Chapter 87 Exposing the Truth (Second Update)
It sounded like a man reading aloud, intermittently, pausing at the same point each time before starting over.
Xiao Jingkong's obsessive-compulsive disorder couldn't take it anymore. He walked over with his chicks and saw Gu Dashun with a furrowed brow under a big tree outside the Gu family's house.
Xiao Jingkong knew Gu Dashun, but he had never spoken to him. He didn't understand why Gu Dashun didn't study at home but instead went to study under the tree.
The family was arguing fiercely over the tea leaves and the old hen. The second wife blamed the first wife for coming up with a bad idea, while the first wife blamed the second wife's son, Gu Xiaoshun, for messing things up...
Unable to concentrate, Gu Dashun sought refuge under a tree for some peace and quiet. Unexpectedly, as he recited the words, he discovered that he didn't know a few of them.
"Dodge! This word is pronounced 'dodge'!" Xiao Jingkong said, standing behind him and looking at the words in his book.
The sudden soft, childlike voice startled Gu Dashun. He turned his head and looked at Xiao Jingkong in surprise.
Xiao Jingkong has been in the village for so long; he has heard of him and seen him from afar, but they have never interacted.
Seeing that he looked confused, Xiao Jingkong thought he didn't understand, so he repeated it again: "埵, pronounced like the 'hidden' in 'hidden'!"
Gu Dashun wouldn't believe a three-year-old child, and turned his face away indifferently: "Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand."
Xiao Jingkong, hands on hips, declared: "I'm not making this up! I've studied it!"
Gu Dashun said, "How could you possibly have studied that?"
Xiao Jingkong said, "I already know the Vajrasattva mantra by heart!"
Gu Dashun looked at him with suspicion, then pointed to another word and said, "What about this one?"
“No! ‘All Buddhas of the three times attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi by relying on Prajnaparamita’! The Heart Sutra!” He rattled off the words in one breath, so fluently that he didn’t even pause.
Even if Gu Dashun didn't understand Buddhist scriptures, he knew that such a difficult sentence couldn't have been made up by a three-and-a-half-year-old child.
So he really does know how.
Afterwards, Gu Dashun pointed out a few more words to Xiao Jingkong, some of which he knew and some of which he did not. Unexpectedly, Xiao Jingkong recognized them all and could accurately say where they came from.
Xiao Jingkong looked at Gu Dashun with a pained expression: "How did you study? I heard you were a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the lowest level of the imperial examinations). Are all Xiucai this bad?"
Xiao Jingkong suddenly remembered that his bad brother-in-law had just passed the imperial examination and become a Xiucai. Could he also be so bad at it?
How are you going to support your family?
Will it be able to sustain me until I grow up?
Worried about the family's financial difficulties, Xiao Jingkong suddenly lost interest in walking the chicks and brought all the chicks, from Xiao Yi to Xiao Qi, home.
After putting the chicks back in the coop, he immediately went to the west room.
He is not very good at writing yet, mainly because he lacks strength and cannot hold the brush properly, but he has scriptures.
He rummaged through his small box and pulled out a few scriptures. He came to Xiao Liulang, casually flipped to a page, pointed to an unfamiliar character, and asked, "How do you pronounce this?"
Xiao Liulang glanced at him and read it aloud indifferently.
Xiao Jingkong frowned seriously and nodded secretly.
You didn't misread it.
Xiao Jingkong pointed to another character, which was the very first character that Gu Dashun didn't know.
Xiao Liulang read it aloud with ease.
"Hmm." Xiao Jingkong was fairly satisfied.
After that, he tested Xiao Liulang on many more words, and Xiao Liulang answered each one correctly.
He then tested Xiao Liulang's interpretation, which was similar to his master's, and even more concise and insightful.
Well, it seems that my bad brother-in-law has been studying hard, and Xiao Jingkong can finally relax a little.
Xiao Liulang had no idea what he was up to. He thought he had suddenly wanted to learn to read.
Children in the town begin their formal education at the age of seven, but the young monk is smarter than the average child and has some prior knowledge of the subject from his time at the temple, so perhaps sending him to primary school earlier would be a good option.
That way, I won't have to stick to Gu Jiao all day long.
Xiao Liulang secretly kept the matter of the young monk's enlightenment in mind.
On the other side, Lord Gu's injuries have basically healed.
He didn't say that he was kicked like that by his own daughter; he only said that he fell accidentally, and the servants were forced to believe him.
