Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 131

The An Le Marquis’ wife was absolutely delighted.

As the wife of a marquis, she was well-versed in the methods of managing concubines within the household. Ying’er had been raised by her side from a young age and had developed sharp, clever skills. So what if Gu Yu Qi entered Prince An’s palace? A secondary consort was still just a secondary consort! Even with a title, she was merely a concubine with a fancy label.

Her sister’s idea was brilliant. It was like killing without bloodshed. With this move, both the Ding Yuan Marquis’ residence and Gu Yu Qi, who would be married off, would fall squarely under the control of the An Le Marquis’ family.

“When does Your Ladyship think it would be appropriate to bring this matter to His Majesty?” the An Le Marquis’ wife asked.

“It’s better to do it as soon as possible when it comes to His Emperor, so bring it up tomorrow. As for the Ding Yuan Marquis’ residence, you should visit them tonight. We cannot allow the issue with Cheng’er to escalate further. Eldest Sister, even though you haven’t mentioned it, this aunt can guess that Cheng’er was most likely the one who caused the trouble first. If the matter gets blown out of proportion, it’ll be embarrassing for both sides. Even if it reaches His Majesty’s ears, in the end, Cheng’er is likely to be the one at a disadvantage. Don’t you agree, Eldest Sister?” the Virtuous Consort smiled. Matters like this should not be delayed. They had to act before the Ding Yuan Marquis’s residence could respond, showing the An Le Marquis’ residence’s magnanimity.

She had insulted her own sister, but did her eldest sister really not know what kind of person Xia Shuangcheng was? The Virtuous Consort’s words made the An Le Marquis’ wife blush.

She naturally knew her son’s temper and nature, but why should her son be beaten so badly just because he was a bit bad? She would not even bear to touch a strand of his hair, yet Gu Yu Qi had the audacity to beat him.

Her younger sister was indeed worthy of being a lady in the palace to have come up with a marvellous plan. Not only did it punish Gu Yu Qi, but it also paved the way for both her legitimate and illegitimate daughters to secure promising futures. What more could she possibly complain about?

If Ying’er proved capable in the future, it would not even be impossible to rid herself of that wretched Gu Yu Qi altogether. After all, a mere side consort could never compare to the main consort.

As for the Ding Yuan Marquis, the Virtuous Consort knew exactly the kind of man he was. Being able to form an alliance with the An Le Marquis’ household would give him considerable face. He would not refuse.

The Ding Yuan Marquis had long dreamed of shedding his status as a newly-minted noble and becoming part of the old aristocracy. How could he refuse a marriage with the esteemed and established Xia family?

“Worry not, Eldest Sister,” the Virtuous Consort assured her, “Ying’er was raised under my watch. I will not let her be mistreated. When she marries, I will assign one of the palace’s most trusted maids to accompany her. Gu Yu Qi will not be able to stir up any trouble.”

The An Le Marquis’ wife was now fully at ease. The trusted people around her sister were, of course, skilled in handling such matters.

The An Le Marquis’ wife immediately stood up to express her gratitude, not wanting to waste any time. She quickly bade farewell to the Virtuous Consort and left the palace, heading straight for the An Le Marquis’ residence.

As expected by the Virtuous Consort, when the An Le Marquis and his wife visited that very evening, Gu Huai Zhong was shocked. With the deep-rooted foundation of the An Le Marquis’ household, he knew that if they truly clashed, he might not be able to withstand it.

Unexpectedly, the couple had no intention of quarrelling with him. Instead, they came to apologise on behalf of their son first, saying that the incident with Gu Si Yang was a mere misunderstanding.

When the topic of a marital alliance was brought up, Gu Huai Zhong agreed without much thought.

Gu Si Yang, being born from a concubine, would find it difficult to marry someone of legitimate birth. Though the An Le Marquis’ daughter was also born from a concubine, she came from a prominent noble family and was closely connected to the Virtuous Consort who was highly favoured by the Emperor.

Gu Huai Zhong could not have been more delighted. Gu Yu Qi was going to be a secondary consort to Prince An, and now Gu Si Yang was going to be a son-in-law to the An Le Marquis household. He was getting rich! He was progressing steadily towards becoming an established aristocratic family.

The An Le Marquis’ wife maintained a gentle smile, though inwardly she was filled with mockery. Her sister had been right. He could enjoy his laughter now, but in the future, he would find no reason to laugh.

After sending off the An Le Marquis and his wife, Gu Huai Zhong rushed to share the news with Liu Yue. At first, Liu Yue was shocked, then she began to cry. In her view, her son deserved to marry a princess, why did he have to condescend to marry an illegitimate daughter?

Liu Yue’s outburst instantly soured Gu Huai Zhong’s previously joyous mood.

Though he once had deep affection for Liu Yue, he had already developed a grudge ever since Gu Yu Qi brought up those suspicious account books. Now, witnessing her ignorance, his frustration only grew.

In the past, he would have patiently comforted Liu Yue when seeing her cry. However, this time, he just yelled at her harshly.

Unable to bear such treatment, Liu Yue threw a tantrum, sitting on the ground and cursing him for being heartless.

Gu Huai Zhong was so irritated that he flung his sleeves and was about to walk away. Seeing this, Liu Yue grabbed his sleeve and continued crying and shouting. Gu Huai Zhong did not bother to shake her off. He stood there passively, letting her wail and hit him, but the impatience in his eyes gradually disappeared and was replaced by indifference and alienation.

