Storm on the Horizon (Part Three)
“You’re saying that Yin JiYao is not the child of madam Yin, and you are sure of this?”
Gu HuaiJiang was in the outer study taking care of some court matters, and Gu ShuBai was also present. Hearing Gu JiuGe’s words, they felt a little caught off-guard.
Yin Yan had always been known for having few interests, fully devoting himself to loyally serving the Emperor without any desires. Aside from the madam of the prime minister’s manor, there were no concubines.
Later on, madam Yin passed away, and he never remarried.
Unlike when Gu HuaiJiang decided not to remarry, Yin Yan’s decision was seen as mockingly seen as fake by people in court. They all said that he did it to seem virtuous and to pretend to be a saint.
Even a sage needed affection. Distancing himself from others ended up making him appear fake.
This was quite strange, as Yin Yan did not want to remarry, so how could he be hiding a concubine?
Gu JiuGe said: “Father, on the night of the Lantern Festival, I left the manor to look for eldest brother and the others, and I happened to run into young miss Yin. A seed of doubt was planted on that night, and I went out today to investigate. Who knew that I would run into people from the prime minister’s manor. If not for this, son would not dare believe it.”
Gu ShuBai said: “You are certain that you heard them say that her identity had to be kept secret?”
Gu JiuGe nodded, “I am. Could it be that her birth mother was the daughter of an official convicted of a crime or was a prostitute, and that’s why the previous prime minister always kept it hidden, fearing that it would ruin his reputation?”
This was possible.
But Gu ShuBai felt that this matter was not so simple.
Gu HuaiJiang said: “A prostitute is not too likely. Yin Yan and I have known each other for many years, and he never went to any brothels. His manor doesn’t even have any dancers or singers.”
Saying it like that, the possibilities had been drastically reduced.
Gu ShuBai said: “If she’s the daughter of a criminal, the Imperial Court of Justice will have some records. Son will try and investigate a little. Although this is an internal matter for the prime minister’s manor, and we should never have inserted ourselves into this matter, I feel that Yin Shuo taking the position of prime minister will be bad for our Marquis Gu’s Manor. If we can get any sort of a handle on the prime minister’s manor, we definitely won’t need to be so passive.”
Gu JiuGe added: “I agree with eldest brother’s way of thinking. Father, just leave this matter to eldest brother and me to investigate. As the heir to Marquis Gu’s Manor, it will be easier for eldest brother to look for the records, while son has met young miss Yin a few times and can be considered a little close. I might be able to glean some information from her.”
Gu ShuBai glanced at him with a smile that carried a faintly teasing look.
Speaking of cherry blossoms, here was another.
He had not yet figured things out with Yao Yue, yet here came a young miss Yin.
Who knew if this would end up being a beautiful cherry blossom or a rotten one?
Gu JiuGe noticed this look and coughed a few times in embarrassment. Gu ShuBai saw this and retracted the look.
Gu HuaiJiang pondered this for a while, “I am not worried about ShuBai. He knows how to investigate the things that he wants while keeping it a secret from Yin Shuo. But JiuGe, you need to maintain a sense of propriety when interacting with young miss Yin. Even if her brother and father did things that try to disadvantage my Marquis Gu’s Manor, she might not know of it. You absolutely must not harm the innocent.”
Gu JiuGe felt a little awkward from hearing these words.
Father should not be suspecting that… he would try to seduce her, right?
He hastily cupped his hands, “Father, don’t worry. Son has a sense of propriety and definitely will not do anything to harm young miss Yin.”
Gu HuaiJiang looked at him suspiciously.
He had a sense of propriety?
He probably felt that he had a sense of propriety, but just how many girls in the capital admired him. All of them contended for his affection, and it was not uncommon to see actual fights break out because of this.
If Yin JiYao also became like this, it would become even more problematic.
In the end, he, Gu HuaiJiang, had a reputation for being upright and proper. How could he have such an eye-catching son?
It was truly strange.
“Hmph, hmph…”
This time, it was Gu HuaiJiang who coughed.