Huang Zhong received a letter from his family in the capital.
After reading the letter, Lord Gu's brows furrowed into a deep frown.
Huang Zhong asked, "What's wrong, Lord Marquis? Has something happened at the Marquis's residence?"
Lord Gu sighed: "The Marquis's residence is fine; it's a letter from Consort Shu."
Huang Zhong asked in bewilderment, "Your Highness Consort Shu? Does she want to see you?"
Lord Gu helplessly folded the letter back into the envelope: "Her birthday is coming soon. Jin Yu's birthday is in the same month as hers. She asked me when I would bring Jin Yu back to the capital. This year is Jin Yu's coming-of-age ceremony, and she told me not to forget."
Huang Zhong sighed, "Yes, in the blink of an eye, Miss is almost fifteen."
Lord Gu said, "There are still six months to go."
Twins (a boy and a girl) are born in October.
Huang Zhong smiled and said, "The Consort Shu must be thinking of Miss Shu."
Consort Shu is the younger sister of Marquis Gu. She has an excellent relationship with the former Marquis's wife. She is not very warm towards Yao, her second wife, and is also indifferent to Gu Yan. Only Gu Jinyu has won her favor because of his talent.
Lord Gu has a headache.
He cannot return to the capital yet, and even if he does, he will take Yao Shi and Gu Yan with him.
After all, it was Jin Yu's coming-of-age ceremony, how could she not have her own mother by her side?
Moreover, he noticed that Gu Yan's condition had improved significantly and he could return to the capital with her.
"And... what about Miss?" Huang Zhong was referring to Gu Jiao.
"Of course, we took them with us," said Lord Gu.
So decisive? Are you asking for trouble?
Huang Zhong was stunned: "No more blood tests for kinship?"
Lord Gu bristled and retorted, "You still have to be able to get it! Go get it!"
Huang Zhong shrank back: "This subordinate dares not."
Lord Gu frowned and said, "Yan'er is so close to her, there can't be any mistake. As for the medicinal ingredient, the medicine from Huichuntang is effective for now, and it won't matter if the medicinal ingredient is delayed a little longer. It's just..."
"Just what?" Huang Zhong asked.
Lord Gu pondered for a moment and said, "That child grew up in the countryside and has many bad habits. She has no manners or demeanor whatsoever that of a young lady. If she returns to the capital, she will surely be criticized. Before we go back, we must find someone to teach her properly."
Huang Zhong's eyes darted around: "You...did you skip some crucial steps? For example...maybe the young lady herself isn't happy about it?"
Lord Gu dusted off his wide sleeves: "Hmph! Is there any room for her to be unhappy about this? I am her biological father! Whether she believes it or not, if I really want to take her away, can she rebel?"
Huang Zhong curled his lip. Who was that that young lady hung on the tree?
Lord Gu wasn't putting on a brave face; at this moment, his biggest worry wasn't Gu Jiao, but Yao Shi.
He didn't know how to bring it up with Yao in a way that would minimize the impact on her.
"Where is Madam?" Lord Gu asked.
Huang Zhong recalled: "It seems to have been in the peony garden outside the hot spring. I just saw the lady when I passed by there."
The Yao family was indeed in the peony garden.
After Gu Jinyu's peonies were damaged, Lord Gu had several more plants brought over by fast horses and set aside a new courtyard for Gu Jinyu to use as a peony garden.
This can be considered compensation for Gu Jinyu losing her maid Yuru.
Gu Jinyu and Madam Yao sat in the center of the peony garden playing chess: "Mother, it's your turn."
Yao was lost in thought.
Gu Jinyu waved his hand in front of her eyes: "Mother, Mother!"
Madam Yao snapped out of her daze and smiled apologetically, "Have we arrived yet? Let me show you how to get there."
Gu Jinyu took the chess piece she had just picked up and said gently, "You must be tired after playing for so long. Why don't you rest for a while and have something to eat?"
"Hmm." Madam Yao nodded, and had the maid remove the chessboard and bring over a plate of freshly cut fruit and a box of osmanthus cakes that she had made herself.
Gu Jinyu ate some fruit and also tasted a small bite of osmanthus cake.
Madam Yao could tell that she didn't really want to eat. The reason was that Jin Yu's aunt, Consort Shu, had once said that eating too many snacks would make her fat.
