Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 102

“Why are you crying? We were a perfectly good family, but you’ve cried our fortunes away!” Gu Huai Zhong, seeing his son pulling Liu Yue, was so angry that he flicked his sleeve, stomped his foot, then walked out of the parlour and went straight to his study.

At first, Liang Yue was stunned for a while, then she collapsed directly into Gu Si Yang’s arms, “Why is my life so miserable?! I thought hardships would lead to better days, but I’m still being rejected!”

Gu Siyang felt a pang in his heart and silently hugged his mother’s shoulders softly. If Eldest Sister was here, how much better would it be? He sighed silently, unaware that the discord between his parents had been because of Gu Yu Qi.

Now that the Eldest Princess had come directly to the mansion, if he continued to delay his actions and do nothing, he might offend the heavens again.

Sitting in the study, Gu Huai Zhong pondered. Helpless, he took out a piece of paper. Both that damned stubborn girl and that wretched woman were now in Kuizhou so his letter would have to be addressed to Kuizhou. Compared to saving face, the prosperity and wealth of the entire Marquis’ residence was still more crucial.

Fortunately, the Reincarnation Pavilion had always acted discreetly. Even if several assassination attempts had failed, Gu Yu Qi should not suspect him. Now, he could only coax them back to the capital by using sweet words. After passing the Emperor’s scrutiny, he could deal with them later.

It would not be too late for him to make further plans after the mother and daughter returned. With them in his hands, it would put him at ease more than if they were left outside.

However, that night, Liang Huai Yu was already so ruthless. How could he write a letter that would make her change her mind?

Gu Huai Zhong could tell that Gu Yu Qi followed Liang Huai Yu. To get Gu Yu Qi to come back, he had to seek forgiveness from Liang Huai Yu first. Gu Huai Zhong sat in the study, scratched his head and thought hard, but was still unable to come up with anything. He decided to call in his adviser to brainstorm together, determined to write a letter that would make Liang Huai Yu remember his past kindness and change her mind.

Ever since the banquet in Kuizhou, the reputation of the Liang residence in the south of the city had become more prominent. The mother and daughter had even become fashion trendsetters in Kuizhou based on what they wore.

Every clothing item that was similar to those worn by Gu Yu Qi sold exceptionally well, much to Gu Yu Qi’s surprise. Sometimes she thought with sparkling eyes, if she were to follow the example of a certain online platform and produce products of a certain style, would they not sell like crazy?

After establishing connections with the prominent families in Kuizhou, Gu Yu Qi started the process of acquiring storefronts.

According to her idea, she wanted to transform Kuizhou into a novel trade city that connected the three empires. While the plan was grand, she faced various challenges when implementing it. Fortunately, Gu Yu Qi had considered everything in advance so when issues arose, she did not panic and just handled them systematically. Gu Yu Qi had spent a lot of money just breaking through the layers of bureaucracy. Reputation was important, but in this day and age, one needed money. How much could one do with just reputation alone? Reputation was like a thin layer of veneer, while money was what made things happen. Although the Qi dynasty did not have an office specifically for urban planning, Gu Yu Qi’s extensive reform still required approval and support from the authorities.

Acquiring the storefronts did not go as smoothly as Gu Yu Qi had imagined. Being a woman, it was inconvenient for her to appear in many situations. She could only send Li Da and have Zhao Wu accompany him to negotiate. Li Da was skilled in business and they managed to secure two storefronts initially. However, they encountered trouble when negotiating for the third.

The owner simply refused to sell. No matter what favourable conditions were offered, no matter how reasonable they were, the owner chased them away with a broom.

It was the owner’s ancestral home, so their refusal was expected. Li Da had tried multiple times and could only go back to seek Gu Yu Qi’s help.

Gu Yu Qi thought for a moment, “Forget it, if they don’t want to sell, let it be. You can’t force a bull to lower its head to drink water, can you?” Although she said so, Gu Yu Qi also found it awkward. It seemed she had encountered an ancient version of a stubborn landowner.

She sent Li Da to buy the other storefronts. Gu Yu Qi also sent Run Ying out to gather information about that family.

Knowing one’s enemy was the key to victory. Gu Yu Qi wanted to see if there was any other way they could break through. In fact, the conditions she offered were very good. Her plan was to first reconstruct the street. She had offered double the market price for the old houses. The property prices in Kuizhou were low and she had done the calculations. Compared to the expected future values, the double price was acceptable for her. At the prices she offered, the people of Kuizhou could easily buy a house twice the size in a different part of the city, so the majority of people willingly agreed.

Meanwhile, she had received a letter from Yun Ke. This was the first time Yun Ke had taken the initiative to write to her.

