In the Capital, who doesn’t know the Prince’s princely heir? He is not famous for good reasons but rather infamous. The Princess Consort previously gave birth to four sons, but they all died young. Many years later, she gave birth to this son, Xianwu, who survived and naturally beca the apple of her eye.
As the nephew of the Emperor, he was pampered beyond asure, engaging in unruly behavior, including theft and fights—actions unbecoming of his status.
It wasn’t that Gu Yifeng looked down on them, but what good could one learn from befriending such a person?
"It’s rare for Xianwu to make so decent friends." Gu Er nodded slightly, and Gu Yifeng began to speak again, his tone not without a hint of mockery.
Gu Er blushed, "He does ss around usually, but he makes friends from all walks of life of varying quality."
Unwilling to listen further, Gu Yifeng impatiently interrupted, "Do as you see fit then."
Seeing his brother relent, Gu Er relaxed a little, then respectfully took his leave.
Gu Yifeng no longer looked at him, thinking that he would not be able to sustain being a scholar for long given his nature, so he ignored him.
anwhile, at the Duke Mansion, Mrs. Gao watched her daughter return with only her nanny. After quietly listening to Nanny Guan recount the events, she was dazed for a long ti.
Shock, bewildernt, anger, and a sense of disappointnt—her heart had mixed feelings she couldn’t describe.
She felt her heart being squeezed tightly, released, and then squeezed again, as if sothing was pressing on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
"I’m just a woman of the house, and I can’t make decisions on this matter. Let’s wait until your father returns." Mrs. Gao did not look at her kneeling daughter, simply instructing Qinglu beside her, "Go to the mansion gate and wait. When the Duke returns, bring him straight here, telling him I have important matters to discuss."
Qinglu acknowledged the instructions gravely and withdrew.
In the room, apart from the other maid icai, there was only Nanny Guan standing by and Mrs. Kong kneeling in the middle.
"When you married into the Marquis Mansion, I advised you. Over the years, seeing you settle there, I thought you had matured. Now I see I was mistaken."
Mrs. Kong had been silent the entire way back, and upon returning to the Duke Mansion, it was Nanny Guan who narrated the events. She knelt down as soon as she saw her mother.
"Once married, you are no longer the sheltered girl at ho. Under one roof with many other family mbers, including your mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, you can’t always act on your whims. Your mother-in-law was kind enough; even if she didn’t like you, she did not trouble you, which allowed you to live peacefully. Yet you failed to appreciate this and even resorted to violence against your husband. No wonder your mother-in-law sent you back."
"If you were my daughter-in-law, I would have sent you away long ago without a second thought, not allowing you to return to stay in the house." Mrs. Gao seed to mutter to herself, sitting on the couch, looking out the window at the view of the courtyard.
Her voice was calm, not hysterically berating her daughter or pointing fingers like a storm, but as if she were discussing the day’s weather.
Long before, after the incident during her daughter’s seclusion, Mrs. Gao regretted spoiling her daughter, realizing that her indulgence was a way of harming her.
A well-bred daughter ended up so twisted, no wonder her mother-in-law criticized her sternly.
After that incident, her mother-in-law even sent two principal maids to the Duke to serve as concubines; Mrs. Gao, who had maintained her dignity for half her life, was ultimately ruined by her daughter.
"Madam, the girl also understands now. If Madam doesn’t forgive her, whom can she rely on?" Nanny Guan understood Madam’s bitterness, but she couldn’t let the girl’s life be ruined like this.
Mrs. Gao remained silent and didn’t promise anything.
Nanny Guan dared not speak further.
By the ti the Duke returned at dusk, Mrs. Kong had been kneeling for three hours without drinking a drop of water. Although the room had a coal stove to keep warm in winter, the chill from the ground was intense, and her knees went numb in less than an hour.
Although the Duke’s temper had llowed over the years, when stopped by Qinglu and brought directly to the main courtyard, he listened to Nanny Guan recount the events, then just nodded, looking at his kneeling daughter with undisguised disappointnt.
"Do you realize your mistake?" Ultimately, despite not having managed her for a decade, the Duke’s heart ached for his daughter, feeling the punishnt had been enough.
Mrs. Kong’s previously blank expression finally showed emotion; tears slowly flowed from her eyes, "I realize my mistakes."
"Good, then tell where you went wrong?"
"I shouldn’t have acted on whims, forgetting my parents’ repeated guidance. As a daughter of a noble family, I lacked self-discipline and rashly disregarded propriety. Marrying into a noble family, I failed to uphold my duties as a wife, and it’s understandable that my mother-in-law sent back to avoid tarnishing the Gu Family’s reputation."
The Duke nodded, "Good, well said. Saying this proves you truly understand your fault, and so my wife and I restoring face to send you back to the Marquis Mansion would be worthwhile."
He motioned for a servant to take Mrs. Kong away.
Although Mrs. Gao sat beside him without saying a word, after her daughter was led away by the maid, her eyes reddened, "Think of this girl—had she understood this principle earlier, she wouldn’t have suffered this much."
"Well, it’s not too late now that she’s realized it. Gu Er still has feelings for her, so it won’t matter." The Duke dared not ntion how his daughter’s disposition resembled her mother’s, "The issue has already been resolved, so don’t get upset and make yourself unwell."
Seeing her husband’s concern for her, Mrs. Gao felt a bit better, "You’ve been working all day; I’ll instruct the servants to prepare hot water for you."
The Duke nodded.
With things resolved at the Duke Mansion, over at the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, Aunt He had worried herself thin. Ever since the first son was confined to his courtyard, she had also been restricted, unable to gather any information and unable to calm her heart.
Originally, she had been ineloquent, and after years with the Marquis, their affection had waned. Now in her current situation, she couldn’t even et the Marquis.
She regretted not striving harder at the Marquis’s side in the past, securing his attention, which might have prevented her current plight.
When Aunt Lv entered, Aunt He froze for a mont, then pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, standing to greet her, "You’ve co, my sister."
They didn’t usually interact much, and considering Aunt He’s current situation, Aunt Lv’s visit naturally surprised her.
Aunt Lv smiled, "Have a seat, sister. There’s no need for formalities between us. I’ve been wanting to visit, but I couldn’t find the ti. I just ca from the Madam’s courtyard and happened to pass by your place, so I ca to see you."
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