Chapter 14: Conferring the Title of County Princess
The third day of March.
There was a constant stream of guests in front of the gate of Marquis Jing'an's Mansion.
The front of the Shouguo Mansion was not as deserted as the Zhou family had imagined. After all, Gu Congyun had made real contributions in guarding the border over the years. Many ministers in the court were grateful for the contributions that the Shouguo Mansion had made to Dayao over the years, and came with sincere blessings.
There were not many empty seats at the table they had prepared, so it was quite lively.
Both the prime minister of the current dynasty and the highly respected grand tutor came to the Gu family.
The common people who liked to watch the excitement gathered in front of the gate of the Shouguo Mansion, watching one court official or their family members come to the Gu family for a banquet one after another, and felt that they would never have another chance to see so many high-ranking officials at the same time in their lifetime.
When Zang Jizhi, the chief physician of the Imperial Physician Department, arrived, not only the people were surprised, but even Gu Congyun and Zhuang Hefeng were a little surprised.
After all, this imperial physician had been to the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion frequently over the past year. It was also rumored that Zhou Yuzhi, the second son of the Zhou family, had received his medical guidance and was very likely to become his disciple.
Even this time, the Little Medical Fairy agreed to enter Dizhou City to help the old lady of the Zhou family treat her illness because of Zang Jizhi's face, because the Little Medical Fairy and he were from the same school.
"Doctor Zang, please come in..."
Gu Yuting, who was arranging everything inside, was also a little surprised when he saw Zang Jizhi.
Zang Jizhi ignored his confusion and followed him in very naturally, then sat down in a suitable place.
An even more surprising person appeared.
Gu Yulou really wanted to help, but his face, which rarely smiled, was not suitable for greeting others, so Gu Congyun and his wife arranged a very suitable job for him, which was to keep a close eye on the accompanying personnel of each mansion and prevent anyone who shouldn't be there from sneaking in.
On the contrary, Gu Yuxuan felt like a fish in water. He grew up in Dizhou City and was more familiar with these elders, so he was responsible for chatting with them before the ceremony began.
I saw him moving between the tables with ease, busy and having a lot of fun.
“I didn’t expect so many people to come…”
At the gate, people were talking.
"I thought everyone would go over there because of the Zhou family's reputation as the Little Medical Immortal. I also didn't want it to be too crowded, so I thought I'd just stay here. I didn't expect there to be so many people here, and they all hold high positions, each one higher than the other..."
Just when the people thought that most people had arrived, a person who no one would have expected appeared.
"Master Qing Tuan, is that Master Qing Tuan?"
"Daoist Master Qing Tuan, who is rarely seen by high-ranking officials, and the head of Xuandi Temple, who has never attended any banquets, actually came?"
After Zang Jizhi just now, Taoist Qing Tuan of the Xianfeng Daoist Order left Gu Congyun and his wife speechless.
"Master!"
Gu Yulou was the first to react. He quickly bowed and led Taoist Qing Tuan inside.
The nobles who were already seated inside were all very surprised to see that Taoist Qing Tuan had actually come.
Some people couldn't help but stand up and greet them. Taoist Qing Tuan responded one by one, and then emphasized that he had a connection with the daughter of the Gu family, so he came to attend the young friend's family recognition banquet and hoped not to disrupt the host family's arrangements.
The words "little friend" coming out of Master Qing Tuan's mouth made everyone's expectations for Gu Ruanci even higher.
Her background was originally the biggest controversy surrounding her, but now with the favor of Master Qing Tuan, it would be much easier for her to gain a foothold in Dizhou.
The family recognition banquet began. Gu Congyun and Zhuang Hefeng saw these heavyweights and thought that it didn’t matter even if the Jing’an Marquis’ Mansion won in numbers.
The gate of the Shouguo Mansion was not closed, and the banquet was held in the courtyard, so the common people could see it. This was also a special arrangement made by the Shouguo Mansion. Since they wanted to recognize their relatives in a high-profile manner, there was no need to avoid the common people.
Anyone outside the door can get the wedding money from the Duke's Mansion. Although it is not much, it is also a sign of joy.
"Thank you all for taking the time to attend my daughter's homecoming and recognition banquet. I'm sure everyone knows my daughter's background. She was the only child willing to follow He Sheng when she left Dizhou. My husband and I have been stationed at the border for many years, and we really couldn't bring her with us, which is why she wandered for so long. Now she has finally returned to us. We, the Shouguo Mansion, finally have a daughter. I am honored to introduce her to everyone, our daughter - Gu Ruanci."
Gu Congyun was a little excited and his lips stuttered several times while he was speaking.
"I also ask everyone present today to bear witness. Ruanci is our biological daughter. When He Sheng entrusted her to us, we immediately entered her into the family tree and secured her surname. We never considered her a daughter, but simply a title. Marrying her off and preparing a dowry for her in the future will be a way to explain ourselves to our friends and to have a clear conscience. Whatever the Gu family has, Ruanci will surely have. My husband and I, along with our sons, will protect Ruanci with our lives."
Gu Congyun's words made everyone present feel very excited.
When Gu Ruanci appeared, many people were stunned by her appearance. Beauty and grace were naturally not the main point, but anyone with memory could see that she was exactly the same as Ye Hesheng back then.
Older people even think that she is more like the original wife of the old Marquis of Yunyang, that is, Ye Hesheng's mother.
"I'm here to meet you, elders. I'll be living in the Imperial State from now on, so please take good care of me..."
Gu Ruanci's actions and behavior were impeccable. Whether she was being scrutinized by men or women, she was impeccable.
At this time, a voice came from outside, and the eldest prince arrived.
The people were even more agitated. They never expected that someone would come from the palace in person, and it was the eldest son of the emperor and empress.
The eldest prince Lu Enyou has received the most strict training in the palace since he was a child. He is a very talented person and his position as the crown prince is basically secure.
"Greetings to the Grand Prince..."
After everyone saluted, Lu Enyou said directly: "Your Excellency, this time I am here in the name of my father, the emperor, and I have brought the imperial edict."
Upon hearing this, everyone knelt down again in haste.
"The Emperor has decreed that the Gu family has a daughter who is soft-spoken. The past cannot be a constraint for her. Now that she has the wholehearted protection of the nation's pillars, she will be canonized as the Princess of Chaoyang County effective immediately. The marriage will still be decided by the two parents of the Shouguo Mansion. I decree this."
After the decree was read, Lu Enyou went to Gu Congyun on purpose.
"My Lord, my father said that you only came to the palace to seek his help in announcing the title of Duke's daughter. He feels that your years of service are unworthy. Since there is no title above Duke, he will confer the title on your daughter as a token of his appreciation."
The family recognition banquet at the Duke's Mansion was full of climaxes and was simply perfect. From today on, everyone knew that Gu Ruanci was not only the legitimate daughter of the Gu family in the true sense, but also the county lord personally appointed by the emperor. No matter how much the Zhou family jumped around, it had nothing to do with them.
Gu Ruanci had just thanked the emperor and accepted his order when another servant hurried in at the door.
"My Lord, Madam, the eldest son has sent someone back!"
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