Favoring the Birth of Daughters Over Sons
It was only now that Gu ShuBai realized that he should have come as a “punitive expedition.”
He hastily put on a stern expression and looked at Yu Fu with an inquisitive gaze.
“When I was passing by the side entrance of the backyard, I happened to hear Yao Lan speak with Yao Hong. For the sake of shocking Yao Hong, she revealed your true identity. If it was not for what she had said, I really would never have thought that you would be deceiving us like this.”
Yu Fu’s eyes became wide in an instant.
“No wonder Yao Lan had that expression just now. What did she say to reveal it? I clearly told her…”
This is wrong.
Yu Fu suddenly covered her mouth and looked at Gu ShuBai with her brows slightly furrowed in confusion.
Even if her sharp yet puzzled expression was very adorable, he endured and did not allow himself to laugh, maintaining his stern expression.
“Eldest brother cheated me last time. You clearly knew that fifth and sixth brother had come, but you deliberately asked me about their names. Isn’t eldest brother scamming me again this time?”
Amazing!
Gu ShuBai raised an eyebrow. He did not think that she would be this smart, growing with just a single setback.
“Yao Lan never said it directly, but she told Yao Hong that your status is even greater than all of us, and only Princess DanYang is comparable. Ever since you entered the manor, we already knew that you were the medical god’s disciple. As for your actual identity, we know absolutely nothing.”
Sure enough, that girl Yao Lan did end up causing her trouble!
Yu Fu gnashed her teeth and thought about how this was not the time to be blaming Yao Lan. The most pressing matter of the moment was to stop Gu ShuBai.
“Eldest brother, everyone has secrets. Could it be that you don’t have any?”
She pitifully looked at Gu ShuBai, but the look of having something that could not be said caused Gu ShuBai to freeze.
Secrets, huh?
Perhaps, perhaps there were…
He looked at Yu Fu, her small head, her small lips, and the small silver bells that hung from her hair buns.
The secret in his heart was also just as small.
“This is your secret, but is it one that cannot be told even to me?”
Yu Fu hesitated for a moment but ended up biting her lip and nodding, “Eldest brother, I don’t want the head general to tell everyone that I am his illegitimate daughter. It’s not just for my master, but it’s also because of this secret. Do you trust me? Do you trust that I won’t bring you harm?”
Gu ShuBai patted her small head and gave her a reassuring smile.
“No one would think that you would want to harm us. If you aren’t willing to say it, I will act as if I never heard it. This is your little secret, and eldest brother will help keep it for you.”
Not only did he not ask anything else, but he also said that he would help her keep this secret.
Yu Fu blinked a few times, the corners of her eyes slightly wet, as she looked at Gu ShuBai with a look of reliance.
“Thank you, eldest brother.”
She spoke softly then dove into his embrace, her tiny hands tightly grabbing his clothes. She was unwilling to let go for quite a while.
…
Ever since the dragon boat festival passed, the court officials began to find that they now had another excuse to get close to Marquis Gu.
That excuse was Yu Fu.
As long as there was a topic related to Yu Fu, Marquis Gu would listen for a little while, especially the officials who had daughters. In this regard, they had a great advantage over those officials without daughters.
“Lord Marquis, your manor does not have a single wife. It doesn’t even have a concubine who can provide support. This is not beneficial to the development of a young miss! After all, she is a daughter, and there is no head wife to take care of her needs. This is definitely inconvenient.”
After court was dismissed, the officials gathered outside of the imperial court and formed a circle around Gu HuaiJiang. All of them then took turns to speak.
For once, Gu HuaiJiang did not find an excuse to leave.
“This marquis has been single for so many years. I have six sons and Yu Fu, and I do not wish to take a second wife, nor are there are plans on taking in a concubine.”
He ran his fingers through his mustache and spoke slowly. This caused the ones to have spoken earlier to feel a little disheartened.
It seemed that Marquis Gu’s fondness of Yu Fu was limited to just a bit. He was not even willing to take in a concubine to take care of her.
“But…”
Everyone’s ears perked up to listen to what he had to say.
“My lords also have daughters at home. If you could tell this marquis about how to raise a daughter, it would be good to let me learn a little.”
What was this?
Marquis Gu wished to personally raise his daughter?!
The people were shocked, and the officials with daughters were the first to react. Raising their hands, they rushed to respond.
One person said: “Lord Marquis, Lord Marquis, daughters must learn the four arts, and they must be proficient in needlework. These are things that must not be neglected. You need to have a specialized person to come and teach young miss Yu Fu. This humble official has a few very-skilled embroiderers in my manor. Would Lord Marquis like to meet them?”
Gu HuaiJiang thought for a bit. These old things were truly a pain to deal with, and who knew if Yu Fu wanted to learn these things.
He would go back to the manor and ask her opinion before considering the matter of looking for someone to teach embroidery.
