Chapter 313: A Stormy Night, No Prisoner of War Accepted (I)

Translator: Ning LL

The sound of the coachman cracking whips and shouting came through from the outside. As the coach forwarded slowly, inside of the dark coach, of which the brocade curtains were flying in the air, Old Madam Yang recognized the person sitting there by the light coming through the window, and that was no other than Gu Tingye.

The coach was strangely silent. Gu Tingye leaned forward slightly and said lowly, “Aunt, it’s been a while.”

Old Madam Yang never realized that he would show up there. For the moment, she only sat there stiffly with astonishment. After a short moment, she questioned him with a sharp voice, “What are you doing here?!”

Gu Tingye didn’t answer her right away, but said another thing, “When the lady of Marquis Xuanmen’s family got married, her wedding truly was a grand occasion in the capital. When princess Ping Ning got married, Marquis Xiangyang had prepared a great fortune for her as her dowry. It is reasonable for Old Madam Qin to get jealous.”

With Old Madam Yang’s eyelids shivering all of a sudden, she looked to Gu Tingye directly, thinking, ‘I have only got out of Old Madam Qin’s mansion less than a quarter!’

Then she said in a stern voice, “How well-informed you are! You truly have changed.”

Gu Tingye didn’t mind what she said and only replied with a smile, “About dozens of years ago, Marquis Xuanmen garrisoned the Prefecture Yan Tong on the northwest. At that time, he suffered a surprise attack by a massive forces from the west. There were only thousands of remnants in the city and the reinforcements were not able to arrive on time. As the city was about to be broken, Marquis Xuanmen and his sons, all the four of them were going to die with the people in the city. At that time, the Rui family, a prestigious family in the city nearby, acknowledged what had happened. Old General Rui who had retired at home was a big-hearted man, so he sent all the men in his family as well as the male servants in his mansion to rescue Marquis Xuanmen. At last, they managed to stick until the reinforces arrived. As a result, Marquis Xuanmen’s family was also saved. However, of all the men in the Rui family, only Old General Rui’s young illegal son survived.”

After saying that, Gu Tingye stopped talking and only stared at Old Madam Yang with a slightly sarcastic look in his eyes. Old Madam Yang felt her anger rise but also knew it was inappropriate for her to lose her temper. She knew what had happened to Marquis Xuanmen, and that was also why she had talked with Old Madam Qin fiercely.

Gu Tingye was very satisfied with the look on her face, then he said slowly, “After Marquis Xuanmen returned to the capital, he married his youngest daughter to Young Master Rui and spent more than half of his family property on her daughter’s dowry. I wonder if our family has owed the Han family such a great debt.”

Old Madam Yang’s face already turned purple and her teeth kept grating. Still, she remained silent, showing that she would never resist as long as there was no violence.

“As for Princess Ping Ning…” Gu Tingye chuckled, “At that time, I was still a young boy. However, I still remember that Old Madam Yang has acted as the matchmaker. You have also brought my cousins to attend the feast. Shouldn’t you know about the details?”

Old Madam Yang still resisted him with silence and refused to talk. Then, with the smile on Gu Tingye’s face gradually disappearing, he said in a cold voice, “Aunt, you truly have changed to a peaceful person. Thanks to Old Madam’s hard work, I guess.”

Old Madam Yang, as hot-tempered as she was, finally couldn’t restrain herself and said in a loud voice, “Don’t try to provoke me! I am an old woman who is going to have a great grandson. I’m not afraid of being framed by you. Just tell me what you want!”

“Nothing, only your words.” Gu Tingye said with a flat tone with an imposing manner as if he was pressing Old Madam Yang with an invisible hand. Old Madam Yang tried to hold her temper and adjusted her breath, “… You are right. She have made a mistake this time. I’ve already scolded her. If she still refuses to correct her mistake, I’ll never help her with this! How about this? Are you satisfied now?”

She bombarded Gu Tingye with those words quickly in an angry tone. Then the latter showed a slight smile on his face.

Old Madam Yang, furious as she was, casted a glance at him with the corner of her eyes and said, “Although she has done wrong, but I still understand her. Tingcan doesn’t have her father now and couldn’t rely on her capable brother. How could her mother not worry about her? Old Madam Qin has been gentle and kind for her whole life. Now she only did one thing wrong. Why couldn’t you let her go?!”

Gu Tingye snorted with a disdainful look, “The farmland she planned to present to Tingcan was granted by the emperor and hasn’t been touched by anyone for hundreds of years. How kind and gentle is that!” His words were sharp like the blades.

Old Madam Yang still refused to give in and sneered in a weird tone, “That’s right. I almost forgot that your mother was the only reason why the Gu’s ancestral property could be saved. You don’t need to remind me that. All the Gu’s people didn’t dare to forget her gratitude!”

“And this is how the Gu family repay my mother’s kindness?!” Gu Tingye asked that with a glacial look.