The contents of the letter were straightforward. Apart from greetings, he directly inquired about the divorce document in her mother’s possession. Gu Yu Qi furrowed her brows deeply, unsure why Yun Ke suddenly became interested in this matter. However, based on her understanding of Yun Ke, he was not someone who liked to meddle or gossip in others’ affairs or gossip. If he wanted it, then he had a purpose.

“Guard Wang, could you please ask your master why he needs this?” Gu Yu Qi politely asked Wang Yan who had delivered the letter.

“Miss, this servant does not know,” replied Wang Yan with a salute.

If he could understand His Highness’ thoughts, he would not need to stand here.

Gu Yu Qi debated whether to inform Liang Huai Yu about this matter. In the end, she decided not to keep it from her mother. After all, divorce was a personal matter and no matter how she looked at it, Liang Huai Yu’s consent should be obtained before any details were revealed to Yun Ke.

Gu Yu Qi went to inform Liang Huai Yu who was also left stunned. She could not comprehend why Prince An suddenly cared about this matter.

Little did they know that Prince An had been restless lately, worrying that if Gu Yu Qi stayed on the border for too long, she might end up becoming someone else’s wife. Thus, he was doing everything he could to get her back by his side.

Liang Huai Yu thought for a while and ultimately refused Wang Yan politely, stating that this was her private matter and did not need to be publicised. In the end, she still left Gu Huai Zhong some face. If the contents of the divorce document were revealed, it would not just be a simple matter of making Gu Huai Zhong lose some face. If someone with intentions came to know of it, Gu Huai Zhong may not even be able to endure the consequences.

Liang Huai Yu was unaware of the sharp contrast between her kindness and Gu Huai Zhong’s ruthlessness. If she knew that those two groups of assassins had been sent by Gu Huai Zhong, she might have already been so angry that she would have published the contents of the divorce document to the world.

After Wang Yan went to send a letter back, Liang Huai Yu sat in a daze for a long time beside Gu Yu Qi, unable to regain her senses.

No matter what, that person was Gu Yu Qi’s father, and she still harboured some nostalgic feelings for the past.

Wang Yan’s response was within Yun Ke’s expectations. Liang Huai Yu was the daughter of a prestigious family after all and would likely maintain a certain level of restraint in her actions. If he could not get an answer the first time, he could not ask a second time. It was alright though, as the old saying goes, “If one did not want others to know, then it was best not to do it.” Whatever Gu Huai Zhong did would eventually be exposed to the world.

Gu Yu Qi had suffered so many unjust accusations in her previous life. In this life, he was determined to right the wrongs this time. Whatever rightfully belonged to her would be hers. If she did not fight for it, then he would step in and fight for her.

Apart from this disturbance, Gu Yu Qi enjoyed a period of peaceful days. The acquisition of the shopfronts was proceeding in an orderly manner and people in the government offices were secretly amazed at the significant investment made by the Liang family to purchase almost an entire street. How much money did this mother and daughter have?

Li Da was fully involved in the acquisition process and was also extremely interested after seeing Gu Yu Qi’s plan.

What Gu Yu Qi had shown him was not just a new street, but an entirely new Kuizhou City. Although Li Da was born as a dockyard worker, his experience and knowledge was higher than most people. Otherwise, how could he be the only dockyard worker who rose up?

He readily agreed to cooperate with Gu Yu Qi.

Gu Yu Qi also thought it was a good idea to work with someone who knew the local situation well. Li Da had been immersed in Jiangxia for many years. With ample funds and his involvement, naturally their capabilities would be enhanced. Besides, after interacting with him for so long, she found Li Da to be a straightforward person and felt that he was worth befriending.

Li Da was decisive. After confirming his cooperation with Gu Yu Qi, he became even more energetic. Despite having become a wealthy merchant, he came from a poor family and never forgot his humble roots. He did not shave off a single coin from the offering price set by Gu Yu Qi. Gu Yu Qi observed this secretly and thought highly of Li Da.

Run Ying was also efficient. She learned that the family that refused to sell their property had an elderly mother who was seriously ill. Following Gu Yu Qi’s instructions, she invited doctors to visit them every three days and also gave them many supplements as gifts. Initially, the family was not appreciative, but over time, they realised that the Liang family was actually kind. At least, they did not take advantage of them and under the bombardment of Gu Yu Qi’s supplements, the old mother’s condition improved significantly.

Gradually, the head of this family began to relent. In addition, Li Da tirelessly persuaded and helped them to find a well-furnished large house. The family finally agreed to sell. Although it took more time, effort, and money than others, with this family putting their fingerprints to sign the house sale contract, Gu Yu Qi’s ambitious renovation plan had achieved a substantial victory.

