Rebirth of the Excellent Daughter of the Marquis Household (REDMH) - Chapter 171

“This…” Gu Huai Zhong was momentarily taken aback. Then he smiled and said, “Let’s all sit down and discuss this slowly.”

“Father, I beg you. Please call off the marriage with the Xia family. There is only one person I wish to marry, and that is Ran Mo.” Gu Si Yang moved closer fearlessly and knelt down despite his injured leg, which made kneeling painful. He clutched Ran Mo’s hand, refusing to let go.

Gu Huai Zhong could hardly bear to see his son in such a pitiful state. Even the last time his son had come to plead with him, Gu Huai Zhong had been on the verge of saying as much.

Looking at his son’s anxious face, then glancing at that crippled leg, Gu Huai Zhong let out a quiet sigh in his heart. This son was truly no longer fit to succeed him. It seemed he would need other offspring to carry on the marquisate.

“Have you truly thought this through?” Gu Huai Zhong asked coldly.

After all, this was a child he had raised for so many years, once pinned with such great hopes.

“I have thought it through,” Gu Si Yang nodded firmly.

“You’re not afraid even if it means being cast out of the marquisate?” Gu Huai Zhong asked in a low voice.

“What?” At this, Liu Yue panicked. Cast her son out of the Marquis’ residence? “Marquis, are you mad?!” Why was this going so differently from what she had thought?! She had wanted to have that sly, seducing little maid beaten to death to sever her son’s feelings.

Gu Si Yang clearly had not imagined it could escalate to such extremes.

His face instantly drained of all colour.

Gu Yu Qi, meanwhile, only watched him without expression.

In fact, she genuinely wanted to see whether Gu Si Yang was truly as determined as he believed himself to be.

Loving someone was never easy. Whatever you said now may not remain so forever. Life itself could become a knife, not sharp, but slow, steadily scraping away the passion once held in the heart, until what was left depended on each person’s nature.

She herself had once loved Yun Ke so deeply, yet what was left in the end was nothing but wounds upon wounds and a broken body.

Though Gu Huai Zhong’s words had been harsh, they were, in a way, a neat solution to the problem.

If the Ding Yuan Marquis’ residence wished to break off the engagement, they would need a justification. Now that their son was expelled, the An Le Marquis’ residence could hardly object.

Speaking of which, being cast out was little more than a facade. She herself had been driven out once, yet had later been brought back when they had needed her. With her own example before them, this threat of expulsion was rather hollow.

Gu Yu Qi lifted her eyes to look at Gu Huai Zhong. She truly had not expected that, for his only son, he might still harbour some small measure of mercy. She had thought this man knew nothing but how to use and discard those around him. Yet, on second thought, Gu Yu Qi’s lips curled in a faint, mocking smile. Gu Huai Zhong was still using his son, just in another way.

Gu Yu Qi let out a faint sigh. The only truly foolish one had been her own mother, who had once set her heart on such a man.

Most likely, Gu Huai Zhong had long wanted to break off the marriage with the Xia family, and so now he simply took this chance to go along with it.

Xia Ying’s scandal had become known throughout the entire court. The Xia family’s reputation was in complete ruin. Moreover, on the day of the wedding, the young man who had cut Xia Shuang Cheng had now been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. With the Eldest Princess’ protection, it was said that although the young man was locked up, he still lived in luxury, dressed in fine clothes and dined well, and the Xia family were not even allowed to go near him.

The ever-cautious Gu Huai Zhong had already sensed that the Xia family stood on the brink of collapse.

Having been a marquis in court for so many years, if he could not see even this much, it would truly mean he had lived all those years in vain.

Gu Si Yang making such a scene today secretly aligned with Gu Huai Zhong’s intentions.

The need to break off the engagement was already urgent, yet the Xia family had yet to act, leaving him no choice but to make the first move himself.

Once she understood these hidden undercurrents, Gu Yu Qi let her gaze fall once more on Gu Si Yang.

It was not only Gu Yu Qi who was waiting for Gu Si Yang’s answer. Everyone present was waiting.

For a long while, the courtyard was so silent that even a crow’s caw might have seemed loud. Only then did Gu Si Yang take a deep breath, his face as pale as paper. He kowtowed deeply, knocking his forehead loudly on the ground before Gu Huai Zhong and Liu Yue. “Father, Mother, your kindness I have yet to repay,” Gu Si Yang said. “This is your unfilial son’s fault, but I truly love Ran Mo. Even if it means being cast out of the marquisate, I wish to be with the one I love. She truly cares for me, I can feel it. Whether I remain the young master of the marquisate or become a cripple, Ran Mo’s heart for me will not change. You will always be my parents. If being expelled from the family is the only way to be with her, then please accept another bow from your son today.”

With that, he solemnly kowtowed twice more before Gu Huai Zhong and Liu Yue.

Ran Mo was moved beyond words as she looked at Gu Si Yang. In her eyes, his somewhat frail figure now appeared incomparably strong and broad, like a great tree that could shield her from all storms.

If a man was willing, for your sake, to give up a privileged life and renounce a noble status, what more could one ask for?

Without a word, Ran Mo followed Gu Si Yang’s example and kowtowed three times before Gu Huai Zhong and Liu Yue.