“Are you kidding me? How could it be the Gu’s people’s fault that you have become a disobedient and foppish man? Hasn’t you father reproached you when you acted wildly at the outside? You were a mess at that time, how could you blame anyone for that?”

If she had said those words in the early years, Gu Tingye would definitely fly into a rage. However, now he had already been through so many hardships in the outside world, so he didn’t mind her ironical speech at all and only taunted back with a cold voice, “I never denied what I have done, but am I the only one in our family who has acted like that? My father didn’t know anything they did, but I know you did.”

The aunt and the nephew’s personality were a bit alike. No one flinched an inch in the verbal battle. However Old Madam Yang was choked with words after Gu Tingye had said that. The capital was a prospering city full of entertainments. Most of men from the noble families were contaminated with some bad habits. However, after those men grew up and got married, they would either behave themselves or learn to clean up their mess and cover for themselves.

Gu Tingbing was greedy for money and coveted a wealthy life. Gu Tingyang was a randy man and went to the whorehouse very frequently. They had both got themselves in troubles a lot of times and sometimes even been involved with murder cases. Old Madam Qin had helped them deal with all those cases, so the Fourth and the Fifth family were all very grateful to her. However, as for Gu Tingye…

“Does having a woman from a merchant family as your sister-in-law humiliate you in your husband’s family?” Gu Tingye leaned on the wall of the coach and sneered in a flat tone.

Old Madam Yang was not able to utter a single word. The past rushed to her mind at once.

At that time, she had already given birth to two daughters, but her illegal son grew up day by day. Her mother-in-law was a tough woman and her sisters-in-law were also not easy to deal with. As the First Madam of her family, she truly had a lot of difficulties. However, right at this period of time, her brother married to a merchant’s daughter. The people in her husband’s family had taunted her so many times overtly or covertly. Sometimes when she ate something which was low in salt, those people would say, ‘Eldest Sister-in-law, you don’t have to be too frugal. Why don’t you ask some salt from your sister-in-law of your parent’s family?’ and then laugh out loud. Old Madam Yang was a proud woman who never bothered to explain for herself. At last, she could only restrain her anger with a pretending smile.

She knew about her eldest brother’s difficulties and pitied First Madam Qin. She also understood her parents only agreed on that marriage as a last resort. At last, she could only vent all her anger on Bai shi, as well as Gu Tingye.

Having swallowed a few times, she wanted to say something but finally gave up. As she raised her head, she noticed the light coming through from the window was not the broad daylight but the yellow and vapory sunset. The man sitting opposite to her had a broad forehead and a prominent nose, looking very alike to the dying old man in her memory.

“My eldest brother… Your father, before he died, he has been missing you the whole time.” She suddenly said that with a depressed look as if she had grown old all of a sudden. Then she continued with a hoarse voice, “Later, Eldest Brother couldn’t recognize anyone’s face and only kept ordering someone to find you. He didn’t want you to endure the hardships, unfortunately…”

Although Gu Tingye had already known about that, those words still pulled at his heart, stifling him.

“Since we have already talked about this, I’ll just cut to the chase. I thought your mother didn’t deserve to be the madam of the Gu family from the beginning. Because of what you have done when you were young, I also felt that you didn’t deserve the title of our family. Therefore, even if I knew certain things, I have never spoken out. However, nobody could predict that now…” Old Madam Yang made a blunt state slowly with despair in her eyes. Actually, ever since her eldest brother had passed away, she had never stepped into Marquis Ningyuan’s mansion because of her guilt.

Thinking of that, she, suddenly swelled up with pride, raised her head and snorted, “I am the Gu’s people and will never regret the things I’ve done. I’m not my fourth or fifth brother who are either confused or coward! I never helped you when you were down in life. Now you become successful, I won’t take advantage of our relationships either! I didn’t even attend your wedding, so you can regard me as an aunt you’ve never had. Even if the Yang family runs into a crisis in the future, I won’t ask you for help!”

After she uttered those words resolutely, she felt her bones falling apart. Then she said with a raucous voice, “But Tingcan… Tingwei is a tampered boy; you and she aren’t that bonded. As for her grandpa’s family, Marquis Dongchang’s family, has already declined. I couldn’t sit by and do nothing about her marriage. If I can find her a suitable family to marry into, I won’t feel sorry for my eldest brother.”

“After your sister’s engagement is settled, I won’t step into the Gu’s mansion ever again. You don’t need to worry about me. Also, tell your wife not to worry. I won’t put on an air anymore.” After Old Madam Yang spitted those words with gritted teeth, she paused and said in a low voice, “… If Tingcan couldn’t be engaged with the Han family, we have to find her other men. She’s still an innocent girl. You should at least help her. You are her blood brother after all.”

Old Madam Yang had watched Gu Tingye growing up. Therefore, she was well aware of his tough character. Under no circumstances would he return good for evil and the best he could do was not returning evil for evil. Therefore, Old Madam Yang knew that she would never be able to take advantage of her seniority. After all, things couldn’t be as they had been.

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