Wang Yongzhu looked at Gu Zikai, who was pretending to be all world-weary, and really wanted to say, your cohort has only been gone for three years, okay? He makes it sound as if decades have passed.
"Back in the day?" Please, what a joke!
Not to ntion the noble Hanlin Academy; only the top scorers can enter. How many people are envious and can’t even hide it? Yet he’s being all pretentious about it.
If the students all over the country learned of this, they wouldn’t hesitate to shove Gu Zikai into a sack at night and drag him into an alley for a good beating.
However, everyone has different aspirations, and Gu Zikai isn’t the type who can sit peacefully in the Hanlin Academy copying books and gaining experience.
He seems to want an opportunity to go out and make sothing of himself.
After pondering for a while, Wang Yongzhu said, "Does Uncle know?"
In today’s Gu Family, Uncle’s word is the final decision. If Gu Zikai truly wants to be posted outside, he would probably need Gu Changqing’s consent.
Gu Zikai nodded: "Father is also considering it."
So Wang Yongzhu didn’t need to worry anymore. She looked around and saw no one nearby; the maids and old won serving them had tactfully retreated to the back.
Only then did she whisper, "If Cousin has this intention, it would be best to plan early. If nothing unexpected happens, as early as the first half of this year or as late as the second half, the trade route over the grasslands might be on the agenda. By then, there will likely be many interested parties."
"If you plan ahead, first—" She then softly ntioned the several important town positions that Song Chongjin had already taken a liking to.
These are the must-pass routes once the trade routes open. As long as they are managed well, these towns will all beco comrcial centers in the future.
Gu Zikai silently morized those nas, then bowed towards Wang Yongzhu, communicating everything without words.
In the middle of their conversation, they arrived at Old Lady Gu’s courtyard.
Hearing that Wang Yongzhu and Gu Zikai had co, Old Lady Gu hurriedly had soone lift the curtain to let the cousins in.
After exchanging a few words, Gu Zikai noticed that Old Lady Gu seed to have sothing to say privately to Wang Yongzhu, so he found an excuse and left first.
Only Old Lady Gu and Wang Yongzhu were left in the room.
Old Lady Gu beckoned for Wang Yongzhu to sit by her side and, embracing her, affectionately said, "My poor Yongzhu suffered an injustice today, my poor child!"
Saying this, she had soone bring out what she had prepared for Wang Yongzhu—ten or so boxes, large and small. When opened, they contained either head ornants or gold and silver ingots.
Wang Yongzhu quickly declined, simultaneously instructing a servant to present the agarwood Buddha statue and Buddha beads that she had prepared for Old Lady Gu.
"I’ve already taken so many good things from Grandmother. These are gifts from the Imperial Noble Consort; they’re rare, so I’m offering them in filial respect to Grandmother."
Old Lady Gu saw that both the Buddha statue and beads were fine palace items. The things were valuable, but even more precious was Wang Yongzhu’s filial piety, making her feel even more affectionate.
Normally, family scandals shouldn’t be spread outside, but Yongzhu was her granddaughter, so she wasn’t really an outsider.
Moreover, if she didn’t explain, Yongzhu might misunderstand, leading to estrangent. What then?
Thus, with a sigh, she took Wang Yongzhu’s hand and explained in detail the origins and personality of Lady Quan.
At last, she added, "You shouldn’t take your Second Aunt too seriously. That’s just her nature. It’s nothing malicious; she simply looks out for your Second Uncle."
Only then did Wang Yongzhu understand, but the proverb goes, ’Distance does not make relations stronger,’ so she dared not take it completely to heart just yet.
Not to ntion, she’s just a half-recognized granddaughter, while Lady Quan is, after all, the wife of the Second Branch. You must consider your Second Uncle even if not for Lady Quan herself.
Old Lady Gu could be said to self-deprecate, but if Wang Yongzhu truly didn’t understand propriety and followed suit in criticizing Lady Quan, she’d surely offend the Second Branch.