She did not like Gu Huai Zhong or Liu Yue. They had always made things hard for her mistress, and were likely even the true culprits behind her mistress’ mother’s injury. But at this moment, as she knelt, her gesture was sincere. She was giving thanks that although their characters might be lacking, they had at least given birth to and raised such an honourable son.

Not only Ran Mo, even Gu Yu Qi felt so moved she nearly shed tears.

Her gaze softened as she looked at Gu Si Yang. All her years of patient guidance truly had not been in vain, this child had not grown crooked.

Even Yun Ke was deeply touched by Gu Si Yang’s courage.

He even found himself thinking, if he were faced with choosing between the throne and Gu Yu Qi, could he, like Gu Si Yang, unhesitatingly choose Gu Yu Qi?

His heart twisted in guilt and pain. In the end, though, he quietly smiled in relief. He would never need to face such a choice because he would never let that happen!

Without imperial power, how could he protect Gu Yu Qi better? To say that one should give up the world for the sake of beauty was the helpless sentiment of the powerless! He would never allow himself to fall into such a dilemma.

With his mind settled, Yun Ke’s heart also opened up. Once again, he quietly reached out, threading his fingers between Gu Yu Qi’s, intertwining them tightly, until every finger locked seamlessly with hers. In his heart rose an unspeakable sense of fulfilment and quiet joy.

“You’re mad!” Liu Yue finally lost control of her emotions, throwing herself at her son in tears. “Get up! I don’t want you to kneel! Break up with this wretched girl!” As she spoke, she wanted to strike Ran Mo again, but Gu Si Yang stopped her, gripping his mother’s hand firmly so she could not touch Ran Mo.

“Mother, you have always held high hopes for me. You have always wanted me to inherit the marquisate,” Gu Si Yang said with a bitter smile, speaking slowly, “But after my leg was crippled, were you truly concerned about my health? What you feared most was that there would be no one under you to inherit the title of Marquis. Am I wrong? So, Mother, please let your son go. I just want to be with the one I love, nothing more. If you could accept Ran Mo, I would be endlessly grateful in my heart.”

Gu Si Yang’s words struck Liu Yue like a pressure point, rendering her completely stunned, motionless. So… all the emotions she thought she had hidden so well had been seen through entirely by Gu Si Yang?!

Shame at being so plainly exposed left Liu Yue speechless. She could only stand there dumbly, staring at her son who seemed to have grown up in what felt like an instant.

“Someone, take Concubine Liu away,” said Gu Huai Zhong. He could not allow Liu Yue to keep causing a scene. Imperial Prince An was still present, and the marriage with the Xia family had to be withdrawn.

In truth, Ran Mo’s status was far too low but it did not matter. For now, he would let them be together. Later, he would find a way to remove Ran Mo and find someone more suitable for his son.

The maids and old servant women, seeing that the marquis had spoken, came forward and pulled the stunned Liu Yue up, supporting and half-dragging her away.

“Get up first you two,” Gu Huai Zhong said to Gu Si Yang and Ran Mo.

“Thank you,” Gu Si Yang replied. He tried to stand, but his leg was in poor condition, and after all the standing and kneeling today, it hurt even more. He lost his balance and fell forward.

Yet with Ran Mo there, Gu Si Yang had thought in that very instant that she would catch him and indeed, he did not fall. Instead, he was steadied by a small but firm and unwavering hand.

He looked up, smiling at Ran Mo, and she met his gaze. In their eyes shone a soft, endless light.

Gu Huai Zhong cleared his throat lightly and said to Yun Ke, “Your Highness, please live in this place for a few days in the marquisate. It used to be Ah Nan’s residence. This marquis shall take leave for now.”

“Go on,” Imperial Prince An nodded.

Gu Huai Zhong led the remaining people of the Marquis’ residence away.

Gu Si Yang and Ran Mo were still gazing at each other, their eyes locked.

Watching them, Gu Yu Qi could not help but feel a deep sense of happiness and also a little envy.

She truly had not expected that among the maids she had brought up, the first one to get married would turn out to be Ran Mo.

“Ran Mo!” Gu Yu Qi had no choice but to interrupt the pair of young lovers.

“Miss.” Supporting Gu Si Yang, Ran Mo finally remembered that Gu Yu Qi was still standing nearby. She felt a little too embarrassed to meet Gu Yu Qi’s eyes. Just now, in a moment of impulse, she had promised Gu Si Yang, yet had not even asked for her mistress’ opinion…

“Oh, you!” Gu Yu Qi let out a small sigh and shook off Yun Ke’s hand again. Yun Ke felt his palm suddenly empty and looked blankly at Gu Yu Qi as she walked forward, feeling somewhat displeased.

Why was it that every time, he was the one left behind! Truly infuriating.

“No need to say anything else,” Gu Yu Qi took Ran Mo’s hand and smiled. “Since you’ve already chosen him, then as your elder sister, what more can I possibly say?”

“Eldest Sister!” Gu Si Yang scratched his head in embarrassment.

“You really know how to coax someone!” Gu Yu Qi lightly nudged Gu Si Yang’s arm with her elbow, chiding him playfully. “Come, come, come, both of you come inside and tell me what plans you have for the days to come?”