Chapter 792 Father and Daughter's Relationship (Bonus Chapter)
Mu Ruxin was so angry that she almost fainted.
She didn't understand what was going on. She had been getting along very well with the Duke, but suddenly he changed his attitude and told her to leave—
Did something happen?
Or did someone try to sow discord between the Duke and the Duke?
Just as the carriage had driven about ten paces away from the Duke's mansion, Mu Ruxin took one last, unwilling look at the Duke's mansion.
Unexpectedly, she spotted several carriages from the Duke's mansion, with the carriage of Second Master Jing leading the way.
When Master Jing returned to his own home, he naturally didn't need to get off the carriage; the servants in his mansion respectfully opened the main gate for him.
Master Jing was feeling suffocated in the carriage, so he lifted the curtain to let in some fresh air.
In that brief moment, Mu Ruxin caught sight of a young man beside her.
Mu Ruxin's pupils contracted.
It's him!
Xiao Liulang!
How did he end up sitting in Master Jing's carriage?
The carriage slowly drove into the Duke's mansion, followed closely by two other carriages.
Mu Ruxin didn't see who was sitting in the carriage behind, but it didn't matter anymore; all her attention was drawn to Xiao Liulang.
In an instant, a piece of information flashed through her mind.
Humans are a strange species. Even when it is the same thing, different people can come to different conclusions because of their different mindsets and expectations.
Mu Ruxin reflected on her situation in the Duke's mansion and felt that the Duke and she had initially gotten along very well. It was only after the appearance of this Zhao man named Xiao Liulang that the Duke gradually distanced himself from her.
The Duke's attitude towards him plummeted after he had a big argument with Xiao Liulang at the entrance of the Imperial Preceptor's Hall.
But that time, didn't the six chess masters stand up for Xiao Liulang?
Xiao Liulang didn't suffer any loss at all!
"Having a big fight" was Mu Ruxin's own opinion, but in reality, Gu Jiao was too lazy to argue with her and ignored her completely.
She was the one who started all the fuss, and Mr. Meng couldn't stand it anymore, so he came out and humiliated her!
As for the claim that the Duke and she got along harmoniously, that's purely a matter of personal imagination and delusion.
The Duke was previously unconscious and a living dead man, so how could he have gotten along with her?
The Duke's attitude towards her plummeted not because he knew what happened at the entrance of the Imperial Preceptor's Hall, but because the Duke could write again!
I've wanted her to leave for a long time!
The first thing the Duke wanted to write when he woke up was, "Dismiss Mu Ruxin."
Unfortunately, he didn't have enough strength and could only write the character "慕" (Mu). Jing Sheng, that simpleton, mistakenly thought that the Duke was thinking of Mu Ruxin.
The second wife also misunderstood the Duke's meaning. In addition, the maids around her were always having unrealistic dreams, which made her completely believe that she would one day become the daughter of a noble family in the country.
The maid asked in confusion, "Miss! Who are you looking at?"
The carriage had already entered the Duke's mansion, and the gate was closed; there was no one outside.
Mu Ruxin lowered the curtain and whispered, "Xiao Liulang."
The maidservant also lowered her voice: "Is it... the Duke's adopted son?"
Mu Ruxin frowned: "Adopted son? What adopted son?"
The maid exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, Miss, didn't you know? The Duke has adopted a son, and that son even participated in the selection for the Black Wind Cavalry commander. I heard he won! The Duke will have a son who will be a commander in the future. Miss, don't you think the Duke's mansion is about to turn its fortunes around?"
Mu Ruxin's face darkened: "Why didn't you tell me sooner that the Duke had taken in an adopted son?"
The maid lowered her head, awkwardly clutching her handkerchief: "Miss, you always go to the Second Madam's courtyard. I thought the Second Madam had already told you..."
The second wife didn't mention a single word to her!
He adored her, praising her to the skies, but in the end, he kept even the news of adopting a son from her!
"Are you sure it's Xiao Liulang?" she asked coldly.
The maid said, "It's true. I heard it from Master Jing and his wife. They were both very happy, saying they didn't expect that rascal to actually have some skills."
Mu Ruxin was so angry that she smashed the teacup on the table!
Why is it that after all her efforts, she couldn't become the adopted daughter of the Duke of Anguo, while Xiao Liulang, that despicable and shameless man from a lower state, could become the adopted son of the Duke of Anguo right away!
She was the one who cured Duke Anguo, so why did Xiao Liulang get the benefit?
She was not willing to accept it!
She was not willing to accept it!
-
The Duke's Mansion occupied a vast area, and under the old Duke's rule, it was divided into two mansions, east and west. The second son lived in the west mansion, and the Duke of Anguo lived in the east mansion. The old Duke thought that after his death, the two brothers would live far apart, so that there would be less unnecessary friction.
This really ruined the second wife's life.
The second wife has to manage the household affairs of the entire mansion, and she has to run over from the West Mansion every day. Why is she so thin? It's all from exhaustion.
Needless to say, Master Jing the Second was just like his elder brother's little shadow, following him wherever his elder brother went.
Before coming, Duke Anguo had already communicated with Gu Jiao about her needs and arranged a three-courtyard house for her, with enough rooms for one person and still some left over.
The servants were also carefully selected, and they kept their mouths shut.
The carriage stopped directly in front of Fengyuan Courtyard, where Duke Anguo had been waiting for a long time.
After getting off the carriage, Madam Nan and the others immediately spotted Duke Anguo sitting under the crabapple tree.
