebrows were raised high, his eye sockets sunken into shadows. His eyes were gloomy and dangerous, yet also filled with a faint understanding, as if he was helpless. After a while, he slowly spoke: "My maternal grandfather's side is the Haining Bai family. Have you heard of them?"
Minglan really wanted to express her admiration for the Bai family, but she had never heard of the Bai family. The most famous families in Haining were the Chen family with seven Jinshi (imperial scholar) graduates, the Zhao family with three Hanlin scholars (father and son), and the Xu family with a former cabinet minister. There were also some established aristocratic families, but the Bai family was not one of them. So, Minglan could only shake her head honestly.
Gu Tingye laughed self-deprecatingly: "Of course I haven't heard of it. The Bai family is neither a noble family nor a scholarly family. They are, in fact, salt merchants."
Minglan was stunned. It was one of the four classes of merchants: scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans. It was okay that his mother came from the lowest class of merchants, as there were still Confucian merchants and righteous merchants. But it was the salt merchants who were looked down upon among the merchants. It was quite difficult to express her respect to the Bai family.
Gu Tingye continued, "Do you know what is most abundant in the salt merchant's family?"
"Salt." Minglan blurted out without thinking, which immediately led to a knuckle knocking on her forehead. She immediately covered her forehead and exclaimed softly, "Silver! Silver is the most!"
Gu Tingye bent his slender index and middle fingers and stared at Minglan with a smile. Couldn't she be more serious and sad?
Minglan looked at the two still bent fingers with lingering fear and said timidly, "Don't tell me, your father married your mother for money!" Merchants have a low status and cannot threaten the powerful.
"It was all for the money. No one would believe me if I told them. Later, I did a thorough investigation and found out everything." Gu Tingye's face darkened, and he rested his fingers on his knees, his eyes cold. "That year, Empress Jing'an passed away. Emperor Wu was overwhelmed with grief and anger, and his temperament suddenly turned violent and suspicious. Not only did he beat many concubines and maids to death, he also ordered the death of the then Imperial Noble Consort and threatened to exterminate her entire family. The Imperial Noble Consort's uncle was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue at the time. During the liquidation, he discovered that the Ministry owed over three million taels of silver, all the result of years of powerful and meritorious service. It wasn't a major issue that would have shaken the foundation of the country, and the money could have been repaid slowly. But then, Emperor Wu, in his rage, took it out on me and imposed severe penalties, ordering that anyone who didn't repay within six months would have their title revoked!"
Minglan was completely stunned. After a while, she said, "How much does the Ningyuan Marquisate owe?"
"Not much." Gu Tingye said sarcastically, "Exactly 880,000 taels of silver."
Minglan nearly fainted. Eight hundred and eighty thousand taels of silver?! These prodigals! How could they spend money like that?!
Gu Tingye let out a long sigh, looking up at the carved and painted roof, his face dark. "The Gu family liquidated all their ancestral property overnight, but no matter how they calculated it, it was still not enough. As the deadline approached, the Rongguo Mansion was confiscated and their family members were demoted to commoners. The situation was dire, and the entire Gu family was frantic with anxiety. At that time, I don't know who... mentioned the Bai family."
Minglan was stunned, and just listened blankly as Gu Tingye continued, "My grandfather was quite a character. He started out as a sailor, saved some money, and then came ashore. I don't know how he got through, but after establishing connections in the officialdom, he became a salt merchant! After twenty years of accumulation, the family fortune was extremely rich. He wasn't close to his brothers in his early years, and he only had one daughter, my mother."
Minglan didn't want to talk anymore and just sighed deeply - without any brothers to rely on, with a humble background, but with abundant wealth, this Mrs. Bai just had the word "fat meat" written on her forehead.
"So, the father-in-law married the mother-in-law?" When Minglan said this, she didn't even realize that her words were sarcastic.
Gu Tingye gave a wry smile, but it couldn't hide the chill in his expression. "What happened next is ten different versions of the story. I've heard so many that I don't even know myself. But... the most common one is that my father proposed to the Bai family to marry my mother as a concubine. Humph, they thought it was a blessing for a merchant's daughter to marry into a marquis's mansion as a concubine. But the Bai family refused to agree and insisted on making her the principal wife. Under coercion, they forced the first Madam Qin to death."
Minglan gasped, then stood up immediately, straightened her joystick, and said firmly, "Nonsense! This is complete nonsense! Who is this madman who would confuse right and wrong like this?!"
Gu Tingye looked up at Minglan, his eyes cold and a mocking smile on his lips: "How do you know? Maybe it's true."
Minglan took a deep breath and spoke aloud, "That's right, there are daughters of wealthy merchants who marry into powerful families as concubines. But what's the point? It's nothing more than exchanging in-laws for money and power! By promising a daughter, the merchant gets convenience, and the powerful gets a share of the money, so both sides benefit. But it's different with the Bai family. Old Master Bai only has one daughter, so who would continue the salt business? Therefore, he doesn't need to rely on the influence of the powerful. And since he has no brothers to help him, he's more interested in finding a reliable son-in-law! Why would he 'force' the Gu family to marry his daughter? And even 'force the death' of the legitimate wife? Isn't this just making enemies? Nonsense! Even dreams are more believable!"
Minglan was still furious, thinking to herself: With such a large dowry, who couldn't Madam Bai marry? Are all men dead? It has to be your father, Gu? Honestly, it wasn't the Bai family clinging to the Gu family; it was the Gu family, in dire straits, begging the Bai family.
Bringing money to save her life, yet she still wants to be her concubine?! Come on! Arabian Nights is more realistic.
