The spring sunshine is gentle and comforting, making it the perfect time for families to gather together.
The day before yesterday, the Gu family celebrated the weddings of their two daughters in a grand ceremony.
Today's homecoming banquet cannot be treated casually.
Gu Cixiu specially invited a renowned chef from Zuixianlou in the capital and sent servants to purchase fresh ingredients from all over the country, all to properly entertain guests from all directions and consolidate his financial power.
In order to gain the upper hand, Gu Qianxue took the Second Prince back to the Gu family home early on.
In her previous life, Gu Qianxue was unable to consummate her marriage with Chen Jinheng on their wedding night because Chen Jinheng was dealing with military affairs. Furthermore, under Lin Ruoyan's instigation, she believed that Chen Jinheng was favoring Lin Ruoyan.
On the day of her return visit to her parents' home, she had a huge fight with him, ruining his reputation in the Marquis's mansion. Chen Jinheng was the kind of person who responded better to gentleness than force, and Gu Qianxue's actions only made him dislike her more.
Thinking of this, Gu Qianxue turned her gaze to the Second Prince listening to the zither in the private room, a smug smile spreading across her lips.
Although the Second Prince had difficulty walking and suffered from an eye disease, it was precisely because of this that Gu Qianxue was able to better control him.
Compared to Chen Jinheng, the Second Prince Li Zhiyan was much gentler and always polite and refined towards women.
This reassured Gu Qianxue.
This alone made Gu Qianxue overjoyed, and she couldn't help but secretly grumble to herself.
"Gu Qianluo, you always seem so intelligent and capable, but I never expected you to be so sluggish when it comes to judging men."
Today's homecoming banquet is being held in the garden of the Gu family mansion. Before the banquet began, dancers gracefully danced in the open space in the center of the garden, like colorful butterflies entering a painting, elegant and moving, dazzling the eyes.
The ancestors of the Gu family were once the emperor's scribes, and the family was a well-known family of high-ranking officials.
However, with the changing dynasties, starting with Gu's grandfather, he no longer served as an official in the court, but instead became a famous imperial merchant in the capital.
In the previous life, the marriage between the Marquis of Zhongyong's family and the Gu family was arranged by the grandmother's generation. Originally, the old lady of the Marquis of Zhongyong's family arranged the marriage between Gu Qianluo and Chen Jinheng.
Gu Qianxue, with her outstanding talent and beauty, caught the eye of the Empress at the flower-viewing banquet. Since the Gu family's business encompassed the trade of medicinal herbs, the Empress proposed to bestow Gu Qianxue upon the current Emperor as a marriage blessing for the Second Prince.
As Gu Qianxue's birth mother, Madam Lu was certainly unwilling to marry her off to the sickly second prince.
Therefore, someone was sent to spread the news in the capital that Gu Qianluo had been learning medicine from her maternal grandmother since childhood.
When the Empress found out, she was overjoyed. She thought that since Gu Qianluo was a daughter of the Gu family and also knew medicine, she was forced to marry the Second Prince in place of her younger sister.
Gu Qianxue, having been rejected by Chen Jinheng and everyone in the Marquis's mansion in her previous life, immediately climbed up to the Second Prince and stole her elder sister's fiancé upon her rebirth.
The eldest son of the Gu family, Gu Zijun, and the second son, Gu Zichen, helped to greet the guests and take their seats.
Besides Gu Qianxue's birth mother, Madam Lu, who was her second wife, the Gu family also had two other concubines, namely Concubine Mai and Concubine Fang.
Aunt Mai had twins, a boy and a girl. She enjoyed tending to flowers and plants and practicing calligraphy and painting. She didn't like to associate with Madam Lu and lived a peaceful life in her own house.
Aunt Fang had a son and a daughter. She liked to curry favor with Old Madam Gu and was greatly favored by Gu Cixiu. However, she was regarded as a mortal enemy by Madam Lu.
Madam Lu had already heard that the Second Prince had developed leg and eye ailments due to poisoning at a young age.
Today, upon finally seeing her, she felt a heavy weight in her chest, as if she had a pent-up anger that she couldn't expel.
Taking advantage of a moment of free time, Madam Lu grabbed Gu Qianxue from behind and pulled her towards a secluded spot.
Gu Qianxue, looking puzzled, was led by Madam Lu, and they walked unsteadily forward. She asked suspiciously,
"Mother, what's wrong? Who upset you?"
"Hmph! I don't know what exactly you see in the Second Prince?"
Xue'er, do you know how much money I spent behind the scenes to prevent you from marrying this sickly man?
You, on the other hand, insist on getting close to that sickly guy!
Although Chen Jinheng had concubines, he was at least a normal man.
Look at the Second Prince, he's not only lame, but also blind.
Look at you, you've let Gu Qianluo benefit again this time!
Mrs. Lu stood with her hands on her hips, her face flushed red and purple with anger.
"Mother, don't be angry. Your daughter will definitely win this time."
Although the second prince was seriously ill and lost the emperor's favor, he was still the empress's second son!
My daughter has found a miracle doctor outside the city who is most skilled at treating all kinds of difficult and complicated diseases.
I've heard that this legendary doctor is known among the people as a living Hua Tuo!
Upon hearing this, Madam Lu grasped Gu Qianxue's hands tightly in disbelief, bursting into tears of joy.
"Xue'er, are you telling the truth?"
"If you can really cure the Second Prince's long-standing illness, perhaps we can even ask for a reward?"
"Yes, Mother! Once I cure the Second Prince's illness, I will ask him for a reward. Then, Zichen will be able to make a name for himself."
Upon hearing that her son would rise rapidly in his career, Madam Lu was so excited she almost jumped for joy, a smug smile spreading across her face.
"Xue'er, but you also know that your eldest brother is famously round-headed and cunning."
"If he follows Gu Qianluo's lead and wins over the Marquis's mansion's power first, wouldn't we have already lost?"
“Mother, I vouch for you, Gu Qianluo definitely can’t win.”
What do you mean?
"Just this homecoming banquet alone will leave Gu Qianluo utterly defeated."
The banquet is about to begin, but Gu Qianluo is nowhere to be seen, and the Marquis's mansion doesn't even have anyone to deliver the message!
This shows that the Marquis's mansion doesn't care about Gu Qianluo as a daughter-in-law at all, and doesn't value our Gu family.
In Gu Qianxue's eyes, Gu Qianluo was timid, weak, and easily bullied. If she encountered Lin Ruoyan, a woman with shrewd methods, she would definitely suffer the same fate as Lin Ruoyan.
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