The next step was to demolish all the dilapidated houses on the street she had purchased. These old houses were quite easy to demolish. Most of them were simply tamped soil and could be brought down by being pulled with a few horses. In a matter of days, Gu Yu Qi had razed the large area into flat ground.

Gu Yu Qi recruited labourers in Kuizhou City, offering generous wages and providing meals each day. Instantly, the male labourers in Kuizhou signed up enthusiastically. When the Garrison Commander saw that the Liang family was making big moves, practically supporting half of Kuizhou City, giving people work to do which led to fewer fights and disputes, he also felt somewhat relieved.

Meanwhile, Princess Pinghu had not been idle after visiting Gu Huai Zhong’s Ding Yuan Marquis’ residence. She dispatched people to investigate the fire at the capital mayor’s warehouse and the cause of the former capital mayor’s death. She did not need to hide like Yun Ke. Instead, she conducted her investigations openly and with great fanfare.

She also went to the palace from time to time to remind the emperor that there was still a great hero who had yet to be rewarded for controlling the plague.

If she had not reminded him, Emperor Jing might really have completely forgotten about this matter due to the Ding Yuan Marquis Gu Huai Zhong. After Princess Ping Hu mentioned it, he recalled this matter. He originally wanted Gu Huai Zhong to reaccept his daughter, and grant a County Princess title to Gu Yu Qi, showcasing his generosity for one and secondly, giving face to Gu Huai Zhong, who had saved him twice. Princess Ping Hu even mentioned that the Ding Yuan Marquis’ wife did not actually die but left with Gu Yu Qi. This shocked Emperor Jing. What was Gu Huai Zhong doing?! This revelation sparked his desire to bring Liang Huai Yu and Gu Yu Qi back to the capital. He truly wanted to know if the Ding Yuan Marquis had become senile, actually claiming that his wife disappeared in the fire set by his daughter.

He had seen people deceiving their fathers, but had never seen anyone deceiving their daughter like this! Even the usually lazy Emperor Jing found Gu Huai Zhong’s actions extremely unusual.

Now, with Princess Ping Hu bringing it up, he summoned Gu Huai Zhong to the palace, intending to ask him directly if he was ready to accept this gift to the Ding Yuan Marquis’ residence or not. If not, then go ahead and keep delaying it but if he was ready, then why was he not quickly bringing his daughter back as soon as possible?

Prompted by Emperor Jing’s questioning, Gu Huai Zhong realised that the situation was urgent. He feigned a mournful face, claiming that finding his daughter would take time. He lamented that he did not even know where his unfilial daughter was now.

Emperor Jing simply gave him a clear direction and informed him that both his former wife and daughter were in Kuizhou! Princess Ping Hu had provided this information to him.

Emperor Jing confronted Gu Huai Zhong on the spot in the study, questioning him about the situation. Clearly, the former Ding Yuan Marquis’ Madam was not dead, yet Gu Huai Zhong had declared her demise with snot and tears.

Gu Huai Zhong, cunning as ever, had naturally long prepared for this day. He acted surprised at the news and asked His Majesty if it was indeed true. Then he burst into tears, claiming that at that time, the Ding Yuan Marquis’ Madam was only focused on the idea of divorcing him. He could not make further fuss out of it, so he had to agree to the divorce. After the big fire, Liang Huai Yu had truly disappeared and, confused at the time, he genuinely believed that Gu Yu Qi had burned her biological mother to death.

Either way, he was both god and ghost. After listening to this, Emperor Jing somewhat reluctantly found some sense in Gu Huai Zhong’s words. In fact, Emperor Jing thought wrongly, thinking that Gu Huai Zhong could not lose face because of the divorce. In addition, Liang-shi had really been missing since then, so he had rashly concluded that Gu Yu Qi had burned Liang Huai Yu to death in the fire. In reality, it was Gu Huai Zhong intentionally spreading misinformation to confuse the situation. After all, who would believe that a distinguished Ding Yuan Marquis could be easily deceived by his subordinates? Had he ever even led troops in battle?

Emperor Jing began to urge Gu Huai Zhong, who had no choice but to reluctantly agree. Only then did Emperor Jing let the matter rest.

Upon learning that Emperor Jing had summoned Gu Huai Zhong, Yun Yi was overjoyed from the bottom of his heart. He seemed to see the beauty in the portrait hanging in his study coming to life, waving at him.

He immediately went to find the Virtuous Consort, coincidentally meeting Yun Ke who had come to pay respects. In front of Yun Ke, he once again brought up the idea of marrying Gu Yu Qi, but the Virtuous Consort quickly dismissed it with a few words.

As they left the palace together, Yun Yi was elated and completely oblivious to the subtle storm brewing in his younger brother’s lowered gaze.