Gu Tingye leaned back in his chair, chuckling briefly as he gazed at Minglan quietly, his eyes gradually becoming clearer. "Because of this rumor, my eldest brother has hated me the most since we were little. I don't blame him, after all, I've always been a troublemaker and the most unfilial child in the family. It wasn't until many years later that my mother's wet nurse, Nanny Chang, came to visit me in the capital and explained everything. It turned out that Madam Qin was already frail, and the rumors circulating in the mansion that marrying a daughter of the Bai family would solve the problem caused her to worry and die in childbirth. The Bai family didn't know about this, so my grandfather married my mother off. From then on, I often contradicted my father, and my temper only worsened..."
Minglan stared at Gu Tingye, feeling pity for him for the first time. Marrying a merchant's daughter as the Marquis' wife had been a profound disgrace to the Gu family, and the existence of Madam Bai was a clear sign of their dire straits. Consequently, the old Marquis allowed rumors to spread, never defending her. He watched Gu Tingye sink into anger and despair, his downward spiral, without ever speaking frankly.
Of course, that lady Qin was also very pitiful, but she had enjoyed happiness and lived a good life after all. Moreover, when the disaster came, as the marquis's wife, she had to bear the consequences. She also caused the old marquis Gu to vent his anger on the Bai family and Gu Tingye in the future, which was enough.
"...Father already missed his previous wife, and mother had a quick temper and was unhappy with everything in the mansion, which made the two of them even more at odds. When mother was pregnant with her second child, she had a quarrel with father, gave birth prematurely, and died of hemorrhage." Gu Tingye narrated calmly, as if it was someone else's business, with an unusually calm expression. "Now that I think about it, father was not bad to me. It was indeed my own fault. Now that I treat his wife, children, and brothers so badly, I'm afraid he won't be able to rest in peace in the underworld?" As he spoke, he sneered repeatedly, his eyes full of cold mockery.
"What's wrong?" Gu Tingye looked at the stunned Minglan and raised his lip, "Did I do anything wrong?"
"Why not?" Minglan finally came back to her senses. The past of the Gu family was too legendary, with betrayal, deception, conspiracy, rumors, and the Count of Monte Cristo-style counterattack. It was hard to digest it for a while.
Minglan's question was incomprehensible, and she actively listed reasons: "Everyone is good in this matter, except you and your son. The Gu family got a decent and well-preserved reputation, and the Qin family's in-laws remain as before, but what did the Bai family get? The mother had a basin of dirty water thrown on her for no reason, and she still can't rest in peace. The son was forced to leave home and venture into the world alone. Have you ever thought about what would have happened if the Fourth Prince hadn't rebelled? What if he had quietly accepted the Third Prince as his heir?"
Gu Tingye's eyes suddenly lit up like fire, instantly extinguishing all self-mockery and sarcasm. He stared at Minglan intently, a cold laugh erupting from his heart: "If the Fourth Prince hadn't plotted rebellion, the Third Prince would have ascended the throne smoothly, and there would have been no chance for the Eighth Prince. Then, everything in the Ningyuan Marquisate would have continued as usual. Those who survived by feeding on the Bai family's flesh and blood would have continued to prosper, while those who trampled on us mother and son would have continued to enjoy honor and dignity. My father has passed away, and I'm not here anymore. I'm afraid it won't be long before even my mother's tablet is removed from the ancestral hall, and I'll continue to wander among the lower classes."
Minglan nodded vigorously and looked back: "So, if you are angry, you are absolutely right." Her tone was more sincere and earnest than when she asked to join the party.
Gu Tingye laughed inexplicably. Nanny Chang often cursed the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion with an angry look on her face, but he did not feel that he resonated with her. Instead, he felt a little annoyed. In his opinion, the Bai family was also wrong. Knowing that Qi Da was not a match, they still greedily pursued this marriage, hoping for a miracle to happen. Mrs. Bai knew that her future was full of difficulties, but she did not make much plans and just died early.
Every time he thought of this, he was more likely to sneer and be indifferent.
The anger and grievances he felt in his youth were not as intense today. After experiencing so many hardships in the martial arts world and seeing honor, disgrace, life and death, he was not so easily excited. It was as if after the most blazing fire had burned out, only some ashes were left. Now, he only felt unwilling. Could it be that the only reason he came into this world was for a sum of money?
Until today, after hearing what Minglan said just now, Gu Tingye's memories that had been cold for a long time began to heat up again. Yes, in fact, he had always hated her secretly, but he could not vent his hatred, so he could only laugh at her coldly.
Gu Tingye sighed. It turned out that admitting that he hated his relatives wasn't that difficult. He felt relieved and happy when he finally spoke out the secrets he hadn't been able to share for years.
It seems that it is really good to have a wife who can help you find reasons to hate your relatives.
"Oh, right." Minglan twisted her fingers and asked hesitantly, "Um... Mother-in-law, how much dowry did you bring?"
"About one million taels of silver, and some farms and shops." Gu Tingye said casually.
Minglan was stunned, almost wanting to beat her chest and scream—Oh my God, oh my God, one million taels of silver! If she had that much money, and a father who loved her, what could she not do? Hire a team of guards, find a loyal and reliable master, travel overseas, explore the Western Regions, what a wonderful world! She would never marry a widower with a child and who was still deeply in love with his ex-wife!
Ms. Bai, Ms. Bai, Old Man Bai, what do you want people to say about you?
at last--
"It is true that the man is innocent, but guilty of possessing a treasure." Minglan said softly, with a sad expression, standing with her hands hanging down.
Gu Tingye gently pulled Minglan into his arms, feeling quite moved. He held her in his arms and comforted her for a long time before saying, "Don't be sad. It's been a long time."
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