The guards didn’t know whether Liao Family’s words were true or not, but they saw Gu Dashun’s attitude very clearly, so they imdiately blocked Liao Family.
Not long after, Gu Changlu also rushed over upon hearing the news.
He saw the current Gu Xiaoshun, and was so shocked that he couldn’t speak.
The least regarded rogue in the Gu Family had suddenly beco a favored figure in the court.
He tried to speak to Gu Xiaoshun, but was similarly stopped by the accompanying guards.
"Daughter-in-law! Daughter-in-law! I am your father-in-law!" Seeing that Gu Xiaoshun refused to acknowledge him as a father, he hurriedly sought help from Chen Yun.
"Won are tender-hearted, if she pleads for , Xiaoshun will surely listen!"
However, Chen Yun did not even look back.
The Gu Family had not been well these years, and Old Master Gu passed away, leaving behind a ss, with the first and second branches dividing the family.
Gu Dashun’s path to the imperial examination was not smooth. When Xiao Liulang ranked first in the village, he broke down, and thereafter perford worse and worse, causing the family to incur heavy debts to support his exams.
Later, he found a daughter of a rice rchant to marry, but seeing his consistent failure to pass the exams, her family no longer wished to support him.
He had no choice but to work as a teacher at a village school. He was arrogant and impatient with students, was dismissed several tis, and no private school would employ him anymore.
The second branch once dread of financial support for Gu Ershun’s exams, and spent all twenty taels from selling Gu Xiaoshun on him, only for it to be a wasted effort.
"Xiaoshun, we are your real parents! You can’t treat us like this! Is there any justice?"
"Aren’t you afraid we’ll report to the Yan? An unfilial cri... let’s see if you can still be an official!"
"Is there any law left? He is my son! My real son!"
Gu Xiaoshun pretended not to hear.
The villagers knew the truth, and everyone for miles knew that the second branch sold Xiaoshun. Which sold child ever cos back to support their parents in old age?
Truly shaless!
Gu Xiaoshun did not stay long in the village. He brought his wife to sweep the graves and offer incense to his third uncle and aunt, and also kowtowed on behalf of Gu Jiao to Xiao Hen and Jingkong.
Actually, Gu Jiao’s room always had the morial tablets of the Gu Family’s third branch, and every morial day, Qingming, or New Year, she would pay respects. When she went off to campaign, Xiao Hen would buy the incense, candles, and paper money to offer.
...
Gu Xiaoshun returned to the Capital in April.
Near the Capital City, Chen Yun suddenly fainted, and Gu Xiaoshun hurriedly sent soone to deliver the news to the Capital.
Gu Changqing happened to be on Bishui Alley: "I’ll take you there."
Gu Jiao: "Okay."
The two went together to the post station outside the southern gate of the Capital City, where Gu Jiao checked Chen Yun’s pulse, then smiled and said to Gu Xiaoshun: "Xiao Yun is pregnant, she got heatstroke from the stuffiness in the carriage, but she’ll be fine after a rest."
Gu Xiaoshun was dumbfounded: "I, I, I... I’m going to be a dad?"
Three years into their marriage, this was their first child.
He felt indescribable joy.
When Chen Yun woke up and learned she was finally pregnant, she was so emotional she nearly cried.
Three years of marriage without children left her in despair; although no family mbers pressured her, she had always hoped to bear a child for her husband.
The group boarded a carriage.
Gu Changqing rode alone beside the carriage, silently protecting his sister and their family inside.
It was an ordinary afternoon, even the weather of late spring was as uniformly predictable as ever.
It was destined to be a mundane day.
However, suddenly, the curtain of the carriage was lifted.
Gu Changqing turned to look at his sister, who had lifted the curtain, and asked: "Is there sothing you need?"
In the sunlight, Gu Jiao looked at him and smiled lightly: "Brother."
Gu Changqing felt a stab at his heart, as the shaft of afternoon sunlight shone straight into his soul.
...
anwhile, this year’s Palace Examination was also over.
Zhuang Yuheng, who was exiled together earlier, was stripped of his scholarly title, but the emperor did not forbid him from retaking the imperial exam. Yet he never appeared at the exam site.
It was precisely because of this that Empress Dowager Zhuang realized he didn’t want to return to the Capital.
But this year, he appeared at the Imperial College in the Capital, and at the March Palace Examination, he took first place.
He beca the first person in Zhan Country’s history to have walked through the Imperial Palace’s main gate twice and parade through the streets as the top laureate.
He went to the Renshou Palace, kneeled on the ground, heavily kowtowed to Empress Dowager Zhuang, and with lowered eyelids, cried, "Aunt..."
Empress Dowager Zhuang looked at the emaciated, aged Zhuang Yuheng, and gestured for him to co forward.
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