“This marquis will keep it in mind. If Yu Fu wishes, this marquis will not be reserved and will send someone to your manor to invite them.”
“Very good, Lord Marquis must not be reserved!”
The one with an embroiderer in his manor happily lowered his head, figuring that this would be a good chance to get connected to Marquis Gu’s Manor. He had finally made a breakthrough in his career!
Another person then said: “Lord Marquis, Lord Marquis, a daughter’s body is a little different from a son’s. My daughter needs to have a tael of birdnest every day! Lord Marquis may wish to prepare some birdnest or donkey-hide gelatin for young miss Yu Fu. My home has some donkey-hide gelatin brought in by Northern Li. If Lord Marquis does not dislike the idea, shall I have someone send it over?”
Birdnest? Donkey-hide gelatin?*
Gu HuaiJiang thought about it. Back when his wife was still alive, she also seemed to be eating these things quite frequently.
Ever since his wife passed away, there were only males who liked practicing martial arts. All of them had strong and sturdy bodies, and supplements were very rarely taken. Thinking about it, there would no longer be any such things in the warehouse.
“Very well, then I will thank you. If Yu Fu likes eating them, this marquis will have someone go to Northern Li to get more, and an extra portion will be brought for your family’s young miss.”
The person that had spoken instantly rejoiced.
To be able to have Marquis Gu be so eager to bring him things, just how glorious a situation was this!
Everyone became more and more lively in their discourse, as the officials with daughters began to squeeze forward, while those without daughters could only resent the fact that they had been squeezed out.
They all felt great regret. What was the point of having so many sons?
They needed to quickly go home and have a daughter. Only like this could they find something to speak about with Marquis Gu!
Not far away, Prime Minister Yin saw this scene and let out a snort in disdain.
“In the time of Tang XuanZong, there was Imperial Consort Yang**. Although there were 3000 beauties in the inner palace, all of his affections were focused on her alone. This made mothers and fathers of the world want to give birth to daughters rather than sons. Now that he, Gu HuaiJiang, brought home a daughter of unknown origin, this sort of a ‘grand spectacle’ has been sparked. It really is outrageous!”
*TN: Birdnest and donkey-hide gelatin are both considered supplements in traditional Chinese medicine.
**TN: This is based on a poem written by Bai Juyi about Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty. If you wish to search it up, the poem’s name is “The Song of Everlasting Sorrow”
Favoring the Birth of Daughters Over Sons
It was only now that Gu ShuBai realized that he should have come as a “punitive expedition.”
He hastily put on a stern expression and looked at Yu Fu with an inquisitive gaze.
“When I was passing by the side entrance of the backyard, I happened to hear Yao Lan speak with Yao Hong. For the sake of shocking Yao Hong, she revealed your true identity. If it was not for what she had said, I really would never have thought that you would be deceiving us like this.”
Yu Fu’s eyes became wide in an instant.
“No wonder Yao Lan had that expression just now. What did she say to reveal it? I clearly told her…”
This is wrong.
Yu Fu suddenly covered her mouth and looked at Gu ShuBai with her brows slightly furrowed in confusion.
Even if her sharp yet puzzled expression was very adorable, he endured and did not allow himself to laugh, maintaining his stern expression.
“Eldest brother cheated me last time. You clearly knew that fifth and sixth brother had come, but you deliberately asked me about their names. Isn’t eldest brother scamming me again this time?”
Amazing!
Gu ShuBai raised an eyebrow. He did not think that she would be this smart, growing with just a single setback.
“Yao Lan never said it directly, but she told Yao Hong that your status is even greater than all of us, and only Princess DanYang is comparable. Ever since you entered the manor, we already knew that you were the medical god’s disciple. As for your actual identity, we know absolutely nothing.”
Sure enough, that girl Yao Lan did end up causing her trouble!
Yu Fu gnashed her teeth and thought about how this was not the time to be blaming Yao Lan. The most pressing matter of the moment was to stop Gu ShuBai.
“Eldest brother, everyone has secrets. Could it be that you don’t have any?”
She pitifully looked at Gu ShuBai, but the look of having something that could not be said caused Gu ShuBai to freeze.
Secrets, huh?
Perhaps, perhaps there were…
He looked at Yu Fu, her small head, her small lips, and the small silver bells that hung from her hair buns.
The secret in his heart was also just as small.
“This is your secret, but is it one that cannot be told even to me?”
Yu Fu hesitated for a moment but ended up biting her lip and nodding, “Eldest brother, I don’t want the head general to tell everyone that I am his illegitimate daughter. It’s not just for my master, but it’s also because of this secret. Do you trust me? Do you trust that I won’t bring you harm?”
Gu ShuBai patted her small head and gave her a reassuring smile.
