Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 170

Yun Ke stood to the side and touched his nose lightly. The sight of Gu Si Yang so insistently begging to marry a maids overlapped in his mind with the image of that girl from his memories, the one who had dared to block the imperial procession carrying the emperor, who had defied a sacred decree unafraid of death and fearlessly declared she wanted to marry him.

Back then, Yun Ke could never understand what kind of resolve and emotion had driven Gu Yu Qi to that extent.

In his previous life, he had thought such a woman disregarded etiquette and morality, and was rebellious and arrogant. But now, seeing the anxious yet resolute expression on Gu Si Yang’s face, he remembered that Gu Yu Qi had once looked the same.

So this was because of love.

He was really stupid, so stupid. He had missed out on something so beautiful and broke her heart time and time again.

Quietly, his hand slid from the inside of his sleeve and reached out to clasp hers. Her hand was a little cold and stiff, just like every time he had held it in this life, Gu Yu Qi’s reaction was the same. Yun Ke patiently and gently pried open her fingers one by one, weaving his own between them, until their fingers interlaced perfectly and tightly. Ten fingers entwined perfectly.

Holding her like this, he felt as though a part of his body had joined with hers.

Gu Yu Qi raised her eyes slightly and met the look of deep affection in Yun Ke’s gaze. Gu Yu Qi nearly stumbled in shock.

She must be seeing things. She had to be! Gu Yu Qi quickly lifted her other hand to press her forehead.

“What’s wrong?” Yun Ke asked with concern immediately.

“Oh, nothing,” Gu Yu Qi said quickly, lowering her hand again and forcing herself to calm her heartbeat, which had just suddenly started beating faster.

She must have imagined it.

Haha, something she had begged for and never attained in her past life now simply fell into her hands? Gu Yu Qi, you really must be dreaming.

“You, you unfilial son!” Liu Yue was so angry with Gu Si Yang that she almost fainted. She lunged at Gu Si Yang, furiously clawing and hitting him. “You useless thing! Even if your leg is crippled, you are still a marquis’ son! What kind of woman can’t you marry? And you go begging to marry some foxy little maid? What is she? Lowborn filth! You’re degrading yourself!”

Her words caused all the servants present to shift uncomfortably. The maids from the marquisate all lowered their heads in silence, faces clouded with shame. The maids who had come with Gu Yu Qi widened their eyes, indignant and furious.

Even Bai Fu quietly rolled up her sleeves, but when she saw Yun Ke nearby, she silently let her sleeves fall again. She could not lose composure before the prince. She had to maintain the image of a cultured and graceful woman.

Ran Mo let out a cold laugh and stepped forward, giving Liu Yue a sharp shove to push her away. Then she pulled the kneeling Gu Si Yang to his feet, rose on tiptoe, and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. Then she looked directly at Liu Yue, her eyes full of defiance.

Everyone present was completely stunned by Ran Mo’s move!

Even Gu Yu Qi could not help but gasp. She certainly had not taught Ran Mo to do this! This, this, this… She burst out laughing. As expected of the maid she had raised, so shocking and unconventional! Excellent! Gu Yu Qi gave Ran Mo a big thumbs-up in her heart.

Gu Si Yu, on the other hand, was completely stunned. She had never imagined that the normally quiet, taciturn Ran Mo would have the nerve to do something like that!

So this was what they called sultry in the legends?

Gu Si Yang stood there with an expression of disbelief, one hand covering the cheek that had just been kissed, his eyes wide as he stared at Ran Mo, who was a full head shorter than him. In his gaze was a light full of joy and excitement.

“Ran Mo,” he asked with a trembling voice, “What does this mean?” He reached out and grabbed Ran Mo’s hand.

Only then did Ran Mo realise she might have gone too far. She lowered her head shyly.

“Still asking?” Gu Yu Qi could not stand her silly brother anymore! “Ran Mo likes you. That’s what it means!” she finally said.

“Really?” Gu Si Yang was overjoyed, left almost speechless with happiness. During the days Ran Mo had looked after him, it was always he who had been watching her from afar. Ran Mo spoke little, and he had never been able to figure out how she truly felt.

Even just now, when he had knelt before their mother and pleaded to marry her, his heart had been filled with unease.

But that one light kiss just now, in that moment, Gu Si Yang’s heart felt as though it had erupted in a thousand bursts of fireworks, soaring, dazzling, brilliant. Still, he could not help but ask again, just to be sure.

“Mm.” Ran Mo hesitated, then though clearly still shy, she nodded with quiet determination.

“This is too wonderful!” Gu Si Yang cried, pulling Ran Mo into his embrace right there in front of everyone, holding her tightly.

He was truly, utterly overjoyed. To hell with propriety and ritual. In his current state, did he really still need such useless things? All that mattered was holding onto the person in front of him who would genuinely treat him well.

Everyone present looked upon Gu Si Yang and Ran Mo with a sense of envy, whether they were the maids of the Marquis’ residence or Gu Yu Qi’s own maids. They all wished to find someone who loved them and grow old together. What a beautiful thing that was. As maids, their fates rested entirely in the hands of their masters. To be like Ran Mo, who had a kind mistress and could also find someone she loved, was no easy thing.

Some of the maids had already taken out handkerchiefs to dab at the corners of their eyes, overwhelmed with emotion. So touching, Young Master was so handsome, and Ran Mo, you go girl!