Therefore, she simply smiled and comforted Old Lady Gu, "I think my Second Aunt conducted herself quite well without being impolite. The matter of a eting gift was simply due to my sudden visit. My Second Aunt doesn’t live in the Capital City, so she wasn’t aware, which is understandable."
In doing so, she was giving Lady Quan an excuse.
Old Lady Gu rolled her eyes, clearly disapproving of Lady Quan: "The words she told you were probably taught by your Second Uncle in private, making her morize them to repeat. If it were up to her, could she really have co up with those words?"
Old Lady Gu knew her own son and this daughter-in-law of the Second Branch well.
When she got married and found her unsuitable, they regretted it to no avail. It was the Gu Family’s Second Child who ca up with a solution.
Notably, after consulting with the Eldest Lady of the Gu Family, they observed the different people they t when going out and devised a template on what should be said.
What to say when eting elders, what to say when eting juniors—all carefully planned, and then Lady Quan morized it all.
When eting people, she’d just say it like rehearsed lines, then act like a wallflower, just smiling at the side.
If anyone asked her sothing, she’d just nod or shake her head, uttering a few words occasionally, with the Eldest Lady of the Gu Family filling in the details.
Most people praised the Gu Family’s Second Madam as having a cool and reserved temperant with few words.
So clever people might have noticed sothing fishy, but with no grievances or conflicts, why would they expose it?
And so it goes for many years, and after the Second Branch was posted elsewhere, even fewer paid attention to Lady Quan.
It’s clear that the words Lady Quan said were likely instructed by my family’s second child before she returned to the Capital City.
Wait! Old Lady Gu suddenly realized, if my second child taught Lady Quan those words, with his ticulous nature, how could he not have prepared a gift for Yongzhu?
With this thought, Old Lady Gu’s expression beca somber.
Wang Yongzhu, however, found herself intrigued by this uncle she hadn’t t yet; this is a classic internal and external managent style in both officialdom and family!
Uncle is quite a character! To have devised such a strategy!
No wonder Lady Quan initially seed plausible enough to deceive people!
Just about to make so humorous remarks, she noticed Old Lady Gu’s face cloud over. Although she quickly concealed it, Wang Yongzhu decided it wasn’t wise to continue.
So she changed the subject, ntioning Gu Changque’s marriage plans, then remarked on how in just a few days, Old Granny Zhang would be setting off from Chicheng County.
Old Lady Gu imdiately set aside thoughts of her second son’s family. The matter of Niuniu returning was significant.
For the mont, the conversation was pleasant.
When the Eldest Lady of the Gu Family arrived, she saw that Old Lady Gu had already been coaxed into a cheerful mood by Wang Yongzhu, and her heart settled.
Lunch was laid out in the main courtyard, n at one table, won at another.
Lady Quan and her daughters arrived late, drawing glances from everyone.
Gu Zirou was the first to apologize, explaining that the mother and daughter hadn’t seen each other in years, and got carried away talking, thus explaining away their tardiness.
Wang Yongzhu, with her sharp eyes, noticed that Gu Zii had also changed her clothes, redone her hair, and her makeup was a bit heavier.
Looking closely, her face looked uneven, with one side faintly showing fingerprints despite the makeup covering it.
She was shocked—had she been beaten? By whom? Was it her Second Aunt, Lady Quan, or her cousin, Gu Family’s Second Daughter?
Gu Zii kept her head down throughout, saying little.
Old Lady Gu, still harboring anger, didn’t show a pleasant expression. She maintained so decorum out of consideration for her two grandsons-in-law present, though her deanor was certainly colder than before. Almost as if in defiance, she deliberately called Wang Yongzhu to sit beside her, squeezing Lady Quan further back.
Gu Zirou and Gu Zitang understood that their grandmother was reprimanding their mother and wisely pretended not to see.
Separated by the screen, the n’s table remained obliviously lively.
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