He sat in his wheelchair, facing the doorway. Though he could neither speak nor move, his joy and welcome were written in his eyes.
Master Lu and his wife stepped forward and greeted Duke Anguo: "Your Excellency, we are afraid we will be troubling you these next few days."
Duke Anguo wrote on the armrest: "I will not disturb you. My son's family is my family."
Dog, dog.
The two were momentarily stunned.
Didn't you know that Liulang was a girl?
Are you getting addicted to playing the role of someone with a son?
Gu Jiao didn't hide the comings and goings of the Duke of Anguo from her family, except for the matter of Jing Yinyin, which she didn't even tell the Duke of Anguo.
Alright, since one of you is willing to be the father and the other is willing to be the son, let's just leave it at that.
"Jiaojiao's godfather is really something," Master Lu muttered to himself as he looked at the words on the armrest.
Because they were standing face to face, the Duke of Anguo wrote all the characters upside down so that they could easily recognize them.
"Truly a pearl of the Yan Kingdom."
Master Lu spoke a little too loudly, and Duke Anguo heard him.
Duke Anguo wrote: "What pearl of Yan?"
Master Lu stammered, "Ah...this..."
Nan Shi Niang explained with a smile, "It's a rumor in the martial arts world that you are exceptionally talented, learned, and have an ethereal beauty. You are said to be the reincarnation of the Nine Heavens Star, so people in the martial arts world gave you the title 'Great Yan Pearl'."
The Duke of Anguo was no less legendary in his youth than Xuanyuan Sheng. The two of them, one a scholar and the other a warrior, were the envy of all the young men in the world and the dream lovers of all the women in the world.
"No need to be so polite."
Duke Anguo wrote.
He was referring to a respectful form of address.
They are all Gu Jiao's elders, of the same generation, so there's no need to distinguish between them.
The first meeting was very pleasant. Duke Anguo was essentially a scholar, but he did not have the aloofness and pedantry of other scholars. He was approachable, kind, and amiable. Even the usually picky Gu Yan felt that he was an elder who was easy to get along with.
Gu Jiao and Nan Shi Niang went to assign rooms. Duke Anguo sat quietly under a tree and had his servants turn his wheelchair around so that he could see Gu Jiao at all times.
Looking at her makes me very happy, as if I have found something important that I had lost, and my heart is filled with joy.
Gu Yan suddenly poked her small head out from behind the big tree.
"Here, take this."
Gu Yan placed a small clay figure on the armrest to his left.
The Duke of Anguo wrote with his right hand, "What is this?"
Gu Yan walked around to him, squatted down, and fiddled with the little clay figure on the armrest, saying, "This is a gift I made myself."
Having studied under Master Lu for so long, Gu Xiaoshun perfectly inherited his master's mantle, while Gu Yan only learned how to play with mud.
Gu Yan looked up at him and asked, "You sculpted my sister, do you like it?"
Oh, it's a person... Duke Anguo was speechless, he almost thought it was a monkey.
After tidying up the house, Gu Jiao had to return to the Imperial Preceptor's Palace, firstly to check on Gu Changqing's injuries, and secondly to bring her great-aunt and great-uncle over.
Duke Anguo wanted to escort her to her door.
Gu Jiao pushed his wheelchair towards the gate. As they passed an elegant courtyard, Gu Jiao subconsciously asked, "Whose courtyard is that?"
Duke Anguo wrote: "Yinyin, would you like to go in and take a look?"
"Mm." Gu Jiao nodded.
The servants laid a board on the threshold to make it easier for wheelchairs to get in and out.
Gu Jiao pushed the Duke of Anguo inside.
Although this was Jing Yinyin's courtyard, she died young before she could move in.
Two swings were set up in the courtyard, and some orchids were planted, which was very elegant and unique.
After Duke Anguo showed Gu Jiao around the front yard, he went to Yin Yin's boudoir.
This was truly the most exquisite and luxurious house Gu Jiao had ever seen; even a single pearl used as decoration was priceless.
"What are these things—" Gu Jiao asked, pointing to the strange little weapons on the display cabinet.
Duke Anguo wrote: "These were all gifts given to Yinyin by her maternal grandfather."
Gu Jiao's gaze fell on a scroll: "They also sent a portrait, may I take a look?"
Duke Anguo wrote without hesitation: "Of course, this portrait was sent together with the swords and bows in the box. It must have been accidentally packed in the wrong place."
He wanted to send it back, but unfortunately, he didn't have the chance.
This box of things was sent by Xuan Yuanli before he went to war. When they met again, Xuan Yuanli was already a cold corpse.
Gu Jiao opened the portrait and was instantly stunned.
Huh?
Isn't this the portrait I saw in the study in the Purple Bamboo Grove?
He is a general in armor, holding Xuan Yuanli's red-tasseled spear, but his face is blank.
"Is this Xuanyuan Li?" Gu Jiao asked.
“No,” said Duke Anguo. “Yinyin’s maternal grandfather did not have this set of armor.”
Xuanyuan Li's most famous armor is his golden armor. He also has several sets of silver armor and black armor, but none of them are this one.
Gu Jiao tilted her head.
Who is this person?
Why was he able to wield Xuanyuan Li's weapon?
Why did both the Imperial Preceptor and Xuanyuan Li collect his portrait?
Will he be the third little clay figure to join Xuanyuan Li and the Imperial Preceptor in their oath of brotherhood in the Peach Garden?
The very important person the Grand Preceptor mentioned, someone who was both a teacher and a friend?
I'm sneaking in an extra chapter, do you have any monthly tickets to share?
(End of this chapter)
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