After that, Jin Yu rarely touched anything sweet or cloying.
"Mother, you look great lately," Gu Jinyu said to Yao Shi with a smile.
Yao touched her cheek.
Yes, after using Miss Gu's medicine, she felt much more relaxed. She could eat and sleep well, and she was no longer so prone to feeling down.
The only puzzling thing is that she's been thinking about Miss Gu a lot lately, and she was just lost in thought when she was thinking about her.
I shouldn't have been so distracted while playing chess with my daughter.
"Mother, please wait a moment!" Gu Jinyu put down the pastries in her hand, walked to a nearby room to get a cloak and put it on Yao Shi. "It's windy, be careful not to catch a cold."
The daughter was considerate, but Yao felt unworthy of her daughter's consideration.
No one knew that she actually had a secret in her heart.
She used to loathe Jinyu terribly.
She had liked Gu Yan more than Jin Yu since she was a new mother. Looking at the baby in swaddling clothes, she always felt a sense of inability to get close to him.
When they were three years old, Gu Yan splashed a bowl of medicine on Jin Yu. Jin Yu was furious and rushed over, pinning Gu Yan to the ground and straddling him tightly.
Gu Yan was so overwhelmed that she could hardly breathe.
After she noticed, she walked over, roughly pulled Jin Yu away, and slapped her across the face!
Gu Yan struck first, so it's normal for Jin Yu to retaliate, especially since they're both just three-year-old children.
As a mother, she could have simply separated the two children; there was no need for her to hit her.
She still remembers Jin Yu's surprised and hurt look.
Jin Yu cried and called for her mother, but she felt no pity for her and instead had an impulse to abandon her!
So much time has passed since that incident, and neither of the children has any memory of it. She has finally rediscovered her feelings for her daughter through their daily interactions.
But whenever she thinks about this, she feels unworthy of being a mother.
Everyone believed that her heartache stemmed from her relationship with the Marquis and from the criticism of the world.
Actually, no.
She couldn't forgive herself for not loving her child, or even considering abandoning him, as a mother.
Jinyu is a perfect child.
Even though he had hurt her so much in the past, she still respected him and was infinitely tolerant of his younger brother who always bullied her.
"Mother, why are you crying?" Gu Jinyu noticed Yao's tears.
Madam Yao wiped away her tears and said with a bitter smile, "Don't you feel that your mother hasn't been good enough to you all these years?"
Gu Jinyu grasped Yao's hand and said solemnly, "How could that be? Mother is very good to me, just like Father and Grandmother. You and my brother are the closest people to me in this world. I will love you all for the rest of my life."
On her way back, Gu Jinyu was called away by her maid. Another pot of peonies had arrived, and she had to go and inspect it.
Madam Yao walked back to the courtyard alone, without letting the maids follow her.
As she passed by an artificial hill, Yao heard the sound of arguing.
"Are you out of your mind? How can you spout such nonsense? Be careful someone hears this and reports it to the Marquis and his wife, and they'll kill you!"
"Auntie, I'm not lying! I heard it with my own ears!"
Madam Yao recognized the two voices: one was Granny Fang from her courtyard, and the other was Granny Fang's cousin, Cuicui.
Cui Cui was sweeping and cleaning outside Lord Gu's study.
The conversation continued, and Yao stopped walking.
"You must have misheard!" Granny Fang scolded.
Cui Cui shouted, "I didn't mishear! That's what the Marquis said! Our young lady was switched at birth! She's not the Marquis and Madam's biological daughter!"
Yao felt as if she had been struck on the head, and asked blankly, "What did you say? Who switched the babies?"
"Madam?" Cui Cui and Granny Fang turned their heads and were both taken aback.
Yao stood before Cuicui, stunned. "Say what you just said again. What do you mean by 'switched at birth'? What do you mean by 'not her biological child'?"
Granny Fang hurriedly said, "Madam, don't listen to her nonsense..."
Yao shouted angrily, "Shut up!"
Yao was a gentle person, but even a rabbit will bite when cornered.
Cui Cui lowered her head and stammered, "Miss...Miss was given the wrong baby. She's not your and the Marquis's daughter. The real Miss grew up in a village, where she was both ugly and foolish, and was often bullied. When the Marquis found her, she..."
Yao didn't hear what was said after that; she only felt her vision go black and the world spin around her.
Then she closed her eyes and collapsed heavily to the ground.
(End of this chapter)
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