Even Bai Fu’s mouth twitched slightly. She could not quite describe what she was feeling. There was a tinge of envy and perhaps a bit of jealousy.

Yan Zhi had become a titled county princess. Her elegance earlier had already made quite the impression, she was no longer the girl she used to be.

Run Ying had been exchanging letters with that impoverished scholar from Jiangxia for a while now. They had grown rather close, and it seemed that they were in love with each other, but that poor scholar had nothing and was not worth her envy.

However, Ran Mo had said nothing all this time, yet silently, she had managed to win the heart of a marquis’ son. So what if he was illegitimate? So what if he had a crippled leg? He had looks, he had character, and they had all grown up in the same household. Everyone knew what kind of person Gu Si Yang was.

And what about herself? She quietly glanced at the tall and handsome Imperial Prince An, who stood beside her young miss. That buried longing in her heart stirred again, she too wished it could one day come true.

“You unfilial son!” A shrill voice suddenly shattered the warm atmosphere in the courtyard. It was Liu Yue, who had been pushed aside earlier by Ran Mo. Now she rushed forward again, shrieking as she tried to tear Gu Si Yang and Ran Mo apart. With a loud slap, she struck Ran Mo across the face. A bright red mark immediately blossomed on one side of Ran Mo’s cheek. “You little wretch! I’ll beat you to death today, wench! Let’s see how you seduce my son again!”

Ran Mo longed to fight back, but she held herself back because she was Gu Si Yang’s biological mother. Enduring it, she took blow after blow. Her hair became dishevelled, her earrings were torn off, and her neck bore several red scratches.

Gu Si Yang, seeing Ran Mo suffer, reached out to shield her but that only enraged Liu Yue further. Liu Yue hit even harder, scratching until even Gu Si Yang’s hands and arms were covered with red marks.

Imperial Prince An frowned slightly. In front of him, Liu Yue dared to act like this? She had completely lost control.

Before he could speak, a deep and commanding voice rang out, “Enough!”

The voice was powerful and low, filled with righteous authority. Liu Yue froze, her raised hand suspended in the air. Everyone turned around and saw the Ding Yuan Marquis Gu Huai Zhong, storming over in a rage.

Clearly someone had gone to inform him, prompting his swift arrival.

“Greetings to Your Highness,” he said quickly to Imperial Prince An, still mindful of propriety even in his fury.

“Mm,” Imperial Prince An simply waved his hand.

“What on earth is going on?” Gu Huai Zhong turned to glare at Liu Yue, then looked over at Gu Si Yang and Ran Mo, stamping his foot as he demanded.

“Marquis!” Liu Yue immediately burst into loud sobs, “I truly have the most tragic life. I finally bore you a son, and he turns out to be such a rebellious thing. For that lowly maid, he dares defy his mother. He wants to marry that little vixen. Marquis, you arrived just in time. Punish this unfilial son!” Then, turning to glare viciously at Ran Mo, she shrieked, “And that wench, drag her out and beat her to death!”

Gu Yu Qi, who had been holding back for a long time, could no longer stay silent when she heard that Ran Mo was going to be beaten to death.

“Ran Mo is my maid. Even if she had done something wrong, which she has not, it would still be my place to punish her. What does it have to do with you?” Gu Yu Qi said lightly. With that, she slipped her hand out of Yun Ke’s grasp and beckoned to Ran Mo. “Come here. I’ll handle everything.”

“Yes.” Ran Mo was about to walk over to Gu Yu Qi, but Gu Si Yang held her hand tightly and refused to let go.

Now that his father had arrived, unease crept into Gu Si Yang’s heart. He was terrified that if he let go now, he would never have the chance to hold Ran Mo’s hand again.

Liu Yue’s face darkened at Gu Yu Qi’s cold rebuke and said, “This is the Marquis’ residence’s family affair. Consort Gu has already married into the prince’s palace. I fear matters of the Marquis’ residence no longer concern you.”

“This concubine isn’t wrong. Ah Nan is already this prince’s beloved consort. Her maids are naturally people of the prince’s palace,” Yun Ke finally spoke, “You hit the maid of this prince’s beloved consort, you have disregarded this prince’s beloved consort’s reputation. If this prince’s beloved consort consort is displeased, then do not expect this prince to take it lightly either.” After saying this, he cast a frosty glance at Gu Huai Zhong. “What does the Marquis think?”

Gu Huai Zhong really wanted to kick Liu Yue straight back to her room. She did nothing but cause trouble.

On his way over, he had already gathered a rough understanding of what had happened. The whole matter had started from that note. Once it had been found, it should have been quietly put away. She should have waited until after Imperial Prince An and his retinue had left the residence before making a fuss. She just had to stir things up and escalate a trifle into a spectacle. He knew perfectly well that Liu Yue had wanted to use this opportunity to suppress Gu Yu Qi a little, venting the resentment she had been nursing all this while. Yet venting did not mean running her mouth. She should have kept it quiet like him, just like how he had dealt with Liang Huai Yu, turning her into a living corpse.

She was really a stupid woman! Long hair but short wit.

“Your Highness, please do not be angry,” Gu Huai Zhong said. What else could he do but force a smile onto his face? “We’re all family. Let’s resolve it calmly and peacefully.”

“And how shall we resolve it?” Gu Yu Qi smoothly followed up on Gu Huai Zhong’s words.