“No one would think that you would want to harm us. If you aren’t willing to say it, I will act as if I never heard it. This is your little secret, and eldest brother will help keep it for you.”
Not only did he not ask anything else, but he also said that he would help her keep this secret.
Yu Fu blinked a few times, the corners of her eyes slightly wet, as she looked at Gu ShuBai with a look of reliance.
“Thank you, eldest brother.”
She spoke softly then dove into his embrace, her tiny hands tightly grabbing his clothes. She was unwilling to let go for quite a while.
…
Ever since the dragon boat festival passed, the court officials began to find that they now had another excuse to get close to Marquis Gu.
That excuse was Yu Fu.
As long as there was a topic related to Yu Fu, Marquis Gu would listen for a little while, especially the officials who had daughters. In this regard, they had a great advantage over those officials without daughters.
“Lord Marquis, your manor does not have a single wife. It doesn’t even have a concubine who can provide support. This is not beneficial to the development of a young miss! After all, she is a daughter, and there is no head wife to take care of her needs. This is definitely inconvenient.”
After court was dismissed, the officials gathered outside of the imperial court and formed a circle around Gu HuaiJiang. All of them then took turns to speak.
For once, Gu HuaiJiang did not find an excuse to leave.
“This marquis has been single for so many years. I have six sons and Yu Fu, and I do not wish to take a second wife, nor are there are plans on taking in a concubine.”
He ran his fingers through his mustache and spoke slowly. This caused the ones to have spoken earlier to feel a little disheartened.
It seemed that Marquis Gu’s fondness of Yu Fu was limited to just a bit. He was not even willing to take in a concubine to take care of her.
“But…”
Everyone’s ears perked up to listen to what he had to say.
“My lords also have daughters at home. If you could tell this marquis about how to raise a daughter, it would be good to let me learn a little.”
What was this?
Marquis Gu wished to personally raise his daughter?!
The people were shocked, and the officials with daughters were the first to react. Raising their hands, they rushed to respond.
One person said: “Lord Marquis, Lord Marquis, daughters must learn the four arts, and they must be proficient in needlework. These are things that must not be neglected. You need to have a specialized person to come and teach young miss Yu Fu. This humble official has a few very-skilled embroiderers in my manor. Would Lord Marquis like to meet them?”
Gu HuaiJiang thought for a bit. These old things were truly a pain to deal with, and who knew if Yu Fu wanted to learn these things.
He would go back to the manor and ask her opinion before considering the matter of looking for someone to teach embroidery.
“This marquis will keep it in mind. If Yu Fu wishes, this marquis will not be reserved and will send someone to your manor to invite them.”
“Very good, Lord Marquis must not be reserved!”
The one with an embroiderer in his manor happily lowered his head, figuring that this would be a good chance to get connected to Marquis Gu’s Manor. He had finally made a breakthrough in his career!
Another person then said: “Lord Marquis, Lord Marquis, a daughter’s body is a little different from a son’s. My daughter needs to have a tael of birdnest every day! Lord Marquis may wish to prepare some birdnest or donkey-hide gelatin for young miss Yu Fu. My home has some donkey-hide gelatin brought in by Northern Li. If Lord Marquis does not dislike the idea, shall I have someone send it over?”
Birdnest? Donkey-hide gelatin?*
Gu HuaiJiang thought about it. Back when his wife was still alive, she also seemed to be eating these things quite frequently.
Ever since his wife passed away, there were only males who liked practicing martial arts. All of them had strong and sturdy bodies, and supplements were very rarely taken. Thinking about it, there would no longer be any such things in the warehouse.
“Very well, then I will thank you. If Yu Fu likes eating them, this marquis will have someone go to Northern Li to get more, and an extra portion will be brought for your family’s young miss.”
The person that had spoken instantly rejoiced.
To be able to have Marquis Gu be so eager to bring him things, just how glorious a situation was this!
Everyone became more and more lively in their discourse, as the officials with daughters began to squeeze forward, while those without daughters could only resent the fact that they had been squeezed out.
They all felt great regret. What was the point of having so many sons?
They needed to quickly go home and have a daughter. Only like this could they find something to speak about with Marquis Gu!
Not far away, Prime Minister Yin saw this scene and let out a snort in disdain.
“In the time of Tang XuanZong, there was Imperial Consort Yang**. Although there were 3000 beauties in the inner palace, all of his affections were focused on her alone. This made mothers and fathers of the world want to give birth to daughters rather than sons. Now that he, Gu HuaiJiang, brought home a daughter of unknown origin, this sort of a ‘grand spectacle’ has been sparked. It really is outrageous!”
*TN: Birdnest and donkey-hide gelatin are both considered supplements in traditional Chinese medicine.
**TN: This is based on a poem written by Bai Juyi about Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty. If you wish to search it up, the poem’s name is “The Song of Everlasting Sorrow”