Gu ShuBai slightly furrowed his brow, “Has father’s cough still not gotten better? Imperial physician Sun said that it’s just a cold, and it should get better with a bit of medicine. Just how long has it been, yet it seems the cough is getting worse.”
Gu HuaiJiang waved his hand, “It can’t be helped. When people get old, it’s inevitable that they will be slower to recover from illness. I am doing quite well. His Majesty caught a cold this winter and still has not fully recovered. It’s probably the case that I caught it from my many visits to the palace.”
Gu JiuGe did not notice it before, but now that Gu ShuBai mentioned it, he noticed that Gu HuaiJiang had been sick for a little too long.
He said: “Father, you are also not doing well, so how about you stay home for the next few days. Just say that you are worried about making His Majesty sick. His Majesty will definitely understand.”
Gu ShuBai said: “Father should just stay home and rest. Tomorrow, I will invite imperial physician Sun to come and take a look. Leave the matters in court and at home to son and second brother. Father, there’s no need to worry.”
Gu HuaiJiang looked at his sons. They had already grown up and were able to help shoulder his burdens.
Naturally, there was nothing for him to worry about.
“Alright, I will leave it to the two of you. Father will just start thinking about retiring early. Previously, Yu Fu said that she had seen great results in her training with her flying needles, being able to throw eight needles at once. Since there’s no need for me to go into court tomorrow, I will go and keep her company while she trains.”
Gu HuaiJiang rarely had any time to spare. Now that he had some time, he immediately thought of yu Fu.
It was fortunate that he did not have an actual daughter. Who knows just how jealous he might end up becoming.
Gu Shubai and his brother bid farewell and left the study. The sky was dark, and the wind blew through the trees.
Gu JiuGe furrowed his brow and looked up at the sky, “It’s already spring, yet the wind is getting cold.”
Gu ShuBai followed his gaze and looked over. The treetops were swaying with the wind. In the darkness of night, they swayed like ghosts or spirits.
He suddenly had a bad premonition.
“Want it or not, the world changes, and I can’t shake this feeling that a large storm is headed straight for Marquis Gu’s Manor.”
Storm on the Horizon (Part Three)
“You’re saying that Yin JiYao is not the child of madam Yin, and you are sure of this?”
Gu HuaiJiang was in the outer study taking care of some court matters, and Gu ShuBai was also present. Hearing Gu JiuGe’s words, they felt a little caught off-guard.
Yin Yan had always been known for having few interests, fully devoting himself to loyally serving the Emperor without any desires. Aside from the madam of the prime minister’s manor, there were no concubines.
Later on, madam Yin passed away, and he never remarried.
Unlike when Gu HuaiJiang decided not to remarry, Yin Yan’s decision was seen as mockingly seen as fake by people in court. They all said that he did it to seem virtuous and to pretend to be a saint.
Even a sage needed affection. Distancing himself from others ended up making him appear fake.
This was quite strange, as Yin Yan did not want to remarry, so how could he be hiding a concubine?
Gu JiuGe said: “Father, on the night of the Lantern Festival, I left the manor to look for eldest brother and the others, and I happened to run into young miss Yin. A seed of doubt was planted on that night, and I went out today to investigate. Who knew that I would run into people from the prime minister’s manor. If not for this, son would not dare believe it.”
Gu ShuBai said: “You are certain that you heard them say that her identity had to be kept secret?”
Gu JiuGe nodded, “I am. Could it be that her birth mother was the daughter of an official convicted of a crime or was a prostitute, and that’s why the previous prime minister always kept it hidden, fearing that it would ruin his reputation?”
This was possible.
But Gu ShuBai felt that this matter was not so simple.
Gu HuaiJiang said: “A prostitute is not too likely. Yin Yan and I have known each other for many years, and he never went to any brothels. His manor doesn’t even have any dancers or singers.”
Saying it like that, the possibilities had been drastically reduced.
Gu ShuBai said: “If she’s the daughter of a criminal, the Imperial Court of Justice will have some records. Son will try and investigate a little. Although this is an internal matter for the prime minister’s manor, and we should never have inserted ourselves into this matter, I feel that Yin Shuo taking the position of prime minister will be bad for our Marquis Gu’s Manor. If we can get any sort of a handle on the prime minister’s manor, we definitely won’t need to be so passive.”