Liu Yue continued crying, tears and snot streaming down her face. Through her blurred vision, she was oblivious to the shift in her husband’s gaze. Believing her outburst was having the desired effect, she cried even harder, demanding that Gu Huai Zhong call off the marriage arrangement.

Her cries and shouts soon attracted attention and Gu Si Yang rushed over. Seeing this, he was at a loss. He could only hurriedly help his mother up and apologise repeatedly to his father.

“Make sure to keep an eye on Concubine Liu,” Gu Huai Zhong said coldly, addressing Gu Si Yang, “A concubine should behave as a concubine should.” With that, he finally shook his sleeves and left.

Liu Yue’s sobbing came to an abrupt halt. She stared blankly at her son, “What does he mean by that?”

Gu Si Yang, unsure how to comfort his mother, could only sigh quietly.

“What does he mean by that?” Liu Yue clutched her son’s arm and demanded.

“Mother,” Gu Si Yang winced in pain from her grip but held back his discomfort. He gently tried to persuade her, “Mother, please restrain yourself a bit sometimes.”

“Restrain myself?” Liu Yue’s eyes widened in disbelief as she glared at her son, “Do you even know what you are saying? Restrain myself? Without me, Liu Yue, there would be no Gu Huai Zhong as he is today!”

“Mother…” Gu Si Yang cast a helpless glance at the servants who had gathered in the room, urging her helplessly, “Please, say no more.”

“Say no more?” Liu Yue shouted angrily, “You don’t understand anything! You only know how to read, read, read! You’ve become stupid from reading too much! Do you even know what your father is planning? He’s arranged a marriage for you! You’re going to marry an illegitimate daughter from the An Le Marquis’ household! Wake up, if I had not caused a fuss, were you really going to marry a concubine-born daughter?”

Liu Yue’s words left Gu Si Yang speechless. The servant who had fetched him had only said that his parents were arguing intensely, not revealing the reason behind it.

Actually, marrying a concubine-born daughter did not particularly bother him. As long as she was a good person, he did not care too much about anything else. After all, he himself was also born of a concubine, so it would not be unreasonable to marry a concubine’s daughter.

Yet, the thought of marrying a concubine-born daughter from the An Le Marquis’ family felt like swallowing a rat alive, it was repulsive and deeply unsettling.

He would never forget the humiliation he suffered when Xia Shuang Cheng harassed him in the street. Nor could he forget the lecherous way Xia Shuang Cheng’s eyes roamed over him, filled with sinister intent.

If the heir to the An Le Marquis’ residence behaved like that, how could their concubine-born daughter be any better?

“I will speak with Father,” Gu Si Yang decided, feeling as though his heart had plunged into an icy abyss.

“Go speak to him!” Liu Yue, unaware of the true reason for her son’s distress, assumed he shared her disdain for the girl’s low status. A glimmer of joy appeared on her face. After all, her son was still on her side.

Gu Si Yang left Liu Yue and went straight to his father’s study. After explaining his objections, he was met with a barrage of furious scolding from Gu Huai Zhong.

“Where have all your studies gone?” Gu Huai Zhong jabbed his finger into Gu Si Yang’s forehead repeatedly, forcing him to lean back, “Marriages have always been decided by the parents since ancient times. You don’t even understand such a simple principle? And what is wrong with her being a concubine-born daughter? Has it wronged you in some way? Are you brain-dead? Do you even comprehend the significance of marrying into the An Le Marquis’ residence? Don’t you know that by marrying her, it’ll bring you one step closer to the aristocratic families? Use your brain. Don’t just sit there reading books all day!”

He assumed that Liu Yue had incited Gu Si Yang to come and cause trouble, so he was in no mood to be gentle with his son. He completely missed the complex and hurt emotions swirling in his son’s heart.

This only deepened Gu Huai Zhong’s dissatisfaction with Liu Yue.

An ignorant woman was indeed ignorant.

He had always thought of Liu Yue as a patient, devoted woman who stood by him, but he had no idea that she had swindled so much money from him over the years.

Gu Huai Zhong had yet to fully investigate the authenticity of the accounts from Gu Yu Qi, but he believed they were likely true. As for Liu Yue, Gu Huai Zhong just laughed.

He believed he had treated her well enough. For years, he had thought only of her. He had even once considered that, if it ever came down to a conflict between Liu Yue and Liang Huai Yu, he would be willing to give up his marquisate to defend her honour. But what had that brought him?

He realised now how foolish he had been. Women were like clothes, if one no longer suited, it could simply be replaced. However, his honour as a Marquis had been earned with his blood, sweat, and life. How could he easily toss it aside?

He had not thought clearly before. If he had been willing to forsake Liang Huai Yu, what would it matter if he abandoned Liu Yue?

If Liu Yue continued causing trouble like this, he would not hesitate to bring in a few more docile and pleasant women to serve him. Only women had to keep their chastity. He was a Marquis, seven feet tall. Why should he remain faithful to a concubine who was so shameless that she did not care about the face he had given her?

His mind wandered back to the time he had spent in Kuizhou, where two beautiful, alluring Rouran women had catered to his every whim. The thought brought a wave of heat to his blood. Seeing Gu Si Yang still standing before him only added to his irritation.

“Alright, I’ve already made the decision. You have no further say in it,” Gu Huai Zhong barked at his son drily. He promptly ordered his son to be removed from the room.