Gu JiuGe added: “I agree with eldest brother’s way of thinking. Father, just leave this matter to eldest brother and me to investigate. As the heir to Marquis Gu’s Manor, it will be easier for eldest brother to look for the records, while son has met young miss Yin a few times and can be considered a little close. I might be able to glean some information from her.”
Gu ShuBai glanced at him with a smile that carried a faintly teasing look.
Speaking of cherry blossoms, here was another.
He had not yet figured things out with Yao Yue, yet here came a young miss Yin.
Who knew if this would end up being a beautiful cherry blossom or a rotten one?
Gu JiuGe noticed this look and coughed a few times in embarrassment. Gu ShuBai saw this and retracted the look.
Gu HuaiJiang pondered this for a while, “I am not worried about ShuBai. He knows how to investigate the things that he wants while keeping it a secret from Yin Shuo. But JiuGe, you need to maintain a sense of propriety when interacting with young miss Yin. Even if her brother and father did things that try to disadvantage my Marquis Gu’s Manor, she might not know of it. You absolutely must not harm the innocent.”
Gu JiuGe felt a little awkward from hearing these words.
Father should not be suspecting that… he would try to seduce her, right?
He hastily cupped his hands, “Father, don’t worry. Son has a sense of propriety and definitely will not do anything to harm young miss Yin.”
Gu HuaiJiang looked at him suspiciously.
He had a sense of propriety?
He probably felt that he had a sense of propriety, but just how many girls in the capital admired him. All of them contended for his affection, and it was not uncommon to see actual fights break out because of this.
If Yin JiYao also became like this, it would become even more problematic.
In the end, he, Gu HuaiJiang, had a reputation for being upright and proper. How could he have such an eye-catching son?
It was truly strange.
“Hmph, hmph…”
This time, it was Gu HuaiJiang who coughed.
Gu ShuBai slightly furrowed his brow, “Has father’s cough still not gotten better? Imperial physician Sun said that it’s just a cold, and it should get better with a bit of medicine. Just how long has it been, yet it seems the cough is getting worse.”
Gu HuaiJiang waved his hand, “It can’t be helped. When people get old, it’s inevitable that they will be slower to recover from illness. I am doing quite well. His Majesty caught a cold this winter and still has not fully recovered. It’s probably the case that I caught it from my many visits to the palace.”
Gu JiuGe did not notice it before, but now that Gu ShuBai mentioned it, he noticed that Gu HuaiJiang had been sick for a little too long.
He said: “Father, you are also not doing well, so how about you stay home for the next few days. Just say that you are worried about making His Majesty sick. His Majesty will definitely understand.”
Gu ShuBai said: “Father should just stay home and rest. Tomorrow, I will invite imperial physician Sun to come and take a look. Leave the matters in court and at home to son and second brother. Father, there’s no need to worry.”
Gu HuaiJiang looked at his sons. They had already grown up and were able to help shoulder his burdens.
Naturally, there was nothing for him to worry about.
“Alright, I will leave it to the two of you. Father will just start thinking about retiring early. Previously, Yu Fu said that she had seen great results in her training with her flying needles, being able to throw eight needles at once. Since there’s no need for me to go into court tomorrow, I will go and keep her company while she trains.”
Gu HuaiJiang rarely had any time to spare. Now that he had some time, he immediately thought of yu Fu.
It was fortunate that he did not have an actual daughter. Who knows just how jealous he might end up becoming.
Gu Shubai and his brother bid farewell and left the study. The sky was dark, and the wind blew through the trees.
Gu JiuGe furrowed his brow and looked up at the sky, “It’s already spring, yet the wind is getting cold.”
Gu ShuBai followed his gaze and looked over. The treetops were swaying with the wind. In the darkness of night, they swayed like ghosts or spirits.
He suddenly had a bad premonition.
“Want it or not, the world changes, and I can’t shake this feeling that a large storm is headed straight for Marquis Gu’s Manor.”
